//------------------------------// // Drop // Story: Her First Bass Drop // by nctransgirl //------------------------------// Drop Vinyl had just arrived at home after a particularly stressful day. If it wasn't enough to have been late to class on the first day of school, she was humiliated in front of her class by an obnoxious filly, confronted by a melodramatic sandwich aficionado, haunted by an old memory, and essentially thrown into a young foal's increasingly bleak life. At this point, there was nothing more that she wanted than to hop into her bed and sleep for at least a full day. However, apparently, that wasn't what was going to happen. Instead, she found herself in a staring contest with her own mother, and she wasn't exactly sure why. The tension in the air became apparent; not a sound escaped anypony or anything for upwards of fifteen seconds. Vinyl wasn't sure of how to break it - should she answer the question or avoid it, as she had always done? That was her first question. Her second, of course, was the question of whether her mother would believe the truth. After all of the question-dodging and lying, did Mezzo Soprano even believe Vinyl had the capacity to tell the truth? Perhaps, she thought for a moment, she'd get a cutie mark in deception. What could I do with a cutie mark in deception? Vinyl thought about that for a brief moment. Maybe I could be a spy. The thought came to her before halting. Vinyl, you're getting off track. The filly turned away and let out a sigh unconsciously. "Well?" Vinyl's mother simply shouted right in her daughter's face with no apparent sign of compunction. "You were to arrive here over three hours ago! Your dinner is cold!" So, it looks like tonight is going to be another one of those nights, Vinyl thought to herself. After turning back to her mother, she decided on the course of action she would take and responded: "As if I was s'posed to know that! Neither of you two even bothered to say 'bye' when I left! You made me late because you wouldn't bother to wake me up on time!" Vinyl quickly retorted. It was true - Her parents had been completely inattentive that morning, and they both knew it. "Do you even know what I've been through today?" "I hardly think the events of your day have any impact on this conversation." "You really don't have a clue, Mom." Vinyl almost cried. Almost. "I am your mother-" "And you will refer to me as such, young filly! Save it, Mom." Vinyl grunted. "Come on, you two, can't you both calm down?" Paradiddle broke his silence and walked to the feuding dam and filly, separating them with a basic barrier spell. "Now what, pray tell, was that for?" Mezzo asked the question almost sarcastically. "For getting right in Vinyl's face, dear. You don't have to antagonize her or anything - that goes for you too, Vinyl." He pointed a hoof at the little unicorn. "I'm sure she's got a good explanation. Now, Vinyl. What have you been through today?" Vinyl had wished her father would ask that for quite a while. With a deep breath, the filly began to pace around the floor in an attempt to somehow gather her thoughts. Should I tell them the truth? She suddenly realized how often the thought came to her during talks with her parents. Yeah, this time, they should know. She stopped walking and turned to her parents. "I had to steal to get breakfast. When I got to school...late, I should add, I couldn't even afford my lunch with the bits you gave me!" She turned to Paradiddle. "So I stole a little bit of my lunch, too! I got put down by Bubblegum Pop - that jerk filly from last year, you might remember her. Or you might not care enough to remember her." She turned to her apathetic mother. "And when me and Break Beat left school to go to the Museum, we almost got chased by the same stallion I stole my breakfast from!" "Well, Vinyl, it sounds like you have a bit of a problem with taking things that aren't yours." Paradiddle gently inserted himself into her speech. "I'm not done yet! Do you know what happened on my way home with Breaker? We found a filly from school - a blind filly. In an alley. And we had to be there to find out that her mom died. And after all this crap, I got home. I just wanted to go to bed, but no! You have to get right in my face and talk to me like I'm a bad pony!" Vinyl wasn't aware of it at all, but at this point, she was screaming. "Now, Vinyl, when you said 'me and Break Beat', I believe you meant 'Break Beat and I'. And speaking of Break Beat, didn't I once tell you not to mention that faux musician's name in my presence?" Vinyl's mother questioned her as if she had a reason to antagonize her daughter. "Mom, did you even listen to what I just said? Somepony's mother died, and you're going to correct my grammar and tell me what to do? Do you even care about what makes me upset?" Vinyl paused. "Or do you just hear the things that make you want to hate me? Is that it? Do you just want to hate me?" "Vinyl, just calm down. Your mother doesn't hate you. " Paradiddle walked her way and attempted to hold his daughter in an embrace, but was brushed aside by her hoof. "Don't hug me. I'm tired of you guys already. If you'll excuse me, I'm going up to my room." Vinyl started to make her way up the stairs. "Don't go yet, Vinyl! What I need - what we all need right now is some calming music." Paradiddle telekinetically moved the needle on the gramophone in the nearby kitchen onto an already-placed vinyl record. The ambient sounds of a synthesizer filled the room before being overshadowed by those of a piano