Saturday, September 19, 2015

2015
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Today's Horoscope (Virgo): Don't let tense, uncomfortable moments ruin your day. There's too much fun to be had to let things get to you.

Early Morning

Twilight seems to be feeling better this morning. We walk Spike together. It's getting chilly; she's wearing a sweater, and I'm wearing the jacket she bought me.

"So...looking forward to your birthday?" I ask.

Twilight blushes faintly. "You're not all going to make a big fuss over me, are you?"

"Of course we are," I say. I pull my foot out of Spike's line of fire; he whimpers. I shove my hands in my jacket pockets. "Tonight ought to be fun."

Twilight nods. "I'm looking forward to it."

After walking Spike, we decide to spend the day in the dorm watching movies on television.

Evening

The information I received from Vinyl said she'd be providing the instruments for the party, so I wouldn't need to bring my own guitar. I'm honestly a little relieved by that. I don't think I want to risk having something happen to my sweet new guitar at a party.

Cadance has lifted our curfew for tonight, on the caveat that none of us had better come home drunk or get arrested. When the time for the party draws near, we all pile into her SUV; she's offered to drive us there.

The party's at the CHS football stadium, which is ten city blocks away from the school. How they got Principal Celestia to agree to this is anybody's guess, but...

As soon as we arrive, Lyra and Vinyl grab me and drag me off to the impressive bandstand, which three huge, hulking linebackers with sickly grey skin and jaundiced eyes are setting up at the 50-yard line. There are enormous speaker towers at all four corners, including two honest-to-God bass cannons. Lowered stages have been set up for me and Lyra, with lighting rigs set up above them. The center stage has four turntables and three computers set up and running. Cables and wires are running every which way.

"Wow, this is some setup!" Lyra exclaims.

Vinyl grins. "Yeah, this is my ultimate party rig. Not as portable as the Scratchmobile, but a heck of a lot better for a stadium like this." She picks up a tablet and lets her fingers glide over the surface. "And it's all voice-controlled from this baby. Lights three," she says.

The lighting rigs come on, casting red and blue strobes over the side stages.

"Lights off," Vinyl says. The lights turn off.

"Sweeeeeeet," Lyra says, grinning.

I frown. "How's the voice control gonna work when the music's going?"

"Don't sweat it," Vinyl says. "I know what I'm doing." She shrugs. "Besides, I can run it by touch too. It's just more convenient to run it by voice." She glances over my shoulder. "That the crew you came with?"

I turn to see my friends milling about not too far away. "Yeah."

"Twilight Sparkle's his girlfriend," Lyra says playfully.

"Awesome," Vinyl says. "Come on, let's do a sound check."

I get up on the stage, where a maple top Les Paul guitar awaits me. I take a moment to tune it, then plug in the amp cable. Adjusting the knobs, I play the opening of one of my favorite songs. The linebackers stop working to listen, my dormmates gather closer to the stage, and Vinyl nods her head, grinning.

After a minute, I stop playing. "Uhh...yeah, I think I'm good here," I say.

"Yeah you are!" Vinyl says, pumping a fist. "Hey, rock the rest of that song while I finish setting up, okay? I love that one."

Lyra rushes up and sticks a wireless microphone headset on me.

Oh crap, they want me to sing?

Twilight and my friends are staring at me expectantly. I mean...yeah, I can sing. I'm not great, but...

I start playing again, singing the song. Without bass or drums or anything, it's a little weak to my ears, but everyone seems to enjoy it anyway.

By the time I'm done, several dozen students have already gathered on the field. Vinyl cuts on her mic. "Whoo-hoo! How's that for a start to the party, huh? Give it up for Flash Sentry!"

Nearly everybody claps. I feel a heady rush. Is this what it's like to be a real rock star?

Vinyl kicks in her set, Lyra jumps on her keyboard, and we play three straight songs, with the party getting into full swing, and everyone dancing and laughing and having a good time. Twilight is sticking fairly close to the stage. Pinkie is all over the place, laughing and dancing and having fun. Rarity is chatting with some of the other Fashion Club members. Rainbow Dash is thrashing around with a bunch of the other jocks.

