//------------------------------// // Ch. 11: “DJ L0V3 D0C70R” // Story: The Dawn of a bright, new life. // by Hallowedsoul //------------------------------// Chapter Eleven “DJ L0V3 D0C70R” First thing that happened when the lockdown spell ended was Vinyl Scratch bursting through the door and demanding to use my computer. She didn’t wait for me to respond before shoving an envelope in my hands and running upstairs. Pinkie Pie came in immediately after acting like we were being released from prison. No clue where she got that idea, but I just chalked it up to Pinkie being Pinkie. Once she was gone, I opened up the envelope and pulled out two VIP passes for Vinyl’s show in a couple of days. “I’m going out to see Rarity, Leon. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.” Terra said as she grabbed her purse (which Rarity made for her, obviously) and hurried out the door. I waved goodbye and turned to Twilight. “Well, I’m sure you’re eager to get back home and into your own clothes for a change.” I said with a small chuckle “Besides, Spike’s probably worried about you.” “I doubt that, he’s probably spent the week being lazy and eating ice cream.” She replied with a chuckle of her own, but then she fell silent. We stood there in uncomfortable silence, before I decided to go talk to Vinyl. Twilight caught my arm as I was heading down the hallway, and I turned to look at her. She was blushing slightly, and she shifted nervously. “Leon, I wanted to say… I had a wonderful time this week, even if it was a little uncomfortable.” She said, her voice hesitant “But… I also wanted to ask that you… not tell anypony what happened the other day. I don’t want to send the wrong impression, especially to my friends who will blow it out of proportion.” I felt my heart sink, but I nodded my assent. She gave me a small smile and teleported home. I lingered for a moment, my heart aching though I didn’t understand why. ‘Perhaps because she sent you a signal saying she wanted it to be more, but I guess it might’ve just been the estrus talking. Oh well, you’ll get her next time, champ.’ Nica’s voice said in my head. I was turning to go down the hallway again when my door opened once more. For some weird reason, I thought it was Twilight coming back, but my hope turned to cold dread when I saw who it was. Lyra walked up to me, an embarrassed smile on her face. “Hi Leon!” She called to me excitedly “Hey, I just wanted to say ‘I’m sorry’ for chasing you across town while I was in heat. I’m sure Twilight’s told you we can get a little crazy around here during that time.” “Yeah. She did, actually.” I replied, eyeing her warily. “What’s with that look?” She asked me, laughing “You don’t have to worry about me having my way with you anymore… at least until next estrus. And trust me, I’ll succeed next time. Ciao!” She turned to leave, but seemed to remember something and turned back, reaching into her bag. “Oh, I almost forgot; you dropped this when you were running from us last week.” She said, presenting my hat to me (oh man, I must’ve forgotten all about in the heat of the moment ‘ha, I see whatcha did there.’) “I figured it was important. You’re kinda not you without the hat and coat.” And then just like that, the demented mare left. ‘Call her what you want, you’re still gonna be hanging out with her within the next day or two.’ Nica stated matter-of-factly. I groaned inwardly, because I knew she was right ‘Aren’t I always?’ I went upstairs to my room to find Vinyl messing around on my computer. She had my music program up and I could see something was plugged into the computer, which turned out to be her own version of an iPod (I think she told me once what they were called, but it’s basically the same thing. Even the programming’s the same). “No, yeah, that’s cool, babe. You totally have my permission to take my music.” I said sarcastically. “Cool, thanks a lot, brony. I owe ya for this.” Vinyl responded immediately without looking away. I sighed and leaned against the desk. “What are you up to, Vinyl? I know my music’s good, but you charged up here like it was a matter of life-or-death.” I said which caused her to look at me with a huge grin. “Oh, nothin’ much, it’s just that I need some filler songs for my gig comin’ up.” She replied “I thought about using some of the more popular stuff floatin’ around Equestria, but we both know those usually suck so much flank. So I figured I’d use some of yours, let ‘em hear something fresh for once.” See, this is why I like Vinyl Scratch. She may seem like your average, devil-may-care type individual but once you get to know her, you discover she actually has a razor-sharp wit and intellect. She also has as much passion for music that Rarity does for fashion, and reacts in nearly the same manner to bad material. “Sounds