Chapter 20: Troubles Over Hot Chocolaty
Fancy shot out of bed as he crashed back into reality. Dream sessions with Luna were usually on the strange side, but he’d never had one end so abruptly. A cold sweat ran down his face as he looked towards the clock. With the urgency the princess had departed, he figured it should’ve been almost daylight, but it was only a little past one in the morning. No matter the reason, he was wide awake now.
The last thing the stallion needed was to have a bout of insomnia. He sighed as he rolled out of his warm bed. Times like these called for an emergency hot cup of sleepy tea to savor before going back to bed. Quickly throwing on his robe for some much needed warmth and taking a candlestick holder in his magic, he snuck out into the darkened hallways and began a quiet walk to the kitchen.
His careful hoof-falls clip-clopped along the cold marble floors, each step punctuating the back and forth debate between jasmine and chamomile tea in his mind. The polished wall trim glistened in the moonlight shining through the windows, serving as guidelines through the lonely corridors. Both walls were brimming with priceless keepsakes from his parents and beautiful mementos from his years of service to Princess Celestia. Each piece in his collection was spaced appropriately for him to string together stories ranging from childhood memories to travels in faraway lands. They had always served him well when entertaining company.
Of course, company rarely came around these days. With the arrival of a new princess, hosting at his home had fallen out of favor in lieu of booking the Canterlot Castle gardens. After seeing the ancient memories of Night Court, Fancy hoped they were interested in meeting Princess Luna rather than trying to curry favor with her elder sister. The princess deserved every chance to make real friends who would appreciate her as just Luna.
Fancy passed door after door on his lonely trek to the kitchen. It’d been so long since many of the rooms had been properly utilized, if ever. While the estate wasn’t as sprawling as some of his more lavish peers’, the space still felt wasted on him. The Suede Shoes Estate was designed for spectacles and soirées, hosting hundreds of guests at a time from all over the world. Without that, it felt senselessly huge. The halls might as well be stripped bare to make it easier for the cleaning staff.
Fancy rounded the last corner and blinked from an unexpected light. Drawing closer, he was surprised to find his destination already illuminated. There was a frantic clamor of drawers being open and shut. Peering carefully inside, he was met with a visibly frustrated Vinyl Scratch scanning the upper shelves.
“Okay. Think, Vinyl, think. If I was a stupid white mug, where would I be hiding?”
“If you’re referring to the plain white guest ceramics, I’m afraid your sights are set a little too high. Those are kept under the middle island here.” Fancy pulled open a cabinet door under the center countertop, revealing an army of plain, white dishware.
“Fancy Pants!” There was a loud pop of magic as Vinyl slammed the other drawers close. “What are you doing up so late? I didn’t wake you up, did I?”
“I’d be impressed if you had. After a rather vivid dream, I’ve found myself in the mood for something warm and relaxing to get me back to sleep.” Fancy opened his drawer containing instant teas. While they weren’t nearly as good as a freshly brewed pot, making anything larger this late would be a waste. He looked down the rows of neatly organized tea bags and stumbled upon a line of large, unfamiliar white packages. “I assume this ‘Swish Mix’ is yours?”
“Uh, yeah, that’s the stuff I bought. Why is it with your teas?”
“This isn’t my tea, Vinyl. Anypony is more than welcome to enjoy a cup of anything they’d like in this drawer.” Fancy turned the humble white package around in his magic to read the opposite side. “Would you prefer I remove it from here?”
“No, it’s fine. Swish Mix is far from the greatest thing in the world, but it kills a sweet craving on a budget,” Vinyl clarified with a passive shrug. “Cheapest instant hot cocoa I’ve found that still tastes enough like real chocolate to me.”
“Real enough is probably the best one can hope for with how many industry buzzwords are plastered on the packaging.” Fancy skimmed the hodgepodge of strange ingredients inside and chuckled. “I suppose this is why you were looking for a mug?”
“What? Oh! Y-yeah!” Vinyl replied, looking away while scratching the back of her head with a hoof. “I wanted to make myself another cup.”