After the third song, I have a four-song break, so I climb down and join Twilight.

"You're amazing," she says.

"I'm also thirsty, let's get something to drink."

We walk over to a row of coolers and grab a couple of ice cold colas. "So, enjoying the party?" I ask.

"A little bit," Twilight says. "The best part is the music."

"Well, well...if it isn't the happiest couple of Canterlot High."

I've never heard that voice before, but somehow, I know who I'm going to see when I turn around. The way Twilight has stiffened up next to me confirms it.

Sure enough...

"Sunset Shimmer," I say.

Sunset Shimmer smirks at me. "You and your little girlfriend sure have had some tough times, haven't you?"

"And whose fault is that, I wonder?"

"Who knows..." Sunset Shimmer has a smug look on her face. I really want to punch her. "Kids can be...so cruel."

"Sunset Shimmer...please leave us alone. We've never done anything to you," Twilight says.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I not allowed to speak to the King and Queen of CHS?" Sunset Shimmer takes a mocking step back. "I wasn't aware." She gives Twilight a smarmy little bow. "I'll leave you two to enjoy the party. Oh, by the way...your birthday's coming up next week, isn't it? I hope you get everything that's coming to you." With that, she stalks away.

"What a bitch," I mutter.

"Flash!" I turn to see Lyra rushing up to me. "You're almost up, get on stage!"

I shift uncertainly, looking at Twilight. "It's okay," she says. "Go on. I think I'll stick with Pinkie Pie for a little while."

It's almost an hour before I'm able to put our little encounter with Sunset Shimmer out of my mind and simply enjoy being at the party and playing music.

After my third set, Vinyl steps away from her turntables as I'm setting the guitar down. "Hey, I gotta take five," she says. "I need you to keep an eye on the set for me, okay?"

"Sure," I say.

She shifts. "Actually...would you mind coming with me? You can track the set and run the lights and stuff from anywhere. I...might need a little help in a sec."

I'm a little confused, but I agree. I text Twilight that I'm joining Vinyl for some air, then we head for the stadium entrance. She ducks into the concession stand and rummages through her bag. I turn on the lights.

"Turn those back off," Vinyl says. "I...I gotta have the lights off."

I turn the lights off, glancing down at Vinyl's tablet to make sure everything's going okay. Vinyl comes out of her bag with what I can just barely make out to be a bottle of eye drops. She takes off her glasses and sets them on the counter, then tips her head back and puts drops in her eyes. She keeps her head back for almost a full minute, blinking rapidly, before putting her glasses back on.

Vinyl sits down on a stool and leans over the counter as she puts her eyedrops back in her bag. "Gotta wait five minutes before I can go back out there," she says with a sigh. "Damn, this sucks."

"What's wrong?" I ask.

Vinyl shakes her head. "It's nothin'."

"Come on, tell me."

Vinyl sighs. "I've got...this freaky eye disease. I was born with it, but it only really kicked in last year. They can't do anything about it." She taps her fingers on the counter in time with the beats we can still hear from here. "My eyes are goin'," she says. "It's one of those slow burn things. I can still see, but bright light hurts. Like, really hurts."

"So that's why you wear sunglasses all the time?"

"Shades," she corrects me. "And yeah." She shakes her head. "By the time I graduate high school, I'll be blind."

"Oh God...I'm sorry..."

"Eh." Vinyl shrugs. "All I care about is music, so as long as I can still hear..." She shakes her head. "Still...it's hard riggin' up equipment a blind DJ can use. Everything's digital now, all touchscreens and shit. I mean, turntables are turntables, but..."

"So that's why your rig is set up for voice control?"

"Yeah." Vinyl sighs. "I mean yeah, okay, there's lots of stuff out there for a blind person now...but the tech isn't where it needs to be. I don't wanna be limited by a handicap." She stretches. "Well...I think we can go back now." She looks up at me. "Hey, thanks for listenin'."

"Don't mention it."

---

The party goes on for another two hours. By the time Cadance picks us up to take us back to the dorm, even Pinkie Pie can barely stay awake.