Chapter 58: Never Say Never
The thunderous applause echoing through the school halls could only mean Fleur had finished her presentation. Vinyl’s nerves ran high as she performed her final equipment check for the third time. No amount of distraction could get her thoughts to stop circling around the same fact: They were here; Fancy Pants and Upper Crust. They were both here.
That was good. This was what she wanted. Vinyl had spent almost every waking hour since that last night at the mansion getting everything ready for her presentation. Even when she was scheduled to play at Cantrips, the DJ was constantly sneaking samples and snippets of tonight’s performance into her sets. Still, despite all of her preparation, she couldn’t stay calm.
Vinyl had done her best. She knew she had. She was ready to show what she’d been working towards, to show that it’d been a good use of her time, to show that she could do something right, no matter what anypony said. It didn’t matter as long as she held strong. There was no time for weakness. She was Vinyl Scratch, The one and only DJ Pon-3. She was going to stride in front of that stupid judge with her head held high and prove her wrong no matter what. If only her heart would stop trying to beat itself out of her chest.
“Warmed them up for ya, sis!”
Vinyl yelped and reared back, tumbling backwards from the sudden outburst. Before she could hit the ground, she found herself wrapped up in a supportive hug.
“You’ve got this on lock, Vy,” Fleur whispered tenderly. “You’re amazing and you know it. Everypony who loves you knows it. And if there’s anypony left, they’re gonna be too speechless to do anything about it. Remember, we’re the best of the best—”
Vinyl picked up her end of the phrase. “—Better than the rest—”
“—Ain’t no contest—”
“Sisters,” Vinyl finished as she gripped her best friend’s leg.
“Sisters,” Fleur said softly as she squeezed her best friend in the world.
After a quiet moment of letting the warmth chase her lingering fears away, Vinyl tapped out of Fleur’s crushing grip. “Thanks, Fleur. I needed that.”
“Any and every time.” Fleur let go, then rolled Vinyl’s equipment in front of her. “Now go knock ‘em dead.” A sinister smile split her face. “Figuratively or literally.”
Vinyl laughed. “I think you already did enough damage to their ears with those noises. Did you really have to throw in the train—”
“Vinyl!” Octavia hissed and beckoned from down the hall. “They’re ready to call your name! Come on already!”
A surge of adrenaline kicked Vinyl into action. The rattled DJ quickly grabbed everything in her fully healed magic and made a break for the door. She didn’t even hear whatever Octavia was saying as she rushed through into the lecture theater. The temperature of the room dropped immediately as everypony turned towards the slamming doors. They stared at her with a mix of surprise and confusion. Vinyl bit back an automatic apology, unsure of what was wrong.
“I like the eagerness,” Celestia said with a smirk before clearing her throat. “Vinyl Scratch, please come to the stage.” The former princess swept her leg over the space to welcome her to the show.
Vinyl could feel her cheeks already flushing red as she sheepishly hovered her setup to the stage. She started arranging her things wordlessly, giving herself a moment to power through the embarrassment. There was the ESPA synthesizer, her backup sampler, and most importantly, her cart full of cryst—
“Oh horseapples.”
“Vy!” Fleur yelled, cutting through the awkward silence.
With a flourish of her magic, she thrust the cart carrying incredibly sensitive equipment through the door. It sped towards the stage at an alarming speed, forcing Vinyl to deflect it, banking it around the backside of the platform on a pair of magical rails. It rolled right up to her side before she finally pulled the breaks on the wheels, bringing the impromptu show to a squeaky halt.
Vinyl was sure she was burning brighter than a red glow stick. Thankfully, there wasn’t a mirror in sight. She cleared her throat and readjusted her trusty shades to recapture DJ Pon-3’s confidence. Vinyl’s eyes flickered around the room, stopping as they hit two very familiar silhouettes next to each other. While she wanted to focus on the positive, the negative refused to be ignored.
Upper Crust burned right through Vinyl’s lenses. She couldn’t see them, but she could feel those relentless daggers bearing down upon her, judging every move. Vinyl had expected it. She’d prepared for it. The mare’s unflinching disgust would never see anything in her. That was fine. It didn’t matter. Tonight was going to be different. DJ Pon-3 was going to wipe that smug smile off that resting b—
“Miss Scratch?” Celestia called out in concern. “Are you ready?”
“O-oh! Right.” Vinyl bit back another reactionary apology. She refused to utter the word in front of Upper Crust. “Good evening esteemed members of the panel: Chancellor Celestia, Headmaster Pennywhistle, Doctor Heartsong, Doctor Arpeggio, and Doctor Steeplechase. I am Vinyl Scratch of the School of Illusion’s Acoustic Department.”
Vinyl offered a bow to the panel, sneaking a quick peek over towards Fancy. She froze seeing the stallion more clearly. It’d only been a month since she’d seen him, but he looked so different. His face was so much thinner than before. She couldn’t tell if it was a trick of the light or he’d gone on a crash diet. Was he sick? Fleur hadn’t mentioned anything about—
“Miss Scratch!”
“Yes!” Vinyl asked, popping back up with a forced smile.
“Yes?” The headmistress tilted her head. “Do you need me to restate the question?”
“Oh, no,” she lied, hoping it was the question she always asked after the greeting. Vinyl hadn’t even started to present and it was already crashing and burning. “I am formally presenting the results of my research into further applications of magic contained in Cacophony’s Primer and requesting for my findings to be recognized by Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, Headmaster Pennywhistle.”
“As in a final thesis defense?” Celestia asked in surprise. “I thought you were presenting your incomplete research and requesting permission for continuing studies.”
“No, Madam Chancellor. I know it was a late change, but I recently made a breakthrough and am ready to present my findings as a completed work of magic.”