good to me, babe. Just be sure to let them know where you got it, okay?” I told her with a chuckle, and we bumped fists. I was about to leave when I remembered what I went up there for “Oh, hey Vinyl? You gave me two passes, I only need one; Terra’s not really into that sort of music.” “Then bring somepony else; word on the Grapevine is that ya got a thing for Twilight Sparkle. Why don’t ya ask her and make it a date?” Vinyl responded immediately again, and again without looking up from what she was doing. I stared very hard at the DJ. “’Word on the Grapevine’?” I asked her in a deadpan voice “Who’s been saying those kinds of things, Vinyl?” ‘Oh, please. Everypony in town knows that when you’re not running one errand or another, you’re at the library.’ Nica chided me ‘You haven’t exactly been subtle about it, either. Then there’s the fact that the two of you disappeared for a week; imagine the rumors that must be buzzing around town right about now!’ Oh, crap. I hadn’t thought about that and Vinyl confirmed as much. “I can’t remember who first started the rumors, but they’ve been saying that you’ve been at the library nearly every day hangin’ out with her.” The DJ replied with a shrug, but then she looked at me with a wicked grin “And then both of you ‘disappeared’ during estrus and the mares practically exploded twice with gossip. I’m sure ya can guess what it was about, brony.” She winked at me while I face-palmed, my face burning from embarrassment. I decided to pull out my phone and warn Twilight. To: Twilight Be careful, Twi; the mares are spreading rumors that we’re together… in more ways than one. From: Twilight I’m already aware. Roseluck came by the library and asked me what you were “like”, to which I told her that absolutely nothing had happened. I don’t think she believed me, though. To: Twilight Damn. I’m sorry, Twilight, I didn’t mean to bring that kind of attention to you. If there’s any way I can make it up to you, just let me know. From: Twilight No, you’re not the one who should be sorry; I’m the one who sealed us in your house for a week, the blame should be placed solely on me for the spread of these rumors. To: Twilight Still, I had a hand in it because I’ve been spending so much time at the library. If there’s anything you need, anything at all, just say the word and I’ll see it done. It was a minute before she responded, and when she did, I felt like my heart was shattered into a million pieces. From: Twilight Leon, I think it’s best we don’t see each other for a little while, at least until these rumors die down. I don’t want the girls thinking our relationship is more than us as friends, I’m sure you understand. ‘Dammit, Twilight Sparkle, you idiotic mare! How can somepony so smart be so incredibly stupid?!’ Nica groaned, but I barely registered her voice ‘Crap. Hold it together, Leon, she’s just being stupid right now!’ “Vinyl…” I said quietly “I think you should take the other pass back with you.” She stopped messing with the computer and looked at me while removing her sunglasses. “Hey, man, what’s wrong?” She asked me, concern in her voice. I didn’t say anything, just turned and left the room to go downstairs, taking a seat on the couch to stare blankly at my TV. After a minute, Vinyl came into the living room and set my phone on the coffee table in front of me before turning to leave (I guess I dropped it at some point). I came to my senses briefly to ask her a question. “Did you get what you needed, Vinyl?” I asked her, my voice emotionless. I think she nodded, but then she was gone, I have no idea where to. Maybe to prepare for her show or something. ‘Hey, c’mon, Leon. Twilight’s just being Twilight.’ Nica said soothingly ‘You know she acts silly when she can’t decide what she’s feeling, just forget this happened and keep trying.’ No, that wasn’t true; I was the one who’d been acting stupid. Here I was, entertaining thoughts of being in a relationship when I really should be more focused on other things. And yet every time I’m around her, I get so distracted trying to help that I just… ‘Okay, stop right there.’ Nica responded warningly ‘You’ve done nothing but pour your heart out to that mare, short of letting her know how you truly feel. If anything, she’s the one sending mixed signals here.’ I sat on the couch a little while longer before I shook my head and stood. “Okay, I’m just making this a bigger deal than it really needs to be.” I said, running my hands through my hair “If she wants some space, fine. I’ll ask somepony else to Vinyl’s show.” ‘Uh, okay? I guess that’s something you could do. Better than sitting around the house like a zombie.’ Nica replied, her voice wary. I grabbed my phone and went back upstairs to the master bedroom to see the passes right where I’d left them. I tapped at my phone to begin calling the various ponies on my contacts, but I stopped when my phone opened up to display a message from Vinyl. From: DJ-Pon3 Don’t do anything with those passes while I go have a chat with Twi’s friends. That mare is being ridiculously stupid and she needs her flank smacked. Sit tight, brony, cuz Pon3’s got ya back! ;-) As much as I wanted to believe Vinyl could convince Twilight otherwise, I didn’t think it’d be possible. Twilight could be as stubborn as Applejack when she wanted to be, and I doubt she was gonna budge on this subject. I decided to try calling Lyra anyway. My phone rang for a second before Vinyl answered. “I figured ya might try this, Leon, so I enchanted your phone to redirect any calls you make to mine.” She said with a laugh “Can’t be havin’ ya call another mare when ya already got a date for my show. And you’re definitely not calling Lyra. I know what she did last week and let’s just say certain ponies were pissed.” I groaned “Dammit, Vinyl, if she doesn’t want to be with me for a little while it’s perfectly fine. I’ll just get somepony else to go with me and I’ll enjoy myself. You don’t need to be causing a problem on my behalf.” I said, pinching the bridge of nose in irritation. “Hey, I’m not the one causin’ a problem here, brony, Twilight is.” Vinyl retorted “She knows damn well how ya feel about her and to send you a text like… that just ain’t cool, man. I’ve already talked to Rares and she’s gonna get the rest of the girls on board while I go chat up Twi. You just sit back and let your pal, Vinyl, handle this, ‘k?” Damn… somehow I just knew this was gonna get out of hand quickly. ‘With Vinyl, it usually does. At least you know she’s looking out for you.’ Nica replied calmly, if slightly amused. And I bet you’re just sitting there eating popcorn, huh, Nica? ‘Totally. Well, I’m eating popcorn based on your memories of eating popcorn… doesn’t really taste right, though.’ I sighed “Alright, Vinyl. I’ll cool my heels and let you get to it.” I said, my voice resigned “Just… go easy on her, will you? She’s under a lot of stress as it is.” “No promises. Catch ya later, brony!” And she hung up. I stood there in silence for a moment, before putting my phone and the passes in my pocket and heading downstairs to go for a walk around town, maybe see about finding some small things to do. I had just finished retrieving a bunch of supplies for Colgate when my phone notified me of a text message. From: Terra Leon, Rarity wants you to visit her at the boutique. She says it’s important but she wouldn’t tell me why. I also heard you’re having trouble with Twilight. Don’t worry; I’m sure it’ll work out for the best. I gave a small smile. Even her text messages radiate like one of her smiles. I decided not to respond and instead bid the busy dentist farewell before leaving to head out to Carousel Boutique. When I got there, Terra was waiting for me. She smiled as I approached and opened the door to let me in, closing the door behind us and locking it. Just as Rarity entered my field of vision, my messenger bag was lifted off me and given to Terra, who hung it on a rack next to her, where she also hung my coat and hat when they floated over to her as well. “Okay, I’m stopping it there; my clothes stay on, Rarity.” I told her warningly, though she only giggled. “Yes, of course, darling.” She replied, before gesturing to the center of the boutique “Please stand here, if you would be so kind.” I did as instructed and suddenly I found myself being assaulted by fabrics, and could just barely hear Rarity commenting on them idly, passing favor on some while dismissing others. After a few moments, the fabrics lifted and I blinked my eyes as the world spun just a little. I saw Terra gasp and hold her hands to her chest, while Rarity put her hands on her hips and looked at me approvingly. “Oh, you look absolutely handsome!” Rarity exclaimed happily “Turn around and see for yourself.” I shrugged and did as she asked, and my jaw dropped (it’s like a snake’s at this point). ‘I… uh… wow…’ Okay. I thought my hat and coat combo was bad-ass, but my new outfit made that one look like a kid talking crap in online games and it even shut Nica up to boot! ‘H-Hey!’ I was wearing a white silk shirt with the sleeves coming to about halfway down my forearms with a black tie and a black vest that hugged lightly at my chest, a pair of smooth black slacks with exquisite black dress shoes that shone in the light and a snug pair of pearl-white socks on my feet. The whole thing fit me in such a way as to display my lean frame without hampering my actual arm and leg movements and the shoes were remarkably comfortable despite the fancy look. On my hands was a pair of black, half-finger cloth gloves that accented my long and thin fingers, ending just past my wrist. On my head was a pair of narrow sunglasses that for some reason didn’t hamper my vision inside the boutique along with a black fedora with a white band at the base. Hell, she’d even managed to style my hair so that it hung in little spikes around my head, parting from in front of my face. “Wow, Rarity! Who’s that total bad-ass looking at me in the mirror, because I know that can’t be me!” I said, chuckling from both the joke and sheer amazement ‘That was going to be my question, Leon. Though now that I think about it, you kinda remind me of some annoying asshole I met once.’ Whoa, you met…him?! ‘Ugh, don’t remind me, just the memory creeps me out.’ “Indeed, it is you, Leon.” She replied with a small smile “This is the outfit you’re going to be wearing when you go to Vinyl’s show. You’ll be the talk of the town! But we’re not done yet…” At that, a coat drifted in from somewhere and slid itself on to me, and when I looked in the mirror, my bad-ass rating went up by ten. It was a jet-black thing almost like a dinner jacket, except that it didn’t look quite so fancy, and it went halfway down my thighs. Still, with the hat and shades, I was looking appropriately, dare I say it, handsome. The outfit spoke volumes and what it said was “I own the ground I walk on and you’re welcome to share it with me”. Another thing about it was that it was light, something you could wear on all but the hottest of days. “I decided that, since we’re in the middle of Spring, you needed a lighter coat.” Rarity confirmed as she spoke “You’re not restricted to wearing it with that ensemble only; it goes with your normal hat rather nicely.” As if to emphasize, the fedora lifted off of my head to be replaced by my wide-brimmed one, and lo and behold, the coat went perfectly with it. I was floored by all of this. “Rarity, I can’t accept this!” I said breathlessly “This is… it’s just…” “This is not up for debate, Leon; I’ve already said this is what you’re wearing to the show.” Rarity stated, waving her hand dismissively “After all, you want to look your best for Twilight, don’t you?” At that, I felt my euphoria drain and I looked away. “I doubt she’s going to want to go and I don’t want to force her if she doesn’t.” I replied my voice low “And besides, why would she want to go with me anyway… All I ever do is remind her of-” ‘Leon, cut the emo crap, wouldja?’ Nica chided. “Leon, that’s quite enough!” Rarity snapped at the exact same time “You asked me when you first came into my boutique not to compare you to him and I fully expect you to ‘walk your talk’ as Rainbow Dash would put it.” I didn’t look at her, my heart roiling in turmoil. After a moment, I felt one of Rarity’s soft hands take my head and turn it so that I was staring into her stunning azure eyes. “You possess a trait he did not, Leon, and it is that trait that is hurting you most right now, but it is also the one that will make you so much stronger.” Rarity murmured gently to me. “And what’s that, Rarity?” I asked her “What do I have that he didn’t; that the perfect hero didn’t?” “A refusal to let go of things that matter to you.” Rarity replied, giving me a small smile “What you need to do now is the same thing you did with Terra; take Twilight’s hand and refuse to let it go, no matter how much it will hurt you to do so.” ‘She’s right, Leon. The other guy was noble and selfless, but often times far too willing to let things go; even I encountered minimal resistance when I chose to be cast into the Void.’ Nica chimed in. I gave Rarity a small smile, removed her hand from my cheek and gave it a gentle squeeze before letting it go. “Thank you, Rarity. I think I needed to hear that, to know that there’s at least one thing about me that’s mine.” She smiled and patted me on the chest “It’s quite alright. I’ve already told you I always take care of my friends. Now, for the reason you’re here; Twilight, you may come out now, dear.” “WHAT?!” I shrieked, I mean literally shrieked, as Twilight Sparkle stepped out from behind the curtain and faced me. My panic was immediately forgotten when I saw what Twilight was wearing. She was… beautiful. There were simply no other words to describe her. It was a lot like the dress Rarity was wearing when I first met her, but it was the same dark purple color as Twilight’s mane, with magenta and violet sashes around her hips that glittered as she moved. Instead of having a diamond cut into the chest to expose her bosom, it was held in place by a choker and left her shoulders and the back above her waist bare. Like with Rarity’s dress, there a slit down the right side of the leg portion of the dress to show off her leg and she wore shimmering silver slippers on her hooves. The whole outfit fit her in such a way as to accent her feminine form (she wasn’t as well-proportioned as Rarity but she was by no means ‘lacking’, as some would say). Her mane was still styled the same, but there were touches of make-up on her face to draw attention to her beautiful amethyst eyes. ‘Tiger growl.’ Nica said approvingly ‘You two will be turning heads the second you arrive. Oh look, the whole gang’s here!’ “Aw, she ruined the surprise!” Pinkie pouted from where she’d been standing with the rest of the Elements, Vinyl Scratch and Terra, causing everybody and everypony in the room to look at her (it was so absurd that it snapped me out of my stupor to look at her ‘Absurd for you, maybe, but that scared the hell out of me! I seriously thought Pinkie had heard me there for a second). “I’m… sorry, darling.” Rarity said hesitantly “I did not realize you were trying to surprise anypony.” “Oh, I didn’t mean you, Rarity, I was talking about the ghost in the room!” Pinkie exclaimed happily. ‘Holy crap, she did hear me!’ Nica practically screamed in my head, causing me to wince slightly. “Of course I heard you, silly-filly, you’re so loud who wouldn’t?” Pinkie responded, her smile never wavering. When Nica didn’t respond, she looked around quickly before her face grew sad “Aww, she’s gone…” I had a mental image of Nica hiding behind her recliner, peering out every so often to see if Pinkie was still there. “You are so random, Pinkie.” Rainbow dash said with a small smile, but for some reason she was glancing nervously around. I shook my head and turned my attention back to the Goddess that was known as Twilight Sparkle. She caught my eyes and glanced away with a shy blush. “You look… good, Leon.” She said after a moment, and there was a collective groan from the girls. “C’mon, Twi, tell ‘im what ya really think!” Applejack called out, and Twilight blushed. “Leon, you look… very…” Twilight murmured, shifting nervously “Very… handsome. Any mare would be lucky to have you as their date.” The girls groaned again and Twilight was hit in the head with a rubber duck, which gave a ‘squeak’ sound when it hit. “That’s… good, because I was hoping you’d like to go to Vinyl’s show with me.” I replied, an embarrassed smile on my face “Oh, and you look exquisitely beautiful, Twilight.” Twilight took a sharp breath and her face turned crimson, but she gave me a small smile. “Oh, I don’t usually go to these sorts of things but…” She said, wringing her hands nervously “I can… try to… fit it in my schedule.” “You are going, Twilight Sparkle!” The rest of the girls stated in unison (except Terra and Fluttershy, who were being too modest to join in). Twilight let out a frustrated sigh while I chuckled to myself. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I didn’t want them to press-gang you into something you didn’t want to do and I know you…” I said, but I couldn’t finish as the thought of that text made my voice catch in my throat. Twilight looked at me apologetically. “No… I’m the one who should be sorry.” She replied, her voice low “I’ve caused you so much trouble this past week and then to send you that message with no regards to your own feelings…” I shook my head “Nah, don’t worry about it. You’ve done nothing to-” I began but Twilight interrupted me. “Will you stop being so modest already?” She said with a small smile on her face “I know I inconvenienced you when I activated that spell. A part of me was… actually hoping that… but then nothing happened. Between the two of us, the only one who was being level-headed that week was you; you showed restraint in situations where other stallions would’ve taken advantage of me and you locked your door whenever you went to your room to sleep and no matter how stressful or rough things got, you maintained your composure and even went out of your way to keep Terra and I comfortable and distracted.” I sighed, because I knew she was right. There were, indeed, several occasions where I’d seriously considered kicking my restraint out the window, leaving my door unlocked at night and seeing where it went or deciding to join Twilight in the shower after all because even after the first incident, she intentionally kept leaving the bathroom door unlocked or sometimes even open a crack. Twilight and Terra may have had a pleasant time that week, but it was Hell for me. Trust me, one of the greatest trials a man can go through is being stuck in an enclosed space with a female that he knows wants him to be… intimate with her, especially when she constantly leaves less-than-subtle invitations. My attempts to keep both girls distracted also applied to me, so that I wouldn’t have to think about how much I wanted to… But that was over with now, and I wasn’t one to hold onto the past… that was how people lose their way, by holding tightly onto things that no longer matter. That’s not to say some