//------------------------------//
// One of These Days 
// Story: I Love You More 
// by Ave Celestia 
//------------------------------//

Tonight is the night!

Vinyl Scratch was tired and sweaty from working until 3 AM, but that wasn't unusual. And she didn't mind. She was a DJ, and a very famous one at that. She was in demand and she loved her fans and her job and she poured all of herself into her work, pulling out all the stops, packing in the ponies from the club's opening in the evening until they forced the doors closed in the early morning hours. Vinyl's blockbuster shows usually lasted until 3 AM, plus all the time afterward she spent chatting with the club owner or hardcore fans. Vinyl loved her fans and they loved her and sometimes she'd go out for pre-dawn breakfast pancakes at a diner with some of the cooler ones after an especially awesome show. Breakfast pancakes smothered in syrup are the best food to watch the sun rise with other cool ponies.


But not after this set, not tonight. No chatter, no fans. No pre-dawn pancakes this night. When Vinyl had wrapped up her last set at three, Vinyl hadn't stopped to say a single word to anypony, not to her manager, not to the club owner, and not to all her waiting, smiling fans. She just packed up all her stuff into her travel box, waved a good-bye hoof at the lot of them, jumped off the stage, and flew out the door, out of the club, onto the street. Tired as she was, Vinyl ran the entire way back to her apartment, galloping along the early-morning-black streets of Canterlot.  She couldn't wait to get home to her apartment. Today had been the big day, after all, and Vinyl couldn't wait to get back and see her marefriend. Her marefriend! Who was waiting for her!


"Bitty? Hey, Bitty!" Vinyl called out as she unlocked her apartment door. Vinyl hustled inside, levitating behind her the box containing her laptop and the rest of her DJing gear. Vinyl closed and locked the door behind her with a happy grin and looked around eagerly for her partner.


Vinyl and her marefriend were finally taking the next step in their relationship: moving in together! Over this past week, Vinyl had cleaned up her apartment, making it ready for the big move-in. Vinyl had personally scrubbed and swept the entire place, from the black tile floors, the eggshell-white walls, washing the tall apartment windows, vacuuming through the plush carpet, and got down on her knees getting gunk and grime out of every corner. Vinyl wanted the scene to be perfect. Vinyl's marefriend was sometimes particular about things.


The move had been scheduled so that Vinyl would be at work when the movers came. By the time Vinyl was done with her show and got back (now!) her marefriend would be all settled in. She had promised Vinyl that she would wait up all night for Vinyl and now Vinyl couldn't wait to see her.


Vinyl looked around her apartment with a satisfied smile. The place was swept and clean, the counters tidied, everything in the sink washed and sorted, trash taken out, everything made ready for her marefriend's arrival, the perfect scene, only one thing missing from this perfect picture. Vinyl put down her box of DJing equipment and called into the apartment. "Hey, babe, I'm back! Sorry it took me so long! I wanted to get out a little early but you know how it is."


Vinyl crossed into the kitchen area and to the refrigerator and opened the fridge door to get a bottle of water. Vinyl had cleared half of the refrigerator, pushed her food to one half of the glass shelves, dividing the fridge in exactly half. Vinyl's marefriend was very particular about her food and stuff and Vinyl was happen to accommodate, giving her half of the fridge space. Vinyl lifted out a bottle of water, popped the cap off, and took a cold drink. She closed the fridge door and wiped her forehead with the back of her hoof, pushing back her sweaty blue spikes. "Baby, you wouldn't believe this gig, it was so wild, it was like whoa! Ya know?" Vinyl took off her shades and tossed them onto the kitchen island, skidding them across the polished surface.


Vinyl looked around at the kitchen cupboards. Earlier that day, Vinyl had moved her own plates and dishes to half of her cupboards, making room for her marefriend's stuff. Vinyl's marefriend was really particular about her dishes and stuff. But the half of the cupboards Vinyl had cleared were still empty. Her marefriend hadn't put her stuff in the cupboards yet. It must all still be in her moving boxes.


"Bitty! Hey! Hey, Bitty, you asleep?"


Vinyl walked to the bedroom. The bed was still neatly made, just like Vinyl had left it this morning.


Vinyl looked around the bedroom. Vinyl had cleaned out her messy closet and cleared half into free space and emptied half of her dresser drawers, making room for her marefriend. Vinyl's marefriend was really particular about her clothes and stuff. But the closet door and drawers which Vinyl had left open- the better for her marefriend to put her stuff in- were all still standing open, and the half of the closet and drawers which Vinyl had cleared were all still empty.


Vinyl stared, non-comprehendingly. "Bitty? Where are you?" She turned to the hall.


