A fortnight later.  Vinyl's gig is in a few hours.  She did one last practice session before taking a nap.  Vinyl said that she's going to be out at the nightclub till around 2am, and I wouldn't blame her for needing all the rest she can get.  There were times where I myself had to stay up a bit later than usual to perform at a recital or concert.  Although, they were never unbelievably late -- or early -- as Vinyl's, I still had troubles adjusting to the late shifts.

Vinyl had grown used to the shifts.  Prior to performing at clubs till the wee hours of the day, she had a very active nightlife in her youth.  Not a single nightclub was not known or visited by her.  She would spend every hour of every night at a club or bar partying and so on.  The stories she told me of many incidents she had encountered by some drunken stallion have both been interesting and frightening.  Once she told me of a stallion that deliberately grabbed her tail and lifted it up.  He left the building in an ambulance.

In my teenage years, I have always wondered what the nightlife could be like.  My father was always so protective of me and always taught me to stay away from that type of lifestyle.  I never disobeyed him on the subject, but I still was always curious.  Hearing these stories from Vinyl, I can now see why my father kept me away from it all.

As I am heading to the living room to watch some television, I pass the bathroom and heard the shower running along with a singing voice coming from it.  I lean in a little closer to hear it better.  

"I don't ever wanna feel

like I did that day!

Take me to the place I love!

Take me all the way!"

I couldn't help but chuckle.  Vinyl has a funny singing voice when trying to sing a song originally sung from a stallion.  I used to sing in the shower when I was younger, but my singing is not really...worth mentioning.  Chuckling again, I then went to the living room and settled to watch some television.  But first, pudding.  Now I can relax all night long without bass-lines infuriating my eardrums.  I have been here for over two months now, and much to my amusement and confusion, I do believe I have gotten used to her music.  I just sort of drown it out as of recently.

Blasphemy, right?

I stretch my hooves and reach for the remote that doesn't seem like it wants to work.  Bloody batteries are almost dead.  After a few vigorous shakes and a smack or two, the TV finally turns on.  The first thing to appear on the flatscreen is what looks like an old film, judging by the quality.  It shows a stallion standing in what appears to be some kind of spaceship.  The window on the cockpit shows a dark sky with scattered white dots.  Around the ship are bed like objects.  Two more stallions and one mare are sleeping on them.  The stallion that is awake starts to talk into a recording device before he himself joined his comrades in slumber.

Something is tugging at the back of my head telling me I recognize this film.  I tried to concentrate a little more.  Yes, I do believe I've seen this before.  I try to concentrate harder.  Just before I am about to remember the name, a pony like object jumps from behind the couch.

"Hey Tavi watcha watching?"  

When she impacts the cushion, I jump in the air partially from the impact and partially from being frightened.  When I land and relax, she places her arm around my shoulders.  I stare at it suspiciously.  I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with this, so I shoo her away.  She reacts by elbowing me.

Her mane is still damp from the shower, and I could feel it softly drape over my shoulder.  I look up at her mane.  Now usually I see it always jagged and pointing every which way, but now it looks...natural.  It is straight and soft, draping her shoulders and her bangs draping part of her forehead.  Her blue and indigo colors are no longer striped in an electrical pattern with her hairline, but more of swirling in like marble cake and looking like vines in her mane.  I had to admit to myself, it looks quite nice.

It took me a few seconds to respond, as I was recovering from shock from her scaring me.  "Vinyl, please don't do that!"

"Pssh, it was funny."

I resist the urge to groan.  "You're lucky I'm in a good mood today."

"Why's that?"

"You're leaving.  Which means I get to have some peace and quiet for the night."  I say with a smile.

She starts to laugh.  "Well then, sorry to say this, but I got a call from the manager of the place I was supposed to be heading out to tonight.  He said that there was an accident at the bar and my opening had to be moved to next week."

And thus the hammer falls.  "Well, there goes my night.  At least your mane looks nice."

She used her free hoof to flick part of her mane and smiled, with the tiniest blush, "What?  You like it?"

"Like I said: good mood."

She giggles, "It always looks like this after a shower, I usually spike it with gel later.  But since I ain't going out tonight, I got lazy and decided not to spike it."

"I honestly think it looks better this way."  I commented. "You should keep it like this, it makes you look less like a hoodlum."

She raises a brow.  "You think so?  Nah.  I don't like being half-blinded by my bangs and having to constantly push them outa the way."

