On the contrary from its normal scene of quiet relaxation, the Golden Oaks Library was currently experiencing an epic battle between dragon and pony.
“Oh, c’mon, Twilight! Please?”
“No, Spike. For the last time, that is a ridiculous waste of bits!”
Spike looked down at the advertisement in his hand for a new keyboard/sound system combo set. “It’s not a waste of bits. It comes with a new Maretronix Keyboard, two twelve inch sound bars, six surround sound stereo speakers, and a twenty-four inch mega subwoofer! Do you know how amazing the sound emanating from this will be?!” He threw his arms out, thrusting the advertised picture in the face of the purple unicorn.
“Spike, you don’t need it, though. And what's wrong with the keyboard you have now?” She roughly pushed the paper out of her face.
“Well, for one, it doesn't have an amazing surround sound system with it. And, two, it's like... old! Trust me. There’s a huge difference! You know how important this is to me. How am I supposed to keep up with the other musicians around if I can't even have decent equipment?" The young dragon gave his biggest puppy dog eyes.
“Spike, that’s not gonna work.” She gave her assistant an unamused look. “And besides, even if you did need this sound system…thingy, seven hundred bits-”
“Six-hundred and ninety-nine bits!”
“Fine, six-hundred and ninety-nine bits, is way too expensive! Do you know how long ponies have to work to make that much?”
Spike slumped down on their living room floor. “A long time?”
“Yes. Now, if you really want this, you’re going to have to buy it yourself.” She sent a matter of fact look in his direction.
“And how am I supposed to do that?” He gave her an annoyed stare.
“Hmm, why don’t you sell some of the gems that Rarity gives you for helping her?”
“What? No way! Those are special!” He said, defensively.
“Well, excuse me. I thought you didn’t have a crush on her anymore.” She flashed a slight smile.
“Well, I don’t, but still… Those were gifts, and she’s my best friend! You wouldn’t sell one of your books from Celestia, would you?”
Twilight’s stomach jumped at the mere thought of parting with one of her mentor’s gifts. “Point taken.” She quickly cast the thought away from her mind.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Spike mulled over the possible options in front of him. “What if I got a job?”
“A job? But Spike, you work here already.” Twilight gave him a surprised look.
“But you don’t pay me.” Spike shot her an unamused look.
“Spike, I do pay you. I give you place to live, make sure there’s food, and I even give you bits to go out with friends, occasionally. And besides, you don’t know the first thing about getting a job!”
Spike jumped back to his feet. “Well, you know what? I can easily get a job. I’m gonna go out and buy my keyboard combo pack without your help! Just you wait and see!” With a final smirk, he turned away and headed for the front door.
“Wait, Spike. You’re going already? You don’t want to rush into this,” Twilight said, a slight motherly tinge in her voice.
“Sorry. A rolling dragon gathers no moss!... or something like that.” He quickly opened the door and made his exit.
“Do you even know any places that are hiring? You might need some help!” she called after the dragon. He was too far away now to hear her, however. “Or not…”
* * * * * * *
“I need help!” Spike had wandered in and out of every shop in Ponyville, trying to find a place willing to hire him. And he always got the same answer. ‘We’re not hiring’, ‘dragons are bad for business’, or they’d just look at his size and laugh. He didn’t exactly look his age.
'Alright, I need a job, and I need help from a pony I trust.' Spike rolled his thoughts around for a moment, before arriving at a conclusion. '…And I know just who to talk to!'
Spike arrived at the Carousel Boutique, and firmly rapped his claw on the door.
“One minute!” He heard the musically accented sound of Rarity’s voice call out, before the door gently opened, revealing the beautiful white unicorn herself. “Who is- Oh, Spike! Do come in darling!” Rarity quickly opened the door fully, ushering the dragon inside.
Taking a seat on the couch, Spike quickly got to the matter at hand. “Rarity, I need your help.”
Seating herself next to him, Rarity’s eyes instantly widened at Spike’s statement. “You need my help? Whatever is the matter, Spike?”
“Well, me and Twilight got into a bit of an argument, and-“
“Oh, dear! It wasn’t anything serious was it?” She said, cutting off his sentence.
“Well, not really. It was just-“
“Because you know you’re always welcome to stay with me for a time when you two need some distance!” She gave the young dragon a friendly smile, and gently patted his claw.
“Thanks, Rares, but it’s nothing like that. I just wanted Twilight to buy something for me, but she refused. She said a new keyboard was, and I quote, ‘a complete waste of bits’.” He made quotation marks with his claws, his voice filled with sarcasm
“Oh, Spike, I’m sorry. Twilight can be a bit insensitive about things sometimes,” she said, with a nod of understanding. “How much is this, um, keyboard, was it?”
