Chapter I
A Voice in the Night
The nightclub was alive with swaying bodies and flashing lights. The familiar thump, thump, thump of the latest Sapphire Shores techno remix filled the air and kept the crowd going in an endless display of bouncing and grinding. Vinyl watched the scene from her place behind the DJ’s turntable, headphones pressed tight to her ears and a smile plastered on her face. None of the ponies there paid much attention to her, but she didn’t mind. The music pumped into her brain like life-giving blood to a heart. It gave her the mental fuel necessary to focus on what on her next mix might be.
Sadly, that mix wasn’t to come, at least not tonight; she felt something tap her on the shoulder. She turned to find her replacement, Bouncing Beat, standing next to her with a grin. A glance at the turntable’s shining display revealed it was closing in on two. With a sigh, she pulled off the headphones.
“Sorry, Vinyl,” Bouncing shouted into her ear, “but even you can’t keep it up forever.”
“That won’t stop me from trying.” She offered him the headphones. “I got ‘em nice and riled up for ya, so don’t blow it with that Brightmare crap, k?”
“Yeah, yeah, learned my lesson.” He waved her off and took her place at the turntable. “Fifty Four’s offering free drinks to the staff tonight. Something about finally settling with his ex and wanting to celebrate.”
“Good to know!” Vinyl patted him on the shoulder and made her way to the bar. She waved for the barkeep, Velvet Light. “What’s this I hear about free drinks?”
Velvet grinned. “You heard right! One night only. Fifty Four’s so glad to get his witch out of his mane that he’s opened up the tap.”
“Sweet!” Vinyl slapped the table. “Gimme a Monkey Buck.”
“Dash of vodka?”
“Of course!”
While Velvet was off making the drink, Vinyl turned about to scan the scene. The entire club was as active as ever. It was a source of pride that her mixes could get this club hopping almost every time. Yet, as she turned back for the bar, she noticed that she hadn’t managed to get every pony onto the dance floor.
Sitting a few stools away was a lone pegasus, orange with a blue mane. He was slumped over the bar and nursing a bottle of high-proof booze like it was the only thing he had left in the world. The sight made her frown; he had to be really down to not be bouncing to her beats.
“Monkey Buck, shot of vodka.”
“Hey, Velvet?” Vinyl turned and tilted her head towards the stranger. “What’s his story?”
“Ya got me.” Velvet shrugged as she leaned against the counter. “He’s been sitting there for the past three hours, won’t hardly say anything. It’s too bad, he’s real cute.”
“Of course you’d notice that.” Vinyl took a swig of the drink and let out a whoop. “Oooooh, yeah! That’s the good stuff.”
“Why don’t you try talking to him?”
Vinyl blinked. “What, me? What am I supposed to talk to him about?”
Velvet rolled her eyes. “How about asking him why he’s not grooving to your beats?”
“That is a legitimate question,” Vinyl admitted with a smirk. She took another gulp from her glass. “Make me another.”
“Only if you talk to him.”
Vinyl felt her jaw drop. “Are you serious? Why the heck do ya want me to talk to the guy? You’re the barkeep. Isn’t that in your job description or something?”
“Maybe, but this one’s not talking. Not to me, at least. Look, he’s stinking up my bar. My sales are down.”
“So? What am I supposed to do about that?”
“Cheer him up.”
Vinyl pointed a hoof at a random speaker. “If the dubstep don’t improve his mood, nothing I say will manage it.”
Velvet grabbed her empty glass. “You want a refill or not?”
A scowl fell upon Vinyl’s lips. “You’re a slave driver, you know that?” At Velvet’s smirk she threw up her hooves. “Fine, but it’s not gonna help.”
Vinyl turned to the stallion, but couldn’t bring herself to approach. Instead, she observed him. He stared down at his half-empty bottle as though the secrets of the universe might be trapped inside. Now that she really observed him, he didn’t look so much sad as he did bitter; his lips were set in a grimace and his shoulders, though low, held clear tension. He appeared about ready to snap, and a look at his muscles made it clear she wouldn’t want him doing so in her direction.
A cough caught her attention; she looked to find Velvet waving an empty glass at her. Vinyl was tempted to wipe that smug smile off her face, but she turned her eyes back to the stallion. Might as well get it over with…
She slipped onto the stool next to him, which earned her no reaction at all. Vinyl tapped the counter and leaned towards him, but he only stared at his bottle with more force. His intent wouldn’t have been more obvious if he’d stapled a “Talk to me at your own risk!” sign to his forehead.
Vinyl considered him with a pout, then glanced towards Velvet. The pony gestured encouragingly.
With no other ideas, Vinyl blurted the first thing that came to mind: “You’re not dancing.”
The stallion grumbled and turned his head away. “I’m not looking, either.”
“Looking at what?”
“You, for one.”
