It was the day after the failed magic show when I awoke with groan. Looking about my bedroom or rather Crystal’s living room, as that was currently where I was living, the house was unusually quiet.
Huh, Crystal must have gone out already. Must be running some errands or something.
I rolled off the couch and onto the floor, making a slight flump as I landed. I sighed as I lay there, knowing that I would have to stand up sooner or later. Seeing no other option, I opted to get it out of the way sooner rather than later. I struggled to my hooves, and stood up shakily. I stretched my wings and ruffled my feathers. I chuckled as they ended up staying fluffy, not bothering to smooth them back.
“I’m not working today, so I guess I can go without preening today,” I said aloud to nopony in particular. “Who knows, maybe I’ll even go for a massage, Celestia-knows that those twins did a great job adjusting my back when I came here, and besides, that blue one was cute. Maybe I will pay the spa a visit today.”
My mind made up, I got ready to leave. I put on my bracelets, the gentle clinking providing an ever so slight peace in my mind. I looked at my shades, but opted to leave them there. Placing them on the kitchen counter, I returned to the living room and cleaned up my area, putting away the blankets and pillow, returning the room to normal. My stomach growled, and I looked at the bowl of fruit on the table. With a slightly guilty look, I grabbed an apple and gobbled it up.
I hope she won’t mind, I've been fairly good about getting my own meals, but just this once...
As I finished the last bite of the apple, there was a knock at the door. I froze, my eyes wide with fear.
HOW did she find out? I’m so gonna get kicked out, she’s sent someone to deliver the message to me.
Again there was a knock, this time more pronounced, and a voice came from the other side of the door.
“Message for a Mr. Torque, currently residing at Ms. Starlight’s house,” sounded the voice from outside, it not being the usual goofy voice of the regular mailmare.
My heart skipped what seemed like twelve beats as I heard him say that.
OH SWEET CELESTIA she really sent a messenger to kick me out. How? Why? Where will I go? I was now completely freaking out, and I slowly opened the door and peeked out. The messenger was taller than me, and was a light tan earth pony with a blue messenger’s outfit. He smiled slightly at me when he saw my head poke out. I nervously returned it and opened the door wider. He stared at my wings for a moment before he shook his head and cleared his throat.
*Ahem* “To a Mr. Freq Torque, currently residing at a Ms. Crystal Starlight’s house, in Ponyville proper,” he began in a clear and calm voice, which only succeeded in making me even more nervous. “From one Mr. Treble Run, currently residing in Cloudsdale. Would you like to hear the message?” He asked kindly, which made my head reel. I was relieved that the message wasn't Crystal kicking me out, but I was now uneasy that my brother was sending me a telegram, and not a letter.
“Uhm...sure, what’s the message say?” I replied, the nervousness now evident in my voice. The messenger once again cleared his throat before reading aloud.
“‘Torque, listen. I know it’s been a long time since we last saw each other, and even longer since we've actually talked. But I really want to see you again. I heard about your fall out with the Bolts from Spitfire, and I want to talk. I know it’ll be awkward, but we need to. By the time you receive this message, I’ll already be on my way. See you soon.’ And that is it.” The messenger gave a halfhearted smile, trying to portray an ‘I’m happy for you’ face, but it looked far too forced to be convincing. I thanked the messenger, payed him a few bits, and he left.
Not 30 seconds had passed before I began to freak.
“MOTHEROFCELESTIA! HOWAMIGONNA?! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” I was panicking like it was my job. My brother, who I hadn’t seen in 3 years, talked to in longer, was already on his way to Ponyville, to visit me.
And I didn’t have a place of my own.
After about a minute, I simply flopped on the couch, groaning in defeat.
“How could this get any worse?” I stupidly asked out loud.
A knock at the door replied to my question, followed by a voice meekly calling out.
“H-hello? Is anybody there?”
I almost screamed in hatred of myself, as I flew towards the door and opened it, not bothering to ask, or caring, who was at the door. However, the pony who stood there was instantly recognizable.
“H-hi.”
I promptly laid down on the floor, giving up for a brief moment, and literally yelling at myself in my head. For standing there, in the door, was my brother, Treble Run.
I slowly got up off the floor, and proceeded to wave him inside. He hesitated, but slowly walked in.
“Uhm, you can put your bag over there for now.” I said, pointing my hoof next to the couch. He nodded and dropped his saddlebag down, flexing his back after lugging it around. We just stood there awkwardly, in Crystal’s living room, in complete silence, for what seemed like 10 minutes.
Treble was the first to break it.
“Uhm...I”
“How did you find me?” I rather flatly interrupted, curious as to how. He flinched, not expecting me to be so blunt.
“W-well...there was this pink pony...”
“Ah, ok, that makes sense now.” I again interrupted, with a slight chuckle. Of course Pinkie would know, and of course she would be the first to talk to him. He was, after all, a new visitor to Ponyville. She makes it a point to know everypony in Ponyville.
Treble then was silent for a little while, and the awkwardness descended upon us once again. We hadn’t spoken in at least 4 years. I was the one to break the silence this time.
“Come here.” I held my leg outstretched, ushering him to come over. Slowly, he shuffled over, and as soon as he was in reaching distance, I pulled him into a tender embrace, wrapping my legs around his neck.
