//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Dreamer // by midnightsong960 //------------------------------// Chapter 3 "Why can't things work like that?!" "That'll be eighteen bits," a brown earth pony mare sitting behind the counter said. I silently passed the bits over to the mare and grabbed my bag with my mouth. "Have a nice night." the mare said as I began to leave. I nodded and hesitantly mumbled a 'thanks' and walked out the door of the store. It was the night before we were to go and see Audio Jack and I was by myself. Chord had already gone home and Mystic said that she had some things to get done back at her place before she would meet up with me. I hate it when I'm by myself in the city. Whenever I'm with Mystic and Chord I can deal with it, but when I'm left alone I can't even ask someone for directions without mumbling it under my breath. I lowered my head and ears and let out a long sigh. Why am I cursed with shyness, I thought to myself, no one else seems to have any problems with their lives. So why me, why do I have to have this problem. "Hey Midnight," I heard Mystic yell. I lifted my head to try and find her. By the time I found her I was already on the ground with a bright yellow pony standing on me, smiling. My bag now lay sprawled on the ground, emptied of it's contents. "Whatcha doing," Mystic chirped. "Well," I said, starting to get up. "I was just at the music store getting some drum sticks." I pointed to the mess that was my shopping trip. "... Sorry," Mystic said after processing what happened. "I didn't see you carrying anything. You just looked sad so I decided to try and cheer you up. Why were you sad?" There's always something about everypony that I can't stand, whether it be the way they talk or eat, there is always something that I can't stand about everypony. For Mystic, it was her knack for asking questions that were needed to be asked, but I, or anypony she was talking to, did not want to answer, and she just did it again. “Nothing,” I lied as I picked up my drumsticks. “Don’t worry about it.” Mystic gave me an annoyed look of disbelief. “Fine,” She said. “Be that way. Anyway, I need to get something to wear for this. What are you wearing?” Now it was my turn to give her a look of annoyed disbelief as we began to walk. “I’m going like this,” I said. “You know me.” “Ah yes,” Mystic teased. “The colt who could get confused for a mare.” “My mane isn’t that long,” I said, now brushing my mane out of my face. To tell the truth I was in need of having a mane-cut, over time I just let it get too long. “You are going to cut it aren’t you?” “I don’t know, I only haven’t done it because I’ve been too busy.” “By busy you mean you’re just too lazy,” Mystic laughed. “No… I just…” “Admit it, you are lazy. L-A-Z-Y,” Mystic sang. "If I say I'm lazy will you stop," I asked. Mystic's singing was starting to get the attention of the other ponies that were around. Mystic stopped for a second and put her hoof to her chin and tilted her head slightly to think about it. "Nope," Mystic smiled and began to sing about me being lazy again. I lowered my head in defeat and followed Mystic from a distance. ******** "Tell me again why we came here," I said, inspecting a vase that was on display. What was supposed to be a quick dress shopping trip for Mystic had now become a three hour 'ooh let's look in that store' night. Our journey had taken us over to a home decor shop. In the end, this was better than Mystic singing about me being lazy. "No reason," Mystic bounced. "We're just looking." "I thought you needed a dress or something," I regrettably said. "I know that, but it's more fun this way, besides you need something in your house, it's so boring in there. Ooh, how about this one?" Mystic held up a silver picture frame a few inches from my face. "First off," I said pushing the picture frame away a bit. "I don't need anything in my house, it's perfectly fine the way it is. Second, I have no pictures for that so it would be pointless." "Well fine then," Mystic disappointedly set the picture frame back on the shelf. "You really are being no fun tonight." "I'm sorry," I said as we walked out of the store. "Something's bugging you," Mystic said as she began to stand in front of me. "Tell me what it is, and not just 'it's nothing.'" "... It's just that annoying dream is all," I said, averting from the real problem. "You really think that you could lie to me after the amount of time that we've been friends? You know what, if that's how it is then just don't even talk to me!" Mystic flew away with tears in her eyes before I could say anything. Now I was truly alone. ********* "Well, well," Power Chord said as I walked up to him. "Look who's all by himself, this is new. Usually you're with Mystic... Where is she?" "I don't know," I said. "I thought she'd be here." Tonight The Dark Return was going to get to record at Audiolicious, Audio Jack's famous recording studio. Mystic was still angry at me for what happened last night. "Well she isn't here and that's not good," Chord said. "So what happened that caused you to come here alone?" I explained to Chord what happened. "You chose a bad time to get Mystic upset," Chord said after I finished my explanation. I lowered my ears to my head. Chord had hit the nail on the head, I had messed up big and I just couldn't take it anymore. "I didn't mean to upset Mystic," I cried. "I just didn't want Mystic to worried about me is all, and I screwed up." "Why didn't you just say that in the first place," Chord questioned. "I don't know why," I sobbed. "I just did." "Hi Chord," I heard from behind me. I turned around and saw Mystic walking up to us. She was in some kind of blue dress and her mane and tail had been styled. She walked past me, turning her head away from me with a "hmph." "Hi Mystic," Chord replied. "Shouldn't you be worried about Midnight?" "Why should I," Mystic said