//------------------------------// // Twilight and Transmissions // Story: Equestria: A Flux Tale // by Star Sage //------------------------------// "Wow, this is...wow," you say, looking down at yourself. The suit had been comfortable, but then, it was magic that had made it. This was what you were accustomed to though. Street clothing, not fancy, not high quality, just stuff to wear around town. Of course, given the ponies were nudists...of a sort anyhow, they probably saw little need of clothing. However, the biggest surprise is that she’d been able to make this. After all, she'd only briefly glimpsed your outfit before, and the real thing was probably not only still the size of a bug, but probably passing through Vinyl's intestine right now and in no shape to be studied. Tugging at the sleeves, finding the material, whatever it was, breathed a bit easier than your normal clothing, you give a bow to the fashionista. "You have my thanks, Ms. Rarity, for the new garb," you tell her, wiggling your toes inside the tennis shoes a bit, enjoying the freedom that came from normal shoes. "Oh, it was the least I could do for someone so willing to risk themselves for someone they hardly know," she told you, blushing a bit, which made you smirk again. "Yeah, that was cool little dude. I mean, you didn't even hesitate, you were all like 'Hero time!' and you saved the damsel in distress from the evil, ugly dragon!" said Vinyl, her head turning to Dash, who's not looking at her in a friendly way. "Er, beautiful, lovely, and very personable dragon who in no way would hit a pony wearing glasses." "Vinyl, I just can't take you anywhere," says Octavia quietly while putting her hoof to her face. "Why are we here for all this mushy stuff again?" suddenly chimes in Scootaloo, her front legs folded in front of her in a sign of boredom. "Because Big Macintosh said I should thank someone who probably saved my sister's life," came the quick reply from Applebloom, at least before a snort made her turn to Big Macintosh, who was eying her in a way that one might call withering, but you find quite a bit worse, considering how much bigger than you he was, and were glad it wasn't directed at you. "Besides, shouldn't you be excited to meet someone who's seen Rainbow Dash inside and out?" offers Sweetiebell. The statement does make Scootaloo look at you, but then she just waves her hoof in a dismissive gesture. "Well, anyway, I really do want to thank you Mister. If it wasn't for you, my sis mighta never come back home to do more applebucking," said Applebloom, and Big Macintosh came closer to, to stand right behind her. "Eeyep," he said simply, lowering his head in a gesture of thanks, before starting towards the door, the Crusaders, after looking at one another, follow suit, dashing out the door. "Alright, now that that's over, I suppose it's time to discuss where you'll stay tonight. The Princess' reply said she and her sister would be visiting Ponyville tomorrow to meet you. That means I've got a lot of cleaning to do around here, so you can't stay in the library, otherwise you'd be underhoof the whole time," said Twilight, looking around the group. "Normally I would offer a spare room at the Boutique, but I don't think I'd trust Opalescence around someone of your...limited stature," offers Rarity, taking a second to think of the right words so as not to seem improper about your miniscule size. "Well, I'd love to offer him a place at Sweet Apple Acres, but Big Macintosh showed he's not one to watch where he sets his hoof today, and then there’s the animals. Not sure I'd trust them anymore than Rarity would trust her cat," Said Applejack, and you had to agree with her, about Big Macintosh especially. You were now really glad you hadn't run into him at your original size, as he was already intimidating enough. "And I don't think humans can walk on clouds...can they?" asks Dash, and you quickly shake your head. "Oh! I know, he can stay at Sugar Cube Corner, and I can show him all my favorite party games and we can play with Gummy, and-" began Pinkie Pie entusiasitcally. "And you can lose him in the night and we'll never find him, or you'll forget he's there and turn him into a cupcake or something," said Rainbow Dash, putting her hoof against Pinkie Pie's muzzle, though you could still hear Pinkie talking behind it. "Okay, that leaves Fluttershy's I guess," said Twilight after a moment, and Fluttershy smiled sweetly, only for Vinyl to suddenly step between the six ponies. "Hey! What about us? I mean, we did find him after all. I'm sure he'd be safe with us....well, if I make sure to watch what I eat anyway," admits the Pop Pony after a moment. "Well, I don't think I'd mind someone else sleeping over for a night, and I'm sure Angel and my other animal friends would just love the company, but I don't want to stop him if he wants to stay with you," says the Element of Kindness in a sweet voice, and then you suddenly have eight sets of eyes staring at you, silently asking you what you want to do, which you have to consider for a moment, before nodding when you reached a decision. "Uh, I think