Vinyl Scratch looked at Octavia for a moment. Was she asleep? After watching her for a minute, it appeared that she was.
Vinyl got out of bed and silently tiphoofed out of the room. She went over to the door and grabbed her coat from the coat hangar next to it.
The door clicked lightly as she opened it with her magic, but to Vinyl it sounded like an explosion. She turned her head to see if Octavia had woken, but she had not.
"Good," Vinyl said, walking from the apartment where the two stayed together.
She closed the door and locked it with her key. She sighed heavily and began to walk down the hallway as quickly and quietly as she could. She left the building and stepped out into the cold air.
Wow. she thought. This is going to be awesome.
She started her walk into Canterlot, going away from the heart of the city to a small, derelict house near the poorer section of the city. She went up to the door and knocked.
"Who is it?" a voice inside called.
"It's PON-3," Vinyl replied.
The entrance opened up, and a hoof ushered her in. She looked at the person who let her in.
"Ah!" she said in surprise. "Twirls?! Am I glad to see you! How long has it been? Six years?"
The two high-hooved and laughed.
"I don't know, Vinyl," the fellow DJ said. "So, it seems you DID get my invitation."
"Mysterious pony inviting me to a talk show?!" Vinyl said. "I couldn't resist! Besides, it said other DJs were gonna be here. I took my chances."
She chuckled, and a smile crossed her face.
"So, what're you doing out here in Canterlot?" Vinyl asked Twirls. "Last I heard, you were out in the griffon kingdom trying to preach about something civil rights-y."
"I was," Twirls replied, leading Vinyl to a large room in the middle of the home where a large round table was set up, mics sitting atop it, one for every seat. "Then I got bored and came here to start a talk show. That was a few weeks ago, and now I've finally got all of the DJs and producers I could want talking it up on air with me. Shit's been going well."
Vinyl took a seat in one of the vacant chairs and looked at all of the ponies at the table with her. She knew a few of them, but some were completely new to her.
"So," she said. "What are your names?"
They introduced themselves.
"I'm Zone," a magenta earth pony across from Vinyl said. "I'm a producer in Fillydelphia. Came here when I was sick of all the stuck up artists who thought they were all that. Now I do this, and I'm much happier."
"I'm Techbeat," the one to Velvet's left said. He was a pegasus with a dark yellow coat and a mane that was long and flowing. "I'm a DJ here in Canterlot. I haven't gotten any fame yet, but Twirls discovered me when I was in the club one night and asked me to join this."
"Spinning Record," the earth pony mare next to him said. "I'm Techbeat's producer. I know talent when I see it, and he's got it. I just followed him to this radio show."
"I'm-"
"You're Draft-Punk," Vinyl said. "As if I wouldn't know who you are. Your stuff is kicking!"
The earth pony nodded and stayed silent.
"And finally me," the unicorn stallion next to Vinyl said. "I'm F3tlock. I DJ out of the country for zebras and griffons and stuff. I learned a lot of things while out there, and while in the griffon kingdoms, I met Twirls. Offered to get me on a radio show he was planning on doing, and I told him to call or something when he was ready. So, here I am."
Vinyl smiled.
"I'm Vinyl Scratch," she said. "Or DJ PON-3 if you want to use my stage name. I got a letter from Twirls over there a week ago. He didn't put his name on it though! I had to take a shot in the dark."
"Well, guys!" Twirls said, taking his seat at the table. "It's time for the show to start!"
A small sign in the corner of the room flickered on, saying "ON AIR."
"How are you doing, Canterlot?" Twirls said over his mic. "It's time for every music lover's favorite show: Wub Radio! Tonight, as you all should know, is the day where we talk about listener submitted topics! We're going to go through two of them tonight, so I hope you're ready! We also have ourselves a new DJ on the squad: DJ PON-3!"
Vinyl smiled.
"Now, the first topic for tonight is..." Twirls pulled out a piece of paper and read it. "The best songs you've produced and/or wrote!"
There were a few conversations from a few of the DJs. Vinyl ran through her head, bringing up all of her songs.
"Tonight, we're going to start with our new DJ, DJ PON-3! So, what's your opinion?"
Vinyl rubbed her head.
"That's a really hard question, actually," she began. "I've written so many songs that I think are good, trying to decide the best is hard!"
Twirls laughed and thought for a moment.
