Vinyl blinked when the bell rang. She groaned, then stretched her back as she rose from her desk. Classes had ended for the day, marking the halfway point through the second semester of her freshman year at Ponyville High. She snapped shut the book that she’d been been pretending to study, when she’d instead been hiding her heavy eyelids behind her messy blue mane as she had let her mind wander.
As the class stood to leave, the other colts and fillies gathered in small groups before pouring out into the hallway. Vinyl just started packing her books into her bag. Someone’s shoulder bumped her muzzle, knocking her glasses askew. “Sorry, didn’t see you there,” they said without stopping. Vinyl only came up to shoulder height on most of her classmates, which her mother kept saying was normal for unicorns. She pushed her glasses back into place with a sigh. Her horn glimmered as she grabbed her book bag and walked out of the classroom.
Vinyl walked by herself, as usual. She kept her cassette player close to give her company as she headed across the school grounds, rather than walking on the paved path with other students. She walked across the school’s sprawling, grassy front lawn, passing by a tall tree and hopping over the waist-high fence.
When she left school grounds, she usually took a dirt road into town, walking through Ponyville’s main district. Sometimes stopping by the convenience store for something to drink, heading to the park for an extended walk, or dropping in at the local record store and see if they had any sales. There wasn’t much else to do in such a small town.
However, she’d done some pretty good zoning out in the last period and wanted to head straight home. She took a shortcut to her neighborhood instead, walking down one of the alleys between the wooden privacy fences that separated rows of homes and ran between their backyards. The sounds of the schoolyard faded in the corridor created by the tall fences, replaced by an empty silence. Most of the adults were still at work in town, and anyone younger would have to be inside.
As Vinyl neared a corner that served as a halfway marker on her route home, she heard what sounded like a game of hoofball. Excited shouts, the rush of hooves pounding across the ground, the thump of something heavy hitting the dirt, and then… whimpering? She stopped and warily looked around the corner. Ahead of her, two colts stood several feet from a mare at the opposite end of the alley. Dirt was smeared across her face and she was trying to hide herself behind several trash cans, legs and wings pulled in against her body.
“Get her, Hoops!” a shorter buff, dark brown colt yelled, running behind a bigger colt with a yellow coat. The two of them charged toward the gray mare, who squealed and threw a trash can lid at them that bounced harmlessly off the fence. Hoops seized her, pinning her forelegs to her sides.
“I got her!” Hoops yelled back. The brown colt stopped beside him, panting. “You done runnin’? All we want is to talk, damn.”
“Let go of me!” she cried.
“Shut up!” the brown colt yelled, while Hoops kept a hold on her. “Score, where are ya!?”
“Right here,” Score, a smaller grey colt, called as he emerged from a crossing in the alley. “I didn’t see anyone around, nobody should bother us.”
“Please, I don’t want any trouble!” the grey mare said in a lower tone, trembling.
“Uh huh. If you didn’t want trouble, why’d you hit my friend Dumb-Bell here? All you had to do was say you were sorry when you bumped into him, but no. You had to take a swing at him, so trouble’s what you got,” Hoops said, keeping a hold on her.
“H-he grabbed me! What was I supposed to do?!”
“Maybe think for one second. Dumb-Bell is what you’d call a star.” Dumb-Bell grinned and Hoops continued. “Now if you go knocking him down like that and he breaks his leg, he’s not getting no college scholarships. Who’s gonna pay for that? You gonna pay for that?”
“But he—he touched my b—”
Dumb-Bell slammed his his hoof into her belly. The mare’s expression twisted into a scream, but only a low wheeze came out as her knees buckled and she sank into her captor’s hold. “And just when I thought we all were starting to understand each other,” he sighed. “That’s a terrible thing to say about another pony.”
“That kind of reputation changes lives, you know,” Hoops added.
“Yeah, you really shouldn’t be making up things like that,” Dumb-Bell spat, punctuating the last word by driving his hoof up into her stomach a second time. Hoops released her and she fell to the ground, clutching her belly. She curled into a fetal ball, gasping for air and crying raspily.
