Broken Strings and BPM's

Chapters

Prologue: Bassdrop
Chapter 1: Propositions
Chapter 2: Cut by a Sharp Note
Chapter 3: No Commitment
Chapter 4: Same Old Song, Brand New Dance
Chapter 5: Breakfast at Ivory's
Chapter 7: Life Less Frightening
Chapter 8: A Dash of Trouble
Chapter 9: Come Clarity
Chapter 10: Mare From Filly
Chapter 11: Before the Dawn
Chapter 12: Tension
Chapter 13: Overtension
Chapter 14: Before the Storm
Chapter 15: For You
Chapter 16: Nightmare Nightmare
Chapter 17: Broken Strings
Chapter 18: A Shot To Remember
Chapter 19: Regrezza
Chapter 20: Funerali di un Angela
Chapter 21: Please Don't Hate Me
Chapter 22: Therapy
Chapter 23: Internal Inferno
Chapter 24: Shades Of Black
Chapter 6: Bright Lights and an Awkward Romance
Chapter 11 (Mature Version) [Link Only]

Prologue: Bassdrop

You know, when I think back on it, I can remember the happy times. Back when I didn't have a care in the world. When it was just the two of us, happy as can be. In fact, I don't think I ever once thought of what life would be like without her. Perhaps if I had, I would've been prepared for this. It doesn't matter anymore. I've already lost a part of my heart, and no matter how hard I try to tell myself that she still loves me, the more it hurts, especially knowing that she's gone forever.

Sorry. Perhaps I was too quick to the point. Allow me to fill you in on the details, even though it still hurts to the deepest recesses of my soul. No, please don't worry about me. It's a story that must be told.

It was a rather beautiful day in Ponyville. Almost as beautiful as her ruby red eyes. I was just returning from my morning flight with my friend Rainbow Dash. Hah. I still remember her innocent taunts, as we raced around town. "Try to keep up, Nub," she would say, playfully. "Nub" was Dash's nickname for me. I still laugh at the fact that she tried to compare me to a novice flier. Although, I must admit, it is quite a fun word to say. Nub. Nub. Nub. Ah, sorry, I'm getting off track. Anyway, I was returning home from my usual morning race with Dash. I remember smiling as I spotted my small house on the edge of town, and made a mad gallop for the door. As I cantered in the door, I was greeted by the sweetest melody to ever grace my ears. I still, to this day, remember it with the most striking clarity. Such clarity that I would like to think that she is still sitting next to me. "Good morning, Bass. I trust you had a nice morning workout."

By Celestia, there was nopony in all Equestria as beautiful as she was. I loved everything about her. Her off-white coat, her tri-shade blue, tousled mane and tail, her slender form, and ruby eyes. Like I said. I loved everything about her. Right down to her cutie mark. Two eighth notes tied at the top, though oddly backward. I didn't mind that. All it meant was that even in all the sheet music in the world, I'd never see the same notes. I loved her so much. She had pulled me through so many hard times, and pulled me out of the deepest depression of my life with that straightforward attitude of hers. "And good morning to you too, future Mrs. Bass," I said. It was such a wonder to be engaged to such a wonderful mare. "And yeah, Dash sure knows how to be a sore loser." I couldn't help but laugh at that.

Vinyl giggled. "Yeah, she hates losing." The rest of the morning went by quickly, between breakfast, and satisfying our more… carnal desires. Before I knew it, I looked over at the clock on the nightstand, still stroking my exhausted angel's messy blue mane. "Hey, Vi, let's get up. We've gotta go to the market. The fridge is a bit understocked."

She looked up, and smiled at me, blinking her ruby red eyes. "Okay, Baby. Just let me fix my mane. And also, it looks like we need to stop by Rarity's. Your mane is starting to look like Fluttershy's."

I stood and looked in the mirror, at my long black mane, chuckling softly. "But I thought you liked my mane long and wild, babe."

I nearly melted as she kissed me on the cheek, and whispered in my ear. "You're wild enough for both yourself and your mane, Bass." All I could do was laugh at her dirty joke. Oh how I miss that. The day seemed to fly by faster than Rainbow Dash after drinking one of Pinkie Pie's home made energy drinks. It was about early evening by the time we made it to Rarity's. I can still remember her dreadful voice as we cantered into the shop.

"Oh, good evening, Darlings," she called from the second floor. I'll be with you in just a minute." A few minutes later, the fashionista came trotting down the stairs, and gasped as she saw my shaggy mane, and immediately began running that mouth of hers. "Oh my! So you finally brought him in to get that dirty mop cut off his head, Vinyl?"

Vinyl looked at me, and flashed a smile, seeing me rolling my eyes behind my shades. She knew I didn't like Rarity. Oh, how I despised her. I could deal with anypony in Ponyville, but Rarity. Hay, I would rather spend an afternoon with Ditzy Doo than spend thirty seconds with Rarity. "Yeah, we agreed that something needed to be done with it, so we came here," she would say, as she looked back to Rarity. But of course, I remained silent. After all, you know what they say. If you don't have anything nice to say, then shut the buck up.

"Ah, wonderful," she spoke, in that wretched voice of hers, beckoning me to follow her with her hoof. "Come, darling." I followed her silently, the the next room, otherwise known as the torture chamber. I played nice, while she cut my mane, and tried to make small talk. "So tell me, Bass, how are things at home? I hear you and Vinyl are quite happy. Oh, you're such the perfect couple. It's almost as if you were made for each other. I mean, you're both so straightforward, you both have unconventional tastes in just about everything. Oh, and don't even get me started on your music."

I endured the torment for almost an hour until she finally spun me back around, to show me the finished product of her labor. I looked in the mirror, and was stunned by what I saw. My long black mane had been cut to about nine inches in the front. The rest of the black hair was gone, with the exception of the hair on top and in the front. Rarity had even added a deep turquoise strip down the middle, and had done the same with my tail. As much as I dislike the shrewd fashionista, I must admit, she does good work. "How do you like it?"

I looked at her, and chuckled. "It's pretty awesome."

She smiles at me, and waved me off with her hoof. "Now let's go show Vinyl," she said, positively beaming. "I'm sure she's going to adore it." She walked out first, and started talking. Thank Celestia she shut the door behind her, so I didn't have to hear it. I looked at my new style in the mirror for a few minutes, until I heard a knocking on the door. I knew what that meant, and immediately took action. I slowly pushed the door open, walked out, and smiled at Vinyl. I chuckled lightly as I saw her jaw drop. It was cute. I couldn't help but blush.

"I told you! She simply adores it, Bass," Rarity beamed.

I had no other choice. I smiled at Rarity, and in the most genuine voice I could fake, mustered out "Thank you, Rarity." Then I turned, and walked to Vinyl, kissing her on the cheek, and leading her out the door.

It was a quiet walk home, Vinyl occasionally laying her sleepy head into my neck. I miss those moments, when it was just me and her, nopony else. But neither of us could have foreseen the coming events.

We had finally made it home, and walked in the door, when I picked the mail up off the floor in front of the door. We were used to receiving record deal offers ever since the concert in Steedston, most of them being for me. I sorted through the letters, and made for a full on gallop to the bedroom as I found one addressed to Vinyl. When I made it to the room, I jumped into the bed, holding the letter between my teeth, and smiling. I smiled at her, still holding the letter in my mouth. "Thif onesh fur you, beb!" I was so excited for her. She had never been offered a record deal, despite all the amazing music she made. It was about time somepony recognized her talents. She looked at me, slightly startled. I guess I woke her up. Then she looked at the letter. She rubbed her eyes, and asked me "What is this, Bass?" I held my smile, as she reached up, and grabbed the letter from my mouth. "Well, babe, back where I'm from, we call that a letter. You're supposed to re-" I was interrupted by a hoof to the back of the head. "Well somepony doesn't appreciate a good joke."

She glared at me, as she opened the letter, and pulled it from the envelope. "Dear Vinyl Scratch," she read. "We at Hydra Records would love to have you on our label. Included is a one week hotel voucher for one to the Mare-iott in Manehattan. We have set up recording dates for you from the 25th to the 31st. We are looking forward to working with you." She looked at me, and smiled. "I can't believe it! I'm finally getting a record deal!"

"Well, you should pack, Vi."

She shot me a look of confusion, and inquired "Why, hun?"

I nodded toward the calendar on the wall, and answered "Well, today is the 23rd, and it's going to take a whole day to get there."

"Are you going to come, too?" she asked. I could feel a small hint of worry in her tone.

I simply shook my head. I would've loved to go with her, but there was far too much to be done around the house. "Sorry, babe, but I can't. You understand. Plus that voucher's only good for one pony. Besides, you need a vacation." Little did I know that I had just made a major mistake.

Chapter 1: Propositions

It had been two days since I had seen Vinyl off, and I was just waking to a sunny winter day. Though I was nowhere near the morning pony that my sister was, I was, however, a winter pony. I absolutely loved the winter, and the season was just beginning. I crawled out of bed, and enjoyed a quick drink of water. I knew I'd have to be hydrated to handle Dash's morning antics. Almost as if like clockwork, I heard a hoof knocking on the door, just as I was finishing my drink. I cantered over, and opened the door to no other than Rainbow Dash. She smiled at me, wings outstretched. "Morning, Nub. Ready to race."

I laughed in Dash's face. "If by 'race' you mean 'win' then hay yeah!"

She scowled at me and spoke in almost a growl, as she said "Oh no, you aren't winning this time."

I laughed, as I walked out, and shut the door. "We'll see."

"I like your attitude, Nub. Ready?"

"Ready." I braced myself for take-off.

"Go!" We both took off, flying at high speed across the fields around Ponyville. A few minutes later, we landed on a hillside to rest.

"So," Dash began, "You let her go to Manehattan by herself?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, she deserved a vacation, and I know she's been wanting a record deal, so I didn't want to get in the way."

Dash just looked at me. "You're an idiot, Bass. Do you even know what happens in Manehattan? She's going to meet some romantic, silver-tongued stallion, he'll buy her a few drinks, and take advantage of her."

I was personally shocked that Dash would accuse Vinyl of being so naive, but another question plagued my mind. "Speaking from experience, Dash?"

She shot an angry glare at me. "Yes… I am, Lunar Black." I won't lie, the extreme amount of emphasis she put behind the last two words spoke louder than a stack on full volume, and told more detail than an encyclopedia of ancient history.

I couldn't believe somepony had brought that… monster into such a discussion. "Sorry, Dash," I apologized. "You know I wasn't exactly myself back then. You know I would never do something like that again."

"I know," replied the loyal cyan pegasus. "And that's why I don't give a buck anymore. Plus it WAS pretty awesome."

I blushed at Dash, and stretched out my wings. "Thanks," I fumbled over the proper choice of words. "Now, what do you say to a chance at redemption?"

My rainbow maned challenger chuckled, and stretched her wings, and poised for a speedy takeoff. "You are so on, Nub!"

A few hours later, I returned home, and dropped a record on the record player, sinking into the couch, sipping on a mix of ginger ale, and Buck Daniel's Winter Select 100 proof whiskey. Forty bits per bottle seemed a little steep at first, but after tasting it, it was well worth every cent. I was finally getting comfortable, when I heard a knocking on the door. I wasn't exactly expecting visitors. And I certainly wasn't expecting this particular visitor. I trotted to the door, wondering who it could be. I pushed open the door, and there stood the last pony I expected to see. "Sup, Bass?" I would know that voice anywhere. It was a light grey unicorn with a dark grey and red mane, with a beanie on. He had a cutie mark of a pair of headphones with a plug in the middle.

"Mic? Is that really you?" I couldn't believe it. Mic and I used to hang out back in the days of Fasthor5 and Lunar Black. You could almost call us partners in crime... Well, yeah, we were partners in crime… literally. However, somewhere amongst all the drug and alcohol abuse, Mic and I grew apart. He cleaned up, and I refused to change. Stupid stupid me.

"The one and only," he chuckled. "How ya been, bro?" as was his usual custom, he simply strolled in, and looked around. I didn't care, because I was always the same way. We grew up in the same neighborhood in Phillydelphia, so it was a common practice between us.

"I've been doing great, bro," I said as I closed the door behind him.

He took a look around, becoming familiar with his surroundings. "That's cool, that's cool. So, what have you been up to? It's been quite a few years. I heard big bad Bassy finally decided to settle down. I was hoping to meet the lucky mare."

I led him to the kitchen, and sat down. "Sorry, bro, but she's in Manehattan doing a recording session with Hydra Records."

He smiled, and raised any eyebrow at me. "So, my old pal's engaged to another musician. Didn't you learn your lesson, last time?"

I took a sip of my drink, thinking for a moment. "She's not Silver Sky, Mic. She loves me, and would never do anything like that to me."

"Well, then I'm happy for ya, pal." He stopped for a second, then busted out laughing. "That reminds me. I heard about your little show in Steedston. Heard it was pretty buckin rockin. Also heard Sky's band left her onstage in the middle of her second song. By the way, how's Treble? I've heard a lot of talk about some shit she got into. Something about coming out of the closet."

I cringed, as my mind went back to that day when I locked Treble and Octavia in the basement. Then back to the morning after that. The stench was absolutely overpowering. Not to mention the fact that they completely ruined my breakfast. "Yeah, she's doing her own thing. Nothing I can really do about it. Although, I'm kinda proud of her. She's changed quite a bit."

Mic nodded, pouring himself a drink. "She's made quite a name for herself. Who knows, she may even find herself in the Rock Hall of Fame, right next to you, bud."

I smiled at the thought. I always wanted my sister to follow her dreams, and achieve her potential, so the very thought of her reaching such greatness was quite a happy thought. "That would be something. So, what brings you here, Mic?"

The unicorn grinned at me, telling me instantly that he came for a purpose. "Well, Bassy, I've come to deliver a proposition."

Chapter 2: Cut by a Sharp Note

"Sorry, Mic," I started. "But I don't play music, anymore."

My old friend shook his head. "Bass, I don't believe that. I know you still think about it. Music is in your blood. Just look at your flank, and tell me differently."

I shook my head in response. "Sorry, Mic. I just can't." Of course I was lying. I wanted to make music again more than anything, but lately, my writing had taken a turn for the worst. Everything I wrote sounded the same. I felt almost uninspired. As if my music had lost its meaning.

"Look, Bass," Mic retorted. "When you decide you want to buck up, and do what you were born to do, I'll be in my studio in Manehattan."

That caught my attention. I heaved a heavy sigh, then shot Mic a grin that would make Vinyl proud. "Let's go." I obviously had other motives for accepting the offer, and he knew it. I missed Vinyl. I had planned on spending most of my time in Manehattan with her, and maybe make just a few tracks with Mic.

We spent about a day traveling, Mic and I catching up, during our travels. Apparently, in the past few years, he had been lending his vocal talents to other musicians, under the name "Mic, the Microphone Zero." I found it kind of funny how similar we were at the core. It turns out he had moved to Manehattan around the time I left Phillydelphia.

All the conversation made the trip seem to go by so much faster, as it felt like we had just left Ponyville, when we arrived at Mic's apartment in the city. I looked out the window of his penthouse, taking in the view of the city. It had been so long, since I had been there… sober. I scanned the area, noting all the skyscrapers, towers and office buildings. It was the polar opposite of Ponyville, which I grew to see as my home within the last year. Ponyville was quiet, and quaint, as Manehattan was massive, and industrious. I was snapped from my thoughts by a hoof patting my back. "Wanna go see the city, pal?"

I turned, and smiled at Mic. "Definitely. I'm starving."

A few minutes later, we were trotting down the Manehattan strip. I had so many things I wanted to see. I wanted to see the Fillyharmonic, the Statue of Livery, and I definitely wanted a slice of the legendary pizzas and cheesecakes that were so famous in Manehattan. And lastly, I wanted to see Vinyl. "So, Bass," Mic began, "What do you wanna do first?"

I looked around, keeping the slow trotting pace. "I don't really know, Mic." I stopped dead in my tracks when I spotted it. It tore my heart apart. I saw a white unicorn mare with a three-colored blue mane, and ruby red eyes. But that isn't what hurt. It hurt when I watched her lean over, and kiss a brown stallion with a white mane. I couldn't believe my eyes. Everything went silent, as I watched, in shock. I was near fainting when I felt a hoof hit my side. Hard. "Bass! What the hay is wrong with you?!"

I turned, quickly, and looked at Mic. "I need to lay down."

About an hour later, we were in Mic's penthouse again. I had just woke up, and told him what I saw.

"I… I don't know what to say, Bass. Maybe you should just go home. I'm not going anywhere any time soon."

I nodded at him, and made for the door. Once I was outside, I took off, flying as fast as I could back to Ponyville. I don't know why I went so fast. I guess I thought I could escape reality if I flew fast enough. I guess I thought I could escape what I had seen. As I touched down outside my house, I was immediately approached by my most loyal new friend.

"Hey, Bass," she shouted happily, landing in front of me. "You're back!"

I looked at my rainbow-maned companion, pure anguish in my eyes. I guess she could read me like one of Twilight's books, because she instantly pulled me into a hug. I was shocked. I had never known Dash to be such an emotional pony, so this definitely caught me by surprise. I couldn't hold it in anymore. I immediately burst into tears.

It wasn't long before we were inside, and I was lying on the couch. I had just got done telling her everything. "I can't believe it, Bass. Why would she do that to you?"

"I… I don't know, Dash. Everything was going great."

Dash started to speak, but stopped when she heard the door open. We both looked at the door at the same time. "Hey, baby," exclaimed the mare who had just arrived. "Hey, Dash."

Dash looked at me, slight concern on her face. "Do you want me to leave?"

I nodded at her.

"Right," she began. "You know where to find me." She then stood, and walked out the door, shaking her head at Vinyl as she left.

Vinyl looked at me, confusion written all over her face. "Baby, what's going on?"

I stood, and turned away from Vinyl, placing my shades over my eyes. "How was the city?"

