//------------------------------// // II - Returning a Call // Story: Frequency // by PaulAsaran //------------------------------// Chapter II Returning a Call For the first time in… well, ever, Vinyl was actually glad when Bouncing Beat came to take over. She’d not been into the music at all that night, and it was showing. If anypony asked – not that anypony did – she could tell them that she was just having a bad night. It happened to everypony at some point, right? She tried to act casual as she walked to the busy bar. Velvet was having a lucrative evening. Vinyl’s poor performance might have helped with that, but she wasn’t about to mention it. She went behind the bar and looked to make sure her package was still in her bag. “You act like somepony’s gonna steal your stuff,” Velvet said as she darted past with four drinks balanced on her back. Vinyl frowned and quickly zipped the pack closed. “I got something important today. I’m… eager to use it.” “Yeah, what is it?” Despite the fact that she was running back and forth dealing with customers, Velvet still managed to catch Vinyl’s hesitation. “Ooh, something saucy?” “Yep, that’s me, a real pimp momma.” Vinyl forced a grin and slipped the pack over her shoulder. “Going so soon?” Velvet paused between guests to level a frown Vinyl’s way. “You never leave without at least one drink. Is something wrong?” “Nope, not a thing,” she replied a little too quickly. She glanced at the clock, but it was only a couple minutes past two. “I just… uh…” She fidgeted, wondering if she should mention the voice at all. “Vinyl?” “Y’know what? I think I could use a Staremaster right about now.” A little drink would be good for the nerves. Velvet rushed to the far end of the bar to deal with some more clients, but was back in short order. “That’s not your usual poison. I thought you said it was too strong in the sugar department?” Vinyl shrugged. “I’m just in the mood.” She silently reprimanded herself for saying the name of the first drink she thought of, which happened to be the one she was looking at. It was in the hooves of a particularly girly pegasus. Vinyl barely avoided faking a gag. “Well, I’m busy. You’ve got hooves and a horn, use ’em.” Velvet was off to the other side of the bar again. Grumbling to herself, Vinyl did as she was told and started mixing up the drink. She made sure to cut back on the sugary bits and add an extra squeeze of lemon. The final result was a bright yellow drink that looked every bit like it was supposed to, but was essentially a watered-down variant. Being that the original was also one of the few non-alcoholic beverages in the bar, she slipped a little something extra in there to give it a kick. Vinyl sat on a stool behind the bar, making sure she was tucked in a corner and out of Velvet’s way. She waited until she had a clear shot before levitating the bits for the drink into the cash register. Her face scrunched up at the first sip; even watered down, the Staremaster was one sweet drink. Still, she talked herself into this corner and she was determined to drink her way out of it. After a while the patrons began to thin out, both because of Bouncing’s music and the need to actually be somewhere else at two-thirty in the morning. Velvet finished off a few more clients before sidling up to Vinyl and studying her face. “You really look like you don’t like it.” Vinyl smacked her lips. “I thought I’d give it another go. It’s about as good as the last time.” Her smile was just as much to reassure as it was to congratulate herself on a smooth lie. “Right.” Velvet wiped her hooves on a rag and started inspecting the bottles in the cabinet, systematically removing those that were running low. “So what’s really got you so off-beat tonight?” Maybe the lie wasn’t as smooth as she’d thought. Vinyl glanced around at all the patrons still lingering around the bar. She had half a mind not to say anything at all. Yet when she glanced at Velvet she saw the peering eyes of a pony on a mission; she’d be spilling the beans tonight, one way or another. With a sigh, Vinyl used her magic to pull the package out of her bag. It was a small wooden box, out of which she pulled— “A microphone?” Velvet raised an eyebrow at the device. It was an older model, the kind used for dispatch radios in police carriages and the like. “What’s so special about that antique?” “Bummed it from a guy I know over at the CATZ station. It’s the only kind that’ll fit into my old two-way radio back home.” Vinyl cradled the microphone in both hooves with a small smile. “I used to be all into the pirate radio stations and personal communicators. It was a big hobby me and my dad shared.” “Huh.” Velvet eyed the device like it were a specimen in a test tube. “So you’re getting back into it?” “Err… something like that.” Vinyl tucked the microphone back into the package. “I, uh, turned the radio on out of boredom yesterday morning and heard somepony I really wanted to talk to.” “Hold that thought.” Velvet rushed to the other side of the bar to attend a new customer. She