Dissonance
- Consonance -
The sun beat down on the town of Ponyville, and the sky was a pristine canopy of the brightest blue, with but a single cloud marring the otherwise immaculate expanse. That single, puffy cloud was there for a reason, of course; Rainbow Dash stood upon the fluffy cumulus, her scarlet eyes locked on the horizon. She’d been napping—as she always did after clearing the sky of any errant weather patterns—but now she was awake, and there was but a single thought at the forefront of her mind.
Today was the perfect day for some flying.
Rainbow Dash spread her wings, stretching out her primary feathers and feeling the updraft of hot air coming off the rooftops below her vaporous napping spot. She kicked off the cloud with her back legs, dropping into a brief dive, before her wings caught the thermals and shot her into the sky, not even needing to flap her wings to remain aloft. Dash closed her eyes in rapture, enjoying the effortless feeling of riding the wave of heat, before lazily banking east towards the edge of Ponyville.
Dash occasionally flapped her wings, maintaining a lazy glide and expending the minimum energy she needed to stay aloft. Speed was great—speed was her life—but there were some days when she liked to cruise in the air and watch the world turn. This was one such day.
A bright glint far below caught Rainbow Dash’s eye, and she adjusted her flight, pulling into a loose downward spiral towards the Everfree Forest and searching for whatever object had reflected the sun. Dash’s wings flared outward and she landed on her back hooves, touching down gracefully at the edge of the forest. She eyed the treeline warily for a moment before turning. Squinting down, Rainbow took a closer look at the object that had caught her eye—a small, decorated box at the edge of the road, seemingly discarded.
Dash knelt down to examine the container. It was rounded, almost egg-shaped, and set with a spiraling line of opals that shone with milky-white radiance. The box sat on three decorative legs of hoof-carved wood that had been lacquered to a high polish. At the top was a lid on a hinge, marked by a ring of golden studs and a carved flower. Dash whistled at the beautiful object appreciatively. “Well, hello there. Who lost you out here? You sure look... expensive.”
Dash reached out a hoof and, glancing around briefly to be certain nopony was watching, opened the box. If the box was this awesome, whatever was inside had to be cool! Dash was not disappointed; the lid of the box swung open with ease, and a gentle, tinkling tune tumbled out of the insides of the box. Hidden by the lid, a tiny porcelain pegasus with a painted-on flower cutie mark twirled around, “dancing” to the music. Dash giggled. “Okay, that’s pretty cool. Girly, but cool.”
Dash moved to close it but paused, listening to the simple tune; it almost sounded familiar to her, and a shiver ran down her spine as she considered the little music box. She couldn’t place it, but she felt like she’d heard the song when she was little. She closed her scarlet eyes, focusing on the tune, finding herself able to hum along to the melody. Rainbow Dash smiled and carefully picked up the music box. Maybe... maybe she’d take it home, just for a minute. She just wanted to listen to that tune again, figure out why it sounded so... nice.
Fluttershy scrambled around her house frantically, counting critters as they came inside to avoid the sudden downpour. “Oh my, let’s see, three... four... five mice, and two ferrets, a stoat, and a squirrel. Come in and get yourselves dry, little ones!”
The group of rodents squeaked and chattered appreciatively as they filed past the timid pegasus. Fluttershy continued to count off her animals, “Two hummingbirds, a blue jay, a bat... oh, and one wet bunny. Hello Angel, I hope you didn’t get too soaked!”
As the four flying creatures flitted to indoor perches, one sopping wet white rabbit staggered inside and dramatically collapsed on the doorstep of the cottage. “Oh, you poor thing!” Fluttershy fussed over Angel. ”I’m sorry, I didn’t think we were due for rain today. Rainbow Dash is always so good about telling me, too.”
Angel rolled his eyes and stood up, hopping over to the fireplace to warm up as Fluttershy draped a rabbit-sized towel over his back. “There we go, all better. Momma will make you some soup. How’s that sound?”
Angel considered for a moment before waving her away with an imperious paw. Fluttershy moved into the kitchen, pulling out a pot and filling it with water before setting it on the stove to heat up. She hummed to herself as she worked on preparing a meal for her favorite fussy rabbit. Her melodic humming faltered as somepony knocked on the front door, causing Fluttershy to squeak with fright and cower briefly, before calling out, “W-who... who is it?”
“Fluttershy, it’s Twilight!”
Fluttershy stood up straight as she recognized her friend’s voice, and she trotted to the door, opening it. “Oh, Twilight! What are you doing out in the rain?”
Twilight Sparkle stood outside in the rain, frowning slightly as her mane and tail dripped with precipitation. “Wondering why it’s raining in the first place. Can I come inside?”
Fluttershy stepped demurely aside. “Oh, of course! Where are my manners? Please, come in. I was just making some soup.” Angel bunny shot Fluttershy an annoyed look, and Fluttershy stammered, “I...um... I mean, I was making... two pots of soup!”
Twilight smiled gratefully as she entered Fluttershy’s cozy cottage, her horn lighting up briefly as she used a spell to dry her wet coat. “I’m sorry to bother you, Fluttershy, but I need you to do me a favor.”
Smiling at Twilight as she walked back into the kitchen, Fluttershy added the carrots and celery to the bubbling pot of water. “Of course, Twilight, I’m always happy to help.”
Twilight followed her timid friend, looking around at all the small animals that huddled appreciatively in tiny beds and perched around the interior of the cottage. “I need to you go up to Rainbow Dash’s house and see what that lazy pegasus is up to. We aren’t due for rain for another three days. She didn’t clear the sky yesterday, and today we have rainstorms!”
Biting her lower lip, Fluttershy’s soft gaze grew concerned. “Oh dear, I hope everything is okay. Maybe she’s sick?” The pegasus smiled as an idea struck her. “Oh, I know, I’ll bring her some soup!”
