Chapter 4: Shut up and Drive
Outside of the Golden Hourglass, Flash Sentry and Tick Tock were finishing up fixing Vinyl's car. "Drives well. I think we're good. What you think, Tick Tock?" Flash Sentry asked his friend sitting next to him in the car of the passenger seat.
"Indeed. We've successfully restored the issue on our friend's vehicle," Tick Tock answered.
"Now that we both agree, let's go get lunch!' Says Flash. The two get out of the car and head into the Golden Hourglass.
"Welcome!" Derpy greets them.
Tick Tock gives off a crooked smile as he blushes, "Hey, Derpy!" He manages to say. Derpy smiles, "I see you've been practicing on your smiling! Keep it up! It starting to look good!"
The ginger hair boy just nodded.
"Derpy, can ya tell Vinyl her car is done and parked out front? Also, we're eating lunch here so table for two!" says Flash.
"Sure! Just follow me!" Derpy lead them to a table. After the guys sat down, Derpy hand them their menus. "I'll be back to take your orders!" Derpy leaves.
A few minutes looking into the menu, "I'm deciding on the slice of pecan pie and strawberry lemonade. What you getting, Tick Tock?" Not getting an answer, Flash looked over to his friend. Tick Tock had his head ducked down with one hand grabbing his hair while the other hand held the menu he was using to hide himself. Flash could almost make out what his friend was mumbling about.
"Just ask about her day or how nice she looks but what if..."
Flash raised a brow wondering what he meant by that.
"Ready to order?" Derpy had came back to their table.
Tick Tock practically jumped in his seat as his heart leaped out from his chest. "N-No I'm still in the process of selecting on a meal!" He said blushing bright red while looking down at the table as he kept the menu in front of his face.
"No problemo!" said Derpy all chipper. She turned to Flash, "What about you, sir?"
"Slice of pecan pie and some strawberry lemonade, please!"
"Okie dokie!" The waitress wrote it down in her notepad. "I'll be back in a few minutes with your order!"
Flash looked over at Derpy. Once she walked in through the kitchen, he turned to the guy in front of him. He swipes his menu away from him. "Hey!" Tick Tock exclaims.
"I've figured out what's got you all jittery since we've came in here!" He smirks.
The ginger head blushes but trying to put on a serious face, "I don't know what you're talking about!"
"You really like Derpy don't you?"
Tick Tock looks away, "Is it really wise for me to say that to the one who previously had a relationship with her?"
The question surprised Flash a bit. "Honestly it would be considered weird by others but we're all friends! You know what happened to Derpy and I, we ended our relationship by staying as friends instead."
Tick Tock sighed, "Yes. I do recall when you told all of us at lunch in the cafeteria one day."
"See! Now tell me, how long you've liked Derpy?"
"Junior High. Since we've been friends."
"Junior High?! That's years!" Flash says surprised. Then it hit him realizing that he was with Derpy for a couple of months in high school. "Oh wow!" He says breaking into a cold sweat. "I literally didn't know!"
"It's fine. I've previously performed my revenge on you anyways."
"Really?! How?!" Flash says flabbergasted.
"Remember how you really needed a new A string on your guitar and went around town for a new one but no place had any?"
"Yeah?"
"I got a case full of them in my closet."
"No way," Flash smiles in disbelief.
"So if you ever need one," Tick Tock smirks. "I got you."
"You are one scary genius, my friend!"
"Are you ready to order now, Tick Tock?" Derpy came up to them. Tick Tock heart skipped. He made a fake cough as he looked down at his menu, "...hamburger."
"And to drink?"
"Lemonade."
"Anything else?"
"No. It's all. Thank you." Tick Tock hands over his menu to her. As he slightly looks up at her, she beams a smile. "I'll be back with your orders." Tick Tock turns away as his face blushes red.
Flash Sentry and Tick Tock left the Golden Hourglass and were walking down the street to a parking lot where Flash had parked his car. The two get in while Flash tries to convince Tick Tock to confess to Derpy. "You've liked her this long, go for it!"
"There's no point to it. We've been friends this long nothing will change if I say anything."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Well...she...and I..." Tick Tock stuttered trying to come up with an answer. Flash smirks, nodding his head, "You don't know, meaning you're just scared to tell her anything." Tick Tock sighs, laying his head against the window. Stopping on a ride light, Flash looks over at the direction of the Golden Hourglass where to his surprise he finds an angry Vinyl being held back by Derpy and Lyra as she she's yelling at a guy. "What is going on?!" He says shocked.
Alarmed, Tick Tock looks over to see what's going. Flash rolls down his window.
"YOU BET YOUR DIRTY HAIR YOU'RE GOING TO FIX MY CAR! I JUST GOT MY FRIENDS TO FIX IT JUST A WHILE A GO!" Vinyl yelled out.
"No way!" Flash and Tick Tock said in sync. The guys looked over at where they left Vinyl's car. The back of her car was crashed with the bumper on the ground, a dent and one light shattered. Flash looked forward, when the light turned green, he changed lanes then after a block he drove into another street where he made a quick U-turn. He parked closest he can to the restaurant and the two stormed over to where now there was a crowd of people with their cellphones out recording the threats Vinyl was yelling out to the guy.
