The Missing Bard

by Kiniro


Chapter 2: An Offer from Vinyl Scratch

The Missing Bard

Chapter 2: An Offer from Vinyl Scratch

Coming to Equestria and becoming a pony had been its challenges off and on. However as time had passed, I found myself re-realizing who I was. For example relearning how to play the guitar was a challenge in its own right, I felt like I was right back at the old Musician's Academy. But sometimes I wish there some traits of myself that I could have left behind when I left my human form behind.
"Well Kini I thought I'd never see the day." Twilight said with a laugh.
"Twi... Please give it a rest already, you're making me feel bad!" I said with a shameful voice.
"I'm sorry Kini, but honestly, how is it physically possible to burn a bowl of cold oatmeal!" Twilight giggled as she handed me the burnt remains of the once proud breakfast ingredients.
"Oatmeal! Are you crazy?!" Pinkie Pie asked burst through the kitchen window. "Hiya Twilight! Hiya Kini! How are you two this morning!" Shocked from the unexpected pony I fell back tossing the bowl into the air.
"GAH!" I shouted. "Pinkie!" Following with a loud blobbing splat. I looked over to the source of the sound only to see Twilight's face covered in burnt oatmeal with the bowl on top of her head. "Are... you ok... Twi?" I asked trying not to laugh.
"Don't you have music lessons to get to with Octavia down the street?" Twilight reminded me with a frustrated tone.
"Yeah... I guess I do... I'll be back a little later... See you!" I said as I excused myself from Twilight and I quickly made haste for the door.
"You know Pinkie... we have a door." I heard Twilight mention with her still frustrated tone.
"Oh I know! But what fun is that! Plus I came to talk about throwing your 5 month Anniversary party!" I heard Pinkie mention, but I didn't continue to follow the conversation as I was already running late.
I finally made it the door and I saw my guitar laying there on there on the side of the door frame. I quickly picked it up with my mouth and shuffled out the door. Making haste to next door I tried not to drag my guitar. "Note to self, ask Rarity if she can make me a new strap for my guitar to better fit my pony body." I thought to myself. My journey to Octavia's wasn't far, as it was just right across the way. But I have been guilty enough to end up knocking on the wrong house only to get a confused pegasus as a response, or at least she looked that way, considering her golden colored eyes were a bit a skew when I showed up, but she was always nice enough to point me off into the right direction. Considering every house in Ponyville looked the same or to me they did anyway, it wasn't the first time, this has happened making this trip and I'm sure it wasn't the last, but at least the pegasus never got got mad, and once she gave me a basket of freshly baked muffins!
"Ah... Octavia's house." I said aloud to myself as I had arrived at my destination. I had set my guitar down and knocked slowly on the door with my hoof. "Hello? Is Octavia home?" I asked. Only to find a white unicorn with what appeared to be a mixture of a light purple and light red for her eyes, and blue mane with what looked like lighter blue highlights.
"Yeah she's in." The unicorn responded. "Octi! You got that guitar playing pony that you told me about here!"
"Thanks... the name is Kiniro." I responded. I had always hated when people called me by some other name, granted she didn't know, so I thought I'd let her know.
"Yeah Kiniro is here for you!" The unicorn shouted.
"Hey didn't you DJ for a party Pinkie Pie held on the train to Canterlot a few months back?" I asked.
"Yeah... how do you know that?" She asked curiously.
"Oh crap... I wasn't supposed to talk about being human.." I thought to myself. "Oh Pinkie talks about how she offers you a lot of small gigs."
"Oh yeah... she does, mostly small scale stuff, but hey it helps me get a few bits here and there, plus she's a good friend."
"Mind if I get your name? You know in case I ever need to hire a good DJ?" I asked.
"The name's Vinyl Scratch, I have the DJ name of DJ-Pon3 in some circles, but I drop the bass and bring the wubs!" She responded. "So are you going to come in for Octi or are we going to sit here talking at the door all day?" She asked. "I don't mind either way."
"Oh right... yeah... sorry." I blushed slightly for making a fool out of myself and grabbed my guitar and I walked inside.
"Oh so you play an acoustic guitar?" She asked as she noticed as I grabbed my guitar. "You know their's nothing wrong with acoustic but have you ever thought about going electric to help bring the wubs when you play?"
I set my guitar down to talk a I stepped inside. "An electric guitar?" I asked.
