//------------------------------//
// Chapter 11 
// Story: I'm in Love with the Mailmare 
// by brycewhalen 
//------------------------------//

   Good Vibes escorted me to a part of town I had never been to before. It was a residential area on the complete opposite side of town. We wasted a lot of time walking. The streets were lined with houses and the occasional apartment complex. Honestly, the neighborhood looked kind of slummy. Not the I-feel-like-I'm-going-to-get-shot slummy, the these-houses-look-somewhat-old-and-run-down slummy.

As we walked, some old people could be found doing what it is most old people do in the morning: sitting on their porches, drinking coffee, reading the newspaper; that sort of thing. Good Vibes would always wave and say hello to whomever we passed and they would do the same. It might look a little slummy, but at least everyone is neighborly.

He stopped in front of a house that looked like all the others we passed on the way here. The only distinction was the weeping willow that could be seen from their backyard. "Well, here we are; our home," Good Vibes said, admiring his abode. "Not too big, not too small. Perfect size for us."

I took a step back. "I hope by 'us', you mean ‘other people’."

"Obviously," he replied with a short laugh.

Good Vibes gave off the impression that he was carefree, yet concerning. I mean, just who tries to get involved with a stranger’s problem? Well, I did save his life, I guess. But the way he looks whispers "hippie". His shaggy brown bangs hang just above his eyes. His shirt was tie-dyed with several shades of blue. He looked a few years younger than me.

He opened the front door of the house for me and I gave a simple nod as thanks. I immediately took in the surroundings. I appeared to be in a standard living room. There was a couch, a coffee table, some bookshelves, a recliner; living room stuff. But what stood out the most upon my entering was a woman on a ladder changing a light bulb.

“Good Vibes? Is that you?” she called out, not turning to face us.

“Yeah, it’s me,” he answered.

“Good,” she began. She pointed to the coffee table. “Can you hand me the light bulb on the table the-” She stopped mid-sentence as the ladder began to wobble. The result was her losing her balance and she began to fall. Instincts kicked in and I dashed over to catch her. She landed in my arms as the ladder fell to the ground. She looked at the fallen ladder and sighed in relief. “Thanks, Good Vibes. I would have been in trouble if you-” Her sentence was cut short again by the realization that it was not Good Vibes that caught her, but a stranger.

In all honesty, I was a little taken aback by her beauty. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of pink. Her long hair was a lovely shade pink with cyan and mint green highlights. It reminded me of a certain princess I know, except hers was not blowing in the nonexistent wind. I could feel the curve in her hourglass figure. She had these mesmerizing pink eyes that one could get lost in. From what I could see, she was the definition of beautiful, but mine eyes are for another.

“Umm… hi,” she said, confused, breaking me out of my daze.

“Hi.” I replied. “Are you okay?”

“Y- Yes.”

“Good.” I set her down to her feet.

“Uhh… thanks.”

“No problem.” I gave a small smile and received one in return. I suddenly felt a sensation at the back of my neck. I turned and saw Good Vibes eyeing me daggers; an ominous sense of ill intent was behind them. Once I got a full view of his face, it immediately switched from a death glare to his usual smile. “Nice save, dude,” he complimented.

The fuck?

While I was busy being confused, Good Vibes did what I hate and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “Hey, Mels,” he addressed the woman. “I’d like you to meet my new friend, Golden Scale.”

“Hi," I greeted, removing his arm from around me. "Call me Scales."

It seemed to take her a second to compose herself before her introduction. "I'm Melody." Her smile seemed to brighten up the room. "Thanks again for catching me. I was trying to replace the bulb but I kinda..." She began to trail off. Her eyes shifted to the light bulb on the coffee table.

"Allow me." With a simple bit of magic, I took the bulb from the table and screwed it into the filter.

"Thanks," she said. "So, Good Vibes how did you two meet?"

Her question seemed to make him uneasy. Good Vibes looked off in one direction and started rubbing the back of neck. "Oh, you know, just taking a stroll through Everfree Forest, and we crossed each other and started talking."

Although what he said was technically true, the way he said made it blatant that he was leaving out details. The look on Melody's face showed she was not buying it. She looked at me expectantly and Good Vibes' eyes seemed to be pleading me not to say.