“It’ll be pretty cool if it works!” Steeplechase chimed in briefly before receiving a kick from his father-in-law.
“As the professor overseeing her research, I am confident that her findings have met the standards needed to warrant a submission to the Equestrian Arcana Compendium and potentially a title,” Arpeggio assured.
“A titleworthy presentation?” Pennywhistle said with palpable excitement. “This will be interesting then, knowing the cacophonous nonsense your student’s been digging through.”
The unflappable grump flashed a little smile. “Which would be most ‘cool’ indeed.”
Celestia nodded in agreement. “With that out of the way, please continue, Miss Scratch. But be warned, knowing the danger cacophony runes present, I will be strengthening the barrier around the stage for the duration of your practical demonstration. Should we feel it is unsafe to continue, I will personally dispel the magic immediately, which would likely result in an automatic failure of defense. Do you agree, Pennywhistle?”
“I will defer to your judgment throughout this process, Madam Chancellor. Aside from perhaps her professor, you are the only one who knows much about this side of his research.”
“Very well, then shall I lead the proceedings from here?”
“Please do.”
The former princess nodded. “Now, Miss Scratch. Considering the sensitive nature of Cacophony’s research, I will need to conduct this review in a slightly different manner than you are accustomed to. Do you accept?”
Seeing the headmistress pass responsibility over to Celestia herself, Vinyl did her best to keep her nerves in check. While she was confident in what she’d prepared, there was no telling what the alicorn knew about Cacophony and his research beyond his publicly published works. The ancient mare had a library full of privileged and forbidden knowledge.
“Umm, can I ask a question first?” Vinyl replied with uncertainty.
“If it is in regards to the nature of the review, then I will explain after you’ve accepted.”
“Then, yes… I guess?”
“Good. Let’s begin. First, are you prepared to answer highly specific questions regarding your research during your oral presentation?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Good. Then please explain the intention behind your research and why you wish to present it now.”
“What do you mean?”
Celestia took a moment to consider her wording carefully. “Very few take Cacophony’s more undefined creations so seriously, especially those teetering on the edge of certain disciplines. Why are you so interested in this portion of Cacophony’s work?”
Vinyl rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, I just wanted to stop lugging a bunch of crystals everywhere I perform. Since this rune kinda absorbs everything, I figured if I could find a way to stabilize and channel its magic, I’d be able to just carry one crystal instead of a mine’s worth of gemstones.”
“While this is true in theory, the fundamental nature of the rune itself makes it impossible. It simply breaks down and absorbs magical power from any source it finds. Trying to draw any energy out of the crystal once it is inside is like trying to pull a bowling ball through a glass window. Even if you manage to get something out of it, the inscribed medium will shatter soon afterward, resulting in a resonance cascade equal to the amount of magic stored within them.”
“You’re right. It is impossible to directly channel energy from a cacophony crystal once inside.”
“Directly?” Celestia remarked, catching the specific wording. “So you claim to have found an indirect method?”
Vinyl nodded and lifted two vastly different sapphire crystal balls out of her cart. The first orb was as big as her head and the other no wider than her hoof was around. She quickly checked the surfaces of both for any scratches from their wild card ride. She’d spent hours polishing the imperfections out of them, getting their shapes as close as possible despite their difference in size.
“For my demonstration, I will be using two sapphire orbs. Both were cut from the same gemstone to ensure their internal structure is as similar as possible. I will inscribe a cacophony rune into the large one, while the smaller of the two will be paired to reflect it with an enchantment called Sonorous Echo.”
“Are you referring to Bellbright’s Sonorous Echo?” Celestia wove the basic spellform into the air from memory and inspected it with her hoof. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but this spell was effectively replaced by Resounding Resonance almost a century ago.”
“Yes. Resounding Resonance is far better at mimicking real sound by putting the listener in the center of the soundscape. Sonorous Echo is far more rudimentary in comparison, as it just reflects the same source for a doubling effect. This shortcoming provides a unique benefit over its successor in that it doesn’t need energy from its partner to create the effect.”
Celestia smiled as she caught on to the idea. “Meaning that the enchantment on the smaller orb will not risk being absorbed by the larger one it is paired with.”
“That’s right!” Vinyl exclaimed with a smile of her own. “It functions more like a magic mirror, reflecting the real conditions of its tethered source without having to extract any of its stored magic. Scaling the crystal down loses some clarity, but as you’ll see in a second, accuracy won’t matter.”
“Very well, Miss Scratch. Please proceed with your presentation.”
Vinyl nodded as she finished carving the final glyphs into the crystals. She then carefully lowered each onto their own pedestals, the large sapphire suspended in the air while the small one was clenched by four steel claws. Then, powerful shields encircled each sapphire, cutting them off from the outside world and each other. Vinyl carefully pinched the edges of the shields and pulled them closer together, stretching and warping their fields.
“What is it that you’re doing?” Celestia asked with a slight alarm.
“Creating a funnel for the cacophony rune to absorb these.” Vinyl opened a large box containing various amethysts. “These are simple synthetic instrument crystals that I will be using for this demonstration.” She hovered the box to the panelists, letting them take a closer look, noting that each had different colored magic inside them. “They are used by hobbyists with simpler synthesizers, like this one, with up to four crystals at a time.”
After they were done, she drew the box back to her side and flicked on her instruments. Vinyl would’ve rather used the one upstairs in the department, but it was still a twisted wreck from her explosion last month. Still, it and the small sampler she brought were easier to work with. A simpler set-up was far better than quality sound tonight. She thrust the first crystal in, a Synth Piano with a slight red glow, and ran her hoof up and down the keys.
