In a high school like Canterlot High, there were very few times that things could be considered ‘quiet’. Certainly not during classes. The library was perpetually punctuated by giggling, page turning and Miss Cheerilee’s constant ‘shh!’ing. Even quiet study halls were filled with the sounds of pencils scratching, girls whispering, calculator buttons ticking, phone screen tapping, chairs scraping, people grumbling about the amount of homework they had (often accompanied by muttering disparaging remarks about Mr. Doodle’s ancestry).
This was one of the many reasons that Vinyl Scratch always wore her headphones. This school was pretty crazy just in general, and she'd much rather listen to music she loved rather than the inconsequential noise of three underclassmen (or ‘underclasschicks’ might have been more accurate) wondering why that Rumble kid had no plans for the future.
She flipped her page over and paused. That couldn’t be right. She checked her assignment again and ran down the list of assigned problem numbers, and her fingers lined up each one. She’d done it. That was her last physics question.
She sat back in shock. She was done with her physics homework.
This had quite literally never happened before.
She looked around, as if expecting someone to pop up and proclaim loudly that she had been trolled while a camera crew emerged from nowhere. Suspiciously, she pulled out her homework problem list and ran down it with her finger, certain that she had missed a section.
But she had not. She had completed all the assigned problems.
Whether she'd gotten them right or not was Future!Vinyl’s problem, and honestly, she wouldn't care any less about that than Present!Vinyl did now. Letting out a breathless sound of exultation, she stuffed the papers and book into her backpack, swung her leg over the chair, and took off.
Off in the forest behind the school, there had been at one time one of those small open air auditoriums that had long since been abandoned. The wooden gates and fences had collapsed, the stone benches bore spray paint from bored teenagers from various generations, cracks ran through the concrete from rain and time, and any copper wiring had long since been stripped.
But she came here for another reason: the auditorium was silent. Something about the way the forest grew around it and how the lower part of the bowl was shaped deadened sound, but only in a little section. If you sat in one row, the entire world went quiet.
Vinyl grinned as she approached. She'd never made it here this early. She'd have plenty of time to just sit and…
She slowed to a stop. Her jaw dropped. There was someone else out here! A scowl crossed her face. Her secret place had been discovered!
Oh, and even better: she was even in the perfect quiet spot! Not cool! Sure, it wasn’t technically hers, but still!
The girl looked over at her. She smiled and waved politely. Vinyl waved back at the intruder hesitantly. She was one of those girls she knew of, but didn't really know. Aside from the spot stealing, she didn't seem too bad. Friendly smile. Long blond hair, yellow eyes that… seemed to be looking in two directions at once.
Well, far be it from Vinyl to judge someone on their physical characteristics. But she was still a bit irritated that someone had found her spot. It almost felt like she’d walked back into her soundbooth and had found that someone had touched her controls while she’d been gone.
But the girl didn’t seem to have any problem with her. With a little smile, she slid over a bit and tapped the seat next to her, inviting her to sit down.
Well, it was better than nothing. Vinyl sat next to her and took a deep breath. The welcome silence enveloped her. She couldn't even hear the other girl’s breathing. She closed her eyes and let everything slip away.
After a few moments to sit and reflect, she decided that it was kinda nice, actually, being quiet and not alone. Every once in a while, she’d glance over and make sure she was still breathing. It was so strange, finding someone else who could be quiet. And, against her better judgment, she was starting to like it.
But suddenly, there was the jarring sound of electronic beeping that made Vinyl jump. She looked accusingly at the other girl, but she didn't notice; she was looking at her phone, swiping her finger across the cracked screen to silence it. She stood up, waved goodbye, and left.
Vinyl watched her leave, and then settled back in the seat. But something seemed off. It seemed… cooler here, without her. Like, in the ‘colder’ sense, not the ‘better’ sense.
She pursed her lips. Weird.
But now she had the place to herself, and there was quiet. So that was just fine with her.
Another long school day had passed. Study hall came again, and Vinyl was irritated. These physics problems were making her want to test the kinetic energy released by throwing this book out the window. She checked the back of the book to verify her answer, but found she was wrong again. Her fingers clenched against the book cover as the temptation returned, even stronger now.
But instead of violating school policy, destroying school property, and earning herself a trip to Luna’s office, she merely let out a wheezing grunt of frustration and let her head hit the table.
She rotated her head and looked up at the time. What she saw made her sit up. If she left now, she’d make it to her quiet spot at about the same time as yesterday. She'd probably run into that other girl again, and sit by her. Did she want to do that?
Well, she certainly didn't want to do physics homework.
It was an easy decision. She gathered her stuff, shoved it haphazardly into her backpack, slid on her headphones, and left.
As she made her way across the street, a strange sense of apprehension grew inside. What if she wasn't there? She wasn't about to defile this place with physics homework. She'd just have to do it at home. Did Octavia have rehearsal tonight?
Thankfully, that line of thinking ended when she arrived. The girl was still there, sitting softly, her hands resting on the little yellow tie she wore. Vinyl scuffed a shoe against the ground as she stepped down the stairs, so as to not scare her.
She turned at the noise, and smiled when she recognized her. She waved in greeting, one Vinyl returned, and sat next to her, content.
Oh, yes. This was much better than physics homework.
The schedule was set, now. The next day, Vinyl rushed through all the homework problems she could, but she was watching the clock the whole time, and when that minute hand hit the three, she threw all her things in her backpack (except for her headphones, of course) and headed outside, heading for her quiet spot. She didn't mind sharing anymore, and was actually looking forward to seeing her.
This time, the stranger seemed to be expecting her. When Vinyl arrived, she visibly brightened. Motioning her over, she pulled her backpack over and rummaged through it briefly before retrieving a plastic tub, which she opened to reveal a large muffin. She held it out.
Vinyl paused and pointed at herself. For me?
She smiled and nodded.
Never one to turn down free food, Vinyl smiled back and took it. She unwrapped it and took a big bite, and was silently glad she hadn't put on lipstick that morning.
As she chewed, her eyes widened, and a little silent moan escaped her mouth. This was really good. It was sweet and rich, but not too heavy. She nodded and gave her a big thumbs up.
The other girl smiled, clearly proud at having elicited that reaction. She slid over a bit on the seat so Vinyl could sit.
Vinyl basked in the joy of the taste of that glorious muffin a little longer before sitting. Her fingers brushed against her cheeks, as if she could sustain that taste a little longer.
And then Vinyl was really sad when she left.