The bathroom which Vinyl had scrubbed was still spotless. Vinyl had pushed all her toiletries to one side of the sink, making room for her marefriend's stuff. She was really particular about her toothbrush and stuff. But the cleared space next to Vinyl's stuff was still empty.


"...Bitty?" Vinyl started to get a sick feeling.


Vinyl went from room to room of her apartment, looking for her marefriend... or any evidence she had moved in or had even ever been there at all.


She wasn't here. Her marefriend wasn't here. There wasn't a single box of her stuff. Not a trace.


Vinyl felt nauseous and light-headed. What had happened? What had gone wrong? ...What had Vinyl done wrong?


Vinyl got out her phone and started to dial. But she noticed that she had a text. Vinyl opened it. She read it. And then she slumped to the floor and started to sob.


*  *


"Bitter Blossom broke up with you in a text?"

"Yeah."

"The night you two were supposed to move in together?"

"Yeah."


"Knowing that you were going to be too busy to read it when she sent it?"


"Yeah."


"And told you she was cheating on you with whatsherface?"


Vinyl said nothing.


Neon heaved a sigh. "That's some serious phoenix juice."


It was late evening outside, a week later.


Vinyl Scratch and Neon Lights were sitting together alone in a big corner booth at their second-favorite club. Some decently danceable whistles and bass screeched and thumped pleasantly from the speakers over dance floor on the other side of the club. Red, green, and blue laser lights strobed and clickered and flashed through the murky air. Both Vinyl and Neon had drinks. Both were wearing sunglasses indoors.


Neon Lights was a fellow musician like Vinyl. Like Vinyl, he was a unicorn, but with a blue coat, black mane, unlike her white and blue. His mane was up in spikes like hers. His dark glasses were pushed up his snout like hers. He liked to wear button-up shirts with loose ties as part of his look because they made him seem cool and relaxed. He was wearing a black shirt and white skinny tie tonight.


Neon Lights played the same kind of EDM as Vinyl. He wasn't as well-known as Vinyl but he was going to get there someday soon. He was good and he had talent and Vinyl believed in him. He was a good guy. He listened to her. And he was pretty much the only pony who could keep up with Vinyl when she talked about the technicals of their music and Vinyl really liked that. They connected on the same level. Neon was Vinyl's BSGF: Best Straight Guy Friend.


Neon levitated up his drink and took a sip. "And you waited a week to tell me all this why?" He had to talk loud to be heard over the music.


Vinyl slumped in the booth, her own drink mostly gone. "Because."


"Because...?"


"Because I knew you'd do this?"


"Do what? Demand you come out with me and drink and make you tell me all about it so you'd feel better?"


"...Yes."


Neon tipped his head, clearly rolling his eyes behind his shades. "You're a real silly pony, V!"


Vinyl slumped forward until her unicorn horn thunked against the booth table. Her shades slid forward along her snout to click against the table's surface. She said nothing.


Neon gestured with his drink. "You better watch it. You'll give yourself hornitis if you keep doing that."


"Hornitis is a myth," mumbled Vinyl.


"No, it's totally not. I know this one guy whose friend got his horn caught in a door when another guy slammed it and-"


"Shut up. That's an urban legend."


"-totally splintered down to the base and there was blood everywhere." He took a drink. "True story."


"You can't break your horn. Like, ever. Everypony knows that."


"Ey, I'm just saying watch the horn, V."


She brought her hooves around to cover her face and sighed deeply into the table. "My horn isn't my problem, my problem is why do I keep dating mares who cheat and hurt me."


Neon took a drink. "Because... you keep dating mares who cheat and hurt you."


Vinyl was silent for a few moments before peeking out from behind her hooves. "What does that mean." She spoke in a dull monotone.


"What do you mean 'what does that mean?' It means don't date blueberry mares who hurt you."


Vinyl groaned and threw herself back against the booth seat. "I knew I was moving too fast. I shouldn't have asked her to move in with me."


The music in the club changed. A heavy kick came through the speakers. Vinyl sighed and preemptively rolled her eyes, knowing what Neon was about to say.


Neon tipped his glass towards the ceiling. "Hey, filly, they're playing your song. Literally!"


"You say that every time."


"Aww, you have it so hard that your bestest friend cracks a little joke every time he hears one of the millions of ponies play your multi-platinum record!"


"It only went platinum once."


"Yeah, and I only hit it with Celestia once." He took a drink. "I mean, if it would have happened twice that would have meant something, but just once? Total non-event. Barely even worth mentioning."


"I don't think the goddess-queen of ponykind dallies with mortals much."


"She can dally me any time."


"I bet she's into mares."


Neon put his drink down with a concerned look. "What? Why?"


"Because of you." Vinyl thrust an accusing hoof at him. "Ten thousand years ago she said 'in my alicornerific wisdom, I one day foresee the birth of a young colt named Neon Lights. Because he is so disgusting and stupid and annoying I will preemptively swear off the lesser gender. For all eternity.'"