“I missed you, Treble.” He stood there briefly, not knowing how to react to the situation, but eventually he returned the hug. I couldn’t help but smile hugely, despite how awkward it was seeing him again after all these years.
We broke the hug, and both of us were misty eyed. Not wanting my kid brother to see me cry, I quickly turned around and brushed the tears out of my eyes. I heard him chuckle slightly, which made me gasp.
“Did...you just laugh?” I asked stupidly, already knowing the answer to my question. He looked at me strangely, then smiled.
“Of course, why, is that a problem?” I was stunned, he seemed so...different. Almost mature.
“I haven’t heard you laugh in years. Not since...” I trailed off, and the awkward silence again ensued. I didn’t want to bring up those memories, they were painful enough to me. They had destroyed Treble.
“It’s ok, you can say it, Freq. I’m ok now, really. I realized that living in the past, that holding in all those painful memories, was only hurting myself. I’ve moved on.” I was positively flabbergasted. Here I was, standing in the same room as my kid brother, after having not spoken to him in at least 4 years, and he seemed, almost happy. Calm.
Grown up.
“I...I...” I mumbled out. I had no idea how to react. I broke down. I let all of my emotions spill out in one fit of sobbing. Treble rushed to my side, wrapping me in a tender embrace, like our mother had done many years ago. I cried and cried, but it wasn’t so much tears of sadness as they were tears of...well, a lot of emotions, but mostly relief. A short while later, I regained my composure, and stood up, sniffling and wiping my eyes.
“All these years, and I thought I was the crybaby. A lot has changed, huh?” He asked, giving me the most warm hearted look I’d ever seen. He had inherited mother's sensitivity.
“Hey, well, I’ve had to raise you since you were just a little foal, so cut me some slack, Treb. It’s not like I’m a Ruler of Equestria. It was hard.” I said, my voice hoarse from crying. “But listen, let’s talk outside, in Celestia’s sun. It’s getting kinda musty in here.”
He nodded and turned to grab his saddlebags, but I laid a wing on his flank.
“No need, leave your stuff here. I’m sure Crystal won’t mind.” I chuckled outwardly, while inwardly, I was terrified that she would pitch a fit. Pushing the thought out of my mind, I snagged my shades, put them on, and motioned for my brother to follow me.
“Where are we going, Freq?” He asked as I closed the door to Crystal’s house and locked it. I kicked off the ground, flapping my wings and hovering. I smiled slyly.
“Can you keep up?” I challenged, knowing full well just how competitive my brother was. He paused for a moment before flashing a grin that sent shivers of joy down my spine. He snapped open his wings and crouched low to the ground, before rocketing into the sky.
“That depends,” he called back to me, high above my current position, “am I racing somepony else? Cause you know I’m gonna win if I race you.” He was so full of life and energy, something I hadn’t expected from him. My thoughts drifted back to the letter I wrote to him before, and I wondered if that had inspired him to change. I was lost in my thoughts, so I barely registered the snarky comeback he said.
“Come on, what are ya, scared of losing, Torqy?” The pet name burrowed its way into my thoughts and snapped me back to reality.
“HEY! That name is reserved for Spitfire alone!” I shouted back, a hint of a blush evident on my cheeks. He stuck his tongue out at me and shook his flank, taunting me further.
“Alright, first one to go from the Town Hall to the Library Tree to the train station, then Sweet Apple Acres wins!” I yelled, adrenaline pumping through my veins from the anticipation of a race. I zipped up next to him, eager to start. He nodded. “Ready? Three, two, one...Go!”
And with that, we sped off.
Treble had an early lead, which was unsurprising. He always looked up to Spitfire, and wanted to become a Wonderbolt. I had to keep up with him growing up, so I was a decent flier myself. However, I soon noticed that he was starting to slow down, and that’s when I realized he had no idea where he was going.
I sniggered, knowing that even with the unknown route, he had agreed to it anyways. I took advantage of this, and shot past him.
“Eat my feathers, Treb!” I taunted as I passed the Town Hall and turned for the Library, seeing him make a wide turn to catch up with the new direction. He was obviously unhappy that he had agreed to this race, seeing that he was now at a disadvantage. I pushed on, passing the Library and pulling a 180 degree turn, to which Treble was unprepared for.
He stopped mid-flight and had to turn around. He shot back up and caught up to me.
“That was a dirty trick you pulled, Freq, you know?” He was visibly irked, but I didn’t care, I was winning.
“Yeah, but you agreed to it, so it’s your own fault.” He grunted and beat his wings faster, trying to at least get ahead of me somewhat. But as we had already reached the train station, another sharp turn was in store, and once again, he was thrown off, and the lead was again mine.
However, now the Acres were in plain sight, and I knew I was beaten unless I pushed hard.
“HA!” I heard him shout from behind me, and I heard wing beats approach me rather quickly. Determined to beat my kid brother, I pushed with all my might, and I heard the wingbeats get softer. The Acres were in reaching distance, and I was about to win when...
A rainbow blur zipped past me and landed in the fields. However, I still flew, and I heard my brothers wing beats catch up to mine. We were neck and neck.
As we crossed over the fields, suddenly confetti exploded from seemingly nowhere, along with a loud.
“WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
Exhausted, we both landed next to the spot where the rainbow blur had landed. Only to be assaulted by what could only be described as Pinkie Pie.