“It’s not exact, but still recognizable as a piano.” She plugged the other crystals in a line and switched to them one-by-one to showcase their sound. “Next, Synth Strings Gamma, which sounds like an entire string section. This one is what I call Acid Brash, a distorted brass section with great energy. Finally, there is Ocean Swell, which sounds like various beach noises. To my right is the sampler. It’s a secondary device used to store various percussive elements which is also limited to these four other crystals.
“I’m sure you noticed that each crystal is glowing a slightly different color.” The remark earned several nods from the panelists. “I modified the instruments inside each crystal to glow in easily recognizable colors. This is to make tracking their magical signatures easier once they’re absorbed.”
“A clever idea,” Celestia remarked. “However, it should lose the modification once it’s absorbed.”
“It will, but I am not concerned with the cacophony crystal. Please observe.”
Vinyl grabbed the piano crystal with a pair of tongs and carefully removed it from the synthesizer, much to the instrument's noisy protests. She then pressed it through the shielding to the small crystal. At once, the red energy was violently sapped from the amethyst and rushed through the small link between the two sapphires.
Celestia’s eyes widened seeing a mote of red light appear in the smaller crystal. It bounced around the crystal with the energy of a cage firefly. “What is that?”
“That’s the piano,” Vinyl answered simply.
“That shouldn’t be possible. The other crystal consumed it.”
“Yes, it did. But this smaller crystal is enchanted with Sonorous Echo.” Vinyl pointed to the fluttering blip swirling inside the small orb. “This light here is what is inside the cacophony crystal, an echo.”
“But the other crystal should’ve torn the piano’s spellwork to pieces! How is it still there, let alone red?”
“Just because we can’t draw the piano out of the crystal doesn’t necessarily mean it’s destroyed. It’s just in a form we can’t sense, making its spellform appear lost to entropy to us. We just need a proper way to detect it. That’s where this smaller crystal comes in. I call it an echo focus.”
Celestia stared in pensive silence at the light whizzing around in the crystal. “So you have located the magic within the chaos of the crystal, an admirable feat on its own. How do you intend to use this ‘echo focus’ of yours?”
“I intend to play it like I would any other crystalline instrument.” Vinyl retrieved a cable from her cart and carefully placed it inside the synthesizer’s crystal slot. “As you can see, Sonorous Echo still recognizes the magical signature from the brief time it interacted with the spell, including the coloration, which reflects what’s inside the paired crystal. Because the focus is trying to reflect what is inside its partner, it should still function without having to store the piano itself. One calls, and the other responds with an echo.”
Vinyl ran her hooves over the keys and the piano played once more, every single note. Satisfied with the connection, she then improvised a jazzy smattering of notes to prove it wasn’t just able to slide up and down the scales.
Celestia offered a light applause at the success. “Truly remarkable, but your goal is to store multiple instruments. How does the focus parse through the noise of a multitude of instruments?”
“That, I don’t know,” Vinyl admitted as she repeated the process with each crystal, taking it out of the devices they were slotted into and feeding them through the echo focus. “I haven’t been cutting the power to the synthesizer when I removed the instruments, so the synthesizer is still attuned to the spellform’s signature. As long as it can find the instrument it is trying to detect within the focus, it should still work.”
When she was done, a colorful rainbow of fireflies danced around the inside of the small crystal with a network of cables running from the base of the crystal mount. Vinyl tested each instrument and every setting on her equipment, smiling after seeing they’d all successfully connected to their corresponding sounds.
Headmaster Pennywhistle broke her silence, unable to contain her astonishment any longer. “Absolutely incredible, Miss Scratch! And are you saying that you can utilize the full breadth of the cacophony crystal’s capacity?”
Vinyl shook her head. “No ma’am. This is more of a messy proof of concept. There’s nothing that currently exists that can interact directly with the echo focus itself. An ideal setup would be some sort of device that can slot the focus inside to read any number of echos at will.”
“Still, you were able to utilize magic once thought reduced to pure magic! Can it be used with anything other than sound?”
Vinyl tilted her head. “Like what?”
“Perhaps if we could—”
Celestia slammed a hoof down with royal authority, silencing the room. “I apologize, but that particular line of questioning is beyond the scope of this presentation, wouldn’t you say?”
“But, your highness!” Pennywhistle flinched not only at her mistake, but the pacifying smile the princess wore that wordlessly commanded the headmaster to cease speaking at once. “Of course. I was simply caught up in the moment.”
“I understand your excitement. There are many potential paths for this magic to take shape. It could be a very narrowly applicable magical implement or a revolution in spell storage when applied broadly. Those notions can be addressed later after this first concept has proven itself. Besides, this device is not a magical implement, but rather magitechnological in nature, correct?”
Taking a moment to recollect herself from the chancellor’s sudden outburst, Vinyl nodded in agreement. “Right.” She pointed to the back of the synthesizer at a battery pack. “They are using magically sourced electricity running through the devices. It is only reading the instruments stored magically. If it was magic alone, the cacophony crystal would probably absorb it through the cables.”
“A rather large limitation for most forms of magic. Which brings up my main problem with this, Miss Scratch. Cacophony runes are highly unstable, even when shielded properly.”
Vinyl pulled at her shoulder. She knew exactly what was coming next. “You’re correct.”
The chancellor pointed to the extended shielding that bridged the two crystals. “I wouldn’t say such a thin shape is very resilient. I suspect there is a reason for such a unique structure.”
“As I said before, it’s a funnel. The shape is intentional, albeit a little strange. I tried using a standard shield shape, and it sometimes pulled the magic around the crystal or tore it into pieces, leaving a random number of echos for the same spell. This is the most predictable method I found.”
