(I don't own the video or the music. Full credit goes to the original owner or owners)
Once Spike got a good look inside the house, he could tell that the party animal, Vinyl, lived with the prim and proper Octavia. There was an odd mix of old fashion and modern furniture. There was a cello, polished and cleaned to perfection on a stand that was next to a massive stereo system with empty soda and beer cans on it. The entire house had sections where it was either so clean that even Twilight would approve or a slight mess that would most likely annoy her to no end. “Sorry about the mess.”
“It's no problem. You should see the library after one of Twilight's study binges,” Spike replied. He shivered at some of the messes she made and the fact that he was the one who usually cleaned them up.
“Oh, yeah? You should have seen me before I started to live with Octavia. I was a thousand times worse than this,” the DJ said as she led to way to her music room.
“So, what changed?”
“It was either learn how to be cleaner about my messes or have Octavia pull an El Conbong on me with her cello in a fit of rage,” Vinyl shivered as she rubbed her head. She still didn't know which was more unbelievable: that Octavia was that strong or that she managed to survive her beating with only a couple of bumps on the head. The white mare and the purple dragon calmly walked to the DJ's music room or at least that is what it looked like on the surface. On the inside of Spike's head, thoughts were bouncing around his head faster than Pinkie was on a sugar rush.
‘I kissed her, I actually kissed her!’ Spike yelled inside his head while doing a mental victory dance. ‘And from the looks of it, she liked it too, if what we were about to do was any hint. Plus, she invited me to her place with no one else home. Does that mean we're going steady? No, I shouldn't get ahead of myself. I'll ask if we’re boyfriend and girlfriend after a few more good dates. Best thing to do is to take it nice and easy.’ With that in mind, the dragon looked forward to seeing what kind of music the DJ had in story for him while said mare was thinking about a certain drake.
‘Wow, I can't believe he kissed me!’ To say that, Vinyl was pleasantly surprised. ‘I didn't think he had it in him to make the first move, even if it was a peck. This guy is turning out to be a better catch by the minute! If our date on Sunday goes well, then I'll see if he's interested in staying together. Until then, I'll pay him little visits here and there to get to know him better or at the very least, tease him and see what his reaction will be.’
While the two were thinking to themselves about the other, Vinyl opened a door to her music room and led the dragon inside. It was filled with the latest music for editing, mixing, and playing equipment. At the center of it all, was a computer that was surrounded by CDs, vinyl records, and empty soda and beer cans.
Spike let out a whistle of amazement. “This is a nice set up you have here, Vinyl!”
“Thanks! I used this stuff when I was on tour and stuff,” she took a seat in front of her computer and quickly pressed a few buttons on her keyboard. “Anyway, here is some of the songs I'm going to play for my first time at the bar tonight.”
(I don't own the video or the music. Full credit goes to the original owner or owners)
As the music begins to play, Spike couldn't help but bob his head to the tune. He knew next to nothing about dubstep outside of Skillrex and even that was very limited. So, he couldn't tell if this was a track that was good or not, but he liked it and that was good enough for him. Half way through the track, he started to make small dancing motions while he focused on the music. It was at the end of the track that Spike realized what he was doing and saw that Vinyl was looking at him with a teasing smirk on her muzzle.
“I take it that you like it?” she said with way too much amusement in her voice in Spike's opinion.
“Y-Yeah,” Spike said as he blushed in embarrassment. He looked everywhere but the mare herself. “Though I know nothing about dubstep though, so my opinion probably doesn't mean much.”
“Hey don't sell yourself so short. You have a pretty good taste in music, so I say your opinion is worth something,” she said with a smile. "Do you suppose you can come to the bar tonight for my debut there? It would be awesome if you can make it,”
“Sure! I'll be there probably around eight or nine,” Spike said. He was excited to see the mare perform first hand. He looked at a nearby clock and noticed the time. “I better get going. The library isn't going to open itself, even if I really wished it could.”
Vinyl chuckled as she got up from her seat and said, “Sure, I'll see you.” Once Spike stepped outside the house, he was about make his way to the library when Vinyl stopped him. “Hey, Spike, you got a second?”