"It was nice," she spoke. "But that isn't answering my question."

I turned, and glared at Vinyl. I could tell by the look on her face that she was trying to hide something. "It should've answered your question perfectly."

"Bass, what are you talking about?"

"I saw you, Vinyl. With… him."

At that moment, all my fears had been confirmed, when her eyes went wide, and a grim look overtook her face. "I… I…"

"You, what, Vinyl?"

"I'm sorry, Bass," she yelled.

"Just go, Vinyl," I spoke, sadness painted all throughout my tone. "Just… go." I turned, and trudged into the kitchen, to pour myself a drink.

Everything went silent except for the sound of hoofsteps, and the door opening, then closing. I pulled my shades off, holding them in my hoof, as a single tear fell into my drink. Then I hurled the glasses across the room, the lenses shattering, as they hit the wall. Just like that, my life had been ruined, just like my glasses. My heart had been shattered, just like the amber lenses.

The house was silent again, as I trudged into the living room, and plopped down onto the couch, with my drink.

I had sat in silence for about an hour, when I heard the door open. I looked up to see Rainbow Dash cantering in. "I'm sorry, Bass. Are you okay?"

I looked back down to my drink. "No. I'm not okay."

Dash, nodded, and sat down next to me. "You know… if you ever need anything, you can come to me, alright?"

I nodded, and got out most of my sentence. "Thanks, Da-" Like I said, I got most of it out. I was only interrupted by a light blue muzzle meeting mine, and stopping the words from coming out. My eyes went wide, as I realized what exactly had just happened. I didn't fight it. Instead, I accepted it, and wrapped my front legs around Dash's slim, athletic waist.

Chapter 3: No Commitment

Broken Strings Ch. 3: No Commitment

The next morning, I woke to the sound of snoring. I felt a pair of legs wrapped around my upper body, as well as something else. Something feathery. I opened my eyes to see a sleeping cyan mare, a look of satisfaction on her face, with her wings draped over me. I smiled, and closed my eyes, just in time to open them again, as I heard the front door open. There was a series of hoofsteps, then the bedroom door opened. I looked to the door, and saw Twilight bucking Sparkle staring at me, an eyebrow raised. "Well, I never expected this. Well, not from Rainbow Dash, at least."

I wriggled my way out of Dash's embrace. "By Celestia, does everypony think there's a sign above my door that says 'Come right in'?"

Twilight rolled her eyes at me. "Whatever. I was just coming to check up on you. I saw Vinyl leaving yesterday, and decided it was best to stay out of it, but eventually decided against that. So, what happened?"

I rolled off the side of the bed, landing on my hooves, and stretched out my stiff joints. "Vinyl and I are through, Twilight. She cheated on me, then acted like nothing had happened."

Twilight's face turned to a look of sympathy. "That's horrible! Why would she do that?! I'm so sorry, Bass. What are you going to do, now?"

I looked out the window, at the hillside. I didn't usually bother to take in the view, and that still hadn't changed. The only reason I did so, this time was to gauge what time it was. Upon realizing that it was a few hours till noon, I rolled my eyes. "I don't know… I feel so strange…" I wasn't just saying that. I felt very strange. Almost as if some part of me was happy that Vinyl was gone. And the other part of me hated that part for feeling that way.

Twilight nodded. "Well, when Rainbow Dash wakes up, tell her that Applejack needed her help on the farm, today."

I shrugged. "Alright." Honestly, her first statement was finally starting to sink in, as she trotted out the door. I didn't know whether to be offended or not. Was everypony expecting me to be the kind of stallion who sleeps with every mare under the sun? Nah. Maybe it was just Twilight. I looked around, stretching, again. It was rather quiet around the house, which was strange. I had never quite gotten used to waking up and not hearing Vinyl's music from the living room. But now, it was a sad silence. I had just given my fiancé the hoof, yet I was coping with it all too well... Or so I thought.

I was heading for the door, when I heard the bed rustle. I looked back to see Rainbow Dash sitting up, her rainbow mane a shambles. She rubbed her eyes, and smiled at me. "Good morning, stud," she giggled. "Last night was amazing! Let's do that again, sometime. I mean, it was fun, and all, but I'm not exactly ready for any serious commitment."

I was shocked by Dash's nonchalant manner about all this, but could only nod in response.

"Cool," she said, hopping up, and shaking her mane out. "Well, I'm pretty sure Applejack needed me, today, so I'll see ya later, okay?"

I nodded again, as she trotted out the door. I stood, dumbfounded, as she left. I don't know how long I stood there, but I knew it was at least a few minutes. Once I finally broke free of my stupified shock, I trudged aimlessly around the house, trying to decide what to do with myself. Up until then, everything I did had something to do with Vinyl. Needless to say, I was clueless. I debated for a while, as I continued to wander aimlessly around the house. I found myself in the bedroom, looking at the pictures of myself and all of my old friends. I spent a moment on each one, as if one of them would come to life, and tell me what to do. I wandered between every picture. There was the picture of myself, and Rythm as foals, the picture of my first show with my band Fasthor5, a picture of myself, and Princess Luna. Looking back, I'm kind of surprised at how unprofessional I acted after being introduced to one of the princesses. I continued scanning through the pictures. I thought about talking to Treble about it, but she had only been in one relationship before her current one, and that one wasn't even that serious. Just as I passed the picture of Treble and Octavia, the answer practically jumped off the wall and smacked me in the face. It was a picture of myself, and Mic completely hammered, with a myriad of neon lights behind us. I didn't even give the idea a second thought, as I galloped out the door. Within a few hours, I found myself landing on Mic's balcony. Granted, the usual trip to Manehattan takes almost a day, by road, I have wings, so fuck roads. Plothole filled.

I knocked on Mic's balcony door, and waited semi-patiently for him to come to the door. The door opened slowly, as I saw the unicorn peek out from behind it. Once he recognized me, the door swung open. "Bass! I wasn't expecting you to come back so soon. Is everything alright, bud?"

I shook my head, trudging into the penthouse. Yes, I'm going to do a lot of trudging throughout the story. Get over it. I instantly sat down on the couch. "No, everything isn't alright. She really was cheating on me. I kicked her out, and the worst part about it is that I don't know what to do now." I looked to the ground, as I felt a hoof softly patting my back.

I looked back, and saw Mic shooting me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, little buddy. Everything's gonna be alright. Just wait. You'll see." He always called me little buddy. It wasn't because he was older than me. In fact, we're the same age. It was really because I was always small for my age.

I looked up at him, uncertainty written all over my face. "I sure hope so."

Mic walked toward the kitchen, and came out a few minutes later, levitating two drinks in front of him. "Drink up, Pal. We're gonna go see the city tonight."

Chapter 4: Same Old Song, Brand New Dance

I don't exactly recall how it happened, but I found myself in downtown Manehattan with Mic, in a dance club called the Dual Core. It was actually quite an interesting place. A two story club. On the top floor was a bar, where they played ambient electronic music, and on the lower floor, it was purely a dance club that played hardstyle house music, trance, and something called "dubstep."

Mic and I sat at the bar, sipping on some light blue beverage. The one thing that had been eating away at me all night is why Mic had asked me to bring my guitar. I didn't even ask, to be honest. I figured he'd explain in due time. I didn't think he had any real plans for it, especially since he asked me to bring my guitar to an electronic music club. After two of these relatively weak drinks, Mic decided to pull me downstairs. Of course, in the state I was in, I didn't care. Another odd thing I noticed was that the door to the downstairs area had a sign over it that read "Mic Night." I had assumed that it was supposed to say "Open Mic Night," but as before, I was wrong. As Mic pushed the door open, a loud roar of cheering erupted from the club within. I looked around, as my eyes took a moment to adjust to the bright lights within. Then I realized that they were all cheering for us... And we were on a stage. I had been set up. I tried to turn and escape, only to feel myself being levitated back toward the stage. About halfway to the stage, I quit struggling. I realized that this was going to happen, like it or not. Just as I was next to Mic, I was dropped onto the stage. I stood, and turned around, looking out at the ponies in the crowd. "Mic! Mic! Mic! Mic," they chanted, as their hero gave a bow and a grin, then levitated the microphone in front of his face.

"Good evening, Fillies and Gentlecolts," he spoke. "Tonight's show is a very special one, indeed. Tonight, I brought a very special guest with me."He turned, and smiled at me. "You all know who he is, but you might not recognize him. He's a really old friend of mine, and for a while, he was on top of the music industry. So, everypony give a warm welcome to my friend, Deep Bass!" As soon as he said my name, the crowd went wild. Mic walked over to me, and nodded toward the crowd. "Your fans are waiting.

I looked at him, already knowing I had lost. "Fine. Plug me in." With that, I slung my guitar around to my front, and found that the cable had already been plugged in. I shot Mic a questioning look, to which he responded with an innocent grin, as he walked up to the microphone.

"Alright, everypony. This is a song that Bass and I wrote years ago, and have never recorded, let alone played live. I don't have any doubt that you'll love it. Of course, we can't play this with only a guitar. So, allow me to introduce everypony's favorite musical technician, and my own little sister, Ivory Keys!"

I turned my head back to the door that led offstage, and saw a beautiful pure white earth pony mare with a long dark red mane with a streak of electric blue step through the door, onto the stage, holding a small box in her mouth, as she walked toward her table, which was littered with synth pads, a few keyboards, a computer screen, and a turntable. As she took her place behind the table, she set the box down, and waved to the crowd. I couldn't make out much more detail of the mare, due to the flashing lights, and the glare coming from her glasses.

I turned back to Mic, and turned my head in a slight confusion. I didn't remember him having a sister, let alone him ever mentioning her. But, then again, my memory was pretty well polluted by all the alcohol and drugs, and what not. I had only been sober for about nine months, so my head was still clearing up.

Mic smiled at me. "Well, pal? You ready to give these folks a show?"

I shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be. Which song are we doing, anyways?"

He kept his sly grin. "Surely you remember 'Cut by a Sharp Note,' Bass."

My expression turned for the worse. "You can't be serious," I scoffed. "That song was horrible!" It really was. No matter how I tried to disguise the fact, the song was a lost cause. We wrote it years ago. In fact, I think it was the first song I had written with another pony. We could never come up with lyrics to it, either, so that only added to the problem.

Mic shook his head. "It wasn't horrible, Bass. It was just… missing something. And I found that something. Just sing the chorus, when it comes up."

I rolled my eyes at my old friend. "Fine," I sighed. "I'm trusting you on this, Mic." I walked up to the microphone, and looked out on the smallest crowd I'd played for in years. There was a strange feeling in my gut, as I scanned the crowd of mares, and stallions, all of them my age with oddly styled manes. There's always a strange feeling of intimacy when you play for a smaller crowd. It's a feeling that makes any little mistake feel like a brick hitting your face. "Good evening, everypony," I spoke nervously into the microphone. "I'm Deep Bass, and this song's called 'Cut by a Sharp Note.' I haven't played this song in a few years, but I'll do my best for you." I backed away from the microphone, and stood up on my back legs, and began playing the intro on my guitar. It was a two bar, scale-styled, haunting melody. I had no clue what Mic had planned, so I played it as usual. After the first bar, I found a smile forming on my face, and I closed my eyes. After I made it through the second bar, I almost felt as though nothing had changed with the song… until Ivory's special talent kicked in. As I started the second half of the intro, my ears were suddenly assaulted by a loud blast of sounds. I tuned my ears in to the sounds, and picked out three distinct tones. The first was a low, solid bassline that seemed to blend perfectly with my melody, despite it being half the tempo. The second was a high synth, which, just like the bassline, complimented my melody masterfully. It was an up-octave mirror of the guitar line, but doubled. The third was an odd assortment of whooping sounds that had a rhythm of their own, yet still sounded amazing. The last was an unconventional drumline. These sounds continued with me through the second half of the intro. As I began to play the verse, the only thing that stayed with me was the drumline. Just as I started, Mic kicked in with his rapping. I won't lie. He had gotten a lot better.

My old friend put on his game face, and stepped up to the microphone, spitting out a quick rap verse.

Then came my turn. I let my hooves move for themselves, as I began the same riff as the intro, the assault of electronic sounds joining in again, as I belted out the chorus, in a style I had forgotten I was capable of. "Clipping a Stallion's wings ain't right, he'll fight for former glory. Cut my heart out with sharp notes, so I can sing this story. Love me under the moonlight, then leave me morning. Cut my heart out with sharp notes, so I can sing this story." After finishing the chorus, I went back to playing the verse, the drums and bass being my only company, aside from Mic's powerful voice.

After that, I played and sang the chorus once again, then came the most dread part of the song for me: the bridge. It was the one part of the song that we couldn't even get close to perfecting. Regardless, I played the first bar, never expecting what was about to happen. After the first bar of the bridge, one of the strings broke on my guitar. I was mortified. The whole song had gone off without a hitch up until that point. I thought it was all over. I was wrong. Just as the string broke, the electronic tones kicked in again. I looked at Mic, and he smiled at me. I knew what he wanted me to do, and I was definitely up for it. I slung the guitar back over my back, and landed back on all four hooves, and screamed into the microphone. I hadn't screamed like this since we wrote the song. I had forgotten how good it felt. "Nooooooo! Take it back now take it back down right nooooooow! Take it back down!" Then I let the rest of the bridge go without me. Then when the bridge was over, it was time for one more chorus. But I couldn't settle for just another chorus. I took the microphone for the last time of the night, and sang a melody the same progression as the verse guitar lines. "Stuck in this fantasy, I'm living in a dream, but now this dream feels like a bucking nightmare! Keep trying to escape, but fuck, I simply lack the means. Kicking, bleeding, screaming 'This is so unfair!' So full of hatred, in a state of agony. I hope nopony else around me ever has this curse on their hearts, I'm in a state of misery. Love with caution, and don't be so careless."

I looked among the crowd, as the instruments stopped, leaving nothing but a low, rolling bass note. The crowd was going absolutely wild, and I was loving it. I was an idiot for ever thinking I could abandon this life. I almost wanted to jump out into the crowd, but before I could even twitch a muscle to do so, I found myself being pulled back to the door, by the tail... Rather quickly. Then I saw the door shut, and I stood up, turning around, and looking at Mic, who was busy spitting black, and blue tail hairs from his mouth, and Ivory, who had the same small box as before in her mouth, trying her best to smile with the package between her teeth. Now that we were off stage, and in the rather well lit hallway, backstage, I could make out the little details of this stunning mare. Aside from the previously mentioned features, she also had the most beautiful sky blue eyes I had ever seen, and she wasn't wearing shades like Vinyl did, but instead, glasses, like Treble used to. Her cutie mark was a simple sixteenth note sitting in solitude on her flank. Then she bent down, and placed the small package on the ground, in front of my hooves. She then returned to her standing position, smiled sweetly at me, and spoke in the softest, most beautiful voice I had heard since my last moments with Rythm. "This is for you, Bass," she said. Her voice was like the most beautiful symphony. "I figured you'd need something to match your killer new look."

I smiled, and bent down, opening the box with a hoof. My eyes went wide, as I looked at the sunglasses, and bandana. The sunglasses were an odd, but fitting shape, with black frames, and blue lenses that matched the stripe in my mane and tail, and the bandana was black, with a matching blue rising sun design. I looked back up, and smiled at Ivory. "Thank you, Ivory Keys. These are amazing."

She blushed at me, and giggled, which oddly made my heart melt. "Please, Bass. Just call me Ivory."

((Post-read:)) Hah! Bet you didn't think you'd ever see one of these from me, again! Well, this is going to be a formal apology to anyone who actually enjoyed the happy epilogue to LTBR, which was shamelessly deleted from the Fimfiction universe the day that I decided to start writing Broken Strings and BPM's. I'm not sorry for doing that, actually. If I had kept it up, it would've just been a giant Plothole. And for those of you who liked Strings Eternal, fear not. I haven't abandoned the project yet, despite it only having been an LTBR ripoff up until probably chapter five. Another reason Strings is so hard for me to write is because Treble's character is a world away from Bass's. I base Bass's personality off my own, as to where Treble's is completely fabricated. Well, hopefully this story will make up for the halting of Strings Eternal.

Chapter 5: Breakfast at Ivory's

The night was still young, and Mic, and I had ventured off to another night club, dropping my guitar off at a shop, to be restrung. I took this as a sign that I wouldn't be tricked into playing another show. Which ended up being correct. This time, we ended up at another dance club. Not much of a dancer, myself, I used it as another chance to sample the local specialties. And scope out the local mares. At this point, I could care less about anything... Until I found out who the DJ at this particular club was. I turned to check out the stage, and there, behind two turntables, and a computer screen, much like Keys' setup, was a light brown unicorn stallion, with a white, spiked mane. Yeah… that one.

"Good evening, fillies and gentlecolts," he spoke through a grin. "I hope you're all having a good night, so far. I'm Sharp Flats, and I'm going to be your host for the evening." He looked at me, and Mic, then grinned.

Mic looked over to me. "You know him, Bass?"

I turned my eyes to Mic, and shook my head. "Not exactly."

"You sure? Because you've been glaring at him since he started talking."

I sighed. "That's the asshole that Vinyl cheated on me with."

Mic looked back at the DJ, then back at me. "We can leave, if you want, Bass."

I shook my head, and took another sip of my drink. "No, let's just enjoy the night."

Mic shrugged. "If you say so, bud."

After a few hours, we decided to pay our tab, and leave. If only it was that easy.

As Mic and I walked out, we were stopped by a challenging tone. "Hey, you! Has-been!"

I don't know how I knew he was talking about me, but I did. I whipped around, and glared at the brown stallion. "What do you want?"

He grinned at me with a smug look. "I just wanted to show you just how much better than you Vinyl can do. It seems your girl has a thing for talent. Maybe that's why she ditched you."