“Have you considered other methods to achieve the same effect without potentially compromising the shielding around the crystals?”
“Yes, but the methods are outside of my expertise,” Vinyl explained while looking away from Celestia. “Any magic outside of the polarized containment shielding found in the primer will be absorbed by the crystal.”
“One of the fundamental principles of Cacophony’s research is that music itself is the combination of sound and magic born from the souls of every harmonious creature. While it is an unproven theory, it might as well be a law of nature with how well the concept grafts onto Cacophony’s magic.”
Vinyl sucked in her lips and nodded along. “That’s right, Chancellor Celestia.”
“In particular, strong emotions can not only be absorbed by these crystals as a source of energy, but be intensified by the connection itself, creating a feedback loop of ever-increasing emotions until the subject either breaks the connection or the crystal overloads and breaks apart in a resonance cascade.”
Vinyl closed her eyes as her mind was thrust back to a month ago. That void of emptiness, the pain of hollowness in her heart. It was a precipice she wished she’d never gazed down. Even though she’d bounced back after barely a day, there was a brief moment in time she truly couldn’t feel anything just before the crystal exploded. The drain had been so intense, she didn’t even register the danger. She simply didn’t care. She never wanted to feel that unfathomable despair again…
“I-I know. And I am prepared to demonstrate the shielding’s capacity by performing a song with a sympathy stone while wearing a dampening ring.”
…But she had to.
“A sympathy stone.” Celestia frowned at the idea. “Such a bold and rather personal solution. It’d most certainly be effective, but you’d be bearing your heart to everypony here.”
Vinyl nodded as she forced a smile. “That’s the plan.”
“Your emotions would also need to be powerful enough to risk agitating the cacophony crystal. I know you’re a professional musician, but are you sure you’ll have a strong enough emotional response from a performance?”
“M-more than sure.” She tried to sound authoritative, but she couldn’t suppress the quaver that betrayed her nerves.
The former princess softened. “It is clear to see that the idea makes you uncomfortable. I would be willing to consider another method—”
“No!” Vinyl shouted, sounding far more desperate than she intended. Celestia was caught completely off-guard by the outburst, along with the other panelists. “I mean, it’s okay. I want to present it here. In front of everypony. Please.”
The chancellor went quiet for a moment as she closely studied the Vinyl from her seat. Vinyl did her best to keep calm under the extra scrutiny. She had to perform tonight, no matter what. Everything would be ruined if she couldn’t.
Before Vinyl could spin herself into a panic, the shields around the stage went up with a golden flash as they were reinforced once, a second time, and finally a third with Celestia’s magic. Vinyl didn’t even dare test how many fortifications the alicorn had applied to the barrier around her. The energy was so pure, she couldn’t even see it with her eyes. Nothing was getting in or out unless Celestia allowed it.
“Very well then, Miss Scratch. Please proceed.”
Fancy was completely lost. Of course he’d struggled to follow along during the other presentations, but Vinyl’s was on a completely different level. He recognized the words, echoes, crystals, cacophony, but their meanings were lost on him. All he was able to latch onto were Vinyl’s emotions.
He’d almost forgotten how easy the mare was to read. She’d been nervous since they started, terrified seeing Upper Crust, and horrified when she saw him. Perhaps Dapper had a point if Fancy was causing ponies to nearly trip over themselves in shock at the mere sight of him. To think he might’ve derailed the entire presentation just because he wasn’t taking proper care of himself. He made a mental note to not pass on meals anymore.
Now though, Fancy wasn’t exactly sure what Vinyl was feeling. She’d sat down on a stool after preparing the sympathy stone. It was a pearlescent, milky white rock, almost like somepony had carefully polished a large egg. The DJ leaned in closer to inspect it, making the color shift to a bright yellow.
“No need to be nervous, Miss Scratch,” Celestia assured with a knowing smile. “It’s working just fine.”
“I’ll try,” Vinyl replied. She reached over with her hoof and moved the stone underneath the funnel. “The sympathy stone will respond to my emotions, glowing more vibrant the clearer they are. Putting it directly under the weak point should be a good indicator.”
“An acceptable measurement as any. And you will be wearing the dampening ring to ensure you aren’t manipulating the sympathy stone?” Celestia assumed.
“Yes ma’am. No tricks here.”
“Very well.” The former princess stood up from her seat and stepped towards the sapphires floating over the cart. “I will be monitoring the shielding to ensure your emotions have not breached it. If I sense anything is going wrong, I will end the practical immediately. Is that understood?”
Vinyl nodded. “I understand.”
“Good. Now, go ahead.”
The DJ took a deep breath as she gave her equipment one last once-over. She began tapping her hoof to an unheard rhythm and started to play the piano. It was a simple melody of sorts, tinged with a hint of sadness. She played it once, then tapped a large button on the keyboard which flashed another light into the small crystal behind her. Her hooves stopped moving, but the piano kept playing, looping the melody she’d created. Then, she added another part. And then another, and then another.
Fancy wasn’t sure what was happening, but the slowly evolving melody sounded hauntingly beautiful, evoking a strange loneliness. The panelists were all staring at the crystal with rapt attention, but Fancy couldn’t take his eyes off the DJ. Finally, the mare did something he’d never heard her do: she began to sing.
Why care about anything,
When there’s nothing on every side?
The mare’s voice dipped as low as Shade’s, if not lower. It was scratchy as always, but with a sultry satin texture to it that shook from the deepest part of her range. As she sang, a blue light filled the stone.
Who cares what the future brings,
When I’m already dead inside?
A flash of pink appeared alongside the blue, and they began to spin.
So why take me in?
I fell from the light.
When I was too scared,
Had nothing but spite.
