Steam Gear thought the worst was over once he graduated from high school. Little did he know in order to be an engineer he had to go back to school. Not just any school though, he had to attend the notorious Equestria Academy.
Steam Gear thought the worst was over once he graduated from high school. Little did he know in order to be an engineer he had to go back to school. Not just any school though, he had to attend the notorious Equestria Academy. There is never a normal day when your headmaster is Princess Celestia herself. With the notorious Vinyl Scratch as a roommate. The prestigious Octavia constantly looking over his shoulder, and Spitfire as his Engineering partner. There will never be a dull day.
Thought I'd try my hand at writing a humanized pony fic for a change. Take it for a ride and tell me what you think.
Chapter 1
“Alright Class listen up” said the teacher clapping her hands signaling all eyes to her She was wearing a dark ivory colored suit with black dress shoes. Her long multi-colored hair was braided into a knot going down her back “We have a new student joining the class” A murmur ran through the classroom as Gear took his spot next to the teachers podium.
“Hello everyone my name is Steam Gear” he said nervously running his hand through his red hair, looking around the room. It was a half circle like all the other class room's in the university, With a huge projector screen on the back wall and a stage with a teachers podium. There were fifteen rows of thirty seats surrounding the stage, with three stairs running through the rows leading to the exit at the top.
“Gear will be joining us for the rest of the year” continued the teacher pointing to Gear's seat “So I want all of you to welcome him” Gear walked past all of the other students noticing they were staring directly at him.
“What a day for me to wear my grungiest t-shirt and faded old jeans” mumbled Gear to himself looking down at his sandals He walked to the fifth row from the top and waded through to his seat. He sat down next to another student on his right. He looked the dude over noticing a few things at first glance.
One he was a year younger than Gear probably 19. He was wearing a green hoodie and baggy blue sweat pants. His eyes were hidden behind purple shades and his blue hair was spiked up. The last thing he noticed was the pair of head phones he was wearing they were silver and purple like his glasses. He was humming a beat to himself and banging his head. Sigil could hear the music coming from his headphones.
“Hey” said Gear tapping him on the shoulder “Could you turn the music down?” The guy didn't even notice “Hey!” said Gear louder taking off the guys headphones “Turn down the music dude”
The guy stopped banging his head and humming and turned his head towards Gear noticing him for the first time. “Hey man what do you want?” he asked grabbing back his headphones from Gear “Your interrupting the wubs”
“I was trying to get you to turn it down” replied Gear “It doesn't need to be that loud”
“Ah sorry man but my music is always this loud” replied the dude holding out his fist with a smile he said “Names Scratch. Vinyl Scratch I'm a DJ at the club Discordia” When Gear looked at the extended fist with a confused face Scratch sighed and said “pound it dude”
Gear slammed his fist into Scratches with a resounding thud. “Names Steam Gear” He gave a smile of his own and added “Just got to the Academy”
“Really? I'm a first year myself” replied Scratch rubbing his chin “Hey dude I got a question for ya?”
“What?” asked Gear wandering what strange thing Scratch would ask him
“You got a room mate yet?” he asked putting his headphones around his neck
“No I don't even have a dorm room yet” answered Gear wondering where Scratch was going with this “Why do you ask?”
“Well dude I figured since you and me are new here we should be room mates you know” said Scratch rubbing the back of his neck with one hand smiling
“Sure dude we can be room mates” said Gear fist pounding Scratch again “but you gotta keep the music down a bit alright”
“Whatever bro” said Scratch putting his headphones back on his ears and leaning back in his chair closing his eyes “Wake me when class is over” Gear leaned back in his chair and prepared himself to sit through this lecture. After what felt like hours it was finally over. He looked up at the clock and saw that it had only been a half an hour.
“This is gonna be a long school year” said Gear to himself as he stretched his arms and legs
“Don't sound so excited” said a voice from behind him Gear turned around to see a girl standing over him. She was wearing a gray long sleeve shirt and a dark gray skirt. She wore a pink bow tie around her neck, and her long black hair was falling perfectly off one shoulder. She had purple eyes the same color of Scratch's glasses. “Your the new student right?” she asked
“Yeah the names Steam Gear. Who are you?” he asked
“My name is Octavia” she replied with a small bow “I'm class representative with the student council and also first chair cellist for the Academy's orchestra”
“Good to meet you then Octavia” replied Gear with a smile Octavia gave him a piercing glance before she looked to the snoozing DJ to his right
“I see you've met that piece of trash” replied Octavia with a scoff
“Scratch ain't that bad” said Gear defending his new friend “Kind of lazy sure but he's alright”
“Have you listened to that garbage he calls music?” asked Octavia with a snear “It's assaulting to my ear drums”
“Hey!” said Scratch waking up with a frown on his face “What are you calling trash?”
“Oh my it lives” cried Octavia sarcasticly “Sleeping through class will teach you nothing you know?”
“Yeah although I already know everything I need to know” replied Scratch with a smug look
“If your talking about that garbage you call music” said Octavia harshly running her hand through her hair “You should find a new career”
“That's my life your hating on bitch” replied Scratch angrily “At least people enjoy my music”
“I'll have you know that my audience adores my music thank you very much” replied Octavia sourly turning her nose up at Scratch “And they give me a standing ovation every time”
“My fans cheer my name when I perform” replied Scratch arrogantly “Plus I don't have to dress up and try and impress people. I get to be myself”
“I'll have you know I like dressing up.” said Octavia with a deadpan expression “I'd love to continue this conversation with you but I'm needed for Rehearsal” with that she walked away leaving Scratch and Gear alone.
“Man she gets on my nerves” said Scratch slamming his fist into his desk
“Just calm down man” said Gear putting his hand on Scratch's shoulder “Don't let her get to you”
“Yeah..” said Scratch with a sigh “Guess your right bro” he looked up at the clock and let out a yawn “I'm hungry”
“Now that you mention it” said Gear rubbing his empty stomach “I could use a bite myself” They walked out of the classroom and took a right towards the cafeteria. Gear watched Scratch as he walked down the hall. He had an air around him that just made you feel like everything was alright. Everyone that passed him in the hall as they walked got a fist bump and a smile.