was back within seconds, grabbing bottles. “Alright, so was it an old friend or something?” She starting mixing a drink. Vinyl chewed her lip and stared at the box in her hooves. Velvet went to deliver her drink, and when she came back she was watching Vinyl with a frown. “What’s wrong?” “I’m not sure.” Vinyl averted her gaze, a chill running down her spine. “What I heard was disturbing. I think there’s somepony out there who might be trying to hurt herself.” Velvet paused in the middle of replacing bottles and stared at Vinyl with wide eyes. “Seriously? As in suicidal?” “I dunno, maybe.” Vinyl took a chug of her drink, if only so she could focus on the terrible taste rather than Velvet’s eyes. Velvet studied her intently. “Shouldn’t you try going to the police?” “And tell them what? That I heard some voice on my old radio talk about being alone and miserable and wanting to die?” Vinyl shook her head. “There’s no way to tell them where to start looking. Besides…” She wilted and stared into her glass. “I’m not even sure if I’ll ever hear her again.” “That sounds heavy.” Velvet sat beside her. “So you’re gonna try and find her? Just… talk into the radio and hope she answers?” “Pretty much.” Vinyl shrugged and forced down another sip of the Staremaster. “Can’t think of anything better, really.” Velvet tilted her head with a frown. “But couldn’t you just give the frequency to the police? Let them talk to her? Maybe they have a professional they can contact.” Vinyl shook her head. “I don’t wanna do that. It’s hard to explain, but…” She closed her eyes, recalling how she had sat by the radio for a few hours just wondering if she’d hear the voice again. She could still hear it in her mind, and it gave her chills. “It’s like… I heard her, so I need to be the one to do this.” “Huh.” She glanced at Velvet, who was staring at her as if she’d just said the sky was raining chocolate milk. “What?” “Nothing.” Velvet waved her hooves defensively. “I just never thought of you as the type to do something like this.” Vinyl sighed and set hear near-empty glass aside. “I know, I feel the same way. I can’t explain it, okay? It’s just that she sounded so desperate for somepony to talk to, and there I was, listening in and couldn’t even let her know I was there.” Velvet nodded and patted her on the shoulder. “Alright, I get it. You should probably head out and see if that mic works, huh?” “Yeah…” She slipped off the stool and shifted her pack to a more comfortable position. “I’ll tell ya how it goes, okay?” “Please do. And Vinyl?” Vinyl glanced back. Velvet was smiling. “Good luck.” Vinyl stared at the radio, now set on her messy kitchen table. It was still on the same frequency as last night. The microphone floated before her, and she eyed it as if it were an alien species. She hadn’t used one of them in so long, but memories were already flooding back. She wondered if this wasn’t a lost cause. What if the voice never came back? What if she hadn’t heard a voice at all? Maybe she’d just dreamed it up. Yet her memory was too fresh, too vivid for her to give that idea any credit. She glanced at the clock on the wall, which ran a few minutes behind. It was too much of a hassle to get it down and reset it. She ran a few numbers in her head and deduced that it was probably close to four in the morning. Closing her eyes with a sigh, Vinyl reached up and held the microphone in her hoof. She’d always preferred using her hooves when it came to the radio, maybe because that was how her father always did it. Reaching forward, she grabbed the radio and plugged the cord in. When her eyes opened she found she’d managed to do so without even looking. Just like riding a bicycle. “Okay,” she whispered, holding the microphone up and reaching towards the power switch. “Let’s try this.” She flicked the switch and static met her ears. No voice rose from the little box. She waited for a while, knowing that she might be doing something crazy. Licking her lips and clearing her throat, she at last pressed the button on the microphone. “Hello? Is anypony there?” A long wait. She chewed her lip and kept her eyes locked on the glowing dial. She tried again. “I’m here. I’m listening. I know you’re out there.” Another wait. It lingered, filling the apartment with static and terrible quiet. It was the same kind of silence that had been so horrible last night. She closed her eyes and held her breath. Perhaps this really was a mistake. Her eyes flashed open as a new sound hit her ears, an interruption in the static. “H… h-hello?” Vinyl’s heart slammed into her throat. She leaned over the radio and let the air burst out of her lungs. “Yes, hello! Are you there?” “Oh… Oh my God. Y-you’re… Am I dreaming?” A laugh burst from Vinyl’s throat. She was surprised her heart didn’t go flying out in the process. “No, you’re not dreaming. I hear you.” There was something like a gasp on the other side, and heavy breathing. “You… you’re here. You’re actually…” A new sound arose, something between a laugh and a sob. In either case, it soon