Twilight chuckled. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary. Rainbow Dash probably got her hooves on the newest Daring Do book and lost track of time.”
Fluttershy gave Twilight a skeptical look and asked, “For two days?”
Twilight gave the pegasus an uncertain smile. “Hey, its happened to me before! Anyway, if you could just fly up there and remind her that she has responsibilities, maybe give her the stare, everything should be fine.”
Fluttershy giggled and replied softly, “Oh, I don’t think I’ll have to use that on her. Rainbow Dash usually takes her job very seriously.”
Twilight smirked. “Yeah. ‘Seriously’. Anyway, do you mind if I stay here while you go check on Rainbow Dash? I’ll...uh...stir the soup?”
Fluttershy smiled at Twilight, spreading out her wings as she trotted to the front door and put on a yellow rain hat. “Oh, would you? Thank you, Twilight, I’ll be right back.”
Opening the door, the yellow pegasus spread her wings and flew into the rain, leaving Twilight behind in the kitchen.
Fluttershy touched down daintily on the colorful, floating cloud-tower that made up Rainbow Dash’s home, her coat and feathers dripping wet. She winced as a gust of wind blew into her face, threatening to tear the little rain hat off her head. Fluttershy cantered quickly over to the open foyer of Rainbow Dash’s house, stopping in the dry interior. She stepped over a few discarded pizza boxes and other articles of trash that cluttered the floor of the bachelorette pad, and called quietly, “Rainbow Dash? Are you here?”
There was no reply. Fluttershy cleared her throat nervously and trotted a little farther into her friend’s house, stopping outside the closed door to Rainbow Dash’s room. “Rainbow Dash, are you in there? It’s Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy reached up and oh-so-gently tapped her hoof against the door. The bedroom door slid open a bit, and Fluttershy flinched away from Dash’s room. “Oh, um, I’m sorry; your door was open. I hope I’m not... intruding?”
She received no response, and the yellow pegasus stood still for a minute, waiting politely for an answer before curiosity overcame her and she pushed open the door. Dash’s bedroom was a bit of a mess, a few dishes sitting on the floor and a stack of books piled on a nightstand. Rainbow Dash’s bed was unmade and empty, the blankets wrapped around a pegasus-sized hollow. Fluttershy frowned, peering into the room’s corners. “Rainbow Dash, are you here? I’m sorry I came into your room without asking; I’m just worried about you. You didn’t clear the sky yesterday, and today an unplanned rain storm blew in, and...”
Fluttershy trailed off, her eyes focused on an ornate box sitting at the foot of Rainbow Dash’s bed. She approached the box, peering at the beautiful opals and intricate design. She glanced around quickly, a sudden shot of daring that she didn’t know she possessed shot through her. She reached out and touched the lid of the box, tapping it open gently. Music tinkled out from the inside of the item, and a little porcelain pegasus danced around the interior of the music box. Fluttershy listened to the enchanting melody, a blissful smile spreading across her face. The tune was so nice; it reminded Fluttershy of something, perhaps a song her mother would sing to her when she was a little filly. Without thinking, Fluttershy scooped up the music box and cradled it under one foreleg, flittering out of Rainbow Dash’s room. She’d decided to take the music box home, where she could listen to it in peace.
Twilight heaved a relieved sigh as she heard Fluttershy return to the cottage, and turned to greet her friend. “Thank goodness you’re back, Fluttershy. I realized after you left... Spike does all the cooking! I don’t have the slightest clue how to make soup! I mean, I know the theory, I’ve read a few cookbooks, but theory doesn’t equal practice! I might have...”
Trotting through her living room, Fluttershy ignored Twilight completely, heading for the stairs. Twilight raised an inquisitive brow at her silent friend, and stepped away from the ruined soup, pausing only long enough to turn off the stove. She’d let Fluttershy sort out the cooking later. “Fluttershy, wait!”
Fluttershy froze on the stair leading up to her bedroom, staring over at Twilight as the unicorn approached her. “Fluttershy, did you find Rainbow Dash?”
Fluttershy shook her head, her quiet voice sounding distant. “Oh, um... no.”
Frowning, Twilight glanced out towards the rainstorm. “Well, that’s strange. Did she have to go somewhere?”
“No,” Fluttershy was quick to respond as she shifted awkwardly, tucking something behind her wing.
Shaking her head, Twilight turned back to her friend. “Where could she be? It’s not like Rainbow Dash to just up and leave suddenly...” Twilight scuffed a hoof along the floor. ”I hope she’s okay.”
When Fluttershy didn’t respond, Twilight sighed. “Well, I’ll come back tomorrow, and you can check again for me? Maybe she’ll be back, and we can get an explanation for what she’s been up to.”
“Okay,” replied Fluttershy, and she trotted up the stairs to her bedroom, humming a tune quietly as she left a confused Twilight Sparkle behind in the living room.
Twilight squinted up towards the second floor, her expression puzzled. “Uh... okay, bye Fluttershy.”
Stepping away from the stairs and trotting to the front door, Twilight let herself out, closing the door behind her as she braved the storm, heading back to the library.
The next day, Twilight knocked on the door to Fluttershy’s cottage, calling out to her friend, “Fluttershy? Are you there? It’s just me, Twilight!” She sighed. She’d been calling to her friend for several minutes and had gotten no response.
The lower half of the divided door suddenly swung inward, and Twilight was greeted by the worried-looking face of a white rabbit. She bent down to the rabbit’s level, smiling awkwardly. “Oh, hello Angel. Is Fluttershy home?”
The rabbit shook his head and initiated a complex series of gestures, obviously trying to tell Twilight something. She watched the little bunny for a few moments, before nodding slowly, “Um, I think I follow. Fluttershy isn’t here...” Angel tapped a paw to his nose and nodded, “...because she was listening to music...” Angel tapped a paw to his nose again, growing excited, “...and then exploded?”
