//------------------------------// // Subwoofer // Story: More than Meets the Ear // by MrAskAPirate //------------------------------// “Thanks again for all your help!” “Yer a lifesaver, sugarcube!” “See ya later, music ‘tater!” “Pinkie, darling, that doesn’t really make any sense.” “I thought the rhyme was… nice.” Vinyl Scratch returned the Rainbooms’ waves with a thumbs-up and a smile as the victorious band headed down the hill toward the outdoor amphitheatre with their instruments in tow. The Battle of the Bands was over, the Dazzlings had been defeated, and all was right with Canterlot once again, thanks in no small part to her own efforts. It felt nice to be the hero, even if she hadn’t been the one standing in the spotlight. Evil beings from another dimension and mind-controlling magic aside, it had been a pretty awesome night. With a satisfied sigh, Vinyl turned back to her car--or rather, the two-seater sport coupe that was currently doubling as her sound system. The light bar readout along the front ‘grill’ pulsed once, and Vinyl smiled all the wider. She strode over and patted the side of her dashboard-turned-turntable, prompting the vehicle to whirr and clank as its parts shifted and rearranged themselves. As the final pieces slid back into place the sleek silver and blue convertible’s engine revved, and Vinyl wasted no time hopping over the driver’s side door and dropping into the comfortable bucket seat. As she reached down to put the car in reverse, Vinyl hesitated. In a rare moment of seriousness, she removed her trademark purple glasses so she could look over her ride without their rosy tint. Her ruby eyes wandered over the stylish interior, ranging from the sky blue seats to the smooth dash and faux-leather wrapped steering wheel. The coupe’s gauges glowed bright neon, mostly blue but with splashes of green, orange, and the occasional dot of red. The engine purred at a soft idle, so soft that one might’ve mistaken the car for an electric or one of the newer hybrids, but Vinyl knew from experience that her baby had a growl that shook your teeth when she put the pedal to the metal. Vinyl ran her fingers over the dash again, the soft material cool on her skin. This car had come through for her when she needed it most more than once, and tonight it had done it again. She leaned forward, lightly touching her forehead to the top of the steering wheel, and smiled warmly. Thanks, buddy. After a silent moment, she slipped back into her shades with a grin and used her custom stereo’s remote to switch on a booming dubstep track, cranking the volume to a satisfying eleven. She then threw the car in reverse, backed carefully down the grassy hill and into the nearby parking lot before driving off into the night, her head bobbing in time to the beat all the way. From the treeline on the far side of the lot, three sets of eyes intently followed her every move. Vinyl parked in the driveway of her small, one-story flat, grabbing her backpack from the seat next to her and slinging it over her shoulder as she stepped out of her coupe. She ran her hand along the door and hood as she stepped away, leaping over the two short steps that led to her front door. Shutting the door behind her, she dropped her bag in the entryway with an unceremonious ‘thunk’ and took a deep, relaxing breath as she surveyed her living room. Giant flatscreen TV and sweet seven-speaker surround sound system that she’d spent way too much money on? Check. Ratty couch that had been all she could afford after spending so much on her electronics? Check. Frilly, flower-covered throw blanket that a certain cellist had insisted on giving her to cover said couch because she would otherwise never deign to place her prim and proper derriere on it? Vinyl smirked and shook her head. Check. Mostly empty pizza box sitting on the coffee table next to her phone that made Vinyl crinkle her nose, but also made her stomach growl when it reminded her that she’d been so psyched about the Battle of the Bands that she’d forgotten to eat dinner? Check... aaaand gross. Gonna need to open the window and air this baby out a bit. Resolving to deal with the day-old pepperoni and anchovy science experiment later, Vinyl headed instead for her kitchen to find something a little less moldy to eat… only to leap back into the room and refocus her eyes on the electric blue smartphone lying next to the pizza box. Her hands reflexively went to her pockets, patting them down as if she expected to find the device in two places at once. Finding that was not the case, she rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh as she walked over to retrieve it. It wasn’t the first time that she’d forgotten the darn thing at home, but ordinarily it didn't take her very long to realize it was missing. Of course, the last few days had been anything but ordinary. She swiped the screen and was greeted with the expected bevy of missed text messages… some from her parents from whatever weird, remote location they were vacationing in this time, a couple from kids at school, one from Pinkie Pie inviting her to a victory party at Sugarcube Corner tomorrow night, another from Pinkie Pie asking her to DJ at the victory party tomorrow night, and… fifteen missed messages from Octavia? Vinyl furrowed her brow as she scrolled through, finding that they were all from the last half hour and ranged from a simple ‘hello?’ to a concerned ‘Vinyl, where are you’, and the almost desperate-sounding ‘please, we need to talk’. She was about to respond when the phone dinged in her hand, indicating a new voicemail from… yup, Octavia. The timestamp placed it about eight minutes ago, just after the last text had been sent. Vinyl tapped play and raised the phone to her ear, only to jerk it away as a distinctive Trottingham accent blared out of the tiny speaker. “-oodness’ sake, Vinyl, answer your bloody texts already!!” There was a brief pause in which Vinyl could hear Octavia clear her throat, and she took the opportunity to switch the phone over to speaker mode and hold it at arm’s length. Just in case. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to raise my voice, I just… it’s been a long, very tiring couple of days, as you can imagine. I’m sorry for what I said the other day; you were right, I wasn’t… myself.” Vinyl cocked one eyebrow and gave the phone an exaggerated nod. Octavia had been absolutely livid after losing to the Rainbooms in the first round of the qualifiers; so much so that when Vinyl had tried to tell her it was no big deal she’d snapped, screaming that Vinyl would never understand what it meant to fail as a musician since the DJ’s dubstep wasn’t ‘real music’ to begin with. It had hurt to hear that, especially from Octavia, but that outburst had been Vinyl’s first clue about the effect the Dazzlings’ music was having on everyone. The talking dog that had explained it all later helped too. “I got a call from Flash earlier, and one from Sweetie Belle as well. They told me what happened at the concert tonight… about what you did.” Vinyl cringed. She knew what was coming next. “I just can’t believe you’d do something so… so… utterly reckless! You know how important it is that no one find out the truth, and yet you continue to toe the line so irresponsibly! I don’t care if everyone at the concert was hypnotized, or brainwashed, or whatever; you cannot risk exposing them like this. You know that.” By now Vinyl was shaking her head, eyes rolling and her free hand making vague ‘yap yap yap’ motions as she heard Octavia sigh on the recording. “Look, I understand that there were… extenuating circumstances, and honestly, given what appears to have been at stake I’m not even sure I could say that what you did was wrong, I just… I’m just worried about you, that’s all.” A smile tugged at the corners of Vinyl’s mouth. “The four of us--or rather the eight of us… we all keep this secret together. We need to look out for one another, and I… well, I suppose I feel guilty that I wasn’t there for you when you needed me. I’m sorry.” From the way Octavia’s voice had wavered there at the end and the pair of drawn-out sniffs that followed, Vinyl guessed she was doing her best to keep it together. There was a long silence before she spoke again. “Anyway, please let me know when you get this. Send me a text or… just let me know you’re all right, okay?” Figuring that was it, Vinyl’s thumb hovered over the end call button. “And don’t forget to delete this after you’ve heard it. Goodness knows you forget your phone often enough, we don’t need anyone picking it up and getting suspicious.”   Vinyl chuckled as a beep signaled the actual end of the message. She moved her thumb over and hit delete instead before returning to her missed messages. Im fine. Kinda tired, gonna eat and crash for the PM. Talk 2 u in the AM? She almost pushed ‘send’, but hesitated, adding a little more. It wasnt ur fault, tavi. Were cool, no worries. This time she hit send, pocketing the phone and snatching up the TV remote from the couch. Her mouth twisted in dissatisfaction as she flipped past page after page of wasted airtime on her DVR’s menu, but her eyes shot open when she spotted the on-going Con Mane marathon on ThornTV. Her fist pumped in the air as she switched it on and was greeted with the classic orchestral brass band and robust alto of the intro to Goldhoof, one of her personal favorites. She tossed the remote back to the couch and turned once again for the kitchen when her phone buzzed with Octavia’s expected reply. Your spelling and punctuation are atrocious. Sleep well, Vinyl. Vinyl snickered and sent back a lovingly antagonistic ‘u 2’ before finally reaching the kitchen and pulling a pack of microwavable White Barn cheeseburgers from her freezer with a satisfied grin. This night kept getting better and better. Vinyl snorted a bit as she woke with a start, empty plate sliding from her stomach and onto the couch beside her. Smacking her lips and straightening her glasses, the first thing she focused on was the rolling credits and typical accompanying ads on her television. She must’ve been more tired than she realized, for she'd somehow managed to fall asleep splayed across her couch with her legs up on the coffee table. The cost of using such an uncomfortable, unorthodox bed--a dull ache coursing through her back muscles--was already apparent. Just as she started to stretch out, a loud crash from outside made her jump. She sat up, one hand fumbling for the remote and finally hitting mute on the TV just in time for her ears to pick up what sounded like hurried footsteps. She hopped to her feet, adrenaline pumping and helping her forget the crick in her spine, and darted to the window she’d opened earlier to sneak a cautious peek outside. Everything in her front yard seemed normal. The night had gone quiet again except for the omnipresent sounds of the suburb and the rustling of leaves in the breeze. No unexpected cars in her driveway or parked anywhere within eyesight, no movement she could make out aside from that of shadowed moonlight streaming through the branches of… Something stirred at the end of her driveway and made a small, grating sound. Vinyl’s heart skipped a beat as she lifted her shades, peering through the gloom for a better look at… her trash can rolling on its side. Dumb thing must’ve gotten blown over by the wind. Again. Sucking in a huge breath to replace the one she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding, Vinyl shook her head and smiled at her own paranoia. Maybe Octavia was starting to rub off on her after all. As much as she wanted to just return to her marathon and relax, Vinyl trudged dutifully outside to right the fallen receptacle, a simple chore that wouldn’t take her more than a minute. What she hadn’t expected was for two strong pairs of hands to grab her shoulders just as she started back toward her house