“Six-hundred and ninety-nine bits.” Spike laughed sheepishly.
Rarity’s eyes widened in shock. “Well, I suppose I can see Twilight’s point to an extent.”
Spike simply rolled his eyes in response. “Yeah, I know it’s expensive. But it’s totally worth it! I mean, music is something I'm actually good at, and if I can have some proper equipment, I could actually get somewhere. But the only way I’m ever gonna get it is if I buy it myself, and to do that I need a job. That’s what I need your help with.” He turned his gaze to the unicorn, shooting her a hopeful grin.
“Well, Spike, of course I’ll help you! That’s a very mature step you’re taking. Now, have you applied anywhere yet?” She cocked her head slightly.
“Heh, you could say that. I’ve tried Sofa and Quills, Sugarcube Corner, City Hall… a bunch of places, and I always get the same response. Rejection.” He cast his gaze down to the floor.
“Hmm, well, I think I know what the problem is. I’ll be right back, dear.” Rarity quickly got up and went into a different room.
Spike stayed on the couch, mind travelling to what remedy the unicorn could bring to fix his situation. His thoughts were cut short however, when she returned a few seconds later, levitating a newspaper above her head.
“Alright, Spike. Have you ever looked at the ‘classifieds’ section in the newspaper before?” The white mare quickly took her seat next to the dragon again, and flipped through the pages of the newspaper until she arrived at the aforementioned section.
“Um, I can’t say that I have. Twilight doesn’t allow the newspaper to get delivered to our house. Something about newspaper articles and fanfiction being the end of intelligent literature as we know it.” Spike shrugged, and turned his gaze to the open document in front of him.
“That sounds like Twilight,” Rarity chuckled to herself. “Anyhow, this section is a list of employers that are hiring workers at the moment, and the skills they look for in an employee!”
“Wow, this sounds like just what I need! Umm, I don’t suppose you’d be willing to help me with this, would you?” Spike asked, with a slight sense of pleading.
“Of course, dear. You don’t even need to ask. Now, let’s see what we have here…” The two browsed through the various job advertisements. “There’s an opening at the spa for a mud bath custodian… no, that doesn’t sound like its right for you. How does one even clean a mud bath?” Rarity and Spike both laughed at the idea.
“What about this? ‘Musician’s Assistant Needed – No Experience Necessary’. That sounds perfect!” Spike sported a huge grin, while pointing to the job ad.
“Let me see.” Rarity quickly scanned over the full description of the job.
Assistant needed for an up and coming DJ, aka, me. Position requires basic errand running, help setting up and preparing for shows, and basically doing what I tell you. Benefits include backstage passes for all shows and performances, food and beverages, and travel. Work is primarily on nights and weekends, and I pay bits, too.
For full details, ask for 'Vinyl Scratch' at Ponyville Music and Sound.
Spike couldn’t believe it. Not only was there an excellent job opportunity in front of him, but it revolved around one of his favourite subjects – music! “Rarity, this is it! This is totally the job for me!” Spike began involuntarily jumping up and down in his seat.
“Now, hold on for a moment,” she said, using her magic to levitate him back down. “I’ll admit, this does sound like a great job for you, but you should probably speak with the employer about the specifics before making any final decisions. I mean, what if the schedule gets in the way of prior engagements. I mean, you help Twilight still, and I’d certainly hope you’ll still be able to come and visit me, from time to time.” She gave him her signature sweet smile.
“Don’t worry, Rarity. The schedule will apparently be on nights and weekends, so it won’t interfere with my chores at the library.” ‘Not that Twilight appreciates them anyway’, he mumbled to himself. “And of course I’ll still visit you. You’re my best friend, and that comes first.” He leaned over and gave the unicorn a tight hug.
“Alright, Spike, but I’m holding you to that,” she said, gently unwrapping her hooves from around the drake. “Now, where did it say to meet the employer?”
“Uhh, ‘Ponyville Music and Sound’. I think that’s actually the store that sent me the advertisement for the equipment I want.” This kept getting better and better.
“Oh, yes, I know that shop. One of my clients, Octavia Melody, recently opened it.”
Spike quickly got up from the seat, and headed for the door. “Well Rarity, I’m gonna head out. I want to get there before someone else does.”
“Alright, Spike. Do you know the way?” Spike shook his head in response. “Okay, you go to town square, take a left at Sofa and Quills, and it’s behind City Hall. Understood?”
