//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7 
// Story: Dropping the Bass 
// by Taranasauruso_o 
//------------------------------//


Haha remember that one time when I said that there would only be one chapter left? 

Yeah, well I lied.

This here's the second last chapter, and there will be one more before the epilogue. 

And then it's done. Finished. Gone forever.

It almost brings a tear to me eye.


Vinyl rounded the corner, music pumping through her slightly slipping headphones as she bobbed to the beat. The city around her moved in a silent, broken stream of invisible ponies. It was a second reality, a world festering with routine blandness, where the final reward was an uneventful life earned at the expense of youth. It was so different from her world of flashing lights and pounding music that shattered the sterile bubble the world lived in.

Her gut twisted at the thought that these ponies couldn’t experience the adrenaline, the freedom, that she did every day. That was why her music was bumped up a few notches, so the ponies around her could taste how sweet life could, or rather, should be.

She pushed her way through the crowds of strangers, her eyes set firmly on the other side of the street, where her small, dark apartment sat. She’d been sent out almost two hours earlier by her flatmate and friend because she had a ‘surprise’ in store. Being the mare she was, Vinyl had been forced out in ten seconds flat and told to go ‘amuse herself’ whilst everything was prepared. So, Vinyl did the only thing she could do, she went to a club. And while pulsing to music was something that she used to love beyond anything else, it just didn’t feel the same without Trixie.

Still, this had been her request, and so Vinyl had followed orders, hoping not to spoil things. But Trixie’s time was up, and so was Vinyl’s patience. She rushed across the street, her hooves clattering against the cobblestone with loud echoes. Ponies turned to see the commotion, mixes of questioning and disgust spread on their faces. Vinyl didn’t care, she rushed through the gate and up the steps. slipping slightly on the loose stone work, before stopping at the door. she painted slightly, resting momentarily, before raising her hoof to the door.


****


Trixie stood back, a smile forming on her face as she surveyed her handiwork. She glanced up just in time to see the door begin to push slowly open. “Oh Celestia’s flank,” she swore, before spinning and heading towards the lounge.


****

As the door pushed open, Vinyl noticed two things. One: the hall was almost completely dark, as the lights had been switched off. In their place, however, candles had been lit, giving the room an almost earthly glow. The second thing Vinyl noticed, while not quite apparent as the first, was that the floor was covered with rose petals. Their velvet red glowed in the candlelight, filling the room with an orange tinge.
“Trixie?” Vinyl called out softly as she stepped through the door and past the lounge door, treading carefully between the petals. Something pressed against her back and slowly covered her eyes. She didn’t move, for fear of acting incorrectly.

A soft voice spoke into her ear, sending icy tendrils shooting down her spine. “Welcome home Vinyl, Trixie has been expecting you.” The voice spoke in barely a whisper, and yet Vinyl felt her body shiver as it pressed against her ear.

Vinyl smiled nervously, her usual bravado lost temporarily as she spoke. “Well wasn’t that kind of the point?”

Behind her the voice sighed. “You’re ruining it,” it replied, annoyance evident in its tone. The pressure on Vinyl’s back changed momentarily, before pressing against her. “Trixie wants you to keep your eyes closed, okay?” Vinyl nodded in response, shutting her eyes. the hooves slowly lifted themselves from her eyes, before reaching and pull at her hoof. She responded in turn, letting the hoof pull her forwards towards the end of the hall. Soft objects brushed against the tips of her hooves, and she carefully avoided them, her usually heavy hoofsteps silent and careful.

“How close are we?” Vinyl whispered, her voice cutting through the calm silence like a hot knife through ice. Her leader shushed her, and pushed open a door in the dark, bathing Vinyl’s eyelids with a soft warmth. The two stopped then, and Vinyl felt a hoof on her face, and a hot breath of air washed over her.

“Okay Vinyl... you can open your eyes now.” Vinyl complied, her eyelids sliding open, and revealing the candle-lit scene before her. Rose petals covered the tiles, washing the white with a velvet red, and giving the room an organic feeling. Candles had been placed in every available position, bathing the room in an earthly orange, and reflecting off every smooth surface. A small table sat in between the sea of petals, like an island protruding out of the ocean. More candles adorned the top, as well as two plates of food.
 