“But seeing how this is your first offense and all,” Hoops said while Score and Dumb-Bell circled around her, “what say you just give us the money you have on you and we call it even? We don’t wanna have to really mess you up.”
This had already gone on too long. No one was going to fly in to save this mare like they did in comics. She would have to step in. Vinyl knew it was stupid; what could she even do? She probably looked like a foal next to the three athletic colts, and they could probably both out-muscle and outrun her. But she still had to try—no one else could. She slid her saddle bags off and placed them next to the garbage bin, took a deep breath to steel herself, then walked around the corner.
“Hey! Assholes!” Vinyl yelled, catching their attention.
“Hey, Score! I thought I told you to keep watch!” Dumb-Bell growled.
Score, who was staring at the unicorn who’d appeared inexplicably, blinked and shook his head. “Hey, nobody was there when I looked. Besides, just look at her. Don’t tell me you’re worried about a kid.” Score guffawed.
“I’m not a kid!”
“You sure sound like a kid to me. Haven’t you heard you shouldn’t mess in other ponies business?” Score said with a grin.
Vinyl took another step forward. “I’m making it my business. Whatever she did, she doesn’t deserve a beating.”
“P-Please help me! Go get somebody!” the mare cried.
“Hey! We told you to shut up!” Hoops said, lifting his hoof up ready to strike her.
“Stop it!” Vinyl yelled. Hoops paused with his hoof raised, looking over his shoulder at Vinyl.
“Whoa, hold up a moment. The lady says we should stop. I think we’d better listen.” Dumb-Bell said with a snort
“Y-yeah. I’m really scared,” Score chimed in.
Okay Vinyl, you got their attention. Now what?
“I said stop. She’s done nothing to you; you’re all just a bunch of bullies.”
“And what are you going to do, huh?” Dumb-Bell grinned, walking toward Vinyl casually while the other two stayed behind to keep an eye on the mare. His eyes locked onto hers. Vinyl only held eye contact, saying nothing.
“I said, what are you gonna do?” He darted forward, making her flinch.
“That’s right. You aren’t gonna do anything.” Dumb-Bell tossed his head and laughed in her face.
Vinyl grit her teeth. Something snapped and before she knew it, she was slamming her hoof into Dumb-Bell’s snout as hard as she possibly could. She heard something crack accompanied by a wet squelch. He screamed and fell to the ground, wailing and clutching his muzzle.
“My nose!” he cried. “She broke my frrghig nose!”
“Dumb-Bell!” Hoops yelled, running to his aid. “You okay, man?”
“It hurts man, it’s bad!” Dumb-Bell snorted blood onto the dirt.
Score glared at Vinyl, lowered his head, and charged her. “You're dead, kid!”
Maybe that wasn’t the best idea…
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The mare shouted something at Vinyl, but all she could hear was the thunder of Score’s hoofsteps. Vinyl spun around as quickly as she could, her horn charging up a spell, but all she saw when she turned was a hoof bound for her face.
A crack to the temple sent her spinning and Score tackled her, pinning her to the ground. Vinyl could hardly see, and it took her a moment to realize her glasses were laying in a puddle a few feet away from her. Vinyl tried to bring her hooves up to cover her face, but Score was already pounding on her. The mare cried for him to stop, but each blow muffled her words further and further, burying them under an agonizing ringing in Vinyl’s ears.
“Yo, Score!” Hoops shouted and Vinyl sighed internally as the punches stopped. “Help me with Dumb-Bell; he’s hurt bad, man!”
Score groaned and Vinyl felt his weight lift from her chest as he went to help carry Dumb-Bell. Hoops and Score lifted him up and he stood on trembling legs.
“You’re lucky my friends are here to hold me back,” Dumb-Bell said, face streaked with blood and tears. “You just got lucky. You stupid bitch!” He kicked Vinyl in the ribs and she coughed.