“TIIIIIIE! IT’S A TIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! But Rainbow Dash was the one who REALLY won the race, but you two technically were the only ones in this race, and you two tied, but Rainbow did the whole course behind you guys, and in the end she won so EVERYPONY WINS WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”
“Thanks, Pinkie, but I think I can handle it from here.” The cyan pegasus apparently called Rainbow Dash said. I was confused as to how both this pegasus AND Pinkie had found out about the race, but I had grown accustomed to not asking how some things around here worked.
“So *pant* nice race *pant* Torqy.” Treble gasped out between breaths. I flinched in horror as he dropped the nickname I hoped nopony else would ever find out about, in front of the one pony who would be likely to call me the for the rest of my days. I nodded my head in acknowledgement of his compliment, and Pinkie proceeded to inhale in excitement. However, a cyan hoof was inserted into her mouth before she could speak.
“So Torque huh? You’re that new DJ at Club Pon3? Didn’t know you were a pegasus, and a decent flier at that. The name’s Dash, Rainbow Dash. Who’s your friend?” She said, nodding her head at my brother, who was currently lying on his side, trying to not pass out. After a brief moment to catch my breath, I smiled.
“My brother, Treble Run. He’s visiting from Cloudsdale. He’s the better flier of the two of us.” He looked up at her, smiling briefly, before going back to trying to catch his breath. I rolled my eyes before turning my attention to Rainbow. I noticed her pink hoof mitt was no longer anywhere around. I opened my mouth to ask, but was interrupted.
“She’s gone, she left to go somewhere else, something about a pillow needing her help? I don’t know, I’ve stopped asking. So yeah, that was a nice race. I gotta go catch some Z’s, but if you ever feel like racing again, come find me. I’d love to race you for real next time.” And with that, she blasted away, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake. I was left with my brother in the Acres.
And I really didn’t know what to make of the situation that had just unfolded.
So I opted to just lay in the fields next to my brother, as he attempted to catch his breath. We stayed there for a while, just enjoying basking in the sun, and each other’s presence. The sounds of nature were all around us, but I really didn’t care. For the first time in probably 5 years, my brother and I were enjoying ourselves.
After about an hour of simply lying there, my brother rolled over to me and gently bumped my side. My eyes were closed, but he couldn’t see my eyes behind my shades. I turned my head towards him and smiled.
“Hey Torq?”
“Yeah? What’s up?”
“I really missed this, you know, us being happy and smiling together.”
“Yeah, me too. I just wish mom could see us...she’d be smiling too.”
“...Yeah.”
I rolled over to look at my brother, a sad smile evident on my face. His was twisted into this pained sort of happiness. I cocked my head to the side and poked him. He turned his head and opened his mouth to speak, the tears starting to flow.
“I...*ahem*...I think...dad would be smiling too.”
I couldn’t believe what I had just heard my brother say. Out of our entire family, dad had taken out most of his problems on Treble, and yet, here he was, saying how dad would be happy.
“...I...Treb...”
“Don’t, Torq. I know what you are gonna say, and I get it. You’ll never forgive him for what he did to our family. But...I know deep down inside my heart that he never really meant to tear it apart. I know that, despite all the bad things that he did to us, that he was still our father, and he loved us. And I think that he would be proud to see us where we are right now. They both would be.”
I was speechless. All I could do was sit there, mouth agape, staring at my brother. He sniffled once and wiped his eyes with a foreleg. Smiling, he sat up and flexed his wings.
“Alright, so we tied that last race, but that was a cheap shot, making me agree to a course that I didn’t know. I say we do an old fashioned drag race next. Whaddya say?” He hopped to his hooves, pawing at the ground and flapping his wings in preparation.
Coming back to reality, I shook my head, trying to clear it of the shock of what happened moments ago. I jumped up as well, but didn’t get into the race mode.
“Uh, actually Treb, I was thinking...can we just like take a walk through town and catch up? I promise we’ll race later, but that last race tired me out. Actually, I know this sounds weird, but I was thinking we could go and get a massage. There is this place in the center of town with these twins who are phenomenal.”
The look of disappointment was evident on his face, but he perked up when I mentioned a massage. I had to stifle a laugh at the sudden change of facial expression.
He hasn’t changed at all, still as impulsive as ever
“Really? A massage? That actually sounds wonderful. I could use a good back rub.”
“Fantastic, then let’s go.”
And so we set off on hoof, towards the center of town. The Acres were about 4 miles outside of the town, so we had plenty of time to catch up on things.
Along the way I told him about everything that had happened ever since I left Cloudsdale; between meeting the friends I made, to the new job, to even the few parties I’d been to. The whole time, Treble had this fascinated look on his face, like he was jealous and excited about what I had been doing. Being everything I wanted to be.
After I caught him up on what I had been doing, curiosity struck.
“So what have YOU been doing since I left?” I asked, bumping into him as I walked. He chuckled, a slight blush evident through his orange fur. He looked away briefly, clearing his throat and shaking off the look of fascination.
“Well, I’ve had my own place for a while now, ever since you got that job with Spitfire, which you already know. I’ve kept my job as a weather pony for a while now, and I’m halfway decent at it. I spend most of my downtime at the house, just kinda writing music that almost never sees the light of Celestia’s sun.”
I smiled.
“You were always doing that, even as a young colt, you would spend your down-time writing music instead of doing your homework. You were a hassle to raise.” He blushed a little and pushed me away slightly.