My eyes then darted to her violet shades, "Half-blind?  If took off those glasses you'd probably see a lot more clearly.  I mean, it's dark in here and you still have those flipping things on?  Take them off already."

She smirks at me, "Nope."

"Why not?"

She gave me an innocent smile, "Cus I don't take them off."  She then turned to the TV screen, "So whatcha watching?"

At that time, the spaceship had crashed landed in a lake in a desert.  The stallions scramble to get out before it sinks.  Only the three stallions had made it out, as for they found the mare already dead before impact.  Once they got out, they got into an inflatable raft and floated to the shoreline.

Then it hit me.  "This is Planet of the Apes"  I told her.   I love that movie!  I watched all the movies in the series with my father when I was a foal!  

Vinyl cocked her head to the side, "Planet of the Apes?  What's that about?"

"It's about a futuristic dystopian era where primates are the dominant species, and ponies have devolved into their primal forms.  Three astronauts crash landed on earth thousands of years in the future and now must figure out a way to survive."  

Vinyl stared at me blankly.  "What's 'dystopian?'"  

Oh that's right...I have to lighten my vocabulary with her....  "A state where everything is bad.  Just watch it you oaf.  I'm sure you'll like it."

"Is this your subtle way of wanting to spend time with your best friend but afraid to admit it because you have ego problems?"

"Do you want me to get the butter knife again?"

Without another word, we both turn to the screen.  The three stallions start to aimlessly wander the desert, climbing mountains and crossing rough terrain.  They eventually stumble on to a small lake with a waterfall.  Needing desperate rest and their canteens refilled, the astronauts stop and refresh themselves in the lake.  What they didn't know however, is that multicolored hooves are grabbing at their clothes while they are soaking in the water.  

"How long ago was this?  It looks pretty old."  Vinyl asks.

I put my hoof to my chin "Around thirty years ago."  I reply.

She turns to me with a raised brow, "Shouldn't it be in, like, black and white then?"

I slowly shake my head, "Not necessarily, colored television came out about five or so years before this movie."

She silently let out an 'ooh' and returns back to the screen.  There, a group of ape like creatures riding on rhino back invades a civilization of primal ponies.  Most of the apes either captured or killed the ponies until there were none left.  Two of the three astronauts died, the only one left was the unicorn captain.  He took a shot of a rifle to the neck, damaging his vocal chords and rendering him from speaking for the moment.

Later on, he was taken back to the ape's city for 'research'  as they call it.  It mainly involves dissecting the ponies or keeping them in cages to monitor their behavior.  One of the apes, a female, was genuinely intrigued by the unicorn captain.  He kept trying to speak, but to no avail due to his damaged vocal chords.  Eventually, when they wanted his brain dissected to learn about his weird behavior, he escaped by using magic, which is not usable by primal ponies in this world, got captured, and spoke.  He terrified the apes.  Never had they seen a pony who could use magic, let alone talk for hundreds of years.

The rest of the movie went on without much talk between Vinyl and I.  The only thing that really happened with her is that she might have scooted closer to me on the couch.  I still tried to ignore it and focus more on the movie.  

It was almost to the end, the part where the unicorn finds items that belonged to ponies in a forbidden area where the apes rule.  A huge gunfight breaks out, and eventually they come to an agreement where the unicorn, and a mare that he met at the city, can leave and never return.  After a small trot on the beachside, he comes across a stunning sight.

You maniacs!  You blew it up!  Celestia damn you!  Celestia damn you all to hell!

He kneels before the Statue of Celestia, half buried in the sand.

"Whoa wait!"  Vinyl said, "What happened?"

"They were on earth the entire time."  I say, "When they were in space, they traveled at the speed of light.  To them, only a few days had past, so it seems.  But outside, thousands of years went by.  On earth, there was a catastrophic war.  That is when the apes took over."

She furrowed her brow, "How do you know all this?"

"There are five other movies, I've seen them all."

A large smile tugged at Vinyl's lips, "Can we watch the others?!"

I roll my eyes, but slightly smile.  I didn't take Vinyl as the one who would like older styles of entertainment.  In fact, I have mistook her on almost every judgement I've had.  She really is a lot different than I thought.  It surprises me really, and it tells me that I shouldn't judge somepony of their looks or attitude before I really get to know them.  She isn't rude or a bint.  She isn't an alcoholic or a smoker or a druggie.  However, she is a slob, and a bit tomboyish, but that's nothing really.  "Sure, Vinyl.  But tomorrow.  See you in the morning."