//------------------------------//
// 8 - Frozen Treat 
// Story: Pony Friend Creators: Genesis 
// by David Silver 
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“Equestria?” Kyle chuckled. “Well that’s on point.”

“Can you not trivialize this?” Herrington snapped.

“I’m just saying,” Kyle chuckled and shrugged, “that’s kinda like if humans came from Primatopia.”

Chang choked on the breath she was taking.

Vinyl sat up on the Doctor's shoulder, thinking a moment. "Oh, I get it. A little." She shook her head and snorted softly, "No, I really don't."

The older woman carefully stepped forward. "The point here isn't what it sounds like, but what it feels like. Tell us what Equestria is like."

Vinyl rubbed at her cheek. "I'd love to give you the tour, but I don't really remember. It just comes up sometimes, you know? Like, when you see something that looks like it was left behind." She frowned thoughtfully. "I think it's mostly forests, with towns scattered around?"

Harrington nodded along with her description. "Fascinating, and where in it did you live?"

"My parents lived in the Canterlot underground," Vinyl answered simply. "But I guess you can't go there, so we could go to Windy City. I just have to figure out how to get there."

Chang gently pet over the top of Vinyl's head. "Where did you hear about any of that, or are you making up a story for us?"

Vinyl swatted the hand away from her hair, glaring at it, as she settled back down onto Herrington's shoulder, ignoring the woman's questions.

"Don't play the right type of music." Kyle winked at Chang.

Vinyl began mumbling something under her breath as she settled on Herrington's shoulders, covering her ears with her forelegs as she squirmed and struggled with something.

Kyle held up a hand towards her. "Don't hurt yourself about it. We like you either way."

"Yeah, right." She leaned in towards Herrington, who scratched behind her ear, getting a pleased whicker out of the creature as she relaxed under the calming touch.

"It's okay." Harrington transferred her to his hands, one hand under each of her arms. "You have many mysteries around you, but Kyle isn't incorrect. You are a wonderful creature, no matter how many, or few, we ever get to the bottom of."

“Don’t sweat it Vinyl.” Kyle smiled warmly. “I’m personally 100% your not making it up. And I joke about the calling your country ‘Equestria’, but my homeland was named after a guy who just printed a bunch of maps with his name on. Literally all he did. Just named two whole continents after himself that he had nothing to do with beyond printing a lot of maps. That is literally why we’re in ‘America’ right now.”

“Okay, now your pulling my leg.” Vinyl replied flatly. “At least ‘Equestria’ makes sense. It’s where all the equine creatures live. Dragon live the Dragon Lands, and Griphons live in Griphonstone!”

“”We’re getting off point!” Herrington snapped at Kyle.

“Are we?” Kyle smirked. “At least one of us learned at least two new things.”

"Thank you for clarifying that." Chang folded her arms, feeling rather silly. "That's a story I'd love to hear, when we're not in such a public space." She reached to ruffle Vinyl gently. "Now, I imagine you have some music you'd love to make?"

Vinyl squirmed free from her grip, looking between the people gathered around her, before hopping down off of Herrington's hands and onto the asphalt parking lot. "Music may be my 'thing', but I want to look around here a little. New places gives new inspirations, if nothing else."

Kyle held up a keychain with a set of car keys attached. "I got dibs on driving. I mean, we all know how much you hate the idea of me behind the wheel of an auto, Chang, and Vinyl probably shouldn't learn that until she's had time to figure out how to drive."

Harrington glared at Kyle. "You're not driving her anywhere, nor is she driving. Everyone, inside." He pointed firmly to the door leading back within. "We've had our fun."

“I thought you wanted to go to a more private venue?” Kyle shrugged. “I mean we came out here was to get outa view of the AI that’s watching. I’m cool with it. They have been thoroughly chastised and won’t interfere again. So I’m cool either way. Sue, Vinyl, any thoughts?”

“Did the AI actually put camera’s in the bathrooms?” Chang asked nervously.

“No, that was Kevin in accounting, RCA just accessed the cameras.” Kyle popped the top on a suspicious looking beverage and took a long swallow. “That’s why he got fired all of a sudden.”

Harrington sighed as he dropped down into a crouch closer to Vinyl's level. "You are a bundle of questions, little pony. It is my job to ask those, and to try to find a few answers."

Vinyl rolled her eyes with a groan. "More questions?" She shuffled about, casting her gaze between the humans and the doors back into the lab building. "If you wanna ask questions, just come out and ask me!"

He gently petted her mane. "I'm fairly sure you don't have those answers. We've already tried that. So we have more questions, without answers. So we have to be clever." He tucked a hand under her chin and rubbed under it. "You do like exploring, yes? You said you wanted to go someplace new. So, where would you like to go? For me, it's always been somewhere interesting, where I might find something useful or new. Tell me, is there a place you would like to see?"

The unicorn fidgeted with a hoof, but had a mischievous smile on her face as she replied. "You aren't good at the game you're trying to play. But okay!" She flashed a smile, bouncing to her full, if still short, height. "I want to go somewhere fun, with loud music, and tons of people having a great time. Probably with junk food and drinks. Know any place like that?"