She straightened, her entire body going tense. “What makes you think I’m looking?”
He took a long swig from his bottle. “Why else would you be talking to me?”
Vinyl leaned an elbow against the counter to get a better look at his face, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes. “Maybe I saw a stallion down on his luck and thought I could help cheer him up.”
He gave a derogatory sniff and leaned his cheek on his hoof. “Only if you know how to change a mare’s heart.”
“Aaaaaah.” Vinyl patted him on the back with a smile. “Dumped or rejected?”
“What do you care?”
“Just a concerned citizen.” She tapped the counter and gestured to Velvet, who rolled her eyes and started making a drink. “You can always just ignore me as I spout advice, which would probably be a good idea since I know absolutely nothing about relationships.”
He eyed her, the corners of his lips twitching. “Is that supposed to cheer me up?”
“Meh.” She shrugged and snatched her drink as it slid across the counter. “You can either let me chew your ear off or you can quit the tough guy routine and let it out. It’s good to talk about things, y’know.” She took a sip of her drink and shot Velvet an approving smile.
The stallion said nothing.
Vinyl raised an eyebrow and set the glass down between them with a thunk. She repositioned so that she could lean close to him, narrowing her eyes with a smirk.
He caught her eye and flinched. “You’re not gonna take ‘no’ for an answer, are you?”
Her smile became a grin. “Now you’re getting it. Start talking—” she glanced back at his cutie mark, “—Bolt Butt.”
He scowled. “It’s Flash Sentry.”
“Whatever.” She took a quick sip of her drink. “You gonna talk, or will I have to?”
He sighed and stared at his bottle once more. “There’s nothing to talk about. I was an idiot.”
“Okay, you’re an idiot. Go on.”
He shot her a one-eyed glare before rubbing a hoof through his mane. “I just… I realize now I may have the wrong career.”
“Uh-huh.” Vinyl waved her hoof in a circle. “And what does that have to do with the mare of your dreams?”
He let out another sigh and glanced away. “I’m a guard.” There was a pause, and he glanced at her expectantly. “As in, Royal Guard. For the princesses.”
“Oooh, aren’t we going places?” she said with a shrug.
He scowled. “If you don’t care, why’d you ask to know?”
“Ah, don’t start that.” She patted him on the shoulder. “Come on, what’s so bad about serving the princesses? There are plenty of stallions just dreaming to be where you’re at right now.”
“They shouldn’t.” He sipped from his bottle. “They have no idea what it’s like.”
“What, are they real demanding or something?”
“Not at all, they’re very reasonable. It’s just…” Flash chewed his lip, his cheeks flushing. “I’m… well, you know… young. And… uh… hot-blooded. And it’s my job to stand guard – often in close proximity to – a bunch of mares who are forever young and very easy on the eyes.”
Vinyl’s head whipped towards him, her eyebrows rising. “Wait, you mean you’re crushing on one of the princesses?” He flinched and took another swig of his drink. “Oh-ho-ho wow, now that is a problem. Which one?”
Cheeks burning, Flash seemed to shrink around his bottle. His wide eyes remained locked on the glass and his wings shivered as though he could barely control them.
Seeing he wasn’t going to answer, Vinyl rubbed her chin and considered the possibilities. “Can’t be Cadance, she’s married. Celestia doesn’t seem like the type to be accepting suitors, though I suppose she could just be very hush-hush about that kind of thing. Luna… heck, I have no idea what her type would be, or even if she has one. She strikes me more like the kind of mare who’d send suitors to the moon for wasting her time.”
She observed Flash through peering eyes as he wilted a little more with each name. By now he was shifting uncontrollably and looking at anything but her. She gained a wry, confident smile.
“It’s Twilight, isn’t it?”
He closed his eyes and ground his teeth.
Bingo.
“Makes sense.” She grabbed her glass for another swig. “She’s the youngest, and probably still acts like a ‘normal’ pony. Most approachable, right?”
Flash winced, his chin dropping to the countertop. “And I really thought she was interested too. I thought I saw hints…”
Vinyl blinked. “Wait, you mean you actually asked the Princess of Friendship out? Really?”
He groaned and downed the rest of his bottle.
“Dude.” Vinyl considered this news, suddenly seeing Flash in a new light. “Dude. That must have taken some guts.” She slapped him on the back and waved to Velvet. “Hey, barkeep! This guy’s got some balls. He deserves another drink.”
Velvet scoffed. “Are you kidding? He’s already had three bottles!”
“One more won’t kill him.” She turned and gave Flash a push on the shoulder. He leaned a good bit, but managed to stay in his seat. “See? Perfectly fine.”
“You carrying him home?” Velvet leaned forward with a raised eyebrow. “’Cause I’m not giving him another sip otherwise.”
Flash finally managed to straighten himself, knocking his bottle down in the process. He grabbed at it, saw it was empty. “Gimme another.”