Angel bunny shook his head, and repeated his final gesture several times, slowing it down pointedly. Twilight smiled awkwardly. “She... exploded twice?”
Angel threw his paws up in the air, obviously frustrated, and then ran indoors. Twilight waited outside for a moment before realizing that the rabbit couldn’t possibly open the upper door for her, and crouched down, crawling inside Fluttershy’s house. She checked all the rooms of the cottage briefly, while an anxious Angel bunny followed her closely. Twilight frowned, her worry evident. “That’s strange. Looks like Fluttershy disappeared!”
Angel nodded to Twilight, hopping up and down to indicate she’d finally figured it out. Twilight scowled. “Okay, Twilight, don’t panic. I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for why Fluttershy disappeared! And why Rainbow Dash disappeared too!”
Angel gestured frantically, and Twilight watched the rabbit for a moment before replying, “I know Fluttershy disappeared! She isn’t here, obviously. And you don’t know where she went?”
Angel gestured even more emphatically, and Twilight sighed, “You’re not making any sense, Angel, I know that she—” Twilight halted suddenly, scowling.
“I’m talking to a rabbit. I should be alerting somepony that ponies are disappearing!”
The rabbit rolled its eyes and threw up its paws in defeat, and hopped away, going upstairs. Twilight left Fluttershy’s cottage, determined to get to the bottom of things.
Mayor Mare called out to the assembled ponies of Ponyville, speaking from her podium at city hall, “Everypony quiet down, please!”
The crowd of equines shifted their attention to the mare on the podium, and she smiled encouragingly. “Thank you. I’ve called you all here today because—”
Twilight Sparkle shouldered Mayor Mare aside, waving her forelimbs in the air frantically as she addressed the crowd. “Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash have gone missing! They could be anywhere at all! They could be hurt, or trapped, we don’t know, but we have to find them!”
Mayor Mare glared at Twilight levelly for a moment, and Twilight finally caught the hint, sheepishly sidling away from the podium. “Er, sorry Mayor Mare.”
The Mayor of Ponyville cleared her throat and smiled at the crowd. “You’ll have to excuse Miss Sparkle, she’s understandably worried. I want everypony to search the town, carefully and thoroughly. Pegasus ponies, you should fly above and help the searchers on the ground coordinate. Everypony else will be divided into groups. Miss Applejack will be leading a search of the orchards, and Miss Zecora will be searching the edge of the Everfree Forest.”
Twilight stood off to the side, joined by Rarity and Applejack. Applejack smiled at Twilight, speaking with confidence, “Don’t you worry, sugarcube. We’ll find Rainbow Dash an’ Fluttershy faster than two shakes of a cat whisker!”
Rarity frowned at Applejack. “What does that even mean?”
The farm pony chuckled, replying to the inquiry, “It means pretty dang fast! Now, ‘scuse me, I’ve got a search party to lead through the orchards.”
As Applejack trotted away at the head of a group of ponies towards Sweet Apple Acres, Pinkie Pie popped up from behind Twilight, smiling and looking around, blue eyes wide. “Hey everypony! What’s going on?”
Twilight was unfazed by Pinkie Pie’s sudden appearance, though Rarity still jumped slightly before shaking her head, scowling. Twilight smiled at the nebulous pink pony. “Glad you made it, Pinkie Pie. We’re organizing a search party for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.”
Pinkie squinted at Twilight, looking confused. “What?”
Twilight rolled her eyes and repeated, slightly louder, “We’re organizing a search party for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy!”
Pinkie squinted at Twilight’s lips, mouthing Twilight’s words, and then her eyes widened and she sat back on her haunches, placing her hooves on her hips and looking serious. “You’re organizing a search party without me? But I’m the best at parties, Twilight, you know that!”
Rarity scoffed, flipping her hair, “Pinkie, dear, this isn’t that kind of party. This is serious!”
Pinkie Pie blinked at Rarity for a moment before replying, “I know that, silly filly! Search parties are the most serious kind of parties there are! Except fancy parties, of course... but never mind that!”
From seemingly out of nowhere, Pinkie Pie produced a headlamp, megaphone, and an orange reflective vest that bore the title “Search And Rescue” on the back. She raised the megaphone and hollered into it, “Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash! We’ll find you! Auntie Pinkie Pie is on the case!”
Twilight winced and put her hoof over the Megaphone, lowering it from Pinkie’s mouth before she could yell some more. “I appreciate the effort, Pinkie Pie. I was thinking you, Rarity, and I should search Fluttershy’s house. Maybe she left a note and I missed it earlier. It’d certainly help to have some context as to why she and Rainbow Dash would disappear so suddenly!”
Rarity smiled. “Lead on, Twilight! I’ll do whatever I can to help. I can’t bear to think of poor, sweet Fluttershy missing.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow at Rarity. “What about Rainbow Dash?”
“Rainbow Dash is more capable of handling being lost than Fluttershy, don’t you think?”
Twilight chuckled. “Good point, I guess. Regardless, I have a feeling that if we find one of them, we’ll find both of them! Come on, girls!”
Twilight and Rarity cantered off in the direction of Fluttershy’s house. Pinkie Pie lagged behind for a moment, distracted by the groups of ponies searching the town, before noticing that her two friends had already left. She scowled and lifted the megaphone to her lips, shouting after them, “Hey, wait, where are you going? I’m coming too!”
Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie arrived at Fluttershy’s house, only to be greeted by an irate Angel bunny. The rabbit scurried up to Twilight, grabbed her by the tail, and practically tugged her inside the cottage, depositing her in the living room in front of a small, ornate box. Twilight scowled at the little rabbit. “Angel, we don’t have time for this, we’re trying to find Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy!”