I could stand a night with Vinyl and Octavia. Not sure I'd safe among animals of any sort at my size," you tell them after a moment of consideration, and Fluttershy smiles sweetly at you. "They're all well behaved, but if that's what you want, I will just wish you a good night," she says. "Okay, with that that decided, how's about we all mosey along home. The Princess is set to raise the moon in a few minutes, and I think we all have to start getting ready for bed," said Applejack, and everyone nods. You then suddenly find yourself surrounded by a magical field again, this one coming from Vinyl, who sets you down on Octavia's back again. "Sweet," was all she said, as the girls start for the door to the bedroom. Looking around at this place, figuring it would be where you come tomorrow to meet the gods of this world, you study the books, finding that, like on the show, there's not a single title you can read on the spines. You wonder, idly, how Twilight and Spike can tell them apart, and speaking of the dragon, he comes in as the others leave, and looks at you funny, and then proceeds to help clean with Twilight, a moment later an owl flying in and doing the same, probably Twilight's night time assistant. Before you can question this, you are taken outside by Octavia, and are once again looking around Ponyville, no longer the middle of the day, but nearly nightfall, as the sun is low in the sky. "Long hot day, cold sacred night, and I think to myself, what a wonderful world," you sing, more to yourself than anyone else, but you do get both musical ponies to look at you, though neither stops walking, and so, smirking, you begin to sing the rest of the song, thinking that, really, the place you've found yourself in really is a Wonderful World. The two you will be rooming with say nothing, and Vinyl even starts humming along to the end, as the three of you finally reenter the home they're borrowing from Rarity, and shut the door. "That was a very sweet song. Did you write it?" asks Octavia, as she returns to the living room, and you are then placed on the table by her using her mouth again, an experience you still aren't quite used to, though this time at least she didn't drool on you. "Not a chance. I forget the guy who wrote it, but in my world, it's considered a classic song. One of the few I know really. Most of the others I memorized are either from TV shows or parodies of the real stuff," you say, and Octavia looks at you oddly, and so does Vinyl, though it's hard to tell through her glasses. "TeeVee? What's that?" asks Vinyl after a moment of hesitation, and just as you're about to respond, you realize suddenly that TV might not be the best thing to introduce to an agrarian society. Even if you don't remember how it's done, just the thought that it can be done is enough to start the ball of invention rolling. Like labs that developed high tensile strength materials simply by being given a sample from another lab. Heck, nukes were the same way. "It's a thing back home, and way too complicated. But it plays music at a distance, among other things," you tell them, and Vinyl nodes. "Like radio! I bet you didn't know this, but Octavia and I used to have our own show," says Vinyl, seemingly bragging about it, while Octavia facehoofs. "Yes, until you burned down the studio trying to hook up an amplifier for your 'tunes'" she reminds the pop pony, who barely seems to notice, as she suddenly looks really excited. "That reminds me! I got my package in today, and though I was gonna save it for a special occasion, I can't think of anything more special than this!" responds Vinyl, and quickly runs off, leaving you and Octavia in the room alone, with the grey classic lover looking worriedly after her. For good reason too, as you can hear crashing, swearing, and a few other things, before she suddenly returns with something, and then nearly crushes you with it, forcing you to leap out of the way as she sets it down on the table. "Vinyl, you didn't?" Octavia moans, looking at the device, and you stare at it in interest. From your perspective, all you see is a grey box thing, but hopping up and climbing on, you find it's a transmitter, with a mic attached. Probably short range, but remembering this is a magical universe, it might not be. "I didn't do anything, Octavia. I simply asked somepony going over the wreckag-I mean while they were remodeling our studio, to send this over. It's not as powerful as K-Colt's usual level, but I'm sure this thing will get to all of Ponyville, and I can probably juice it to get all the way to Canterlot if we need to," she said, and her horn glowed a bit, sending a spark into the device, causing some of the dials to light up, and a low his of feedback to issue forth from the device. "Vinyl, I mean this, seriously, do you really want to burn this new house, that we got for free from your cousin, to a smoking cinder, and render us homeless until such time as we can show our faces in Canterlot again?" asked Octavia, and Vinyl only .smirked in response. "Please, back me up. Tell her not to do this?" she asks you, but at the same time, you