Scratch noticed Sigil's observation and said “Dude don't stare”
Gear shook his head to clear it and replied “You seem to be well know around here”
Scratch shrugged his shoulders and simply replied “Not really. I just have that effect on people”
“So you didn't know any of those people?” asked Gear surprised
“Nope” said Scratch nonchalantly looking at Gear “What do I have to know someone to be nice?”
“I guess not” said Gear scratching his chin in thought
They made their way to the cafeteria and opened the doors. Inside it was a large tiled room painted a dull brown. It had 14 long tables and 6 round tables all painted red. There were a few students in the room eating quietly. Gear and Scratch got there food and sat down at the round table in the corner of the room.
“Man the food here is always terrible” complained Scratch chewing his sandwich
“Then why did we come here?” asked Gear downing his soda He didn't notice the girl walking up behind him.
“That would be because he's to lazy to leave the grounds” said the girl She had short flowing Rainbow colored hair drew back into a ponytail. She had a short cyan t-shirt on with a blue sports jacket over it. She had on jogging shorts and running shoes. Her jacket had a rainbow running across it.
“Who are you?” asked Scratch glaring at her from behind his glasses
“Names Rainbow Dash” she said taking a seat at the table “Fastest runner in all of Equestria”
“I doubt that” said Scratch leaning back in his chair “Anyways I'm not that lazy”
“Dude you've slept through every class you've had so far” said Dash with a smirk “And now you've high jacked the new guy to be your chore monkey while you slack off”
“No way” said Scratch uncomfortably “How did she know that?” he asked himself mentally “I plan on doing my own work eventually”
“Whatever you say dude” said Dash with a hearty laugh “The only time I see you come out of your room is when you go DJ at that club of yours”
“That true dude?” asked Gear wondering about a lot of things at once
“Not exactly,” said Scratch raising his hands defensively “your not just my chore monkey honest”
“That's lovely” said Gear sarcasticly
“Wow I thought you knew already” said Dash putting a hand to her head in mock remorse
“How do you know so much about me anyways” asked Scratch getting angry
“That would be me” replied Octavia walking up to the table
“I should have known” grumbled Scratch
“You know Rainbow” said Octavia looking at the athlete “When you said you couldn't come to your room mate's rehearsal I thought it was for something important.”
“Your her room mate?” asked Gear dumbfounded
“Yeah Octavia is my room mate” said Dash rolling her eyes “Trust me she's always this much of a drag”
“Well if being well mannered and socially acceptable is a drag then I guess I'm guilty” Octavia said obviously flustered
“Just go away” said Scratch hitting his head on the table in frustration
“Alright if your going to be so rude” replied Octavia turning to her room mate “I'll see you back at the room”
“Alright see you there girl” said Dash waving goodbye
“What your going to?” said Scratch sighing
“You know your no fun to mess with if you don't fight back” replied Dash flicking a lock of her hair out of her eyes
“What are you talking about?” mumbled Scratch confused
“Dude did you seriously think I was being mean” asked Dash with a smirk
“You sounded pretty legit” said Gear scratching his chin
“Nah I was just messing with you” said Dash with a wave of her hand
“Then how did you know all that stuff about me” asked Scratch wanting an answer
“Honestly I got all that from Octavia” replied Dash shaking her head “I swear hating on you is all she can talk about Scratch”
“Figures” sighed Scratch
“Tell you what I think Scratch” said Dash giving Scratch a punch in the shoulder “I think you and Octavia are pretty similar”
“What in the hell makes you think that?” cried Scratch throwing his hands in the air
“Well you both love music” said Dash with a smug expression “Tell you what I bet if you actually got together for one day, you would be great friends.”
“We love different kinds of music” said Scratch
“Maybe you can find a way to mix the two” said Gear making a suggestion
“Well it would be a first” said Scratch thinking about the possibility of mixing genres
“I can get Octavia to go with you trust me she owes me some favors.” said Dash with a smug look
“I didn't say I would do it” said Scratch immediately
“You didn't have to the smile on your face said it all dude” replied Dash with a knowing smile
Scratch immediately wiped the smile off of his face and replied “I'll do it, but only for the music”
“Sure whatever you say Scratch” said Dash with a wink “She'll be waiting for you in your room next week Tuesday after class” With that she did a back flip out of her seat and walked away.
“Well” said Gear shaking his head trying to process what just happened “That was weird”
“Your telling me” replied Scratch “I think I just got a date with a girl who hates me”
“I think we should go back to our room now” said Gear throwing out his tray Scratch following his lead “before anymore weird crap happens”
“Agreed” replied Scratch
Gear and Scratch walked quietly back to their room. They got to the door without another incident. As Scratch reached to open the door he heard a voice from behind.
“Um e-excuse me” said a soft voice from behind
Gear and Scratch turned around to see a stunningly gorgeous girl with long pink hair covering her eyes. She was wearing a creamy yellow sun dress and she was fidgeting her hands nervously.
“Hello” said Gear in a friendly tone “What is it?”
“O-oh I just wanted to ask if you had seen Rainbow Dash anywhere” said the girl staring at the floor
“Yeah we saw her earlier in the cafeteria” replied Scratch nodding “I'd check her room she probably went back to talk to her room mate”
“T-thank you” replied the girl shuffling away shyly
“Who was that girl” asked Gear opening the door to their room
“I have no idea dude” replied Scratch following Gear inside closing the door
Gear looked around the room. It was spotless, their wasn't a piece of dirty clothes anywhere.