Telling Melody the truth will probably get Good Vibes scolded... that should kill a couple of minutes. "I was training in Everfree when he woke a manticore, which I saved him from."

Her eyes widened as I finished. She turned to Good Vibes with a stern look. "You woke a manticore?!" she shouted. "Why in Equestria would you wake up a manticore?!"

Good Vibes glared at me which I returned with a smug smile. "I didn't mean to."

"I told you to be careful in Everfree!"

"I was!"

"Then why did he have to save you?!"

I hoped it wasn't rude of me, but I took a seat on their couch and watched as the yelling continued. Most people would find this situation awkward but past events make this kind of thing entertaining. Melody went on and on with the whole "What if he wasn't there" speech, while Good Vibes hung his head. Something near the end drew my attention. It was when Melody said "You know I worry about you".

I noticed him smile when he said "Yeah, I know." I don't think Melody noticed.

"Would you keep it down out there!" someone cried from down the hallway. "Do you know how hard it is to sleep with you two yelling?!" The voice grew louder and louder until a girl emerged from the hallway. Her spiky hair was a bright, neon green. It was styled similar to a certain DJ I knew. Can someone in this house be original?! Her eyes were a similar shade of pink to Melody's. "Seriously, I'm trying to-" Her eyes wandered to the two standing in the middle of the room to me on the couch. "Who's the cutie?"

Wasn't that exactly what Vinyl said when I met her?

"Hi," I said with a wave.

Good Vibes took this as an opportunity to avoid further scolding, and introduced me. "Hey, Techno. This is Golden Scale." He then turned to me. "Scales, this is Techno, Melody's little sister and the youngest of our family."

I stood up from the couch and gave the usual greeting. "Nice to meet you." I extended my hand for a handshake. 

Instead of shaking it, she walked up and leaned in close to my face. She looked almost mesmerized. "You have pretty eyes." She leaned in closer and I took a step back. "They're like emeralds."

"Th- thanks," I said, rubbing my neck.

"Techno, stop making our guest feel weird," Melody yelled at her sister.

"Oh, come on, I'm just having a little fun," she retorted.

"It's fine," I reassured Melody. "I take to the same kind of fun." Payback time. "By the way," I began, gaining the attention of Techno. I got in really close, leaving almost no gap in between us. I placed my hand under her chin and raised her head so her eyes met mine. With the most lustful look in my eyes and the most seductive tone, I said "You could have done better."

The look on her face was one of surprise and discomfort. After a second, she jumped back and continued to look at me with unease until I started to giggle. When she realized I was kidding, she began to laugh as well. "I like you."      

"Hard not to," I replied. "Now I must apologize. I just met you and doing such as I did would be considered rude."

"Don't worry about. Guys I’ve just met have done far worse than you." That kind of creeped me out. What would she doing to get guys to do worse than that? Then I remembered her name. Probably a night club.

While me and Techno were having a creeper contest, Good Vibes and Melody were having a conversation of their own. "Where's Heartbeat and Whitey?" asked Good Vibes.

"Oh, I sent them on a few errands," Melody answered.

"Why so early?"

"We were running low on food. Why else?"

"How low?"

"You like bread and butter sandwiches?"

"Okay, that low."

Now there's a Heartbeat and a Whitey? How big is this family?

"Hey Scales," Good Vibes called out to me. "Follow me; I want to show you something."

I complied and followed him as he headed down the hallway Techno came from. It was kinda narrow, enough space two people with little elbow room. There were three doors on both walls and one at the end of the hallway. Good Vibes seemed to be taking me to the one at the end.

As we reached the end of the hallway, Good Vibes opened the door for me. The room I entered was filled with musical instruments. It looked like it was set up like a sound studio, but there were no microphones or anything to capture the sound. There was a grand piano, a drum set, bongo, a key board, an acoustic and an electric guitar, a bass, several different wind instruments that I couldn't name. Quite the admirable collection.

"Nice room," I commented.

"Thanks." He walked up to the acoustic guitar and put the strap around his head. "As you can guess based off our names, music is our special talent. It's actually what brought us together." He began to strum the string of his guitar; a pacific tone graced the room. "So what do you think?"

