//------------------------------// // Knowledge is Everything: Part Two // Story: Of Wubs and Men // by MoltenXKid //------------------------------// (Vinyl’s POV) “I can’t believe I’m spending the day in L.A with DJ Pon-3!” Mason’s mother screamed soon after Mason disappeared. To where, I don’t know. “It’s not that big of a deal,” I told her as I readjusted my shades, “You can just call me Vinyl, Mrs. Williams.” “Mrs. Williams? No need for formalities; I’m not that old yet, “She twirled in her yellow sundress to add affect, “You can call me Sasha and that grumpy man over there is Mason Sr.” “Mr. Williams will do…” chimed in the grumpy man as he looked through his map, “I can’t find anything in this god forsaken city.” For the next hour, we spent our time trying to find big tourist attractions, yet only ended up getting lost. It wasn’t all bad since we had some fun along the way. Sasha and Mr. Williams asked about my home which I told them, though it seemed they knew a decent amount already. I asked about their home and Mason’s childhood which they answered without hesitation. Apparently, Mason was an unruly child unless he was listening to music. It figures (I was the same way.) After being lost for so long, we grew hungry and tired. Fortune finally decided to shine on us as we found a small noodle shop on the corner of a street. We entered, ordered, waited, and began eating. I’ll give the humans one thing: They certainly have a lot of delicious food. I dived in without second thought. I only ever looked from the steaming bowl of “Raman” to breathe. After the noodles and vegetable were gone, I downed the broth like a shot. (Who knew chickens tasted so good?) I had eaten the food so fast that I had to wait for Mason’s parents to finish there’s. That is, after they finished staring at me after that display. Eventually, they went back to eating. So, I waited. And waited…and waited. They were very, very slow eaters. Though, the wait wasn’t all bad since a kid approached me. “Uh…Vinyl Scratch?” The kid couldn’t have been any older than eight and was so cute, “My dad is a huge fan of yours…could you sign this for him?” The kid lifted up a small doll of me- the one thing I thought I wouldn’t see. Not to disappoint, I signed it. The kid seemed so happy when I handed the signed toy back. He ran back over to his mother, showed her the toy, and pointed to me. The mother looked and almost died of shock. When she recovered, she came over and took a couple photos of me and her kid together. (It was about time ponies started recognizing me.) When that was over and Mason’s parents finished eating, we headed out the store. “I wonder where Mason is.” Sasha said. “Probably somewhere…doing something stupid.” Mr. Williams said. “Naw…he’s not the guy to just leave and not come back without warning. Where ever he is, it’s probably important.” We walked around for a couple more minutes before deciding to go home. Of course, we didn’t know how to do that either, but we quickly found the nearest train station that would get us back quickly. We descended into the subway, which seemed to be new. It was empty below except for a few people who seemed to be protesting something or the other. Though, I knew something was up when Mr. Williams and Sasha began to speed up. Unfortunately, they were still intercepted. “Stop! We see the sins you hide and you must confess them,” said one man from the group, obviously the leader. “Look, buddy. I respect you Purist’s religion and your right to express it, but I don’t need this right now,” Mr. Williams spoke bluntly to the man, trying to end the conversation before it started, “Now, would you kindly let me, my wife, and our friend pass.” “Looks like you do need it. Letting your wife walk around in such an outfit…leaving nothing to the imagination” The man eyed at me before speaking again, “And you called this…this thing your friend?! It’s an abomination! It’s unnatural! God would never let this monster dwell naturally on his Earth! You’re in more need than you think.” “Fuc-“ Mr. Williams was going to say something I presume was vulgar, but Sasha interrupted by jumping in front of her husband. “Hey! I can dress the way I want to dress.” Sasha’s polite, cheery voice was going away. Her white cheeks went red as she became frustrated. It was sort of cute, “We are all beings under God’s eyes. Vinyl is not any of those things you called her. You’re wrong and closed minded!” When she finished, the lead protester shoved her out the way. To the ground she fell, ruining her yellow dress. The women in the protest looked away from the act. Their modest appearance soiled with the violence of their leader. I ran over to Sasha who kept telling me she was alright. She was more worried about Mason Sr. than anything. “You need to teach your woman a women’s