player dancing along keys in some magnificent harmony. Once the piano had been properly introduced, a percussion beat came into play. With the sound of a short drum fill, everything came together. Still, the music seemed empty; the instruments were alone, with nothing to follow - that is, until the saxophone came in to guide the rhythm. Everything together in harmony, perfectly in sync...somehow, the music reached even Vinyl's mother, whose hostility seemed to melt away like butter. However, as the two parents always seemed to fail to notice, it didn't reach Vinyl. From the moment the sound of the synthesizer had started to fill the room, the filly had been cringing in disgust and only grew more irritated as it continued, standing stagnantly halfway up the staircase. "You seriously think that's what I need?" She questioned her father as the music in the background began to crescendo. "Well, it always helped me to calm down," he answered. Vinyl didn't allow him to breathe before coming back down to ground level and speaking. "It always helped you. That's the thing, dad! You apply everything to yourself! Y'know, maybe I don't like that jazz stuff as much as you! And same with you!" Vinyl pointed her hoof directly at her mother. "I don't care about opera and classical music!" She placed a hoof on her forehead. "That junk is so boring! I can't listen to a single minute of music that either of you like because it just puts me to sleep, and you don't even notice! Have either of you even begun to consider the fact that my taste in music could be different?" The sound of strings were all that was left. Neither of her parents seemed to have anything to say for a moment. As Vinyl expected, her mother was the one to break the silence. "Vinyl, don't be absurd. Your maternal family is renowned as the greatest in both classical and neoclassical Equestrian music. Your great-grandmother was a renowned pianist in the New Romantic period. Your grandmother and her viola took a place at the forefront of the post-Romantic revival. My beautiful voice is famous all over Equestria! It's been over one hundred and fifty years since your maternal family hasn't spawned a proper musician, and that was simply because the poor mare was deaf in one ear. I'm more than positive that you will learn to enjoy continuing our tradition." "No!" The little pony shook her head vigorously. "Have you seen what I do to your fancy instruments? I break everything!" Her mother lost herself in thought momentarily before replying. "No matter! I'll train you to be an excellent singer like myself." "Or I could get my cousin to teach her! He was a great crooner back in the day." Paradiddle chimed back in. "I can already tell this isn't going to go anywhere. Like I said, I'm going to my room. And don't you two come up here, I'm lockin'," Vinyl said with a touch of disappointment. Vinyl began to walk up the stairs once more as her parents, obviously having ignored her, began to argue over who would aid her in beginning her nonexistent singing career. The sound of hooves clacking against the marble got lost in a fusion of guitar chords and feckless conversation. Peering through a gap in the balusters at her parents from halfway up the stairs, the unicorn began to wonder if they would ever notice that she left. Once she reached the top of the staircase, she looked just once more at her bickering parents. They hadn't even looked away to check on her. She walked wordlessly down the second floor hallway for a short time, the sound of her parents exchanging heated words starting to fade away, before reaching her room. The sound of the door slamming behind her went as unnoticed by her parents as the filly herself. A click of the lock on her door was the first positive sound Vinyl had heard all night. As she entered her room, her first thought was to relieve herself of the burden of her saddle bag, and as such, she used a bit of magic to telekinetically toss it to her bedside. Vinyl Scratch's room seemed to be her only remaining place of solace. On one side, her modest bed rested, awaiting her with warm black-and-white sheets that popped with the violet walls. Unused gramophone records sat against the bottom of the footboard, collecting the dust and depression in the air. When was the last time I saw those things spin? Vinyl saddened herself with the thought. She turned to her right where a vanity mirror sat atop a dresser filled with unnecessary clothes. All that thing is good for is getting my hair ready. I wonder why she even got those clothes. Vinyl swiped the thought aside and walked to her bedside, where she looked up at walls once covered in posters, now left blank. I know she didn't want me listening to music, but did she have to take everything? Vinyl thought to herself. "Everything" wasn't exactly an understatement - Not only had she lost posters of her favorite artists and her turntable, which, for all intents and purposes, had left her vinyl records useless, but she had lost both her headphones and her pictures with Break Beat - everything went to the attic. Suddenly thinking about Break Beat after looking at her records, she thought to herself. "I wonder how Break Beat and Gliss are. I bet they're having a great - wait. Yeah..." Vinyl's words faded away. "I hope she's okay. She seems kinda delicate." The unicorn walked to her window and looked out at the other side of her suburb. After scanning the houses for a few seconds, she made a decision. "I've gotta see him. This place is getting old. Maybe after those two