The Lights of Music

by Allonsbro

Chapter 4: Partnership

TLoM 4

Partnership

“Are you sure this will work?” Meadow asked as he peeked out from back stage, trying to gauge the audience.

Vinyl pulled him back. No use letting him get worked up prematurely.

“Positive,” she assured him. “It’s all worked out. You told Fritter I asked you to stay after everypony leaves, right?”

The earth pony nodded. “Yup. To set up the guitars and such for something you’ve got tomorrow.”

“Good, now just go out there and enjoy karaoke night,” she said, pushing the brown stallion toward the hall. “We’ll worry about everything else.”

“O-OK.”

Vinyl gave him a pat on the back. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”

Meadow Song made his way out from backstage to the table where his marefriend was waiting. Vinyl slipped through the side of the curtain and joined Neon where some of the sound equipment had been moved to the side of the stage, making room for the night’s event.

“And that was Raindrops with a rendition of ‘Serves her right’ by Sapphire Shores.” He glanced at the paper with the list of singers. “Next we’ve got Lyra with, ‘I want to hold your hoof’ by The Flees.”

“It’s ‘I want to hold your hand!’” shouted a mint green unicorn from the other side of the stage.

“Oh, sorry.”

As the music started and the performer began to sing, Vinyl tapped Neon on the shoulder.

“You sure those two can keep Fritter from leaving until Meadow Song’s ready to roll?” she asked.

Neon looked over to the table where his mother and Mickser had taken a seat at the table next to Meadow Song and a yellow earth pony with a green mane that he knew must be Apple Fritter.

“Positive,” he assured her. “My mom can talk with anypony about anything. The two of them will be talking like old friends the second Apple Fritter is by herself.”

“Can she do that without letting anything slip?”

The stallion chuckled. “Nope. Hopeless gossip, that one. Can’t keep a secret to save her life. That’s why I didn’t tell her.”

“Then how’d you get her to come? She doesn’t seem like the karaoke type.”

The stallion rubbed the back of his head. “I, uh, may have hinted that I might, uh, sing a little.”

Vinyl bit her lip and snorted, trying not to laugh and disturb the current singer. “Pfft. You sing? Oh, this I’ve gotta hear!”

“I won’t have to sing. As soon as Meadow pops the question, my mom’s gonna go lovey-dovey crazy. She’ll talk about how romantic it is for hours and forget all about karaoke.”

Vinyl’s eyes went wide and she dramatically gasped. “Neon, lying! And to your own mother, no less!”

“Have you heard me sing? She’s the only one that likes it. I’ll sing for her at home some other time. Is your part of the plan ready?”

Vinyl nodded. “Meadow’s stuff is behind the curtain. All we gotta do is wait until the night ends.”

“Cool. I gotta say, you came up with a pretty good idea,” the blue unicorn complimented. “Letting Meadow do his serenade after closing circumvents his stage fright and gives it that extra boost to make it special.”

“You came up with it too, y’know” Vinyl replied. “We had, like, a mind melding thing going there.”

Neon chuckled. “Yeah, we kinda did. I must be rubbing off on you.”

Vinyl waved a hoof. “Pah! Please, you’re in my world. I’m the one rubbing off on you.”

“Well, either way, we should do it more often. Maybe do a collab sometime?”

The white mare pursed her lips, thinking. “Hmm. OK, you got it. We can start tomorrow before work.”

Neon’s eyes widened. “Wait, really?”

“Yeah, why not? Even if the collab doesn’t work out, it’d be cool to pick each other’s brains and bounce around some ideas,” she replied.

Neon agreed. “OK, tomorrow it is.”

The green unicorn finished her song, ponies applauding politely, some cheering. Neon glanced at the next name on the list.

“OK, that was Lyra with ‘I want to hold your… hand. Up next is…uh, Apple Fritter and Meadow Song…?”

Neon looked up, seeing that Apple Fritter had dragged Meadow Song halfway to the stage before he knew what was happening.

Vinyl grabbed the list and microphone from Neon. “Singing ‘I See the Light.’”

“What are they doing?” Neon whispered. “He’s gonna choke!”

Sure enough, the brown stallion appeared to be living a nightmare. His jaw clenched as he walked stiffly up the stage, his marefriend egging him on as she pulled him up the steps by the hoof.

Vinyl fiddled with a few switches, adjusting volume and readying the music. “It’s not Meadow’s writing on the sheet, so I’m guessing Fritter talked him into doing a song with her.”

“So, what do we do?” Neon asked.

“Let them sing. Duh.”

“But, the plan…”

She waved a hoof dismissively. “Relax. Fritter’s got a stubborn streak. Just roll with it.”

“But if he flops, his confidence will-”

“Neon,” Vinyl cut him off, grabbing his shoulders and lifting her glasses as she looked him in the eye. “Chill. It’s gonna be fine.”