“I thought Dash said that it would be dirty” said Gear in disbelief
“Shows how much she knows huh?” replied Scratch with a laugh taking a seat on the sofa
“But” said Gear
“Dude just cause I sleep through class doesn't mean that I'm lazy about everything I do” said Scratch with a facepalm “You gotta read a bit deeper”
“I think I'm just gonna go to sleep man” said Gear scratching his head “This is a lot to take in on a first day”
“Whatever bro” said Scratch waving him off “I'll try and keep it down for yah, but no promises”
Gear walked into his room and closed the door. Good to finally have some peace and quiet he kicked off his sandals and jumped into bed. Resting his head on the pillow he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
“How long does it take for you to take a shower” yelled Gear rapping his fist on the bathroom door
Scratch had been in there for roughly 30 minutes now. Dubstep was blaring from the other side of the door. When the disk-jockey had asked to go first this morning, Gear was still half asleep so had said “sure why not.” Now he was beginning to regret his decision.
“Wow bro slow your roll” said Scratch opening the bathroom door and stepping out He had on a blue t-shirt and yet again that thick green hoodie of his. He was wearing gray baggy sweatpants this time however. Those shades of his were on his face, his hair was lying flat, and he had a towel slung across his shoulders behind his head.
“You know when you asked if you could go first this morning” complained Gear as Scratch shook his hair out the rest of the way “I actually wanted to take a shower too you know?”
“Sorry roomy” said Scratch rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly “How bout this bro? I'll take mine the night before. That way you can have the mornings all to yourself. That sound fair?”
“ That's if you can remember before your out cold” mumbled Gear closing the bathroom door, leaving Scratch to do whatever it is he does in the morning. It's been a week now and Gear had been getting a little irritated with his roommate. He's so weird sometimes.
He's always playing that dubstep of his. Which Gear admitted alone wouldn't be a problem, however he always has it playing to loud. He'd lost track of how many times he had to fend off noise complaints from the rest of the dorm. Besides that he always wore that green hoodie of his. Gear hadn't seen him take it off all week, not even to go to sleep.
Gear turned the water off as he wrapped his towel around his waist. He opened the door and walked into the living room. He had about an hour till his next class and he planned on lounging around a bit, before he had to run off. On his way he took a second to look in on his roommate to make sure he hadn't just gone back to sleep again, like he usually did.
What he saw confused him for a second. There was Scratch sitting on his balcony, green hoodie still on. His bed for once was neatly made. All this was a little weird, what made it really strange was the ivory colored bra laying half hidden under the covers hanging down to the floor. Gear thought about it for a second and realize no dubstep was playing.
“Hey Scratch?” asked Gear walking into the room, taking each step cautiously “Everything alright?”
“Yeah man I'm good” replied Scratch still staring out the window “Just enjoying the morning breeze ya know?”
“Alright” said Gear shaking his head making sure this was the same dude that woke him up yesterday with a 5000 watt subwoofer “I meant why is there a bra on your bed?”
“Oh that's from my girlfriend” he replied waving his hand nonchalantly “She must have left it here last might”
“Scratch you know girls aren't allowed in the boys dorm” said Gear with a heavy sigh “Your gonna get us kicked out of here”
“Don't worry bro” said Scratch finally looking back at Gear with a toothy grin “I planned on breaking up with her today after class anyways. I got important stuff to do tonight”
“Oh yeah” thought Gear remembering a few days ago “It's Tuesday isn't it?”
“Yeah which means I need all my skills focused for tonight” said Scratch looking out the window once more “I want to live through my first encounter you know?”
“Trust me bro” said Gear with a laugh “Your not the one I'm worried about” With that he turned to leave.
He was halfway out the door when Scratch called out “Gear”
“Yeah” replied Gear turning to see the disk-jockey standing in front of him
“I'm not real good at this kinda stuff” said Scratch shifting uneasily the palms of his feet “But I wanted to thank you for putting up with me this week. I know it wasn't easy”
“Your not a bad dude Scratch” said Gear patting his roommate on the shoulder “Usually your just really loud”
“Me loud” bragged Scratch “Nah... must be someone else”
“Alright I'm gonna watch some tv before I have to get dressed and go to class you in?” asked Gear pointing to the tv in the livingroom
“Heck yeah man” said Scratch racing to the sofa “But I call remote!”
“Aw man of all the days for me to get lost” whined Gear wondering the halls aimlessly He read the plaques on the doors as he walked past. “I know I was going to Engineering class, but I forgot where it is”
Gear took another right when he reached the end of the corridor and ended up out front in the courtyard again. He had just walked straight through the entire building and still hadn't found what he was looking for. He was about to head for the headmaster's office to ask for directions, when a familiar voice stopped him.
“Hey there you lost?” asked Rainbow Dash walking up behind him
“Yeah you could say that” replied Gear a little embarrassed “Any idea where the Engineering room is?”
“Is that where your headed?” laughed Rainbow Dash “You know it's on the other side of the courtyard right? In the industrial wing?”
“Man I wasn't even close” said Gear begrudgingly “Well thanks for the directions” He turned to walk away but felt his shirt collar tighten
“Hey don't be running off just yet” said Rainbow one hand in the collar of his shirt “I think I'll tag along this time. Don't want you getting lost again.”
“I really appreciate it” said Gear with a friendly smile “But isn't a little much to walk me all the way there?”
“Not really” replied Rainbow with a shrug “I'm in your class now, after all”
“What?” said Gear confused “You can't just switch classes like that...”
“I traded with that girl.. what was her name again?” said Rainbow scratching her head in thought “Oh now I remember. I switched a english class with Tulip. Now I have Engineering instead”
“The Headmaster was okay with this?” asked Gear a bit skeptical
“She seemed cool with it” answered Rainbow Dash with a smile “Besides don't you think it'll be nice to have someone you know in your class?”
“Well it is my first real class...” said Gear
“Are you serious?” asked Rainbow in amazement “Is this really your first class?”
“Yeah” answered Gear “I got to goof off the last week. I guess I should have familiarizing myself with the campus grounds, huh?”
“You'll have time to do that later” said Rainbow opening the Engineering room door “come on in and grab a seat class is about to start”
Steam Gear and Rainbow Dash both took seats on the right side of the room in the middle row. As more students came in and sat down a bell rang. At the sound of the bell the doors slammed shut and a beam of metal slid across them sealing the students inside. A murmur of confusion went through the students before a loud clang was heard at the front of the room.