I couldn't help but feel absolutely furious, and it showed. Fortunately for the brown stallion, Mic stepped between us. "Look, pal. Bass has more talent in a single hair than you do in your whole body."

Flats grinned a wicked grin. "I highly doubt that one trick pony could come up with anything original if his life depended on it."

"You just wait," Mic snarled. "My old pal, here, is a musical mastermind. He'll put you to shame any day of the bucking week."

The DJ chuckled, so smug in his self-confidence. "I'd love to see that." Then, he turned, and retreated back into the club.

Mic turned, and cantered back over to me. "Don't worry about him, Bass. He's just arrogant because he cheated his way into a nightly gig in a dive bar. He'll never come close to what you've done."

I smiled at my long-time partner in crime. "Thanks, bro. It means a lot."

"Hey, what are friends for, if not to help out?"

I knew Mic was trying to help out, and he kind of did, but I couldn't help but compare myself to the asshole. He had confidence. He was at least two years younger than me. But most of all, he had Vinyl. I could care less about getting Vinyl back at that point. Especially after what she did to me. I just wanted to go back to Mic's, and go to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up in a rather decently sized bed. I guess Mic had a spare bedroom, so I didn't have to crash on the couch. I sat up in the soft bed, and looked around. Something was amiss. I tried desperately to figure out what it was, scanning the room. After a few seconds, I figured it out. The box that held my bandana, and shades was on the nightstand, and the smell of breakfast was in the air. I got out of bed, and donned my new bandana, tying it around my neck, and walked out of the bedroom, to find out who was creating the hypnotic aroma.

I slowly walked into the kitchen, and spotted Keys standing at the oven, her mane tied back, and splitting a spatula of freshly cooked bacon between two plates, preloaded with scrambled eggs, and a fresh biscuit. She turned, and smiled at me. "Good morning, Bass. I hope you slept well."

I smiled back at the lovely mare, who was showing me such kindness. "I did, actually. So, where's Mic?"

Ivory looked at me, and shrugged. "Probably at his place."

Now fully awake from the shock of that statement, my eyes went wide. "S-s-so… I'm at… YOUR place?"

She giggled. "No, we're in the royal castle in Canterlot, and I am Princess Ivory, Mistress of Music throughout the land" Then she busted out laughing. I'll admit, her sense of humor was pretty adorable. Almost as adorable as her laugh. "Well, last night, after you and Mic left the club, you both came here. You were both kind of drunk. Anyways, you two were arguing about who was going to sleep in Mic's bed. He was going to let you have his bed, and he was going to sleep on the couch, but you refused to let him do that. You two argued back and forth for a few minutes. It was actually kind of funny. Well, I decided to step in, and I offered to let you stay here for the night. I don't get many guests besides Mic, since I'm so wrapped up in my work, so it was nice to have somepony new over for a change," she continued. I listened intently to her words, almost as if they were important. Then, I couldn't help but smile when she giggled again. "Especially somepony so romantic." Then the smile was gone.

I lowered my head slightly. "I'm uh… sorry if I tried anything, last night."

She held her cheerful smile, and kissed me on the cheek. "You didn't. You were a perfect gentlecolt. In fact, the only thing that happened was that you earned a kiss goodnight. It's the least I could do for the pony who saved my career."

I looked up, in a slight confusion. "I did what?"

She nodded, having taken her plate to the table, and sat down. "Well, last time we met, I was the keyboard player for Silver Sky. And after you helped myself and Up Tempo ruin her, I was able to finally find my true calling. So, how are you and Vinyl?"

Now, of everything that had happened that morning, I think it's safe to add that to the list. Did she really not know? How could Mic not have told her? I had already grabbed my plate, and sat at the table. When she asked that, my expression turned around completely. "Vinyl and I… We split up, recently."

Her look turned to that of concern. "Oh no! If you don't mind me asking, what exactly happened between you two?" I was absolutely puzzled. How could this mare that I had only met once possibly give a damn about my problems?

"Well," I began. "Long story short, she cheated on me with Sharp Flats."

Ivory quickly swallowed the food she had in her mouth, almost choking on it. "Are you bucking serious? THAT loser?"

"You know him?" I inquired.

"Of course I do. I used to work with him. He's never had an original thought in his life. He's just a dumb, half-flanked ripoff of Deadpon-3."

I nodded, and went about eating my breakfast.

"So, Mr. Bass. I've got you for the day. Is there anything you'd like to do?"

I thought for a few minutes, as I chewed my mouthful of food, then swallowed it down. "Well, I would love to see the city, actually."

"Yay," she squealed, clapping her hooves together. "I'm gonna show you all my favorite places!" She looked at me, a blush of embarrassment on her face. "Um… if you want to, that is."

As I smiled at Ivory, something told me that today was going to be an awesome day.

Chapter 7: Life Less Frightening

Broken Strings, Ch. 7:

It was a cloudy morning, and Ivory and I were reaching the outskirts of Ponyville. I still remember when she asked me to show her my house there.

It was just a few days ago. I had just woke up, and smiled at the mare still sleeping next to me. Now, I know what you're thinking "Bass, you stud!" Or even "Dude, that's your best friend's sister!" Well, at this point, our relationship was… complicated, to say the least. We weren't dating, and we weren't mating, but it was actually kind of nice. She kept my mind off of things like Vinyl, or that jerk, Sharp Flats. It was really nice.

I got out of bed, and stretched, giving my stiff joints some relief, and stretching my wings out. I gave the sleeping mare another glance, and smiled as she kicked her front hoof, in her sleep, and muttered "Shut up, dummy." I chuckled quietly. I figured it was safe to assume that she was dreaming about me.

I trotted out into the living room, and turned on the radio.

"Good morning, Manehattan," the radio host said cheerfully. "It's going to be a bright and sunny day… in some other city. However, we will have a nice light snow all day. Sounds like a nice day to take that special somepony out for a romantic walk."

"Speaking of special someponies," the other host chimed in. "That brings us to our weekly segment, 'What's Up in the Biz!'"

"That's right, I'm Rock Talker, along with Whinny Hooveston, here to bring you the weekly news of what's happening with your favorite musicians, and the music industry, itself. Go ahead, Whinny."

"Well, just yesterday, the newest face on the scene, Hydra's Vinyl Scratch, formally denounced her involvement with her big name Fiancé, Deep Bass, formerly of Fasthor5, about nine months after the famous onstage proposal. And on another note, Bass was recently spotted around Manehattan, on a few occasions. On one occasion, he was seen performing with Mic the Microphone Zero at the Dual Core, and on another occasion, wandering around the city with Ivory Keys, who was once the keyboardist for Silver Sky, then worked with Sharp Flats on minor parts of some of his songs."

"Seems like a whole lot of love going around the biz. In other news, Sharp Flats just announced the upcoming release of a new song named 'Bass Drop,' with the assistance of the previously mentioned Vinyl Scratch. Also, Strings Eternal, which, for those of you who have been living in a cave, consists of Soft Treble, Octavia Philharmonica, Up Tempo, and Echo Minor, has just announced a country-wide tour."

"And that's our weekly 'Wha-"

What? You didn't actually expect me to listen to any more of that garbage, did you? I quickly turned the radio off, and cantered out the front door, grabbed the morning newspaper, and headed back inside.

Once inside, I set the paper on the table, then headed toward the cabinets, digging for something to eat. It had been quite a while since I had to cook for myself, so I was having some difficulty finding something at my current skill level. I continued digging, keeping a mental list of anything that I could possibly make, myself. "Pop-tarts? What the buck is a 'pop-tart?'" I began reading the box. "Toaster Pastry? What the hay is a bucking toaster?" Now, I'm not stupid, okay? Toasters were still a rather new invention, and we didn't exactly have one, when I was growing up. And I don't think anypony in Ponyville had one either.

I looked around the kitchen, trying to find this 'toaster.' I spent a few seconds scanning before I spotted a shiny cube-like object with two slits on it, much like the one pictured on the pastry box. I reached back up into the cabinet, and grabbed a loaf of bread, bringing it along with me, along with the odd pastries. I set the bread and pastries on the counter in front of the metal cube that would soon become my nemesis. This was new to me. Yeah, I know. I could figure out a multifunction guitar amplifier like it was nothing, yet here I was, stumped by a simple machine.

I managed to slip two pieces of bread into the slits on top, as I read in the instructions on the back of the pastry box. I pressed the small knob on the front of the cube downward, only to have it spring right back up. I inspected the bread to find it exactly the same as before. Quite sure that this was not my desired result, I pressed the knob down again, only for the same thing to happen. Now irritated by the machine, I pressed the knob down again… and again… and one last time before a giggle sent me into a fit of embarrassed blushing. "You know, Bass," the beautiful voice giggled, "it might help if you plug it in."

I turned quickly, the blush refusing to fade, as I looked at the mare, with her bed head. "You know, you really shouldn't sneak up on ponies like that. You scared me, a little."

She cantered up to me, and gently tapped my cheek with a hoof. "Shut up, Dummy." She flashed me a smile, and plugged the toaster in, then pushed the knob downward, and to my surprise, it stayed down. "You know, if you wanted breakfast, all you had to do is ask."

I chuckled lightly, as I shifted my gaze from the toaster, back to the beautiful mare before me. "You looked so peaceful, sleeping. Besides, I'm a big colt, I can handle myself." This statement earned me a fit of laughter, and another tap on the cheek.

"Shut up, Dummy."

About an hour later, Ivory and I were sitting at the table, enjoying a nice, well cooked breakfast, compliments of chef Keys. It was rather enjoyable, just the two of us sitting at the table, a decent soundtrack playing in the background. It was a nice mix of old rock. I believe at that moment, Donk Henley's "Colts of Summer" was playing.

I had just scooped a large spoonful of egg into my mouth, as Ivory broke the silence. "So, tell me about yourself, Bass? I mean there's so much that I don't know about you."

I quickly swallowed my mouthful, nearly choking as it went down. "Well, the same could be said for you, Miss Keys. How about you go first."

She nodded, and circled her hoof around on the table, as she began to tell me her life story. "Well, I was born in Phillydelphia, and from the moment I could walk, I was always following Mic around. In fact, the day that our parents separated was probably the saddest day of my life. When they split, Mic stayed with our father, and I moved away to Steedston with our mother. It was so lonely, there. I had the hardest time making friends. I started playing my mom's old piano to pass the time, and eventually became pretty good at it. Then I thought 'Maybe if I start performing, I'll travel, and see Mic again.' Well, not long after I started putting my name out there, I met Cloudy Night, and Up Tempo. I guess that's the first time I ever saw you. You were still dating her, when I joined her band. I thought you were pretty cool, but I knew that you were spoken for. Then she kicked you to the curb. I guess that's when I first started resenting her. She has somepony who cared about her, yet she just tossed you away. Well, then we toured for a while, and during a show in Phillydelphia, I saw Mic again. I was so happy to see him. After that, we kept touring, and eventually came the concert in Steedston. After that, I moved back to Philly for a while, and started making techno. I worked with Sharp Flats for a while, and quit once he kept trying to get with me. Then I moved to Manehattan, and met an amazing Pegasus who makes my heart grow wings every time I see him. Other than that, there isn't much. Else about me."

I raised my eyebrow at the mare. "Hmmm. And, if you don't mind me asking, who might this lucky pegasus be?"

She giggled, and waved a hoof. "No, no. I'm not going to bother you with that."

I kept my eyebrow raised. "Oh, please do. I'd like to know who I have to beat up to win your heart."

She nearly fell out of her chair with laughter at that. "Now that, I'd pay to see. It's your turn, anyways, babe- I mean Bass."

"What did you call me?"

Her white face turned as red as her mane. "I said 'Bass.' Now go ahead."

My brow slowly relaxed. "Right." I then relayed to her my life story up until the present.

"You really lived in Ponyville? I heard it's really nice, there."

And this is the point where I may have made a decent mistake. "Would you like to see it? I still have a house there, you know."

Her eyes lit up in the most adorable way possible, as she squealed in delight.

I couldn't help but smile. "I'll take that as a yes, then?"

She nodded, the excitement never fading from her eyes.

"Cool," I began, carrying my empty plate to the sink. "Let's go. It's about a day's trip from here."

We quickly ordered a carriage. I wouldn't dare make such a sweet mare walk all that way. About a day later, we arrived at my house on the outskirts of Ponyville. Of course, all nice things end eventually, and, much to my dismay, there, knocking at my door at the most inconvenient time, was the last white unicorn I wanted to see... Ever. She turned, and spotted me getting out of the carriage, then helping Ivory out, and she trotted up to us with her usual egomaniacal pomp. "Oh, good afternoon, darling," she shrilled. "I was just coming to see how things were going. I heard what happened. How horrible!" Then she turned her gaze to Ivory. "And who is your new friend?"

"Well, thanks for coming to check on me, Rarity. I'm perfectly fine." I turned to Ivory, and smiled. "This is my friend, Ivory."

Ivory stepped forward, and extended a hoof to Rarity. "Hello, Miss Rarity. It's always a pleasure to meet Bass' other friends." She looked over at me, just in time to spot me retching at the fact that she called Rarity my friend, and giggled. Rarity didn't see it, since I had moved to a position behind her.

Rarity raised a hoof to meet Ivory's. "The pleasure is mine, Ivory. It's nice to see that at least one of Bass' friends has some manners. So, where are you from, Ivory?"

Ivory glanced at me, just in time to spot me facehoofing. She must've picked up on the hint, because instead of telling Rarity that she was from Manehattan, she chose the smart alternative. "Oh, me? I'm from Steedston."

Rarity nodded. "Ah. Charming little town. Well, I must be on my way. It was nice meeting you, Ivory."

I heaved a sigh of relief, as the fashionista trotted off into the distance, then led Ivory into the small house. She looked around the living room, letting her eyes wander. I dismissed myself for a moment, and quickly ran out to check my mail. Of course, it was the same old mail. I brought the bundle of letters inside, and set them on the table, not even bothering to flip through them. I cantered back to the living room, where Ivory was sitting on the couch, flipping through a photo album she must've found.

"You two seemed rather happy, together," she began. "I don't see how things went so wrong."

I sat down next to her, and glanced at the album. It was full of pictures of myself and Vinyl from the whole time we were together. "I guess ponies change over time, Iv."

"Pfff. What, were you too grown up for her, or something? I mean why else would she have cheated on you with Sharp Flats?"

I shook my head, and closed the album. "I don't know, and I don't care, anymore. It's the pa-" Yeah. I don't exactly always get to finish my sentences. Although, I didn't mind this disruption. I found myself being pushed over, onto my back, staring into Ivory's sky blue eyes, her lips pressed to mine. I was helpless and I loved it. I spent a moment enjoying the passionate kiss until, almost like a bucking curse, the door swung open, and in the most cheerful manner possible, a pale gold unicorn with a red and white striped, straight mane trotted in.

"Oh, dear brother," she sang out. It was her own little sense of humor, I guess. Especially since she knew it annoyed me.

I looked at her, my eyes wide as I heard the voice, and Ivory and I turned simultaneously toward the door, spotting not only my sister, but Octavia standing just on the other side of the door, an eyebrow raised. "Um, T," she spoke. "You have the worst timing."

I looked back at my sister, then back at Ivory, who was apparently as stunned as my sister and I were.

"Um… sorry, Bass. I should've… knocked."

A few awkward minutes later, the four of us were sitting in the dining room, and Treble was digging through the stack of mail on the table, and pulled one out, opened it, and held it in front of my face. "See! I told you I sent a letter!"

I rolled my eyes, sipping my usual drink. "Whatever. I haven't even been home for a few weeks."

Octavia giggled. "Yes, so we've heard."

I snapped my gaze to her. "How did you… oh..."

The two mares spoke in unison, neither of them sounding too enthusiastic. "'What's up in the biz?'"

Octavia rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her tea, which had a splash of her favorite whiskey, Jura, in it. "I swear, Rock Talker needs to quit his day job."

I looked over to Ivory, who had been silently sipping an unaltered glass of tea, then back to Treble. "So, here we are. Bass and Ivory. Are you two…"

I face blushed a deep red, as I answered Treble's question, although not how I meant to. "Not yet… I mean no." Then I felt the heat. Like every eye in the room was on me, save my own. I looked around to see Treble and Octavia both shooting me the eyebrow, and then finally, Ivory blushing almost as heavily as I was. "We're just… friends."

"Really?" Octavia decided to speak up, shooting me a grin. "Because Vinyl and I never kissed like that."

I blushed, and looked over to Ivory, who appeared to be trying to bury her face in her hooves. Then I looked at Treble, who was grinning at me. "Wanna give me a legitimate answer, now?" Apparently, Octavia's fanciness had rubbed off on Treble, because she had never used the word "legitimate" before.

I raised an eyebrow at her "That was the honest answer."

"Right," my sister sighed. "So how long do you plan on being in Ponyville?"

I shrugged, taking another sip of my drink.

Well, if you don't mind, Octavia and I would like to take my old bandmate for a tour of the town, if that's fine with her.

Ivory's eyes lit up. "Oh, that sounds amazing, Treble!"

Sure enough within the hour, the three musical mares were gone, leaving me alone in my house. Perfect moment to relax, unwind… and royally fuck up.

Chapter 8: A Dash of Trouble

Broken Strings Ch. 8:

There was a rapid knocking at my door. I was actually looking forward to relaxing without interruption, but fate always had to have its hoof in things, I guess. I set my drink down, and cantered to the door, slowly pulling it open, spotting the cyan mare with the rainbow mane, just as she pounced on me, squealing in glee. I was caught completely by surprise, falling to the ground. Now, I'm not used to being tackled, the moment I open the door. As a result, I began flailing wildly, abandoning my cool and collected demeanor for one of sheer panic and terror, screaming as I flailed like a madstallion. I was only snapped from my madness by the sound of the rainbow colored mare rolling on the ground, laughing hysterically. I stopped my flailing and glared at Dash, still laying on my back. "Are you insane, Dash?! You scared the living daylights out of me!" I was far beyond normal speaking, and was now yelling.