“Yea, thanks!” The unicorn got up and gave him a quick hug. “You’re awesome, Rarity! Wish me luck, alright?”
“Definitely! Go get ‘em, Spike!” She gave a final wave and smile as he darted out the door.
* * * * * * *
Spike made a decision right then and there that he would never get directions from Rarity again. Ever. The way she told him led to a particularly boring patch of grass, and he spent the next hour scouring the town for this building, only to find it was merely one building away from the Carousel Boutique itself.
“Well, here goes nothing.” Spike took a deep breath and stepped into the mid-sized building.
As soon as his eyes made contact with the inside of the store, he was flabbergasted. The store was basically one large room outfitted wall to wall with music accessories.
It was heaven!
There were all kinds of guitars hanging on the walls, ranging from classic style acoustics to modern electric, drum kits spread across the room, keyboards, amplifiers, sheet music – if it was related to music, it was here.
It was all Spike could do to not faint on site. He strongly repressed his desire to play around with every instrument he saw, even the ones he had no idea how to play. But he had a mission to complete, and time was valuable.
“Alright, I need to find this, ‘Vinyl Scratch’, pony. I wonder what they look like.” Spike realized the job description gave no clue as to who the employer was. He didn’t even know what gender they were. “I suppose I should find an employee and ask.”
The dragon looked around until he spotted the front counter, and he began to make his way over to it. However, something quickly caught his eye.
“No way!” Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the album section of the store. And it was a massive selection. ‘Okay, I’ve got to take a quick look, and then I’ll get back to the mission,’ he told himself, as he travelled over to the musical banquet before him.
His eyes grew wider the more he browsed. “Oh my gosh, they have everything!” Colt-182, CelestiaShallBurn, A Neigh To Remember, Of Mice & Mares… they had all his favourites! “Wow, I can’t believe I’ve never been here before now.” He picked up an interesting looking album and scanned his eyes over it.
“Whatcha' looking at?”
Spike nearly jumped out of his scales at the sound of another pony behind him. He turned around to find a white unicorn with an electric blue mane looking at him through a pair of stylish sunglasses.
“Oh, I’m just looking at this album. The band is called, ‘Everyone Dies In Canterlot’. I’ve never heard them before.” He flipped the case over in his palm, scanning the song titles. “It seems pretty cool.”
“Yea, they’re alright. Every song is pretty much the same though. Dubstep intro followed by an insane amount of breakdowns. It’s probably worth a listen.” The mystery pony gave witty smile to the purple dragon.
“Awesome. Unfortunately, I’m broke at the moment.” Spike set the album back on the shelf in dejection. “But that’s why I’m here. I don’t suppose you’d know anyone by the name of Vinyl Scratch?”
The white pony smirked, and gave a suspicious glance at the dragon. “I might. Who’s asking?”
“Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself! My name’s Spike.” He quickly gave a traditional gentlemanly bow to the unicorn. “I saw an ad in the paper that said I could meet whoever this pony is here at this music shop and talk about a job. I kinda need one.” He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
“Well, it's your lucky day. You’re looking at her!” The unicorn gave a cocky grin and pushed her glasses up to her forehead revealing a pair of deep magenta eyes.
“Wait, you're Vinyl Scratch?” Spike said slightly taken aback.
“Yep, that’s me! Ponyville’s premier DJ, soon to be Equestria’s top star! I hope. Anyway, to the business at hoof, I take it you’re interested in my job offer?” She gave him a curious look.
“Uh, yeah! I kinda need some extra bits, and frankly, I’ve got none. And I can’t count on my only family to help me when I need something, apparently.” Spike grumbled.
“Been there, done that. My friend Octavia runs this place, and we’ve been roommates for a while. But whenever I was broke and asked for something, I got the short end of the stick.” She looked up at the ceiling with an annoyed sigh.
“I know right! And it was important, too! I needed a new keyboard and sound system, but she said it was just a waste of money!” Spike threw his arms up in annoyance.
The unicorn’s jaw dropped at hearing this. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Anything involving music is never a waste of money! The keyboard is a classic instrument, and a good sound system is important, no, vital, to your music listening experience. She insulted my entire profession!”
Spike couldn’t help but grin at her words. He’d known her for all of five minutes and he liked her. “Thank you! I’m glad somebody gets it! But, she said I have to buy it myself if I want it, so I need to get a job.”
“Hmm, I can probably help you. But, first I gotta ask, what makes you the material I need for an assistant?” She scanned her eyes over him several times.
“Well, I like music. I actually play the keyboard pretty well."
"Hmm," Vinyl said with a smile. "An aspiring musician, huh?"
"Well, kind of," Spike said sheepishly.
