//------------------------------// // The Vinyl Scratch // Story: Equestria: A Flux Tale // by Star Sage //------------------------------// (Since it has come to my attention that FanFiction.net denies links to other sites, this chapter, since it features music, will have the names of PMVs which use the song I’m talking about on Youtube, so if you don’t see a link, just do a search of Youtube for the name in parentheses. If you want, go take a listen while reading the chapter.) “Um, it’s pronounced California, and it’s a depressing song,” you tell her, looking at the record, slowly rising off the table to just stare at it. “Really? Is this a song from your world?” asks Tailfire, and you nod, before moving over towards the row of albums. The next one below the Hotel California reads American Pie, which you push over, grunting as you have to put extra power into your flight, before it finally moves, revealing the next album says it’s Jethro Tull, and a small list of songs you remember. “How is this possible?” you say to yourself, trying to move the next one. Luckily, you get a little help as Vinyl comes over and uses her magic to start flipping through them. “Who cares? It’s new tunes, and that’s never a bad thing. Just pick out a cool one, and we’ll start the show,” she says, and after thinking about it for a moment, you decide that her philosophy might be the right one in this situation. Don’t think about it, just go with the groves. A few minutes of searching shows you that it’s not just music from the radio that made its way into your mental library. The pokemon and digimon theme songs are present, as well as YuGiOh, and even a few children’s songs you remember. Finally though, after going down most of the line, you spot the perfect sound track, getting Vinyl to stop and just stare at it for a moment. “Transformers? What are they?” ask Vinyl. “More than meets the eye,” you whisper. “Bring it over and pop it down. It’s rock, so it should be perfect for you” The mention of rock gets Vinyl’s approval and she uses her magic to levitate the record out of the shelf and set it down on her turn table. Octavia, looking at the cover, which, like the rest, is just white words on a black background, doesn’t tell her much. Still, she starts to flick switches, press buttons, and after a few seconds you hear a hiss of feedback static from a speaker in the wall, before the on air light above the door flickers to life. “The evening shadows lengthen, the sun dips below the horizon, and a gentle night follows the hot day. A time of rest, relaxation, AND ROCK!!! This, fillies and colts, is the Vinyl Scratch on K-Colt, back on the air, and comin’ at ya with new tunes, new guests, and a whole new spirit,” says Vinyl into her mic, with Octavia just sighing as she shakes her head. “That’s right everypony, we’re back. After years away, toiling to make ends meet, fighting against the establishment, and surviving only off the fat of the land,” Vinyl continues, and Octavia leans forward towards her mic. “It was only about a month, month and a half tops. We were in Ponyville, staying at a house your cousin generously provided, and Celestia agreed to keep paying us half the usual stipend for this show until everything was fixed after your little accident,” corrected Octavia. “Hey, you remembered it your way, I’ll remember it mine,” counters Vinyl, turning towards you with a grin. “On this very special episode of the Scratch, we have not one, not two, but three guests. First is a relative of one of our regulars. A pony you know you love, the Captain of the Wonderbolts, and my very close personal friend, Spitfire. In this case though, we’ve got her nephew, a pony of few words, who lacks his aunt’s wings, but seems to make up for it with brains, Tailfire, give us a shout!” Vinyl screams, shoving the mic towards the earth pony. “Um…h-h-hi,” he says with a nervous stammer. Vinyl just looks at him, before drooping a bit. “Yeah, that’s a rousing hello. But he’s not the only pony on the show tonight, not bad a long shot. For you see, we have another special guest tonight, a pony you might not know, but he can make a big impression on you, DawnChaser, a unicorn professor from Manehatten, who is currently arguing with a broom, but if he finishes, I’m sure he’d love to be on the show,” says the DJ. “Our final guest of the evening had quite the trip to get here, crossing oceans, mountains, rivers of fire and downtown Canterlot traffic at midday. If you’ve been around Ponyville or Canterlot in the last week, you probably saw his dance of death with the Wonderbolts in that machine. He’s our visitor from another world, the human!” she screams again, pulling the mic down so it’s right near where you’re standing on the