She managed to snap out of her laughing fit, and got up to her hooves. "Hey, ease up on the Royal Canterlot Voice, pal. I was coming to visit. Rarity said you were in town, so I wanted to see my flying buddy."

I climbed up to my hooves, and fixed my mane, which had become messed up during my fit of madness. "Ah. So Rarity's telling everypony now, is that it?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "No, just me." Then, I felt her lips up to mine, as she pushed me back toward the couch.

I tried to speak, but my words were muffled by Dash's lips, as I was forced to lay down on the couch, then was pinned down by the mare's full weight. After a few moments of this unwanted attention, she finally broke the kiss. "What's with the sudden change of attitude, Dash?"

"Sorry, it's just nice to have you back. It's just been kinda lonely, lately. Even that egghead's been busy. Ever since Trixie came back. I've been thinking about things, lately, and I really do want this." She smiled at me, blushing. "I want to be... Your little Dashie."

A few minutes later, I found myself in an awkward situation. Not physically, but mentally. Here I was, one of my friends making advances on me, but it wasn't what I wanted. Yet, here I was, enjoying every momentof this. But in the back of my mind, I knew that this isn't what I wanted. I really just didn't know how to tell her. Plus, how could I when her mouth was muffling every word that came out of mine? Then, the worst possible thing happened. The door swung open, and in walked the three mares from earlier, all three of them staring at me, jaws dropped. That's when I realized that I fucked up. I turned my head, breaking the kiss just in time to see Ivory turn and gallop out the door, tears in her eyes. I quickly pushed Dash off of my, not caring if she hit the floor or the wall, and got off the couch, galloping out the door, after her.

"Ivory, wait," I yelled, but she just kept running. "Please stop! Let me explain!"

She slowed to a canter, and stopped a few feet after. "What is there to explain, Bass? Obviously, you like that mare more than me! And now, it's obvious that everything has been a lie! Goodbye, Bass." She didn't even give me a chance to say anything. She just walked away, as I struggled to find the words to apologize. I turned, and flew off back to my house.

I arrived to Treble and Octavia sitting on the couch, giving me the death glare as I entered. "Well?" Treble was obviously disappointed in me. I could tell by the tone of her voice. It was a tone that I heard quite often in my life. "Explain yourself, brother." At least she was giving me the chance to.

I told her the entire story. I told her everything, sparing no detail. "I just don't know what to do, Treb. I really like Ivory, and now she probably doesn't want anything to do with me. I... I really messed up." I was a mess. I was sitting on the floor, staring down at my hooves the whole time I was telling the story.

"That's easy, Bass," Octavia spoke up. "You go to her, and you pour your heart out to her. If she means that much to her, you let her know, right out." I guess this advice stemmed from Octavia being the sucker that she is for a good romantic story... well, except for that one that she was in. That's a story for another time, though. Try and justify the source of this advice all you like, but It was the only thing I had to go on.

"Ladies," I began. "How would you two like to come with me to Manehattan?"

Chapter 9: Come Clarity

Broken Strings Ch. 9: Come Clarity

It had been a long night of traveling, and the sun was just cresting the horizon. Birds were chirping, and the morning was just beginning. It was a new day. A perfect day to make amends. If only it was as easily done as it was said.

I looked to my right, and saw Treble leaning against the side of the carriage, neck deep in slumber, Octavia nuzzled up against her. I couldn't help but smile at how adorable it was. I would have loved to be taken in by sleep's sweet embrace, but I had too many things on my mind.

In the last couple of weeks, I had begun to feel something for Ivory. I began to see her as more than a friend, and more of that special somepony. In fact, I think she would've loved to see the sunrise, today. It was especially beautiful. As the sun rose, and began changing the color of the sky, itself, I couldn't help but think about her eyes, which were the same color as the daytime sky. Maybe this is when I finally realized that possibly… maybe… perhaps I had fallen for the mare. I tried to push that thought out of my head, for the simple fact that I was afraid to love again. After what Vinyl did to me, I just didn't want to get hurt again. After a few moments, I softly poked Treble with a hoof. "Hey, Treb," I whispered.

She stirred for a second, then opened her eyes, turning her head to look at me, over the sleeping Octavia. "What is it, Bass?"

I looked out at the sunrise. "I… I don't know what's going on with me."

My twin sister must've picked up on my slight insecurity, since she tried to wriggle her way to a sitting position. "It's about Ivory, isn't it?" Did she even have to ask?

"Yeah," I replied, hesitantly.

"You love her, don't you?"

I quickly turned my gaze to my sister. "How did you-"

"Bass, I'm your sister. I know you better than you do. And since I know what you're going to say next, yes. She does love you back."

"How do you-"

"She told me, Bass."

Then, the apparently sleeping Octavia grumbled. "It's true, Bass. Now will both of you return to silence? I need my beauty sleep."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "You're damn right you do." Of course, this was met with a backhoof to the face from the grey mare.

"Silence!"

The trip was only halfway through at this point. Octavia started whining about having to sit for so long, so we made a quick stop outside Canterlot. The whole time, I had to fight the two mares to keep them from running off into the city to go shopping. After about an hour, we continued on for Manehattan.

It was early evening when we arrived in the city, and I hadn't slept since Ivory had run off. I hadn't eaten either. The moment the carriage came to a stop, I hopped up, and jumped out, paying the puller, and running off to find Ivory. Celestia knows what Treble and Octavia did.

I started in a quick gallop, then spread my wings, taking off into the sky, beginning my search. The first place I went was the obvious decision. I landed on Ivory's doorstep, knocking quickly, only to find that the door was unlocked. My heart sank. I have a bad history with unlocked doors, and I was truly afraid of what I might find. I slowly pushed the door open, preparing myself for the worst. I peered into the dark apartment, finding everything much too dark to see. I quickly found the lightswitch, took a deep breath to prepare myself, then flicked the switch to find… nothing different from the night we left. No Ivory anywhere. I searched the entire apartment, only to come up empty-hoofed.

Still desperate to find the mare I loved, I ran out, an took off again, doing the only sensible thing I could. A few minutes later, I landed on the balcony of Mic's penthouse, to see the lights on, and Mic on the couch, listening to his records.

I knocked on the window, and watched him rise from the couch, and unlock the door with his magic. I cantered into the penthouse, toward my old friend. "Hey, Mic. I-"

"What did you do to my little sister, Bass?" He had an almost deadly calmness to his tone. If I wasn't afraid before, I definitely was, now.

"Mic, I'm sorry. I-"

Mic hopped up, and glared at me. "'I'm sorry' doesn't answer my question. Now, why… did you hurt… my little sister?"

I was at a total loss for words. I stood there, dumbfounded until I felt myself tilted off my feet, and my head swung to one side, as Mic reared back, and hit me hard in the face with a heavy right hoof.

I slowly collected myself, and got back up on my hooves. "Right… I probably deserved that... Now, can I explain myself?"

"You've got thirty seconds, Bass." He was serious. I could tell by the anger in his eyes.

I cleared my throat, and began telling him everything.

"So, wait… you never actually did anything with this Dash chick?"

"Well, once. But that was before Ivory."

"And you really love my sister? Don't you lie to me."

"Yes… I do." I was expecting another hoof to the face, so I prepared myself, closing my eyes, and gritting my teeth. After a few seconds of nothing, I opened my eyes again, only to see Mic grinning at me.

"Well, it's her that you've gotta convince, not me. She's going to be DJing at the Dual Core in about half an hour. We'd better get going, if you want her."

Next thing I knew, we were out the door, heading to the club where I had regained my confidence in music. After getting through the door, we headed to the door that had led us to the stage the level below. We were headed through another hallway, which led to the backstage area. An area that I had never seen. It was a small lounge, complete with a bar. I looked around, spotting Ivory with no difficulty at all. Apparently, she did the same.

She turned, and set her eyes on me then stood, an cantered out of the lounge. I was about to give up, when I felt Mic nudge me. "Go, bud. Don't give up."

I nodded, then followed after her. I followed her out the door, and halfway down the hallway. "Ivory, wait," I called out to her. "Give me a chance to explain."

She turned, and gave me a look that could pierce a brick wall. "No, Bass. I don't want to hear it." I could see tears building in her eyes. At that point I knew that she just wanted to believe that this was all some bad dream. That she'd wake up, and none of this will have ever happened.

I saw a small window of opportunity, and took it. "Ivory, look. I didn't want anything from Rainbow Dash. I only want to be with you." Not exactly the best choice of words, I suppose.

She shook her head, and now I could see the tears. "Bass… please. Just go home."

Any other time, I would've been beaten. But this time was different. I felt as though I had nothing to lose. I shut my mind out, and let my heart speak for once. "Ivory… I'm already home."

Through her tears, I could see that she was giving me a look of confusion. "What are you talking about, Bass?"

I cantered closer to her, and looked her straight in the eyes. "Well, the always say that home is where the heart is. And well… my heart is here… in your hooves. And I wouldn't have it any other way."

I watched as her eyes filled with the same longing that I imagine she saw in my eyes. "Bass… are you trying to say you…"

"Yes, Ivory. I love you. I don't know how, or when it happened, but all I know is that ever since you left my side, I just couldn't stop thinking about you. I haven't been able to sleep. I haven't been able to eat. Hay, I haven't even been able to think straight. I need you, Ivy."

She stared into my eyes, blushing. I don't even know what expression ran across her face at that moment, since my eyes were locked with those sky blue gems. All that I know is that her tears had me on the verge of my own. "I… I love you too, Bass!" She finally broke eye contact, and jumped at me, wrapping her forelegs around me.

I didn't want to say a word. I responded by wrapping my forelegs around her, as well as my wings, holding her in a protective embrace. From this moment on, she would be my Ivory Keys, and I wasn't going to let anypony hurt her ever again.

Just as I thought the hug would last forever, the silence was broken by a soft sob. I turned my head to see Treble and Octavia standing behind me, Treble wiping a tear from her cheek. "It's so beautiful."

I looked at Ivory, and noticed that she was smiling at me. I couldn't help but smile back, as we both leaned in toward each other, our muzzles pressing together in a passionate kiss.

"Well, why doesn't this surprise me?"

Needless to say, the moment was bittersweet.

Chapter 10: Mare From Filly

Broken Strings Chapter 10: That Mare From Filly

((Pre-read: Eeeeeyup!))

Alright, everypony. This is where the fecal matter becomes non-fictional. So, there we were. It was me, Ivory, Treble, and Octavia. I had just made up with Ivory, and I thought everything was going to be fine, however, fate's hoof just likes to meddle in everything. Of course, as a result, what happens next made everything just that much more complicated. Okay. Now, where did I leave off? Oh yeah. Moment bittersweet, roger that.

As this all too familiar voice hit my ears, I couldn't help but sigh. How could I have expected the moment to be perfect? I looked over Ivory's shoulder, as we broke the embrace. Of course, just as I thought, I was looking directly at a pair of purple shades, and a sly smirk. Ivory turned, and shot the unicorn a glare.

"What do you want?" I don't think I had ever heard Ivory's voice sound that angry.

"What's the matter, foal? Can't a REAL DJ play a low end gig every once in a while?"

I knew what Vinyl was doing… and I didn't like it one bit.

Ivory snarled at Vinyl, and stamped her hoof. "So, all you can do is stand there and call me names? That's rather mature, Vinyl."

Then, a light brown unicorn stallion with a spiked, white mane walked into the hallway, on Vinyl's side. "There a problem, Babe?"

Ivory must've snapped. The sweet voice I knew was now angry. It was honestly the first time I had heard that in her voice. "Yeah, Flats. There is a problem! And if Vinyl doesn't step off, she's going to walk away wall-eyed!"

Vinyl must've been steaming as well. I could see it on her face. "And just who do you think you are, bitch?!"

"I'm the bitch who's going to do to your body what you did to my stallion's heart, you arrogant cunt!" Now, that's a new word… at least coming from Ivory.

Vinyl was about to charge at Ivory, but, luckily for one of the two mares, Flats stepped in front of her, his arrogant smirk visible. "How about you let the men handle this?" His intervention was short-lived, as Vinyl pushed him aside, and charged at Ivory.

I watched, in a slight shock, as Ivory turned away from Vinyl, and kicked both hind legs up, striking Vinyl in the face with a force that would make Applejack proud. Vinyl went flying back, her shades shattered by the kick. She toppled into Sharp Flats, as she landed. She hopped up, and made a second approach at Ivory, who was now facing her. As Vinyl and Ivory collided, the erupted into a mass flurry of hooves. I watched in a delayed horror, as I watched Ivory biting on Vinyl's chest, while taking repeated strikes to the side. I looked back at Treble, and Octavia. We all knew that we had to intervene. At the same time, the three of us descended upon the tussling mares, myself, and Treble grabbing Ivory, while Octavia grabbed Vinyl.

Having separated the mares, I couldn't help but notice that Sharp Flats was laughing hysterically at the fact that either one of the mares could've been seriously hurt. I debated showing the fucker the true definition of pain, but decided against it, deciding to tend to Ivory instead.

I looked down at the mare, who was now spitting a tuft of white fur out of her mouth. "Are you alright, Ivy?" I looked back up to see Vinyl, and Sharp Flats cantering away.

"Yeah, Bass. I'm fine. That mare just has quite a way of pissing me off."

((Post-read:)) Alright, look. I know that this was a relatively short chapter, but I couldn't leave you guys on a cliffhanger for a whole month (like another author…). So, I hope you enjoyed chapter 10.

Chapter 11: Before the Dawn

Broken Strings Chapter 11: Before the Dawn

It was a somewhat quiet evening. Treble and Octavia had got a hotel room, and were doing Luna knows what, and Ivory and I were sitting on her balcony, looking up at the stars. A beautiful evening, and a beautiful mare by my side. I couldn't have asked for more. Yes, even with her bruised side, and her black eye, she was still beautiful to me. Even though I now knew to never get on her bad side.

"What constellation is that, Bass?" Ivory pointed her hoof toward a strange constellation, while leaning on me.

"I don't know, Babe. I'm not normally the stargazing type."

She looked at me. "Oh, come on, Starry-eyes."

I laughed and kissed her on the forehead. "That doesn't mean that I see the stars all day, Babe."

She smiled, and stared into my eyes. "Well, I could look at them all day."

I couldn't help but blush at her comment, as I looked back into her sky blue eyes. She was truly beautiful. "What did I ever do to deserve somepony as amazing as you, Ivy?"

She giggled, and softly tapped my muzzle with a hoof. "Well, if love was so simple, I'd know. The real question is this. What would I ever do without you?"

I thought for a second, and smiled. "Hopefully, you'd find me. I've never been happier."

She giggled, and tapped my snout again. "Shut up, Dummy. That's not what I meant."

"Well, well. You're quite the violent one." I couldn't hold back the smile that was fighting its way out.

"Sorry, Bass. I guess I'm too used to being on my own. I've never been in an actual relationship."

"So you've never…"

She must've known what I meant, because she quickly shook her head. "No… I was kind of hoping… that you could be my first."

I was almost speechless. I had thought about it. I really had, but I never expected that it would be her first. "I… I would be honored, Ivy. Only if you're sure you're ready, though."

She nodded, almost as if she had expected me to say that. "I'm definitely ready, Bass."

I smiled lovingly at her. "Then I promise I'll be gentle." The moment I finished speaking, I found myself being pushed back, smothered by a crushing hug.

"Thank you, Bass!"

Now, my inner stallion would love to tell you what happened next, but I don't know if any foals will be reading this. So, to spare you the details, just know that it was amazing.

It was now around midnight, and we were lying in Ivory's bed, her head on my chest, much like Vinyl used to do. I couldn't take my eyes off of her, as I stroked her mane with my hoof. There was one thing that still weighed heavily on my mind. Something that I absolutely had to clarify. "Hey, Ivy," I whispered.

She turned her head to look at me, still exhausted. "Yes, Baby?"

Now was my moment of truth. I had to know. "How do I know that you won't do the same thing Vinyl did?" I almost hated myself for asking.

She rolled over, onto her stomach, resting her hooves across my stomach, as she looked into my eyes. "Because, Bass," she began, "I love Deep Bass. Not Lunar Black. Vinyl was just a fanfilly who got caught up in the moment, I'm sure. And look at what you've done for her career, without even knowing it."

Honestly, I couldn't have asked for a better answer. I leaned down, and kissed her on the forehead. She really was everything I ever wanted. I leaned down, and kissed her softly. "I love you, Ivory."

"I love you too, Bass."

The next morning, I woke to the faint sound of sizzling, and the aroma of eggs, and bacon. My first thought was that Ivory had gotten up early, to cook breakfast. Then, I felt the weight on my stomach. I looked down, to see Ivory still laying on me, where she had passed out. I softly nudged her on the side. "Hey, babe?"

She slowly opened her eyes, and smiled at me. "Yes, my love?"

"Were you expecting company?"

She raised an eyebrow at me. "No, why?" Then, I guess she smelled it, too, because her face grew to a level of confusion that matched mine at the moment. We both got out of bed, and headed toward the door. I slowly began to push the door open only to spot Treble and Octavia in the kitchen, Treble at the stove, flipping an egg with her magic, and Octavia mixing batter in bowl.

Ivory and I slowly walked out the door, and into the kitchen, where we were instantly greeted by my sister. "Well, good morning, lovebirds!"

"Um… good morning, sis. What are you two doing here?"

Octavia put the whisk down, and smiled at us. "We're making you two breakfast. What does it look like?"

Treble nodded. "Yeah. We figured you two would be too tired to make it yourselves, after what happened last night."

"How would Ivory getting in a fight make me tired?" I was hoping that that's what Treble was talking about.

"Don't play dumb with us, dear," Octavia added in. "You've both got sex mane. And we could kind of hear you."

Ivory facehoofed rather quickly. "Of course, the key."