Angel thumped his hind foot on the ground and gesticulated wildly at Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie smiled. “Oh, oh! I’m good at this game!”
Pinkie Pie squatted down, watching Angel as he pantomimed out a series of events. Twilight and Rarity shared a confused look, but let Pinkie Pie do her thing, knowing that if anypony could understand Angel clearly, it’d be Pinkie.
Pinkie gasped suddenly, sitting up and whirling to address her friends. “Angel says that Fluttershy opened up the box and disappeared! And that he also wants some soup.”
Twilight looked skeptically at the little box on the floor of the cottage. “Well, that’s strange.”
“Not really. He says that Fluttershy forgot to feed him yesterday,” replied Pinkie, her expression perfectly deadpan.
Rolling her eyes, Twilight approached the box and opened the lid. “I don’t see what’s so special about...”
Twilight stopped talking as music played from within the box, silencing her. Twilight stared into it, watching as the little porcelain pegasus inside spun around and around, the movement hypnotic. Rarity also approached the music box, staring down at the ornate device with equal interest, and after a moment both unicorns were sitting, smiling blissfully and listening to the gentle music. Pinkie Pie stared at the two mares, then down at the music box and smiled. “Ooh, pretty! A little dancing pegasus pony!”
Pinkie joined Twilight and Rarity, glancing between her friends as they watched the porcelain pony spin. The two unicorns didn’t respond. After a moment of complete silence, she began to fidget uncomfortably. “Yep. Sure is neat-o...”
Pinkie yawned exaggeratedly, and poked Twilight. “So, uh, we should get back to looking for Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, right?”
Twilight didn’t move, totally entranced by the music box. Pinkie leaned over to Rarity, giggling awkwardly. “Wow, get a load of Twilight. She sure is interested in that little box!”
When Rarity didn’t respond, Pinkie scowled. “Am I missing something here? This is booooriiing! We should be out looking for our friends! That’s way more exciting and important than some dancy-pony-boxie-thingie!”
Neither pony responded to Pinkie Pie, completely ignoring her as they leaned a little closer to the music box. Pinkie frowned and reached over, tousling Rarity’s mane, messing up her perfectly coiffed hair. When this failed to illicit a response, Pinkie gaped at the prissy pony, her eyes growing frightened. She turned to Twilight. “Twilight! Twilight! Pi is exactly three! Pi is exactly three!”
Twilight didn’t move, and her eyes never left the music box. Pinkie gasped, standing up, “Something’s wrong! Don’t worry girls, I’ll get Mayor Mare! She’ll know what to do!”
Pinkie Pie dashed out of the cottage, galloping towards the center of town.
Ponyville bustled with activity as groups of ponies searched high and low, looking for the two missing pegasai. Pinkie Pie rushed through several search parties, nearly knocking ponies over in her frantic race to town hall. As she’d suspected, Mayor Mare was still on the front step of town hall, coordinating the search effort. Pinkie Pie skidded to a stop in front of her, shouting and gesturing spastically. “Mayor Mare! Mayor Mare! Twilight and Rarity need help! Something’s wrong with them!”
“Woah there, Pinkie. Did you say Twilight and Rarity need help?” Applejack’s voice responded from behind Pinkie Pie.
Pinkie Pie twirled in place, her worried expression replaced with a relieved grin. “Applejack! I knew I smelled cowpony! We were at Fluttershy’s house and Angel bunny did charades and he needed soup but Twilight didn’t care and then she opened a box and Rarity and Twilight didn’t listen to me and I messed up Rarity’s mane and told Twilight about how pi is exactly three and they didn’t care!”
Applejack went crosseyed as Pinkie spouted information at her in her usual rapid-fire manner, and finally held up a hoof. “Woah nelly! You were at Fluttershy’s house?”
Pinkie Pie stared at Applejack with a moon-eyed expression. “What?”
Applejack rolled her eyes and looked to Mayor Mare, “We’d better go check it out. I’m not sure what Pinkie’s on about... but that’s Pinkie Pie for ya. Come on Mayor Mare!”
Mayor Mare and Applejack took off back towards Fluttershy’s cottage, Pinkie trailing behind them.
When Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Mayor Mare arrived, Twilight and Rarity were gone, their places in front of the music box empty. Pinkie gestured to the empty room with a dramatic gasp. “They’re gone!”
Applejack frowned. “Yer certain they were in trouble, Pinkie Pie?”
Mayor Mare stepped into Fluttershy’s cottage and approached the music box, tilting her head down at the ornate device to peer at it over the rims of her glasses. “Oh my, this is pretty, isn’t it?”
Applejack stared at Mayor Mare. “Uh, sure. Shouldn’t we be tryin’ t’ figure out where Rarity an’ Twilight have gone off to?”
Pinkie gestured to the box, her expression growing frightened. “That’s the box! They opened it up, and then they just were sitting there, watching it! They didn’t talk or anything!”
Scowling, Applejack turned, glancing between Pinkie and the music box on the floor. She noticed Mayor Mare reaching for the lid to the box and yelped, “Wait, Mayor Mare! Don’t!”
Her warning came too late. Mayor Mare opened the lid to the box, and music tinkled out, halting Applejack and Mayor Mare in their tracks as the tune and whirling unicorn pony within entranced them. Pinkie sighed, “See? It’s just a boring dancing unicorn pony. But it did something to them!”
Pinkie suddenly gasped, her eyes locking on the twirling porcelain unicorn that danced within the box. “Wait a minute! That was a pegasus last time! What’s going on?!” When Applejack and Mayor Mare didn’t respond, Pinkie gasped. “Oh no! Not you guys too!”
Mayor Mare suddenly smiled, reaching out and picking up the music box. “Applejack... be a dear, and help me call in all the searching ponies. I... I think we’ve found what we’re looking for.”