became nothing more than weeping. Vinyl stared at the radio. She felt a need to say something, but in truth she’d not thought beyond this initial step. What was she supposed to do now? “I-I’m sorry.” The voice, soft but a little high-pitched, hurried back to her ears. “I just… it’s been so long. I never actually thought…” “Hey, it’s okay.” Vinyl smiled for the radio and sat back in her cushion. “Sounds like you could use a little vent.” The voice’s tone changed swiftly. “You’re not going to leave, are you? P-please, you’ll stay for a while?” “Yeah, I can do that.” Vinyl almost struck a confident pose, but stopped herself upon realizing there was nopony to see it. With a blush, she added, “I’m used to staying up all night.” “N-night? Is it really late?” “By most ponies’ standards.” Vinyl frowned at the radio. “Aren’t you in Canterlot?” “Ponies? Canterlot?” She cocked her head. The radio spoke up before she could formulate a response. “Who are you?” “Uh…” Vinyl’s ears lowered as she considered the question. How much should she tell this stranger? “I’m… Vinyl.” “Vinyl.” A laugh rose from the speaker. “S-sorry, it’s just that you’re the first person I’ve been introduced to in two years. Funny…” “Umm… okay?” What did she mean, ‘person?’ “Yeah, it’s not really funny.” The radio was silent for a few seconds. “Hello, Vinyl. My name’s… well, you probably couldn’t pronounce the whole thing. Umm… Adi. Adi Longstaff.” Weird name. Even so, Vinyl smiled and nodded. “Nice to meet ya, Adi Longstaff.” “Wait.” The radio crackled static for a moment. “How is it you can understand me?” “What do you mean?” “The odds of two sentient being from two entirely different worlds sharing the same language… wait, have you visited Earth? Are you, like, interstellar travelers?” Vinyl gaped at the radio for a few seconds. She scratched behind her ear and tried to wrap her head around what she was hearing. At last she was forced to admit that “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “I… I see.” Adi was silent, but Vinyl could just picture her pondering. Somehow she had an image in her head of a lithe pegasus, perhaps with soft colors. Adi’s voice came back. “Maybe I am dreaming.” Vinyl chuckled. “Funny, I was thinking the same thing.” Adi didn’t answer at first. When she did, her voice was subdued. “If you are dreaming, I hope you wake up soon. It’s terrible in here.” Leaning over the radio, Vinyl asked, “In where?” “My ship.” “Ship?” “Yes, ship. Don’t you have ships where you’re at?” Vinyl sat back once more, rubbing her chin. “So… you’re out on the ocean somewhere?” “What? No.” Adi laughed. “I mean in space.” The laughter continued, but Vinyl didn’t join in. She stared at the radio for some time, eyes narrowed and a frown on her lips. “In space. Like… inky black depths, stars all over? That kind of space?” Adi’s laughter came to an abrupt stop. “You sound surprised. Aren’t… aren’t you a space-faring race?” Vinyl groaned and, setting an elbow on the table, rested her cheek against her hoof. “Is this some kind of hoax?” “What? No! Why would I make up something like this?” Vinyl glowered. “I dunno. You’re the one claiming to be an alien.” “I’m not an alien.” A brief pause. “Then again, from your perspective I suppose I am. But I’m not making this up!” “Uh-huh.” Vinyl sat up and sighed, even as a small fire ignited inside her. “And here you had me all worked up. You know I was legitimately worried last night? All that fretting over some voice on the radio, for this?” “What are you—” Adi gasped. “No! Vinyl, please! You have to believe me, I’m telling the truth.” “The truth?” Vinyl scoffed. “You want me to believe that I’m talking to an alien? Seriously? I’ve seen more creative crap on bathroom stalls.” “P-please, don’t leave me!” Sobs broke through the speakers. “It’s been so long. V-Vinyl, I… I take it back, okay? I’m not really—” “I know, but it’s too late for that.” She seriously considered turning the radio off then and there. “I can’t believe I let myself get all worked up over some Celestia-be-damned prank.” “Don’t leave!” More weeping trickled through the radio. Vinyl glared at it, not feeling the least swayed. “P-please… I don’t want to be alone anymore. Just… j-just talk to me.” Vinyl sneered. “I’m not sure that I want to anymore.” “B-but I… but you c-can’t do this to me. I can’t take anymore.” “Watch me.” “No! Vinyl, you can’t—” The switch flipped and the radio was silent. Vinyl glared at it for a while, steaming with the understanding that she’d been made a foal. A whole day wasted fretting and worrying, thinking somepony was legitimately in trouble, and it turned out to be a stupid game! Adi was probably some dumb kid hiding in her parents’ basement and trying to see how many stupid ponies she could convince to play along with her twisted fantasy. To think, Vinyl had actually fallen for it! The kid was a damn good actress. She dropped the microphone on the table – enjoying the loud whack it made – and stomped for the bathroom. After a disappointment like this, she needed a long, hot shower.