Neon raised his glass and look a slow drink. He swallowed and put his glass down again. "I am not disgusting."


"You are."


"No, I just thought of at least ten dirty things I could have said in reply to that but I didn't."


She smirked at him. "That's why you are. Because you thought of them."


He smirked back. "Not because I have boy-parts?"


Vinyl smiled crookedly. "Those, too."


"Okay, whatever." Neon drained his drink, put it down on the table, and pushed his black sunglasses up his snout, and heaved a big sigh and leaned back in the booth. He and Vinyl were silent together for a minute, listening to her song coming from above the dance floor.


Then Neon cleared his throat. "Okay. V. Here's the truth: Bitter Blossom was a total blueberry. Alright? You shouldn't have dated her. But you did anyway. Everypony told you she was a blueberry. You knew she was a blueberry and you dated her anyway. You knew she was going to break your heart."


Vinyl's head slumped forward in despair with a thunk and a click.


Neon reached out slid her drink back from her head. "Hornitis."


"Shut up."


He leaned forward. "You knew she was a blueberry and you dated her anyway and that's your fault."


Vinyl groaned and covered her face up again. "Because I'm totally easy."


"You're not-" Neon huffed an angry sigh and pressed his hoof to his forehead. "You're not easy, V, you're just, like, a really passionate pony. Alright? You like to get drunk and go out with your friends, dance, party, party some more, make music, do shows, and whatever else the salamanders you feel like doing.  You like to feel stuff. You're a romantic. You love easily. You love love. You love being in love. You're like that. Your heart has no gates. Or, like, there's no metaphorical lock on the metaphorical gates or whatever. Ponies get inside and they salamanders phoenix juice up."


Vinyl sat up and dramatically pressed a hoof to her chest. "Yes, behind this tough outside beats a sensitive soul!"


"A sensitive heart?"


"Yeah, that's what I said." She smiled for a bit but then the moment passed. She sighed and deflated again. She slumped, staring blankly at the table.


Neon watched her carefully but said nothing.


After a minute, she looked up and propped her forehead up on a hoof. "You know, I think I'm done."


"...Yeah?"


"I think she was the last one, dude. I'm, I dunno, tired. Tired of all this relationship nonsense drama, tired of all the politics and who's with who, who was with who, who wants to be with who, who's cheating on who and then being the one who's being cheated, fitting myself into the whole applesauce equation for however long I can keep it all balanced before it all falls apart under me. Again. All this politics: done. Me: done."

Neon nodded.

Vinyl raised her head. "I don't need a partner, right?"

Neon held his drink in front of his lips. "No, you're strong."

"I can stand on my own four hooves. You don't need a partner to live a happy life, right?"

"Definitely! You go, filly."

The two of them exchanged a look before Vinyl buried her head under her hooves with a groan and Neon leaned back and laughed.

"V, the sun's got as much chance of falling from the sky as you got not falling for the next mare you see."

"I'm such a scut."

"HEY! You're not a scut."

"Yes, I am. I'm a huge scut and I'm totally easy and I got to stop doing this. Stop dating."

"Hey." He reached out with a hoof and tapped the table to get her attention. "You got passion, V, and that's a good thing. You love like your ex never could and that makes you better than her, alright?"

They were both quiet for a minute.

"But... I need to not date ponies."

Neon rolled his eyes again. "No, Missie Melodrama, don't need to not date ponies, you need to date good ponies."

"And where are the good ponies." She raised her head.

"We're all straight and male! Hohoho!"

Vinyl slumped forward again and let out a loud groan. "Bwaaaaaahh, I haaate you!"

Neon grinned playfully. "Nah, you love me."

Vinyl looked up with a matching grin. "Yeah, I lo-"

Neon suddenly sat up, his grin instantly evaporating, craning his neck to look out across the club. "Aw, candysnaps." His voice went hard.

"Huh? What is it? More fans?" Vinyl raised her head, looking where Neon was looking.

"No, it's that one crazy mare again. She came by the club like ten times before." Neon pointed.

"Who?" Vinyl looked.

Across the murky club, between the tables and the chattering and the dancing ponies, prowled a tall, dark mare with a long, raven-black mane. She was impeccably groomed and her mane was beautifully and expensively styled.  She moved with fluid, graceful steps, with poise and confidence, and always kept her nose at a just-so angle, head held at the angle of unspoken nobility and silent command. All of the party ponies around her took an unconscious step back from her presence, creating a ring around her. As the dark mare turned, Vinyl caught a flash of pink silk at her throat.

Vinyl stared at her, watching her move across the floor. Wow, she's so pretty.