Trixie positioned herself in front of Vinyl, a small smile dancing on her lips. “Well?” she asked, after a brief moment of silence. “How does it look?”

Vinyl only nodded in stunned silence, her eyes scanning the room. She then locked them onto Trixie’s own, and whispered softly. “Amazing.”
 
Trixie gushed with pride at that, her cheeks turning crimson, and her eyes dropping to the floor. “Yes, it is pretty amazing, isn’t it? Trixie thinks she has outdone herself this time.” She reached out then, and pulled Vinyl towards the table, her violet aura wrapping around a chair and pulling it out from under the table. Vinyl sat, her eyes still unfocused, sinking in her surroundings.
 
Tonight was going to be one heck of a night.
 

****

 
“... and then I headed into town and, well, here I am!” Vinyl finished her tale, lowering her hooves and looked towards her audience expectantly.
 
“Wow.” Berry Pie had stopped his cutting, his attention stolen by Vinyl’s story. “She did all of that, for you?”
 
Vinyl nodded, smiling. “Yup,” she paused, then gave her friend a look. “Wait, what do you mean, for me?”
 
He laughed, before shaking his head and turning back to his work. “Nothing, nothing.” His horn flashed, and the knife slashed through the row of carrots he had set up along his chopping board. “So,” he started, sweeping the area clean with a quick burst of magic, and lifting up a new bag of carrots. “What are you going to do in return?”
 
Vinyl froze, her pupils shrinking. Her lower lip trembled, and she glanced around, before leaning in to whisper to Berry. “What am I going to do?” Her voice sounded panicked, and Berry chuckled again, sweeping the board clean again.
 
“You really don’t understand this romantic stuff, do you Vinyl?” He winked at her, before placing the knife next to the sink and stepping towards the door. “Here, let’s walk, and I’ll explain what I mean on the way.” His horn flashed, and the door swung outwards, revealing the back alley of the Golden Cucumber, a small restaurant in the outskirts of Manehatten.
 
Vinyl followed Berry out, her eyes still darting from left to right in her panicked state. “Berry, seriously, what should I do?” She turned him around to look in his eyes. “I have absolutely no plans! H-how the heck does this stuff work?” Berry lifted a hoof and placed it on Vinyl’s shoulder, a knowing grin on his face.
 
“Don’t worry Vinyl, all will be explained.” He turned towards the mouth of the alley, and started forward at a brisk pace. “In time.” The pair rounded the lip of the alley, and out into the street, Vinyl following closely behind Berry. “Now, first things first: what have you got planned in the foreseeable future? We need to set up ideas for when and where you can take Trixie out.”
 
Vinyl pondered for a moment, her hoof tapping against her chin. “Well, we’ve got two more shows at the Nightingale, before the owner goes on vacation. There’s also my school reunion in two weeks, so that weekend is all booked out.” She looked up and down the street, her eyes scanning the various ponies that sat at each of the cafes around them. “Oh! And then we’re playing at the Gala!”
 
“What, really?” Berry asked, stopping momentarily to give Vinyl a questioning look.
 
“Yeah really,” Vinyl punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Apparently their main performer had to cancel last minute, something about his mother being sick. The organizers needed someone new, and, as you know, I’m friends with Twilight Sparkle, who is Princess Celestia’s pupil.” Berry nodded at this, before motioning for Vinyl to continue. “So, anyway, Twilight volunteered myself and Trixie, and we accepted.”
 
“Wow Vinyl, that’s great!” Berry pulled his friend into a hug, wrapping his large, red forehooves around her small shoulders.
 
“Yeah, I’m excited too Berry,” Vinyl gasped, pushing Berry away.
 
“No, I mean really great!” He nodded at her eagerly, but, when she returned him with a blank stare, he continued. “Well, it gives you a perfect chance to take Trixie out!”
 
“Wait, it does?” Vinyl asked, cocking her head.
 