Applejack nodded dumbly, her eyes locked on the music box, and together the two of them left, Mayor Mare carrying the ornate box with her. Pinkie Pie waved her hooves in front of their eyes, trying to draw their attention, and when that failed she produced her megaphone, hollering at them, “Wait! Where are you going? There’s something wrong with that box! It’s evil!”
The two mares cantered away, returning to Ponyville, and Pinkie threw her hooves in the air in frustration. “Oh come on!”
Applejack and Mayor Mare reached Ponyville first, calling in search parties as they headed for the town hall once more. Dozens of ponies followed them, spreading the word that the search had been called off, and soon the whole of Ponyville was gathered once more before the podium in front of town hall. Ponies called questions as they gathered.
“Why are we calling off the search?”
“Did they find Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy?”
“What’s going on?”
Mayor Mare held up a hoof, quieting the crowd, and simply set the music box on top of her podium. “Everyone... listen.”
Pinkie Pie arrived at the back of the crowd just in time to witness Mayor Mare opening the lid of the music box. The murmuring and shifting crowd suddenly grew silent and still as the sweet music flowed over them. Pinkie nudged her way through the crowd, trying to get to the podium to close the lid to the diabolical device. As she made for the podium, the crowd of ponies began to shimmer and glow, and the music box responded in turn, the opals on it emitting a iridescent light as the tinkling tune grew louder, more powerful.
Suddenly, with bright flashes of light, ponies in the crowd began disappearing. Pinkie Pie froze, gasping as she watched pony after pony disappear. Each time it happened, the porcelain pony figure in the box changed, becoming an earth pony, unicorn, or pegasus to match each disappearing pony’s form in turn.
Pinkie broke into a renewed gallop, reaching the podium and slapping the lid to the music box shut with a triumphant grin. She turned and addressed the crowd, “Don’t worry, everypony! Auntie Pinkie Pie’s got this all... under... control?”
Nopony was left.
Pinkie stared around in horror, crouching down slightly as fear made her legs weak. “... Applejack?” she called, plaintively. When her friend didn’t respond, Pinkie shivered. “Oh no. I’m the only pony left!” Whirling, Pinkie Pie approached the box, glaring at it. “This is all your fault, you dumb, evil, dancy-pony-boxie-thingie!”
The box didn’t respond to the tongue-lashing, and Pinkie grabbed it, opening the lid and yelled at the twirling pony inside, “You let my friends go right this instant, mister! I’m warning you!” When that didn’t work, Pinkie closed the lid to the box, and then brightened up as an idea came to her. “Oh, I know!”
With all the strength she could muster, Pinkie Pie threw the box on the ground. The box, for all its apparent fragility, bounced, rolled, and came to a halt, unmarred. Pinkie growled and stomped on the box, jumping up and down several times, to no avail. The box took the punishment without any apparent damage, leaving Pinkie Pie panting for breath. Scowling, Pinkie Pie produced a massive hammer from thin air, pounding on the box several times. Each strike rebounded off the box, and when Pinkie Pie examined the head of the hammer, she found that it had dented. Pinkie threw the hammer aside and disappeared for a brief moment, returning quickly with a jackhammer. She lined up the head of the jackhammer with the lid of the music box and turned it on. The pneumatic tool attacked the lid of the box, the vibration sending Pinkie Pie jittering, and finally the head of the jackhammer shattered. Pinkie stared at the broken tool and then dropped it to the ground.. With a groan, she slumped alongside the box and sat back on her haunches, tears welling up in her eyes. “This is terrible! Everypony’s stuck, and I don’t know what to do.”
Before she could work herself up to a good cry, she felt a vibration run up her hooves, transmitted through the ground. Pinkie blinked, staring at the dirt, and then placed her ear to the ground, hearing a thudding rumble. She stood up, walking slowly and trying to feel where the vibration was coming from. After a few moments, she scooped up the music box and dashed away towards the edge of town. She navigated the empty streets of Ponyville, stopping every so often to reorient herself to the vibration. As she approached the edge of town, she could physically feel the deep tremor thudding through her chest, and she approached the source of the sensation: a house at the edge of town. She could see the window panes of the house thudding in time to a heavy bass beat, the entire house emitting the vibration she’d felt earlier. Pinkie knocked on the door and called, “Hello? Anypony home? I need help.”
There was no reply, and Pinkie knocked again, harder. “Please, I need help! Anypony!”
Pinkie leaned against the door, feeling hopeless, and nearly fell on her face as the door was flung open. Pinkie staggered upright, catching her balance, and was greeted by a smiling white unicorn mare with an electric blue mane and violet glasses. “Woah! Sorry, I was workin’ on a sick beat! What’s up, girl?”
Pinkie spontaneously gave the unicorn a hug, “Oh thank you thank you thank you! I thought I was the only pony left in Ponyville!”
The unicorn chuckled, “Um, that’s cool, I guess? Hey, are you okay?”
Pinkie Pie held up the music box. “I need some help! This thingie is some kind of evil magic box! It sucked up every pony in ponyville, and now nopony is left but you and me!”
The unicorn stared at Pinkie Pie with a deadpan expression, before lifting up her violet shades and squinting skeptically at Pinkie. Pinkie sighed. “I know I sound like a crazy pony. But it’s true! Every time somepony opened the box, they’d get all quiet, like they were in a trance! And then Mayor Mare brought it into town and it got everypony at once! It glowed all like pyow! And then everypony started glowing too, like shoom! And then it sucked them all up, zoom! And then I was the only pony left!”
The unicorn frowned, glancing around at the deserted streets of ponyville pensively for a moment and then slowly nodding. “Yeah... yeah, I believe you. I can’t feel anypony anymore. This town is usually... livelier. It’s got a beat, you know? Well, come in.”
