What Would it Take For You to Tell Me You Wub Me?
The morning streets of Manehattan were bustling with the day-to-day lives of the ponies that lived there. Rows of stores had open signs hanging proudly from their windows, and the ponies that weren’t window shopping all seemed to move with a purpose that drove them from admiring the liveliness that enveloped their home. Everypony but Vinyl, who was dragging her hooves while she fought to keep her frustration from billowing out in public.
Are you really just gonna ignore me? Vinyl asked for the third time since leaving Octy at the apartment.
She paused in her mental pestering in the hope that Xila might actually answer her this time. It was no surprise that a full minute went by with nothing to show for her silence.
“Auuugh!” Vinyl groaned aloud, throwing her head back in aggravation. C’mon, Zee! I’m trying to help you out here. Just open your-
“I havent seen you that frustrated since the day you met Octavia,” a voice piped up that sufficiently derailed Vinyl’s thoughts.
“Gah!” Vinyl jumped in surprise before scowling at her new company. “Oh, nice of you to scare the hay outa me, Neon…”
The pale blue unicorn stallion was wearing his usual black long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a white tie hanging from his neck. A pair of oversized black sunglasses were sitting balanced on his horn, allowing Vinyl a complete view of the deadpan look she was receiving from her old friend, Neon Lights.
“What?” Vinyl asked innocently enough.
“I’ve been trying to get your attention for the last block and a half, Scratch…” Neon stopped in his trot and just continued to stare at her.
Vinyl stopped as well and turned to face him directly. She got a good look at her surroundings and blushed at the realization that she passed her destination quite some time ago. “Err, really? Sorry, dude, guess I’m kinda distracted today…”
“Ya think?” Neon asked snarkily, but his face broke into a more subdued look of concern. “But seriously, what’s on your mind?”
Vinyl sighed. I can’t tell him everything… But, maybe just the little bits wouldn’t hurt? “It’s about… a friend of mine.”
Neon cocked an eyebrow and glanced down the street in the direction they were walking in just moments ago. “Uh-huh… Let’s talk and trot. I have a gig I’m do for in about an hour. We can talk about your friend on the way.” Neon smiled before trotting at a leisurely pace out ahead of Vinyl. “So what’s their name?”
Following only a stride behind, Vinyl considered using Xila’s real name. No point calling her that now. “Her name's Zee,” she offered.
Neon chuckled. “You gave her a nickname, huh? Guess she’s close.”
“Pfft, was it that obvious?” Vinyl stifled a laugh. “Yeah, you could say that. Anyway, she’s going through something kinda rough. I want to help her, but she’s basically closed herself off from me.” Her smile faltered and her pace slowed noticeably. “She was acting really freaked out about something just this morning.”
There was a light jab on Vinyl’s shoulder that made her look up.
“Hey, places to be remember?” Neon gave her a grin and turned back to trotting. “So what are you gonna do about it?”
Vinyl picked up her pace again as her mood perked up just a hair. “Well, I’m not sure-”
“Whoa whoa whoa, wait just a second!” Neon stopped dead and whirled on Vinyl. “Vinyl Scratch isn’t sure? Where’s that overconfident attitude you wear like a flipping medal!?”
Vinyl avoided running face first into Neon, but only just. “I- I, err… Huh?” She was at a loss form Neon’s sudden outburst.
Neon pulled his shades over his eyes, but that did little to hide his scowl. “Dang Scratch, you’re slipping. When was the last time you were this messed up about something?”
There was a dragged out silence between the two DJ’s while Vinyl’s mouth flapped open and closed uselessly. Vinyl’s gaze dropped to the floor and she followed after Neon once his pace picked up again. He’s right, I’ve never let anything get to me this badly before.
“That wasn’t rhetorical you know,” Neon called back over his shoulder. “You usually just let stuff like this slide, but I can think of one other time when something got you this worked up before.”
“Oh yeah, you’re talking about the day I met Octy, aren’t you?” Vinyl realized.
“Bingo.” Neon gave her a grin that could give her best a run for it’s money.
“And then…” Vinyl paused to chug her latest beer before adding it to the growing pile at the end of the booth’s table. “She called dubstep noise! How snubby can you get?”
“No foolin’?” Neon remarked before taking a sip of only his second beer. “So what did you say back?” He leaned forward, expecting to hear something akin to the punch line of a joke from Vinyl’s most recent encounter with the Canterlot elite.