Fancy raised a brow and studied the mare. She was hiding something, but that wasn’t out of the norm for her since she moved in. The DJ always acted so anxious around him, and knowing her reasons, he couldn’t blame her either. He might’ve found her messy politeness endearing if it wasn’t motivated by fear. She was just so terrible at lying, it made the brief flashes of the actual mare hiding underneath all the more obvious. He wished he could talk to the real Vinyl more. Luna had told him to trust his good intentions. Considering the chance meeting, he decided that a little beverage diplomacy couldn’t hurt.
“I must say, while I was leaning more towards jasmine, I’ve suddenly found myself intrigued by this Swishbuckle fellow’s ‘classic chocolaty recipe, now made with real marshmallows.’ I wasn’t even aware there were fake ones.” Fancy lifted a second pack out of the drawer and turned to Vinyl. “Would you mind if I brewed myself a cup as well?”
Vinyl blinked in a mix of nervousness and horror. “N-no? I mean, I don’t mind if you do, but it’s not exactly a cup of tea.”
“You’re quite right about that. I’m usually not one for such sugary sweetness, but this can’t be any worse than vanilla and molten glass ice cream.”
The mare mouthed ‘molten glass’ in absolute confusion before shaking the thought out of her head. “That’s kind of a weirdly specific low bar. Don’t you have tons of better things in there that you could drink?”
“I most certainly would agree before giving it a shot if we were to use hot water per the instructions. Who ever heard of watery hot chocolaty?” He laughed as he trotted over to the refrigerator. Opening it with his magic, he took out a carton of milk and gave it a sniff. “You must never be afraid to try new things, lest you risk missing something truly worthwhile. Besides, this is nothing that a little whole milk and a bit of peppermint couldn’t salvage.”
Vinyl’s eyes bugged as he began preparing the mix. She lifted a hoof to try to stop him. “You don’t have to do that! I can make it myself.”
“Nonsense, Vinyl. It would be my pleasure to serve you. It’s Sunday night—well, Monday morning now, I suppose, which means you just got home from work, right? How was your night at Cantrips?”
“Fine, I hope. I don’t know. I actually asked another DJ to cover my shift so I could get some work done before heading to the audio lab tomorrow.”
“It would seem the latter part of your plan isn’t going too well. I’m sure a little warmth before bed will help lull you to sleep in no time. From what I understand, you’ve been a little… absorbed by the collection these past few days. I know Fleur will be happy to see you again.”
“I went to the ESPA a couple of times, but yeah. It’s been Sauna Summers all day and night for me.”
“I see,” he said with a sigh while measuring out some milk to heat on the stovetop. “While I appreciate your diligence, part of our arrangement was that it wouldn’t interfere with living your life: school or work.”
Again, the mare seemed to struggle with Fancy’s words. “Really? I mean, I know you said that, but wouldn’t you rather I get it done faster so I’d get out of your mane sooner?”
“You’re not in my mane at all, Vinyl. Quite the opposite, actually. I think it’s quite nice having you here.”
“Nice? Me?”
“Yes. You.” Observing the mare’s perplexity, he was starting to draw parallels between Vinyl and Luna’s behavior, and they were not good ones. “Surprised? You really shouldn’t be. It has been quite a long time since this place has been so lively.”
“But all I do is work in the studio and sleep. I only come out for dinner.”
“Then it just goes to show you how incredibly dull it was around here before your arrival. That being said, I don’t mind if you want to explore the estate a bit. Frankly, I’ve been worried that you’re overworking yourself. Far be it from me to interrupt your flow, but please do come out from time to time for a little company.”
Fancy tore open the first packet and glanced inside. The classic recipe amounted to a chalky brown powder with tiny, white cylinders he assumed were the smallest marshmallows known to pony-kind. He gave the packages a cursory smell, suppressing a gag at the overtly milky sweetness of the contents as he emptied it into the mugs. He hoped the peppermint was extra strong while he trotted to the pantry.
“Speaking of your workflow, it has come to my attention you’ve been working on something else,” Fancy remarked. “Whatever it is, Miss Duster seems fairly excited by it.”
“Oh, that? It’s nothing. Just working on something for an ESPA thing that’s coming up.”
“Ah, that’s right. The Performer Showcases are right around the corner, aren’t they? I haven’t attended one of those in ages. If it’s something made for that, I can see why Miss Duster has taken a shine to cleaning near the studio recently.”
“I’m not distracting Fluffs from work, am I?” Vinyl asked with worry.