“What haven't any of you seen engineering before?” asked a tall bronzed skin figure holding a rather big wrench in one hand At his students confused faces he gave a laugh. “My name is Crooked Wrench. I'll be your Engineering professor for this semester”
“That's the professor” asked Rainbow with a smirk He had dark black hair trimmed into a flat top. He had on a sleeveless gray shirt and carpenter jeans, with brown work boots. His wrench was massive and had splotches of rust on it.
“I'd like to start off with a little exercise to explore everyone knowledge of engineering” said Wrench “I hope that at least one of you knows what engineering is? Anybody?”
A girl on the left side of the room raised her hand. She had long burning red hair and intense amber eyes. She was wearing a blue runners jacket, a yellow t-shirt and blue sweatpants.
“Engineering is the branch of science and technology concerned with the design, building, and use of engines, machines, and structures; or to put it simply the work done by an engineer.” the girl said as if reading it straight from a text book
“I'm impressed that you could say it off the cuff that easily” said Wrench pointing her out “What's your name Miss?”
“My name is Spitfire” she replied
“Well Miss Spitfire” continued the professor “You know what the word means, but do you truly know what it is?”
“I'm afraid I don't understand professor?” asked Spitfire confused
“Is there anyone else who can help out this young lady?” asked Wrench with a cheeky grin “Any noble young lads not afraid to stick a foot in their mouth?”
Steam Gear stood up and took a deep breath before saying “It takes years to master the sheer magnitude and scale of what a well focused and imaginative engineer can create, and the skills to do it with. So I'd say that Engineering is more than just a science, it is an art. Wouldn't you agree Professor?”
“Good lord lad...” said Wrench in a well over dramatized display “I couldn't have said it better myself! Engineering is taking the fantastic creations you see in your minds eye and using all of you knowledge and skills to make it a reality. All of you could learn a thing or two from that lad over there. What's your name son?”
“The name is Steam Gear” the rusty colored lad replied with a beaming smile
“Surely to have done a speech like that you must have engineering in your blood” said Wrench curiously “Am I right?”
“Yeah my dad was an engineer” answered Gear “Taught me everything he could before he passed away 2 years ago. It's why I came here”
“Well it's good thing you did” said Wrench with a hearty laugh “I can tell your going to be the star of this class already” He froze as if he had a sudden stroke of genius before adding “Why don't you and Miss Spitfire work together for our first project? What do you say to that”
“I'm okay with it” replied Spitfire running a hand through her hair nonchalantly
“Gear's good with it too” Rainbow answered for him
“Rainbow Dash” yelled Gear in a whisper “Why did you do that?”
“Spitfire is the daughter of the Captain of the Wonderbolts” said Rainbow trying to contain her excitement “Do you know how popular you will be if you hang around with her?”
“Then it's settled” said Wrench in a commanding overtone “Everyone grab a partner. For your first assignment you must design something of your very own and display it in class on Monday next week”
The entire class burst out in a flurry of questions and outcry's. A lot of which sound like either “What?” or “That's not fair”. Wrench did nothing but stand there for a while before announcing
“This first assignment is to help me find out how many of you actual want to be in this class. Those of you who just took it to try and get an easy A, will probably not bring anything significant on Monday. Those of you who have questions come and see me. If not then class is over for today”
“That's it?” asked Rainbow Dash having to grab the desk in front of her in order to keep on her chair “We didn't even learn anything”
“Half of engineering is figuring it out yourself” replied Gear with a chuckle “My old man told me that”
“Really? Well in that case I better go grab me a nerd while I can” said Rainbow Dash jumping her desk going down a row “Have fun with Spitfire”
“So your the new student I've been hearing about” said Spitfire approaching him her arms crossed “Seems like we're partners huh?”
“Yeah” said Gear in response “You seem to know a lot about Engineering. Have you done any engineering before?”
“Not really” replied Spitfire taking a seat next to Steam Gear “I got everything I know about Engineering from textbooks. I'd say you know A lot more than me”
“Well I guess I do have more experience than you” said Gear not wanting to sound like he was bragging
“Come on lighten up” said Spitfire running a hand through her hair and giving Steam Gear a comforting smile “You already said Your dad taught you everything he knows. Besides you literally have “gear in your name. I bet your probably the biggest gear-head around here”
“Thanks...?” replied Gear wondering if that was meant to be a compliment
“Your welcome” answered Spitfire with a chuckle “I'm just trying to say, if your good at something you love, then you shouldn't be afraid to brag a little. Just don't go overboard, alright?”
“Alright” said Gear with a nod He looked around and noticed almost everyone had exited the room and the ones who were left, Rainbow Dash and her partner included, were bombarding the professor with questions He turned back to Spitfire and asked “So any ideas on what were building?”
“I've been trying to brainstorm” said Spitfire shrugging apologetically “But I keep drawing up blanks”
“Well if you give me a day or two I could come up with something” said Gear scratching his chin in thought “Short notice like this though I'm not working on anything on the moment”
“Sounds you're a tinkerer” said Spitfire making an astute observation
“I prefer to think of myself as an inventor” replied Gear smartly
“Oops” said Spitfire acting as if she was dreadfully sorry “My mistake”
“Well now I have the rest of the day off” said Gear with a sigh “This my only class today. Only I have no idea what to do. I don't feel like making up another project yet”
“Why don't you tag along with me?” asked Spitfire sincerely “This is my only class today too. I was gonna go and grab a drink down at Discordia”
“I don't know” responded Gear “I have a history with alcohol”
“What you scared a girl's going to out drink you?” challenged Spitfire standing up
“If your going to be like that” responded Gear rising to meet her challenge “I'm gonna put those words to the test. We're going to need a third wheel to be judge though”
“I think I can handle that” said Rainbow joining in on the fun “I don't drink myself but I'm always up for a little Discordia”
“Then it's on” said Spitfire leading the way out of the room “I hope you can keep up”
“I hope you don't fall behind” responded Gear already feeling victory in his grasp
“Are you really the same guy that got lost this morning?” laughed Rainbow
I feel as though I should stop and dedicate this chapter to a memory that changed the way I viewed the relationship between Vinyl Scratch and Octavia. I would like to thank 71NYL-5CR4TCH for making me realize just how much these two not only mean to each other but what they do for each other as well. If you have the time go and read She Woke To Fur Elise you won't be disappointed.