place. Now, back to what I was sayi-” A dark brown fist sailed through the air, hitting the protest leader straight in the jaw, yet before he could crumple; his body was lifted and then carried to a nearby wall. “Don’t you dare…lay a hand…on my wife again…” Mr. Williams’ voice seemed to be trembling, “I tried to play nicely, but you forced my hand. Now, I’ll let you go…but I don’t want to ever see your face again.” In the next instant, the man’s body hit the floor. Immediately, he was surrounded by his fellow protesters. Mr. Williams walked back to us, helped his wife up, and walked us to the train which would take us near home. We boarded the train and found a lone compartment near the front. We all sat close to each other, holding strong after the incident. “Are you sure you’re alright, honey?” Mr. Williams asked his wife. He took off his replacement arm, which was beeping from low power. “I’m fine, dear. I took worst hits at Bronycon in 2021. HA! And I still got the last Luna figurine,” Sasha sat in her memory for a moment before looking at me, “Are you alright, Vinyl. I only whispered four words, “Thing…Abomination…Unnatural…Monster…” Then tears began to flow from under my glasses. (Octavia’s POV) “So when Vinyl opens the door, we both jump out and yell surprise,” Mason explained. “That’s…painfully cliché.” I retorted. “Then what’s your idea, Octavia?” “I simply sit here until her arrival. When she comes into your home, she’ll see me and will be naturally surprised and happy.” “Not as exciting.” “The best things in life aren’t…exciting, Mr. Williams.” “Please, that’s my father’ name. Mason will do.” “If you insist.” This…”friend” of Vinyl was an interesting character. He was laid-back and calm, yet possessed this urgency about him to get things done. I must say this stallion was good company. Not to take around my orchestra, but to have some good, memorable laughs. I doubt he had a high society bone in his body. Though, Vinyl doesn’t either, and I love her. I guess he’s alright. Another thing about this stallion was that he was a DJ like Vinyl, yet he didn’t posses the energy of a musician. You may think I’m crazy, but musicians have this…aura. One connected to the world itself to feel its beat, rhythm, and tone. It is how one makes, feels, and becomes music. This musician…he didn’t have one…or it was very weak. Somewhere along the road he had one, but along that same path, he lost it. Though, I wonder how? “Excuse me, but I have a question,” I spoke out loud. “Shoot,” He responded, lying on the couch half sleep. “How long have you been creating music?” “Since I was sixteen. So twelve years.” “And when did your career take off?” “I was twenty- three when I got signed.” I kept quiet after that. I had a pretty good idea of what happened. It happens to a lot of young musicians. At first, their career is good. Everyone’s happy. Soon, the musician finds themselves leaving the public’s eye. So to get back, they start making music to please the label and the fans, and not themselves. This results in a sort of emptiness. One were the musician is no longer connected to world, weakening the aura. Though, today was not the day to discuss such matter with him. Maybe I’ll say something another day when Mason and I are better…situated to one another. I grabbed my instrument case and sat down in a chair across from where Mason was lying. I sat the case onto the floor and opened it. There, was my prized possession- my cello. I lifted the wooden beauty from its case, stood it up, and plucked a string. Alas, it was sharp. After getting each string to the perfect pitch, I began playing. Softly at first, yet when I saw Mason’s foot moving to the beat, I began playing louder. I was getting deep in the song, almost reaching my favorite part, yet my ears picked up on a sound- car doors. I didn’t stop playing, but started listening intently to the outside. First, I heard talking. Second, I heard multiple footsteps approaching. Finally, I heard the door unlocking, and who walked in was the most beautiful mare I had ever seen. “OCTAVIA!” “VINYL! I quickly sat down my cello before running to my love. I had to slow myself down before I reached her open arms, or else we would have fallen. When we connected, everything seemed at peace. The embrace we shared was something ponies only dreamed about. As we hugged each other, an elderly couple and Mason left the room, leaving only us alone. I looked towards Vinyl who had on her stupid shades. I smiled before kissing her on the side of her lips, and when I did, I noticed tears lines. “Vinyl? Have you been crying?” I asked as I hugged her tighter. “Oh it’s nothing to worry about.” Vinyl said as she took off her glasses to reveal her scarlet eyes and more freshly forming tear lines, “I’m just happy you’re here.” “Me too, Vinyl. Me too.”