Berry slammed his hoof into his face, eliciting a low grumble. “Of course it does! Think about it, you could spend the whole day with her. If I’m correct, you’ll only be playing at the after party, right?” Vinyl nodded. “Okay, which means that you could actually attend the event itself, with Trixie as your date, yeah?” Another nod. “Okay, good, well, now you just need to plan some other things to do during the day and early evening.” He turned another corner, and the pair stopped at the edge of the road, each looking at the other. “You’ve been to Canterlot before, right?”
 
“Yeah, I played at Twilight’s brother’s wedding, remember?”
 
“Oh yeah.” Berry stepped onto the road, and started to cross, Vinyl trailing behind him. “So, just go to any place that you think Trixie might enjoy, alright?” Berry lifted out a pair of keys from his pocket, and slid them into the gate in front of the two. “This is my place, so, I’ll see you later, alright?”
 
“Okay, catch you!” Vinyl waved, slipping her headphones up around her ears and walking down the street. Her mind wandered as she walked home, retracing the steps that she had taken to reach Berry’s small shop. The Gala... yeah, yeah that could work.
 
She rounded onto Mane Street, slipping into the crowds with practised precision. Her road took her straight to the Nightingale, her usual venue for playing. Trixie had said she would meet her there, after she finished her magic practice. Trixie tended to get a little... touchy, during her magical studies, so Vinyl had instantly left the house, and the mare, to their own devices.
 
She hummed softly as pushed passed the small queue of ponies that had started to line up out the front of the large doors that lead to the club. She nodded towards the bouncer, who chuckled slightly, before pushing open the doors. Vinyl stepped through and into the large foyer of the building, only to be greeted by a frantic Trixie.
 
“Vinyl! Vinyl!” Trixie shouted, leaping across the floor in a single bound. She stopped inches away from the DJ, heaving. “Oh Celestia is Trixie glad she found you!”
 
Vinyl took a step back, lifting a hoof in defence. “Woah woah Trix, let’s just take a step back here and-“
 
“No!” Trixie cut Vinyl’s words in half, wrapping a hoof around her marefriend’s middle and dragging her towards the entrance to the Greenroom. “There is no time for ‘idle banter’, Trixie is having a wardrobe meltdown, and she is in need of your immediate assistance.” Trixie slammed open the doors with ferocity, their hinges squeaking in protest.
 
“But Trixie just wai-“ Vinyl started, but was cut off by a hard jab to her stomach. She stumbled and flee to the ground, wheezing.
 
Trixie stopped, dropping down to Vinyl’s level. “A-are... you okay?” she asked, after a moment’s hesitation. “I didn’t see the table there.”
 
Vinyl nodded, slowly standing to her hooves. “Yeah... yeah, I think I’m alright.” She looked up to Trixie with a smile. “Thanks for ask-“
 
“No time for stopping.” Trixie spun on her heel, her aura wrapping around Vinyl and pulling her forward again. “Malfunction needs fixing now.” She took off, an unimpressed Vinyl dragging along behind her. After a few tense seconds of this, the pair burst through the final door to the Greenroom, and Vinyl was promptly tossed onto the couch.
 
Trixie tore towards the other end of the room, where a giant mirrored sliding door stood. She flung it open and began rummaging in its contents, bits of clothing flinging out behind her.
 
“Hey Trixie, um.” Vinyl paused momentarily, racking her brains for any way to make her next sentence sound casual. A soft velvet dress landed next to her as she continued to stutter out a sentence. “I wa-was wondering if-”

“No no, where is it?” Trixie muttered, tossing out more articles of clothing behind her.
                                           
“-you know, when we go to the gala-”

“-Trixie swears she put it-”

“-after our final shows at the-”

“-Wardrobe, Trixie is fed up with-”

“-you could possibly consider-”

“-release the clothes she requires-”

“-maybe we could go on a date together?!”

Trixie froze at this, her hooves mid-strike towards the wardrobe. Vinyl had stood up from the couch, her chest heaving, and her cheeks flushed.

“That’s if... you know, you want to.” Vinyl rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof sheepishly, averting her eyes from the showmare.

Trixie was speechless, her pupils dilating to the size of pinpricks. “A... date?”