aren't sure. A radio show, in Equestria, and you get to be on it, for just being you...well for being the only human in a world of equines, but still. That could be a lot of fun, or it could lead you to chocking on live radio and embarrassing yourself. One Risk vs. Reward assessment later, you look towards Vinyl. "I always wanted to be a radio personality myself," you say with a smirk, and Vinyl smirks right back, while Octavia, facehoofing, just sighs, as Vinyl continues to setup the transmitter, pushing buttons, and setting a few dials, before the hiss suddenly cuts out with a sharp crack, and a small light on the side that says 'on-air' glows in the corner, making Vinyl just chuckle. "Okay, all you fillies, foals, and others out there in Ponyville, this is DJ-Pon3, back from her short hiatus after that little problem with the studio, and here with me as always is my lovely co-host, Octy," she said, leaning closer to the mic. "'Little problem?!' You burned down the studio trying to, as you put it, 'kick up the jams'," said Octavia with another sigh, "And I told you to stop calling me lovely." "Heh, well, that's one interpretation of those events. I'd rather see it as the equipment failing to live up to the expectations to which I'd been set," response Vinyl, grinning at Octavia across the table. "Anyway, because of that set back, his shows gonna be a bit more....limited than the others. However, don't worry about that now, because we still bring you the highest quality guests, in this case one from waaaaay farther away than any other. In fact, you could say, our guest tonight is out of this world. Would you like to say a few words to our audience?" she said, and the mic shifts towards where you're standing on the transmitter. Suddenly, for some reason, you get an impulse, and rather than think on it, you just go with it. "Yo yo yo, this is Howlin Mad Man Murphy, comin at you live and lucid, over the air waves and into your homes. Tonight we have a really big show for you. Or at least for me anyway considering a ponies like twenty five or fifty times my own size," you say into the mic, which gets Vinyl to laugh, while Octavia looks at you like you betrayed her. "You heard that right fillies, our guest today is a bit on the small size, but then, he's a bit different than anypony else we've met. He says he's called a human, and he's coming to us all the way from another world. I know some of you have your doubts, but I assure you, he's for reals, and according to Octavia here, he tastes great, yummy," goes on the pop pony, the last getting Octavia to blush, and you to smirk, remembering that comment from earlier. "Vinyl!" was all she said in response, and looking over, you find Vinyl falling onto her back laughing. "The management would like it known that Vinyl's opinions in no way reflect the opinions of this station...excepting those parts of this station that are Vinyl Scratch. By the way, while Octavia may have said that, Vinyl is the one who actually ate me earlier," you say into the mic, which gets Octavia to smile down at you, as Vinyl bolts upright, probably not wanting to remember that, or to have Twilight or the others remember it either. "Er...well, that was an accident. And it wasn't his last time diving down a throat either today, folks. No, our little guest is a hero, because after a certain be-hatted pony found herself swallowed by a spectrum colored one she considered her friend during a prank that shrank her, this little guy heroically decided to go in after her, at great personal risk, and drag her out of that stomach. It was a bit more violent than how he got out of my own belly, but dang if it wasn't rather touching," Vinyl said to the air waves, likely having forgotten Rainbow Dash and Applejack's names, considering her own bubble headed-ness. "Indeed, it was actually quite dashing to watch, all things considered, especially considering we might not have been able to get him out either, and I'm sure that all of Sweet Apple Acres was grateful, though they also forgive the Weather Warden of Ponyville for what was supposed to be a harmless prank," says Octavia, turning the mic towards herself, and showing that she at least, was paying attention to the others back at Twilight's, or at least knew something about them from before that. "Yeah, that. Anyway, with that introduction and story out of the way, I'd say it's time for some tunes....which I just realized I don't have, since all my LPs are still being brought from Canterlot, so why don't we ask Octavia to play the cello for us as some filler, while I look for something to play?" she asks, looked towards Octavia expectantly, who just shakes her head and goes off, probably to find said instrument. That's when you think of a song to sing yourself, one that doesn't really need an instrument, but then, it might be a bit dark for the ponies' world. Still, maybe they'd like hearing a comedy song by Jonathan Coulton, and Spike at least knew what zombies were. "Hey, Vinyl, mind if I sing a little ditty from my own home to fill the time?" you ask, figuring this is the type of thing one should