The dragon turned around to face the mare. He was about to ask her what she needed when the DJ grabbed him by the collar. She pulled the drake down so her lips could meet his. A pleasurable shock shot up and down their bodies at the farther forceful contact. While the mare closed her eyes at the feeling the dragon widens his in surprise as a massive blush spread across his face. Before he could completely understand what was going on and truly enjoy the DJ's lips she pulled away. She stared at his shocked, blushing face with a smile and a small blush of her own.
“W-W-What was t-that for?” Spike asked. Who was still having a tough time believing what just happened.
“Just a little payback for that peck earlier,” she replied with a smirk. She let go of his collar and walked back into her home. Before she closed the front door, she looked over her shoulder and said in a quiet enough voice that Spike barely heard her. “And maybe, a hint of things to come.” And with that said, she gently closed the door.
As a gust of wind blew through the air, a certain dragon was busy trying to kick start his brain. As the gears in his head slowly picked up speed, he realized what just happened. Vinyl Scratch, the cool, amazing, and hot DJ, just kissed him. It wasn't a chastise kiss on the cheek he usually got or a peck like the one he gave her. It was a lip to lip kiss that was out of this world, even if it lasted for two or three seconds at the most. He wanted to jump and roar out of joy, but managed to calm himself.
‘Okay, Spike, keep it together,’ he thought as he took a calming breath. His blush wasn't going away as fast as he hoped, however. ‘Yes, she kisses you, but you shouldn't jump into things yet. It just shows that she's interested as well. Just stick to the game plan for now until something comes up. If it does, then play it by ear.’
With that in mind, he turned away from the house and made his way to the library to begin his work for the day.
‘Boring.’
That was the thought that has been going through Spike's mind for a while now and didn't show any signs of stopping anytime soon. As soon as he got home, he cleaned, dusted the library, and made sure that all the books were organized for the day. Once that was done, he took a seat behind the counter and waited for either a customer or for his lunch break to start. Whichever came first. Only one pony had come into the library and it was to return a book. The time it took to process the return and put it in the correct place was five minutes at the most.
The only interesting thing that happened was while he was cleaning up he found something that he hadn't seen in years. It was his old gem sculpting kit. Back when he was little and lived in Canterlot, Princess Celestia tried to get him interested in a couple of hobbies, and gem sculpting was one of them. He liked it at the time, but after he became Twilight's assistant, he usually didn't have the time for it. As the years went by, he just plain forgot about it until now.
He was thinking of getting back into it again, but at the moment he didn't have a single jem to use it on. He made a mental note to ask Rarity if she had any gems she didn't want or find out when the next gem hunting trip will be. Sadly, at the moment there was nothing to do at the library. He didn't feel like re-reading his comic books or any kind of book that could hold his interest. And he wasn't desperate enough to clean and organize the library again out of boredom. He could literally do nothing, but stare at the clock for when his lunch break would start. Spike sighed to himself for what felt like the millionth time today. He was praying to Celestia and Luna that something would happen soon. Either the princesses were listening or Lady Luck smiled down on him since Mac walked into the library with a brown bag and a large bottle in his hands.
“Howdy, Spike! How's work?" Mac asked.
“Boring,” Spike flatly replied while being glad to see his friend. “What brings you here, Mac?”
“Oh, I decided to bring ya some apple fritters and cider for your lunch today,” he placed the items on the counter. Quick as a whip, Spike opened the bag and put an entire fritter into his mouth.
After he swallowed he said, “Thanks for the grub and all, but why did you bring this stuff?”
“Just my way celebrating the fact that you got that there part time job at Octavia's store,” he said as an un-characteristic sly grin appeared on the farm pony's face. “It's also a thank you for sending her my way the other day.”
“I don't know what you’re talking about,” Spike calmly replied. He took a bite out of another fritter to keep the smirk he felt coming off his face.
“Sure you do,” Mac said, the sly smile still in place. “Slow day, I take it?”