fall asleep?" Vinyl listened intently for the sounds of a continuing argument between her parents. Nothing. Are they already asleep? Vinyl wondered wordlessly. Whatever. I guess I should wait a little while just in case they aren't totally gone yet. With this thought, the unicorn walked back to her bedside and climbed in - but not after having to hoist herself up using her forelegs. Once in bed, she lay down, hitting her pillow with a thud and allowing her hair to splay outward as she finally allowed herself time to think. Why don't they get it? I'm different from them, so what? It's not like that needs to be a big frickin' deal. Lots of ponies have different talents and interests than their parents. Vinyl looked up at her ceiling for a moment, gazing at each carefully painted star that attempted to shine in the darkness of her room. They were so bright, even though they weren't real stars...Vinyl let the thought resonate. Just because something isn't real, does that have to make it bad? Breaker's music is electronic, and it's insanely good. Maybe I'm more like him and less like my parents... Break Beat and my parents. Why do I always put them together? They're totally different. He's a pretty laid back pony, really nice and caring, even if he is serious too much. Mom and Dad...I can't describe them. They're so frustrating, I can't stand 'em. What's with all the fighting about me anyway? A thought struck Vinyl. Wait...yeah. They're always arguing over what kind of musician I'm gonna be, like it's gonna benefit them. Maybe it does...maybe I'm just a source of profit for the family. Either way, Breaker is tons better than those two...we could take care of each other if it came down to it...just like that first time we met... The memory flooded her mind... The air in a large playground was saturated with the laughter of fillies and colts, each eager to play for just half an hour before the final class of another uneventful day at Fillydelphia Preschool. The sounds of robins chirping could be heard in the more unoccupied areas of the playground, such as the place where Vinyl found herself sitting again. Two weeks of school, and still nopony to talk to - she must have been the loneliest pony in school. At least, she thought so. She sat underneath a sycamore near the edge of the dirt road in a small grove that hid her from everypony else. "I wonder when they're actually gonna teach us some magic," she said to herself. Most of us have horns anyway, might as well teach us to use 'em. How am I gonna show everypony else how cool I am without magic?" Vinyl dug her hoof in the ground. Despite the attention she craved, she was perfectly content with relaxing by herself in the shadows, and she knew it. Being alone wasn't exactly her choice; she had done something on the second day of school that caught a teacher's attention, and at this point, quite a few ponies felt intimidated by her because of that day. "I wonder if that colt's still mad that I knocked him around. He shouldn't be; he kinda had it coming," Vinyl muttered, her words clouding the far-off noises of a small group of fillies playing jump rope. Once she completed her sentence, the sounds faded back in, filling the unicorn's ear. As she continued to listen to the joyous echoes of her classmates' voices, she found that her smug expression had gradually faded into a frown. "It's like I'm a ghost or som'n. It was just one little hit. It's not like everypony has to hate me." Vinyl dug her hoof in the ground where she sat. A refreshing zephyr weaved its way through the leaves of each tree in the grove, Vinyl's mane dancing with it as it began to fade. Somehow, she thought, the wind simply made everything better. It was partially due to the occasional breeze, she thought, that Vinyl was able to properly enjoy her recess time despite her solitude. After feeling the wind dying down, Vinyl peered up for a moment at the nearby clock on the outer wall of the school. The filly applied freshly-learned skills and deduced the time - 1:47. "Huh. I guess school's good for som'n. Maybe I can shut my eyes for a few before the bell," Vinyl said to herself. She closed her eyes and prepared herself for a well-deserved rest... Come on, guys! Give it back! Vinyl opened her eyes to the sound of a colt's plea. "What the hay is that all about?" Vinyl's voice rang softly. After getting up, the pony slowly made her way out of the conglomeration of sycamores, the outside world fading into view as she pushed aside the branches and leaves that sheltered her from everypony else. When she finally found herself out of the grove, she saw four ponies near a lonely swing set, one surrounded by the other three. In the air, a bag was being tossed around recklessly from pony to pony. The colt in the middle, however, didn't seem to be enjoying the game. His coat was sad, Vinyl thought. Why is blue so sad? She wondered for a split second before being pulled back into the events that were unfolding in front of her. The blue colt in the middle was still running around aimlessly, attempting to intercept the bag before it could reach its next target. "Seriously! All my sticks are in there!" One of the ponies, a yellow colt, caught the bag in his mouth and tossed it back into the air. "And? What's that got to do with us?" The yellow pony's reply sounded cold. Vinyl continued to stand on the sidelines, watching, debating. If she helped the colt get his bag back, the other three would gang up on her, too. If she helped the other three, she'd be a jerk. And if she continued