“I-I…” Vinyl smacked her head onto the table and uttered a groan. “I walked out…”
Neon frowned and put his glasses down on the table, giving Vinyl a surprised look. “That’s it? No witty one line? No trash talk about classical music?”
“Nope,” Vinyl sighed out bluntly.
Neon made a show of looking around the bar and the other tables before returning his gaze to the unicorn mare sitting across from him. “Hey, sorry to bug you miss, but I think I’m in the wrong booth. I’m looking for a friend of mine. She has a white coat, a blue mane, dumb purple shades- Ow watch it!” He was cut off when the same purple shades came close to pegging him in one eye.
“Har-de-har. I know that isn’t like me. Why do you think I’m out drinking with you?!” Vinyl spat out in annoyance.
“And here I thought you just wanted to get a drink with your old pal,” Neon chided. He placed Vinyls shades back on the table in front of her before continuing. “First, you wimp out on putting some snobby show pony in their place, and now you're chucking your favorite shades like trash. She’s really gotten to you hasn’t she?”
Vinyl bit her lip and started pushing her glasses back and forth between her hooves on the table. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen her around, but it was the first time I tried talking to her… I don’t know. I was so hung up on making a good impression, I just…”
“Vinyl,” Neon started with a tone of caution. “Are you a-”
Vinyl shoved her hoof in his mouth before he could finish his question. “Don’t you dare say it,” she warned him before pulling her hoof out and settling back into her seat.
“Bleh!” Neon began scraping his tongue with one hoof and gaging in exaggeration. “Geez, Scratch. You ever wash those things?” He took a large swig of his beer and gave her an incredulous look. “Well are you?”
Vinyl stopped playing with her glasses and laid the side of her head down on the table. “I don’t know… maybe?” she offered eventually.
“Wow, my best friend is a fillyfooler…” Neon muttered just loud enough for Vinyl to hear. “Well, that explains a lot.”
There was a loud thud from Vinyl’s hooves as she slammed them down on the table, her face had jerked to attention only inches from Neon’s own. She was giving him the angriest look she could muster, but he seemed largely unfazed by her show of aggression. “What the heck is that supposed to mean?” she asked eventually when her glare didn’t seem to elicit any more of a reaction than a calm sip of beer.
“For starters, how many times have I asked you out?” Neon asked without missing a beat.
Her anger faltering, Vinyl slumped back into her seat. “Like, a dozen times. What does that have to do with-”
“And every time, what do you tell me?” Neon asked pointedly.
“I just like being your friend. But what does that-” Vinyl shot off quickly but was still too slow to get her question out before she was cut off again.
“Sounds like a pretty lame excuse if you ask me…” Neon went to take another swig of his drink, but frowned when he found it to be empty. He slid it over with the rest of the pile and sighed. “How else could you resist all this,” he gestured a hoof around himself before continuing, “if you weren’t into mares.”
At first, Vinyl felt like she wanted to jump across the table and beat the stuffing out of him. Instead, she snorted out a giggle. She fought to keep a straight face for only a moment before devolving into a fit of laughter. “Yeah!” she choked out between laughs. “That has to be it!”
Neon wasn’t sharing in her jubilation. “It wasn’t that funny…” He waved down a server and ordered another round for them both. “So, is she hot?”
“What!?” Vinyl’s laughter turned into a coughing fit from the sudden change of topic.
“I’m just asking.” Neon shrugged innocently. “Figured at the very least, you being into mares gives us something new to talk about.”
Vinyl gave him a sideways look for almost a full minute. She stopped her gaze long enough to accept her new beer from the bartender. After chugging the entire thing straight away and sending it clanging against the pile of it’s discarded brethren, she spoke up, “Unbelievably.”
Neon grinned at her. “Details, Scratch, details.”
“You are way too cool with this…” Vinyl muttered to herself before shrugging defeatedly. “Earth pony, black mane, grey coat, a pink treble clef for a cutie mark, and that flank…”
“Whoa, you’re checking out Octavia Philharmonica?” Neon asked dumbfoundedly.
“You know her?” Vinyl asked equally as shocked.
“Not personally. She’s some big shot rising star in the classical music world,” Neon admitted. “Do you even read those music magazines I subscribed you to?”
“Sometimes…” Vinyl deflected lamely. “...Think I have a shot?”
“Nope,” Neon said bluntly, taking a sip from his new bottle.
There was another loud thud on the table. However, instead of hooves, it was Vinyl’s face that came slamming down upon it. “I knew it…” she mumbled into the wood surface.