“Aw shush you. Anyways, after about 2 years of working at the Weather Factory, I was put onto cloud making, with another newbie. Her name was Nocti Mist, and she seemed nice enough. I talked to her occasionally, passing the time. This went of for a few months. After that, we started to talk more, and I got to know her better. We became great friends by the end of my 3rd year. We’ve been that way for a long time.”
He paused to think for a second, the smile getting more sincere, and a hint of a blush sitting on his face.
“Then, about 2 weeks ago, we were just getting off of work. I had told her about the music that I write, and she had said that she wanted to see some of it. So we went back to my house, and I showed her where I do most of my work. She was awestruck by the sheer amount of music that I had written, and she asked if she could hear one of the pieces I wrote. So I agreed and played, albeit a little roughly, one of my songs on the piano. When I finished she looked so full of wonder. I figured that now was as good a time as ever to tell her how I really felt. Just as I was about to tell her, there was a knock at my door. I went to open it and Spitfire was there. I was a little surprised.”
**Flashback**
“Heya Treble. Can I come in?”
“I...guess. I have a friend over, but family friends are always welcome.”
“Oh, I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“Not really...Nocti? Come say hi to Spitfire.”
“...H-hi Miss Spitfire...nice to meet you.”
“Oh please, call me Spitfire. Nice to meet ya too. Anyway, I came down to tell ya something, Treble.”
“Hmm? What did you need to tell me.?”
“...Well...it’s about your brother. He kinda messed up big and he had to leave. He’s going to Ponyville to work with a friend of mine. I figured I’d just let you know...in case you wanted to see him.”
“Oh...thanks, I guess.”
“Treb...you should really try to go see him...make amends. Become a family again. Just...think about it, ok? I have to get back, practice and all that. It was nice meeting you, Nocti. Stay safe you two, and try to not get too intimate!”
**End Flashback**
“And with that she just flew off, leaving the two of us blushing and confused. Shortly after, she went home, and the past two weeks have been kinda awkward between us. So, I decided to consider Spitfire’s proposal and came to see you, and here we are.”
I stifled a laugh. I was amazed at how much my little brother had grown.
“Spitfire was always like an older sister to us. She never fails to make me smile.” We had reached the center of town by now. I looked around to see where the spa was.
“Aha! There it is! Let’s go.” I trotted towards the building, Treble close behind me. When we got there, I turned to shoot my brother a smile, and bumped right into another pony, sending both of us to the ground.
“Hey! Watch where you’re go...oh hey Torq.”
“Oh...hey boss. What are you doing here?”
“Oh nothing, just wondering if that blue cretin is still working there. What are YOU doing here?”
I kicked at the ground a little.
“Uhhh...”
“We were just going to get a massage, care to join us?” My brother trotted up next to me, a huge smile on his face. I couldn’t help but snicker a little at his outgoing attitude.
“This goof is my brother, Treble. He’s staying in town for a few days, can he shack up with us? I’ll sleep on the floor and he can have the couch. He won’t be too much of a problem he’s just a little ecc-MMPH!” Her hoof entered my mouth for the second time since meeting her, quieting my ramblings.
“Yeah that’s fine. Just don’t keep me up at night. Oh yeah, and I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind doing a set tonight. I know I said you didn’t have to work today, but I was walking around town and I heard a lot of ponies talking about the club and wondering if there was gonna be a show tonight. Money is money, after all. The place is already clean, whaddya say?”
I sighed.
Well, so much for my night off.
“Yeah, that’s fine, as long as my brother can get in for free.”
“Yeah, alright. Doors open around 9, ok? Don’t be late.”
“Ok Crystal. See you tonight.” And with that she trotted off. I groaned slightly, but Treble nudged me in the side.
“So, she seems nice.” I pushed him away, walking into the Spa.
“Shut up, she’s my boss, and besides, she’s not my type.”
“Oh? So you have a type? What is your type, huh? Spill.”
I grumbled, lifting my shades onto my forehead. I rang the bell on the counter.
“I like the type that won’t eat me if I get them angry. What about you? I’m guessing you’re more the ‘Nocti’ type?”
With that, the blush exploded on his orange fur, even going so far as to reach his ears. As if on cue, the twin earth ponies came through the door and greeted us.
“How can ve help you?” They said in unison. I smiled.
“Two massages please, under the name Torque.”
“Actually, if you are getting two massages, dhen you might as vell get dhe couples package for only 10 bits more. It’s dhe full treatment.” Said the pink one, smiling big.
“A-actually we are brothers, not a couple.” I stammered out.
“Zhat’s fine, you can still get it. You are famous in zhese parts so we will look ze other way.” The blue one said. I smiled and nodded.
“Thank you, then we will do that.”
They nodded, and the pink twin disappeared behind the curtain to go get things ready. The blue one looked over her shoulder to make sure her sister was gone, and then leaned in close.
“I love your DJ-ing, it’s so...vonderful! I’ve been to every one of your shows. Shh, zhough, my sister doesn’t know.” I blushed a little, always a little humble about my shows and the popularity they receive. A white unicorn strode out from behind the curtain, looking fantastic. Hearing the curtain flip closed, the blue twin regained her regular composure, and cleared her throat.
“Zhat’ll be 40 bits.” She said quickly.
I reached for my saddle bags to retrieve the bits, only to realize in horror that I had left them at Crystal’s place.