to observe and not do anything, she'd just be useless. No real way out of it, she thought to herself as she made up her mind. She waited patiently as the bag continued to fly through the air, keeping her eye on the pony about ten feet from her. Vinyl began to notice the pony in the middle starting to tire out as the pony she faced caught the bag in his mouth. She dug her right forehoof into the ground, readying herself to help the colt. To the left...to the right...and to the back...the bag continued to fly about. The sounds of wood tapping against wood could be heard whenever the bag landed in a new mouth. Vinyl waited for a few additional cycles, and as the saddle bag made its way to the pony in front of her, she went into a gallop. Just as the colt was about to grasp the bag in his mouth, he felt an incredible weight fall right on his back. The bag, meanwhile, fell to the ground, and the blue colt in the middle rushed to get it. "Stop messing with him, kay?" Vinyl spoke directly into the pony's ear from atop his back. Under her substantial frame, the pony found himself struggling to stay upright. After only a few seconds, his legs gave out, and he dropped to the ground. "Hey!" The spiky-haired green pony who had been tossing the bag caught Vinyl's attention. "You messed up our game! And look at what you did to Star Light!" Vinyl looked down at the pony she sat on, who was now struggling a bit to breath. "You better run, filly." The green pony and his cohort prepared to go into a gallop. Vinyl removed herself from the exhausted pony's back and immediately took off, running around the swing set toward the school's long-abandoned soccer field. As she passed the swings, she heard the sounds of an additional two sets of galloping. Not taking any time to look back, she continued to run across the field that encompassed much of the school's play area. Still ahead of her pursuers, Vinyl made her way to the school playset, which many ponies were still playing on. She ran up a slide that sat against the structure, albeit with some difficulty, and jumped off the platform she then found herself on, landing on all fours with a thud before continuing to run. Rather than follow her route, the ponies behind her went around the playset. Vinyl was nearing the soccer field. If she could get there, she thought, she could waste enough time for recess to end. The teachers would come out to gather their respective students, and when Vinyl's teacher found her student at the soccer field, Vinyl could tell her all about the mean ponies that annoyed that blue colt and chased her. Sure, she'd be called a tattle-tale, but it wasn't like she had any more of a reputation to lose. She thought all of this as she approached the soccer field, which was now coming into view. Vinyl looked behind her, still running, to find that the ponies following her had begun to slow down with fatigue. She chuckled a bit and called back at them: "Ya shoulda known that ya can't catch me! I'm Vinyl Scratch, ya jerks!" Again, she laughed. The green pony gave a simple response: "Yeah, and you better slow down!" "Why?" Vinyl's voice echoed through the air. "So you can-" Suddenly, Vinyl ran out of ground to run on. For just a moment, the rambunctious little filly thought she might have been flying. However, as she learned quickly, the situation was quite the opposite. She was falling - but to where? Not knowing what to do, she tilted her body forward, as if to do a front flip, until her back faced the ground. A loud thud sounded as her back slammed against the steep slope she had just leaped off of. She found herself in the air again...was it over? Vinyl nearly breathed a sigh of relief before she hit the slope again. This time, however, she didn't bounce back into the air. Down she slid...down, and down, and down, screaming all the way with searing pain in her back. Eventually, after about ten seconds, she found that she had reached the bottom, and as her body collected the grass and dirt that lay at the bottom of the hill, she realized that all she could do at this point was hang on to consciousness. However, that seemed to become increasingly difficult as time went on. Soon enough, the still, rotated image of the soccer field before her started to blur as her vision faded away. The short slumber, Vinyl remembered, was very, very peaceful... "Hey, Break Beat, I think she's coming to!" The words faded slowly into Vinyl's ears as her eyes struggled to open. "Really? I'll be right there!" Vinyl could hear the sounds of hooves pounding against wood for a moment, getting closer with each step. After a moment had passed, the sounds reached her and stopped abruptly. At this point, Vinyl finally opened her eyes completely and found that she was facing a ceiling. "You're awake! Oh, that's so great!" A familiar voice came from Vinyl's right. She turned her head, her neck aching the entire time, to find that two ponies were sitting next to her. She began to get a feel for her surroundings and quickly came to realize that she was in bed, resting underneath a blanket. A few seconds of silence passed as the young unicorn began to fully grasp the situation. "I'm Break Beat." The blue pony next to her broke the silence. "You helped me out back at the playground. I saw those ponies chasing you, and I kinda followed. That was a really nasty fall, y'know! I don't know what you were thinking!" He gave her an awkward smile. "Aww, no! Is this the nurse's office? I'm telling you, if you get a needle anywhere near me, I'll-" Vinyl's weak