//------------------------------// // Another Day in Manehattan // Story: First Meeting // by Terrasora //------------------------------// Harmonia stood in her home's entrance, her breathing quick, a slightly red tinge in her cheeks. Images of Long Play danced through her head. When he pushed past those other stallions. His laugh, bright and carefree. The way his tongue poked out and his brow slightly furrowed when he was tying his scarf around her neck. The scarf. Harmonia's hoof shot to her neck, resting on the two tones of red. Damn it, she thought. I'll have to hide this. Harmonia walked quietly through the living room, exaggerating her steps, making sure that she never got too close to the room's various tables and chairs, flinching every time the wooden floor let out a squeak of protest. "Quietly," Harmonia whispered to herself, easing a hoof onto the floor. "Easy does it. Don't be too loud. Like a leaf. I'm a leaf in a gentle breeze." A small, high-pitched giggle sounded from the kitchen, quickly followed by the poorly imitated sound of blowing wind Harmonia acted in a flash, tearing the scarf from her neck and throwing it over her shoulder before so much as turning towards the kitchen entrance. A small grey filly stood there, a glass of milk balanced on her head and a wide grin on her face. "Octavia," whispered Harmonia. "What are you still doing awake?" "What are you doing being a leaf?" Harmonia felt some more heat infuse her cheeks. "I wasn't being a leaf." Octavia's smile stayed in its place. "That's not what I heard." Harmonia shook her head, walking out of the living room and into the bedroom she and her sister shared. Octavia entered the room a moment later, her little hooves softly patting against the floor. "Where were you?" asked Octavia. "Out." "That's not pacific! You have to be pacific!" The filly pouted angrily. “Specific is the word you’re looking for, dear,” said Harmonia. “Oh.” There was a pause. Harmonia walked around the room, drawing the blinds closed before coming to a rest on the bed. Octavia joined her, forced to almost climb up the blankets. “Harmonia?” “Yes, dear?” “Did you go see Vinyl’s brother?” Harmonia jolted upwards. “What makes you think that?!” “The scarf was the same color as his mane.” “What scarf? I wasn’t wearing a scarf!” “The scarf that you threw away when you came into the house.” “Oh,” said Harmonia. “That scarf.” “So did you see him?” Octavia asked with a grin. “I…” Harmonia hung her head, defeated by a filly. “Yes, I ran into him.” Octavia’s face lit up. “How romantic,” she said, clapping her front hooves together softly. “Hardly. We just happened to cross paths. Nothing more.” “Did he walk you home?” asked the filly. “All of the stories say that the stallion should walk his mare home.” “I-I’m not--What,” Harmonia sputtered, her face tinged pink, “What stories have you been reading?!” “Your stories.” Harmonia felt something in her stomach drop. “Which of my stories?” “The ones on your bookshelf at home.” Octavia turned her head quizzically. “Are there other ones?” Harmonia shook her head fiercely. “N-no! Of course not! Go to sleep already; it’s way past your bedtime!” Harmonia grabbed the bed sheets and turned sharply, suddenly well nestled in the blankets, leaving only her muzzle exposed to the rest of the room. “Good night, Octavia.” The filly stared at the lump of blankets. “I think you two look cute together,” she mumbled. “Good night, Octavia!” “Good night, sister.” *** Long Play tiptoed into his old home with a practiced hoof. He traced the walls, carefully placing his hooves where the floorboards were less likely to squeak, managing to cross the living room in a few short seconds, ending up in the short hallway that connected the rest of the house. Out of curiosity and some brotherly instinct, Long Play poked his head into Vinyl’s room. The filly lay in her bed, her hooves wrapped around a small teddy bear. The small pile of blankets staving off the Manehattan cold rose and fell with her small, steady breaths. I’m gonna marry Tavi before you marry Harmonia! “Silly filly,” whispered Long Play, softly shutting the door and turning to trot towards his room. “Who’s gonna get married?” His room was much the same way that he had remembered it. Shelves of nick-nacks and old, worn books, recently dusted by the look of them. Posters of artists that Long Play used to swear by hanging on the walls; a bright red lava lamp sat on the nightstand, the goop inside of the lamp laying motionless in the cold. Long Play surveyed all of this with a smile, telekinetically flipping a switch