“C’mon, barkeep.” Vinyl slapped him on the back once more and grinned. “Give the stallion what he wants.”
“I’m serious, Vinyl,” Velvet said as she reached for another bottle. “You promise to cart him off, or he’s not getting another one from me.”
“Yeah, sure, whatever. Just give ’em the bottle already!”
“Fine.” The bottle slid across the counter to Vinyl’s waiting hooves. “But you’re gonna regret this in a couple hours.”
“Hah! Oh ye of little faith.” Vinyl turned and pushed the drink into Flash’s eager hooves.
“Damn it, you’re a lot heavier than you look. I thought pegasi were supposed to be light.”
Vinyl at last managed to set Flash down against the wall of the barracks. He sagged in place, half-conscious and mumbling. She took a moment to stretch, her muscles sore from having dragged him halfway across Canterlot. She eyed the moon and realized it wouldn’t be out much longer.
Velvet’s smirking face filled her vision.
I told you so.
“Yeah, yeah.” Vinyl glowered at Flash, who outright reeked of alcohol. Not that Vinyl didn’t get like that every now and then, but at least she was a fun drunk. Flash just started sobbing into his liquor and whining all night. Poor guy was rather pathetic... and so terribly heartbroken. She had actually started feeling sorry for the guy, up until the point when she realized she really was going to have to drag him back to the castle.
Pulling him up by the shoulders, she slapped his face a couple times. “Hey, come on, snap out of it.”
He moaned and tried to push her away with feeble legs. “Nosh reddy… g’me ’nothr…”
“Dude, ya gotta at least tell me what room’s yours.”
“Lemme alone.”
She sighed and hoisted him up, letting him lean on her as she moved for the door. His legs shuffled, so it was really more like she was dragging him than anything else.
“Ah’ma hanshome guy, right?”
“Sure ya are,” she muttered with a smirk. “A regular prince charming.”
“So wha’d she say no?”
Vinyl rolled her eyes; he’d gone through this line of questioning at least a half dozen times already. “Maybe she’s shy.”
He moaned and let his head sink onto her shoulder.
They were almost to the door. Vinyl tried to pick up her pace, but he seemed to grow heavier with every step. She really hoped there would be somepony at the barracks entrance to take him off her hooves.
“Ya don’t like bein’ alone…”
Her ears perked; that was a new one.
“Ah’m tired ov’it.” He was whispering, but his lips were practically in her ears. “Y’know? Fer duty an’ all… all that crap. Ever’pony shees ya but… but nopony shees ya, y’know?”
Vinyl slowed down. For some reason, she really wanted to hear this.
“She kep’ lookin’. Ah thought she shaw me. Wanna hear voishes… wanna be appr… ap… pre… loved.”
He stumbled and she almost dropped him.
“‘Be weird,’ she shaid. Wash wrong with me? Ah wanna be loved too.”
They were finally at the door, but Vinyl didn’t knock. She held him up with some difficulty and let him go on.
“Ah work hard. Pay mah dues. Shtay shtill and shut up.” He looked Vinyl right in the eye – a true feat considering how he was wobbling. “Ya get it, doncha? Ya know how ah feelsh? Tired o’bein’ alone. Isshat so… so… wrong…”
His legs gave out, and Vinyl had to fight to make sure he didn’t hit the ground hard. She lowered him down as gently as she could, his snores filling the air.
She stared at him, his words playing over and over again in her mind. Eventually she knocked on the barracks door. It took a few tries, but somepony finally answered. The guard on duty was all curses and complaints, but he thanked Vinyl and dragged the unconscious Flash inside.
The door closed in her face. She stood there for a while, just gazing at it.
The door opened on squeaky hinges, revealing an apartment in disarray. Posters on the walls, pizza boxes on the coffee table, foam cups all over. Vinyl stood just outside the door, her ears perking to… nothing. Not a sound graced her arrival.
Her hoofsteps resounded on the hardwood floor. She kicked the door closed and dropped her bag in the corner. She paused in the middle of her small living room and looked around. She had half a mind to clean up.
No, not this morning.
She yawned and stepped passed the window, ignoring the first rays of dawn. Into the kitchen, to the refrigerator, grab some leftover ramen. Add a little water from the sink – overflowing with dirty dishes – and then let the ramen turn in the food-encrusted interior of the microwave for a minute, then sit at the table and grab some chopsticks that hadn’t been taken out of their bag yet. She’d have to do dishes soon.
No, not this morning.
Vinyl slumped over her meal, her ears raised in waiting for some kind of sound. There was none. She looked up at the flickering light, then at the door. Her gaze went to the spot opposite her, resting on the empty cushion. This morning it seemed particularly empty. Maybe, if she really put her mind to it, she could find somepony to fill that space.
No, not this morning.