“Next time, we’re caving your face in! You just stay down!” Vinyl could hear the crunch of leaves under their hooves as they walked away. She was happy to comply, looking up at the clouds blankly as she struggled to get her breath back. She could feel that she was bleeding from several spots on her head and though her ribs hurt, it didn’t feel like they were cracked.
The moment the three went away, the mare got up off the ground and scurried over to Vinyl.
“You all right?” Vinyl said, looking up at the grey mare.
“I’m all right, but you look like you were mauled by timberwolves. I thought that colt was going to kill you.”
“Is it bad?” Vinyl said, keeping herself on the ground.
The mare lifted Vinyl’s head in her hooves, slowly turning it left, then right. “You’re bleeding in several spots, and it looks like you’re going to have a black eye.”
“Not the first time it’s happened.” Vinyl winced, placing a hoof over her forehead.
“I’m sorry I got you pulled into this. It’s not the first time for me, either. When I moved here, I was hoping that I was finally past it, or at least that this would happen less often. But,” she sighed, “I guess ponies are the same wherever one goes.”
“Don’t worry about it; I’m the one who jumped into it.” Vinyl tried cracking her neck and winced; she must have been bruised there. “I don’t really get bothered by names; it happens to everybody at some point, it seems. But as soon as they tried to beat you up, I had to do something.” Vinyl lifted her hoof and wiped it across her forehead, groaning as she saw blood staining her hoof. “Can you, uh, help clean me up? My mom’s going to freak out if she sees me like this.”
“Of course. Just stay there.” The mare ran over to her saddlebags and pulled out a rag and bottle of water, “I’m happy I keep myself supplied.” She smiled, beginning the rub Vinyl’s wounds.
“What’s your name?” Vinyl asked, trying to stay still while the mare attempted to clean her wounds.
The mare looked surprised at the question. “My name is… Derpy. Derpy Hooves.”
“Vinyl Scratch.”
“Well, thank you for saving me, Vinyl. No one’s done that for me before.”
“What was I supposed to do? You needed help, and I’m dumb enough to jump in without thinking.” Vinyl started to laugh, but ended up coughing.
“So…” Derpy paused reluctantly before asking, “Do you not think I’m a freak or anything?”
“Why would I?”
“Have you not noticed my eyes yet?”
“Actually, I can’t see much without my glasses. Hold up.” Vinyl’s hoof softly patted the ground around her until she found her glasses, picking them up slowly. She paused. “Aw man. These are pretty busted up; mom’s gonna be pissed.”
Vinyl briefly tried to unbend the crooked arms before carefully resting them against her face. One of the lenses was cracked, too, she noticed with a groan before taking a look at Derpy’s face. One of her eyes was looking off in a different direction while the other looked straight at her. “That’s what they were bullying you for?”
“Yes,” Derpy said matter-of-factly. “My eyes have been like this since I was born,” she added quickly.
“Huh?”
“That’s the next thing everyone asks me.”
“Actually, I was just going to call them jerks.”
“Oh?” Derpy smiled a little. “T-thanks.” She paused. “You said you got beaten up before?”
“Yeah. I always dressed a bit different and one of my classmates… I guess he didn’t like it. He decided to bully me — I don’t even know why, really — and it ended with both of us beating each other up.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. That was more than a year ago at least. Besides,” Vinyl added with a wink, “I got a few good hits in.”
“Right,” Derpy said, finishing up cleaning Vinyl’s wounds. “I did what I could. Safe to say, you won’t be able to hide those marks from your mother.”
“I can deal with mom worrying about me. At least I won’t get blood all over the house.” Vinyl got up, picking up her saddlebags sitting beside the garbage cans. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” Derpy said with a smile. “Thank you again for saving me. I’d better go.”
“Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my place. Maybe help me get out of the mess with my mother.” Vinyl asked.
“I can do that,” she smiled.
The two made sure they had their belongings and left the alley together.
Vinyl wasn’t sure if the stares from the ponies they passed on the way to her house were due to Derpy’s eyes or her injuries. She didn’t much care what they thought, but their stares only made her more certain that her mother was going to kill her. Vinyl kept looking at the pegasus limping behind her in silence. She hadn’t even asked how far away Vinyl’s house was.