"I've heard better," I answered.    

"I meant them."

"Oh them; they seem nice." Even with my short experience with them I felt I could honestly say that. "You seem close."

It makes me wish I had a family like this. Memories of when I was kid flashed through my head. All the happy memories of when I had a family. My mom and dad's smiling faces with nothing but love and comfort behind. He could apparently tell because he asked "Are you okay? You seem sad." Before I could answer, he said "For a different reason, anyway."

"I told you I don't want to talk about it."

"And I told you I'm going to help."

"You told me I was getting lunch."

"And I was going to help." He took a seat on the bench in front of the piano, still playing. "Look, I can see that you're sad. About what, I don't know, but it shows. Sadness is something I know well and is not something I like to see others go through. We've all been through it, some more often and more intense than others, and we need help to get through it."

"I'm getting real tired of your shit!" I finally shouted at him. "I don't need your help. I don't need anyone's help. I'm fine on my own!" 

He did not flinch at all from my outburst. He just sat there, still strumming the mellow chords on his guitar.

A voice from outside the room called out. "Good Vibes, can you come here for a minute? I need your help!" It was Melody's.

"Coming!" he called back. Good Vibes stopped playing, got up and put the guitar back on the stand. As he walked past me to the door, he put his hand on my shoulder and said "It's always those who say they don't need help who need it the most. I don't know what happened, but I'll be your crutch." And with that, he left me alone in the room of instruments.

All that I could feel was anger. How could he know so much, yet know so little? He sees through me like glass. It discomforts me. I hate it. Who does he think he is? He knows nothing about me. He doesn't know what I've been through. I went years being alone. I don't need him; I don't need anyone. I've been through Tartarus and back and I've done it alone.

I sat on the piano's bench. Now the painful memories were washing up. I've been through the murder of my parents, the depression that followed, the heartbreaks of Ditzy and my own, and the betrayal of who I thought was my best friend. I've been through it all.

I was about to leave right then and there, until something caught my eye. In the corner of the room was a beautifully crafted violin resting on a stand, its bow leaning on the wall.

As I stared at the instrument, old memories, ones long forgotten, emerged. I saw my father playing his violin for my mother. They had a fight about something and my mom threatened to leave. My father did what he always did and wrote her a song. She always did love his songs.

Dad was a musician. He could play almost any instrument. He would write songs for whoever would pay for them. He wrote songs even if he gained nothing from it. He wrote love ballads, rock song, orchestral pieces, smooth jazz, every genre. He actually wrote the songs for the play that we saw on the night of his death. His favorite instrument was the violin. Most of his songs included it. He always had the biggest smile on his face when he was playing his. The sounds he made could be compared with Octavia’s. Before he was able to land a successful job, he played his violin on the streets for change. It was actually where he met Mom. 

Mom was a member of the Royal Guard. She's the one that inspired me to join in the first place. She was proud, brave, and strong. She was a local hero in Canterlot. Whenever things got real, she would tackle it down, kick its ass, and put it back in its place. She was awarded countless medals for her service. On her way to do a mission she was hired to do, she passed through Ponyville. As she walked through the streets, she heard a wonderful melodic song being played. It entranced her and followed its source. It was a lonely street musician. She laid her eyes upon him and his upon hers. It was love at first sight, and the rest was history.

The violin gathering dust in the corner struck a chord (ha) with me. It activated something in my mind that played the memory of my father serenading my mother. It was almost hallucinogenic.

I was a kid at the time. Maybe eight years old. I was watching from the crack of my bedroom door. My mother threatened to walk out the door because of some fight they had, but before she did, Dad grabbed his violin. As my dad drew the bow across the string, I could hear the beautiful music it created. 

As my father's lips formed to the lyrics of the song, so did mine. "I need another story," I began to sing in a low volume. "Something to get off my chest,
My life gets kind of boring, need something that I can confess,
'til all my sleeves are stained red, from all the truth that I said,
Come by it honestly I swear,
Thought you saw me wink, no, I've been on the brink so,
Tell me what you want to hear, Something that will light those ears,
Sick of all the insincere, I'm gonna give all my secret away."