“Uhh, I uhm, seem to have left my bits at my house...” I turned crimson as my brother face hoofed. I heard from behind my a voice pipe up.
“Oh, you poor darlings. Lotus, be a dear and put their cost on my tab, I’d just HATE it if I had to miss out on a spa treatment because I left my bits at home. Oh and don’t worry about paying me back, darling, I know you well enough that it can be considered a gift from a friend. Ta!” And with that she left.
I was a little taken back by what just unfolded, but I quickly shook it off and smiled at Lotus. She blushed and rang it up. After that, she beckoned us to come with her behind the curtain. We followed and then we were taken into the care of the spa twins.
**2 hours later**
We emerged from the curtain, glistening and refreshed from the treatment.
“Thank you two so much for that. I really needed it.” I said, ruffling my now preened wings.
“Yeah, that was amazing. You two have a really great thing here. Your customers must be very satisfied.” My brother said, smiling goofily.
“You are very velcome. Ve hope you come back soon.” The two of them said in unison.
With that we departed.
“Oh yeah, before I forget. Lotus? Tonight at 9.” I winked and put my shades back over my eyes, shielding them from the now setting sun. I heard an excited squeal and a confused inquiry before the doors closed behind us. I chuckled and Treble rolled his eyes.
“You’re ridiculous, Torqy.” He said sarcastically. I lightly kicked him.
“Hey, what part of ‘for Spitfire only’ didn’t you understand?”
“Oh yeah, whoops. Hey do you know what time it is?”
To be honest I really didn’t know. I had lost track of it when we went into the spa. Curious myself, I took to the sky and looked at the clock tower.
“PONYFEATHERS! It’s 7:30, I gotta get to the club! Come on!” I motioned for my brother to follow me, and he took off and flew behind me. Within moments we arrived at the club, and we settled in front of the doors. I knocked, and after a few seconds Bacchus opened it for me. He cast a wary eye at my brother, but I waved him off. Once inside, I immediately flew over to the stage.
“Whoah...”
Treble’s mouth hung open as he looked at the club. I glanced up at him while I fiddled around with some of the knobs and sliders, already having a plan for the nights set. I rolled my eyes as he slowly clopped over to the stage, his own scanning the vast arrangement of lights and music hardware. I hooked up my headphones to the mixing table and hung them on my neck, making sure they were on.
“Frequency…this is where you work? Sweet Celestia, this set up is stellar! Who hooked you up with all this gear?” He finally reached the stage and slowly flew up next to me. Now that he was actually behind the stage, he once again fell into the awestruck state as he looked over the massive arrangement of records and cds at my disposal. Without looking up I answered him with a small chuckle.
“You think this stuff belongs to me? Ha, no this belongs to the club. Well, everything except for my headphones, I bought those a while back. No, this stuff all belongs to the previous DJ, Vinyl Scratch. Apparently, her and Spitfire know each other, and Spitty let me know about this place, so naturally I jumped at this opportunity.” I tapped him on his shoulder with my right wing and motioned for him to back up.
“Huh?” He asked as he backed up. I then reached over to the selection of records and selected a few from the closest box. Treble then chuckled and backed off a little and sat down. “I’ll just stay out of your way bro.” I stopped and looked behind me at him.
“Oh no, you weren’t really in my way, I just had to grab a few things. You’re fine up here. I know you always liked to watch me work. Don’t even pretend like you didn’t. I always knew you were there, watching me through the crack in my bedroom door.” I chuckled as he blushed and dug his front hoof into the stage floor slightly.
“Oh you noticed? Err...sorry. It’s just that...I always idolized you. After mom and dad left our lives, and before Nocti came into my life, there wasn’t really much for me to do aside from sulk. I would sometimes just lie in my room and listen to you play music in the next room. It was one of the few times that I would smile.” The blush deepened on his face as he finished his statement. I smiled warmly at him, laying the records down in their respective places on the turntables. I then went and gave him a hug.
“I know, Treble. I always knew you were there, that's why I practiced so often, because I knew you were there, watching me. I just wanted to make you happy, as difficult as it was. I also seem to recall one time when I almost caught you outside my room.
*Flashback*
I had heard a small sneeze from outside my door. I smiled slightly, knowing full well that it was Treble watching me. This time I figured I’d confront him and invite him to sit and watch me properly, instead of through a door crack. So, I got up and slowly walked towards the hallway, but I saw the flash of orange fur and the slam of the door in the next room. I pursued my target slowly and deliberately, leaving my room and walking to my brothers. I opened the door slowly.
“Heyya Treb, you wan…” The scene before me proceeded to make me laugh for a long time, and managed to make Treble stop talking to me for a long while.
He was flying above his bed, a slight blush on his cheeks, in a tight circle. He then said in the most bizarre way possible.
“Weeee, I’m a pretty butterfly!” He said the last part in the deepest voice I’d ever heard from him. I then burst out laughing. He shot me a dirty look and yelled at me to get out of his room.
*end flashback*
The intensity of the blush on Treble’s face was priceless.
“Treb, what did you honestly expect to happen after that show, me to take that in stride and still talk to you and not laugh?” I laughed and shook my head.
“Hey I was distraught, and I was young and fragile still. Sorry about not talking to you for a while after that.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he apologized. I smiled at him, and moved to give him a hug, before a piercing voice came from the bar.