Though Flash Sentry’s words were still echoing in her mind…
Ya get it, doncha? Ya know how ah feelsh? Tired o’bein’ alone.
No, not this morning.
Her brief meal complete, she tossed the empty box towards the waste bin in the corner and missed. She considered cleaning up the mess, noting the four similar boxes lying on the floor.
No, not this morning.
Vinyl trudged to her bedroom, stifling another yawn. Flopping onto her barrel on the bed, legs splayed out, she closed her eyes and tried not to think. It didn’t help; Flash’s drunken ramblings just wouldn’t go away.
Ah’m tired ov’it. Ever’pony shees ya but… but nopony shees ya, y’know?
She shifted, her eyes falling to the side of her bed. The empty side of her bed. It wasn’t a sight she enjoyed.
Why did it seem so important all of a sudden?
She rolled onto her back and closed her eyes. Any attempt to relax was thwarted by her ears constantly seeking a sound that didn’t exist.
Silence.
More silence.
More agonizing silence.
She groaned and rubbed her face. “Damn it, Velvet, I hate it when you’re right.”
Her eyes traced the ceiling, followed the edge, dropped along the corner. There was her two-way radio, the one she’d had for all her life. Well, if silence wasn’t going to let her sleep, perhaps noise could.
The knobs of the radio began to glow and shift. She reached a hoof over to press the power switch and the crackle of static met her ears. How long had it been since she’d heard that sound in her father’s attic? It might not even work anymore. She kept it only as a nostalgic decoration now.
Yet, sure enough, a few turns of the knobs brought something to her ears. She glowered as a folksy tune rang out. Where in Canterlot was that station broadcasting from?
She turned the knobs some more and began to hear chatter from some kind of morning talk show. She bemoaned the existence of ‘morning ponies’ and quickly moved on, only to find the scratchy horror of classical invading her personal space. Absolutely not: she jerked the knob in a random direction.
“—I doing? I know you’re not out there. You’d think I’d learn, huh? Two years I’ve been on this stupid ship. Nobody’s going to talk to—”
The knob turned, but Vinyl’s eyes narrowed and she turned her head to the radio. After a moment’s consideration, she let the knob turn back.
“—there, you’re sitting at your station, listening to some voice on the radio. I bet I sound like gibberish to you. Don’t go getting your hopes up. I’m not from a superintelligent world coming to perform experiments on your cows… or whatever you have.”
The voice was slow and quiet. It wasn’t some announcer, but sounded instead like somepony talking to herself.
“I’m just a lone woman… wishing someone would hear my voice. Wishing someone would talk back.”
Sniffling could be heard through the weak connection. Vinyl frowned and turned on her side to listen a little more intently.
“You know what’s funny? I’m not even supposed to be on this thing. I’m not some astronaut. I wish. Took me weeks to figure out how the hydroponics lab worked. Weeks of eating protein bars and dehydrated bags of God knows what.
“But I pulled it off. I’m here.”
What was this? Vinyl reached out to take her radio in both hooves and brought it onto the bed with her.
“For what good it did. Look at me, I’m talking into a radio like there might actually be someone listening. But you know what? You’re all I’ve got, friend. You never talk to me, but you’re all I’ve got. It helps, y’know? Beats talking to myself… a little.”
Vinyl sat up, her eyes set on the glowing dial.
“It’s right there. It wouldn’t take much to end it. Sometimes I grab the door. Just… turn the handle a half dozen times and let it in. Out. Whatever.”
Her chest tightened. She looked to the endtable, knowing what she wanted wasn’t there. She’d not had a mic for this thing since she’d left home. Never thought she’d need one.
Her ears perked as the monotone voice returned.
“I always stop myself. I wish I knew why. Is it because I’m scared? Do I really think living a few more hours is going to make a difference? Nobody’s ever going to find me, or hear me, or speak to me. Yet… I don’t want to die.”
It was a gimmick. It had to be. Some… Vinyl didn’t know what.
It couldn’t be real.
“I want to go home. I want to see the sun, feel the grass. Why the hell do I let myself hope? It’s bullshit, all of it. No home to go back to, no new home to find. And here I am, sitting in this fucking tin can waiting for some voice that doesn’t exist to talk to me!”
She winced at the foul language. It certainly didn’t sound like a regular radio program.
“I really have gone mad. Don’t judge me. You would too, if you’d spent two years drifting.
“Are you laughing? You should be. It’s all one big joke. A big… terrible joke.”
The radio went silent, save for the continuous hiss of static. Vinyl gazed at it for several long seconds, wondering what to make of this. Was it real, or some elaborate hoax? Should she tell somepony about this? The pony on the radio sounded—
“Damn it, I still can’t do it. I… I need to sleep. Maybe when I wake up I’ll have the guts.”
Static.
Vinyl waited for a long time, hoping to hear the voice again.
No, not this morning.