“So what?” Neon chuckled, catching Vinyl off guard.
“Wow dude, nice to see you can laugh at it,” Vinyl’s spat.
“I’m not laughing at that. Since when have you ever let anypony tell you what you can’t do?” Neon was still laughing somewhat.
Vinyl’s head perked up enough for her to make eye contact with him. “Never,” she said after some thought.
“So, what are you gonna do about it?” Neon prompted her.
For the first time since they had gotten to the bar, Vinyl smiled genuinely. “I’m gonna go for it.” She slapped on her shades and hopped out of the booth before trotting out of the bar completely.
“That’s the Scratch I know and love!” Neon called out to her as she trotted out the door. He took a long drink of his beer before something dawned on him and he nearly spit out his drink. “Wait a sec… Darn it, Vinyl! You said you were buying!” He turned to look for the mare, but she was already long gone.
“That’s forty bits,” the bartender said from beside the table. “I’m assuming you’re done for the night?”
Neon groaned as he pulled out a sack of bits from his shirt pocket. He counted out forty-three bits and grimaced at the thought of going nearly broke. “Could I maybe start a tab?” he asked hopefully.
“That depends, was your friend that just left Vinyl Scratch?” he asked.
“Yep, you’ve heard of her haven’t you? You know, I’m pretty famous too. The name’s Neon Lights. We’re best friends you know,” Neon finished with a grin.
“Oh really? Would you say you two have a lot in common?” the bartender asked with a curious look.
“Definitely.” Neon noded, sure of himself.
“In that case, no way,” the bartender said with a deadpan look.
“What?! Why?” Neon’s ego deflated like a punctured balloon.
“She owes me a hundred and two bits already. I don’t need somepony else racking up a debt they don’t intend to pay off,” he said matter-of-factly. “Now do you wanna pay, or to I have to call the police?”
With a heavy groan, Neon pulled out three bits from his bag before hoofing the rest of it over to the bar tender.
The bartender took the bag in one hoof and jingled it next to his ear thoughtfully. “What? No tip?” he asked with a scowl.
Neon looked at his last three bits longingly. He grimaced before placing them down on the table and shoving them over to the stallion with a hoof. “It’s all I got left…” he huffed sadly.
The stallion’s mood seemed to pull a one eighty as his mood and face flipped to a more chipper demeanor. “Thanks pal, you have a good night. And come back again!” the bartender added the three bits to the sack before trotting off to another table.
Yet again, a loud thud resounded from the table. This time it was Neon’s face that threatened to snap the poor furniture in half. He sat up and rubbed his now sore muzzle.
Neon took what was left of his drink and chugged it. “She’s got no chance in Tartarus with that mare…” he muttered to himself with a scowl. “No chance at all…”
“So let me get this straight…” a very confused Octavia asked. “You want me to sit through an hour of you blasting that noise you call music. Am I understanding you correctly?”
“It’s not noise but yes. If you can listen to my mixes for an hour and still don’t like it, I’ll leave you alone. But If you like it, even a little, you have to admit that what I make is real music!”
Two days had passed since Vinyl and Neon had met up at the bar. Vinyl was still apprehensive about her interest in the grey mare, but she decided that action was necessary if she ever wanted to look herself in the mirror again. So she concocted a plan to get Octavia alone, as half-baked as it may have been.
Octavia smirked at Vinyl, but didn’t laugh. “Alright, fine. When and where?”
Vinyl blinked at the grey mare in front of her. “Really, just like that? You're not even gonna try to refuse?”
Octavia only shrugged. “Call me curious. I’m willing to admit it if I’m wrong. So let me ask again: When and where?”
“M-my place, tonight… eight-ish?” Vinyl was still off put by how submissive the mare was suddenly acting.
“Great, write down your address and I’ll see you then,” Octavia said with smile and nod.
A wave of determination swept over Vinyl, and she scratched out her address quickly on a discarded piece of sheet music before hoofing it over. “Here, don’t be late,” she said with a bit more attitude then she had intended.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Octavia remarked before collecting her things and preparing to leave. She turned back to look at Vinyl once her cello was secured on her back. “I saw you, you know. In the front row. You could have just come to find me after my performance was scheduled to end… What made you want to sit through the whole thing?”
“Oh… Uhh, I… It was just a spur of the moment thing…” Vinyl kicked her hooves against the polished wood floor of the symphony hall.