“Mac, it's usually a slow day. The only time this place ever gets busy is on really hot days or when the students at the school need some books for a project or something. It has been pretty much nice and cool lately and it's still summer vacation.”
“Meaning, there's not much business,” Mac concluded. “I guess with Twilight gone, ya'll don't have as much work to keep you busy since she's the one who usually makes the messes around here.”
“For the most part, I'm just waiting for closing time so I can lock up and head over to my new job.”
“You do realize it could be just as boring as or more demanding than here right?” Mac asked. He didn't want his friend to be disappointed if his new dream job of sorts ends up to be a lot of hard work.
“Maybe, but it will be more manageable than here since it will involve something I actually like. It's kind of the same thing for Twilight and this place,” Spike answered as he gestured to the shelves of books.
“Ya'll did as well a few years ago.”
“I didn't like books, at least not nearly as much as Twilight does. What I liked was being her assistant.”
“But ya'll don't want to be her assistant anymore, right?” the farmpony ventured.
“I don't want to do this for centuries until I get too big to actually fit inside a library. I want to be like Twilight, you, your sister, and the rest of our friends and family.”
“What do ya mean?”
“Having a job or a career that you enjoy with all of your heart. Heck, everyone in town seems to be doing something they love for a living. I want that. Doing something that I completely love doing. A job that even during the tough or difficult times I wouldn't give it up for the world,” Spike explained. He stared at his half eaten fritter for a minute before popping the rest into his mouth. After he chewed the tasty treat and swallowed, Spike turned his attention back to his friend. “Do you get what I'm saying?”
“Yeah, I do,” Mac answered. Mac loved his job with every fiber of this being. Even when he was injured, sore, or just plain tired. He wouldn't give up working on his family farm, even if the princesses tried to force him to. “But are you sure this new job is the one you're meant to do?”
“I don't know, I don't exactly have a Cutie Mark to tell me that sort of thing,” Spike replied. “This could very well be my dream job or a huge mistake. I'm hoping it's at least a step in the right direction. If anything, it will be new and different. The same and old haven't been doing me any favors for a while now.”
“I hear ya. Listen, I have to get back to the farm,” Big Mac made his way to the door and opened it. Before he closed it behind him, he turned to his dragon friend. “I hope everything turns out okay and that ya'll find what you're lookin' for.”
“Thanks. I'm hoping for that too. I don't suppose you can come with me to the club around nine?” Spike asked his friend. “I'm going there for Vinyl's debut there.”
“Sorry, can't,” Mac answered. “I already promised to meet up with Octavia at eight to see a movie we both wanted to watch.”
“Oh, I see,” Spike said with a smirk. “Well, I hope you two have a fun time. And don't forget to wear protection if things get heated.”
While Big Mac's expression didn't change Spike was pretty sure that his face was a little redder than usual. “Uh, thanks and I'll keep that in mind. See ya 'round.” With that said, he closed the door behind him to leave his scaled friend to his job, lunch, and laughter.
3...
2...
1...
“ARGH! I QUIT!” Spike yelled. Nobody had set hoof or foot into the library since Big Mac. He knew he was basically going from one job to another, but at this point, Spike really didn't care. He was just glad he could do something after that long stretch of boredom. After he made himself an early dinner and closed the library Spike set off to his first day of work at Melody's Music Store. As he made his way to the store, he saw a familiar fashion designer making her way to her home.
“Hey, Rarity,” Spike greeted the mare. “How have you been?”
“Spikey, it's so good to see you again!” Rarity greeted back. She gave her dragon friend a quick hug before continuing. “And it was dreadful. I just got back from another horrendous date!” she exclaimed while putting her hand to her forehead in a dramatic fashion.
Spike subtly rolled his eyes without the mare's notice. His next two words came out of his mouth as naturally as breathing. “What happened?”