The nickname brought a small smile to Fancy’s face as he rooted around the walk-in pantry. “If you are, it’s quite the welcome one. Not only is it good to know the old studio is being put to some proper use, but I am glad you seem to be enjoying each other’s company. I fear the young maid doesn’t get out as much as I’d like her to, so it’s nice to know somepony her age is around.”
Fancy rubbed his chin trying to recall where Dapper kept the Hearth’s Warming candy in the pantry. They were supposed to be with the dinner mints. Unless Fluffer Duster had been dipping into them more than he realized, they’d still have some left. Looking up, Fancy pulled down a suspicious, open cardboard box from the top shelf. Hidden inside was what little remained of the holiday treats. He chuckled as he considered how it sat at a prime pegasus pilfering height. No wonder the young maid always smelled so minty when she delivered his afternoon tea.
“Really?” Vinyl asked while tilting her head to see what Fancy was rummaging for in the pantry. “I mean, I thought she just looked young. She’s so professional whenever she’s working.”
“She can come across that way just as long as you don’t throw her off her gait,” Fancy answered as he withdrew a pair of peppermint candy canes from the box. “However, unless I’ve forgotten her birthday, I believe Miss Duster is still seventeen.”
“Seventeen? But she sounded so mature when she…” Vinyl trailed with a flustered sigh. “Never mind. I guess being around Fleur so much has thrown me off a bit.”
“You’re not Fleur’s only victim. That crazy mare tends to throw a rather large wrench into everypony’s perception of reality, but I don’t love her any less despite the headaches her actions usually lead to.” Fancy crushed the curved ends of the canes and deposited them into the cups before adding the warm milk. “I’m just glad she has a friend like you to keep her grounded.”
“I’m sure there are plenty of other ponies that could do the same thing.”
“You’re probably right about that,” he agreed as he stirred both drinks with the peppermint sticks before passing one of the finished cups to a bewildered Vinyl Scratch. “What? Were you expecting me to disagree?”
The DJ shook her head to refocus and looked down at the drink in her hoof. “Umm, yeah? I guess I did.” She moved it with her magic and had a seat on a nearby stool at a small table.
Fancy joined her while maintaining a comfortable distance. He took a sip of the chocolaty concoction and, much like the speed of its preparation, instantly regretted it. “Fleur deserves as many friends as she wants to make, just as you do, Vinyl. I’m sure there are others who are capable of keeping up with her antics in their own ways, but that doesn’t make me any less thankful that you are her best friend. She’s always spoken so highly of you.”
“Well, I hope she didn’t oversell it.”
“Not at all. If anything has been deceptively marketed, it’s this poor excuse for cocoa. The gall of this pegasus!” While it was certainly better than molten glass, his petty side felt the urge to double check his investment portfolio to make sure nothing of his was connected to the weaponized sweetness in his hooves. “Its sweet assault on my senses reminds me of my mother’s favorite soda. No matter how many times I tried it, I never tasted a single strawberry amid the sugary onslaught. Still, Mother loved that Sunkissed enamel destroyer all the same.”
“No way!” Vinyl exclaimed with a happy tail swish. “Summers liked Sunkissed strawberry soda? I like their peach flavor.”
“At least that one has the decency to taste somewhat like a peach—don’t tell Steeplechase I said that. I’d sooner call their supposed strawberry flavor ‘red,' but for whatever reason, that flavor already exists and is somehow even worse!”
“I dunno. Red’s okay in my book,” she said, taking the first taste of her drink. At least she seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the cocoa’s sweetness if the DJ’s smiling face was any indication. “It tastes a little like an energy drink without an ionized sapphire kick.”
“Ionized sapphire? Like one of those crystalline batteries? Exactly how do you know what one tastes like?”
Vinyl’s eyes widened, realizing she was oversharing. She rubbed the sides of the mug as if trying to divine an answer from the milky brown liquid. “Umm, too much party salt with too few sober ponies to stop me?”
“Ah, to be young and foolish again.” Fancy laughed and took another cautious taste.
“What do you mean? Thirty-six isn’t that old. I’d expect Dapper to say something like that.”