The unicorn motioned to Pinkie Pie to follow her, and the pink pony gratefully followed her inside. Pinkie Pie froze in her tracks the moment she entered the house, her jaw dropping open as she stared at the main room. A massive set of speakers and turntables dominated the far wall of the room, and a device full of small blue crystals sat in the center of the room. The unicorn turned around, smirking at Pinkie Pie’s awed expression. “Like what you see? This is my DJ stuff and recording studio.”
Pinkie Pie smiled. “I remember you now! You’re DJ PON-3!”
Smiling, the unicorn did a small bow. “That’s my stage name. My friends call me Vinyl Scratch.”
Bouncing on her hooves, Pinke beamed around the room, taking everything in for a moment. Vinyl gestured to the box after a moment. “So, how’s that evil magic box of yours work?”
Pinkie returned to reality, putting a hoof over the top of the box. “Don’t open it. That’s how it gets you!”
Vinyl frowned at the box, brushing a hoof through her mane. “Huh. What does it do?”
Pinkie squinted at Vinyl Scratch. “What?”
Vinyl scowled, and repeated, “What does it do?”
Pinkie pondered for a moment before replying, “Um, I don’t know?”
“Okay, well... what does it look like inside the box? Have you seen it?” asked Vinyl.
Pinke frowned, eyes trained on Vinyl Scratch’s mouth. “What?”
Vinyl stared evenly at Pinkie Pie for a moment, and then reached over to the turntable and retrieved a small chalkboard and piece of chalk. She scribbled on it ‘Are You Deaf?’, and then held it up to Pinkie.
Pinkie Pie read the chalkboard and giggled. “Nopey-dopey!”
Vinyl scowled and asked, “Then why can’t you hear me?”
Pinkie giggled. “I can’t hear you, sorry, I’ve got cake frosting in my ears.”
Vinyl stared at Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie smiled at Vinyl. Finally, after an awkward moment, Vinyl sighed and wrote on the chalkboard, ‘Okay, I’ll ask. Why do you have cake frosting in your ears?’.
Smiling cluelessly, Pinkie replied, “There was a little frosting accident at the bakery this morning! I get carried away sometimes. Anyway, I was going to clean it out of my ears, but then I got distracted because everypony was going to the town square, and I went to see what was going on, and they were throwing a search party, and I joined in because I’m the best at parties!”
Vinyl shook her head, and her horn lit up. Two doughy globs of cake frosting extracted themselves from Pinkie’s ears, which wiggled appreciatively. Pinkie giggled. “Oh! Thanks. What were you saying?”
Vinyl chuckled. “I’m Vinyl Scratch. What’s your name?”
“I’m Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie beamed at Vinyl Scratch, who returned the smile.
“Okay Pinkie Pie, what does the inside of your evil box look like?”
Frowning, Pinkie considered for a moment and then said, “Well, it’s got a little dancing pony inside, that spins around and around.”
Vinyl recognized the description. “Oh! So, it’s like a music box?”
Pinkie stared at Vinyl Scratch, expression deadpan. “Well, I didn’t hear any music!”
Vinyl gave Pinkie a knowing look. Pinkie blinked, a lightbulb going on in her head, and grinned sheepishly. “Oh.”
Shaking her head, Vinyl took the music box from Pinkie Pie, and levitated over a pair of earplugs for the pink pony. “Here, put these in your ears, I’ll check this out.”
Pinkie held up a hoof, looking worried, “Wait, what if it’s the music that’s dangerous?”
Vinyl winked at Pinkie, “No worries! I’m deaf.”
“You’re what?! How can you hear me talking, then?” asked Pinkie Pie, shocked.
“I can read lips,” replied Vinyl.
“But, you... you make awesome music! How can you be deaf?” said Pinkie.
Smiling, Vinyl explained. “There’s more to music than just hearing it. It’s almost like magic. Imagine being in a lake, and somebody throws a rock in the water behind you, making waves. You don’t have to see the rock to know that something made waves, because you can feel them.” Setting the music box down on her turntables, Vinyl stared at it with a calm expression. “That’s what I do. I don’t need to hear the music, because I can feel it. My body can feel each note and beat, and I can attune my horn to the waves of sound. It’s not hearing... it’s better. It’s feeling.” Vinyl shook her head and laughed, “Wow, listen to me! Goin’ on and philosophizin’, when I should be jammin’! Put in those ear plugs, girl, we’ve got a beat to meet!”
Giggling, Pinkie put in the ear plugs, and without further discussion, Vinyl Scratch opened the music box. She smiled as she felt the first tinkling notes, but her smile fell away almost immediately as the tune progressed, and Vinyl scowled. “Yuck.”
Pinkie Pie caught the unicorn’s disgusted expression. “What? What do you feel?”
“The melody is messed up... totally gnarly. And not the good kind of gnarly, either! It’s like a lullaby that Nightmare Moon would sing to her worst enemy!”
Pinkie squinted at Vinyl Scratch. “What?”
Vinyl rolled her eyes and her horn began to glow, her eyes screwing up in concentration as she levitated one of the blue crystals out of a device behind her. The blue crystal began to light up, and Vinyl levitated it close to the music box, waiting for a while and then setting the crystal aside. “What are you doing?” asked Pinkie Pie. Vinyl held up a hoof, indicating that Pinkie Pie should wait. Finally, she closed the music box and gestured to Pinkie Pie to remove her ear plugs.
Once Pinkie could hear again, Vinyl smiled at her. “I was recording the nasty melody in a sound crystal.” Vinyl tapped said blue crystal, smiling. “Check it out, it should be totally safe.”
Vinyl held up the crystal and her horn began to glow, and Pinkie finally heard the melody of the music box for the first time. She smiled for a moment, but her expression slowly fell to a frown as shivers cascaded down her spine. “Ew. It sounds... evil!”