VInyl looked up from her chosen spot on the floorboards to lock eyes with Trixie. “Well, you know, we’re already in Canterlot for the day, I thought maybe we could make it a bit more... formal, and call it a date?” Vinyl shrugged, turning away. “I don’t know... I’m not very good at this sort of emotional stu-”

“Yes!” Trixie blurted out, dropping back to the floor. “Th-that is to say, Trixie would be glad to join you on this...” she gulped. “Date.”

Vinyl hoof-pumped in victory, turning around. “Aw yeah!” she shouted, pulling open the door and sauntering out the door. “I just asked me out a-”

“Hey!” came a shout from the room behind her. Trixie’s head poked out through the doorframe, her eyes stern. “Where do you think you’re going? Trixie still has a major wardrobe malfunction, and you’re the only mare who can save her!”

Vinyl pointed out towards the end of the hall, where the rest of the Club’s crew were talking. “B-but braggin rights!”

“They can wait, now, come save Trixie!” Trixie disappeared back into the room, Vinyl close behind her, her eyes rolling.


****

Vinyl hadn’t felt like this since… well, last week, but still. She was on cloud nine, and her high felt like it would never let her down. Her head bounced with the music as it poured out of the massive speakers at her sides. Vibrant colours washed across the roof, covering the occupants of the room with shadows. They grinned in response, bobbing up and down in time with Vinyl’s selection. She dragged down her hoof, and the volume dropped. The room was plunged into darkness as Trixie pulled out of her magic with a smirk.

Vinyl lowered her head, her aura wrapping around a giant lever in the centre of her mixing desk. With her hoof, she lifted a bar, and a riser began in the background of the club. Unlike most of her other sets, Vinyl had managed to purchase some speakers that she had placed near the back of the room. They started the sound first, causing the ponies to turn around in confusion. Vinyl smiled at this, and she pushed the bar up further. The sound increased in volume as well as pitch, as Vinyl began to sing.

‘~Take me back to where we were~’

She turned towards Trixie, who nodded, and began to hum softly, her voice an octave higher than Vinyl’s. A soft blue glow began at the centre of the room, drawing itself out from nothing. It stretched and flew, travelling across the heads of the collected ponies. Other colours danced and entwined with it, flashing glows against the dark walls. 
A steady beat pumped out from behind the group, accompanied by a low growl.

‘~To where we were~’

She slammed her hoof down, and a loud kick reverberated around the room, startling the patrons. They responded with smiles as Vinyl kicked again, their head’s dropping at the sound. Vinyl increased her speed, as did Trixie, and dragged the bar up to its maximum setting.

‘~Back to back to~’
 
Vinyl lifted her head to look outwards, a grin stretching on her face.

‘~To where we-~’

She s dropped the bar, so the room was completely silent, as everypony held their collective breaths.

‘~Were~’

Vinyl slammed the lever downwards, and a steady bass line exploded from the speakers. Instantly, Vinyl was at the controls, her hooves pounding out rhythms on drums and synths alike. The group pounded in response, throwing their hooves upwards and tossing their heads around.

Bass swamped through the group, as they moved in motion. They were in synch, a seemingly unconnected group brought together by one pony.

Vinyl Scratch.

****


The bar had filled up quickly after Vinyl’s and Trixie’s set, every clubber wanting to get a chance to talk to the two mares. Unfortunately they were only met with one, as the showmare had returned to the apartment early, due to a minor headache. Vinyl was more than happy to share some of her time with her fans, but at that moment she had only one thing in mind, and that was talking to the one stallion who knew Canterlot inside and out.

“Hey, hey Tumble!” Vinyl shouted across the bar, her voice all but drowned out in the noise of the club. “You got a minute?!”

The Pegasus waved a hoof in her direction, a glass sliding down from above him with the tip of a wing. His other wing gripped around a large bottle of Applejack Daniels, one of the more popular drinks at the bar. With the swiftness of years of practice, he slid the drink straight down the bar, the bottle following until the last second, where he pulled it back, the full glass stopping in front of its owner.