words were cut off by those of the larger, sunflower-yellow stallion that accompanied Break Beat. "Does this look like the nurse's office? Sorry, dear, this is our house. School ended about half an hour ago. Break Beat here found you at the bottom of a hill and got a teacher to get you guys a carriage back here. Your stuff is in the corner. Injuries don't look too bad, but you've got a few bruises and you'll be sore everywhere for a while." Vinyl smiled faintly. "Thanks," she said simply as she began turn onto her stomach, stifling a scream all the while. When she completed her rotation, she found herself facing a window. As she peered out, she began to notice the familiarity of the houses that lined the opposite side of the street. "Hey, Break Beat, where do ya live?" "23 Cloudsdale, why?" Vinyl quickly turned her head to the colt, doing her best to contain another scream. "Shut up! I live a few houses down!" Vinyl rubbed her neck for a moment. "That's great! Now, hold on. An ice pack should help with the pain. I'll be back in a minute or two." Break Beat gazed into Vinyl's reddish eyes for just a second and smiled unconsciously before beginning to leave the room. "And no more sudden movements! Those really hurt. If you just stay still, you can get home on your own in a few hours, or at least I think you can." With this, he went into the hallway and left Vinyl's vision. "Break Beat and I are part of a family of drummers. I'm his dad, the name's Gravity Roll. You into any music, little one?" Vinyl turned to Gravity Roll and collected her thoughts. My mom and dad are really into music. They're actually kinda famous, but I'm not really into any music. They don't really let me listen, dunno why. Oh, and my name is Vinyl Scratch, nice to meet ya." "It's a pleasure! Who're your parents? I might've heard of them." "Mezzo Soprano is my mom, and my dad is Paradiddle. They're kinda fancy." Vinyl took a look around the room. "And this room doesn't really look that fancy, so if ya haven't heard of them, I get it." "Not fancy? I can pop open a bottle of top-class cider whenever I want! And I've heard of Paradiddle, isn't he a jazz drummer?" "Yup, he's pretty good, I guess." Vinyl heard hoofsteps fading in once again and noticed Break Beat coming back into view, an ice pack hanging from his mouth. Once he reached his father, Gravity Roll removed the ice pack via levitative magic and lifted Vinyl's blanket off of her, placing the pack on her back. As it touched her body, she let out a soft gasp. "Ahh, that's...that feels weird." Vinyl found herself trying to adjust to the sudden temperature drop, a task that was much harder than she initially expected. "If it ever starts hurting, just tell me, okay? After a while, the ice can start to sting," Break Beat explained. "Anyway, what's your name?" "Vinyl Scratch, ya better not forget it," the freezing filly replied. "That's an awesome name! Umm...sorry, I'm not really great at talking. What do you like to do, Vinyl Scratch?" Again, he smiled. Suspecting nothing, Vinyl responded: "Well, I'm...I'm not really sure. The 'rents don't let me do much. I really like sitting by myself though, I guess. Running, too. Running really gets me going, y'know?" Break Beat nodded his head before looking to the ground and giving his own answer. "I love playing drums, but I bet Dad already told you that. I'm really into drawing, even though I'm not the best. Maybe I could show you my drawings soon, though! I'm getting better! What do you think about-" Break Beat looked up to see Vinyl, still turned to him, giving him a face that was half-confused and half-annoyed. The colt let out a simple "sorry" and the two ponies continued on with their conversation. As the hours passed, they laughed and laughed, recounting odd moments in their lives, sharing secrets, and all the while, Break Beat found himself looking deeper and deeper into the eyes of the injured filly. That night, Break Beat's father served them small bowls of salad. It was undoubtedly the most refreshing meal Vinyl had ever had. As Celestia's Sun made way for her Moon, the last of Vinyl's injuries were treated. She had grown tired, not because of the sting that came from the ice, just as Break Beat said, but rather because she had spent the hours laughing. Somehow, she thought, this total stranger had made her day. "Okay, Vinyl. You can try and get up now. Just don't push yourself, take it slow." Break Beat removed the ice pack from Vinyl's hindleg. Forehooves first, Vinyl slowly made contact with the hardwood floor as she stepped out of bed. Once she stood on all four legs, Break Beat continued: "So, how does it feel?" As Vinyl began to lose her balance, she replied: "It feels like I'm standing on four left hooves. You sure I'm good to go?" "If you just walk slowly, you should get back to normal after a few minutes. If you'd like, I can help you out with the first few steps." "I think that'd be nice of ya." Break Beat walked to Vinyl's side and placed his right foreleg around her neck. "Now, just take it slow! On my count, we'll do this. One, two, three!" At the instant Break Beat uttered the word "three", Vinyl made her first steps, catching him off guard as he tried to catch up. "Now, not too fast, Vinyl. Let's take it slow." After a few minutes, Vinyl had picked up her pace, and Break Beat wordlessly removed his leg from her neck, watching her continue to walk. "Kay Break Beat, I think I'm all ready!" "Good, now we can get you home." Vinyl stopped dead in her tracks. "Home? Now? Can't I stay with