"Well, you've gotta start somewhere," she replied. "Anything else?"
"Oh, umm, I’m good at assisting with… stuff.” Spike shrugged his shoulders.
"Awesome, just what I need. But, there is one other thing. A lot of the clubs I play at have an age requirement to get in, so... how old are you, exactly?"
"Don't worry, I'm eighteen," Spike responded with a chuckle. "I just look young. Comes with the territory of draconic aging. But don't worry, I'm an adult."
“Perfect! You’re hired.” She stuck out her hoof and gave Spike a firm hoof/claw shake.
"Really, that quick?"
"Sure. You seem pretty nice and responsible. I'll give you a shot."
“Awesome! Thanks so much!” Spike wildly shook her hoof with excitement.
“And besides, having a dragon around at my shows is bound to turn some heads."
She started walking toward the front counter of the store. “C’mon, Spike. We can discuss the details of the job in the office room back here.”
Spike walked with her behind the counter back to a small room where a grey earth pony was sitting at a desk, glancing over some papers.
“Hey, Octavia! I want you to meet someone,” Vinyl casually called out, causing the earth pony to glance up from what she was doing. “This is Spike! He’s gonna be my new assistant at my shows and stuff!” She pushed him forward with a hoof, forcibly introducing the two.
“Vinyl! He’s a dragon!” Octavia shouted, a tinge of fear in her voice.
“Yeah, and you’re a pony. Take a chill pill, girl. He’s cool, and has an excellent taste in music.” She gave the dragon a sly wink and playfully nudged him. “And besides, having a dragon at gigs is bound to build me some popularity!”
“I suppose that is true,” Octavia said, giving a questioning glance at the new assistant. “I suppose I owe you an apology, uh, Spike, was it?”
“Yeah, Spike.” He gave a graceful bow. “It’s nice to meet you, Octavia. You have an awesome store!”
“Oh, well thank you, Spike. I’m hoping to bring some of the musical culture I picked up from Manehatten here.” The three heard the sound of a doorbell chime from the store. “Now, if you two will excuse me, I have a customer to attend to. It was wonderful meeting you, Spike.” She gave him a polite smile before exiting. She quickly turned around before leaving, however. “I just hope you can handle Vinyl. She’s a firecracker.” With a chuckle, she turned around and left to attend to whoever had come into the store.
“Alright, Spike, let’s talk business.” Vinyl slumped down into the desk chair Octavia was previously occupying. “I have a regular job at the local club on weekend nights, and if I’m lucky, I can get booked by other places throughout the week. You know, opening for other artists, playing at parties, stuff like that. As my assistant, you’d of course get passes to all my shows, which includes getting to meet lots of other artists and famous people.” She cracked a smile at the dragon.
“Whoa, that sounds awesome!” Spike was elated at the opportunity.
“Yeah, it’s pretty sweet, right? Anyway, your job will basically be helping me set up my speakers, amps, microphone, etc. I’ll also need your help with booking gigs, filing receipts and stuff. You think you can do that?”
“Pssh, yeah. I do paperwork and stuff like that all the time.”
“Awesome. Now, of course, we need to talk bits.”
Spike was so psyched by everything else, he almost forgot the base reason he was there. “Oh, yeah. What’s the pay rate?”
“Ten percent of what I make from the gig itself, and five percent of all the tips I receive. Sound good?”
It sounded alright, but from what Spike knew, tips were the primary means of cash flow with jobs like this. “It sounds good, but how about twenty percent of the gig price, to make up for the small tip pay?”
Vinyl’s mouth contorted into a small grin, and she let out a quick laugh. “Huh, a dragon who knows what he wants? I like that! How about we do fifteen percent of the gig price for the first couple shows while I see what you’re capable of, then we’ll talk raising it to twenty. Sound fair?”
“Deal!” Spike shook her hoof once again, finalizing the arrangement.
“Alright, it’s a deal then. We’re gonna have lots of fun, trust me!” She shot a huge grin at the young dragon. “My next show is tomorrow night at the local club, Pop Rocks, alright? I need you there by five to help set up.”
“Gotcha. I’ll be there!”
“Awesome. Now you can go back home and say that you have a job.”
“Alright, awesome! Thanks so much, uh, Ms. Scratch?”
“Blech! Call me, Vinyl, please.”
“Oh, alright. Thanks, Vinyl! I’ll see you tomorrow night!”
“See you then, my friend!” Vinyl lazed back in her chair with her hooves behind her head as her new assistant ran out the door. Her lips turned into a smile while thinking about the small dragon.
“Man, I like him.”