Vinyl looked down at herself as she walked down the hallway towards Octavia's room, or what Rainbow had told her was Octavia's room. She messed with the headphones around her neck and shifted the portable turntable and Sub-woofer under her arms. A rather difficult feat to accomplish if Vinyl hadn't had so much practice at doing it.
She stopped as she hit room 291. “So this was where that stuck up prissy lives” said Scratch to herself Knocking on the door with her knee “I hope she's actually here, I can't believe she changed the meeting location at the last minute like that”
“You can let yourself in” said a rather unusually kind voice on the other side of the door “It's unlocked”
“I would” laughed Scratch bouncing her knee off the door again “But my hands are kind of full”
It only took Octavia a few seconds to walk over to the door and open it from inside. She wasn't exactly pleased to see the smiling Dj at her doorstep, but she imagined anything was better than walking into Scratch's room. She could only assume that the fumes given off by the piles of trash on the floor must be considered toxic by now. Octavia simply could not be seen entering a place like that.
On the Vinyl's side, she had spent the last 3 hours making the room look nice for Octavia. Wanted to prove to the clean freak that she wasn't always a slob, and a little to herself. When she got Octavia's message that she wanted to meet at her room tonight, Vinyl had been furious and only quick departure from her now clean dorm room had helped it remain clean.
The inside of Octavia's room was exactly what Scratch had imagined. It was so clean she couldn't tell if the carpet was real or painted on, unless she stepped on it to make sure. Which of course in stepping over to the table in the living room, gave her a lot of time to check. However Scratch had forgotten to take her shoes off at the door.
“Take your shoes off idiot” criticized Octavia closing the door Scratch had left open “For Celestia's sake just because you a guy doesn't mean you have to be so messy”
“Alright” said Scratch taking her shoes off and throwing them in what she believed to be Octavia's general direction Making her dodge the mud coated projectiles “Then take care of em for me. Just make sure I can find them on the way out”
“Your horrible” cried Octavia picking up her shoes doing her best not to touch the mud coated parts “You can at least pretend to have manners, you know”
“I came here to see about a collaboration in music” said Scratch trying to find a plug for her equipment “Not to get a lecture on my bad behavior”
“It's probably best to tell you now” said Octavia going to grab her cello “I don't expect anything good to come out of this”
“Why is that?” asked Scratch a warning tone thick in her voice
“I can hardly stand that crap you call music alone” said Octavia ignoring the warning tone in Scratch's voice “I'm trying not to think what it will do to my music”
“Watch yourself there Princess” said Scratch doing her best not to lose her temper “That music is my life”
“How can you consider that music? How can you possibly believe that you can put the kind of feeling and soul into the press of a button, that you could with an actual instrument?” asked Octavia expecting her uneducated opponent to be unable to surface a rebuttal
“Putting yourself into the music when you play is important yes” said Scratch after a moment of thought “But I put myself into it when I write. Have you ever written any music?”
Octavia opened her mouth to fire off a cutting remark, but found with shock that she couldn't come up with one.
“Octavia, you can't feel true emotions in someone else's work” said Scratch pressing her advantage “It's their music, their voice! Music is a way to let out the emotions storming around inside of you. They are meant to be released and felt, but never relived”
“I... guess you have a point” admitted Octavia “I've never written any music, I guess it was always easier to follow than feel”
An awkward silence descended upon the room. Octavia paced the room deep in thought, while Scratch merely sat there and watched. She saw so much conflict in the girl pacing in front of her. It was as if she had two sides battling for dominance. One implied by her background and society, and the other a kind of longing for freedom and a sense of identity.
“Octavia?” asked Scratch suddenly breaking the silence
“What?” asked Octavia not stopping in her pacing
“What do you feel right now?” asked Scratch curiously She hadn't expected this kind of reaction from her supposedly self appointed nemesis
“I don't know” replied Octavia stopping her pacing, looking at her nemesis wondering what was on her mind “Confused?”
“Why?” asked Scratch quite seriously
“I've been living with music all my life.. it's what I do.. everything I am. How can I write music about music? I have no romance, no adventure. Furthermore, why if all I know is music, is the most disheveled, rude, poor mannered, party-going, crazy bastard I have ever met, giving me the most profound speech of my art I have ever heard?!” Octavia cried in vain, raising her arms up to the heavens
Vinyl shrugged “My life makes my music, and what I do and where I go makes my life”
“Same for me except nothing ever happens where I go. It's always the same group of stuffy people, sitting and listening quietly, as I pour out the work of someone else's heart on stage. Even so I only get a clapping of hands” said Octavia frustrated “When you get to pour yourself into something and get the crowd to move with you. Have them cheer your name in chorus”
“Sounds to me” said Scratch meeting Octavia's eyes from behind her purple shades “Like I know just how you feel right now”
“How could you possibly know how I feel?” asked Octavia skeptically She had no doubts that if she couldn't figure out her mind right now, there is no possible way this guy could.
“Frustrated, chained, and above all bored” said Scratch without a second thought
Octavia froze for a bit, trying to let the truth of Scratch's statement penetrate the storm of her mind. Once it broke through, she realized just how true it was. She wanted to escape from the stuffy, high regime of her upbringing and live freely. She was so tired of the order, the rules, and above all being told what was right and wrong. Octavia wanted to above all to be herself, but she had no idea where to start.
“So I am” Octavia sighed “but it's not like I could just change my life..”