on the lava lamp. Light shone from the bottom of the lamp, brightening the room slightly, but the goop stayed still, no yet warmed by the lightbulb. The colt trotted over to his closet, reaching up to his neck and pulling at his sca-- One of Long Play’s hooves acted immediately, swinging upwards and coming to rest on his face with an audible smack. “I’ll have to get that from her,” he muttered. His magic flared again, throwing open the closet doors. The space, once filled with random bits of snarky t-shirts and free things he had gotten from various concerts, now lay mostly bare. A shelf ran along the top of the closet, almost against the ceiling, just the way that Long Play had left it. The colt reared up, reaching his front hooves into the small space. Long Play’s hoof patted around for a few moments, stopping when he felt the small cardboard box. He brought it down, carrying it with him as he trotted over to his bed. Long Play nestled into a comfortable position before reaching into the slightly smushed box. The colt pulled out a frame, worn with age, the red-brown wood slightly chipped. The glass was dusty. Long Play smiled sadly, running a hoof over the picture, revealing a family. Four ponies stood on the other side of the glass. Two children and two parents. Long Play must have been 15 or so, smiling up at the camera, his two-toned red mane messy and uncombed. Vinyl Record stood behind him, looking far younger than the colt could remember her. Vinyl Scratch was too young to stand on her own. She was wrapped in a blanket, staring blankly at the camera with her bright red eyes. A  dull blue pegasus with a red mane held her, grinning proudly out of the picture, his wing extended to wrap around his wife and his son. His purple shades, as much a part of him as his wings, rested on his forehead, revealing scarlet eyes that sparkled with a manic, amused energy. “Hey Dad,” whispered the colt. “It’s been awhile. Sorry that I couldn’t visit more often. I’ve been… busy. And I know that you’d want to stay here. Canterlot’s nice, though! I’m sure that you’d like it. There’s always something to do." The picture stayed silent. “Or maybe you’ve had enough of that. I don’t know.” A slight pause. “Vinyl got her cutie mark while we were in Canterlot. A pair of bridged eighth notes. They’re turned the wrong way though. No idea why.” Long Play laid back in his bed, floating the box onto the floor and the picture onto his nightstand. “So she’ll be a musician, Dad,” continued Long Play. “As if there aren’t enough of those in this family, right?” He chuckled slightly. Silence dominated over the room again. “And, uh, she’s not the only new musician hanging around. We met Gramma’s grandchildren. Yeah. Octavia and Harmonia. Vinyl’s in love with Octavia, so that’s pretty cute. And Harmonia… she’s nice. I guess. She’s pretty cute too.” Long Play winced as soon as the words were out. “Just don’t tell Vinyl that I said that. Or Mom. They’d never shut up about it.” The colt turned over slightly, drawing his blankets around him. “Anyway, it’s getting pretty late. Good night, Dad.” A soft red glow sprouted over Long Play’s horn, flipping the lava lamp’s switch again. The room plunged into darkness. The lava lamp clicked on again. “Oh, almost forgot.” A pair of garish purple shades floated out of the cardboard box, carried up by Long Play’s aura. They floated over to the nightstand, coming to a stop right in front of the family portrait. “Can’t have you without those, can we?” Long Play smiled to himself. “Good night, Dad.” *** Knock. Knock. Knock. “Long Play?” Silence. Knock. Knock. Knock. “Long Play!” Rattle. Rattle. “Honestly, this colt.” Knock! Knock! Knock! “Long Play! Wake up!” The colt’s eyes fluttered open. Long Play stayed still for a few moments, squinting into empty space. Knock! Knock! Knock! “Long Play! You have a visitor! Get your flank up!” Long Play groaned, his magic flaring and quickly putting away the picture and the glasses. “LONG PLAY!” Long Play hastily shoved the cardboard box under his bed. He stumbled over to the door, fumbling against the lock until something gave. The door swung open, leaving Long Play blinking down at the figure of Vinyl Record. “It’s about time!” said the mare testily. “Do you not understand that it’s rude to keep a lady waiting?” “Sorry, Mom.” Long Play yawned and scratched a particularly itchy part of his butt. “Really, I am.” Vinyl Record rolled her eyes. “Charming. Now get into the living room.” She walked away, Long Play following on shaky hooves. “I’m sorry for the wait, dear,” said Vinyl Record as they