His question causes Rarity to once again go on a rant about her latest so called prince charming. How amazing and perfect he was at first glance, and then later on she would go on about his flaws or flaw. In more than a few cases the flaws were actually really minor. He didn't get the details since he zoned out, making sure to nod and comment every other minute. All of her rants when it came to bad dates or failed lovers were more or less the same. When Spike first moved to Ponyville, he fell in love with the mare at first sight. For years he tried to win her over, but failed at winning her love at every turn. Even coming out and asking her out on a date didn't work. Every time Spike tried, she would either say that she was busy or had other plans.
As Spike grew older, and wiser, the amount of rejections started to pile up. He realized an important aspect about the beautiful dressmaker: she had ridiculously high standards for her so called soul mate and was really high maintenance. If they didn't meet them, even for a second, Rarity would either let them down gently or kick them to the curb. From looking at Rarity's past boyfriends, crushes, and flings Spike knew he fitted at least a few of her requirements. Two of which are being kind in nature and a gentleman. Sadly he didn't have another two important requirements, being rich and famous. He was only famous in the Crystal Empire, but his guess didn't count in Rarity's books, and he was by no means rich.
The only way he could easily meet the last two requirements was to ask for money from Celestia, since he was Celestia adopted son. He had a large sum of money stored in the family vault for when he becomes a prince. Unlike his cousin Blueblood, who was announced as prince the day he was born, he won't be an official prince until he is twenty one. That was still around three years away. That was beside the point away in Spike's eyes; he didn't really care about whether or not he was royalty. He wanted to be loved for him, not his status.
He had tried multiple times to convince Rarity to lower her expectations. If not for himself than for the other actually nice and good people to have a chance. Sadly, Rarity was stubborn and set in her ways. After a while, Spike gave up on changing her mind and being with Rarity romantically in general. The torch he once held for her was smothered by the fact that he was one dragon in a long, growing list of good and decent people that Rarity either ignored or pushed aside.
‘Good thing we didn't end up together either way. There is no way I could keep up her standards without driving myself mad. I'm better off that we're just friends,’ Spike thought to himself. He was brought back to the real world by Rarity calling his name.
“Spikey!” Rarity yelled with a pout. “Did you hear anything I just said?”
“Nope, I zoned out,” Spike bluntly stated. “Though it usually isn't any different than any other date rant you've told before,” the dragon held up his claw and one by one lifted each finger for each highlight of Rarity's rant. “You met a handsome looking guy that you thought was your prince charming. You went on a date or dates with him. He either turned out to be an ass, was grabby, he was lying about being rich and, or famous, or he did something small like burp loudly or something. Afterwards, you either gently said it was over or you outright dumped him with a slap to the face. How am I doing so far?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.
Somehow Rarity's pout got even poutier. “You know I'm starting to miss the old Spike. The one that would just said yes and agree with everything I say.”
“I don't. I have way more fun with this Spike,” the drake said with a cheeky grin.
“Hmph! Be that as it may be, it looks like I'm doomed forever to be alone. Why can't I seem to find the right one for me?” Rarity once again going into her damsel in distress mode.
“Because you have expectations and standards that are as high as the moon. It also doesn't help that you are really high maintenance,” Spike deadpanned. “The only pony I can think of that come even remotely close to them is Fancy Pants and he's already married.”
“Please darling, don't remind me.”
“Anyway, I really have to be somewhere and before I go I have to ask you something. Do you have any gems you're not using?”
”Well, I just finished a line of dresses and I still have some leftover gems I'm not going to be using. Are you out of gems again?”
“Well yes, but I'm not planning to eat them. For the most part, anyway,” Spike muttered the last sentence under his breath. “I'm taking up an old hobby of mine and I need some gems for it. If you’re not using them can I please have them?”
“Sure, Spikey. How about you get them tomorrow whenever you are free? I was also planning to go gem hunting soon. If you can help me, I'll split the gems fifty-fifty as usual.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Splendid! Is Saturday good for you, dear?”
“Sorry, I'm busy tomorrow. How about Monday?”
“That is fine by me, but I have to ask, what will you be doing on tomorrow? Perhaps going on a date?” Rarity asked in a teasing manner.