“What's stopping you?” asked Scratch in a demanding tone
“What do you mean?” replied Octavia in a frustrated tone “I have a job, friends and classes to go to! I have too many responsibilities”
“Your point?” Scratch asked keeping the same tone “Try and wrap your head your around this concept. That you could always just leave? Quit? Follow your dreams? That is why I love what I do, if one day I just decided I wanted to go somewhere else, do you know how long it would take me? Travel time and about 15 minutes to pack” Finished Scratch, ignoring the look of sheer confusion on Octavia's face
“How could you possibly do that?” Octavia asked “Just dump everything and leave on a whim?”
“Because I believe whim's are your brain telling you that now is the perfect time to do something” explained Scratch "Spontaneity is the way life should be lived. Plans fail, fate doesn't seem to, it just has bumps in the road. You can't say you failed to get where you're going if you've got no place in mind."
“So you're telling me” asked Octavia still trying to accept that last statement “That if I want to do something... I should just do it. Without thinking of the consequences?”
“Mm hmm” answered Scratch leaning back on the couch closing her eyes and relaxing “That's my philosophy anyways” She put her feet up on the coffee table, but Octavia took no notice.
“And how has that worked out for you?” asked Octavia with a cheeky grin “I know for certain that job of yours doesn't pay near as well as mine, and you sleep through most your classes”
“It's true I don't make as much money as you, or get great grades” said Scratch not trying to deny it at all “But I'm happy, and I wouldn't trade that for all the money in the world”
“You traded all that to be happy?!” asked Octavia deadpanning
“Yup” replied Scratch with a content sigh
“Do you even care what anypony thinks of you?” asked Octavia trying to talk some sense into the DJ.
“Why should I?” asked Scratch very seriously “I am who I am. If there not happy with that it's not my problem. There opinion doesn't matter unless I say it does.”
“Your telling me you go through life without a plan, not caring about anything, and not giving a fraction of a shit what anybody thinks about you?” asked Octavia trying not to believe something like that could be possible
“Then why not give it a try?” asked Scratch “Nobody's stopping you”
Octavia almost in a daze, stood up slowly and walked around the coffee table to the relaxing DJ. She bent down and closed her eyes, planting a single gentle kiss upon Scratch's lips. Scratch immediately opened her eyes in shock , causing Octavia to jump backwards. It took a few seconds for Octavia to fully recognize what she had just done.
“I am so sorry” said Octavia in a panic “That was so stupid of me...”
Scratch looked her straight in the eyes from behind her shades and asked “Did you want to do it?”
“Yes” admitted Octavia with some effort
“Then it's alright” said Scratch with a smile “Don't worry about it”
“But I just kissed you?!” cried Octavia
“Remember” said Scratch pointing a finger at her “Live life without regrets. You wanted to do it. You did it. So you have nothing to regret right?”
“I guess...” replied Octavia still unsure
“The one thing I'm curious about” started Scratch getting Octavia's head to turn towards her “Is why did you want to kiss me? I thought you hated me?”
“Well the truth is I never hated you, although I did dislike your taste in music, I always envied your carefree attitude” said Octavia her eyes closed “Your the one guy here that always acts true to himself no matter what others might think”
“So what's the real reason you wanted me over here instead of back at my dorm?” asked Scratch trying to figure out where this conversation was heading and not liking the results
“I wanted to get you alone” said Octavia quarreling with herself “I knew with that new roommate of your's hanging around, I might not be able to bring myself to do this”
“Do what exactly?” asked Scratch throwing her hands up “You've lost me again”
“I wanted to ask you to go out on a date with me” said Octavia closing her eyes and bracing herself for the snappy comeback inevitably following
“Me go on a date with you?” contemplated Scratch dumbfounded
“I know it's stupid” continued Octavia “I don't even know why I'm bothering you by asking..”
“Now hold on” said Scratch regaining her composure “I didn't say no. I'm just wondering how a date between us would work. I know you don't want to go clubbing like me...”
“And you wouldn't want to go to a stuck up fancy place like me” finished Octavia getting the picture “I see”
“How bout this” suggested Scratch pulling out her cellphone “Give me your number and we can figure this all out later. You've given me a lot to think about and I'm feeling pretty tired all of a sudden”
“All right” said Octavia putting her number in Scratch's phone and handing it back to her “But I do expect you to answer my message. You are the only guy to ever have my phone number”
“Then I won't abuse it” answered Scratch finding her shoes and gathering her gear “It's almost curfew and as much as I'd like to stay and sort all this out, I need to be getting out of your hair”
“Why do you care about curfew?” asked Octavia still in the living room
“I don't” replied Scratch with a smug grin “I just don't want to be here when your roommate get's back, less for you to have to explain ya know?”
“I see” said Octavia standing up “Then I will see you tomorrow?”
“Probably not” said Scratch walking out the door “I have work tomorrow after all, feel free to message me any time though” She used her foot to close the door before Octavia could respond.
“Man” Scratch thought walking back towards her dorm “Who would have thought I would land a date with Octavia. Even be the first guy...” Scratch stopped as if she had just ran into a cement wall “Shit!” she said out loud kicking at the ground angrily “How could I have forgotten to mention that?” Not knowing what else to do Scratch continued to her dorm, deciding right then and there that if Octavia didn't ask, she wouldn't tell.
When Scratch got back to the room she immediately dropped all her stuff on the couch and looking first to make sure Steam Gear wasn't home, began taking off her clothes. She thought a shower would help her relax after tonight's events with Octavia. At one point the thought of have a relationship with another girl would have appalled Scratch, but after being a guy for so long she had warmed up to the idea.
Deciding that 15 minutes showering was enough, Scratch wrapped her towel around herself and began the process of drying her hair. Over the noise the hairdryer made however she couldn't hear the door open and close, signaling the return of her somewhat inebriated roommate. Once done with her hair, she decided the hell with it she'll spike it up in the morning.
Taking a step out of the bathroom and into the living room, on her way to her room, she heard a gasp. Immediately turned around to find a half-drunk Steam Gear standing in the kitchen mouth agape staring at her.
“What are you doing taking a shower here?” Gear asked pointing a finger in her direction “This is my dorm” Scratch realized that her roommate hadn't recognized her because of his current state of drunkenness. She decided to try and bluff her way out.