“So…” Vinyl said, slowing to walk beside Derpy “you moved here recently?”
“Yes, about a week ago.”
Vinyl nodded her head left and they rounded a corner onto another street.
“Where from?”
“Las Pegasus,” Derpy replied with none of the usual excitement that usually accompanied the city’s name.
“Bright lights, big city, huh? I went there once before, but I was little. Mom says I’m too young to have any real fun there anyway.”
“Yes, it was certainly bright and shiny. And loud, and crowded.”
“Why would you leave all that to come here?”
“Fast-paced, loud, and flashy aren’t so attractive if all you want is to be normal.”
“Yeah, uh,” Vinyl nodded, “I guess so.”
Walking into a small neighborhood, Derpy heard the faint sound of a piano playing throughout the area. Coming closer to the sound until they walked straight to the source.
“Is this your home?” Derpy asked.
“Yup. That’s mom playing. She must have had a good day.”
“What do you mean?”
“She gets headaches sometimes. She doesn’t like to play on those days, and if she does it’s usually something slow.”
Vinyl took a deep breath and opened the door. “Mom, I’m home!”
An older mare with a white coat matching Vinyl’s and a long, wine red mane and tail sat at the piano, seeming oddly still as she kept her eyes closed while using her magic to strike the keys. When Vinyl called out, she looked up at her with a smile and slowly opened her eyes.
“Welcome home dea—” She then saw Vinyl’s bloodied and bruised face and immediately stopped playing. “Vinyl! What in Tartarus happened to you?!”
“Um…” Vinyl said the first thing that came to mind, “I fell.”
Derpy shook her head silently, yet violently, sighing as hard as she could for Vinyl to think of something else.
“Vinyl, don’t even try it. I can tell you got into another fight.” Claret then noticed Derpy hiding behind Vinyl. “Oh, my apologies. Vinyl, who is your friend?”
“My name is Derpy. Derpy Hooves.” Derpy said, a bit shy in front of Vinyl’s mother.
“Well Derpy, do you know what happened to Vinyl?”
“I was being bullied by three colts. They started… harassing me and then when I pushed back, they started acting like I was the one in the wrong. They wanted my money. Vinyl stepped in and got them to leave.”
Claret placed a hoof over her chin, looking at Derpy. The poor thing couldn’t be older than thirteen. She was so polite, too. But still, she hated seeing Vinyl with bruises.
“Vinyl, I am happy you went to save your friend, but you need to be careful! You might get yourself killed one day. Do you understand?”
“Yes, mom,” Vinyl said, ears folding back. How bad it could have gotten hadn’t really occurred to her at the time.
“Thank you.” She walked over to Vinyl and wrapped her daughter in a hug. “Every mother’s worst nightmare is a guard knocking on her door saying that something’s happened to her baby.”
“I’m sorry I got your daughter involved, Mrs. um…”
“Claret Rondeau, but you can just call me Claret, and don’t worry about it.” She smiled. “Vinyl did the right thing helping you. We’ve just…” Claret paused, choosing her words carefully, “had a few incidents with her fighting in the past.”
Derpy nodded.
“Why don’t you sit down, Derpy? We have coffee brewing in the kitchen.”
Claret walked into the kitchen while Vinyl and Derpy seated themselves on a large sofa in the living room. They both sat there silently. Derpy looked around the living room, eyeing the furniture and pictures around the room.
“This is a nice house, Vinyl.”
“Thanks. My mom and I have been living here since I was a foal.”
“What does your mother do?”
“She is a pianist.”
“Pianist?”
“She plays the piano professionally.”
“And she’s good enough to get a house like this just by doing that? That’s amazing.”
Claret walked back into the living room holding three cups of coffee with her levitation magic.
“It is, though I spend more time recording. I only perform live during the summer when Vinyl doesn’t have school. I can’t be heading out of town with Vinyl by herself at home.”
“I’m in high school, mom. I can take care of myself.” Vinyl grumbled.