The pink grew and began wisping around and the blue as they dipped into each other and swirled around, fighting for dominance.
You showed me your love,
And what it could mean.
My heart was prepared,
To let it be seen.
The melody picked up the pace as more sounds were mixed in. The beats rolled angrily as dark, somber strings cried from the bass below.
So how could you run from me?
You were my ecstasy.
For all of my bravery,
You dropped so easily?
The blue light swelled back, easily overtaking the dwindling pink light, and crushing it to nothingness in a deep blue that grew darker and darker.
Please, Don’t run away,
Don’t let this love decay!
I’ve tried so many diff’rent ways,
But all I can say—
—is please would you just…
The music dropped out entirely as a tiny sparkle of pink shined in the middle of the blue, bright, brilliant, and resilient as it tried to fight against the oppressive, somber tide. DJ Pon-3 ripped off her sunglasses, tossing them aside as she turned directly to face Fancy. Instead of a blasting boom of bass, there was only a meek piano accompanying a humble plea from the performer.
Stay…
I want you to stay.
I want you to stay with me,
and stop running away…
In that moment, the audience faded away, the stage vanished, and the very air was sapped from the room. To Fancy, there was nothing else but Vinyl. The entire world began and ended with her eyes. Those shimmering eyes, brimming with sadness, scarred by betrayal, yet lit by a flicker of hope. Fancy couldn’t look away, even if he wanted to, as nothing else existed.
Stay…
I need you to stay.
I want you to be with me,
Don’t throw my love away…
Stay~...
Please just… stay…
Vinyl blinked first, breaking her spellbinding stare as she collapsed over her piano, striking a smattering of sour chords.
“Stay…” Vinyl begged one last time.
After another quiet moment, the shields dropped. “That's enough, Miss Scratch,” Celestia said softly as she approached the mare.
Fancy finally remembered he had lungs as he caught his breath. His attention was immediately drawn to the sympathy crystal. Blue and pink swirled around each other, waging a battle for control while completely ignoring the chuck of obsidian darkness that had settled at the bottom half. No matter how much the two colors fought, the black stone refused to move. Before the fighting could be settled, Celestia deactivated the sympathy stone. Everypony had seen more than enough.
“Please note for the record that the barrier around the echo focus and cacophony crystal held,” the chancellor announced for the panel. She bent down next to the DJ, hiding her face with the keyboard. “I think it'd be best if you stepped away from the stage for now, okay?”
Vinyl drew herself up from her seat, blocking her eyes with her leg, trying to hide what little she wanted kept to herself. The alicorn reached to the discarded sunglasses with her magic and offered them to the performer.
“And Miss Scratch? You were exceptional.”
As the volunteers and Celestia were clearing off the stage, Fancy crept up the stairs and snuck away from the lecture theater. The sun had fully set by now, shrouding the unlit halls in a veil of darkness. It didn’t bother him. He’d wandered the lonely halls of his mansion plenty of times. This would be no different. As soon as he was a safe distance from the event, Fancy broke into a full gallop.
He ascended the stairs to the top floor as fast as he could. He knew Vinyl had to be there. She just had to be. The mare was most comfortable in her element. He wound through the halls, following half-seen signs that he hoped were pointing him in the right direction. Illusory wing, several research labs, and finally the Acoustic Department. Fancy turned the final corner, but skidded to a halt upon seeing a lone mare standing outside the room.
“Fleur…” he whispered as he slowly approached his half-sister.
Fleur de Lis glared at him with a deep scowl on her face far deeper than Upper Crust could ever hope to muster against him. After all, her anger was both genuine and righteous. Fancy had no words for her, so he settled on the only thing he could think of in the heat of the moment.
“Is Vinyl here?” he asked.
“She is,” she replied sternly.
“May I see her?”
She shot a glance at a nearby clock on the wall. “Five minutes. I thought you’d be here sooner.”
Fancy turned to the clock and then back to Fleur. “Do you want me to make an excuse? An apology?”
“A promise.”
“Anything. Just name it.”
Fleur stepped forward, staring Fancy with unflinching resolution. “No matter what happens, no matter what you want to happen, you tell her the truth. No lies. Whatever it is that you feel, she deserves to know.”
“I had no other intention,” he swore.
“Good,” Fleur’s face crumpled a little as her breath hitched. “And Pantsy? Even if it’s everything she wants to hear, you have a lot of work to do before me and you are anywhere close to okay. Got it?”
“I understand.”
Before he could say anything else, Fleur was already on him with a deep hug, it shook with both fragility and rage. “This was what she wanted, you know. I told her to forget you and dump your lousy flank after what you put her through.”
“Thank you. I love you too, Fleur.”
His reluctant half-sister squeezed tighter one last time before she broke away and walked past him. She refused to show him her face as she trotted down and around the corner. Now, all that was left for him to do was face the music.
Walking in front of the door to the department, it looked a lot better than it did from the photo from a month ago, but it was still largely under renovation. From what he’d read, the explosion caused the most extensive damage the school had suffered in ages. Every defensive ward had been completely obliterated by the sheer amount of dark energy it released. Some of it was so severe that it corrupted any surface it touched, disintegrating tables, equipment, and sections of the walls into nothing. It was a miracle Vinyl survived if she was anywhere near the blast.
As he headed further inside, Fancy could see the walls were still being replaced. Arpeggio’s office was little more than a fold-out table and rolling chair fit with an orthopedic cushion. It didn’t even have a door. The space marked “Control Room” had a twisted pile of ghastly wreckage sitting next to a couple of couches and a coffee machine that seemingly survived the destruction.