Vinyl nodded. “Exactly. This tune is bad mojo, but without the music box it’s just a creepy song!”
Pinkie bounced up and down. “Oh goodie! So, how do we beat it?”
Frowning, Vinyl picked up the music box, considering it carefully. “Well, I’ve kinda got an idea.”
“I’m all ears!” Pinkie leaned close to the unicorn, smiling excitedly.
“Well... okay, so, remember what I said about being in a lake and feeling waves?” Pinkie gave Vinyl a nod, and Vinyl continued, “Well, there’s such a thing as inverse waves. They are like... anti-sound. You play a sound wave with the same amplitude, but an inverted phase, on top of a regular sound wave, and they cancel each other out. It’s like it soaks up the other wave and you’re left with no sound.”
Pinkie Pie giggled. “I have no idea what you just said, but it sounded like something Twilight would say!”
Sighing, Vinyl Scratch picked up the sound crystal. “Just put your ear plugs in. I’m going to try it.”
Once Pinkie Pie was safe, Vinyl opened up the music box, shivering as the tune began to play again. Vinyl focused her magic on the sound crystal and it began to play, the two tunes complementing each other. Vinyl grit her teeth and closed her eyes, focusing on the sound waves and getting them to match each other perfectly. Finally, once that was achieved, she inverted the wave of music coming from the sound crystal. It took several minutes of concentration and magical strain, but Vinyl finally achieved the desired effect. The two sound waves canceled each other out, and Vinyl Scratch waited patiently for some kind of effect. Nothing happened, and Vinyl sighed, closing the music box and stopping the sound crystal.
Pulling out the ear plugs, Pinkie looked around expectantly. “Did it work? Because I was expecting something more... flashy.”
Vinyl Scratch shook her head, running a hoof through her mane. “No joy, Pinkie, sorry. I thought that would do it!”
Smiling, Pinkie Pie trotted over to Vinyl Scratch and poked her nose with the tip of her hoof. “No worries, Scratchie! You’ll figure out something.”
Vinyl blinked and went cross-eyed as Pinkie poked her nose, causing Pinkie to giggle, turning away and prancing around the room, looking at all the equipment. “So, you know a lot about music?”
“Music is my life! I love it. It’s the best thing in the world, if you ask me.”
Pinkie Pie scrunched up her nose, smiling. “Well, I think parties are the best, but who doesn’t like a good party? Anyway, what’s your favorite kind of music?”
Pondering the question, Vinyl waved a hoof across the massive stand full of sound crystals. “I’m not picky, actually. I personally produce stuff with a heavy beat and a tune that makes ponies want to party! But I like all kinds of music.”
Looking thoughtful, Pinkie gestured to the music box. “Why does that sound so creepy to you?”
Vinyl Scratch considered the ornate music box. “Well, it’s kind of complex. I guess it’s the dissonance in the melody. Most music has consonance... harmony, I guess. I mean, dissonance can be good too, but this isn’t just using dissonance to good effect. It’s like somebody made that song entirely with the objective of dissonance in mind.”
Pinkie Pie giggled. “That’s funny. What makes something sound dissonant?”
Vinyl explained, in familiar music theory territory now, “Well, it’s like... unfinished. If I play a chord of notes for you, and it’s a harmony, you get something that sounds good. It’s pleasing to the ear. When you play something dissonant, it sounds unresolved. Like you need something else to make it actually work...”
Vinyl trailed off, staring at Pinkie Pie. Pinkie stared back and then nervously giggled. “Do I have something on my nose?”
Laughing, Vinyl suddenly gave Pinkie Pie a hug. “Pinkie Pie, you’re a genius! You’ve just given me an idea!”
Pinkie giggled, returning the hug happily. “Oh good! I was hoping if I went off on a tangent, it’d stir up that musical noggin of yours and you’d figure something out!”
Releasing Pinkie Pie, Vinyl dashed over to a drawer, pulling out blank sheet music and pencils and tossing them on a table. She levitated the sound crystal over and powered it with her magic. Vinyl listened intently to the tune, and then began furiously scribbling down musical notes on the sheet music, filling it quickly. “Dissonance is similar to something sounding unfinished, and they usually have some kind of complimentary sound that ‘completes’ them. So I’m trying to figure out the complimentary notes. Pinkie, can you play any instruments?”
Pinkie brightened up and darted away in a pink blur, returning within a few seconds carrying a load of musical instruments on her back, which she dropped in a pile in the middle of Vinyl Scratch’s studio room. Vinyl stared at the pile of instruments with open-mouthed shock. “You play all of those?!”
“Sometimes all at once! I’ve kept in practice ever since the parasprite infestation,” replied Pinkie with a wink.
Vinyl recovered from her shock and smiled. “All right then, tune up, girl! We’re gonna make you a star!”
A few hours later, Vinyl sat back, setting aside yet another sound crystal and smiling at Pinkie Pie, who set down the last musical instrument at her disposal. “That’s it. You’re all done, Pinkie,” said Vinyl, smiling at the exhausted pink pony.
Pinkie Pie shook out her hooves, wincing. “Owies. My hoofsies are sore.”
Smiling, Vinyl levitated a dozen sound stones into the air, orbiting them around her head. “All right, now... time for a little razzmatazz!”
The magical aura of Vinyl’s horn amplified, growing exponentially brighter until it was almost difficult for Pinkie Pie to look at. The sound stones spun above Vinyl’s head, and their orbit changed, moving around her horn. With a flash of power, the stones suddenly melded together into a solid mass that rapidly flattened out into a black, rotating disc. The tip of Vinyl’s horn pierced the absolute center of the disc, and the magic transferred rapidly. Grooves spiraled into the black plane, and within moments a brand-new vinyl record floated in the air. Vinyl Scratch set the record on her turntable and exhaled slowly, pulling off her violet shades and rubbing at her eyes. Pinkie stared at Vinyl Scratch before exclaiming, “That was amazing!”