and shove her bodily to the ground. She gasped as her chest and face rebounded off the grass of her lawn despite her arms’ best efforts to prevent it, the impact knocking her glasses clean off. “Well, well,” a familiar voice crooned. “Not so tough without your little friends the Rainbooms around, are you?” Vinyl’s eyes widened as she struggled back to her feet and turned to face two of the Dazzlings, the one with the giant hairdo that looked like a cheese poof on steroids, and the ditzy one with the toothpaste ponytail. Despite their glaring, unmistakably angry visages, Vinyl couldn’t help but notice that Toothpaste looked like she’d been crying. “We had it,” Cheese-hair said as the two of them stalked slowly toward her. “We had real, Equestrian magic in our grasp! We were finally going to be able to go home, and then you,” her face twisted into a mask of sheer rage, “you let those pathetic losers out and then helped them destroy our pendants! This is all your fault!” “We’ve lost everything,” Toothpaste’s voice wavered, angry but on the cusp of breaking. “Our adoring fans, our magic!” She shook her head as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks “We can’t even sing anymore thanks to you!” Vinyl didn’t have to be a genius to know where this was going. She turned to try and make a run for her house, only to find her way blocked by the remaining Dazzling with the purple and mint green twin-tails. Purplemint didn’t say anything, but the cold fire burning in her eyes sent a chill down Vinyl’s spine nonetheless. She began slowly backing away, trying to keep all three Dazzlings in sight as they circled around her; herding her. “The Rainbooms are going to pay,” Cheese-hair growled. “If it’s the last thing we do, we’re going to take everything that’s precious to those girls and shatter it, just like they did to us… starting with you.” One last step caused the DJ to bump into something… something smooth and cool to the touch… something that felt a lot like the side of her coupe. Vinyl smiled. Before the Dazzlings could close in on her, she gave the car two quick pats. The engine and lights sprang to life, startling the trio, but that was nothing compared to what was yet to come. Vinyl stood straight and proud, crossing her arms over her chest as the coupe itself came alive. A ripple appeared to run through its smooth, unblemished surface an instant before it split apart in a hundred places, the glossy metal separating into dozens of distinct plates and revealing a complicated, seemingly endless array of turning gears and whirring servos within. The very shape of the car began to change, accompanied by a cacophony of ratcheting, clanking, hissing noise. Metal ground against squealing metal, and the whole orchestra of sound was permeated by an otherworldly, electronic oscillation that was unlike anything the Dazzlings had ever heard. The seats and windshield somehow folded themselves into the interior as the hood and trunk split down the middle. Something began to emerge from beneath the car, lifting it almost a foot off the ground as the wheels shifted, sliding to different positions on the surface. As the frame of the vehicle continued to rise, the entire front half suddenly pivoted, spinning about so that the hood now faced the ground. As it did, what could only be described as a massive metallic arm sprouted from the wheel well, slamming into the ground next to the unflinching Vinyl Scratch. The arm was shortly followed by another on the opposite side, and together they levered the machine even higher as the trunk unfolded into a pair of stout legs while the wheels locked into positions on the thing’s sides and back. Mouths gaping and eyes wide with a mixture of terror and disbelief, the Dazzlings watched as the monstrosity stood upon those legs as any biped would, towering more than double any human’s height. It turned toward them as the hood split further and slid down, revealing the unmistakable shape of a humanoid head that lifted into place between shoulders formed from the car’s bumper and headlights. The head tilted from one side to the other as if cracking its neck as the bevy of noises faded away, the machine’s surface normalizing as the last plates clicked into place. The metal man stared down at them through eyes that shimmered with an intense blue-white light. The car’s grill had ended up at the center of the being’s chest, and it pulsed with colors as it spoke with a voice that was thunderous, mechanical, and all-too human. “Glad you gave the signal when you did, Vinyl. ‘Nother second or two and I was gonna come out anyway.” It--he--turned his focus to the bewildered Dazzlings. “Now, for these sheilas… you want I should crush ‘em...” He hefted his right arm, the end quickly transforming from a hand into a gun-like barrel that pulsed and thrummed with a neon-blue energy, which he then leveled at the three girls. “... Or bass ‘em?” Shaking in their shoes, the Dazzlings struggled to pull their eyes from the unbelievable sight, glancing down at the girl they had just attacked and who now apparently held their very lives in her hands. The smugly-grinning Vinyl’s only response was to waggle her eyebrows. Not waiting around to find out exactly what that meant, Cheese-hair grabbed her partners by the shoulders, pulling them away and sprinting off down the street as fast as their legs could carry them. “And stay out!” the giant machine bellowed after them, chuckling as his canon powered down and reverted to being a hand once again. “You sure that was a good idea, mate? Lettin’ those three go? Could be barney for us later on.” Vinyl put her hands up and shrugged, drawing a boisterous guffaw from the robot. “That’s what I love about you, Vinyl! Always flyin’ by the seat of yer pants, yea?” He held up one giant hand, curled into a fist, which Vinyl happily bumped with her own as she let out a satisfied sigh. Oh, yeah… tonight was definitely an awesome night.