table. “Greeting and salutations, equines of Equestria,” you say in what you hope is a pleasant tone, and Vinyl just stares at you. “Heh, and as always, I’m Octavia, one of two sane ones on this show tonight,” says the earth pony mare with a chuckle, as Vinyl recovers, having been expecting more of your attitude from the first show. “Anyway, it’s thanks to our final guest that we’re back on the air a full six months ahead of schedule. He did some of that weird non-magic stuff he does and boom, the studio’s back, and better than ever, as he had the foresight to send us some tunes from his world, so let’s take a listen to one right now. This one’s called… ‘The Touch’,” she said, as she pushed a button, and the turn table spun to life, a crackle echoing from it, before the familiar cords of the song began. (First up, the Touch, by Stan Bush. It can be found under the name ‘Twilight Sparkle’s Got the Touch’, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnvfFaC-4Ek&feature=related) “You got Touch, na na na na, you got the power! YEAH!!!” you sing along, as the music blares, and then you make a guitar motion, strumming along with the music, even bouncing a bit as it gets to the more intense riffs between lyrics. You know it probably looks silly to the ponies, but it feels so right, and it had been a while since you heard the song, so you decide to enjoy it as much as possible, finding a bit of home in an expected place. “That, mares and gentlestallions, was Stan Bush’s , The Touch,” you say as the song’s music fades away, Vinyl clapping a little. “Awesome tune little dude. Are all the songs like that?” she asks, turning back towards the collection of records. “Probably not. My taste in music is rather eclectic. I’m pretty sure there’ some Katy Perry songs, I know there’s some Weird Al, and probably some country too,” you tell her. “Heh, well, since the music’s over for the moment, let’s get down to brass tacks and do some interviewing. Tailfire, how’d you like everypony in Equestria to know all the intimate details of your life?” asked Vinyl, moving the mic towards Tailfire, who stammers out the word everypony for a minute, and then has his eyes roll into the back of his head and faints, Octavia and you going to his side and making sure he’s alright, while Vinyl just laughs. “It seems even on radio, we have stage fright. But that’s okay, we have backup guests. Professor, would you say a few words to the public?!” she shouts, as she uses her magic to open the door. The only response she gets is an unintelligible yell, which you think might be a swear word, before the door glows silver, DawnChaser’s magic color, and slams shut, hard. “O-kay, that was a bust. Little Dude, you have to help, you’re my only hope!” she tells you, throwing herself on the table and clapping her hooves together, before shaking them at you in a begging motion. Looking down, Octavia nods that Tailfire is fine, and she sets him into a comfortable laying position, while you resume your place on the table itself. “Um, I guess I have no problem with that. What do I do?” you ask. “Ah, very simple, very simple. I’ll ask you a question, and you have to answer truthfully, no fibs or dodges. Doesn’t that sound like fun?” she asks, and you see Octavia just shaking her head and sighing, probably not thinking the best of her co-star right now. You don’t see a big problem with it though, and nod. “Okay, hit me with your best shot,” you challenge, walking over and sitting down on the edge of the turntable. “Oooh, a tough guy, huh? Still, I suppose the ponies at home have the same general questions right now, since even the papers can’t seem to get an interview with you, what with the amazing spider pony protecting you,” she says, probably in reference to the moves the Captain had pulled that morning. “Well, I can’t say it’s not their own fault. They’re very aggressive, and it’s a bit of a turn off,” you admit. “Ah, but I’m so personable I suppose. Anyway, first question, just what in Equestria are you?” she says, pulling the mic down towards you again. “I’m a human, a bipedal mammal, male, who inhabits the third world in the Sol System, a tiny little dust ball called Earth,” you answer. “Fascinating. So, you’re from another world altogether then?” she asks. “Indeed, no talking ponies on my world….actually no talking anything but humans as far as I know, so rather boring compared to here,” you admit. “Sounds like it. Moving on though, I hear that you’ve got a bit of a height problem, that you’re something like mouse sized, any truth to that rumor?” she said. “There’s some truth to it, yes, but since I can fly, and do magic of a sort, it’s not all bad,” you say. “Can all humans do that, or is it just you?” she continued. “As