There was so much conviction in her voice. She exuded such confidence and belief in the guitar maker that Neon started to believe what she was saying himself.

The blue stallion nodded and punched the button to start the music.

The music began and the yellow mare began to sing, a beautiful alto voice floating out into the club.

All those days watching from the windows

All those years outside looking in

All that time never even knowing

Just how blind I’ve been

Now I’m here blinking in the starlight

Now I’m here suddenly I see

Standing here it’s all so clear

I’m where I’m meant to be

And at last I see the light

And it’s like the fog has lifted

And at last I see the light

And it’s like the sky is new

And it’s warm and real and bright

And the world has somehow shifted

All at once everything looks different

Now that I see you

She looked at Meadow as the music played on and they waited for his part. The stallion looked to be a jittering, nervous wreck. He stammered and fumbled, smiling nervously and staring out at the club like a deer in the headlights.

Fritter touched his cheek, turning him to only look at her. “Hey,” she whispered, “just sing for me. You can do it” She gave him an assuring peck on the cheek. “I love you.”

The stallion’s entrance fast approaching, he steeled himself and sang.

All those days chasing down a daydream

All those years living in a blur

All that time never truly seeing

Things the way they were

He faltered once or twice, and a couple of the notes were a little flat, but Fritter being by his side steadied him.

“He’s doing it!” Vinyl whispered excitedly, squishing her cheeks with her hooves. “Sweet Celestia on a pogo stick, he’s doing it! EEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

Now she’s here shining in the starlight

Now she’s here suddenly I know

If she’s here it’s crystal clear

I’m where I’m meant to go

Neon felt Vinyl prod him in the ribs.

“Hey, think you can add a little something? Give ‘em some oomph?”

The stallion nodded, his horn glowing as small yellow lights floated around the couple.

Beaming, Apple Fritter joined her coltfriend.

And at last I see the light

And it’s like the fog has lifted

And at last I see the light

And it’s like the sky is new

And it’s warm and real and bright

And the world has somehow shifted

All at once everything is different

Now that I see you

The club erupted, a wave of applause flooding every corner as everypony in attendance rose to their hooves. Meadow and Fritter hardly noticed at first, having taken the opportunity to kiss as soon as the last lyric was sung. When the kiss broke, they both bowed and began the walk to the end of the stage.

Neon and Vinyl looked at one another, realizing as their eyes met that there would never be a more romantic setup for what they were attempting to help Meadow accomplish. Causality had wrapped itself around their co-conspirator in such a way that, if this opportunity were missed, might never come to pass again. Immediately the unicorns knew what they had to do.

“Change of plan,” they both said in unison.

Vinyl grabbed the microphone and booked across the stage to catch the couple before they got off. “Hey, awesome job, guys.”

Holding the microphone in her magic, she stepped between them, grabbing each in a side hug around their shoulders. “Wow, I have known these two for a while, but I never knew you guys were such good singers. Let’s give ‘em another round of applause.”

As with her performances, those present answered her call, another roar of cheering and hoof stamping rising up to drown a whispered message.

“Plan is getting moved up. Go get her, big guy.”

The brown stallion’s eyes boggled as the microphone fell into his hooves, tried to protest as Vinyl backed away and the applause in the club died down. Resigned to his fate, he faced the crowd.

“Uh, th-thank you,” he stammered. “I…I, uh…”

He fidgeted back and forth on his hooves, making sounds of discomfort and staring blankly ahead. Neon’s lips pressed in a thin line, wishing, wondering if perhaps his talent could be used in some other way to hide the ugly truth that Meadow feared; that it had been going so well only to now be dashed before the piercing eyes of the many ponies watching him in his failure.

He glanced at Vinyl, watched as she looked on and beckoned Meadow without words, without the stallion facing her. Neon watched her lean forward, everything in her posture urging him. ‘Come on,’ she said, ‘come on.’

Neon sighed, long and slow out his nose. Maybe the two of them had expected too much, got too swept up in the performance. Maybe their expectations of Meadow’s progress had been set too high.

Apple Fritter, seeing him struggle, reached out, her hoof touching his.

Being born a unicorn, Neon had never really thought of how earth pony magic worked. He was accustomed to the way that magic wrapped around him, accessible at any time with but a thought. To him it was a tool, an extension of himself and he wore it proudly, like a brightly colored garment. The pegasi tucked their magic beneath their wings, letting it carry them aloft, lighten them to escape the clutches of gravity. Earth ponies held it deep within, letting it pool inside them like a plant sucking water through its roots.

As Fritter’s hoof rubbed against Meadow’s, lingering over him, moving up and down in comforting motions, she gave him her strength. Her hoof wrapped around his as she pulled herself to his side, her nose nuzzling his jaw.