Finally, he approached the audio lab itself. Again, there was no door, no floors, not even a chair to sit on. The place had been completely scrubbed clean, leaving little but a white void of sheetrock and cement floors waiting to be filled. The only thing inside was Vinyl, curled up in the corner. Vinyl’s ears perked up at the single clop of his hoof on the floor and she turned towards him.
“Fancy Pants?”
Fancy couldn’t believe his ears. She sounded surprised, as if she hadn’t expected him to actually come. After everything she’d just put herself through. After everything she’d been through because of him, Vinyl was somehow happy to see him.
“Vinyl, I’m…” he tried, but failed to come up with anything. After shining so brilliantly for all to see once again, she’d run off to a corner to hide. “I don’t know what to say. Truly, I don’t. You’re so brilliant and wonderful.” Fancy swallowed his nerves and pressed forward. “A-and beautiful…”
Vinyl rose up from the floor slowly. He didn’t need to see her eyes behind her glasses to know they were wide.
“I told you before that you were making a mistake. Even after you bore your heart out for all to see, I still think it is. You can do so much better. I know you can. When I was your age, I was a failson wasting time chasing after nothing that mattered. You prove time and again how amazing you are, and you will only continue to shine brighter until not even the sun can outshine you.
“So I just don’t understand. All I am, all I can be, is a bland, rich pony who profits off the talents of others. My best years are all behind me. Even if I give you everything that I have, I can’t give you the time I lack. I will die long before you do.” Fancy shook his head, trying to maintain some semblance of control over himself. “I couldn’t bear doing that. Not to you. You deserve somepony who can cherish you every minute of every hour of every day of your life.
“So please, just tell me. Why? Why would you want me at all?”
Vinyl stood to her hooves and slowly approached Fancy Pants. She pulled her glasses up and rested them over her horn, revealing a pair of eyes, brimming with both fear and love.
“Because, you’re worth it too.”
Fancy blinked. He blinked again. And he blinked a third time as he felt a stinging sensation he hadn’t felt in years filling his vision. His throat ached and his breathing became shorter, unable to hold himself back. He reached his forelegs around Vinyl like a life preserver and pulled the little mare close to him. He felt tears moisten his old fur and drip down his muzzle, carrying with them a weight that slipped off his shoulders.
As he held her tight, Vinyl reached out slowly to meet his embrace. She grabbed at his shoulders and pulled as tightly as she could. Her grip trembled as she clung to him, keeping him next to her, refusing to let him slip away. Fancy shifted his stance, pulling her closer still into his chest. He could feel the side of her head as he shifted her ear over his heart. Fancy hoped his steady, pulsing rhythm would be enough for the musician to ease her worries. He wasn’t going anywhere.
Fancy caught his breath and gently pushed Vinyl away so he could meet her eyes. They shined with a gentle warmth as they met his own gaze. As beautiful as they were, they were still tinged with a hint of anxiety. A lingering disbelief that expected failure, that something would go wrong, held her back.
“Vinyl?”
The mare briefly looked away, placing her hoof on his heart before looking back up with a deep desire cowed by apprehension. “Is… is it okay?”
The fragile question stole his breath as it ran him through. He lifted a hoof to the side of her head, gently caressing it, hoping to pierce through that remnant of despair hanging over her.
“It always was. I’ve regretted every single day since I told you that it wasn’t.”
He wrapped his hoof around the back of her head and dipped down to meet her. The two closed the distance, and he tilted his head to meet her lips. As they touched, a thrill of electricity shot through his spine. This time, there were no mistakes. No misunderstandings, only the smell of her sweat and budget shampoo, the crisp taste of bottled water, passion, dedication, and sacrifice. Vinyl poured every ounce of love into him, filling his weary soul with the magic of her heartsong pulsing in her chest. It was a wondrous miracle he could only hope to match.
As they finally ended their first kiss, their first true kiss, Fancy smiled at the mare, who returned with a cheesy giggle of her own. He searched her eyes once more, finding nothing but warmth in them.
“I love you, Vinyl Scratch.”
There it was. That brilliant smile that made the whole world stand still, burning brighter than the sun and glowing softer than the moon. He’d never look away again as he knew it was a smile meant for him.
“I-I love you too, Fancy Pants.”
Vinyl walked with Fancy side-by-side towards the Lecture Theater. She leaned into his shoulder and listened to the steady beat of his heart. As comforting as it was to rest against his side, it still didn’t feel real. Like it was all a dream. Like if she lifted her ear from him, even for a second, the spell would be broken. He’d disappear, leaving her all alone.
But no. Fancy was here. He stayed next to her. Vinyl didn’t know if he’d picked up on her trepidation, but he’d started to hum Amame Mucho. The deep sound reverberated through his body. The notes were a little off-key and he struggled to hit a few notes, but it was perfect all the same. It made her feel safe. It made her feel warm. It made her feel loved. It was all she ever wanted.
The lights grew brighter with every step as the Solarium came into view. Standing right outside waiting for them was Fleur, who grinned ear to ear upon seeing the two together. She quickly trotted towards the two and gave both of them a big hug.
“I’m so happy for you, Vy!” Fleur exclaimed, before turning a flat look to Fancy. “Break her heart again, and I break you.” Then she flipped right back to the joy-filled Fleur as she pulled Vinyl away. “C’mon, sis. They wrapped up the final presentation a bit ago and we’ve been waiting for you. Still got the closing ceremony.”
Vinyl tilted her head in confusion for a moment until she remembered she’d given one of those tonight herself. “What? How long have they been waiting?”
“Doesn’t matter, let’s get in there already!” Fleur whisked Vinyl away and bolted through the doors, barely giving Fancy a chance to start waving goodbye. As they raced down the stairs, she shouted, “Found her!” with a few half-hearted apologies to the ponies they pushed past getting in line with the other students and researchers.