Tumble nodded to the patron, before turning away and making his way towards Vinyl. “Yeah Vinyl, what d’ya need?”

“Can we... talk out back for a couple minutes?”

Tumble glanced behind him, where the apprentice bartender stood serving drinks. The mare caught Tumble’s eye, and smiled, before waving him towards the door. “Tumble, you’ve been working all night, go, take a break!”

The pegasus laughed in response, before lifting up the bar door and following Vinyl towards the back exit to the club. The mare laughed, before pushing open the exit and motioning for Tumble to step through. Once the pair were outside, Vinyl turned to look at Tumble, a set of chairs pulling out from behind a dust cover behind her.
 
“Tumble,” she started, as the Pegasus sat. “You know Canterlot better than almost anypony I know, bar the princesses. Correct?”
 
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “I guess. Living there for eight years may have something to do with that though, hey?” He chuckled, his wings folding in behind his back. Vinyl nodded in response, a small smile spreading across her lips. “So, what d’ya want to know?”
 
Vinyl started off slowly, not sure on how to proceed. “I’m taking Trixie there next month, as a... you know, ‘date’, kinda thing. And I... uh,” Vinyl waved her hooves in front of her, eliciting a laugh from Tumble. “Hey! C’mon you know how I am about this stuff.”
 
Tumble nodded in response, wiping a tear from his eye. “Yeah... yeah I know. But it’s still so funny to see you exploring this kinda stuff.” He turned towards the end of the street as a carriage clattered past, its occupants laughing uproariously. “I take it you haven’t really thought of were to take her, huh?” Vinyl shook her head, and Tumble sat upright, flexing his wings. “Well, it’s easy, really. There are a few really great spots where almost any mare is guaranteed to fall head over heels in love with the Stallion – or mare - that takes her.” He finished his sentence with a wink, and Vinyl blushed in response.
 
He stood up from the table and reached towards a table next to the entrance to the club. He returned with a folded piece of paper and a pencil, which he stuck into his mouth.
 
“Awright,” he started, spreading the paper out in front of Vinyl. “Ve firth plath you wanth to –“
 
“What?”
 
He grabbed the pencil from his mouth with a wing and sighed. “I said; the first place you want to go to is the Gala Fete, it’s always on the morning of the gala, every year. There’s this one stall, the Toasted Toss, where, if you tell the guy who runs it you’re on a date and trying to impress your.” Tumble stopped, leaning in close to Vinyl. “Lady friend. He’ll rig it so that you’ll always win. It’s a kicker.” Vinyl nodded, making a mental note to remember the name. “Then, you wanna head into town, and find the Lavender Room. It’s a small cafe out on the far side of town, with a great view over the lake, and it’s pretty close to the castle. After that, head out towards the park across from the lake. Don’t worry, when you get there, I’ll make sure some has set up a little something for you two,” he finished with a wink. “After all... I owe you.”
 
Vinyl leapt from the table and wrapped the Pegasus in a hug, eliciting a groan from her friend. “Th-thanks Vinyl... but, you know, I kinda need air to breath.” Vinyl stepped back from the hug instantly, her face still glowing.
 
“Thanks so much man!” Vinyl said, grabbing the paper off the table and stuffing it into her mane. “This is the best plan ever. I’ve gotta go and get all my plans ready, see you later man.” Vinyl tore back inside, leaving a rather sore Tumble standing outside.
 
“Yeah...” he sighed, sitting back into his seat. “The best plan ever.” He looked back up as a noise from the end of the alley echoed around him.
 
“So...” a voice started, it’s source originating from the shadows. “Did you tell her the plan, like we discussed?”
 
“Yes... yeah, yeah I did,” Tumble replied, hanging his head. “Just like you said.”
 
“Good. Vinyl’s not going to know what’s hit her...” The shadow stepped back into the darkness, cackling as it left. “Mwahahahahahaha-“
 
“Did you just do an evil laugh?” Tumble asked, looking back up.
 
“No. No, definitely not.” Lightning crackled as Tumble lifted from his seat and headed back inside, his eyes still lowered towards the floor.
 
“The best plan ever.”
 
****