entered the living room. “This one sleeps like a rock and doesn’t believe in opening doors.” Harmonia smiled tightly, a cup of tea before her. Long Play blinked tiredly out her. “Mornin’,” he muttered. “Good morning.” A slightly awkward silence filled the room. Four pairs of hooves sounded against the floor and a pair of fillies, one white and the other grey, rocketed out of Vinyl’s room, giggling amongst each other. Long Play watched them slide to a stop. “What are you two doing up so early?” “It’s eleven already!” said Vinyl. “It’s not early!” Long Play groaned, scratching at his messy mane. “It is when you’re my age.” “Good morning, Long Play!” said Octavia brightly. “And a good morning to you, Miss Philharmonica,” replied the colt with a surprised smile. “To what do we owe this visit?” “Harmonia wanted to see you!” Every eye in the room turned towards Harmonia. A few beats of silence. Then Long Play smiled cheekily, running a hoof through his mane. “Well, I suppose that you can’t really blame her.” Octavia giggled. Both Vinyls rolled their eyes. “I want nothing of the sort!” protested Harmonia. “Certainly not with somepony like him!” Long Play knit his brow. “Well. That was hurtful.” Harmonia dug into a nearby bag, drawing out a long piece of two-toned cloth. “I just wanted to return this.” She held it at hoof’s length, as if she couldn’t be far enough away from it. “Oh yeah, you did steal that, didn’t you?” Harmonia scowled and snapped her hoof forward, sending the scarf flying through the air and right at Long Play’s face. The colt’s magic flared and the scarf floated in place. “Thank you,” said Long Play with his cheeky grin. Vinyl Scratch scowled in confusion, glancing back and forth between Long Play and Harmonia. “When did she get your scarf?” “What scarf?” Long Play tied the scarf around his neck. “That scarf!” “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Vinyl’s scowl deepened. “The scarf!” “They saw each other last night,” explained Octavia. Vinyl Record turned towards her son, an eyebrow sharply raised. “Did they now?” Long Play smiled. Harmonia looked away, suddenly too busy looking through her purse to answer properly. “Then you two have gotten past not liking each other?” asked the elder mare. The colt shrugged. Harmonia continued to dig through her bag for something that didn’t exist. “Perfect!” said Vinyl Record happily. “Melodia and I were planning to head out on the town. There’s a new restaurant that opened up that we are dying to try.” She trotted out of the room, returning a moment later with dull blue saddlebags. “Mom,” said Long Play, “I don’t like where this is going.” Vinyl Record ignored him, slowly walking towards the door as she spoke. “We had planned to be there at around noon-ish, so I think that it’s best that I get going now.” “Mom.” “But this is perfect! You’re both here, and you get along so well. Take care of Vinyl and Octavia, would you?” “Mom!” “Thank you!” The door shut firmly behind the retreating mare. Long Play stared at the door for a time, the remnants of sleep finally leaving him. He turned slowly towards Harmonia, his mouth hanging open slightly. “Is… Is she coming back?” asked the mare. “No. I really don’t think she is.” “Huh.” Vinyl walked towards Long Play, carefully nudging her brother’s hoof. “LP, does that mean Tavi’s going to stay for a bit?” Long Play paused slightly. “Yeah, I guess it does.” Vinyl gasped lightly, her head snapping towards Octavia with a grin. She ran towards the other filly, her hooves slipping slightly against the floor. They ran into Vinyl’s room, laughing and talking all the while. An awkward, palpable silence reigned over the room again. Long Play and Harmonia looked around, their eyes resting everywhere except on each other. “I,” began Long Play, “I was planning on leaving today.” An inexplicable pit formed in the bottom of Harmonia’s stomach. “Back to Canterlot?” she asked. “Yeah.” “Oh… Well, if you need to leave, I should be able to take care of the fillies.” Long Play stretched out his neck, quickly massaging it with a hoof. “Yeah. I probably won’t leave until the evening. But… yeah.” He paused slightly, then tossed his scarf onto a nearby chair. “I’m gonna take a shower. I didn’t get one last night. Do you mind?” Harmonia shook her head. “Alright,” said Long Play. “I’m gonna…” He pointed down the hallway. “Yeah.” Harmonia nodded. Long Play trotted down the hall and into the bathroom, making certain to lock the door behind him. He rested his hooves on the sink, staring at a scowling colt with a two-tone red mane. “Smooth, LP. Real smooth.”