“And who is going to help you out of bed? Even your alarm clock can’t seem to do that.”
Vinyl resumed drinking her coffee. Derpy took a sip as well, immediately shuddering at the strong, bitter taste.
“So, what do your parents do, Derpy?” Claret asked.
Derpy sat there silent, not sure what to say.
“I don’t have any parents.”
“Oh… I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s fine. I’ve been living in adoption housing for most of my life.”
“What is the reason you moved here?” Claret asked.
“I… wasn’t doing very well with city life, and the adoption home in Las Pegasus could see that. They transferred me out here hoping that I’d have an easier time in a smaller town.”
“I can see why. Las Pegasus isn’t exactly the safest of places to be. Especially for a pony your age” Claret added.
Derpy nodded, “I like it here. It isn’t noisy like the city, and...” She paused for a second, “most of the ponies here are friendly.” She smiled.
“Glad to hear you are liking it here. I knew this town was perfect for Vinyl and I when we first moved here.”
Derpy smiled, taking another sip of coffee. The bitter taste had been alien at first, but she was slowly growing to like it. Glancing about the room, she noticed a series of photographs hung on the walls. Nearly all of them were of Vinyl. Vinyl and her mother at the beach, Vinyl on what looked like her first day of school, Claret playing the piano, Vinyl and a few other fillies of the same age.
“Say, Vinyl?” Derpy asked, still looking at the photographs.
“Hm?”
“I don’t want to be rude, but is it just you and your mom that live here?”
“Yup.” Vinyl nodded. “I never really had a dad. He left us early on, so I never knew him.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
“It’s fine; I have my mother. Besides, this is just how things are, really. It’s not so hard.”
Derpy nodded, taking a last sip of her coffee. “Well, thank you for inviting me, Vinyl, and thank you for the coffee, Ms. Rondeau.” She got up. “I have to head back to the adoption house.”
“Actually, I was wondering if you wanted dinner. Vinyl and I rarely have guests,” Claret said.
“I’d have to call the headmaster to let them know I’ll be late, but I would like that.” Derpy smiled.
Vinyl and Derpy walked to the entrance door to the house.
“Thank you again for dinner, Ms. Rondeau. I really liked it,” Derpy said.
“You’re welcome. Vinyl, be sure to come straight back home after you drop Derpy off.”
“All right mom, I’ll be back soon.” Vinyl sighed, opened the door, and walked out with Derpy behind her. She made sure to wave before closing the door.
Evening had come upon Ponyville, the lively bright town was now in darkness with the roads being lit by the town lamps. The sound of insects chirping echoed across the town while Vinyl and Derpy walked down the road to the adoption house.
“Your mother is very nice, Vinyl,” Derpy said.
“Yeah, she’s kind to everyone she meets.”
The two kept walking, with Derpy leading.
“You said you were bullied?”
“Yeah, as said earlier I dressed a bit differently compared to the other mares at school. But…” Vinyl paused.
“But what?”
“That wasn’t the real reason. I also, um, kinda like mares.”
Derpy blinked.
“You know. Like like.”
“Oh.” Derpy stopped and looked at Vinyl, who stopped in turn and scratched at the ground nervously.
“I told my mom a month or two back. I think she was thrown off, but she accepted it.”
“You’re her daughter. Something minor like that shouldn’t keep her from loving you.”
“Yeah.” Vinyl looked up at the stars. “You don’t think of me less for that, do you?”
“Of course not,” Derpy said, shaking her head.
“Heh, good. It’s nice to have a friend.”
“I’m not exactly experienced in the friend department,” Derpy said softly. “What about you?”
“Not as much as you’d think. I had a girlfriend, which was pretty cool, but she dumped me right before I came out to my mother.” Vinyl sighed. “Most of my friends are adults, really. My mom is friends with a lot of ponies around town. Not quite the same as having lunch with the cool kids, but I’ll take what I can get.”
“I’m happy to be your friend then, Vinyl.” Derpy smiled.
“Best friends?”
“Best friends.”