The unicorn yawned loudly, getting up from her bed and hopping onto the floor. The swirly blue and red carpet stood out boldly against the white walls and purple musical notes. She turned and made her bed, splaying the psychedelic colored blanket back into place. She trotted to the bathroom and looked into the mirror eagerly beginning to comb her multi shaded mane into place. Her red eyes glowed with happiness as she lifted her purple shades up, slipping them onto her face. Instantly everything became darker and a party mood began running through her veins. Scratch let out a large grin and drank in her image a moment longer.
She trotted out to her kitchen and looked around her colored home. She let out a loud disgusted noise and rushed to her stereo turning it on immediately. The soft vibes began flowing from the speakers making Scratch wrinkle her nose a bit. Octavia had forgotten to collect her CD before she left the night before. She pushed the spin button and the next CD came on, her own mixes beginning to play. She dipped her head happily to the beat, beginning to slip into the music. Before she knew it her eggs were in the pan burning as she danced merrily to the beat. Scratch took in the burnt odor and nearly fell over gagging. She stopped and turned off the stove, shoving the pan off the hot burner. She raced over and opened a window trying to coax the smoke from her house.
The knock on the door was only faintly recognizable over the loud music. Scratch trotted to the door to open it, still moving to the beat of the music. Pinkie Pie grinned and bounced around. Scratch took in the pony’s image with a raised eyebrow. The pony leapt up and began dancing around. She wore a cake hat and confetti blasters. Scratch pretended to hear the words to the song as Pinkie Pie sang. Scratch looked around and spotted the controller. She picked it up, lowering her music’s volume just in time to hear the last line.
“-So let’s party till we drop!” Pinkie Pie’s confetti spewed out around her and fluttered into her house.
“Heh, sorry Pinkie. So we’ve got a party, right?” Scratch leaned against the door jamb crossing her legs.
“Yeah! Can you DJ, please, please, please, please?” Pinkie Pie bounced up and down. “Nopony can DJ better than you!”
“Well…” Scratch pretended to think while her heart expanded with pride. “I suppose so, when is the party anyways?”
“Tonight silly! Didn’t you listen to the song?” Pinkie Pie giggled. “It’s Gummy’s birthday party!”
“Alright Pinkie Pie, I’ll be there.” Scratch grinned and stood tall shaking hooves with the pink pony making her jiggle and loose balance.
“Yay, Gummy will be so happy you decided to DJ! He loves your music! Anyways, on to the next house!” Pinkie Pie began bouncing away to pester Scratch's neighbor.
Scratch shook her head laughing a bit as she closed the door, returning her music back to its original volume. She began gathering her things that she would need for the party, her turn tables being one of the main items. She felt her stomach rumble and she looked desperately over to her stove. Her eyes met the burnt eggs and she cringed. Scratch walked out the door, turning off her music, deciding she wasn’t that desperate yet.
Scratch moved out and into the morning air feeling the warm kiss of the sun greet her to the new day. She trotted easily along the side road and looked around longingly for somewhere to eat. Her stomach growled noisily, sending pangs through her body. “I know, sheesh, I’m working on it.”
“Get yer apples here!” Rang a feminine voice through the streets.
Scratch ran towards the voice and found the apple cart. Applejack and Big Macintosh stood beside it calling out for customers, trying to entice their appetites. Scratch grinned at Applejack giving her a few bits. “Two apples please, I’m famished!”
“Well sure Sugarcube!” Applejack smiled. Before anything more could be said Big Mac leaned down, placing a bag with two apples down next to her. The pony smiled kindly and stood up again, nice and tall.
“Good golly!” Cheered Scratch, “Macintosh, you’re huge! How have you been? I haven’t seen you in at least an entire season!”
“Eeyup. Been good, how ‘bout you?” The large red pony looked at his old classmate.
“I’ve been great! You daring me was the best thing you ever did for me Mac. Say, how about we chill downtown?” Scratch gazed at him remembering the day far in the past seasons ago.
The dark room shone dully with many decorations. The pelts of ponies stayed still as they clustered close to their friends. Scratch slowly walked in wearing a blue, slightly (yet fashionably) tattered dress. She had made sure the dress covered her bare flank when getting the dress. Scratch looked around for Octavia. The refined pony waved her over smiling kindly, her mane brushed out, dress pressed and pretty, her make-up done, leaving her looking like a flawless princess. Scratch considered making comment but didn’t know that Octavia would be busy telling the tale of how she earned her cutie mark to the other musical ponies.