“I know a spot.” Kyle smirked. “It’s called the Belfrie. It’s an old textile factory, reconfigured into an underground music venue. Place is older than I am, and they take all comers. Punk, christian rock, techno, death metal, bizarre musical puppet shows that describing would make me seem way higher than I actually am. It can be kinda rough around the edges, but I know the staff, and the security, and a lot of their parents from when they worked the same jobs. And their security network is one hundred percent not connected to any internet. We could walk in with Vinyl and no one would bat an eye while taking selfies.”

Herrington pinched the bridge of his nose. "You would want to take her somewhere like that, of course. Fine, but we are all going together. We will go on my terms, if you want me to approve of this. Besides, it sounds like an interesting place."

Chang elbowed her stiff coworker. "It'll be fun. You can be our designated driver, since you don't seem up for relaxing."

Vinyl jumped up in excitement, clopping hooves on the ground in excitement. "Let's go let's go let's go! I'm so ready!"

Herrington rubbed at his forehead.

"This is the bar they named after ‘Vampire: The Belfrie’?” Doctor Chang raised an excited eyebrow.

“Not exactly, the game was actually named after the bar.” Kyle winked. “It’s where all the staff writers met to drown their sorrows and commiserate in the ‘90’s. Being the ‘90’s it was chock full of goth kids. To be a fly on the wall… is a thing that I was.”

Vinyl bumped against Kyle's legs. "Don't be shy. You were one of those goths, weren't you? All mopey with your hair over your eyes. Aw wow, I can imagine it." She stretched up as tall as she could, prodding him just under the chin with her hoof. "I'm not judging. In fact, that's perfect. Sounds like this is gonna be great!"

“I had a respectable mohawk.” Kyle argued. “Dyed blue… and combed over to one side… And there might have been some fishnet shirts and pleather pants, but in my younger days, I pulled it off!”

“Were you actually selling cocaine?” Chang asked snickering.

“NO!” Kyle snapped back. “Once or three times someone assumed I was… and I might have directed them to someone who was selling cocaine… but I was at most a cocaine middle man.”

“He sold gummies at the club!” Vinyl burst out laughing.

“Not technically wrong.” Kyle admitted sheepishly. “Can we not focus on my misspent youth?”

Harrington led them towards his car. "Can we not discuss things I should maybe bring up with HR?"

Chang leaned in and gave Vinyl a gentle pat on the head. "You are living dangerously, little one."

Vinyl threw her forelegs up in the air with a triumphant laugh. "Hanging out with all of you? Duh!" She was smiling though as she strutted. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

“You’ll all fit in just fine.” Kyle laughed as they got into the car. “Just agree with whatever they think is going on. Or just tell the truth and say ‘We made a Unicorn.’ It’ll fly.”

Chang shrugged casually, trying to ease the mood. "I wouldn't worry about it. They're just people."

Vinyl shuddered. "That's scary, please don't remind me."

Harrington carefully scooped Vinyl up to rest in his lap as he got the car ready to move. He strapped her under the belt that held him. "I won't allow any harm to come to you. Just to put it ahead of asking, no alcoholic drinks for Vinyl."

"She'll be a responsible adult," Kyle reassured Herrington, wiggling his eyebrows. "Just like me."

Chang flipped open her phone and tapped at the screen as she pulled up a GPS. "Let's get this party started!"

Harrington looked her way before easing the car out of the spot and starting out of the lot. He made a point of checking carefully in both directions, multiple times, before accelerating out of the lot, to start on the trek towards the bar. "They have any decent food there?"

“It’s meh, basic bar food.” Kyle shrugged. “There’a a Tastey Freeze en route though. Think Dairy Queen, but they can legally call it ice cream. They got food. The music is the draw though. If we could hit the drive through at the Tastey Freeze though… Vinyl’s only tasted FroYo. Science demands that she try actual ice cream.”

Vinyl strained against her seatbelt as she looked out of the window. "That's a highway! Oooh I love the speed of a good car ride." She was already whipping her head around, trying to look at everything around them as Herrington drove so quickly, from her point of view. Her attempts to get her fuzzy head out the window were thwarted by his guarding hands. "Come on, doc, let me smell the breeze! I won't bite anyone, or run off. Scout's honor!"

"I have to protect you. Not even that much." He rubbed at the back of his neck. "That said, I think we should start with what I've heard called a 'sundae'. The more exotic the better."

Vinyl rubbed her hooves together. "Now you're talking." The promise of a sweet treat calming her anxiety.

“Naw we all in a car. A sundae needs a spoon.” KylNe grinned. “What you want is a double dipped cone.”

“Double dipped?” Herringtone questioned as they waited in the drive thru live.

“Yeah, they dip it in caramel, then they dip it in chocolate.” The older man waved off as if it was common knowledge.

Vinyl's bouncing grew in intensity. "Yes, please. Two!" She barked orders to her friend, eyes gleaming with excitement.

Herrington pulled the car forward and relayed the order to the speaker, though he only ordered a single frozen glory for Vinyl. "Try it before you decide you love it." He also ordered a variety of hamburgers, fries, and assorted chicken sandwiches for the humans in the car.

Kyle placed a hand on his own chest. "You say that like I haven't had a double dipped cone in twenty years."