Neon's hoof mashed onto the top of Vinyl's head, pushing her down. "Get low!"

"Ow, quit it!"

Neon lifted his chin up at the dark mare. "Look at her. She's like a shark. Her searching head is like a fin breaking above the waves of the crowd."

Vinyl struggled, trying to get another look at the mare. "Oh, wow, so do you write crickets lyrics to go with your crickets music now, too?"

"Quiet, she's looking this way!" Neon grabbed Vinyl by the mane and shoved her down and under the booth table.

"Ow, what the hay?"

"Shh!"

"Aw, nasty, get your swinger-thinger out of my face! Argh, it's filthy under here! Let me out!"

"No, shut up, she's coming this way. Pretend you're a wad of gum."

Vinyl crouched under the booth table and looked away while Neon spread himself on the seat into a posture that projected offensive casualness to observers.

The dark mare's scanning eyes had locked onto Neon and she walked across the club in a perfectly straight line, walking directly up to the booth. Vinyl admired the mare's polished hooves from her position under the table.

Neon smirked at the dark mare's approach. "Ey, how's tricks, crazy?"

"Where is she?" The mare's accent was posh and sophisticated and just-barely foreign but her voice was ice-cold towards Neon.

Neon levitated his glass to his lips with a smirk. "Where's who?" He tried to take a drink from the empty glass, frowned at it, and quickly replaced it on the table.

The mare pointed at the second, half-finished drink on the table. "That is a Canterlot Cobbler, Vinyl's favorite drink when she is out to clubs. I've seen her order it several times." Her voice was low and smoky and smooth like an old-time torch singer.

Neon shrugged with extreme nonchalance. "Yeah, sure, she was here. I admit it. But now she's gone. What do you want from me."

"Did she go to the lavatory? To her apartment? To another club? Which? When? With whom? Tell me."

"I think if she wants you to know where she was she woulda told you."

The dark mare was silent for a moment. "I know that you know."

"Yeah? And now I know that you know that I know that I know nothing. So unless you're going to get out the hoof-screws, we're done here. Toodle or jog on or whatever you do from wherever you came from." He flicked his hoof at her dismissively.

Silence. The only sound was from overhead music and the noise of the club-goers.

The mare reared up and slapped a hoof onto the table with a bang!

Neon jumped in his seat. Vinyl's head nearly hit the underside of the table.

The dark mare's voice was tight with emotion. "You're wrong. You're wrong! You have no right to come between us! Vinyl and I belong together! It's only a mistake that we're apart right now! Once I find her again, I won't lose her."

"What, are you going to tie her up and put a tracker in her back molars?" Neon sneered at her. "The filly is free, crazy. Leave her alone."

The dark mare leaned forward. Her voice had gone flat and emotionless. "You don't get it, do you. We're supposed to be together. Vinyl and I are two parts of a pair. It's not your place to interfere."

Silence from above. Vinyl kept a hoof pressed over her mouth but her eyes went wide. Who is this mare?

The dark mare's low voice was barely audible as she hissed to Neon. "Don't think to get between us."

The mare returned to four hooves and Neon unstuck himself from the back of the booth. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

The dark mare turned with a swish of her long, black tail and left. Vinyl noticed that she had an elegantly curvaceous music symbol on her flank.

"Nice bow tie," called Neon after her.

Vinyl popped her head up from under the table. "I think it's kind of cute."

Neon gave Vinyl a warning look. "Don't."

"Don't what?" said Vinyl innocently as she climbed back up onto the booth seat.

"Don't 'don't what' me! Stay away from her! That mare is loco in the coco on the crazy train to Badnewsville, with stops in Abandon-All-Hope Town and Bipolar-Psycho Central. She's toys in the attic, V! Over the rainbow! Big. Red. Flashing. Lights! Danger, danger!

"High voltage."

Neon threw up his hooves. "She threatened me! She said she was going to chop me into little pieces!"

"No, she didn't."

"Okay, yeah, she said it with her eyes, though! I could see it: the word MURDER was written in blood across the back of the insides of 'em."

"You're exaggerating."

He shivered. "Just... just no, V! Weren't you swearing off mares like two seconds ago? And what do you got in common with a stuffed-shirt aristo like her anyway?" Neon looked down at his empty glass and puffed out a breath. "I need another drink. Let's get the salamanders out of here. There's a way out the back you can't get to from the street so let's go to another club." He slid his way out of the booth.

Vinyl followed. "She seemed nice."

Neon floated over Vinyl's Canterlot Cobbler and finished what was left of it. "Yeah, from the knees down, maybe. All's I'm sayin' is that if in the next few days I disappear or you find me splashed in the gutter at the bottom of a building, don't believe the note: I didn't jump, I was pushed." He replaced her empty glass on the table. "Now let's get out of here."