of those things weren’t important, but the past is the past; it cannot be changed no matter how much you may want it to. “Very well, I’ll accept your apology on one condition; you tell me, right now, whether or not you actually want to go with me to Vinyl’s show. I will respect your choice in the matter and so will everypony else!” I said, directing the last bit at the on-lookers, and offered my hand to her. She looked at me hesitantly for a moment, before giving me a smile and nodding. She took a couple of steps forward and took my hand. “Yes, I would love to go with you, Leon.” She replied, and suddenly we were both assaulted by fabrics again. When it ended, we were back in our regular clothes (she was wearing her school uniform again. I still think she’s a little old for that, but if that’s what she likes to wear, who am I to judge and besides, she looks great in it. Oh, and I was still somehow wearing my new coat). “Fantastic!” Rarity exclaimed, clapping her hands together while the other girls all exchanged congratulations for a job well done (Terra and Fluttershy were hugging each other and squealing joyfully. It was so freakin’ adorable) “You are both to come by the boutique Saturday and get dressed for your date. Now, Leon, why don’t you walk your marefriend home like a true gentlecolt?” Twilight and I glanced at each other shyly, but I led her off the stage and towards the door, pausing to get my bag and other coat. “Oh, don’t worry about those, Leon.” Terra said, hurrying over to take both before I could “I’m on my way home; I’ll take them with me. Go spend time with Twilight.” I nodded and opened the door for Twilight, following her out once she was through and shutting it behind us. We walked in silence for a moment, neither of us entirely sure what to say or do at this point. Twilight surprised me by taking my hand in hers and entwining her fingers in mine, and another shiver of pleasure ran up my arm. I looked at her quizzically and she just gave me a shy smile, her face red. “So…” I said in an attempt to break the silence “I guess this makes it official, huh. I mean, there’s still our date, but…” “Hush, Leon.” Twilight replied, playfully bumping me “You’re ruining the moment.” And so we continued walking. The various mares around town either clapped excitedly for us or were stunned into silence, their jaws practically touching the ground. Lyra, however, fell to her knees and cried out “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” When Twilight and I were far enough away, we erupted into laughter. After what I believed was too short a walk, we arrived at the library. I opened the door for Twilight, but she didn’t immediately go inside. We stood there in silence for a moment. “Well, here you are. Home sweet home.” I said nervously, but then my face grew solemn “Twilight, I really am-” but she interrupted me by kissing me… on the lips. Her lips were soft and warm and oh so sweet. I just wanted to forget everything and become one with this moment right here. But all too soon, it was over. “You apologize too much, Leon, especially when you’ve done nothing wrong.” She said with a coy smile “I’ll see you Saturday, alright?” “Yeah… okay.” I murmured drunkenly, which caused her to giggle. She went inside and shut the door slowly, so that I could get one last look at her that night (or maybe it was the other way around, I don’t know, I couldn’t focus on anything except…) ‘Well it’s about damn time, Leon!’ Nica shouted triumphantly ‘you’ve got the girl, now comes the hard part; keeping her.’ Well, well, look who finally decided to show herself. Where were you, like, twenty monologues ago? ‘Hiding from Pinkie Pie; that mare scares the ever-loving hell outta me now.’ Nica responded, before I got the feeling that she was looking around cautiously and then she whispered ‘She might still be around. Hell, she could be anywhere. Keep your guard up, Leon. Oh and I bet that wasn’t how Lyra wanted to be on her knees, screaming.’ I eventually floated home. Terra asked me no questions when I walked in and hung my hat and new coat up on the rack (I barely registered that my old coat was not present, but I decided that Terra had probably put it my bedroom closet with my hoodie), though she did give me a knowing smile when I sat dreamily in a dining room chair, staring off into space. I honestly have no idea what dinner was. I remember eating something, but all I could think about was how sweet Twilight’s lips were. I think I also heard Nica laughing her ass off, but I wasn’t entirely sure. Eventually, it came time for bed and when I went to sleep, I did not return to the mural. Instead my dreams were full of… pink hearts, each with Twilight’s face stamped on them. Veronica, I am going to kick your ass. ‘Oh please, you know you love it.’