you tonight? I mean, what if I fall on my way home or som'n?" She turned to Break Beat. "Please?" "But you just said you can move around, and your house is only about ten minutes away..." Vinyl sighed. "Fine, I guess. Let's go." After getting her things together, Vinyl and Break Beat made their way to Vinyl's extravagant home, one which towered over every other. Once they had reached the house, the only thing Break Beat could do was stand in awe of what was before him. "You're telling me this is your house? I've always wondered who it belonged to..." "It's okay. There's nothing to do in there. No games, no radio, nothin'. A lot of the rooms in there are for producing music and storage, things like that. Anyways, if you want to come in real quick, be my guest." "Really? You sure?" Break Beat's eyes lit up. "Yeah, just don't touch anything. If anything breaks, it's on me." "Will do!" Once Vinyl received Break Beat's promised, she approached the humongous door to her house and opened it, allowing her new acquaintance to step inside first. As he gazed at each shimmering marble tile that rested on the floor, at each piece of artwork that lined the walls, and at each piece of hoof-crafted pottery that rested on nearby tables, Break Beat couldn't help but feel as though he lived in poverty in comparison to Vinyl's family. "Now, hold on. I'm just going to see if Mom and Dad are here tonight." Break Beat suddenly turned to Vinyl. "Why wouldn't they be?" "Sometimes they just tell me they have stuff to do and they go someplace. There's a little button near the door that I can press to lock it so nopony gets in when I'm alone. Now hold on!" Vinyl trotted off to the living room to the right of the entrance. "Mom? You here?" The trotting sped up, becoming a canter. As her hoofsteps echoed throughout the first floor of the home, Break Beat simply waited for her to return. At this point, he thought, it was settled. Her parents weren't home. After scanning every room of the floor for her parents, Vinyl made her way back to Break Beat. "One more minute," she said before hastily making her way up the nearby stairs. As Break Beat continued to wait, Vinyl made her way to the eastern hallway of the second floor. The filly immediately went for the second door on the left, labeled "Singing Room," and opened it. Inside, she found both of her parents in a room that was, much unlike the rest of the house, built with wood, so as to absorb any sound. Her father sat at a mixing console that seemed to take up half of the room, his wife standing by his side. As she stood in the doorway, her parents staring at her with listless eyes, she made her entrance. "Guys, I'm home. I mean, you can already tell, but y'know. Here I am." Paradiddle turned to his daughter. "Vinyl, we're a bit busy right now. Could you go play somewhere or something?" "But I just-" "We're attempting to write music right now, Vinyl! Just go on! Before we lose focus," her mother interrupted. "I got hurt really badly today. A colt helped me out." Mezzo Soprano, visibly disgruntled, replied: "Well, you're safe now, so it hardly seems like anything for us to be worried about. Now shoo." "Fine," the filly said with a grunt as she walked out of the room and into the hallway. As she returned to the staircase that connected her and Break Beat, thoughts began to cloud her mind. Why won't they just stop and listen to me? Why can't they hang out with me just a little more? The questions piled with each step she walked down. However, when Vinyl reached the bottom, she only had one question she wanted to ask her acquaintance. "Hey, Break Beat. Would ya mind if I stayed over at your place for the night?" "Sure! I've never had a filly sleep over before," he replied. "Just don't get any ideas, kay?" Vinyl playfully hit Break Beat's body with her hoof. As the two little ponies walked out of the still-open door, the memory began to blur and burn until there was nothing left but a feeling of nostalgia... Vinyl smiled from atop her bed, still going over the memory. With each scene that passed in her recollection of that long-passed day, she became more sure of what she would be doing in just a few moments. Yeah. Breaker's the one who looks out for me. Not them. Never them. It's not right...and they didn't even care. They were "busy". It's so stupid! Vinyl banged her hoof against the monochromatic bed sheets that she had been waiting to sleep under for so long. "Well that basically decides it," Vinyl said as she rose from her stance and got out of bed. "Now, what should I take?" Vinyl paced around the room for a short time before setting her eyes on the records that were left at the front of the bed. Next, she turned to her bag, removing the contents - a notebook, two large textbooks, and three pencils. She placed each object gently on the bed before turning her attention back to the records, lifting four of the seven large discs from their place and putting them in her bag, two on each side. As Vinyl noticed immediately, the top of each record was completely visible. "Maybe Gliss could use some music. These aren't that harsh or anything," she said in a whisper. "Okay Vinyl...you're just gonna go. And you're talking to yourself. Great. Better get there before you go cuckoo." Vinyl opened her door and found that the lights in the hallway were now off. "Thanks, Dad," she said as she walked into the blackness. The refreshingly cool blue light of Vinyl's magic aura provided her with a small field of vision as she made her way to the staircase in the nearly