The brown stallion returned her affection, touching his nose to hers, allowing his fear to melt away at her touch. None of it mattered, he realized. The number of ponies watching, whether he could make some grand gesture, what song he could play for her, what words he could say, none of it, as long as he had her by his side.

“Fritter,” he whispered. “I love you.”

He licked his lips and swallowed, his nervousness drying his throat.

“You make me so happy,” he said. “And…and if you’ll have me…

Apple Fritter gasped as the brown stallion knelt, her smile growing as what he was doing was revealed to her.

“…I promise that I’ll do my best to make you just as happy.”

Great tears gathered in the yellow mare’s eyes.

“Fritter, will you marry me?”

The tears began to stream, rolling down her cheeks as she nodded. “Yes.”

“Yes!” Vinyl pumped a hoof in the air, no longer able to contain her excitement. “Kiss her!”

Meadow rose, moving closer to his marefriend. She, however, beat him to the punch, flinging her hooves around his neck and pressing her lips to his.

“Yes,” the mare repeated, happily crying and peppering the brown stallion’s face with kisses. “Oh, Meadow, yes. I love you!”

Onlookers let out a collective aww and applauded at the affectionate display. Neon took a glance at his mother, smiling as he saw Mick pull out a hanky to wipe her tears for her as her hooves pounded ecstatically. The DJ smiled, his plan coming to fruition. Any hope of her waiting for him to sing was long gone now.

Vinyl surreptitiously grabbed the microphone, cheering the loudest of them all. She lifted her glasses to her forehead, grinning ear to ear.

“Hey yo Crusoe,” she shouted over the din, pointing at the couple, “their tab’s on me tonight.” Turning to the pair, she gave each a hug. “Hey, congratulations, you guys.”

“Thank you, Vinyl,” said Meadow. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

“Hey, just save me a slice of wedding cake and we’ll call it even,” the unicorn dismissed. “And stick around a little after closing. We’ll all have a toast.”

The new fiancés left the stage, hoof in hoof.

Vinyl sighed. “Gosh, I love it when a plan comes together.”

Realizing she still had the microphone and a club full of ponies watching, she cleared her throat. “Hey, we’ve still got some time before we have to close, so I think we can do one more song…”

As Vinyl was talking, Neon readied the song list for the next singer. Noticing movement in the corner of his eye, he turned to see Quake climbing up on the side of the stage he was on.

“Something wrong outside?” he whispered, not used to seeing her come in this early.

She pointed to a compartment in the decks where Vinyl kept a few things. “Vinyl asked me for something there.”

“Oh.” The unicorn moved aside, out from behind the music decks to let her in.

The mare reached in, searching for what Vinyl wanted, but not seeming to find it.

“What was she looking for?” Neon whispered, thinking the other DJ might have moved whatever it was she needed.

“Excuse me,” Quake replied, looking in another spot and forcing Neon to shift a little farther, now just at the edge of the lit-up area of the stage.

The blue stallion’s ears perked as what Vinyl was saying caught his attention.

“…have a couple of other special guests in the house tonight. My partner‘s parents are here, so, Mickser and Dawn, we have something special just for you.”

The phrase felt funny echoing in Neon’s ears. Normally, Vinyl might have called him her fellow DJ or just Rising Star. He had never heard her use that word for him before.

Partner.

It made sense, he thought. If the idea earlier about doing a collab worked out, they would be partners. It was even a fitting word for the two of them working together the way they already did. He found it odd he hadn’t already put the thought, their dynamic, into that piece of speech that she had.

He rather liked it.

“…is gonna sing for you!”

Neon snapped from his reverie, noticing Vinyl gesturing in his direction. “Uh, what now?”

Quake hip-checked him, sending the unicorn sliding across the stage, into the spotlight next to Vinyl. The white mare pushed the microphone into his hooves.

With a mischievous, Cheshire grin, she wished him good luck and dashed to start the music, giving Quake a hoof bump, making Neon realize her part in the plan.

“Can I at least pick the song?” he asked.

“Nope,” Vinyl called back, setting the needle on a record.

Looking out, at the audience, he saw his mother waving to him, hooves tapping together excitedly. Neon sighed, resigned to his fate. It was only one song. How bad could it be?

The music came on over the speakers, answering his question with the introduction to one of Sapphire Shores’ greatest hits, ‘Equestria Girls.’

‘Oh, manure,’ the stallion thought.

Comments

[SageBrony07]

That was a great chapter. Thanks for the picture. That was sweet to read. Good luck with the next chapter. Thanks for the update.

[HN-]

The time between these updates is so long, but in the end, reading it always leaves me satisfied.

[lambda]

Awww, too bad this was cancelled. I really like this story.