"Okay, I'll rephrase that," he said. "Which of your songs has been most well received by the public?"
"Well that's easy!" Vinyl said. "Nasty Monsters Around has been enjoyed the most! I think it's okay, but whatever the public loves the most!"
Twirls turned to F3tlock next, who was already prepared to answer.
"What's your best work?" Twirls asked him.
"It's got to be-"
Vinyl just zoned out for the rest, not really caring what the others had to say. She closed her eyes and listened to white noise in her head. When she came back to, the last DJ was giving her answer.
"-and that's why I think it's my favorite."
Twirls nodded and pulled up his paper again.
"The final topic of the night is..." he paused a bit, shaking his head in dismay. "What is your sexuality? I swear to Celestia..."
He turned to Zone, who had been the last to go for the previous topic.
"Alright, Zone," he said, trying not to break down. "What is... your sexuality? My heavens, why is this a topic?"
"Well, I'm heterosexual," Zone began. "I've been with a few stallions, nothing too much. And stallions out there, I am open and available."
Twirls sighed and facehoofed.
"Next, Techbeats," he said, turning to the DJ. "Same question. Why...?!"
"I- uh..." he began. "This is actually really embarrassing..."
"Just say it!" Vinyl yelled, impatient. "I don't give Luna's hoof if it's embarrassing!"
Everypony laughed except for Techbeats.
"Well- I- I'm a coltcuddler."
There was a pregnant silence.
"That's- uh, interesting," F3tlock said.
Vinyl couldn't help herself, and she burst out laughing.
"What's so funny about that?!" Techbeats yelled. "It's embarrassing, and I just revealed to all of the ponies who listen to this show!"
"That's what's funny!" Vinyl replied, falling to the floor in her fit. "It's hysterical!"
Techbeats sighed and put his head in his hooves. Vinyl stood after recovering from her... "incident."
"Aw, dude," she said. "I didn't mean to offend you or anything."
Techbeats began to shake, and he lifted his face and showed that he was laughing too.
"I just revealed my sexuality over the radio!" he said, laughing.
That got everypony else laughing, too. Soon the room was filled with giggles and fits of hysteria as they drowned on the hilarity of the situation.
"Okay, calm down," Twirls said, struggling to bring himself to quiet as he did. "Next is Spinning Record."
"I'm straight," she said. "Not much else to it. I don't bed every other colt I meet, though, unlike Zone over there."
"I do not bed every other colt I meet!" the mare yelled. "That is a flat-out lie!"
"No, you bed at least four stallions last week!"
"So, that was last week! I was... a bit drunk! Okay, maybe I was a lot drunk, but still! That was just last week!"
Spinning Record smiled as she said this, and soon the room was in laughter again.
"For Celestia's sake, can we calm down enough to finish the show?!" Twirls yelled.
"Yeah, sure," was the general response.
"Now... Draft-Punk, what about you?"
"Straight as fuck," he said. "Nothing else."
There was a small bout of chuckling, but it did not escalate from there.
"F3tlock?" Twirls said.
"Ah, I'm a coltcuddler, too," he said. "Sometimes you're just so awesome and then you fucking learn you love other stallions. Shit gets you sometimes."
Everypony just accepted that one, and now all eyes were on Vinyl.
"'K, PON-3, what about you?"
"I," she began, cracking her neck. "Am a fillyfooler and proud."
There was a bit of murmuring.
"Have you been with anypony?" Zone asked.
"Oh, I got me a marefriend," Vinyl stated. "We live together in an apartment near the middle city."
"Do you two... get it on?" Draft-Punk asked with a smirk.
"I would, but she's a bit shy and cautious about the whole thing. I keep trying to get onto her, but she's against it."
"That sucks," F3tlock said. "Even I've done it with another guy."
"I'll just have to get her used to it," Vinyl replied.
"Well, folks!" Twirls said over the mic. "That's the end of tonight's episode of 'Wub Radio!' There was a groan from the DJs and producers. "See you tomorrow!"
The "ON AIR" sign flickered off, and the seven sat there for a bit, just staring into space.
"You guys go home," Twirls said. "You need that sleep."
There was a loud mumble of "We don't need sleep," but they all complied and began to walk back home. Vinyl was disappointed that nopony was walking in her direction.
"Oh, well," she said. "I'll see them tomorrow. And it'll be great."