Fancy quirked an eyebrow at Vinyl knowing exactly how old he was, but decided it didn’t matter much in the end since she was finally opening up. “I suppose you’re right. I haven’t quite earned his sagely status, yet. Still, I know my best years are behind me. Once the big four-zero rolls around, it’s probably all downhill for this stallion.” While he said it as a joke, he couldn’t help but feel a slight melancholy settle as he looked towards the fast-approaching future. In a few short years, he’d be older than his mother when she passed away.
“Geez, you make it sound like you already have one hoof in the grave,” Vinyl complained under her breath. For a moment, she appeared to be having an internal debate, but before he could ask, she took a quick swig of cocoa for strength before addressing Fancy. “One of the newest DJs at Cantrips is a guy named Spindoctor. He’s actually a 49-year-old pediatrician at Canterlot General. He sometimes weirds ponies out since some of them were his patients growing up, but he’s really good at making his own tracks. It’s probably pretty dumb to go between medicine and DJing. He gets tired pretty quick and he misses a lot of nights during flu season, but he likes it. I know I still wanna be pretty stupid when I’m that old.”
“Really now? If that’s the case, perhaps it’s not too late to make an utter fool of myself from time to time,” Fancy thought aloud with a growing grin. Dapper always said the young kept him young at heart. If Vinyl’s zest for living to the fullest was that infectious, perhaps there was something to it. “I think I’ll have to talk to Fleur later about her appraisal skills. She clearly undersold you, my dear.”
Vinyl frowned and shrank down at his praise. “And there’s the cliché I expected earlier.”
“Just because it’s a platitude doesn’t mean it’s untrue. You’re intelligent, creative, respectful—”
“‘Respectful?’ What the hay did you put in this to make you think I’m anywhere near respectful?” Vinyl asked as she gave a cautionary sniff of her drink.
“Peppermint and milk, though they didn’t seem to help much,” he observed after forcing another tepid sip. “Perhaps there is a reason the instructions call for water after all. But more on topic, you may be a bit rough around the edges as it were, but whenever it’s counted, you’ve always shown a great deal of respect towards others. Unfortunately, that’s more than I can say about Fleur or this ‘Swish Mix’ swill.”
“Oh, please. The only time you’ve seen me work was at that bake sale. Of course I’d be ‘respectful’ doing a service job,” the mare replied with a generous application of hoof-quotes.
“You say that, but I’ve run into my fair share of disgruntled grocery clerks who wouldn’t know hospitality if it bit them on the flank. When I say that you did a remarkable job, I meant it. Not everypony can put on a maid’s dress and jump into the thick of things, but you did and performed beyond my expectations. You even worked silently because you were worried about upsetting the noble clientele if they recognized your voice from the festival.”
“H-how the hay did you know?” Vinyl stammered in shock.
“Well, I didn’t know for sure until just now,” Fancy confirmed with smug satisfaction at catching the DJ off guard. With a groan, she drowned her scowling muzzle in chocolaty sweetness. “Éclair mentioned the silent treatment you were giving the customers, and seeing some of the ponies in line, I put it together pretty easily. It was quite thoughtful of you, though completely unnecessary.”
Vinyl’s bitterness gave way to anxiety as she lowered her drink to the table. “No. That sale is important to them. I… I didn’t want to risk ruining it because I was there.”
“Now, that’s no way to think about a job well done. You know that stubborn Prenchmare would sooner kick their flanks out of her bakery than let them say a single disparaging thing about you,” Fancy assured the younger unicorn. He risked leaning a little closer to Vinyl to ensure she heard him clearly.
“Éclair loves you, Vinyl—” The mare flinched with a grimace and looked away. The sudden reaction caused Fancy to back up slightly in concern before continuing after clearing his throat. “—so much so that she was worried about your sudden interest in working at de Lune and asked for my help.”
Vinyl’s ear flicked up and swiveled towards Fancy. “Wait. You said she asked you.”
“Yes?”
“So… so that’s it?” She slowly turned to face Fancy with an unsettling smile splitting her face. “That’s it! That’s the reason!”
“The reason for what, if I may ask?”
“Éclair asked you to help me!”
Fancy tilted his head. “Indeed she did. Éclair asked for my assistance in finding you a more suitable position for your talents than Pâte de Lune, but I don’t see why her—”
“Finally! I finally figured you out!” the DJ bellowed a caustic laugh. “That was your angle all along, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it?” Vinyl confidently said as she pointed an unsteady hoof at him. “You just wanted to use me to make her happy, didn’t you? Didn’t you?”