Vinyl Scratch laughed. “Heck yeah it was! All right, let’s give this baby a test run. I did a little mixing to the recordings. Added a little bit of my own somethin’-somethin’.”
“Cool!” Pinkie cooed, staring at the newly minted vinyl record.
Vinyl dropped the record onto the turntable, powered on her system, and slowly dropped the needle into the edge of the record. It was silent for a brief moment, then the speakers rumbled, building up a heavy bass beat. Slowly, the various instruments joined the recording, until a harmonious song was playing full force, making Pinkie Pie’s mane bounce with every beat. Pinkie giggled. “This might be my new jam!”
Vinyl laughed, decreasing the volume. “All right, let’s do this. Ear plugs in, Pinkie!”
Giving Vinyl a sharp salute, Pinkie dutifully put in the ear plugs. Vinyl flipped open the music box and pulled the needle back to the start of the record at the same time. The music box began to play it’s dissonant tune, and simultaneously a complimentary tune began to play out of Vinyl’s sound system. She carefully modulated the speed the record was spinning, and within moments it was matched up, the two sounds syncing together. The music box suddenly shifted its speed up, and Vinyl modulated her record’s speed, matching it. Then, the music box began to play louder, and Vinyl smiled. “Oh, so that’s how it’s gonna be, huh? Let’s see how you like this.”
Vinyl’s hoof stabbed onto the equalizer, increasing the master volume. The music box went louder, and Vinyl matched it, exceeded it, overpowered it until all she could feel was sweet, sweet music.
The music box began to glow, and one by one the opals around the side of the box began to crack and smoke as the consonant melody defeated it’s dissonant sound, and with a high-pitched hum the pony on top shattered. Almost instantaneously, Vinyl’s house and the surrounding area was filled with the entire population of Ponyville as they reappeared in a flash of light.
Vinyl didn’t care. Her head bobbed to the beat and she laughed rapturously, turning up the volume louder, until every pony could feel the music like she could.
As the crowd of ponies dispersed from the area, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie all reunited in Vinyl Scratch’s studio in a massive group hug. Pinkie cheered happily, “Oh girls! I was so worried when you all disappeared, but then I found Vinyl Scratch, and she helped me get you back!”
The girls all laughed, stepping away from each other and turning to the unicorn DJ, who was busily picking up the mess left behind after a large portion of the ponies of ponyville had been unceremoniously dumped in her studio by the evil artifact, almost as a last act of ill-will towards the musician that had destroyed it. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity immediately lent a hoof, using their magic to help straighten up the room. Vinyl Scratch smiled at them and extended a hoof. “Thanks.”
Twilight and Vinyl bumped hooves and laughed. Applejack smiled at Vinyl Scratch. “Well, beggin’ your pardon, but it sounds to us like you’re the hero of the day.”
Vinyl flushed, not used to so much attention, and waved a hoof in the air dismissively. “Nah, it was all Pinkie Pie. Without her, I’d have never figured out what to do. So if you’re going to thank anyone, let it be—mmph!”
Pinkie unceremoniously shoved a hoof in Vinyl Scratch’s mouth, silencing her. “Vinyl Scratch was totally the hero! She made all the sound crystals into a vinyl record, and it was like boom! And then the evil box was like, nuh uh! And Vinyl was like, oh no you didn’t! And the bass was like Wub wub wub wub! And then things exploded!”
Rainbow Dash laughed. “Sounds awesome to me!”
Vinyl rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “Y-yeah, I guess it was pretty rad.”
Twilight smiled. “Well, that settles it then! You saved Ponyville, and we owe you our thanks. Is there anything we can do to repay you?”
As Vinyl Scratch started to shake her head, Pinkie Pie slid alongside the DJ and mouthed something to her. Vinyl stared at Pinkie’s mouth, and a slow smile spread across Vinyl’s face. “Uh, actually... there is one thing.”
Vinyl stood before town hall, facing down at the assembled ponies of Ponyville. Her sound system and turntables had been moved out of her house and set up in front of the podium at town hall, and Mayor Mare had gladly gotten a crew of pegasai to rig lights up around the town square once she learned that she was doing it for the savior of Ponyville.
Now, hundreds of eyes were on Vinyl Scratch, and she wiped her forehead, flicking away the sweat that was accumulating. She reached over and tapped a button on the lighting board, and the town square was blanketed in darkness. At the front of her impromptu stage, the reunited Elements of Harmony cheered, stomping their hooves, and the crowd joined in, hollering and shouting happily. After all, this was an occasion for celebration. It wasn’t every day that they were all saved from evil music boxes by a DJ. Vinyl couldn’t hear their cheers, but she could feel them, a happy wave of sound that crashed over her and left her breathless.
Vinyl Scratch reached over and picked up the brand new record, the very same record that had freed ponyville, and set it on the turntable. Vinyl punched a button on the light board, and dropped the needle onto the record. Above the crowd, the lights began to dance, powering on and off in time with the beat of the music, and the crowd cheered again. Vinyl increased the volume slowly, bringing it up in stages as the music began to build, and she smiled as she watched as hooves began to tap and heads began to bob. Finally, as the music reached its full swell, Vinyl slapped a second record down onto the other deck of the turntable, cross-fading the new song into the current one with the ease of an experienced mixer. The music came together, and Vinyl closed her eyes, feeling the waves course over her, over the crowd, like an ocean breaking on a beach, and she smiled, lifting a hoof into the air, slapped the volume to nil, and crowed into a microphone, “Who’s ready to party!?”
As Ponyville cheered at her, Vinyl smiled. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
Vinyl Scratch slapped the volume back up, the ponies began to dance, and as the waves of sound crashed over Ponyville, they all felt the music together.