"Yeah, its electrically powered, mostly by magic though, I've only ever seen unicorns such as myself play them, the only problem I see with them is that you have to carry around an amplifier to get them to make a decent sound, otherwise it just sounds like you plucking that instrument Octi plays."
"I heard that!" I heard another pony say.
"Oh... that's Octi I better let you go. But hey come talk to me before you leave." Vinyl mentioned and she rushed into the next room.
"Ok..." I responded but she was already gone.
"Ah their you are Kiniro, I hate to do this to you this time, but it appears I have to go run some errands due to my roommate's... 'interesting' inventions at work. Would it be ok if you stop a little later today? I'm so sorry my dear." Octavia explained.
"Yeah its no big deal, go take care of your errands, I can practice my guitar back at home in the mean time." I replied.
"Yes, that would be a good idea, I promise I won't be to long!" Octavia said while rushing out the door.
"Man... what was that all about?" I asked myself aloud.
"Is she gone?" I heard Vinyl call out from the other room.
"Yeah I think she's gone." I responded.
"Ok good, I didn't want to see, me, she know's I've been home, but I've been trying to avoid her because I know she's mad at me for my latest invention."
"Oh? What type of invention did you create?" I asked.
"What haven't I tried to create?! This past one was a bass powered dishwasher, if you set it to 11 it cleaned dishes with wubs on a microscopic level... but... it shattered all the glasses inside, and over flowed with suds. But at least it worked!"
"Interesting..."I replied. "I have to admit, I would have never thought that it would work."
"But it did! I always have so much ideas that bass and wubs could do for pony kind!" Vinyl tried to explain.
"Well... what other inventions have you made?" I asked.
"I've made a bass cannon! It fires off wubs so loud that it makes a beam of energy as it plays, I've also made a bass powered air conditioning system... but that one needs some fine tuning. Admittedly... most of my greater inventions are for music..."
"Oh thank heavens a pony trying to progress musical standards and instruments in this land." I thought to myself. "Hey what instruments have you worked on?" I asked.
"Well... ever since I saw this pony that I opened for at a gig use an electric guitar, I've been fascinated with making instruments electric. I've even made Octi an electric Cello, but she wasn't interested. But I have been trying to perfect the idea, of the electric guitar by building a built in amplifier! Mobility is key!"
"Hmm an electric guitar with an amplifier you say?" I asked with intrigue.
"Yeah. Its pretty cool, but I'm not much of a guitar person." Vinyl explained.
"Well I know how to play the guitar somewhat decently. Maybe I could help?" I asked.
"Yeah you could, but your an earth pony? How will this help me test it, you know unicorn? Magic? Electric?"
"Yeah... but at least I could play it. Maybe you could provide the juice?" I suggested. Granted I already was magically capable, but she didn't need to know that, plus I think it would drive her up the wall that an earth pony knew magic.
"Yeah that's a good idea, if you help me test it and if it works consider it a gift!" Vinyl suggested.
"A gift? Why?" I asked.
"Well like I said I'm not a guitar person, plus, if I can get this prototype off the ground, I bet I could sell the idea or make more of them and sell them. Custom instruments is a big thing lately. Plus... my... inventions have a tendency... to back fire... so if it works! Consider it a gift for celebrating success!"
"Tendency to back fire?!" I asked with an alarmed voice.
"Yeah... my bass powered dishwasher worked... but not like I wanted. But at least it worked! So at least you have a good chance of it working."
"Alright, I'm game. But can it wait until after my lesson? I know Octavia is going to be out for a bit, but I probably should practice till then."
"Oh all right, but I'm holding you to that!" Vinyl said with a excitement. "I just have to do some finishing touches! I'll see you in a bit!"
"Alright see you... then..." I tried to say, but I was too slow, she had already seemed to vanish into thin air, probably to go work on her guitar invention of hers. But admittedly this idea of hers was revolutionary, we never had such ideas back in Midgard, and to be at the forefront of a musical break through such as this! I just had to be apart of it, but granted owning an Electric Guitar just seemed to fascinate me more, I had to make sure that this test didn't fail. I hardly ever let my greed or wants ever get the better of me, but for the progression of musical interests, I guess I could let it slide just a little bit!

End of Chapter 2.