pitch-black hall. As she moved carefully down the hallway, Vinyl took short moments to look at the pictures that hung from the walls, pictures of her and her parents. One showed her parents holding each other in a loving embrace as Vinyl played in the background. The look on her past self's face sinking into her mind,Vinyl began to remember the moment that picture was taken. Her mother, she recalled, wouldn't allow her to be in the foreground with them, and instructed her to take a place in the background. "This is our picture, not yours," she had said. The words made the filly shudder as they surfaced in her mind. Looking at each picture, she noticed a pattern - she was in the background of every picture. The moment Vinyl realized this, she turned away from the wall and continued to walk down the hallway. Once she could see a stair to her right, she began to carefully make her way down to the first floor. "One step at a time, Vinyl," she said as she continued to travel downwards. Each step was delicate - the echoes of her movements faded in seconds. "I swear, hooves, if you mess up, I'm gonna kill you." Vinyl's nervous words remained nothing more than a murmur as she finally reached the bottom of the staircase. The final step echoing, Vinyl congratulated herself silently before making her way for the door. "See ya later, Mom and Dad," she whispered before pressing the violet button near the door, unlocking it. Keeping an eye out for her parents as she did so, Vinyl slow edged her way out. With the click of the door behind her, the filly found herself alone on her street. The air that whisked through Cloudsdale Boulevard was frigid. The stars, distant, yet refulgent, dotted every square inch of a sky that hung over Vinyl Scratch's head like a blanket over a newborn foal. The occasional light emanating from a single room of an otherwise dark house assisted in lighting the world around the unicorn. For a time, Vinyl simply stood where she was, taking in her surroundings; she had never been out of her house alone this late. As she walked down the cobblestone path that lead her to the street, she felt the world collapse behind her. With a turn at the cobblestone path, Vinyl made her way to a familiar house, counting the numbers on each mailbox in her mind as she passed them. With nopony to talk to, Vinyl made the occasional comment to herself. "I wonder if they've gone off to bed. I don't wanna wake 'em." 51... "Is he even gonna say yes? If he doesn't, I'm basically done for." 43... "Man...it's freezing out here. How much longer till I get there?" 31... "There it is! That's the house!" 23. Vinyl cantered over to the humble-looking home , following a similar stone path to the door. Noticing a light coming from one of the windows at the front of the house, she walked to it and peered inside. In the room, she saw Glissando, who was wrapped neatly in a blanket on Break Beat's own bed. The colt sat watching her from the floor next to the bed. Vinyl debated whether or not to knock for a moment. "I wouldn't want to startle her, she looks like she's still up," Vinyl said to herself. And so she waited outside in the freezing air on the outskirts of Fillydelphia, waiting to be seen. After a while, she saw Gliss say something to Break Beat - she wasn't sure what - and Break Beat turned to the window, immediately noticing Vinyl. With a surprised look on his face, he spoke seemingly silent words to the sightless pony and made his way out of the room. Seconds later, the front door opened and Break Beat stepped outside. "What're you-" "Breaker, can I stay with you?" Vinyl finally asked the question she'd been waiting to ask all night. "What?" A shocked look spread across Break Beat's face. "You're my family, Breaker. You're way better than my parents. I figured that out tonight. Mom and Dad? They don't even care! So please? At least for a while?" As she spoke, the shocked look on Breaker's face became one of understanding. "Vinyl, you're always welcome here, but living here? I dunno. Since you're here, though, come on, Gliss is waiting." Vinyl smiled and followed the blue pony into his house, shutting the door behind her. The house was just as she remembered - wooden floors, white doors. A gold record hung from the wall, courtesy of the RIAE. "Dad's still up since we've gotta look after Gliss, just making sure he can help as much as possible. She's in my room, like you saw, just go in whenever you want." "Thanks Breaker. Oh, and I'm really hungry, do ya got anything?" Vinyl turned to the kitchen door to her left. "Dad made too much salad tonight. You can have what's left if you want." Just like old times, Vinyl thought to herself. "That sounds great. I'll be with Gliss." Vinyl grinned at her friend and walked into Break Beat's room, where Gliss still rested in bed facing the wall. "Is Vinyl coming in?" The question made Vinyl smile warmly as she came to the bedside. Gliss turned over toward the unicorn. "It's me, Gliss." She sat down next to the bed and watched as a joyous expression burst out on the Earth pony's face. As Vinyl looked at the bed, the first thing she noticed was that the white pillowcase Gliss rested on her was dotted gray, a sure sign that she had continued to cry. "Oh, hey Vinyl!" Gliss sounded much happier than Vinyl expected. Thanks a ton, Break Beat, she thought. "How're you holding up?" Vinyl was a bit afraid of the answer she could get. Would Gliss cry again? Would she simply turn away? "I'm doing...a tiny bit better, I guess. Break Beat's really nice, and he makes