"There's is no way I'm paying for your car, little girl!" The guy mocked.
"Why not?" Flash says out loud intervening with Tick Tock by his side.
"Because I wasn't the one who left so little space for me to park!" He spat.
"That may be true, but any owner of a vehicle would be wise to check the capacity before parking and won't attempt moving in if it's too small. Attempts end with trouble of getting out such space or what we see now for example with the back of my friend's car, crashing." Tick Tock explains.
Flash smirks pointing his thumb at his friend, "What he said."
"Ha! See! It was your fault! Now pay up!" Says Vinyl.
Angrily the guy looks at the three, "I keep telling you. I am not going to pay for anything!" He moves towards the three showing how bigger he is than them. The trio didn't move an inch as they stare back.
The sudden sound of a police car is heard as it drives right up to them. Two police men come out of their vehicle. "We got a call of a crash outside of Golden Hourglass," says one of the cops. Vinyl turns to her friends. Derpy and Lyra shake their heads no. Coming out of the restaurant they work at, their manager makes his appearance. "Hello officers. As you can see the ruckus outside of my restaurant is due to this young man crashing into the back car of one of my employee's vehicle," Time Turner explains. The policemen look over at the guy. The guy was looking away trying to hide his face with his bangs and putting his shades on that he had hooked over his shirt.
"Well, if it isn't Speed Sound," Says the second cop. "Trying another of your hit and run!"
"He's well known?" Time Turner asks the first cop. "Yes. We've caught him mostly for speed racing at night in the streets. Him and other street racing hooligans."
Inside of the Golden Hourglass, Vinyl was thanking his manager for calling the cops. She hardly ever calls the cops first because she wants to get her revenge before they get taken away.
"As soon as Octavia told me why my waitresses went out, the first thing I know I had to do was call the police before anyone got hurt," Says Time Turner. He looks straight at the young DJ, "Knowing you." Vinyl chuckles, "Yeah." Before the manager left to the back, he noticed Flash Sentry and Tick Tock. "Those two?"
"They're buds of ours. Blue head is Flash Sentry. Red head is Tick Tock," Vinyl answers.
"You girls mentioned them before," Time Turner recalls. "Flash Sentry, the guitar playing friend whose band played on the float you all built back in CHS and any fundraiser you girls got into. Tick Tock, the genius who helped built anything that helped in any other projects." He walks over to the two guys. "Any chance you boys are looking for a part-time job?"
"Thank you for the offer but Tick Tock and I already work part-time at an auto shop," Flash Sentry answers.
"But if it's any consolation, the service here was wonderful. We'd be glad to come here every now and then for a meal," Tick Tick tells.
"How unfortunate. Though I am relieved both of you had a swell stay, I'm happy knowing you both will come here now and then."
"Wow! I never noticed this but Time Turner and Tick Tock are kind of alike," Derpy whispers to Lyra. "Kind of?" Lyra questions. "Bon Bon once told me when the manager was a Canterlot High school student, he was known as 'Genius' like Tick Tock was when we were all at CHS."
"Really?" Derpy says amazed. "But shouldn't manager be inventing things or discovering stuff like Tick Tock has been doing."
"Yes but I guess something happened after high school. Bon Bon wouldn't tell me anything more."
Evening that same day at the auto repair shop, Flash and Tick Tock were closing up the garage. After locking up, Flash noticed a car coming up. "Tick Tock!" He calls out with a smile, "Looks who is coming for a visit." Tick Tock turns around. He sighs when he notices it is his brother. "Lightwing, we just closed up."
Lightwing gets out of his car, "Look! I need a repair before I go home tonight!" He begged.
"Why? What you did this time that dad will definitely do to take you precious car away?" Tick Tock mocked.
Lightwing looks at his brother angrily, fastly tapping his right foot impatiently on the concrete ground. "I got into a street race with some jerk. Lost the race and the rims from my car."
"Wow!" Flash and Tick Tock said bewildered.
"Way to do something stupid again, my brother!"
"If I didn't need your help I would've come up with a come back but no time!" Lightwing says angry. "I need your help getting new rims!"
"I'm afraid to tell you but this place is closed plus we don't sell any blue silver shiny rims like the ones you had that costed you more than five hundred dollars that you could've use to save up for that studio apartment you really wanted to move into!" Tick Tock mocked.
"Tick Tock!" Lightwing growled.
Tick Tock hummed, "Just buy regular rims and spray paint them blue."
"That's...!" He paused realizing the plan wasn't bad. "Not a bad idea." He hops into his car. "Laters! Tell dad I'll be arriving home late." He shouts driving off.
The two watched him leave till he was out of sight. "I thought your dad cared what your brother was doing more than what he did to his car?" Flash asks.
"He does but don't let Lightwing know that." Tick Tock smirks a sinister smile. "If he can't bother acting responsible outside of home then why bother acting all high and mighty at home!"
"Scary when you can be Tick Tock."
Tick Tock woke up to the sound of his cellpone ringing.
"Hello?"
"Hurry and get dressed we go to go to Golden Hourglass now!"
"Flash? Why now?"
"Someone vandalised the place last night!"