far as we know, just me, which means I’m special, in more ways than one,” you tell her. “Ah, so that means you’re being here is the first step on some kind of invasion of Equestria by walking, talking apes that ride in metal machines, and shoot lasers, and rebuild studios?” she asks. “Um, no, no it’s not. I don’t even know how I got here, neither do the Princesses, and they can’t get me home. Not exactly a bright spot, that, but c’est la vie, such is life. I’m a human, if we can’t go back, we adapt to the new environment. We make new tools, or repurpose old ones, or just become stronger. We survive, and if the fates are kind, we even thrive,” you say proudly. “Heh, sweet. And now, listeners, it’s time for one of those ever so lovely breaks from the action. I hope you enjoyed the human’s tunes, because we’ve got another one here…it’s called ‘Dare’,” she says, pushing a button, and the song starts up, though this time Octavia pushes a switch, and the version playing over the studio speakers goes quiet. (Next we have Dare, also by Stan Bush, it’s just simply titled ‘PMV Dare’, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5heep9CfaQ&feature=related) “Vinyl, why are you asking all these questions?” she says as she spins her seat to face Vinyl’s. “Simple Octy, we know who this guy is, we’ve known him longer than any pony out there, but that’s us. Everypony else, they don’t. I mean, did you hear what they were saying the other day?” asks the pop pony in return, and Octavia shakes her head. “I was cleaning all day yesterday, like you were supposed to be,” she chides. “Well, it’s a good thing I didn’t waste my time on that. Everypony in Canterlot saw that little dog fight he had with the Bolts. Worse, lots of the unicorns in this town felt that big, blue boom he made the other day too. I heard at least five separate groups say they should petition the Princesses to lock him up somewhere, and throw away the key,” Vinyl explained, and you and Octavia are taken aback by the news. “Five groups..how large?” you ask. “At least two of them were big, probably twenty or thirty, and all big wigs,” she tells you, and you nod at the information. “They’re scared. I did something unusual, something that shows a lot of power. What you fear, you seek to control or destroy,” you say, remembering that phrase from somewhere. “Right, so I figured, the best way to get them to not be afraid of you, is for them to get to know you like me and Octy have. Ain’t I smart?” she says with a grin towards Octavia. “I suppose it does make sense. But do you really think the Princesses would allow somepony to harm him? Could anypony even do that, after what we’ve seen his capable of?” she asks. “Best not to take chances. Besides, it makes for a fun interview,” said Vinyl, turning back to the mic, as the song ended, and the show resumed. “And we’re back. Wow, what a blast of a song. For those just tuning in, that one was courtesy of tonight’s guest, the so called Little One, a human from Earth who was cruelly ripped from his home, and dumped in a strange, terrifying world of giant ponies, who could crush him without even realizing it, or even swallow him alive,” she says, her voice sounding very dramatic as she keeps going. “I believe you were the one to do that last one first, Vinyl,” Octavia reminds her. “Well, yeah, but you were the one to say he was tasty, and then you guzzled him down with that apple wine,” countered Vinyl. “Um, I think that’s enough talking about that,” you chime in, and the two look at you, a bit of anger in their eyes, that softens instantly. “Right, right, the interview. Okay, well, since we’ve covered the stuff about your people. What do you think of our world compared to yours?” asks Vinyl. “Not as noisy, not as polluted, but lacking in the modern conveniences I’ve grown accustomed to. You don’t want to know what I’d do for some fast food right now,” you tell them, swallowing back a bit of drool in your mouth. You never thought you’d miss something covered n grease, but it was like the old saying went, you never know how good you have it, until it’s gone. “Ah, very interesting. What about the ponies? How do they compare to your people?” she asks. “Well, I guess pretty good. I didn’t know everyone in my city, and I do know there are good people out there, but there are just so many that it’s hard to meet them in a crowd. Here though, I can walk outside and actually meet ponies. Heck, I randomly bumped into two really nice ones my first day, and they’ve been great friends since,” you tell them, getting Octavia to blush a bit. “Heh, well then, how’s about more specifically? Anypony you feel like you’re getting close to? Say a gray mare who seems to find you to be a tasty dish?” said