Fancy recoiled from the mare’s harsh accusation. The worried joy in her eyes seemed just as happy as they were hurt by her own conclusion. “Vinyl Scratch! I’m not using you for any reason! While I cannot in good faith argue that her request wasn’t a factor—certainly networking is helpful in such decisions—do you really think I would only hire you for leverage over somepony else?”
“But, but…” Vinyl’s features sank in shock of her own. She began to rapidly tap the table with her hooves and frantically searched back and forth for answers. “But then everything would actually make sense! Why else would I be here if not to make those two happy?”
“Have you not been paying attention at all? I think you are an exemplary pony, Miss Vinyl Scratch.”
“No! You’re just saying that to try to make me feel better, but I’ve heard it all before.” The mare crossed her legs, but he wasn’t sure if it was more in anger or self-defense. “It’s not going to work.”
“I may just be saying things, but I also mean them. I told you before, I always choose the best of the best.”
“The best, huh? The best at what? I haven’t done anything!”
“Now that can’t be right,” the stallion mock-pondered as he looked up in thought. “Then why is it that your name keeps coming up in conversation with ponies whom I have the utmost respect for?” he asked with a warm smile.
Vinyl rolled her eyes and leaned her head on her foreleg, swiping the claim aside with her other free hoof. “Oh, yeah I bet. What else did Fleur and Éclair say about me?”
“Nothing but the best, I assure you. Though, it’s not just them. There’s, of course, Dapper Dandy and Fluffer Duster, whom I’ve mentioned before. Then there are the ponies of the ESPA and CSGU, along with Mister Arpeggio and his daughter and son-in-law. Those last three sent glowing recommendations for your research before I had even connected your real name with this DJ Pon-3 character my peers were always hiring for their events.”
“So, a couple ponies on your payroll, two alphabet soups that I pay dues to put up with me, the merry Melody’s, and some nobles who are never going to hire me again. Who cares?”
“A couple of others spring to mind,” Fancy mentioned as he thought about Athena and Luna, but the mare staring into her drink didn’t need hearsay from him. “Perhaps I should introduce them to you someday. I know at least one of them purchased a record of yours on the Drive.”
Even though she wasn’t wearing them, Vinyl dipped her head as if she was glaring over the rim of her shades. “You expect me to believe that one of your friends bought my Cantrips LP?”
“Indeed I do. I’ve recently discovered she is a bit of a connoisseur of various arts. She’s heard a few of your performances, but I’m afraid she’s a bit shy in her own way and tends to start off on the wrong hoof. Perhaps I could introduce you to her and her friend sometime, that is if you don’t mind some Minoan food.”
“Minoan? Where have I heard that word…” Vinyl trailed as she tried to remember its meaning. Her eyes shot open when she connected the dots. “Wait, they’re minotaurs?”
“Well, one of them is. The other is a pony that could use a few more friends. Friends like you,” he added with a quick poke of his hoof. “I think if you got to know them, you’d find them to be as charming as I do.”
“I don’t really make a habit of getting to know… fans.”
“Understandable, though I believe ‘fan’ would be a bit too strong of a word here. Besides, you may recall that I’m the son of two very famous performers. I learned very early on not to introduce performers to their fans without a very good reason. I wouldn’t be mentioning them if I thought of them as being overwhelmed by your star power,” Fancy joked, eliciting another groan from the famous DJ Pon-3. “Plus, the pony in question has got a little something going on as well.”
“Really? What does she do?”
“Oh? Curious are we now?” Fancy asked with a knowing grin.
Vinyl shot a glare and crossed her forelegs. “You know what? Forget I asked.”
“Now, now, I’m just pulling your leg a bit, Vinyl,” Fancy said with a cheesy smile, causing the DJ to roll her eyes before she could remember who she was talking to. Fancy was more than glad to be seeing this much of the real mare again. “But to answer your question, I suppose the best way to put it is that she's trying her best at a lot of things. She’s a bit of a newcomer to Canterlot, and you know as well as I do that it can be rather overwhelming for anypony not used to the flow. I firmly believe she has a lot to share with everypony though, and I’m sure once she finds her gait, she’ll thrive.”
“Well, what about Fleur?”