“I see… You know, and I do not mean to offend you, but I half expected you to attempt to ruin my performance somehow. You honestly didn’t seem the type of pony that might enjoy my genre of music,” Octavia admitted honestly.
Vinyl looked down at the floor in an attempt to hide her blush. White fur and red cheeks… fantastic… “Can’t say the thought didn’t cross my mind,” she lied.
Octavia chuckled softly. “Well perhaps I misjudged you. I will see you soon, Vinyl.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Vinyl muttered back even as Octavia trotted away.
The second Vinyl was sure Octavia was out of earshot, she made a mad gallop out of the hall with the biggest grin her face had ever seen. Her good mood and excited hollering carried her all the way back to her apartment. Which is where her mood ended. “Ah, horse apples…”
Her home was a total mess, like always, and normally this wouldn’t bother her. But normally, nopony ever came over other than Neon, let alone a pony like Octavia.
Vinyl took a deep breath and looked at a wall-mounted clock above her tattered couch. It’s a quarter to three, that gives me a little more than five hours… She gave her living room a scrutinizing look and nodded to herself in determination. “You got this, Scratch!”
The next few hours whizzed by for Vinyl as she focused on the sole task of getting just one room of her apartment into a presentable condition. Furniture was shoved aside, walls were wiped down, the carpet was vacumed, and alien stains were discovered and battled against with all of Vinyl’s prejudice.
“Finally!” Vinyl cried in relief, collapsing onto the floor of her now spotless living room. She ventured a look at the clock and jumped back to her hooves. “Seven forty!?” She darted from the living room and down the hall to her bathroom.
“And I’m a freaking mess!” Vinyl groaned. She was covered horn to hoof in dirt, dust and miscellaneous stains she had no words for. Maybe my last landlord had a point when he kicked me out… “Pfft. No way. That guy was just a jerk…” Snickering to herself, she turned on the hot water of her shower and attempted to make quick work of washing her coat, mane, and tail.
Vinyl was still damp when she left her bathroom. Worry about the time crunch she was in kept her from enjoying any of it, or so she thought. “I took a twenty minute shower? Are you bucking me?!” She almost galloped in her rush to retrieve her home turntables and other equipment from her deck room at the back of her home.
When everything was finally in place and ready to go, the time read eight eighteen.
She’s late… Vinyl sat behind her turntables and stared at the front door from where her equipment sat in her livingroom. The apartment was completely silent save the clocks ticking and her own breathing.
Tick Tick Tick
Two minutes went by and Vinyl was growing impatient. What’s taking her so long? she wondered idly.
Tick Tick Tick
Vinyl watched the long hand of the clock circle around the the clock’s face completely. Eight twenty three… A thought struck her and she face hooved. Darn it, Scratch! She totally punked you! There’s no way somepony like her would come all the way out here for somepony like-
Thunk Thunk Thunk
The sudden knock on the door banished Vinyls thoughts and she made to leap over the front end of her turntables. Her back right hoof didn’t clear it entirely and she face planted against the floor in her panic. One of the smaller subwoofers that had been balance on the table fell on to her head. She scrambled madly to put the device back in order.
Thunk Thunk Thunk
“Hold on, I’ll be right there!” Vinyl called towards the door. Once present, she put on her most confident smile and opened it to find… Neon’s flank.
He was talking to somepony just out of view of Vinyls doorway.
“Dude, point that thing somewhere else!” Vinyl growled.
“There you are!” Neon smiled after turning to see her. “Hey, so that trip to the bar left me completely broke… Could I bum some bits off you since you said you would-”
“How much…” Vinyl sighed, resisting the urge to slam the door in his face out of anxiety. Only for you Neon, so help me if you were anypony else…
“Forty was the bar tab, so… Forty?” Neon asked hopefully.
“Forty bits? I only had like… four beers!” Vinyl’s jaw dropped.
“Looked like twelve to me, Scratch,” Neon chided her.
Vinyl grumbled to herself angrily while she fished out a bag of bits from a table drawer in the entryway. “Stupid alcohol, why do you have to be so good and expensive at the same time…” she mumbled.
“You say something?” Neon asked just out of sight.
“Nah, just looking for some… bits.” Vinyl dropped the bag of bits she had just taken in her magic and they spilled onto the floor.
“I was just musing about how quaint this side of town is.” Octavia commented to Neon from Vinyl’s doorway.
“Octavia!” Vinyl nearly shouted in surprise.
“Hello Vinyl, am I still on time?” Octavia smiled coily.
A quick glance back at the clock in her living room told Vinyl it was almost half past eight. “I thought I said eight.”