Scratch glanced around noticing that everyone had received their cutie marks. This was their last time together as class mates. The next day they wouldn’t know each other as such, they would just see another adult pony on the streets. They were graduating and she was the only pony without a cutie mark. All the other ponies had gotten their cutie marks seasons ago; she was the only one without one. Octavia however, was supportive, and kept encouraging her friend to be herself and she would get her cutie mark when the time was right.
Scratch sighed a bit and looked around the room. Macintosh was surrounded by other ponies as they laughed and joked about life. Scratch watched the jock ponies play around a bit. She mustered up her courage and trotted over to Big Macintosh. “Heya Mac, what’s up?”
“Hey Vinyl.” Big Macintosh turned to look at her.
“Aw come on Mac, call me Scratch!” She smiled trying to ignore the pressure from the other ponies.
“Alright, Vinyl. I’ve been good, been workin’ on the farm. How ‘bout you?” Big Macintosh looked relaxed as he spoke.
“Heh, fine I guess. I think I should go, see you later guys.” Scratch rushed back over to Octavia, Bon Bon and Lyra. Big Macintosh gazed after her with a confused look on his face. She hung her head as she shied away from her oldest friend. They had been schooled together ever since the first day. As they grew older, they began splitting apart as they began finding out about who they were. They had always managed to talk but the pressure from the other colts was too much on her. Scratch listened wearily to the dull and lifeless music than sank like anvils in the still air. Nopony was dancing, a few would attempt to but quickly scuttle ashamedly back to their friends.
“This music sucks!” grumbled Scratch. “Somepony needs to get up there and fix it.”
“Maybe that somepony is you.” Big Macintosh’s voice trailed to her ears.
Scratch’s head shot up instantly and she looked up at the large red pony. “Hay no! I’m not going to go up there and make a fool of myself.” She began lowering her head again.
“I dare ya… Scratch,” The colt smiled in a supporting way, a dark glint in his eyes. “Or are ya a chicken?”
“I’m not a chicken!” Scratch puffed out her chest defiantly. “Nopony calls me a chicken.”
“Then prove it.” Macintosh nudged her.
“Fine, piece of cake.” Scratch began marching towards the stage. Heat began building in her cheeks and along her spine. She glanced back and noticed ponies turning their heads towards her. Their eyes seemed to sear holes into her. She knew she couldn’t back down or she would shame herself. She tossed her head and puffed out her chest marching up to the stage and the DJ station.
“Yo, pony, um, we don’t like the music. Mind if I give it a shot?” Scratch looked at the large brown colt.
“Pssh, like I care.” The colt stepped away from the turn tables.
Scratch took a deep breath, feeling everypony’s eyes on her. She snorted defiantly and looked at the glinting turn tables. She smiled to herself and her horn began to glow as she lifted the records out and put new ones it. They started playing and her head bobbed lightly as she listened to the beat. She grinned happily and began watching the records becoming transfixed with them. She reached out and stroked one of them; a loud scratching sound excreted the speakers. Her eyes widened as the ponies looked at her like she was a freak. Scratch thought quickly trying to figure out how she could pass that off as intentional. She began moving the record more slightly out of beat with the current music.
She felt a tingling on her flank. Scratch tossed her head more, becoming one with the music. She kept playing around beginning to find the perfect rhythm, her eyes never leaving the turn tables again. Scratch blinked as blue and white light burst around her. She winced at the strength of the light and tried to look around to see what it was. Her dress glowed and tried to tear away as the light penetrated it like it was nothing. As suddenly as the light appeared, it vanished. Scratch maneuvered and wriggled out of her dress gasping as her new cutie mark glowed faintly. Scratch grinned and jumped up and down cheering.
Before she knew it other ponies were cheering and egging her on. She jumped back behind the turn tables mixing and matching music, dancing as she did so. When she managed to look up, she noticed everypony was dancing, even Octavia. She whooped loudly and kept mixing music. She'd never felt so happy in her entire life, she never wanted the night to end.
“Well…” Big Macintosh thought, then glanced at his little sister. With a nod Applejack approved and he smiled. “Sure.”
“Great!” Scratch grabbed up her apples and trotted along beside her old friend.