“OI! Enough with the reminiscing, you have a show to put on in like 10 minutes, are you ready Torq?” Crystal, perfect timing as always, growled from behind the bar. I blushed and nodded.
“Yeah, almost Crystal. Just gotta sync up the sound system and the lights and then I’ll be all set.” I called back, turning my focus back to the task at hoof.
“Well, good. Look, I’m not sure how the turnout will be tonight, but if it’s packed and your brother distracts you, then you’ll be in for a world of hurt. He’s more than welcome to stay, but only if he doesn’t distract you, got it?” She stamped her hoof as an affirmation, her blue eyes shooting daggers from behind her green shades. I looked behind me at Treble, and he nodded and flew off the stage.
“I’ll leave you to it. Good luck tonight, I’ll be over by the bar. I’m sure you’ll do awesome.” I smiled at him as he flew over to the bar, before my eyes locked with my boss, and her scowl sent a cold shiver down my spine. I gulped and hit the power switch on the light system and the sound system.
I sent the two systems through their paces, syncing them up to the music and making sure all the final touches were in place. Once everything was all said and done, I nodded at Bacchus, and he hit the main light switch, plunging the whole club into darkness. I then hit the black lights, illuminating the club with the ghostly blue glow. The bar had its own light ropes so that it could still be useful, but they weren’t bright enough to interfere with the ambiance of the club.
With a blueish magical glow, the doors to the club were unlocked, and the ponies who had been waiting outside flowed in. I put my headphones over my ears, dropped the needle onto the records, and gave them a spin. And with that, the impromptu night at Club Pon-3 began. The ponies, once they got their hoof stamped by Crystal, began to flow into the dance floor, a few of them donned in glow sticks from horn to tail. One unicorn in particular caught my eye. She had blue glow sticks all over her legs, and was twirling a yellow one rather close to the stage.
It took me a moment to realize that it was the nice mare who gave me the directions to club when I first came to town. What was her name now? Lyra. That was it. I shot her a smile, but the light system probably blocked any sort of view of me on my perch. The mare soon was drawn away by the steady flow of ponies into the dance floor. Not 5 minutes into my set, and there was already a crowd of ponies jumping to the beat in front of the stage. I chuckled, the sound completely drowned out by the speakers. I set my focus back on the set before me.
As time went on, the crowd in front of the stage began to spread out, each pony or couple having their own space to sway and jump to the beat of the music. Over the past 2 hours, I saw at least 3 separate dance offs happen, and the participants involved all had their own skills to put on the board. There was of course the ponies who broke apart the circles that formed by dancing in the most ridiculous ways, the dance off then dissipating and becoming a crowd again.
There was one dance off that Lyra participated in, with her glow stick twirling drawing a decent roar of approval. However, the third circle that happened was met with a stunning roar of approval, but I couldn’t catch a good look at the pony who caused the roar. I only caught a flash of white fur when the strobe light caught it. After that particular one, the circles stopped forming, and some of the crowd began to thin out.
At midnight, the show hit the 4 hour mark and I announced that there would only be 2 more hours of the set, and that I was taking a quick break. I heard the usual disappointed groans from the crowd, but I shrugged it off and put the next record on, hit autoplay, and hopped off stage. I flew over to the bar, nodding towards Bacchus, who smirked and poured me a glass of apple cider.
I eagerly downed the cold drink, quenching my parched throat and cooling me off. Despite tonight not being a scheduled open night for the club, the turnout was impressive. I felt a tap on my shoulder and it was Treble.
“Freq that was awesome! I never knew you could do that much, but then again, that was years ago.” The smile on his face was the most touching thing ever, his amber eyes were shining in the strobe lights. I noticed that his blue and green mane now had an addition of a white glow stick. I smiled at him.
“Thanks Treb, it really means a lot to hear that from you. Where did the glow stick come from?” I said as I nodded towards the cylindrical object in his mane.
“Oh, some mare who stopped by and said hey. She was very polite. I couldn’t really hear her though, the music was loud. Look Torq, I’m getting tired, I’m gonna head to your place and crash, that ok?” He yawned to send home the message that he was speaking the truth. I recalled that he wasn’t a night owl like I was.
“Yeah, just let Crystal know alright? She’ll give you directions if you don’t remember. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” I gave him a quick hug and ruffled his mane, causing the glow stick to fall out. I picked it up and put it behind my ear. He rolled his eyes, and turned to go tell Crystal he was leaving. I made my way back to the stage, smiling and hoofbumping the few who noticed me as I went.
Once back on stage, I put my headphones back on and turned off the autoplay, scratching the record to announce I was back. There was a cheer and then the last few hours of the set began.
In the final hour of my set, the crowd had thinned to include only the die-hard clubbers and fans. I noticed Lyra was still here and I laughed.
I could feel the events of the day starting to catch up with me as the final minutes of the set came to a close, and I hid a yawn. Finally, I had to make the call that none of the clubbers want to hear.
“Alright everypony, I only have one more song for you before I sign off for the night, so go as hard as you can!” With that, I flipped a few switches and used only the red and blue lights, to emphasize the intensity of the song. As it came to a close, I bid the clubbers farewell, and at last the song wound down and ended. There was a lot of cheering, but some of it sounded tired. I disconnected my headphones and turned off the sound and light systems. The remainder of the crowd then left the club, and the main lights turned back on.
