Ponywatching

by ThunderTempest

Prompt #122: Rant, Rave, Repeat

Vinyl Scratch loved Manehatten. Its club scene was well-established and thriving. It was the sort of place that there was always something going on, always something happening. Yet Vinyl never moved there, despite many, many offers from various club owners. She was Canterlot born, but not quite bred, and she took an almost perverse pride in the fact that a so called ‘lower class’ unicorn could succeed as she had in Canterlot.

However, there was one or two things that Vinyl could never get used to in Manehatten. The first was the constant noise-a bit of an odd thing for a musician to call attention to, but something about the constant cacophony of the city grated with Vinyl, and she couldn’t spend more than two weeks there without missing the silence of Canterlot’s night.

The second thing was much more of a general problem that Vinyl had with the world, but was especially present in Manehatten.

“Miss Scratch! Vinyl Scratch, what are your thoughts on the upcoming Rave-a-thon?”

“Miss Scratch, are there any more records planned for your future?”

Vinyl Scratch had a problem with reporters. They constantly flocked around her, like carrion birds waiting for something to die so they could pick it apart. But even their usual questions about music and clubs and performances all paled in comparison to the sheer annoyance that flooded Vinyl everytime she ventured away from Canterlot.

“Miss Scratch, how are things between you and Octavia? Do you have any comment on the rumours that say that you two have finally decided to break your relationship off, or is this simply a break from each other?”

Vinyl took a deep breath in, and calmed herself, and kept walking. This was a more or less normal part of her life, and she was mostly used to it by now. That didn’t stop it being annoying, however, and most reporters had learnt the lesson that if Vinyl didn’t want to talk about something, they gave up pretty quick. There were always one or two over-zealous ones, though.

“Miss Scratch, any comment? Miss Scra-whoa!” the young reporter was suddenly lifted into the air, surrounded by a blue glow.

“Look, kid,” said Vinyl, an unintentional growl working its way into her voice, “You’re obviously new, because everypony else left four questions ago, so I’ll forgive you this time, but you gotta learn.”

The colt whimpered as Vinyl drew him closer.

“If I wanted to answer your questions, I would have. However, I’ve been up for way, way too long right now, and all I want to do is sleep. So, lightning round; Yes, no, it’s going to be great, yes, and for the love of Celestia, please stop asking that question. Octy and me are not in a relationship, have never been in one, and never will be.”

Her speech apparently done, Vinyl dropped the rookie reporter on his backside, and stalked off toward her hotel.

****

“And please welcome, Vinyl Scratch!” said the announcer for the press conference about the upcoming Rave-a-thon that was happening in Manehatten later that month. Vinyl was only in town for this and to help get some of the organizational junk, as she called it, out of the way.

“So, you guys have any questions?” asked Vinyl, once her speech was concluded, and a field of hooves went up.

“Any questions that do not have to do with the supposed ‘relationship’ between me and Octavia?” most of the hooves went down, and Vinyl sighed.

“Right, let me make this clear, right now. Octavia and I are friends. Nothing more. We grew up together. Dating her would be like dating a family member-totally not cool. Yes, sometimes we have lunch and dinner and stuff together, but that doesn’t mean we’re in a relationship, so please stop asking about it.”

****

Vinyl staggered back into her Canterlot apartment, dropping her saddlebags on the floor, and collapsing on the couch.

“So, it was that bad, was it?” asked Octavia, from where she was practicing with her cello.

“The Rave-a-thon was great. The reporters were annoying. Kept asking if you and I had ‘broken up’, or whatever,” Vinyl said into the cushions, “Told them we weren’t dating. Guess how well that worked?”

“I saw. The Canterlot Herald did an entire piece about our supposed split. Your Rave-a-thon got three inches at the bottom,” said Octavia.

“Man, can’t they understand that it’s possible to be close to somepony without having a romantic attraction?” Vinyl groaned, rolling over so she wasn’t speaking into the couch, “I mean, is it that difficult of a concept? Why did they even decide we were together anyway? How was that the logical conclusion of us living together?”

Octavia adjusted one of the tuning pegs on her cello’s head.

“I have no idea, Vinyl. I honestly have no idea.”

Author's Note:

Written for Prompt #122: “Perfectly Platonic”
The prompt: It’s absolutely, positively, without the shadow of a doubt, not love.

Slightly meta, I think.

Comments

[Themaskedferret]

Oh gods, poor Vinyl. The only thing that threw me was that her answers didn't match up with the questions, although she might've done them out of order.

Also, for some reason cutting to Octavia makes me think she's done something to feed them.