Seeing what his friend was trying to do, he decided to turn the tables on the purple maned unicorn. “No, I'll be busy with work tomorrow,” as Spike made his way around Rarity he said, “I'm saving the date for Sunday.” As he walked away, Spike couldn't help but grin as the sounds of surprise and gaping like a fish came from the mare behind him.
“Sorry, I'm late,” Spike said as he went into the store. Octavia turned her attention from the book she was reading at the counter to the dragon. “I had to deal with a friend on a rant.”
“Say no more, I completely understand,” she said with a smile.
“So, what do you want me to do?” Octavia took a moment to think about what needed to be done in the store at the moment.
“How about you dust the place and make sure all the CDs and records are where they should be?”
“Sure.” With that said, Spike went straight to work. To him, this sort of thing was second nature and went basically on auto-pilot. Before he knew it, Spike had already swept the floors and organized the back storage room. Once he was done, the drake realized he had already killed an hour. “Huh, I made pretty good time. I'm done with what you asked me to do, Octavia.”
The cello player was really impressed with the dragon's work ethic.
“So, what's next?” Spike asked.
“Well, for now we just wait for someone to come in. I sometimes either play my cello or one of the CD's. The music sometimes gets ponies curious enough to at least take a look around. I usually just listen to classical music some of the more so. Since this is your first day, I'll let you pick the music.”
Spike gave it some thought on which songs he should play. With a decision in mind, he made his way to one of shelves to find his pick. “Well there is this band I found out about a while back. They're pretty good and sometimes mixes classical and opera sound music with rap and hip hop. Though, only as long as you don't mind cursing that is.”
The mere thought of one of Octavia's favorite genres being mixed with one of her hated works caused the mare to laugh. “Go ahead. If anything, it will give me a good laugh who ever thought combining the elegance of classical music with something as crude as rap.” With the green light given Spike opened a CD and put it in the store's stereo.
(I don't own the music or the video. Quick Warning: Has a lot of cursing.)
The song at the beginning was a bit unexpected. It sounded more like dialogue you would hear in a movie in Octavia's opinion. The actual music started and the cello player approved of it. The opera like chorus was a nice touch in her opinion. Then as quick as a whip a beat appeared and the rapping began. As the orchestra, beats, and rapping continued to play Octavia had to admit, much to her own distaste, that the song was pretty good. Somehow this group had managed to combine two genres that shouldn't work together and made it work.
Once the song ended Spike asked the mare, “Well, was it good or what?”
“It was decent at least,” Octavia said as she looked to the side. Her pride and love for pure classical music wouldn't let her admit her true feelings. It was then that two unicorn colts by the names of Snips and Snails came in through the door.
“Welcome to Melody's Music Store. How can I help you?” Octavia greeted the two.
“Hey, we were walking by when we heard that kicking song and thought we should check it out,” Snips said as his much taller friend nodded his head.
“Well, you guys have good taste,” Spike said. The sound of his voice drew the two's attention.
“Spike, it's good to see you man. We haven't seen you in a while,” Snail said as Spike gave to two fist bumps. While Spike wouldn't say he was the best of friends with these two, they were bros that he would sometimes hang out with.
“Sorry, I've been busy with some stuff. Anyway that was Spaz Out by Jedi Mind Tricks,” Spike explained. “This store has the album; Army of the Pharaohs, that song came from and a couple others that are just as good if not better.”
“Then saddle us up with two copies, please,” Snips and Snails said at the same time. Spike pointed the two unicorns where the albums were and bought two them.
“Make sure you spread the word on this store and the album,” Spike told the two as they left the store.
“We will!” The two went into the night and probably to their homes.
“So, what now?” Spike asked.
“Now, we basically play more music and wait for more customers until closing time in two hours since we've done everything we need to do already. Unless you feel like cleaning the entire store a second time?” Octavia asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Music it is.” For the next two hours the store was filled with music, talking, and helping a few customers that came into the store. In a few hours, it was twenty minutes to eight o' clock.
“Alright, it's closing time,” the mare said as both she and Spike closed the store. When she locked the door she turns to the drake. “Good job, Spike! I can tell we'll work well together. Have a good night,” she said as she walked in the direction of the movie theater.