I watched the vision of my dad serenading my mother, my lips matching his. If only his voice could have been there to accompany his music. Mom looked at Dad with a mixed look of resentment and enamor. She knew that he knew his song would win her over, like they always did.

"My god, amazing how we go this far,
It's like were chasing all those stars, who's driving shiny big black cars,
And every day I see the news, all the problems that we could solve,
And when a situation rises just write it into a album,
Singing straight, too cold,
But I don't really like my flow, no

"So tell me what you-" The squeak of a door broke me out of my memory. The house I once lived in slowly faded back into the music room of an unfamiliar home, along with my parents’ faces. I raised my head to see Techno, standing at the door.

"Hey," I said distantly.

"Don't mind me," she said. "Keep singing." She looked at me expectantly.

"That's it." It wasn't. The song was longer, but I was mimicking my dad. Without him, the lyrics were lost. "There's no more."

Techno knew I was lying, but did not persist. She approached me and takes a seat next to me on the bench. "You're a good singer."

"Thanks."

Awkward silence.

"So, I take it the real reason you're here isn't because Good Vibes wanted to offer you lunch, but to try to help you with whatever problem he saw in your eyes?"

"Great deduction."

Awkward silence.

"Girl trouble?"

The people here need to stop reading me. "Can you read eyes too,+ or something?"

"Nope." She smiled. "Let's call it women's intuition."

"Does he always try to help random people?"

"Well, I wouldn't call you random since you saved his life, but yeah. Whenever he sees someone unhappy, he always goes out of his way to make them feel better. He always tries to make others smile."

"That doesn't make him any less annoying," I commented. "I understand that he wants to help, but I don't need it."

"Well if it's about a girl, it doesn't hurt to have someone to talk to."

"I don't need someone to talk to."

I felt she would have persisted on this matter if Good Vibes had not walked in when he did. "Sorry," he began, rubbing the back of his head. "But it seems that I won't be able to give you that lunch." When he saw that Techno was in the room with me, he glared at her. "Techno, you better not be annoying our guest."

"I wasn't doing anything," she said, insulted by his accusation.

"It's fine," I assured Good Vibes.

Without taking his eyes off of Techno he said "If you say so." When he did look back at me, he had an apologetic look on his face. "Anyway, sorry, but since Heart Beat and Whitey have gone out for groceries and won't be back for a while, I can't give you that lunch I promised. But if you don't mind waiting awhile..."

"If it's all the same with you, I think I'll leave." I lifted myself from the bench and walked past him into the hallway.

"Are you sure?" he asked as he followed.

"Yeah, I'm sure." 

"Okay," he said with a sense of disappointment in his voice. As I made my way to their living room, I said goodbye to Melody and left.

I felt my agitation lessen as I walked down the suburban sidewalk. As I neared the end of the block, I heard Good Vibes calling out to me. I turned to see him running after me. He took a few deep breaths as he reached me. "What?" I asked with complete disregard for his lack of oxygen.

After a few more deep breathes, he answered. "I... was gonna ask... you to come... to the fountain at the park tomorrow."

"Why?"

"So I can help you," he said with his lungs now full of air.

I'm getting real tired of your help. I began to feel more annoyed. "How do you know if you can help me?" I said with a raised voice, making my anger apparent.

Without flinching or anything, he replied "I don't, but everything is worth a shot." He answered with a straight face. Even he did not know if his help will work on me.

I stared deep into his eyes, trying to make him waver. Good Vibes just stood there, strong willed. After a few moments, I sighed. "Fine," I admitted.

"Pinky promise." Good Vibes extends his arm, pinky out.

"What?"

"Pinky promise. Don't want you bailing out on us." He gives me a smug grin.

I stare at his hand, then at him, then his hand again. I know there is know way out of this other than to promise him. Reluctantly,  I grab his pinkie with mine. "Fine, pinkie promise."

His grin grew to a cheeky smile. "Great," he exclaimed. "Now there's no way out of it. Be there around two thirty. Don't be late."

"Sure. Whatever."

As I turned to head back into town, he said "And make sure to prepare your singing voice!" With that, he headed back to his own home.

The rest of my walk was spent in white noise of the town. I went over today's events in my head. I hate today. I'm going to hate tomorrow.

I wonder if there is anything I can break around here.