“I was just cleaning up before I left” replied Scratch edging her way slowly over towards her room “Scratch had told me it was okay to use your shower”
“Your not supposed to be here” said Gear “and where's your clothes?”
“I know I'm not supposed to be here. I'm very sorry” said Scratch the word sorry being extremely hard to say “My clothes are in there” She pointed to her room
“Well, let's go get them back” said Gear heading towards Scratch's room “I want to talk to him anyway”
With no other options presenting themselves, Scratch followed Steam Gear into her room. She quickly ran over and grabbed her bra and pants which were laying out on the bed in plain sight. As she did so Steam Gear scanned the room looking for the missing Scratch.
“Where did Scratch go?” asked Gear looking at her suspiciously “You told me he was here”
“I never said that” said Scratch catching her own loophole “I just said he told me it was okay to use your shower”
“Don't you play games with me” warned Gear advancing on the still not clothed Scratch “You're the one in trouble here” He reached out his hand and grabbed Scratch's arm, which she wrenched free. In doing so however, she loosened the hold of her towel and it fell to the floor with a thump leaving her entirely naked.
Acting on instinct, Scratch took her right hand balled it into a fist and fired it into the center of Steam Gear's chest. With a gasp he fell to the floor winded, and lost consciousness. Scratch took a second to put some shorts and a shirt on, before picking up her roommate and depositing him in his bed. She'd have trouble explaining this in the morning, so she decided to think of a story to tell him when he woke up.
Steam Gear awoke his head aching severely. As he tried to sit up a sudden pain in his chest made him gasp. It felt as if he'd been shot by a canon. He rolled over to scan his room, trying to remember what happened last night. He had been out drinking with Spitfire and Rainbow Dash at Discordia.
From there it got blurry, but he remembered getting back to the dorm and finding a girl taking a shower. Gear had no idea why that memory was so prominent in his mind. He tried to remember what the girl looked like as he looked at the clock. "Seven thirty" thought Gear "Just enough time for me to figure out what happened last night"
He took his phone out of his pocket, he still had on his clothes from last night, and strolled down his contact list. Just as he expected he found Spitfire and Rainbow Dash. He'd expected something like this to happened based on his past experiences. He shot Spitfire a text message asking her if she remembered last night at all. Rainbow Dash he called, Gear remembered her saying she jogs in the mornings.
The phone rang twice before Rainbow Dash picked it up. If she was jogging, then she had obviously just started, she was hardly out of breath.
"Yes?" asked Rainbow panting slightly
"Hey Rainbow this is Steam Gear" he replied in greeting "Hope I'm not interrupting anything?"
"Nah" said Rainbow in confirmation "I was just on my way back anyways. I think I'm only going to jog for two hours this morning"
"Two hours!" said Gear out loud by accident He'd mentally kick himself later, his brain was obviously not at one-hundred percent yet.
"Yeah I normally go three" said Rainbow Dash pride obvious in her voice even through the phone "But after last night I don't think it's a good idea. Still got the headache you know? I might not drink, but Discordia will still knock me down a peg"
"I can sympathize" said Gear rubbing his own headache "I was actually hoping to talk to you about last night"
"Why not just ask Spitfire?" asked Rainbow curiously
"She's probably still asleep" said Gear in answer "I shot her a text message though"
"Smooth" sighed Rainbow Dash "What is it you want to know?"
"I was just gonna ask if I got into any fights" said Gear rubbing his neck "Got a serious pain in my chest and I have no idea why"
"Well, you didn't get into any fights last night" said Rainbow "Whatever you did happened after you got back to your dorm"
"Alright at least that's good news" said Gear with relief
"Yeah" laughed Rainbow Dash "Don't worry "I watched your back last night"
"That's a lot for the help" said Gear in appreciation
"No problem" said Rainbow Dash "I'm always there for friends in need"
"Sweet" said Gear hear a commotion out in the living room "I'm gonna let ya get back to your jogging"
"Later Gear" said Rainbow hanging up
Gear flipped his phone shut and pocketed it as he headed for his door. Entering the living room he didn't see anything out of the ordinary at first. As he got closer though he realized Scratch was laying on the couch his headphones on. Steam couldn't tell if he was sleeping or not because of the purple shades blocking his eyes.
"Good to see your alive" said Scratch smiling up at his roommate "Sleep well I hope?" She took off her headphones and sat up.
"I've had better" replied Gear taking a seat in the recliner opposite his roommate
"Hangovers suck man" said Scratch sympathetically "Believe me when I say I know from experience"
"I do have a question for you though" said Gear trying to read his roommates expression "Last night when I got back to our room there was a girl"
"Why was there a girl in our dorm?" asked Scratch doing her best to keep up a confused expression
"I'd like to ask you the same question" replied Gear "She told me that you said she could use our shower"
"Oh that girl" said Scratch nonchalantly "That was just my sister. She wanted to shower before she headed back to her dorm. I didn't bother asking why, I just told her she could use ours"
"You never said you had a sister?" asked Gear suspiciously He noted a split-second hesitation on Scratch's expression as he continued "and that she looks almost exactly like you, and goes to this Academy?"
"Is it that hard to believe?" asked Scratch putting on a hurt expression "You've only been my roommate for two weeks now. Don't think you've learned all my secrets just yet"
"Fine" said Gear standing up. He knew that Scratch was lying he could practically feel it in his bones. "If your going to lie straight to my face..." He started to walk towards Scratch's room
"Hey man what are you doing?" she cried jumping after him "That's my room!"
"I know" said Gear opening the door. He waited for Scratch to get closer then suddenly spun off to the left letting Scratch dash head first inside "Which is why I'm letting you go first"
"Get out of here" asked Scratch turning on him, venom in her voice "I'm not hiding anything" She tried to put herself between him and her closet.
"Oh yes I believe you" said Gear in a friendly voice. He attempted to open a dresser and examine the contents, when he felt an incoming fist. He took a step backwards and shot his hand out and acting on instinct grabbed the fist that just missed his jaw. He seized the wrist and pulled sharply towards him.