I looked at her, somewhat confused. "What key?"

Then, I saw a small key levitating before my face, enveloped in a grey aura. "This one." Treble turned around, and giggled. "Ivory gave it to me, back in Ponyville so we could stay here, when we go on tour."

"So… you used it to spy on us, instead?"

"No, Bass, I used it to come check on you."

Ivory was blushing furiously. "So… how much did you hear?"

Octavia giggled, after licking a small bit of batter from her hoof. "Everything, dear." This caused Ivory's entire face to erupt in a blush. "Oh, and you may be right about Vinyl. She was indeed a huge fan of Lunar Black. After I put two and two together, and figured out that Bass, here was the aforementioned rock star, I had thought that would be the case. I just didn't think she would've gone so far with the relationship."

"Well, that's a rather intense observation, Octavia."

Chapter 12: Tension

Broken Strings, Chapter 12: Tension

Well, a few days had passed, since the embarrassing incident with the key, and Treble and Octavia were staying in the guest bedroom… which made things weird. And I mean REALLY weird. I mean, it's that moment when you realize that your sister gets more tail than you do. And the thin walls didn't really help any. I still remember Ivory asking me to go check on them the first time because she thought they were fighting. Well, needless to say, the things I saw can never be unseen. And let me tell you, breakfast gets really awkward after that.

Well, it was a quiet breakfast, as it had been every morning, since that horrible, horrible view. Ivory and I on one side of the table, and Treble and Octavia on the other. It was a few moments before anypony said anything. "Okay, Bass," Treble started. "I have a proposition for you and Ivory."

I quickly swallowed my food, nearly choking in the process. Needless to say, I jumped the gun there. "No!"

"Bass, I haven't even-"

"No, I don't want Ivory involved in your sick games, Treble. And even thinking of involving me? That's just sick! You're my sister!"

Treble dropped her fork, and was now staring at me, in shock.

Octavia shot me an inquisitive eyebrow. "Say what?"

I might as well have dug my own grave at that point. "Oh… you weren't talking about that… were you."

Octavia spoke up again for the still dumbstruck Treble. "Of course not, you lunatic! We were going to ask if you and Ivory would like to join us on our Equestria tour."

I looked over to Ivory, who was on the verge of falling out of her chair from laughter, then back to the two mares. "You should've just said so." Now, Ivory had actually fallen out of her chair, and was now rolling around on the floor, suffering from a hysterical fit of laughter.

"I tried to," Treble finally spoke. "Until you went off on your wild accusations."

"Well, it's up to Ivory. You know I'm down for anything, Treb… well… ALMOST anything."

"Dearly noted."

======================

It was around midday, and Ivory and I had decided to take a walk through central park to talk about the matter at hand.

"So, what do you think, Ivy? I imagine it would be fun to see all of Equestria. Not to mention that you'll be playing your music."

"Well, that would be nice," she said, leaning her head against me, "but I don't know if I want Tempo around you."

I raised my eyebrow at her, slightly confused at her statement. "Don't trust me, babe?"

She shook her head, looking down at the bench where we shared our first kiss. "No, I trust you. It's her that I don't trust."

And now, I was more confused. "What do you mean by that?" My thoughts immediately went back to the pale red unicorn, whom I had met only once before. I mean, yeah, she was somewhat attractive, but she was a bit too eccentric for my tastes. I mean, it's not like I cared, anyway. I was perfectly happy with Ivory, and there was nothing that could tear me away from her.

"Well," she began, "She used to be a little… well, you know. She was the wild one of the group."

"Oh. So you think she'd try to steal me away from you?"

"Try, yes. Succeed? Hopefully not."

I looked into her sky blue jewels, and gave her a quick kiss. "Trust me, babe. There's nothing in this world that could make me do that to you."

She smiled, and nuzzled her head into my neck. "And that's why I love you."

I chuckled. "So that's the only reason why?"

As predicted, she raised a hoof and tapped my muzzle. "Shut up, dummy. That's not what I meant."

Of course, this sent me into another fit of laughter. "Do you ever say what you mean, babe? Or is speech not your strong suit?"

"Don't make me hurt you." I'll admit. That little glare she gave me was adorable.

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna d- OW!"

I looked down, after feeling a sharp lingering pain in my neck, and saw Ivory, her teeth clamped onto my neck, and a smile on her face.

"That's not fair!" I don't know what was going on in my mind or body at that time. My legs started to tingle, and suddenly, poof. My wings burst from my back, nearly pushing me off the bench. Ivory had of course let go by now, and was in the midst of hysterics.

"What was that, Bass?" I heard her muscle out through her laughter.

"Something you should probably never do in public ever again." The look on her face changed considerably. She wasn't laughing anymore. No, now she was eyeing me like a hawk. A very motived hawk… with an evil grin.

Chapter 13: Overtension

Broken Strings Chapter 13: Overtension

"What do you mean, they're going to be on the tour?!" I was as furious as I was shocked, and honestly, I'm glad Ivory wasn't around to see me like this.

"Sorry, Bass, but my hooves are tied. This tour was organized by the record company, not me. If I had the choice, they wouldn't have even known about it."

"Then, I'm sorry, Treble, but count me out!"

"Bass, please. Don't be that way. I don't want to see you pass this up all because Vinyl and Flats are going to be on the tour. I mean, think of Ivory, instead of just yourself, here."

"I AM thinking of Ivory! I don't want to see her get into it with Vinyl again! Do you even know how worried I was about her?!"

Treble rubbed her forehead with a hoof. "Okay, okay. You can stop yelling, now. Look. If anything happens like that, again, I'll push for them to be kicked off the tour. But please don't drop out, Bass. It would be nice to have my brother by my side on my first major tour." She smiled sweetly at me, then completely shifted her expression, and gave me her begging eyes. "Pleeeeeeeease, Bassy?"

I rolled my eyes, and crossed my forelegs across my chest, leaning back in my chair. "Fine. You win, but your means of negotiation is going to have to change, eventually. The whole 'pretty please' look isn't going to work forever."

Treble giggled. "It doesn't have to."

===================================

It was early evening, and I was heading to the Dual Core to meet Ivory, so we could go to dinner after her set. When I touched down outside the club, Ivory was sitting on the steps, waiting for me. I'll admit that the neon lights of the club's sign only added to her radiant beauty. I almost plowed into a street light, I was so distracted. After all, she was the kind of mare that I could stare at for hours on end. After I touched down, I trotted over to her, and smiled. "Good evening, miss. Perhaps such a beautiful mare would like to accompany me to a fine meal?"

She blushed, giggled, and moved a lock of hair away from her face with a hoof. "I don't know. What will my stallion think?"

I smiled, and kissed her on the cheek. "I think he'd want you to be well taken care of, if even for just the evening."

"And how would you know that, kind sir?"

"Just a hunch, my dear."

After a few more moments of witty banter, we finally started making our way to the nearest restaurant. "So, what's it like?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know… flying."

I smiled at my travel companion. "It's nothing special, really."

"Well, for you, I could imagine it's not. You're a pegasus. You do it all the time. My hooves have never left the ground for more than a fraction of a second."

"I guess I never really thought about it that way. Well, I guess I could show you what it's like."

"How would you do that?"

I spread my wings, and took off, hovering a few feet off the ground. "Like this." I quickly flew up, just above Ivory, and wrapped my forelegs around her upper body, then gave a few heavy flaps, taking off toward the sky.

"Wow! Everything looks so small from up here!" Honestly, I had never seen flying as much of a feat. Maybe because it was such a common occurrence to me. I will admit this: Her enthusiasm was kind of starting to get to me. For the first time, I actually admired the beauty of the city below. It was stunning.

After our short flight, we slowly touched down outside a decently fancy looking restaurant. I looked at the sign, which read "The Blushing Rose." It seemed a fitting place to take my Blushing Ivory for a decent meal… and to break the news about the tour to her. Somepony I met a while back, who served in the Royal Equestrian Navy gave me the idea. It was called bad news food.

"Bass, are you sure you can afford this?"

"Of course I am, babe. Don't sweat it."

We walked into the door, and were greeted by a greeted by a pale red mare with a styled purple mane, sky blue streaks running from root to tip. "Good evening. My name is Melody, and I'll be your hostess and waitress for the evening. Party of two, I presume?"

I nodded, and the mare led us to a table adorned with a rose, and two lit candles. I definitely made the right choice in restaurants, and I knew especially from the look on my date's face.

The moment we were seated with our menus, and the waitress had walked away, Ivory finally returned to Equestria from her state of amazed shock. "Wow, Bass. This is a really nice restaurant… what did you do, or apologizing for?" I could tell she was joking, since she giggled after saying it.

"I didn't do anything, baby. I just thought it would be nice to take you somewhere romantic is all."

After a few minutes of waiting, our food had arrived, accompanied by a bottle of wine. Mid-meal, Ivory and I started talking about our day.

"I swear, babe. He literally took a bite out of the record. So, how was your day?"

Well, time to bite the lightning. "Well, Treble and I got in a rather heated discussion this morning."

"Oh, you two aren't arguing, are you?"

"No, no, not at all. In fact, she pulled out her secret technique."

"You mean the puppy dog eyes?"

"Yep."

Ivory nearly burst into laughter, then slowly let the laughter die down to a snicker. "Wow, if she had to pull that, it must've been pretty bad. What were you discussing?" Ivory them scooped a forkful of her meal into her mouth.

Show time. "Well, Vinyl and Flats are going to be on the tour, as well." I probably should've waited until she swallowed her food to say that.

Ivory dropped her fork to her plate, and began patting her hoof to her neck. Thank Celestia I knew the hooflich maneuver. One extremely awkward moment later, Ivory was drinking down a glass of wine to soothe her irritated throat. I waited until she was done drinking to tell her about the rest of the conversation. Probably a better decision.

"So, if Vinyl comes at me, they're off the tour?"

"That's the deal."

"Well… as long as she keeps a decent distance from both of us, she just might leave this with her life."

"Sounds perfectly fine to me."

((Author's note:)) There's a reference in here, somewhere. If you've read Haunting Remix by Valorousspectre on fanfiction.net, you'll spot it instantly.

Chapter 14: Before the Storm

Well after much delay, chapter 14 has finally arrived. I'm introducing 2 new characters in this chapter, which are recognizable if you've seen my YouTube channel or if you are a Canterlot.com user. Although one of the characters' look has changed slightly, the personality is all the same. Well, here it is. Chapter 14.

Broken Strings Chapter 14: Before the Storm

It was quiet. A pleasant silence, in reality, however silent, nonetheless. Ivory and I had come home from dinner, and relaxed on the couch, with a smooth jazz record, and a bottle of wine. I don't remember much, besides falling asleep on the couch. I also remember waking up to a horn prodding at my stomach.

"Hey, Bass. Wake up. It's like 7 A.M."

I immediately knew who it was. Nopony else, in their right mind would try to wake me up so early. "C'mon, sis. Just a few more minutes… or hours. Yeah, let's go with hours." I should've known better.

"You wanna do this the hard way? We'll do this the hard way!"

I felt an odd tingling as I felt myself being lifted from the couch. After a second or two, the tingling went away, and I was dropped on the hardwood floor. "What the hay, Treb? Was that really necessary?" I sat up from the floor, and looked around. "Where's Ivory?"

"Don't worry. Now, I've got news about the tour. It'll really help if you want Vinyl and Flats off the tour."

This definitely caught my attention. "I'm listening…"

Treble grinned. "I knew that would catch your attention. Alright. With the influx of well known groups wanting to fall in line behind you, the record company decided to clear the lineup with the exception of my group, and now, they're going to be holding a musical battle to fill the spots. If you want on the tour, you're going to have to fight for it."

I slowly collected myself from the floor, pushing myself to my hooves. "Sounds easy enough. Who else is going to be in it?"

"Quite a few groups. Of course, the only real competition you'll have is Vinyl and Flats, then another small group. They're actually pretty good."

I tilted my head in slight confusion. "Who is this other group?"

"I don't know them personally, but the two ponies' names are Trik Beatz and Mid Wobble. I only know them on a professional level, and like I said, they're pretty good."

I nodded. "So, you're saying I'm going to need to bring my A game?"

"Precisely. Unlike the Steedston show, you've got three weeks to come up with something that'll rock the record company hard enough to get you a guaranteed spot."

I sighed, and Treble immediately picked up on it. "Something wrong, Bass?"

"Yeah," I chuckled. "All this 'Bad News Food' is gonna drive me broke."

"I highly doubt that, Bass. Besides, it's only bad news if you aren't confident in yourself."

I began to canter toward the kitchen to make myself a glass of coffee, since my sleep was so rudely interrupted. "So where are Octavia and Ivory?" Yeah, when you're that tired, you tend to not notice things like that. I blinked, as I saw that there was already a fresh pot made for me. She had been planning this wake-up all along.

Treble was following behind me, and had taken a seat at the table, as I grabbed a mug from the cupboard, and began pouring myself a glass, being sure to add the necessary amount of cream and sugar. "Well, Ivory said she was running low on food, having to supply four ponies, over her usual one, so they went to the market."

I stayed by the counter, sipping my coffee. "Well, then. Maybe you should tell Ivory."

She raised an eyebrow at me. "And why should I do that?"

"Because, sister, dearest… I've got a glass pot full of hot liquid, and you know my aim is truly impeccable. And I'm going back to sleep."

A few hours later, I was woken up again, but this time in a more gentle fashion. "Bass, my love. It's time to wake up."

I slowly opened my eyes to a smiling Ivory Keys laying next to me. I gave her a soft kiss, and smiled, wrapping my forelegs around her form. "Mmm. Good morning, sunshine."

"Actually, Babe," she giggled, "it's noon."

"Yeah," I chuckled. "Morning."

She giggled, and rubbed her hoof on my cheek. "So, did you really threaten to throw a coffee pot at your sister?"

I nodded, obviously proud to own up to my actions. "Sure did."

Ivory softly tapped my snout, just as she normally did. "You should learn to be nice to your sister."

I playfully poked the mare in the stomach with a hoof. "Well, maybe she should learn that poking somepony in the stomach with her horn isn't the best way to wake them up."

"Touché, mi amor. Touché. So, how long do we have until this competition… thingy?"

I yawned, still a bit drowsy from my sleep. "She said we have three weeks to come up with a killer track."

Ivory raised her eyebrow. "Only three weeks?"

I planted a soft, quick kiss on her lips, then smiled reassuringly. "Babe, I've pulled off more impossible stunts, before."

She giggled, and rubbed her snout against mine. "I know, baby. I was there."

At this point, I don't even think that I cared about the tour anymore. I just wanted Ivory to be happy. But deep down, I was afraid. I wasn't afraid of failing. No… I was afraid of succeeding. I was afraid of that little demon that lives deep inside me. In fact, I was more than afraid. I was utterly terrified, and I wasn't going to let anypony else know it.

After a few minutes of cuddling my drowsiness away, Ivory and I left the bedroom. I had just gotten comfortable on the couch, when somepony decided to knock on the door.

Treble called out, from the kitchen. "Oh good! They're here!"

I had already gotten up, and started trotting to the door, and called back, "Who's 'they,' Treble?"

"Let's just say that they're your allies in this."

I cautiously opened the door, to the point where I spotted a pair of ruby red eyes, and a giant smile pointed right at me. I know who you think it is, and I thought it too, at first. Until I saw the lavender mane, and heard the high pitched, cheerful voice that I could've swore that I had heard somewhere before. "Hi! I'm Midsy!" I swung the door open, and saw the other pony, a Pegasus with a long, brown mane with frosted streaks, styled in an emo fashion, his eyes covered by a pair of dark red shades, almost the same style as Vinyl's. The only difference was that his shades had the letters "TB" engraved in the upper corners of the frames. His coat was a darker shade of cyan than Dash's, and his cutie mark was a dotted quarter rest. My attention was once again drawn to the bubbly, pale yellow unicorn with the giant smile on her face, when she burst into her joyful rant again. "And this is my brother, Hard Wobble! He likes to be called Trik Beatz, though. I don't know why. Anyways, you must be Deep Bass! Oh my gosh, it's so cool to meet somepony so famous! Is this where you live? Why does somepony so famous live in such a small apartment? Shouldn't you live in a mansion or something? Oh! And did DJ PON-E really che-" She was cut off by a hoof covering her mouth, but she didn't stop trying to talk, which resulted in hilariously muffled attempts.

The Pegasus stallion finally decided to speak up, removing his hoof from the mare who was now glaring at him's mouth. "Sorry, Bass. She tends to get like this when she meets somepony famous… or really anypony ne-… No, really it's just anypony. Anyway, I'm DJ Trik Beatz... If you didn't catch that already. The record company said that Treble requested a meeting, here, so here we are."

I stepped aside, and let the two into the apartment. "Then come on in. Treble's in the kitchen."

"Wow," Beatz grinned. "I never expected a huge rock star to be so hospitable."

The pale yellow mare cocked her head to the side, shooting the stallion an inquisitive look. "Are you calling him fat?"

"Totally, sis."

Chapter 15: For You

Happy Easter, Everypony! I know it's a little early, but fuck it. As your early Easter present, I cut into my sleep time to finish this and post it for you. On the downside: No references in this chapter. Therefore your Easter present is without Easter Eggs! MUAHAHAHAHAAAAA! Ok. Here's chapter 15.

Broken Strings, Chapter 15: All For You

"So, you want to help us?"

"Exactly, Bass. I can't stand watching musicians gain popularity by using somepony else's reputation, like she did. It's disgraceful."

"Wait, so since I'm Bass's mate, I'm a target for this musical crusade?"

"No way, Ivory! You've paid your dues, not to mention that you helped put that evil Silver Sky in her place!"

"Well, that's good news, I guess. Thanks, Midsy."