the DJ, elbowing Octavia a bit, getting you both blushing furiously now, which only made her laugh until Octavia spun her chair around, knocking her out of it. “Um, well, that is, I’ve met a really nice mare who’s been really nice to me, and she’s, nice, like, nice,” you say, your brain failing you in trying to find words that make an sort of sense. “True love if I ever saw it folks,” Vinyl stated as she climbed back into her seat. “Now then, I think that’s all the time we have for tonight, but be sure to tune in next week, when we’ll have some more guests, some more tunes, and as ever, some more Vinyl Scratch. Until then, this is DJ Pon-3, signing out,” she said into the mic, then reached past Octavia to flick a switch, causing the On Air light by the door to go dark. “Vinyl, that was highly inappropriate!” shouted Octavia the instant the sign went dark, and the pop pony just smirked at her as she got off her chair. “Oh, come on Octy, it was a serious question. Besides, knowing he’s falling for a pony might just make them less likely to think he’ll blow up Canterlot or something,” she told the gray mare, who paused to think that over for a second. “It was still not nice to put us on the spot like that,” you tell her, floating off the table, and then moving towards where Tailfire’s still passed out. “Hey, Tailfire, show’s over. Time to wake up,” you say into his ear, and find the earth pony rousing almost instantly. “It’s over?” he said, his head looking around. “Yep, you totally missed your chance at stardom,” Vinyl told him as she and Octavia walk towards the door, opening it to reveal the Professor just outside, standing there and trying to look completely innocent, even whistling, telling you all that he’d been listening at the door, probably the whole time. “And you, you just aren’t a very nice stallion,” said Vinyl as she walked past him with a smirk, and DawnChaser just stared after her, before coming up beside you as you floated. “You created music?” he asked. “I guess so. But I don’t see why there was material to make those records in the building stuff they were using,” you tell him, having been wondering about that since Vinyl told you about the records. “Ah, that’s simple enough. The fire that destroyed this place allowed no time to evacuate items, so the records were all destroyed with the studio. This, Alchemy you used must have converted and repaired the records, put songs you actually knew on them. A truly fascinating, and completely impossible thing,” he said, trotting up beside Tailfire and starting to discuss biology with him, you’re probably, but you ignore it as your group gets to the lobby of the studio, where the Captain has apparently taken up station, playing with the controls of a radio. “A very interesting show,” he said with a smirk that made you want to smack him. “Indeed it was, my fine Captain. So nice to see true love bloom between such disparate peoples, right?” said Vinyl, and you wanted to smack her too. You suppress the desire though, knowing that doing so would only encourage her, and he probably wouldn’t even feel it. So you float beside the ponies as they go outside, finding that night had well and truly fallen during the show. “I hadn’t realized it had gotten this late. Come Tailfire, we need to get back and make sure Pyro and Diamond Eye aren’t fighting over the attic bed again,” said DawnChaser, who trotted off without even looking at the rest of you. Tailfire did at least bow and mutter a goodbye before following down the path that led towards the lab. “I suppose we should get home as well. Are you going to escort the Little One back to the palace, Captain?” asked Octavia, looking in the direction of the huge building in the distance. “Considering that’s where I sleep as well, I figured I would,” he tells the two. “Oh, you sleep in the palace? I thought the guards had homes in the city,” said Octavia. “Some do, but I do not. I’m the Captain of the Royal Guard after all. It’s best that I’m on call at any time, should the Princesses require me,” he explained, and Octavia and Vinyl nod. A few minutes of farewells later, and you and the Captain head off down the street towards the palace, while Octavia and Vinyl go around another way towards their home. “So, did you have fun today?” he asks and you nod. “This was a blast. I got to hang out with Vinyl and Octavia again, saw the Professor, and got to play at being Edward Elric. All in all, that’s a good day in my book,” you tell him. “Even though doing that trick seemed to nearly kill you,” he reminds you, and you think back to the pain that using alchemy caused. “Yeah, even with that, it was a good day,” you assure him, and he just nods as you continue silently down the path for the palace.