With a cheeky grin, Spike said to her, “I will. Have a nice night with Big Mac,” he got to see the mare stumble for a bit and try to stutter out an excuse. Spike didn't hear what she managed to come up with since by then he was already making his way to the club.
As Spike walked inside the club, he could already hear the music that Vinyl was playing shaking the building. He noticed that it was slightly more crowded than the last time he was here. He could see the dubstep loving mare already at the station playing the music the crowd was enjoying. The dragon could see the huge smile on her face from where he was, getting complete enjoyment out of doing what she loved. As he got closer, he could see that she saw him and her smile got even bigger. She nodded in his direction in acknowledgement since her glasses were over her eyes and continued on her job.
Spike spent most of the night either dancing or just relaxing and enjoying the music. He decided to not drink anything since he wanted to be fully aware of himself while he enjoyed the show Vinyl was putting on. The way she moved and how she seemly commanded the crowd with her music and turn tables was as if she was queen, the club, her castle, and the crowd, her loyal servants.
“ALRIGHT EVERYONE!” She yelled into her mic, getting everyone's attention. “I'LL BE TAKING A QUICK BREAK, BUT DON'T WORRY! I HAVE A NEW TRACK THAT WILL KEEP THE PARTY GOING UNTIL I GET BACK!” Vinyl then played the music that Spike recognized from earlier today. While he was resting his feet from another bout of dancing, the DJ took a seat next to him. “Glad to see you could make it.”
“Eh, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my night,” Spike shrugged, trying to play it cool. “You sure know how to put on a show.”
“It's one of my many talents,” The white mare said as she puffed out her chest. Spike couldn't help but think about a certain daredevil of a friend. “Stick with me and you'll see just how amazing I am.”
“I just might,” the drake said with a grin.
“So, how was your first day at Tavi's store?”
“It wasn't that much different than working at the library. The difference is that I can listen or play music while working and I actually get paid. So, I would say it went pretty well,” Spike gave her a thumbs up. “Oh, by the way, I played one of the songs from the band I mentioned.”
“Oh, what did she think about it?” Vinyl asked with a grin of anticipation.
“I can tell she liked it, but didn’t want to admit it,” Spike said with a grin of his own. The two had a quick laugh before Spike continued. “I take that your first day is going great?”
“You bet your sweet, hot ass it is,” she said with a teasing smirk. While Spike is starting to get used to her teasing, he still couldn't help but blush a little to Vinyl's enjoyment. “Aww, don't be like that. I'm just stating facts.”
“Maybe, but yours is hotter and probably a lot sweeter than mine,” the drake was surprised he was able to say that without any stuttering. Spike gave himself a mental high five.
“I have no doubts about the hot part, but I don't know about sweet. Would you like to find out?” Vinyl flirted, testing Spike's reaction. The blush on the dragon's face duplicated in both size and brightness. He looked away from the mare due to embarrassment and rubbed the back of his neck.
“M-M-Maybe one day, but n-not today,” Spike stuttered. “I-I wouldn't mind doing that somewhere down the road when we're both ready and willing.”
He didn't see the happy and relieved smile appear on the mare's face. Spike's reaction was just the one she was looking for. He didn't jump on the offer like a lot of other guys she dated in the past did, but he was still interested doing such things if they got to the point. Plus, his genuine words and the meaning behind them made her like him even more.
“With any luck, that day won't be that far away,” she said, grinning that she managed to get the dragon to stuttering again. “So, my break is about to be over. Are you sticking around?”
After Spike calmed his raging mind and blush he said, “I don't think so. I have get some groceries before I open the library tomorrow so I have to get up early.”
“I understand. I'll see you later,” Vinyl said. She got up and kissed Spike on his cheek again. This time Spike was able to keep himself together for the most part expect. “And I can't wait for our date on Sunday.”
“Me too,” the dragon decided to return the favor and kissed the mare on her nose. “Have a nice night!” With that, the two went their separate ways.
One to sleep in preparation for the work waiting for him tomorrow while the other to continue her job until the late hours of the night.