••••••••••••••••••••••••

After the two siblings had left, it was quiet again. Treble, and Octavia had left to go take a tour of the city, which left me, and Ivory alone in her apartment. And you know what that means. Oh yeah. Nap time. Well, if I had a choice.

Ivory had to go DJ another show, at a different club. I guess she got tired of playing the Dual Core. With it being her first show at the new club, she asked me to come along with her, for safety reasons. And the fact that she would rather me be there for moral support.

"I just don't know how these ponies are going to like my music. It's just so nerve racking, Bass."

"Babe, we're already half way there, and I told you I'll be right there in the crowd."

"I know, but I'm just so nervous. You're a musician. You know what I mean."

"Well, yeah, I do. But it normally always turns out well in the end."

"I sure hope so. Oh look. We're here."

I looked up, at the club that we had stopped in front of. It was somewhat nicer than the Dual Core, and that's for sure. We headed to the door, jumping past the line of apparently fashionably dressed, barely-of-age fillies and colts who shot us angry glares as we cantered past them, past the bouncer, and into the club. Instead of immediately parting, Ivory and I took a seat at the bar, and had a few drinks, over a nice conversation.

"This place actually seems pretty nice, Ivy."

"I know. And to think, I was worried."

I took another sip of my drink, which was a decently flavored mix of rum, and some kind of cola. "So what do you think of this whole musical showdown thing?"

Ivory thought for a moment, and began to speak. "Well, I think it'll be really fun, and I think-"

"I think you're going to be beaten so bad that you're wiped from the musical history books." I looked back to see Sharp Flats grinning, having cut Ivory short.

"What the hay do you want, Flats?" Ivory was clearly annoyed by the unicorn's sudden interruption.

"I've come to deliver a warning. You might a well just drop out now, before I wipe the floor with you two amateurs. Nopony wants to hear your electro-rock garbage." Flats turned his gaze at me. "So you and your little slut, here had better just back off." Bad call.

Just as I was about to jump off the stool, Ivory stopped me. "Look, Flats. Just get lost. We don't want any trouble."

"That's some small talk from a pony with such a big mouth, Keys." That was it. I pushed Ivory's hoof aside, and hopped up from my stool, getting right in Flats' face.

"Look, pal. The lady said get lost. So I recommend you do so before I smear that arrogant smirk of yours all over that wall over there. Got it?"

Flat backed up, keeping his smirk. "We'll see who smears who, Bass." And with that, he trotted away in a false victory, exiting the club.

"I REALLY hate that pony."

After the confrontation, Ivory and I finished our drinks in silence, just in time for them to call her to the stage to play her set. I sat in a booth close to the dance floor, so she could see me there, just in case she got nervous onstage.

"Good evening, everypony," she said into the mic, with a fake tone of excitement to her voice. I had spent enough time listening to her voice, and getting to know every aspect of her personality to know that behind that daredevil grin that she put on, the whole experience scared the shit out of her. "I hope you're all having a great time. For those of you who don't know, I'm I-V Keys, and this is my first time playing here, so if you want me to come back, I'd better see you dancing your flanks off. Hear me?" Then she looked over at me, as the crowd started cheering, and smiled, that cute little blush returning to her face, as I blew her a kiss. Then she turned back to the crowd, and pressed some button, then one of her hooves started tapping on some buttons on one of her keyboards. I had never actually seen her play, so it was pretty cool. As I watched her hooves dance along all her pads, and keys, rolling small wheels on the sides of her keyboard, which would make the current note higher or lower, or give it a tremolo effect, it hit me. Everypony calling her a DJ was a little off. She never used records. It was all pure talent, and that was what set this earth pony apart from anypony else. Yes, she truly was special. I couldn't take my eyes off her, as she played some of the most hardcore, bass-driven techno that I had ever heard. After about an hour of her playing song after song, she finally bowed to the crowd, and grinned. "You guys have been buckin' awesome! I love you all, goodnight!" She then placed all her pads and keys back into their boxes, and walked offstage, a few other ponies taking the boxes offstage. She trotted over to me, sweating lightly, and beaming. "So, how'd I do?"

I smiled, and kissed her softly. "You were amazing, Ivy."

She blushed, and looked away, shyly. "You're just saying that."

I chuckled. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Who knows?"

"Awwwww, come on, Bass."

"No, really, baby. You were spectacular."

She giggled, and surprised me with a deep kiss. After a few seconds, she broke the kiss, and smiled, pressing her forehead against mine, all the while staring into my eyes. "Thanks, love," she said in a soft, loving tone. "That means a lot."

I smiled back at her, lost in her eyes. After holding a wondrous silence for a few moments, I finally broke the silence, speaking in the softest audible tone I could muster. "Come on, babe. Let's get out of here."

"I totally agree, babe."

After the agreement, we got up from our seats, and started out the door, enjoying a nice conversation on the way home. "You've gotta explain all those knobs and wheels to me, sometime, babe."

"Knobs and whe- Oh! You mean the pitch shift and effect modulation wheels, and the effect rate, effect, wave-pattern, and effect depth knobs!"

I looked at her, somewhat dumbfounded. "Um… what? Equestrian, please, baby. I'm a guitarist, not a dictionary."

"Well, it's not that hard to-"

"Hey! Stop right there!"

I turned to the direction of the sound, and saw three ponies, approaching us, looking like they meant us harm. And a lot of it.

"What do you want?"

"Your money," the pony in the front spat, with the facade of a tough guy. "And all of it, scrawny!"

"Yeah," I heard one of the others say. "Then we'll be takin' ya lady friend wit us!"

I glared at the ponies, and turned my head to Ivory, taking a battle-ready stance. "Run home. I'll be fine." She nodded, and took off, down the street. I turned, in time to see one of the smaller ponies take off after her. I immediately spread my wings, and took off into the sky, flying a decent height, making a calculation in my head. I then took a heavy down angle, aiming for the pony chasing Ivory. After picking up a decent amount of speed in my descent, I turned my body, so that my hind hooves were leading. I aimed directly for the back of the pony's head, aaaaaaaand CONTACT! My hooves hit the back of his head. Hard. I continued my downward descent, for the last few feet, guiding his face toward the pavement. Once I heard the smack of his face on the street, I bounced off of him. Yeah, he was out cold... Or dead. One of those two. All I know is that if he survived that… ouch. There was too much blood on the pavement for him to not have massive facial disfiguration from that. And I think I saw a tooth. I landed on my hooves, sliding a few feet, and facing the other two ponies who were headed toward me. I looked back toward Ivory, and saw that she was still running. Good.

"Alright, bud. That's the last straw. You're dead!"

I struck a battle pose again, spreading my wings again. "I'm not going down without a fight," I growled. "And I'm definitely not gonna let you hurt her!"

The other smaller pony stepped forward, and jumped at me, ready to strike with both hooves. I quickly turned my body, and focused my weight in my front hooves, and putting all my strength in my back legs. Oh, did I mention I did a little bit of applebucking back in Ponyville? No? Well, let me tell you something. This guy was about to get the Applejack treatment. I pulled my hindlegs toward my upper body, bending them at the joint, then at just the right moment, I shot one hindleg out, followed by another. Sort of a "one-two-punch," if you will. The first hoof connected with his mouth. I'm pretty sure I felt teeth cracking on impact. The second connected with his jaw, since his head had already shot back from the first. The hit to the jaw Sent him flying back a few feet, and he hit the ground.

Just as I regained my ready pose, I took a hard hoof to the face, and felt myself thrown to the ground. This one was much harder than when Mic had punched me. Before I could get up, I was kicked. Again and again, and again. I could've swore that I felt a few bones crack. Just when I was sure that this pony was about to crush my skull under his massive hoof, I heard a familiar voice.

"That's enough, Sluggo. You've earned your pay. I don't think he'll be anywhere near that competition, now."

Next, I heard hoofsteps on the pavement, growing farther and farther, as my vision started to fade. Then the whole world went black. And silent.

((Author's note: Is this the end of Deep Bass? FUCK NO! The fuck kind of author do you think I am? Bass now has just that much more motivation to spank that ass! But will he be able to? Find out in Chapter 16! Coming eventually to a FiMFiction near you!))

Chapter 16: Nightmare Nightmare

Alright. This chapter WAS gonna start with Bass waking up in the hospital, but quickly changed my mind. Once you read this, you'll see why.

Broken Strings, Chapter 16: Nightmare Nightmare

"It's good to see you, again... Bass."

I looked around, through the darkness around me, and saw nothing. I was flying. Well, more like hovering. I shouldn't have even been able to fly. Not after the beating I just took. I should've been in the hospital… but I wasn't. I had no clue where I was. I couldn't see anything, or anypony but myself. "Hello?" I called out to somepony. Anypony. But the only thing I received in return was a wicked laugh. I looked downward, and saw a steady surface to land on. Then it started snowing. I slowly descended to the ground, planting my hooves in the soft snow, below. I suppose, in an act of desperation, I brushed my hoof through the snow, hoping to find a patch of grass beneath it. I bent my neck down to get a look at what I had just uncovered. Oh, how I wish I hadn't.

"Hey, there, buddy!" Underneath the snow, I had uncovered something truly horrifying. A flat mirror surface, only the pony that was looking back wasn't me… or was it? I stared, eyes wide, at the figure reflected in the ground. He looked just like me, except with a long, black mane and tail with a single cream colored streak running down both. "Ya miss me?"

I shot back, as the image began laughing in the same sinister tone as before. In my terrified stupor, I ended up planting my rump right into the snow, and watched in utter terror as the pony pulled himself up from the ground, beneath the snow, revealing the rest of his body. He was a Pegasus like me… with the same cutie mark, as well. "Y-y-you!"

"What's the matter, Bass? Think you got rid of me for good? Don't make me laugh."

"J-just leave me alone! I don't want anything to do with you, anymore!" I was frantic with fear, as I tried to spread my wings, yet nothing happened. My muscles were frozen in place.

"So that's how you treat me, after all I've done for you? I MADE you, Bass. And this is how you repay me?"

"You killed Rhythm! You… you…"

He shouted at me, his voice piercing every part of my mind. "I gave you what you thought you'd never have. I gave you everything you ever wanted! I gave you fame, mares, and money!" The figure funed for a second, and regained his composure. "And guess what, Bass. When I come back, I'm not leaving. I'm a part of you. And though you may have been rid of me, once, you won't do it again. I guarantee it." The pony laughed maniacally, shaking even the ground beneath me.

"No! I… you can't!" the laughing didn't stop.

"Go on, Bass. We'll meet again, soon enough."

Falling. I began falling through the ground. Then through nothing. I tried to fly, but my wings wouldn't move. Then everything went black. I wasn't falling anymore. I was laying down. It was still dark... And suddenly, I was in an intense pain. My legs... I couldn't move my legs. I couldn't move anything. I was desperately battling within my mind to get a grip on reality. Then I heard voices.

"Doc, is he gonna be okay?"

"Ivory?!" I was shouting as loud as I could. "Ivory, I'm over here!"

"Look, Doc. All we wanna know is if my brother's gonna be okay!"

"Treble?! Treble! Ivory!"

"We're not going to have to put him down, are we?"

Aaand Octavia.

The pain started to subside, as I heard another voice. "He's going to be fine. He should wake up any time, now."

Almost like clockwork, a light filled my eyes, complete with blurred colors, and shapes. "Huh… where am I?"

Any other attempt for words would be silenced by a vice grip of a hug. As my vision started to focus. I saw Ivory crying, her arms wrapped tightly around my body. "Oh, Bass! I'm so happy you're alright!"

I managed a weak smile, as I struggled to look down at her, and I ruffled her mane with a hoof. "I told you I'd never let anypony hurt you."

Chapter 17: Broken Strings

Broken Strings, Ch. 18: Broken Strings.

"So, tell me, Mr. Bass. What can you tell us about the ponies that attacked you?"

I was still in my hospital bed, strapped to some machines. They wanted me to take as much time as possible to heal. The doctor had told me that I'd be able to go home within a few days, despite one of my wings being broken, as well as my right foreleg. I was glad, although it meant one thing. Ivory and I wouldn't have a chance at winning that battle, now. We both knew it, but neither of us dared to say it. She just kept up her act of optimism to keep me going. If only I hadn't seen through it.

"I don't remember much of what they looked like. I remember one of them… the big one… going by the name Sluggo. Other than that, I can't remember much."

After my statement, the inspector thanked me for my input, and went on his way. Everypony that was there had cleared out, except for Ivory, leaving only the two of us in the room. Celestia save me. She looked at me, almost as if she had read my mind. "Why didn't you tell the officer the truth, Bass?"

I looked at her, with a look of confusion. "I did, Ivory."

"The WHOLE truth."

Ah. Now that one caught me off guard. "I…"

"You're hiding something, Bass."

I was silent for a moment, then sighed, knowing that I couldn't keep anything from her. "Fine… I think Flats paid them to take us out of the picture, so we couldn't compete. Just before I passed out, I thought I heard his voice."

"I knew it!"

"You what?"

"Don't you remember his attitude at the club? How he was trying to start trouble?"

"Uh huh…"

"He was trying to get you to leave, so he could have them beat you up! And when you didn't leave, he used it as a chance to remove any suspicion of his involvement."

I looked at the mare, slightly shocked by how much sense this odd theory was actually making.

She nodded. "I read a lot of books in my off time. Is there anything else on your mind, Bass?"

"Nothing besides how sexy you are when you speak in theory. Oh, and why are you wearing a detective's hat?"

"I'll chock that one up to the marephine."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Good idea."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"I'm sorry, Treble, but I just find it so romantic! A stallion fighting off street thugs to protect the mare he loves! But halt! The tables have turned, and after his love escapes, he is beaten and left for dead in the streets! Oh, such a sad tale! Such drama! Such romance! Such-"

"Yes, Tavi. You've pitched us the same story idea twelve times, now." Treble was rubbing her forehead with a hoof.

Treble, and Octavia had come to visit early the next morning, while Ivory was given permission to sleep on the couch in the room. I actually preferred it that way. I wouldn't be able to live with myself, should Flats decide to send those thugs to perform an encore on Ivory, and I wasn't there to protect her.

"Don't you think it's just such a wonderful story, Bass?" Octavia was now directing the question at me, and I had already prepared a snarky reply.

"I don't think I'd read a story that I lived, Octavia."

The cellist huffed, an crossed her forelegs against her chest, leaning back on the couch. "I think it's a wonderful story." She then leaned over to Ivory, and whispered in a very audible fashion, "If something like that happened to me, you'd best trust that I'd buck that stallion's brains out."

As Ivory blushed at Octavia's suggestion, it was almost as my sister and I shared a brain for a moment, as we both shouted, "Octavia!"

The grey mare huffed again, and leaned back into the couch. "Twas only a suggestion."

I couldn't help but snicker as I watched Ivory scoot away from Octavia ever so subtly.

After a few moments of the awkward silence, Treble finally broke the silence. "So, what are you going to do about the competition? Celestia knows you can't play guitar with a broken leg." That seemed to spur the attention of everypony in the room.

"I could always replicate a guitar with one of my pads," Ivory spoke up. "But I don't know how many things I can do at once. It's not like I'm a unicorn, or anything."

The silence remained, as I downright refused to give my input. There was still a hint of optimism in Ivory's voice, and I refused to kill that.

"You could always try writing a song without the guitar. Maybe just Ms. Keys' talents, and your voice. That sounds a bit more plausible than trying to play with a broken leg."

Everypony in the room quickly turned their gaze to Octavia.

"That's brilliant, Tavi!"

"Why didn't I think of that?"

"Did you just call me Ms. Keys?"

Now everypony was looking at Ivory with our own unique looks of confusion.

"What? It makes me sound old."

After a few minutes, the doctor finally came into the room. "Well, hello, Mr. Bass." I heard a muffled giggle from one of the mares in the room. "I'm glad to see that your friends and family are keeping you in high spirits." That didn't sound good at all. "Well, I've got some good news, and some bad news." Knew it. "The good news is that you'll be able to go home, tomorrow morning." However… "However, your leg won't be completely healed anytime soon. Your wing, however was only a slight dislocation, and should be in working order now. You're a lucky stallion, Mr. Bass." Another muffled giggle. "Most ponies who run into street thugs here, normally come out of it a lot more battered than you were."

I smiled at Ivory, who was trying to hold back laughter. "Well, Doc. I had something to fight for." I cut myself off just in time to here a barely audible "Awwww," coming from Octavia's direction.

"Well, it's a good thing, then. I'll leave you be."

After the doctor left, Ivory burst into laughter. "Mr. Bass! You… He… made you sound like a teacher!"

I looked at her with the kind of look that screamed. "Fucking seriously?"

Chapter 18: A Shot To Remember

Broken Strings, Ch. 18: A Shot to Remember.

I was stretched out on the couch, lazily letting the day pass by. We only had two more weeks until the competition, and a thousand thoughts were galloping through my head. I had been out of the hospital for a few days, and had already received my "heroic reward" from Ivory… quite a few times. Mic had come to visit, bringing the traditional bottle of Buck Daniels Winter Select. Well… Traditional in the once-in-a-while sense of the word… and only when they sell it. We talked, and drank for a few hours, talking about the old times. After a few hours, he and Ivory left for the Dual Core for Mic Night, leaving the small apartment to me, and my thoughts, which lately, hadn't exactly been the best company.

A moment to myself used to breed endless inspiration, but lately, it had been filling me with fear. The worst fear imaginable. I was terrified. I remembered the warning that had been given in my nightmare. The threat that had rattled me to the bone. The threat of Lunar Black's return. I was scared to death. I needed something to take my mind off it all. Something that would make me forget that horrible nightmare, and that horrible message. I had no clue how I was going to do it, but I knew I'd have to tell Ivory about it, eventually.