“What about her?” Fancy asked.
“If this mystery pony of yours needs friends, why not introduce Fleur to her? She’s much better than me. I mean, Fleur’s way more outgoing than I am. I’m really only good with music,” the DJ quickly amended after seeing Fancy’s smile falter.
Fancy felt a pit in his stomach, but decided to let the mare’s accidental admission slide for now. “I’ve considered it, but I think you two would click a bit better after getting to know each other. Of course, it’s up to you.”
“Is that a ‘Kingmaker call?’”
Fancy laughed lightly at the sudden terminology. “Not at all. I don’t need to read the tea leaves for every decision, Vinyl. Despite what you may have heard from Fleur, I can follow a hunch. Though if I’m honest, it’s less about you and more about that troublemaker being her usual self, or rather not herself, around others.”
“I guess that’s true. Knowing who you hang out with, I guess she’d pull out Lady Faire.”
“I don’t think she would be her go-to, but I can imagine her opening with an off-color impression or two,” Fancy admitted with trepidation. While he was sure Luna wouldn’t mind her voicework, he didn’t need Fleur doing any royal impressions in front of her highness. He had barely kept the silly filly at bay during the Moondance. Luna unexpectedly talking to herself would bring about some rather unfortunate questions about the first snowfall’s strange timing at the Festival of Flakes.
“Really? She doesn’t usually try to offend anypony right off the bat unless they’ve really rubbed her the wrong way.”
“I think in this case, she’d find it hard to resist. You know how the mare with a million voices can be. Perhaps if you met my friend, you’d agree.”
Vinyl cupped her mug with her hooves and looked at the marshmallows still bobbing around the edges. “I’ll think about it.”
“That’s all I would ask, Vinyl, but it is ultimately up to you. I know how busy you are with everything.” Fancy glanced down at his own drink that still contained three whole, unmelted marshmallows bunched up near the rim. He began questioning their supposed “realness” considering proper ones would’ve dissolved by now, but they did give him an idea. “Actually, rather than bringing you to them, perhaps I could take them to your showcase night with Fleur. Would you mind terribly if I attended your portion of the concert with a couple of my friends?”
Vinyl furrowed her brow and shook her head in disbelief. “Why are you asking me? Aren’t you a big donor to the Society anyway?”
“Simply because I wanted to. I know you don’t exactly like me, so—”
“Wait-wait-wait, what?” Vinyl balked at Fancy’s admission as a thread of panic shot through her. “Do you think I hate you or something?”
Fancy’s balance was completely thrown by the sheer candidness of the question. “Well, I wouldn’t word it quite so strongly. Regardless, I’d still rather have your permission. Not only because I want to introduce you to my friends, but I’d rather respect your wishes rather than go against them.”
“You—you still wanted me to live and work here? Even though you thought I hated you?” she asked, still hung up on his admission.
“First off, I feel like I must mention again that ‘hate’ was your word. And yes, I suppose I did. But as you accurately stated before, I hold quite a lot of undue influence over your life right now. I want you to feel welcome, but I can’t do that if you feel forced into everything. So, I’m asking you. You have the power to turn me away; no strings attached, no questions asked, no hard feelings. I promise. You should never feel trapped, Vinyl. You always have a choice.”
For the first time without her sunglasses on, Vinyl’s face became unreadable. The older unicorn was tempted to assume she’d say no and leave it at that, but that wouldn’t be allowing her to choose. After a moment of her studying his face, she nodded dumbly. “Sure. You can come…?”
After giving her a moment to change her mind, he smiled widely. “Brilliant! I look forward to hearing what you’ve come up with. On that note, while I’ve enjoyed our chat more than the drink, I can imagine that you need to head to bed if you want to be in any condition to work under Arpeggio tomorrow.”
“Oh, yeah. Right.”
“Something on your mind?” the stallion inquired, causing her to stiffen as she stood up with her mug held firmly in her magic.
“I-it’s nothing,” Vinyl blatantly lied with another glance towards another part of the room. “Thanks for the cocoa, Fancy,” she added quickly as she trotted out of the room.
“Think nothing of it. And thank you for the conversation, Vinyl. Really.”