ask. "Really? Like that song from before?" she asks, referring to Wonderful World, which, while a good song, was a bit fluffy for a talk show like this one. "Nah, a bit more amusing, though in a gallows kind of way. Ever heard of zombies?" you say with a smirk. "Oh! Those cool undead things, yeah. What about em'?" she asks. "Listen to this," was all you said, as you began to hum the background music, clapping in time to what you remember from the web versions of the song you'd heard. After a moment, you begin singing, and Vinyl starts to bob her head in time to the beat you're laying down. She then gets a real big grin on her face as you reach the line about dying screaming from the song, that seems to amuse her. As the song continues, you notice that Octavia has returned, with her cello in tow, and is just staring at the two of you, agast at the song, though you just wink at her as you keep going, skipping the guitar solo, since you can't simulate that, and just moving on to the end, enjoying your moment in the lime light. "We'll all come inside and eat your braaaaaaains!!! And that fillies and colts is a song of my people, Re: Your Brains, by a Mr. Coutlon. Good man," you said, and take a bow towards Vinyl, who leans forward towards the mic. "Now that was a treat, little dude carries a tune well too. Anyway, I see Octavia's back with her cello, so why not sit back, and relax with some classical music after that little heartwarming tale about a zombie who just wants a meal," she says, turning the mic towards Octavia, who simply hmphs at the two of you, and pulls out her bow, before starting to play a rather moving piece, while Vinyl picks you up with her magic and brings you towards her. "Awesome song, but what's a mall, and what's a gun?" she asks in a hushed tone, which reminds you again, this isn't your world, which, rather than depresses you, only makes you smile at her and stare into her glasses. "A mall is a place of worship for those who respect only the power of money, and a gun is something this place isn't ready for, like soda, and the internet, and do not ask. Still, I feel kind of bad about doing that to Octavia, you wouldn't happen to have a flute in my size around here, would you?" you ask, looking around. Vinyl, looking with you, finds a few toys on the mantle of the room you’re in, and spots a tiny flute, carved from wood, and brings it to you. Taking a moment to check it over, you find it's a bit heavier than the ones back home, but it works pretty well, and a few blows finds it does make some nice tones, so you nod, and then motion towards the transmitter again, getting Vinyl to put you back closer. Looking towards Octavia, who has her eyes closed, you start to nod your head to the sounds of the piece she's playing. It's not one you recognize off the top of your head, but you'd say it's similar to some stuff you used to play, so picking a place to start, you try to play along with her. Her eyes shoot open as you do so, though her hoof doesn't even falter as she plays. She does start to step up on the tempo as you join in, and though you never hit a wrong note exactly, you are out of time with her for a few lines, before catching back up, playing in concert with her's to create a rather melodious sound, before she reaches her crescendo, and then pulls her box sharply across her strings to bring it to an end, while you play one last note. "Bravo! Encore!" comes Vinyl from behind you, and smirking up at Octavia, you turn on your heel, and give a bow to your audience, which out of the corner of your eye, you can see Octavia doing the same, before setting her instrument against one of the corners of the room carefully, and then walking back towards the two of you. Rather than sitting though, she stands next to the table. "Actually, Vinyl, I think it's time we did our curtain call, since we'll have a few more guests tomorrow, and I'd rather they not see us tired, and out of sorts," says Octavia, obviously trying not to name names, since it's likely this visit by the Princesses will be a bit less formal than most, kind of like when Celestia dropped in after Twilight's break down over not having a friendship lesson. "Oh, right, them. Well, I suppose we should wrap this up a bit early tonight. Still, I hope you foals and fillies get some rest, because tomorrow in Ponyville promises to be fun," says Vinyl into the mic, "This is K-Colt, signing off for the night." With that, the transmitter is clicked off, and the instant it is, Vinyl yawns, her mouth opening wide, and you can't stop yourself from yawning as well, stretching your arms out, and then popping a few bones in your spine, which you can tell the ponies both heard with the look they give you. "So, where do you want to sleep tonight anyway? I think we could squeeze you onto the bed with Octy and me, but it might be a bit cramped," says Vinyl as she gets up from the couch she'd been laying on. "And then there's Vinyl's snoring. You might just want to sleep out here for the night, if you want to get any sleep at all," says Octavia, and she and Vinyl look like they're about to have another argument.