sourly. "He'll just say it's nothing, besides, we have more important things to do right now." "Ok," Chord said with an authoritative voice. "You two need to make up or else we are not going in that building." "What do I have to say to him anyway, it's not like he'll talk." "I'm sure he has something to say, don't you Midnight?" Chord turned to look at me. I opened my mouth to say something, but I just couldn't get any words to come out. I lowered my head in shame. "What did I tell you," Mystic jeered. "Nothing to say at all." "I'm sorry," I almost whispered through my tears. "What was that," Mystic said. "I couldn't hear you." "I'm sorry," I repeated a little louder, keeping my head down. "One more time," I felt Mystic move next to me. "I'm sorry," I screamed through my tears, raising my head keeping my eyes shut. "I messed up and am a big jerk for lying to you, will you please forgive me?" I opened my eyes to see the surprised face of Power Chord. Mystic had a hoof to her chin thinking. "...hmmmm," Mystic thought. "Please," I begged, more quietly this time. "Ok," Mystic chirped and began smiling. She then ran up and embraced me. I was taken aback by Mystic's reaction. Sure this was nothing new for her, being bipolar like that, but even after the way she acted. The mare's mind truly was a wonder that no pony could ever decipher. "Oh good," Chord said. "Now that you two lovebirds have..." Chord was thrown to the ground by Mystic. "Maybe it was you that I should've stopped talking to," Mystic irritably said. I began to laugh. "What's so funny?" "It's just nice to see you being yourself again." "It's nice to see you back to normal too. Now come on, we have an album to record." ******** We walked through the sliding glass doors of the recording studio, I was instantaneously blinded by the lights in the lobby. Immediately Mystic began running around, completely ignoring the brightness of the room, gasping at all of the platinum records on the walls of the lobby. "Look at this one," Mystic said, pointing at one of the records. Chord and I walked over to look at the record that Mystic was pointing at. It was a platinum record under the band name The Rising Tides. The one she was pointing at was their first, self-titled album. "This will be us, guys." "I think that you're getting a little bit ahead of yourself," Chord said. "I can dream," Mystic spat. "What do you think Midnight?" "I think that we could," I hesitantly said. "If we really tried." I really didn't know for a fact, but we would eventually get a platinum record, maybe not at first, but maybe our third. "That's the spirit!" Mystic walked away from the records and walked up to the secretary that was at the other side of the room. I hadn't even noticed the green mare behind the desk since I had been so distracted by the number of platinum records hanging on the wall. There must have easily been one hundred records. "How can I help you," The mare said, disinterest evident in her voice. "Hi," Mystic happily replied. "We are here to see Audio Jack." "What's your name?" "We are The Dark Return." The mare brought up a large book and opened it and began looking through. "Ah yes, here you are," She said after a bit of searching. "Audio Jack will be able to see you now." The mare pointed us to a door and we walked over and went in. Thankfully, this room was not as bright as the lobby. "Hi there," Audio said brightly. "Welcome to my office." I looked around the room. Audio's office wasn't very large and her walls were covered with more records, these being bronze and silver. On the other side of the door was a small desk, behind which Audio Jack was sitting, with a mess of papers all over it. "So," Audio said. "Should we just go record now?" "I think that would be good," Chord said through a yawn. "Ok then let's go," Audio giggled and led us to the recording room. We walked back through the bright lobby, causing me to cringe. "Are you alright," Mystic asked. "Yeah," I said rubbing the pain away from my eyes. "It's just really bright." "I guess so," Mystic pondered. "I just ignore it." I shook my head, letting out a small chuckle as we walked into the just as bright recording room. We were in the side with the sound board, where a gray unicorn colt was sitting. He had a black mane and tail and a cutie mark of a vinyl record. "Guys," Audio Jack said. "This is Multimedia and he is going to work the sound board." Multi Media waved at us and we waved back. "Are you all set there?" Audio had asked Multimedia. "Yep," he responded with a light voice, putting on some headphones. "Let's get this recording going." "Ok then," Audio said, turning back to us. "Get in the other room please." Audio walked over to another door right next to the one that we had come through and opened it. The walls of the room were covered with spiked foam and inside there was a drumset, some guitars, a piano, and several microphones. The two rooms were separated by windows so that we could still be able to see what the other group wanted. "Wait," I said, realizing what had been missing. "What about a piano player?' "Oh you don't have to worry about that," Audio responded. "We can add those in later. Right now, all we need is your parts recorded." "Yeah," Mystic taunted. "We just need to have our parts recorded." We walked into the room of instruments and took our places and got ready. Audio Jack closed the door separating us from the soundboard and stood near Multimedia. "Whenever you're ready," Audio Jack said. "We are recording... now." ==================================================================== Questions, comments, is your cutie mark telling you to be an editor and you want to fulfill that destiny? Then email me at midnight.song960@gmail.com Copyrights don’t belong to me it, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, belongs to Hasbro. ====================================================================