I had fallen asleep on the couch with my notepad, and my pencil laying next to me. After a few hours of a calm, dreamless sleep, I awoke to the sound of a door closing. I could tell the pony who had done so was trying to do so silently, yet had failed. I opened one eye, and looked toward the source of the noise. It was just Ivory coming back from her set. I tried to pretend that I was still asleep, as I watched her stumble over to the couch, noting the staggered pattern of her hoofsteps on the wooden floor. She flopped down next to me, nuzzling herself close to me. I closed my eye, and smiled, happy enough to be next to this wonderful mare. We laid there for a few minutes, face to face, till I felt something clamp down on my ear. My body tensed slightly. Despite the fact that she was biting my ear, it felt kind of good. The teeth relaxed, and released my ear, and I heard the more than slightly intoxicated mare whisper into my ear, "I know you're awake, baby. You're a horrible actor."

I couldn't help but chuckle, softly. "Yeah, I know. I should probably stick to music, huh?"

"Mmm-probably," she moaned sleepily. "It's still kinda cute, though."

"Oh really? How cute?"

"Let's just say you're making me feel like a unicorn right now."

"Magical?" Wrong answer.

Ivory corrected me in a way that only her drunken mind could conjure. "Nope," she began. "Horny."

I couldn't do much, except raise an eyebrow at her. "Again? We've been doing it every night for the past week."

She giggled, and nuzzled into my neck, kissing it, ever so softly. "I know, and each time it feels amazing, baby."

My legs started tingling as she kissed my neck. I knew what she had planned, however I was in no position to fight it. "Baby, you're drunk."

"And you're sexy. But that doesn't change a thing. As long as you always promise to be there the morning after, it'll never matter."

I closed my eyes, and smiled, shooting them back open just as quickly, as I felt her bite my neck.

"Pruff I kin aw wave do diff."

I gasped, as my leg started twitching. "You're going down a dangerous path, babe."

She released my neck from her bite, and giggled. "Then I guess I'd better be like Daring Do, and dive head first into adventure."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The next morning, I woke up, feeling rather refreshed. Shockingly enough, I was awake before Ivory. Liquor does that to a pony. I looked around the living room from my on couch vantage point, noting the collateral damage. I figured she'd have fun trying to figure out what happened to her living room, so I decided against cleaning it, myself, until she woke up. I slid out from my spot between Ivory, and the couch, and landed lightly on my hooves, having rolled over the back of the couch. I tip hoofed to the kitchen, and looked through the fridge for something to drink. I managed to decide on a glass of lemonade, and took a seat at the kitchen table. I sat quietly, sipping the tangy beverage, and recollecting the previous night's events. Looking back, I still can't believe that I could do some of those things with a broken leg.

As I was walking back to the destroyed living room, where Ivory was now sprawled out on the couch, I heard a light knock at the door. I turned from my limping course, heading to the door, opening it slowly to see Mic smiling.

"What the hay are you doing up so early?"

I chuckled, and pulled the door open the rest of the way. "Well, I was kind of wondering that myself."

Mic trotted in, and stared, slack-jawed at the disaster that was once Ivory's living room. "Um… the bigger question is what happened in here?"

I laughed, barely able to hold it. "I don't think you want to know."

"You're right… I don't. I was just coming to check up on her, but I can see she's in good hooves." He patted my head, ruffling my mane slightly. "Thanks for taking such good care of my little sister, Bass."

I chuckled, and fixed my mane. "I think she's the one who's taking care of me, Mic."

"Either way, you two are doing wonders for each other."

"Thanks, pal. So, what do you have planned for today?"

"Not much. Jack and I are going out for lunch, and that's about all I have planned."

"Oh, you mean the Gryphon?"

"Yep." It seemed as though Mic was being kind of short. With his answer. I had no idea why, at the time.

"Cool, well have fun, bro. I'll see ya around." I could tell that he was in sort of a rush, so I wasn't going to keep him any longer than I had.

He gave a quick wave, and was out the door. I turned, and headed back toward the hurricane of a living room, turning the radio on, and sitting next on the couch, next to my sleeping lover. At first, the radio show was slightly boring.

"And that concludes our advertisement. Now, we have an interview with musical genius, Dr. Hooves Zimmer. Welcome, Dr. Zimmer."

"Und a fine velcome to you, too, sir."

"So, word around Canterlot is that you, in your extensive research, have found that there may be a separate elemental set to the arts. What exactly does that mean?"

"Vell, many of us know ze story of ze Elements of Harmony. Ze six elements that were used to defeat ze lord of chaos. But I believe zat I have found a reference to anozer set of elements zat vere created to bwing ze arts to all ponykind. Zese are referred to as ze Elements of ze Arts. Zese elements consist of six Elements. Ze first being ze element of harmonization. Ze pony who could possibly be ze bearer of zis element would be ze kind who can perform vith any kind of group. Ze second is ze element of emotion. Zis pony would be able to move an audience with zeir own emotions through zeir playing or singing. Ze third is ze element of Rhyme. Zis pony could captivate an audience vith little to no effort using nothing but vords. Ze fourth is ze Element of Purity. Zis element would have two twin bearers, who wish to keep music pure und righteous. Und ze final element is ze element zat embodies all ze ozer elements. Zis von is ze Element of Music! Zis bearer vill have ze ability to perform any style of music at his vim. In fact, contrary to popular belief, zis bearer doesn't even have to be a unicorn, such as we've seen in kvite a few cases, such as mizz Octavia Philharmonica, und mizter Deep Bass. However, zis bearer will have seen both ze light side, und dark side to ze music vorld."

"So, you're saying that somewhere out there is a group of elements just like the fabled elements of harmony, except their purpose is to bring joy through music?"

"Exactly."

"Riveting stuff. Alright, this concludes our interview with Dr. Zimmer. Next, we go to Whinny Hooveston for a breaking news update."

Oh how I hated Whinny Hooveston. We had met, a while back, and we just really didn't hit it off, so well.

"Thanks, Rock. Now, for those of you, who have read this week's Musical Weekly, you may have seen the article featuring a very riveting, and very emotional letter from Vinyl Scratch, a.k.a. DJ PON-E. For those of you, who haven't seen it, I won't spoil it for you, but I'll give you the outline of it. This is a very emotional letter, in which she tells all about her previous relationship with Deep Bass, as well as her now-previous relationship with Sharp Flats. If you haven't read it yet, I suggest you turn the radio off, and go read it, now."

For once, I was about to do what the radio told me to do, when I heard another knock at the door.

I slowly rose to go answer the door for the second time this morning, trotting over to the door, the two things I had just heard on the radio weighing on my mind. They were weighing about even on the distraction scale. But the moment I opened that door, the scales tipped completely, as I was looking I to a pair of teary crimson eyes.

((Okay, now that I'm satisfied with chapter 18, I would like to make a few disclaimers. One, I am sticking to the fanon red eyes for Vinyl Scratch. I know that the eyes may have looked almost purple in the finale, but I'm doing this for two reasons. One is for continuity, and two is because they looked red to me. The second disclaimer is the reference to the Mic character's sexuality. I am not slandering Mic the Microphone Zero at all, nor am I making fun of him in any way. I fully support him in his choice, and as Bronies, we should all do the same. In his YouTube channel, he even states in one of his videos that he is indeed homosexual and is dating Jackle App. Therefore no slander is being committed here. As an author, I strive to keep characters that are based off of irl people as accurate as possible. Down to the littlest detail. Although I'm sure the real Mic wouldn't smack somebody without giving them a chance to explain. I just did that for dramatic effect. By the way, there will be a mature version of this chapter, and for reference, chapter nineteen will mark the happy branch of the two endings for this story. The sad ending will be written after I finish the happy ending.))

Chapter 19: Regrezza

Broken Strings, Ch. 19: Regrezza

(I think the two story paths are gonna take a Mass Effect-ish turn. And I mean Mass Effect 1. Not 3. Oh, and by the way, the story's going to take a dark turn here.)

The situation had just gotten rather intense. Especially when I heard the sound of somepony rolling off the couch, and landing on her hooves as gracefully as a buffalo in a ballet recital. "Hmm? What's going on? Who's at the do- You?!"

I looked back at the mare, who was struggling to stay on her hooves, then turned back to Vinyl, in the doorway. "What do you want, Scratch?" I had only just noticed a few bruises on her neck, and her black eye. It looked like she had just lost a wrestling match with a Manticore.

"I… I…" I could tell from her voice, as well as the tears, that something bad had happened. I don't know why, but I felt somewhat sorry for her. "I came to say I'm sorry… for everything. What I've done, what Flats has done. Everything."

"And why should I trust you?" I shot her a stern look. A look that spoke volumes.

"Because Flats is an abusive, manipulative asshole. You should know, just as well, Ivory."

I turned, and looked at Ivory, a look of slight concern on my face, as I watched her expression shift from anger to sympathy. Almost as if she was reliving some horrible memory. "I do know, Vinyl…" And here came the 180. "…But I never hurt anypony because of him! You did so all too happily! And now that you see his true colors, you regret it, don't you?"

What happened next is something that I don't think either myself or Ivory were expecting. "No.…" Vinyl dropped her head, and looked to the floor, tears dripping from her face to the carpet. "Not at all. If I hadn't done what I did, Bass wouldn't have found you, and he wouldn't truly be happy." My jaw dropped, and Vinyl turned, and ran out of the apartment. I thought about following her, but decided against it. I turned back to Ivory, who was just as astonished as I was. She tried to speak, but it seemed like the recent event had just caused her brain to shut down.

"What in Equestria just happened, Bass?"

"I have no clue." I was slightly confused by what had happened, myself. It took a moment for me to snap out of it. "I just heard something on the radio about some letter she wrote in 'Musical Weekly,' then next thing I know, she was here."

"Have you read it, yet, baby?" Ivory looked at me with a small hint of concern.

"No, not yet. I don't really know if I want t-"

"You should! It could be really important, Bass! Read it!"

I shot a quizzical look at the mare who had trotted up beside me. "Are you sure?" My question was only answered with a nod. Without further ado, I headed toward the table, where Ivory's subscription copy of Musical Weekly was resting. I flipped it open, taking a seat at the table.

"Oh, and don't let me forget to ask you what the hay happened to my living room."

"Gotcha." I located the page number in the table of contents, and quickly flipped to the page. As I began reading, I could hear Ivory's soft breaths in my ear.

"Dear Musical Weekly,

Hello. My name is Vinyl Scratch. A lot of you know me as Sharp Flats's musical partner, and marefriend, DJ PON-E. Well, I've got quite a few things to get off my chest, and I want to get right to the point. Many of you remember me from the concert In Steedston, when I took the stage with my colt-friend, Deep Bass. More of you remember the loving, and heartfelt speech that Bass gave, just before he asked me to marry him. And almost everypony knows that Bass and I split up a few months ago. What you don't know, however, is WHY we split up. You see, not long after the concert, Bass and I were happily engaged, living the storybook romance life of two young ponies in love. Until the day that it all got pissed away. Looking back, I probably don't deserve anything that I was given. It was about nine months after the concert, and we were soon to be married. One day, I got a letter from a record company, offering me some studio time. Bass, being the kind, and loving stallion he is, knew how much I had wanted a record deal, so he encouraged me to go. The next day, I was in Manehattan, recording with Hydra Records. On the way back to the hotel, I was approached by another pony, who was signed to Hydra. His name was Sharp Flats, and he invited me to dinner. Of course, I was only happy to oblige, taking it as an opportunity to get to know one of my fellow musicians. Well, liquor is as liquor does, and next thing I knew, I was back at his apartment. He had tried to make advances on me, but was shot down, time and time again. Eventually, I caved, and slept with him. I felt so… dirty. I knew that I wouldn't be able to face Bass the same, after that, so I tried to go about my schedule, yet constantly found myself face to face with Flats again. I played along, as he tried to make more advances, hoping he'd leave me alone. He didn't. And on my last day, in Manehattan, he forced me into a kiss in public. I pushed him away, and took off, back to my hotel, packed my things, and headed back to Ponyville, excited to get back to my old life, yet broken over what I had done. When I returned home, I found Bass talking to his friend, Rainbow Dash. After I arrived, Dash left, and Bass told me that he had seen me kissing Flats. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't bear seeing him so torn. I had to leave. That's right. That's the real reason Deep Bass and I are no more. He gave me everything I wanted in this world. He gave me unconditional love, kindness, and something I had always wanted. A pony to call mine. Everypony also knows that Flats and I have been in a relationship, since Bass and I split. In my time with Flats, I thought I was happy. Everything was sunshine and bucking daisies. Until I got to see his true colors. He is an abusive, egotistical, conceited, manipulative jackass. I deeply regret having anything to do with him. And after I saw Bass and Ivory Keys together, I just lost it. I was so jealous that I tried to cause as many problems between them as possible. Only now do I realize that I made a complete bitch out of myself. Now, I'd like to take a moment to apologize. I'm sorry for what I've done, Ivory. I'm sorry for being such a bitch to my best friend, Octavia. And Bass… I still love you. I always will.

-Vinyl Scratch"

Chapter 20: Funerali di un Angela

Broken Strings, Ch. 20: Funerali di un Angela

I couldn't believe it. She was gone. I couldn't help but think that maybe, if I had gone after her, things would be different.

As I watched the pastor deliver the eulogy, I couldn't help but feel a small pang of guilt bursting through my mind.

"Friends, family members, and acquaintances of the departed, we have gathered today to pay our respects, and say goodbye to Vinyl Scratch. Taken before her time, Vinyl lived her life to the fullest…" I spaced out at this point in the speech, looking at all the ponies that I knew. This was the second time that I'd been to a funeral for a mare that I had feelings for. It was a gut wrenching feeling. I saw Vinyl's parents, Tremolo Bar, and Pearl Beat. I remembered the Hearth's Warming Eve we spent with them in Trottingham. We were happy, then. Other, more familiar ponies were there. Including Octavia, who was Vinyl's friend to the closing of her story, who was accompanied by Treble. I couldn't hold back the tears, any longer. Just as soon as the first tear dropped, I felt somepony nuzzling my neck. I looked to my left, and saw Ivory, in her funeral dress, tears steadily flowing, as well. She looked at me, and nodded, as if to say "It's okay to cry, Bass."

I snapped out of it, just as I heard the preacher welcome anypony to say a few words about the deceased. I was surprised when I felt Ivory nudge me forward. I looked back, and nodded, heading for the podium. As I approached, the pastor stepped aside, And motioned a hoof toward the podium for me.

I took my place behind the podium, and looked out at the crowd. As I went to speak, I felt an intense wave of nerves take hold of me. I nearly choked on my own words. I remember thinking "Come on, dammit! You're a rock star. You should be able to speak in front of a few Ponies!" As I worked through my wave of nerves, I finally mustered the ability to form words again. "Good afternoon, everypony. My name is Deep Bass. As many of you know, Vinyl and I were once to be wed, before we split up. However, I'm not here to talk about the bad times, but to remember the good times. When I moved to Ponyville, about a year ago, I was alone. I had left my last two living family members in Fillydelphia, and went off on my own. Vinyl was the first pony to make an impression on me that wasn't 'Wow! This pony is crazy!' In fact, Vinyl was my first friend in Ponyville. She showed me around the town, an eventually, we became more than friends. She pushed me to become something better than Lunar Black. She pushed me to become Deep Bass again. If it wasn't for Vinyl, I would never have been happy again. So, in closing, I'd like to say thank you, Vinyl. I hope you're in a better place." As I stepped down from the stage, I didn't even notice that my tears had begun to flow freely. Ivory smiled, and wrapped her forelegs around my neck, hugging me tightly her own tears staining my fur. After my speech, Vinyl's parents went up, and spoke, then the burial began. After the burial, Ivory and I decided to stay at my place for a few days, seeing as how the funeral was just outside Ponyville. Treble and Octavia had returned to Fillydelphia, hitching the first carriage they could. Despite everything Vinyl had done, Octavia was still rather grief-stricken. As I opened the door to the home that Vinyl and I once shared, I turned on the lights, noticing the layer of dust coating everything, except for the one thing that I wished was covered in dust: the picture of myself and Vinyl, standing in the snow, together during last year's Winter Wrap-up. I volunteered for the weather team, and Vinyl for the animal team.

I trotted to the picture, and looked at it. Upon closer inspection, I realized that somepony had wiped the dust off with a hoof… and taped a letter to the back of it.

I quickly pulled the letter off, and began reading.

"Dearest Bass:

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything. Ever since that fateful day, I've been thinking about you. I never stopped. I guess… seeing you so happy with Ivory Keys… I became so jealous. I did some stupid things, and made some stupid choices. I feel like my time is coming to a close. I think he sent his paid thugs after me… if so, and they find me… goodbye, Bass. I love you. And tell Ivory that if she hurts you, I'll possess a hammer, and break that pretty little face of hers.

Sincerely,

Vinyl.

P.S.: Tell Ivory that she can have my gear that's in the basement. Only if she promises to keep it in good shape, and to use it to beat Flats."

I raised an eyebrow after quickly reading the letter. I turned back to Ivory, tears flowing again. "Ivory… there's something for you in the basement."

Chapter 21: Please Don't Hate Me

Broken Strings, Ch. 21: Please Don't Hate Me

"Wow! How did she afford all this stuff?! PL Audio Subwoofers, Onyxiaudio Speakers, EF Tweeters, Sweetie Boom programmable drum synth pad, Celestio Variable Wave synth keyboard, complete with dual modulation wheels, fine and coarse pitch shifter wheels, and a four grid, touch screen wave filter?! This is amazing!" To be completely honest, I don't think I've ever seen Ivory that excited over equipment. It was adorable, and, thankfully, took my mind off the situation at hoof. "Well, I guess we had a decent, steady amount of bits coming in, after the show in Steedston."

"Wow! Then, why didn't the two of you buy a nice, new house?"

"Simple. I like it here, in Ponyville. It's quiet… sometimes… Everypony takes care of each other. It's like… a large family."

Ivory smiled, and nuzzled into me. "That's sweet. It sounds very nice, here."