Vinyl stopped and looked back and his earnest smile. A flash of worry and confusion crossed her face as if she wanted to ask him something, but she bit back her words each time. She glanced down the hallway towards her room and then back to Fancy. “You’re welcome,” she mumbled as if she was trying to convince herself of his gratitude.
Fancy waited for the sound of her hooves to fade away before turning his attention to the dirty countertops. He flicked on a faucet and wet a rag to wipe down the island as he turned his hooves towards the sink.
“‘Tower’ she says,” the stallion complained under his breath while scrubbing his mug with a sponge. “With all due respect, your highness, I believe the word you are looking for is ‘citadel.’”
Shaking the water from his hooves, Fancy scooped up the empty Swish Mix packets and continued to wipe down the mess while reflecting on his unexpected encounter with the DJ. The thought of fate weaving plagued him. He wondered if he was helping the girl at all. Vinyl still trotted on eggshells around him anytime she remembered who she was talking to. To be fair, he’d been doing much the same in avoiding dwelling on the troubling things she said about herself.
At the very least, the endeavor had exhausted him enough to counteract his sudden bout of wakefulness along with any sugar high he’d feel from his midnight drink. He’d be sure to make some jasmine to wash Swish’s swill out of his mouth for good measure. Flipping open the trash can to throw the empty packets away, he noticed a curious sight at the bottom: shards of ceramic, suspiciously similar to the guest mugs they had just used for their drinks. A mug that Vinyl had been searching for specifically when he had found her in the room, or rather, caught her in the act.
With a light chuckle, Fancy began looking for a pencil and paper.
After giving Fancy five minutes to get back to his room, Vinyl snuck back into the kitchen and flicked the lights on. Part of her was still reeling in bewilderment. What had just happened? All she was trying to do was find a similar mug to use as a base for fixing the one she broke in frustration. How had it ended up with Fancy asking her permission to attend an event he was practically paying for with his donations?
You always have a choice.
She shook the distracting thoughts out of her head to refocus on her goal. Vinyl was glad he had fallen for the ghost sound spell as the DJ approached the trash can. After being startled by Fancy, the DJ had barely managed to zap the broken cup shards into it before he saw them. At least, she hoped she had. Most of the higher level unicorn spells were beyond her abilities, but she felt pretty confident about her hastily casted teleport. If her luck held out, she’d have ceramic shards to build from instead of a useless lump of magical goo.
The DJ reached for the lid, but heard the ruffling of paper. On top of the lid sat a simple note torn from a restaurant order pad, folded in half, and addressed to her. Biting her lip, she opened it to see what was inside.
Dear Miss Vinyl Scratch,
Unlike you and your sleep schedule,
a cheap mug is easily replaced.
Now, go to bed.Sincerely,
- Fancy Pants
Vinyl quickly crumpled the note and looked around, hoping the clever stallion hadn’t come back to catch her red-hooved. Hearing nothing, she decided attempting a couple of repair spells wouldn’t take too long before going to bed. She opened the trash can, only to find two discarded packs of Swish Mix along with another folded note and no sign of the broken mug. Wincing at the second paper, she took it in her magic and slowly opened it.
Dear Miss Vinyl Scratch,
Your tenacity is one of your admirable
qualities that I failed to mention during
our chat. In spite of what I said earlier,
I’m afraid I’m giving you little choice in
this particular matter.Go to Bed. Now.
Sincerely,
- Fancy PantsP.S. I’ve taken the liberty of extracting the
broken pieces from the trash myself.
Pleasant dreams.
If you find a simple mistake in the GSP (Grammar, Spelling, or Punctuation), please let me know through a private message rather than leaving it in the comment section. Thank you for reading!
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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this stories is really amazing
Luna's comes through; trust your own good intentions, FanPan.
It's sort of like how an accusation of racism only works against one type of person: Someone who doesn't know whether or not they're a racist. They'll stumble over themselves to do whatever it takes to make the accusation go away (even though it never will) because they're terrified of being something they don't want to be. The accusation doesn't work against someone whose certain where they stand on the matter.
It's the same here: The only reason for Fancy to be concerned whether Vinyl trusts his intentions is if he isn't sure what his intentions are. Be certain in your intentions. Be convicted in what you know to be true, and others will see that. Just like we see here; Vinyl may not trust Fancy, but if nothing else, she can see now that he is dead certain that he doesn't have an ulterior motive beyond helping her, so even if things don't turn out well, she can be certain that at the very least, he wasn't trying to get one over on her.