“Thank you for rejoining us, Miss Scratch,” Celestia said with a warm smile that shifted into a sly smirk. “I hope your extracurriculars worked out the way you wanted.”
Vinyl slammed her sunglasses over her eyes and nodded, unable to say a word to the perceptive alicorn.
“I’ll have to ask Fancy about it later then,” she whispered with a wink. “Headmaster Pennywhistle?”
The mare nodded and stepped forward. “On behalf of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, I would like to thank our very gifted students and researchers for presenting their findings, as well as our faculty, fellows, and staff for assessing their progress. We witnessed great works from nearly every field imaginable—” she glanced over towards Vinyl “—and some unimaginable. As for the results of your defenses, Chancellor Celestia and I will be meeting with your panelists and advisors and announce the results next week, with one exception.”
A small murmuring arose from a few of the presenters, but most were rightly focused on the pony who’d had hers cut off early after she broke down in front of everypony. As Vinyl dwelled on it more, her face became redder and redder with embarrassment. Celestia stepped forward towards her, confirming what everypony suspected after such a dramatic interruption.
“Miss Vinyl Scratch,” the alicorn began, “your presentation and defense of your echo focus was both incredible and inspired. However, we were forced to stop your practical defense before you’d properly finished the oral component of your presentation.”
“Oh… right. My bad?” Vinyl said with a shrug.
“While we are all very interested in hearing more about your work, I’m afraid we will have to reassess your presentation in a private forum at a later date when there’s time. Will this be acceptable?”
“Yes ma’am!” Vinyl quickly replied. Anything was better than an automatic failure.
“Good. However, I believe it will be little more than a technicality,” she added confidently, raising her voice so that everypony left in the audience heard her. “Your groundbreaking method of piercing the veil of Cacophony’s most confounding work is nothing short of genius. It could very well be the beginning of a revolution in enchanting.”
Vinyl opened her mouth, but all that left was a creaking gasp. She had no idea what to say to such high praise from the former princess. If Vinyl had managed to impress the most powerful pony on the planet, she must’ve been doing something right.
“So, on behalf of my school, as well as the Equestrian Arcana Compendium, I thank you for presenting us with such an amazing find and adding it to the nation’s public spellbook for all to utilize in our communal march of progress.”
A sharp voice cut through the air like a knife. “Public spellbook?”
Ice shot through Vinyl’s veins. She took a deep breath and readied herself. This time was going to be different.
All eyes turned to the front row and the incredulous mare sitting in it. Upper Crust slowly stood up, staring in disbelief at Vinyl. “Did she just say you submitted all of that work, the one thing of value you’ve ever made, into the public spellbook?”
Celestia’s brow furrowed as she looked down at the little mare. “Yes, Miss Upper Crust. Vinyl holds no outstanding financial obligations to anypony and has decided to file the ‘echo focus’ along with her ingenious setup with the Arcana Compendium, putting it and subsequent magical designs stemming from it into the public domain, freely accessible for anypony to study.”
“That’s right,” Vinyl proclaimed confidently. “From now on, anypony who wants to try and use it is free to do it and build upon it, forever!”
Upper Crust was exactly where Vinyl wanted her. The obligation for her end of their bargain would be turned on its head as Vinyl revealed the result of her studies. It didn’t matter if it was big or small, she wouldn’t let her get a single bit no matter what. It was her life’s thesis: Vinyl didn’t need money to be happy.
“You colossal idiot!” Upper Crust roared as she stormed over to the stage. “Celestia is talking about magical revolutions and cutting-edge storing methods, and you just throw it all away?”
The moment Vinyl had been dreaming of for years quickly descended into a nightmare. Her confidence fell apart as Upper Crust loomed over her with nothing but death in her eyes.
“And for what? Proving some useless point about the nobility of your poverty? You insolent, naïve, worthless failure!”
Vinyl had prepared herself, fantasized about rubbing it all in Upper Crust’s stupid face. There were no hoof-outs, no cries for help. She had played the game like she was supposed to, and now she was going to turn it all around. This was supposed to be Vinyl Scratch’s moment of triumph. She was finally going to give Upper Crust everything she deserved, which was absolutely nothing.
Vinyl Scratch didn't need money to be happy. That was all she needed to say. It was on the tip of her tongue, but her mouth refused to move. Despite knowing she was right, Vinyl couldn’t utter a single syllable under her mother’s oppressive glare. The DJ sputtered uselessly as she tried to scrounge the remnants of her comebacks. Vinyl’s vision went black, but only because of the one who’d jumped in front of her.
“That’s more than enough, Upper Crust!” Fancy shouted. “It was her work that created it. She is allowed to do whatever she wants with it!”
“Here to protect your pet DJ now that she’s your precious scratch off again, are we?” Upper Crust spat, her voice dripping with disdain for the both of them. “I suppose she wouldn’t need world-changing success with a sugar daddy like you filling her feedbag.”
“No!” Vinyl screamed as she ran to Fancy’s side. “He had nothing to do with this!”
“Nothing to do with…” Upper Crust’s eye twitched furiously and she began to shake. “Oh, I see. I was wondering why the invitation came from you instead of my Glitterati. This whole thing of yours was meant to upset me, wasn’t it?” The mare cackled as her eyes rumbled with rage. “Well, congratulations! It worked like a charm! I can’t believe that I thought for even one second you could do anything by yourself! You will always ruin everything that could possibly be good for you! You threw whatever future you possibly had in the garbage!”