Scratch a little shocked on how easily her roommate had dodged her attack was dragged off balance. Gear put a sharp hit on the hinge of her arm making her flex and giving him the fulcrum he needed to bring it up and behind her. Scratch gave a sharp intake of breath as her arm reached the back of her neck.
"What the hell?" grunted Scratch in pain
"Not so easy when I'm sober is it?" asked Gear calmly his grip like iron
"How the hell do you remember that?" asked Scratch trying to escape her roommates hold
"I didn't. Was just a guess" said Gear with a smile "but now I do"
"Shit! Should have saw that coming" sighed Scratch "So now what?"
"Now you tell me who that girl from last night really was" said Gear letting go of her wrist and letting her face him "Don't lie to me this time"
"If I tell you" asked Scratch giving her roommate a very serious stare from behind her shades "Do you promise to keep it a secret?"
"If it's that important to you" said Gear sincerely "Then I give you my word"
"The girl you saw last night was me" said Scratch a little awkwardly
Gear looked "her" up and down suspiciously. "Now that you mention it..."
Scratch took of her green hoodie, revealing the t-shirt underneath. She could tell from Gear's sudden change of expression, he believed her now. After he had stared at her for a while she decided to take charge of the conversation once more.
"What are you looking at?" asked Scratch trying to guess what her roommate was thinking
"I'm not quite sure anymore" said Gear taking a seat on the open windowsill "My roommate is a girl masquerading as a guy" He looked at Scratch for what she thought felt like an eternity. "I guess it's all rather humorous"
"You think it's funny?" asked Scratch confused "That the guy you're rooming with is a girl that lied to you from the get go"
"Well, I already agreed to be your roommate. Now I've promised to keep this a secret" said Gear with a laugh "I'm a man of my word if nothing else. So it would seem your stuck with me for awhile Miss?"
"My name really is Vinyl Scratch" replied Scratch a look of disgust on her face. No one calls her Miss EVER. "I didn't see any reason to lie about who I am. Also I'd prefer it if you didn't call me Miss"
"Only what you are..." finished Gear with a smile "No more Miss indeed"
"Don't think this means you can treat me differently" warned Scratch "If I catch you trying to be gallant in any way...." She let her voice trail off
"Alright" replied Gear putting his hands up in a gesture of compliance "Besides I think you'll have more problems with Octavia anyways"
"What?" asked Scratch confused "How'd you..." Then realizing she'd done it again smacked her forehead with her palm
"Your phone has been vibrating this whole time" pointed out Gear with a smile tossing Scratch her phone "I'd measure she's been trying to reach you all morning"
"Oh Shit" said Scratch sliding her phone open
As the Dj desperately tried to calm her new girlfriend's assault of text messages, Gear decided to take his leave. As he exited into the dorm hallway he made a right. He hadn't taken five steps before he slammed into someone. He managed to keep on his feet, but the other person wasn't so lucky. Gear looked to see who he bumped into, with startling results.
"Octavia?" asked Gear helping the cellist to her feet "What are you doing here"
"Apparently running into you" said Octavia dusting herself off She was wearing a rather expensive looking gray strapless dress with purple trim "I do hope you watch where you're going more carefully next time"
"Sorry about that" said Gear apologetically "You okay?"
"I'm fine" responded Octavia running a hand through her hair to straighten it back out "Though I can't say the same for your roommate. I've been trying to reach that idiot all morning"
"He's not much of a morning person" said Gear with a smile "Though I am curious what happened between you two last night"
"We worked on a musical collaboration" said Octavia with a heavy certainty "Nothing else" She took a look at her phone while Gear continued
"All right, I was just wondering" replied Gear in a friendly tone as the door opened and Scratch's head stuck out the door. She had donned her hoodie once more he realized.
"Octavia there you are!" said Scratch stepping out into the hall to join them "I just got your messages"
"Have you been asleep this entire time?!" asked Octavia angrily "What happened to 'feel free to message me anytime'?"
"Hey you can message me anytime" replied Scratch truthfully "But I think I'd have to be awake to answer back, right?"
"I can't believe how lazy you are sometimes" continued Octavia "Just look at what your wearing" she gestured to the hoodie and baggy pants "Dreadful"
"I don't tell you how to dress, you stuck up priss" spat back Scratch furiously "Like I give a shit what you think!"
"Alright I think I'm gonna make my exit before you two rip each others heads off" said Gear backing away slowly. Their voices died off he rounded the corner and took a breath. He'd been in a lot of fights before, but that was by far the scariest. As he tried to decide what to do next his phone vibrated in his pocket. It was Spitfire...
"Do you think he bought it?" asked Octavia curiously looking down the hallway
"Did you see the way he ran off with his tail between his legs?" laughed Scratch putting an arm around the cellist and pulling her close "I'm sure he bought it"
Octavia blushed a little bit at Scratch's obvious public display of affection and pushed herself out of the embrace. "I'm still not sure about this whole thing"
"Your the one who wanted to keep it a secret" said Scratch shaking her head a little disappointed at the Cellist's indecision
"It's just that if my symphony found out..." started Octavia rubbing her shoulder awkwardly
"That you were dating a crazy bastard like me, you'd probably be kicked out of the symphony" finished Scratch with an exasperated sigh "I get it"
"One step at a time Vinyl" said Octavia putting a hand on Scratch's shoulder
"Why don't you call me Scratch like everybody else?" asked Scratch a little annoyed
"I like Vinyl better" said Octavia with a smile
"I think that's the first time I've ever seen you smile" said Scratch with a smug grin "Looks good on you Tavi"
"Tavi?" asked Octavia confused
"You get to call me Vinyl" said Scratch in explanation "I get to call you Tavi"
"It'll take some getting used to" said Octavia uncomfortably "But it is manageable I guess. I hope you have some table manners?"
"You may be surprised" winked Scratch
"That's what I'm afraid of" sighed Octavia leading the way