me want to smile. I'm just glad he cares, I guess." Both ponies smiled. "I know, he's great, isn't he?" The unicorn giggled a bit before noticing that Break Beat was coming. "Vinyl, your salad's ready." Vinyl turned back to Break Beat. "Thanks, Breaker. Hey, where can I put my bag?" Noticing that she still was still wearing her saddle bag, Break Beat lifted it off of her, setting it down gently in the corner of the room. As it passed him, he saw that all she had were her records. "Umm...Vinyl, you know you forgot to pack your school stuff, right?" "Yeah," she replied quickly. "They're the only things I really care about." Break Beat walked to her side, lowering the glass plate of salad to the ground. It looked gorgeous - McIntosh apples, spinach, endives, and carrots, all drenched in molasses. A nearly euphoric sensation overcame Vinyl as she took her first bite. "Dad got extra apples from the family over at Fillydelphia Fields today. Hope you like 'em!" Both ponies beamed at each other. "The salad's really good, isn't it Vinyl?" Gliss took an audible whiff of the fragrant food. "That's the salad we had earlier!" "Yup," Vinyl replied, taking a bite of apple and carrot. After swallowing her food, she continued. "I had this salad when I met Break Beat. Is it some kind of family recipe?" "Not exactly," he replied. "But all of our food is grown in Fillydelphia and its surrounding farms. We don't buy imported food, not like Canterlot ponies. "That's pretty cool, I s'pose," Vinyl said as she prepared to take another bite. "So, what've the two of ya been talking about?" Gliss smiled. "Well, Break Beat was telling me stories for a while. Actually, I made one up myself a long time ago, and I was about to tell it when you showed up. Wanna hear it?" "Sure," Vinyl said as the two ponies watched her sit up and turn to them, her eyes focusing over their heads at the amethyst-colored wall. "Go ahead." "Okay," she said, preparing herself. "It all started in a place the ponies near it called 'The Forest of Light'. All of the trees grew perfect leaves. Whenever the leaves fell, they would turn into pure light before they could reach the ground, and the light would float up to the sky so that the daytime could last longer. One day, though, the leaves started falling to the ground, and the days got shorter and shorter. Soon, there was no daytime at all. Everypony was very sad about this." She yawned before continuing. As the minutes passed, she wove a tale of a young Earth pony who dreamed of becoming the thirteenth paladin in Princess Celestia's court and his quest to return the Forest of Light to its former splendor. The further she progressed through her story, however, the more she found herself yawning. It was during the pony's confrontation with a cruel unicorn that Gliss finally lost herself to her dreams. As she began to snore softly, Break Beat and Vinyl giggled a bit and stood up. "I'll just show you to your room, I guess," Break Beat whispered to Vinyl. The two ponies walked slowly and carefully out of Break Beat's room, and with a gentle shutting of the door, made their way to the back of the house to a white door. "This is like our guest room. You can stay here as long as you'd like, alright? I'll have to talk to Dad, but I think he'd love the idea. Anyways, get some sleep, alright?" Vinyl looked at Break Beat wordlessly for a minute, a blank expression forming itself into a smile on her face as the filly lifted up her forehooves and caught the confused colt in a tight embrace. For a moment, Break Beat could almost feel himself melting from the touch of Vinyl's warm coat on his own, the sensation sending a tingle down his spine. Even as the moment ended and she pulled away, the colt continued to experience the feeling of euphoria. "This is your room for now," he said nervously as he opened the door. Inside, an abandoned room, presumably Blast Beat's. awaited her, posters of hard rock and metal bands lining otherwise black walls. "I guess Blast is crashing at somepony else's place," Vinyl said as she walked in, staring in awe at a poster for Blast Beat's favorite band, Tauricide. Strange symbols and objects were scattered across the poster, which took up at least half of the wall she faced. "Try not to pay any attention to that. Blast Beat's into some freaky stuff," Vinyl's friend said from the door. "Well, good night!" "Night, Breaker," she replied as she her the door close with a loud click. Almost immediately after Break Beat's hoofsteps became inaudible, Vinyl walked slowly to Blast's bed. The sheets looked as though they hadn't been cleaned in ages, and the blanket had drink stains on it. It'll have to do, the filly thought to herself as she climbed in. The bed wasn't exactly comfortable. Whereas her own bed was covered in fine fabrics, the sheets on Break Beat's brother's bed were cheaper. The second Vinyl pulled the cotton blanket over herself, she felt a bit warm and more than a bit uncomfortable. Vinyl wanted to go over the events of the day in her mind. From the sandwich pony to Gliss, from Bubblegum Pop to Mezzo Soprano, she wanted to think about everything. However, overcome by the stress of the day and her inability to keep her eyes completely open, Vinyl decided to simply close her eyes, if only for a minute. Before the filly's mind wandered off into a world of fantasy, however, she allowed a final thought to echo throughout her mind. A thought of the strange school recess intended to be spent under a tree that lead to the greatest friendship she'd ever known.