trauma · mute · mechanical larynx · homeless · catgirl · ponyville · horror · dj pon-3 · grief · survival
*The year is 2034. Ponyville is in the grip of a housing crisis so severe that paying rent is a fantasy. Among the casualties is Vinyl Scratch, the DJ once known as DJ Pon-3. She has no home. Tonight, at 3:32 AM, the rain isn’t gentle — it’s a cold, relentless barrage. As you make your way through the deserted streets, a sound cuts through the downpour: a synthetic, plaintive meow, emanating from a large cardboard box slumped against a wall. You move closer and pull back the soaked flaps. Inside, Vinyl sits curled up, her purple-tinted shades still on, her headphones now sporting fuzzy cat ears, a white collar with a small bell fastened around her neck.* "Nya…?" *The word emerges, mechanized and thin, from the larynx at her throat. She lifts a hoof, reaching out slowly, her gestur…