I groaned inwardly at the mess left behind by the clubbers, but at least it wasn’t as bad as it was on a scheduled night. There was only the usual mess of discarded glow sticks and body paint. With a yawn I left the stage, flying over to the small office to retrieve the cleaning supplies before going home. When I got to the door, it was locked and the knob was glowing blue. I turned around and huffed at my boss.
“Crystal, I’m tired, and I just want to get to cleaning before I leave tonight.” She snickered, and stopped using her magic to hold the door. She shook her head.
“Nono, go home Torq, I’ll handle the cleaning for tonight. You’ve had a long day, and I expect you here tomorrow morning at 11 sharp. Go get a good night’s sleep.” She smiled warmly, but her eyes were intense, telling that she meant business. Not one to argue with my boss, I nodded.
“Alright, thanks Crystal. Have a good night.” With that, I left the club, waving to Bacchus. He nodded, and I made my way back to Crystal’s place. I flew slowly, reflecting on everything that happened today, what with reuniting with my brother, the spa, and the spontaneous club night. I smiled, happy that this day had played out the way it had.
I reached Crystal’s place, and slowly opened the door. There, curled up on the couch, was my brother, sound asleep.
He looks so peaceful, I shouldn’t disturb him. I smiled, removing my shades and headphones and placing them on the kitchen table. I then carefully took my bracelets off, the gentle jingling sounding like a train in the quiet of the house. Treble stirred, but didn’t wake. I placed them too on the table, then quietly laid down next to my brother. I sighed and smiled, closing my eyes and letting a single tear escape my eyes, happy to be with my brother again.
I then drifted off to sleep.
*The next morning*
I awoke to the gentle tapping on my shoulder. I cracked open one eye to see Treble’s face smiling softly.
“Morning mix-master, it’s time to wake up, Crystal said you have to be at work in an hour.” I groaned, for more than one reason.
“Ugggh, first, don’t call me that, I’d much rather you call me Torqy than that, and I don’t want you to call me that either. Second, I don’t want to be awake yet. Wake me up in half an hour.” With that I rolled over and tried to fall back asleep.
That worked for about 3 seconds.
“Ooooooh, so there are what your headphones look like, I wonder how you turn them on?” I heard Treble call out from the kitchen. I felt my heart skip a few beats, and I shot out of the couch and immediately fell flat onto snout.
“Don’t touch those Treble! They are expensive!” I called from the floor. He was sitting nowhere near the kitchen, but was instead in the hall next to it. His face was smiling and he was laughing. I growled at him and then started to laugh myself. I got up from the floor and walked towards him. I bopped him on the head, making a mock angry face. “You goof.”
“You know it, Torqy!” I shot him an annoyed glance, before walking into the kitchen and retrieving my assorted belongings, putting on my bracelets, the clinking giving me solace. I put my shades on my head and my headphones around my neck. Treble looked at me strange.
“Hey, she wants me at work at 11? I’m gonna pop in early and surprise her.” I answered the unspoken question with a smirk. He laughed.
“Alright, then I’ll come with you, seeing as how I only have a couple more hours here until I have to go back to Cloudsdale. Nocti and I have plans at 2, so I gotta be out of here by 1.” He said with a small blush on his cheeks. I smiled at him, but it was a little sad, knowing that I only had 3 hours left with my brother before he had to go. I shook my head, and nodded towards the door.
“Shall we?”
“Do lets.”
I laughed and he grinned, and we left the house and headed towards the club. This time we took the flight slow and enjoyed the mid morning breeze that rolled through the town. It didn’t take us too long to reach the club, and we touched down in front of the doors. They were already open, which was strange to see this early, because the bar wasn’t open till 11 am. I walked in and Treble followed.
“Hello? Bacchus? Crystal? You here?” I asked as I walked into the club. The floor was spotless, and I had to be a little irked, what with unicorns being able to do jobs like cleaning so easily. I heard voices from the office, and I headed towards it.
“Are we supposed to be here yet Torq?” Treble asked me, and I shushed him.
“Crystal gets here early anyways, so yeah. I think…” I reached the office door and put my ear to it. I heard Crystal and Bacchus’ voice, but there was a third that I didn’t recognize. It was a mare, with an energetic voice, but it was an alto to be sure. I knocked on the door, and the voices abruptly stopped. I heard hoofsteps, and the door opened to reveal a white mare with a blue and sky blue mane, and magenta eyes, with purple shades above her horn.
“Hey there, you must be Frequency.” She mused, extending her hoof with a slight smirk. I recognized the stark white of the fur to be that pony who received the thunderous cheering last night. I returned the hoof shake with a quizzical look.
“Torque, if you will, nice to meet you…”
“Oh, the name’s Vinyl Scratch, the DJ who used to work here.” I looked past her and at the other two in the office, and they smiled and nodded. My eyes grew huge, and I could hear Treble’s slight gasp behind me.
“Really?! Wow, that’s awesome, I thought you were on tour?!” I spewed as I was a little star struck. She smiled big and nodded her head in confirmation.
“I am still on tour, but as a fellow DJ, you should know that we don’t perform till late in the day. Also, my tour just so happened to bring me to Cloudsdale tonight, and I knew that I had enough time to hang out with the gang here. I popped in late last night to see what the new DJ had in him, don’t want my club getting the wrong name for itself. You aren’t half bad, Torq.” I looked back at Treble, and me and him exchanged excited glances. Bacchus then got up from his spot and cleared his throat.