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Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it. More importantly, your profile pic is adorable.
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11147619
I thought you might focus on this part after the PM conversations. I had written the skeleton of the chapter before your those, but I am thankful for the helpful insight either way. Helped fine tune a few of the interactions as I edited. We'll just have to see where Vinyl chooses to go.
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vroom vroom
Hoo boy, bringing in Luna without warning is going to be one hell of a firecracker under Vinyl's chair.
Ah, and the defenses crumble further. There may yet be an opening.
Heh. Accurate. Good line, too.
The fact that Fancy knows where everything is in his kitchen says a lot about him. As does his willingness to help others, of course, though I'm slightly concerned over what will initially happen if/when he introduces the two friends in question here. The pony with the fear of those who hold power over her and the very literal figure of authority. engage sarcasm That sounds a wonderful way to begin a friendship. disengage sarcasm If they can get past that first hurdle though, I do think that might be a wonderful friendship. They have an outlook in common, as Fancy noted. Strange though, that Vinyl brushes off the recommendation of the Melodys. One would hope that she'd have at least a little trust in them, as faculty. Is that a reference to Merrie Melodies, by the way? It'd be fitting, given the cartoon crossover contest going on at the moment.
Most importantly though, ugh. That hot chocolate sounds nasty.
This prose, on the other hand, is not. It's probably similar in quality to Fancy's usual tea.
Finally, let me compliment the comedy here. In a story driven by character interactions and a certain amount of drama, you've smoothly mixed in a dry wit and sense of humor that both highlights the interactions of the characters and is also genuinely funny in a very realistic fashion. I love it.
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You got the Bad Ending...
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Huh... interesting. And here I was worried I was being too in the reader's face with this and thought this shouldn't be a surprise to the reader. Good to know.
I couldn't resist the reference. Also, what now? The only one I know of is the crackship one that I want to do if I can find some time.
I suppose... but I think I'm with Vinyl and Celestia in the taste department though. Love me some sweet, even overly so at times as long as its not so sugary that it burns my throat.
Comments like these are always a pleasure to enjoy over some jasmine. It's my go-to sleep inducer, so pull up a chair, see a warm comment with a warm cup of tea, and then fall asleep happy.
I hope I can continue providing words that everyone will enjoy.
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The contest in question: https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/977097/story-contest-who-crossed-over-my-little-pony-1-19-22-4-1-22
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Ooo, if only Falkenlied wasn't always so busy. He might enjoy this one.
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Jasmine? Well, I suppose it's not impossible to find "soap water" to be a soothing flavor....
I'm liking Fancy Pants in this story. And Luna is as always a joy. I'm kind of suprised Vinyl hasnt talked about the music she is working with and her joy in listening to it all and her search for the one mares name. Knowing Fancy Pants and his home, there is a picture on the wall of her.
Speak of the devil, the title of this chapter, rofl
What a delightful chapter. It's really ironic that Fancy is trying to continuously present himself as open and honest to calm Vinyl down and get her to relax, while she practically opens and closes the gates to her intentions constantly and nearly on a whim. I don't understand how she can think "I broke this cup of tea in an accident, I hurt one of Fancy's employees in a fit of frustration, I gotta keep that a secret" while at the same time, having the confidence to archive the music of the equivalent of Whitney Houston and Elvis Presley.
As usual, the prose in here never fails to bore, it's always brimming with character and references to past events, and even events in your other stories. You pay readers with good dividends for attention.
Just the mere thought of Fancy saying this in a serious tone brought the exact same reaction. Well done.
HA
Chamomile all the way
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She's a very loud introvert, isn't she?
You too? (11149318) I understand why. I have good jasmine tea here in Japan. I have to remind myself that back in Texas, Jasmine kind of tasted like licking a copper penny, which is not a taste I dislike until I wonder how they made plants taste metallic.
And I am glad you are appreciating the references. No one has remarked on the obvious one, but that one isn't tied to the Silent-verse.
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I tink they fault is in that it's not real jasmine. It's an imitation based on "taste chemistry" and that fails sometimes if quality and purity of water changes. And what cultivar of jasmine they took as reference
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True. Being in Japan, I'm spoiled for choice with good tea.