“No,” Octavia corrected, “you said eight-ish. That leaves a considerable amount of consideration for both parties involved. Admittedly, I would have been here sooner, but I ran into this fellow along the way.” She glanced over to Neon who was scooping up the discarded bits from the ground.
“Hey wait, didn’t you have a gig last night?” Vinyl remembered.
“Yep! Thanks for the scratch, Scratch!” Neon practically sang as he trotted away with the bag full of bits.
Vinyl facehoofed. Of course he was just getting back at me for ditching him at the bar…
She turned her attention to Octavia who was still waiting patiently. “You wanna come in?”
“That would be nice, thank you.” Octavia bowed her head while trotting past Vinyl.
“Okay, what’s the deal with you?” Vinyl asked cautiously.
“Whatever do you mean?” Octavia asked back, looking around Vinyl’s livingroom. “I assume I may sit anywhere?” She gestured to the couch and armchair.
“...Yeah just pick a seat.” Vinyl said hesitantly. “You aren’t nearly as snubby as the first time I talked to you.” She stuck her hoof in her mouth too late to stop the comment.
“Snubby?” Octavia cocked an eyebrow from where she sat on Vinyl’s couch.
“Uhh… I’m gonna shut up now…” Vinyl grumbled.
Octavia just smiled at her while she got into position behind the turntables.
Vinyl took a deep breath. There was a long pause while she fiddled with some switches. Octavia noticed her stealing glances at her, but still only smiled encouragement.
Octavia looked up at the clock behind her. “You can start when you're ready, I’ll stop you when the hour is over.”
Vinyl noded again, and felt a wave of relief when the music started to play. The music enveloped her and the world melted away. Most of it had anyway. The only thing that still remained besides Vinyl and her music, was Octavia. Try as she might, the cellist and her smile refused to fade away.
The song played on, and never once to Octavia look away or show any sign of disinterest. The song ended before long. And Vinyl started another. Then another, and so on.
After so many songs in the line of her private concert, Vinyl stopped playing long enough to look at the clock. “Whoa, what the hay? I thought you were going to tell me when time was up?”
Octavia looked up at the clock. “Has it been three hours already?”
“Okay, for real, what’s going on?” Vinyl turned off her equipment and approached her guest.
“I’m only being a polite guest, Vinyl,” Octavia responded.
“I… “ Vinyl sighed. “Well, what do you think?
“I’m no expert, but I’m fairly certain at least half of that wasn’t dubstep,” Octavia pointed out.
Vinyl cracked a smile. “I said you would have to admit what I make is more than just noise.”
“Touche. Yes, I admit that, at times, it was quite pleasant,” Octavia conceded.
“Well… good.” Vinyl frowned, her victory feeling more hollow than she had hoped. Now what? …Aw crud, I didn’t think this far ahead! What do I say? Think fast, Scratch!
“Would you like to come over for a private concert of my own some time? I know you already like it, but I feel it’s only fair.” Octavia played with her hooves as she spoke.
“Wha- Oh, hey yeah!” Vinyl piped up excitedly. “Err, I mean that sounds-”
Octavia gave Vinyl a kiss on the cheek that silenced her. “How about the same time tomorrow, my place?”
“Yeah… that sounds great…” Vinyl responded in a daze.
“Until tomorrow then.” Octavia turned away and in only a few short moment’s she was gone.
Does this mean…? Vinyl snapped to attention. “For the love of… Hey Octavia!” She made a run for the door hollering after the cellist as she went. “Where do you live!?”
Guess I was pretty mixed up back then…
“We’re here,” Neon spoke up.
The first thing Vinyl noticed about the place they had just arrived at was that it was a club. The second thing she realized was it was the same club she had performed at the night she had met Xila. Funny how that works… she mused.
“So?” Neon asked expectantly.
“So, what?” Vinyl returned.
Neon lifted his shades and rolled his eyes. “What are you gonna do about your friend?”
Vinyl cracked a confident smile. “I’m not gonna give up, that’s for sure.”
“That’s what I thought.” Neon noded. “Catch you later, Scratch.”
With that, Vinyl left. She trotted down the street of Manehattan as if she were headed home. But, rather than taking the normally straight path, she took a right at a seemingly random street corner. Continuing down, she hung another right and entered an open alleyway.
Vinyl looked around the alley and nodded in satisfaction when she was sure she was in the right place. “Zee,” Vinyl began aloud, “we need to talk.”