“Well, I do believe it is time to enjoy a drink, what say you?” He asked the ponies in attendance. We all nodded in agreement. I sat myself down next to Treble, and Vinyl sat next to me. Crystal sat in her usual spot, at the end of the bar, closest to Bacchus. “What are we having?”
“Just a cider for me.” Treble said.
“You know my order Bacchus.” Crystal scoffed.
“I’ll ha…” I began.
“2 Soundwaves Bac, for Torq and I.” Vinyl interrupted me with a smile. Bacchus looked at me with a smirk. He then looked at Vinyl with a stern look, to which Vinyl held her hooves up in an innocent gesture. “I’m not trying to get anything out of him, I’m already taken. I just want him to get a chance to try out the drink I created.”
“What? Hey, what is in it?” I inquired, a little cautious of drinking alcohol this early in the morning. Vinyl waved a hoof at me, attempting to dismiss my worry.
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing more than whiskey and a tiiiny bit of blue spectra.” She said with a wink. I was actually rather piqued, it sounding very good, but I was curious as to how she created the drink.
“Wait, where did you get blue spectra? Also, Bacchus, you keep blue spectra here?”
“Actually, I brought the spectra with me directly from Cloudsdale, and he doesn’t keep the spectra here, I only get it when I visit Cloudsdale. I have my connections.” She said, rather smugly. She magicked the vial of blue liquid to Bacchus, who grabbed it and prepared the drinks for all of us. Once they were prepared, he passed them out, Treble and Crystal downing their drinks quickly, whilst I looked mine over. I tasted it, and it was very good, if but a little spicy. But then something occurred to me.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you Vinyl, how does Spitfire know you?” I said, setting my drink down. She practically spit her drink at Bacchus, instead, spluttering and choking. I raised my eyebrow in confusion.
“Uhhhhm, she and I are uh, really close friends. We’ve known each other for a long time. I visit whenever I get the chance, but between the Wonderbolts and my club, we don’t get much time to see each other.” She stammered out, a faint pink blush evident on her muzzle. I nodded in understanding.
“Yeah, I get where you are coming from, that must be really difficult to cope with.”
“More than you know.” She said under her breath.
For the next hour and a half we talked, exchanging stories of tours and performances, with Bacchus, Crystal, and Treble all listening intently. We each told horror stories of botched sets and technical difficulties, and we laughed and got along well. However, when clock on the wall said 12, it was time for them to part ways.
“It was nice meeting you Vinyl, make sure to say hi to Spitfire for me.” I said with a warm smile, and a hug. She nodded, and smiled back.
“I will, don’t worry. It was nice meeting you Treble, you looked cute with the glow stick in your hair last night.” She chuckled, getting a blush out of Treble.
“Yeah it was nice meeting you too. I’ll possibly see you tonight, I’m coming to your performance with a friend.” He said with a deeper blush. She nodded.
“See ya boss, Bacchus, I’ll let you two know when the tour ends alright?” She asked, to which they smiled and said alright. With that, she left the club, and an audible pop could be heard as she teleported away.
“Well that was cool, I wasn’t expecting to see the head DJ here today.” I said to Crystal. She laughed.
“Well, it was a surprise for me too when she showed up at the door last night. She spent the night in the office, that's why I didn’t want you to go in there last night. Anyway, you should probably get to work.” She said with a small quaver in her voice. There were a few tears evident in her eyes. Obviously she missed Vinyl, and was really happy to see her.
“Actually, can I come back in a little while? Treble is leaving in 45 minutes, and I’d like to see him off. Please?” I begged, putting on my best pouty face. She rolled her eyes.
“Alright, but you are cleaning the whole club then, stage included, tonight after the set, got it?” I huffed in annoyance, but took the terms of the verbal contract.
“Alright, I’ll be back in a little while then.” I walked out of the club, Treble in tow. The walk to Crystal’s house was quiet, neither of us wanting to break the sad silence. We retrieved his saddlebags, and made the trek to the train station.
I was the first to break the silence.
“Uhm, Treb, I’m really glad you decided to come down this weekend. I really appreciate it. It was a lot of fun catching up.” I could feel the tears starting to come up in my eyes, but I blinked them away. He nodded, not looking at me directly, more-so gazing about the town. He was taking in the new home of his brother.
“I’m really happy I got to talk to you again Torq. I’m glad I got to see you perform, I’m glad we raced. But mostly, I’m glad I got to hear your voice, after all those years.”
There they were, the tears started to fall now. I tried to shake them off, but we had reached the train station, and the train was to depart soon. I pulled him into a hug, and I could feel the wetness of his tears against my shoulder. I held onto the hug for as long as I could.
“All aboard!” Came the dreaded call from the conductor.
I broke the hug, and cleared my throat.
“I want you to know, you are always welcome here. I love you.”
“I love you too, Frequency.You are always welcome to visit my house.”
“I’m sure I’ll see you and Nocti around.” I laughed through my tears. He blushed and gave me one last hug.
“Bye bro.”
And with that, her turned around and got onto the train, just before the doors closed and it departed. It would take him to Canterlot, and from there it was a quick flight to Cloudsdale.
I watched the train go until it left my sight, and then I went back to work, with a heavy heart.