(1 Week later)
"Bye, Octavia" I shout into the living room as I walk out. I don't wait for a response. First official night by myself on job. The last week I've been working with Hard Sound, him teaching me the tricks to live radio djing. He even got a little nickname for me, one I really approve of. 'His sexy little deejay bitch'. I can almost hear him saying good luck with a kiss tonight, before he leaves me in the booth alone.
I walk along the sidewalk, breathing the crisp night air. I'm walking into a slight breeze, nothing major, just enough to raise the hair on the back of my neck. I walk in and out of the pools of light cast by the street lamps. With the last week just a blur, it's nice to take a step back, and feel the wind in my hair. Up ahead is the building the booth is in.
I walk in the front doors, pass the guard, and back to the area devoted to my station. As I walk down the hall, I can hear all the other ponies talking for the station their on.
I walk through the door to my booth. Hard Sound is there as usual, but I got a surprise guest. Lonepone. Sound is sitting in a chair, but Lonepone must've decided chairs are to mainstream, since he's leaning up against the sound board.
"Whatcha doin here?" I ask.
"Yeah, nice to see you to" Lonepone says in mock annoyance.
"Break it up you two" Sound says. "He decided to spend a night in the booth with you. Sound good?"
"Yeah, sure. I get bored anyways"
"Fantastic" Sound gets up to leave. "No stealing my girl now, got that?"
Lonepone opens his mouth to say something, but I bump my flank up against him, and say to Sound "who said I'm yours, anyways?"
"Hey man, don't be jealous that she's ditching you for me" Lonepone says with a smile. "I'm just that awesome. I get all the girls"
"Hey now, don't make me regret letting you in" Sound replies jokingly. He's in the doorway, almost gone. I wave him out, and close the door behind him. I sit in his chair.
"So, just me and you. Me and a relative stranger in a confined space. Anything could happen" I say.
He pauses to fake consider. "No"
I punch him on the shoulder and laugh. "Knew it. To scared to do anything"
"Yeah, right. So, you two officialy a couple now?"
"What? No, just friends. Why, jealous?"
"You two look like your alot more then just friends. And no, I'm not the one that would get jealous"
I open my mouth to offer a retort, but I never get the chance to. The mix Sound had prerecorded was just finishing, so it was time for me to go on air.
"Ready" I ask him.
He nods.
I hit the pause button with my magic, and then grab the mic.
I hum a moment, warming up my on-air voice. "How's it goin', every pony? It's me, the DJ-Pon3, here in the booth with you tonight. I got my good friend Lonepone here next to me, and we got a stellar Drum and Bass mix coming up, featuring some Skrillex, some Savant, and some Datsik & Excision. After that, I'm gonna play the highlights from Daft Pony's latest album, Random Access Memories. And then, we have our goodnight shout out. If you got a special some pony out there, call me up and tell them good night on air. Alright, enough talk. Time for the mix"
I click the mic off, and hit play on the first track.
Lonepone listens to the music for a bit, then asks a question. "Uhm, hate to argue with the DJ, but this ain't really Drum and Bass. This is just your basic Skrillex. None of those artists, except possibly Excision, match Drum and Bass. Explanation?"
"The majority of the little shots who listen to this station can't tell the difference between Killbot and Daft Punk. So, a little trick I learned from Sound, is to make it sound all fancy, and just play tracks"
"That's an underhanded trick"
"Meh" I get up out if the chair, and grab two energy drinks from the fridgein my magic. "Want one?"
"Toss it here"
I throw the can at him in a high arc, giving him plenty of time to catch it. And yet, he manages to be a clutz and drop it.
"DAMMIT" he shouts. Without thinking, he picks it up and opens it. The spray of carbonated drink hits him full on in the face.
I stand off to the side, trying not to laugh. "You got -snort- it all over the carpet, you -snort- idiot"
"Aw, shaddup already" he says. He grabs a rag, and wipes the fuzz off of his face. He throws the rag on the ground, and tries to wipe it up.
I sigh, and wipe it up for him.
"So, how's Tavi?" He asks.
"Octavia? Didn't know you two where on a nickname basis. Fine, I don't know. Why?" I can't figure out why he would care.
"Just wondering" He says evasively. "I know you tried hitting on her when you first dormed with her"-
I cut him off. "How the hell do you know that?!" I ask, blushing slightly.
"I get all my info from the man with the keyboard. But anyways, try talking to her some. Not flirting, but just talk with her. She could use a friend, you know"
"So, if you know all, see all, can you see the future?"
"Future? You're breaking the tone of this story, you know. And the future can quiet litterally be rewritten. There could be tons of spinoffs, alternate endings, and such"
"Fine. You going to stick around all night?"
"Nah. I'm gonna go and write some stuff. Night" he walks out the door.
'What an odd person' the Voice says.
'God, I really didn't expect you to appear until the next chapter or so' I say.
It laughs. 'I think we've broken the fourth wall enough this chapter. So, you going to talk other like he suggested?'
'Not sure. Possibly. And I know what you are know'
'Oh really? What am I, the voice of god?'
'The Hive Mind. I'm not going to fall for any of your tricks'
'Really? You have no choice but to trust me, especially since I can make your perception of reality change however I like'
The room infront of twists into itself, and I'm deposited in my dorm. 'How?'
'Is this real?'
The room twists again. I'm left standing on a beach. The ocean stretches away infront of me to the horizon. Except instead of water, the liquid is orange. It's Orange Fanta soda.
'Or is this Fanta-Sea?'
The ocean twists, and I'm deposited into the sound booth again. Same black walls, same red carpet.
'How will you tell the difference?'
'Ill figure a way out' I tell it defiantly.
The door opens. Lonepone walks back in.
'Touch his mind. Feel for his emotions' It tells me.
'I don't trust you. Why should I?'
'You shall do what I tell you to do, or else I'll twist your reality again. Except this time, I'll put you in a nightmare of yours. Now do as I say'
I feel for his mind, but it's not there. The hopes, dreams, emotions, that a living thing should have aren't there. 'Why is he empty?'
'Thats how you'll tell if what you experience is real'
'So you just defeated yourself'
'That's what I want you to think'
'What?''
It doesn't respond. It's gone again. The empty Lonepone is gone.
I look at the clock. My shift is almost over. And yet, I didn't feel the time passing.
I walk home, and collapse on the couch. I'm asleep before my head hits the cushion.