Vinyl wanted to shout her down. To scream that Upper Crust wasn’t right. She had so many curses, so many plans to belittle the petty mare. If only for a moment, if Vinyl could just make her feel a fraction of the despair she felt every time she thought of her. Vinyl wanted Upper Crust to cry, to grovel, to bleed, but she couldn’t follow through. The revenge she’d dreamed of fell apart in the face of Upper Crust’s rage.
“You’ve made your point loud and clear. I suggest you return to your seat,” Fancy warned, pushing Vinyl further behind him away from the fuming mare.
“Or you’ll what? And here I thought you were trying to stay out of the news.”
Out of the corner of Vinyl’s eyes, a pair of white hooves shot out like cannons towards Upper Crust’s face, but bounced off a golden light before they could make contact. Fleur yelped in surprise as the repelling force launched her away, as she tumbled forward from the force of her buck.
Upper Crust whipped around to see Fleur flop on her back and smirked from the failed assault. “Thank you for keeping the riff-raff away, Celestia.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t want Miss de Lis to give you a method of playing the victim tonight,” Celestia clarified as she smiled with the serenity of Elysium. “I believe that I’ve heard more than enough from you. I will be sending you to my school’s front gates now. Make no attempts to reenter the campus or I will be forced to call the guards.”
Before Upper Crust could raise an objection, she disappeared in a flash of golden light. Vinyl watched helplessly as the last sparkle flickered away. With the mare gone, Vinyl’s legs gave out and she collapsed to her knees. The one chance at payback that she’d wanted and waited years for, and she’d messed it up. Vinyl was just too scared.
“It’s going to be okay,” Fancy assured softly. “She’s gone. I’m right here, Vinyl.”
Vinyl shook her head, trying to string some semblance of a sentence together, but nothing was working. Nothing was how she wanted it to happen.
A nudge to her shoulder brought the rest of the world back into focus as Fleur shook her by the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Vy. You beat her. You won.”
“I did,” Vinyl finally muttered to herself. Fleur was right. Vinyl knew she was. Still, the fallen mare could only stare at her hooves, shaking with anger, disappointment, and fear that she didn’t understand. “So, why does it feel like I still failed?”
Fleur shook her head and wrapped her hooves around her sister. She said nothing and just held Vinyl together in her moment of triumph.
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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Poor Vinyl... but then again this kind of trauma tends to last.
I think it's just good to be glad that she and Fancy have now come clean and Vinyl has her support network :)
I will say that if Upper Crust doesn't get some kind of comeuppance I'm... going to be a bit disappointed. Then again... pride does tend to have a habit of biting people in the arse
Anxiety is fun.
Oof.
Making it the auditory equivalent of a mirror.
Aaw, but it's fascinating!
That's certainly be the plan.
I about figured this is what she'd use the song for, but, it still works.
You're goddamn right.
He fucked up but good.
What a good fucking line.
Finally.
Cute.
You're not fucking wrong.
Fascinating.
Oh boy, here we go.
Check and mate.
You're making a scene in front of everyone.
I really like this. Nothing witty or anything, I just really like this paragraph.
Trauma's fun like that.
Finally.
Also, I'd been wondering what the plan with Upper Crust had been.
some one need to take a vary close look at Upper Crust and dig up all of her dirt.
two awesome chapters.
I can’t wait to see what happens with the story from here. I can only imagine how things will go with all the recent revelations.
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She got a Cultural Layer there.
Love seeing how Vinyl's research has progressed.
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I thought that one is chiefly British.
To my ear it sounds more like someone trying to be tease while avoiding the burn. Also I oat to admit that scottish crackers are good if not slightly salty. And nuts.
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Yeah, in my original imagining of it, it's a total triumph of Vinyl standing up to Upper Crust, but as time went on, I realized how unrealistic and unfulfilling it was to do that. I was honestly a little worried about the way this version panned out with after everything that's happened, all that Vinyl's been through, she still doesn't get do the one thing she wanted to do.
Even if Vinyl's research hadn't been groundbreaking, and it was just a different method of boiling water, her plan was always to do this to get back at Upper Crust. Even if she did wind up liking school and using it to her benefit as a performer, the whole point was to do this rebellion thing. It just got lost in the weeds.
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I could never hint at the whole plan without spoiling the idea, but you can see the revenge plot first being introduced back in Chapter 2.
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Just have to wait and see.
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I was a little concerned about this one. Most of the wrting and rewriting of this chapter and the last were ensuring the presentations were both technical and interesting. While SchlurrVivyl is a a goofball combination, they are also very smart. #Sci-Vy and #Sci-Lis.
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Alchemik was very funny in the responses to Upper Crust in the last few chapters he's preread. It's very nice to see how much an antagonist drives people insane. Doubly so when they're so mundanely awful. I imagine there are many Upper Crusts in our world.
Bravo. Finally brought the two together. Now we just need to fix Celestias problems. Luna is not meant to rule alone.
Now that is has happened, I feel the need to reread the entire story to see the relationship develop all over again. Absolutely worth the wait for this payoff!
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As do I, but not for the same reasons. I will be doing a front to back final editing pass to fix any wording mistakes or continuity errors that I spot once I finish the last chapter. No major changes, just cleaning up... over 400,000 words... ... ... ...
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Happy to oblige!
Actually it's my natural reaction to such people in reality.
That helps to avoid the immenent loss of SAN points and recompences of any bodily harm I would wish to inflict upon them (Fleur style).
I want to hug the scene with Vinyl singing
A fantastic chapter. I actually really like the fact that you chose to have Vinyl still fail to stand up to Crusty B for now. It would have been less realistic, cheaper. And it is okay if most, but not all, things work out. The important thing is for one to be/feel better than yesterday.
Ah, the showstopper chapter. Actually, there've been several. I don't think Vinyl has had a complete on-screen performance in any chapter. It's so good to see everything coming together though.