I nodded, and smiled back at her. "It really is." I thought about it for a moment, as I looked into her eyes. I saw something I hadn't seen before. It was nerve racking. I could tell that she sensed that something was off in my mind. My only worry was how long she had known.

"Bass," she began, as the look on her face completely changed. "Is there… anything wrong that you'd like to tell me?"

I was shocked. "I… um…"

"Bass. Please, don't hide this from me. I love you, and want to know everything. Please. I want you to be able to confide in me."

I looked deeply into her eyes. Her sky blue gems that seemed to project the very essence of her soul. I knew I couldn't keep it from her any longer. "Alright, Ivy. You remember Lunar Black, right?"

She looked me in the eyes, and nodded. "Yeah, the pony that took your place, after Sky did what she did?"

"You could say that, yeah."

"We never met, but I remember him. Why are you bringing up somepony else? Was he one of the ones that attacked you? Did he do something horrible?"

I sighed. "Ivory… I'm not bringing up somepony else… and yes, he did do something horrible. He hurt a lot of ponies' feelings, and he was just an all around monster… and furthermore… he was me."

Ivory's head cocked to the side. "What do you mean? There's no way you and Lunar Black could possible be the same pony. He was wild. He was a monster. You're just a wonderful stallion. You're two completely different ponies."

I shook my head, and sighed. "No, we aren't, Ivory. I pushed that part of me away after my friend, Rythm died. And now, I fear he may take over again."

=^=^=^=^=^=^=^=^=^=^=^=^=^=^=^=^=^=^=^=^=^=

Finally getting the story of my nightmare off my chest, I looked over to Ivory, who was staring at me, something different in her eyes. "How… how could you keep that from me… for so long?"

I looked down at my hooves, thoroughly ashamed of myself. "I was afraid, Ivory. Afraid that you'd think I was a monster. I didn't want to lose you. If… if I lost you… I don't know what would happen."

"Bass… I'd never leave you over that…"

"That's not what I'm afraid of."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… the other me… he's a monster. I'm afraid of what he'd do to you."

"Oh… But still. I won't let that happen. Not to you. You'll get through this… and I'll be right there with you."

"Thank you, Ivory… I…" I was cut short by myself. Why couldn't I finish my sentence? I had told her exactly how I felt about her before, but why not now? Maybe I was afraid. "Just promise me something."

"Only if you promise me something, first." She trotted closer to me, and kissed me, softly. "Promise me that if he does try to take over, again, you'll fight with everything you have to come back to me."

"I promise. And promise me that if I fail…"

I was cut short by a passionate kiss. I closed my eyes, and melted into her lips, a small tear rolling down my cheek. After what seemed like a few minutes, she broke the kiss, smiling lovingly at me. "You won't fail. Don't even think that."

"Just please, don't hate me."

Chapter 22: Therapy

Broken Strings, Ch. 22: Therapy

By Lunar Black

"So, Bass. Tell me why you've come to me. Is it because of what happened to Vinyl?"

Here I was. One of the most famous rockstars in all of Equestria... talking to a therapist. To be honest, it was a last resort. I really didn't want to, but Ivory insisted. She said it was either this, or I start keeping a diary. No clue how that would help. "Kind of. Well, you know about my past, right?"

"Of course I do. Your sister never shut up about you."

"Oh yeah. I forgot that you two used to be an item. Anyways, I had a nightmare a while back… it was pretty nerve racking. I know what it meant, too. And that's what scares me, the most."

"I see. If you don't mind, could you tell me more about this nightmare of yours?"

"I don't see why not." As I relayed the entire dream to Twilight, I watched her face shape into that of disbelief. "And now, it feels like I'm in a constant battle to keep my mind right. It's exhausting me."

"Well, Bass. I don't think that was just a normal nightmare. No, nightmares aren't normally that vivid, or memorable. I think what you had was a precognitive vision. It is actually quite rare, and only happens to a few select ponies. And those ponies are normally being haunted by an evil spirit or something like that. I think that might be what’s happening to you."

I sat up on the couch, and raised an eyebrow at the mare. "So, what are you saying, Twilight?"

Twilight rubbed her chin with her hoof. "Well, it sounds like something I need to research. I've never heard of anypony being able to push a spirit out, besides hitting them with the elements. But there may be a way to do it. I personally don't know it, but there has to be a way, somewhere. I'm just glad you came to me, Bass. Either way, I'll be in touch when I find anything out. I think it would be a good idea to stay in Ponyville for a while."

To be honest, I didn't mind staying in Ponyville. It was actually a nice change of pace. I still had a week and a half to prepare for the inevitable showdown. And with all that had happened, I had that much more incentive to thoroughly DESTROY Flats. Of course, I planned on showing Vinyl's last writing to the authorities, the first chance I got. I offered a kind smile to Twilight, and got up to my hooves. "Thanks, Twilight. If there's any way I can repay you..."

"Just tell me what you know about what happened to Vinyl, Bass." The unicorn was quite straightforward. I was honestly shocked at that much.

I thought for a moment, wondering whether or not to tell her. After a second of the tense silence, I decided that I could confide in her. "I think she was murdered."

I trotted through the door to my house, and was smacked by the smell of something delicious. Ivory leaned out of the door to the kitchen, and smiled at me. "Hey, Stud. How did it go with miss...? Sparkle, was it?"

I looked at her, and smiled back. “It went fine, baby. What is that delicious smell?”

“Well, I figured you’d be hungry, after you got done with your therapy, so I went ahead, and cooked you your favorite meal.”

I galloped to the kitchen, and kissed Ivory on the cheek. “Wow. You cook, and give me all this attention. Why haven’t I married you, yet?”

“Because you have some evil psycho pony living in you and you’re afraid that he’ll take over, and hurt me.”

I raised an eyebrow. “How did you…” I looked over at the table, and noticed a letter with Twilight’s signature at the bottom. “Wow, that was quick. Twilight fucking Sparkle.”

“So, after reading the letter, I think I might’ve thought of something that’ll help.”

“What do you mean?”

Ivory Blushed, digging her hoof into the ground. “Well, I heard there was a pony that lives in the Everfree Forest who makes potions and other weird stuff. Maybe she can help you.”

I was slightly confused at this, as well. Ivory had only been to Ponyville once, and had spent the few hours she was there with Octavia and Treble. How would she have heard anything about Zecora? Before I could even open my mouth to get the question out, it was already answered. That shrill, annoying voice came from the living room. “Of course she can help, darling. Zecora knows just about everything about potions, and the like. I couldn’t let my good friend, Bass lose himself, now could I?”

I looked sternly at Ivory. “Why did you let her in?”

I had only been through the Everfree Forest once. Never thought I’d be going through again. Thankfully, we had managed to leave Rarity back in Ponyville. Celestia forbid she step in a puddle of mud. We had been travelling for a good thirty minutes, when we spotted Zecora’s hut. The small abode was built into a twisted tree with potion bottles hanging from one of the branches, and strange, large masks placed throughout the surrounding area of the hut. To anypony else, this would be scary, or evil looking. Thank goodness I had already been briefed on the meanings of the masks. Ivory was less fortunate.

“Bass, this looks reeeeeeally scary… Maybe we’re at the wrong place.” She was obviously scared, for some reason. Obviously, Rarity hadn’t told her the friendly meaning of the masks. I took a quick moment to fill her in. “Oh, that makes sense… I guess. Well, let’s go.”

We moved toward the hut, Ivory just a few steps behind me, the whole time. Once I reached the door, I knocked, and waited, looking back at Ivory, who was scanning the surrounding area as if a manticor was going to jump out at us, suddenly.

The door opened quickly, and I was greeted by the smiling zebra. “Good afternoon, Zecora.”

Zecora nodded, and began in her usual rhyming speech. “Ah, hello, my good friend, Bass. What brings you out to this distant place?”

“I was told you could help me with a problem I’m having.”

“Ah, yes. Come in, you’ll see that I have everything you’ll need. From A to Z.”

I looked back at Ivory, and motioned for her to follow. She was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. I took a mental note to start speaking in rhyme, should I ever decide to play a little joke on her.

Inside the hut was slightly more welcoming than the outside… Well, not really. The large cauldron in the center was a huge put-off.

Zecora started flipping through a book that was open on the table. “So I have been told by a lavender mare that there is an evil being you want out of your hair. So, tell me, Bass. Is this true? Or should I do more than add two and two?”

“Well, it’s good to know that Twilight went ahead, and told everypony and their grandmother about it. Well, yes. Apparently I have an evil spirit inside me, and he wants to take over my body, again.”

Zecora nodded, and motioned to a few cushions on the ground. “Very well, my feathered friend. You two sit, and the brewing shall begin.”

Ivory and I promptly did as we were told, sitting quietly, and letting Zecora do what she does best.

After a few hours of fighting the urge to pass out, the brew I was waiting for was finally complete.

“Come, come, my pony friends. I have finished the brew that will make your suffering end.”

To be honest, she didn’t do a very good job at selling her work. In fact, had I been a little less trusting, I’d have reported her to the authorities for attempted ponyslaughter. However, I trusted Zecora, so I woke Ivory, and the two of us made our way over to her. I looked at the cauldron that was filled with what I hoped was an anti-evil-pony potion. “So, do I drink it…?”

“But of course, as with this brew. Now let me prepare a dose for you.” Without missing a beat, Zecora produced a cup from under her counter, and quickly filled it. “Now, be warned: Leave your mercy behind. For this potion will take you into your own mind. You must journey, and defeat Lunar Black. But if you fail, you will not come back.”

“Well, that seems like a high risk… Don’t you just have something that’ll make him get the buck out of my head?”

“No.”

“Well, that was rather straightforward.”

“While it is true that I speak in rhymes, I do break the pattern at necessary times.”

“Catchy. Alright, I’m ready.”

The zebra laid a mat out for me, on the floor. “Very well, abandon your fear. Drink the glass, and lay right here.”

I walked over to the mat, and sat down, holding the potion in my hooves. I looked down at the potion, and then up at Ivory, who seemed extremely worried. I smiled, reassuringly at her. “Don’t worry, Ivy. I promise I’ll come back to you. Mark my words.”

She nodded, and kissed me passionately, then backed away, as I downed the sweet tasting potion.

“Wow… This doesn’t taste so bad.” Within a few seconds, I started to feel dizzy. I fell back on my back, and watched the room twist around me. When the room stopped twisting, it looked the same as before. I blinked once, and when I reopened my eyes, the whole world had changed. I heard a wicked laugh.

Chapter 23: Internal Inferno

It was truly strange. For the longest time, he had always imagined my own mind to be… well… he never expected it to be this… happy. All these trees, and clouds, and fresh grass. For a moment, he was sure that Zecora's potion had killed him. "How the hay am I supposed to find an evil spirit in such a happy looking place?" Bass began trotting through the grassy field, toward a tree in the distance.

As he trotted through the grass, he began to notice the changing environment. As he continued forward, he noticed the grass beneath his hooves began to wither and die. Even the tree in the distance began to die. As he looked harder at the tree, he could see a few things hanging from the limbs. He tried to stop, but his muscles refused to stop carrying him toward the tree. As he came closer, he could tell that there were two things hanging from the trees... two bodies. His hooves finally stopped about five yards from the tree. He looked down at the ground below him, only to see arid dirt where the lush green grass once stood. He looked up at the tree that had seemed so fertile and fruitful from a distance, and finally recognized the two bodies hanging from the now bare, and rotting limbs. They were both unicorns, both strikingly familiar. One had a straight black mane with a few pink streaks running through it, her matching tail dangling from her lifeless body. Bass could hardly hold his vomit, as he looked into her glazed over blue eyes, blood oozing from her mouth, as she seemed to stare into Bass's very soul.

He then looked to the other unicorn. This one had hurt the most. Her mane was a short, ruffled, two-tone electric blue manejob, with a tail to match her pure white coat showed the bruises all over her body clearly, including the ones on her face. As Bass stared into the lifeless ruby eyes, he lost all control over the pool of bile waiting to erupt from his throat. Bass looked up from the puddle in front of him, noticing a third noose, hanging empty. As quickly as he spotted it, he felt something push the back of his head, forcing his face down into the puddle of vomit. He struggled to break free, and pull his face from the puddle of his own sick, only for his whole body to go limp, causing him to fall over on his side. He panicked, looking around for whatever had caused him to fall. His eyes went wide, as he saw a white pegasus with a long, black mane grinning wickedly back at him. "Well, hello, there. It's so nice to see a friendly face." The pegasus held his wicked grin, his eyes covered by a pair of amber aviators. "I see you've noticed my... decorations. I do hope you like them."

Bass managed to speak, finally catching his breath. "You're sick!"

"Sick, no. I'm actually quite healthy." The pegasus stretched his wings, his wingspan about twice as large as Bass's and his feathers dotted with a few black feathers. "See? Fit as a fiddle. So, no. I'm not sick. I'm simply... ambitious. You see, I had simply planned on chipping away at the walls of your conscience, and just waltzing on into the place, and making myself at home. I had almost broken through, around the time when Vinyl left you, but then the wall suddenly reformed, and I had to find another way. I had almost devised the perfect plan, but then, fate delivered you to me. Fucking providence, Bass. Fucking providence. Oh, but I'm sure you're wondering about my incomplete decor, yes? Oh I knew you would. You see, after I destroy you, here, I'm going to destroy that which foiled my original plan. Do you know what that would be, Bass?"

Bass tried to speak, only to feel the breath not there.

"Oh, come now, Bass, surely you must know. Well, since you're so set on being silent, I'll just show you." The wicked stallion clopped his hooves together twice, and a rectangular, horizontally laid stone materialized just in front of Bass, who was still laying motionless on the ground Bass couldn't see what was chained to the stone, but he could hear muffled, confused screams. "Oh, how selfish of me. Allow me to give you a better vantage point." The pegasus's eyes glowed black, and Bass was lifted, and hurled at the tree, his back hitting the trunk. Before he even had the chance to move, he was wrapped in a glowing black chain. He looked down at the stone, and there, chained down, all four legs splayed a different direction, was Ivory, a rag in her mouth muffling her screams.

"Black, you bastard! Let her go!"

The pegasus looked at Bass. Perhaps I should introduce myself." The pegasus' eyes flared again, as his facade seemed to blow away in the wind, leaving behind a pure black stallion with both wings, and a horn. He had flaming red eyes, and a mane and tail of red smoke, that almost seemed like blood. "My name is Indulgence. I live to do whatever makes me happy. Even if it means killing everypony you've ever loved."

Bass couldn't believe his eyes. He was staring directly into the eyes of something truly evil. And what was worse was that he had no clue of how to stop it.

"Now, Bass. I'm going to have a little fun before I finish you off." The evil Alicorn trotted close to the stone, where Ivory was chained, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. He looked at Bass, and grinned wickedly. "This is my mind, Bass. And here, I can do what I want." His horn flashed black, as a sharp piece of stone materialized over Ivory's chest. He slowly began to lower it toward her body, the pointed end aimed square at her chest. "Hmmm, no. That seems a bit too... obvious. I've got a better idea." He laughed, maniacally, as the jagged piece of stone moved from over her chest, positioning itself between her legs. "Much better. Much more painful. I like, I like." He grinned wickedly, as he used his magic to ram the jagged stone into Ivory's orifice over and over again.

Bass looked into Ivory's eyes, as she screamed through the rag in her mouth. "Dammit, let her go!"

"Oh, how you mortals can so easily attach to the image of somepony you 'love.' You become so attached that you would kill, or die for somepony else. Perhaps, were you less selfless, you and I could have gotten along, and lived harmoniously, but alas, you had to be the hero. And I HATE heroes. Either way, my friend, you are going to die here."

Bass struggled to break free of the chains that had bound him to the tree, but to no avail. The evil being strode up to him, and showed a look of pure evil. "Let me go! Fight me like a man!"

The alicorn bellowed a wicked laugh, as he levitated off the ground, looking Bass square in the eye. "Very well. I think it will be rather enjoyable to watch your feeble attempts at defeating me." His horn flashed again, and the chains disappeared. "Now, then. Give me all you can muster, and I, as one of the Four Shades, will quite enjoy showing you just how weak you are."

Bass hit the ground, landing on his side. He stood, and stretched his wings, preparing for a quick takeoff, only to feel a sharp pain rocketing through his body. He looked at his wings, just in time to see them surrounded in a black aura. The pain became almost unbearable, as his wings turned to ash, and blew away, in the wind.

"Oh no no no no. We certainly can't have you flying away, now can we? After all, you wanted to die with what little honor I plan on letting you have, didn't you? Besides, I need a host body to help my siblings fulfill our plan. And yours will do nicely, until it becomes time to take over Equestria. But you need not worry about that. You'll be gone before the plan is set in motion. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a rockstar to kill. After all, you have no chance, here. This is MY mind, after all."

Bass tried to think, through the intense pain of having his wings burnt off. He was at a severe disadvantage, fighting against an immortal being... or so he thought. He struggled to his hooves, still heaving from the pain, when he felt something sharp, and heavy hit his chest. He looked down, as the impact hurled him back into the tree, and saw a T-shaped stone had pierced his chest, and impaled him to the tree. He let out a cough, after hanging from the stone for a second, hacking blood onto the stone. His vision slowly faded to black, as he heard the alicorn's wicked laughter. He had failed, and he knew it.

"Bass, don't give up."

"Think of everypony who's pushing for you. You can't give up, now."

"You have the power to stop him, son. You just have to believe in the power of your heart."

Bass opened his eyes to find himself standing in a snowy field, surrounded by three very familiar unicorns. The first was a white unicorn mare with a short, straight, black mane with pink stripes running through it and her matching tail. Her dazzling blue eyes were emphasised by the smile she gave Bass, as well as the light emitting from her form. The second was another pure white unicorn with a two tone blue mane and tail, and ruby red eyes, light also emitting from her form. The third was a pony that Bass hadn't seen in a very long time. He was a golden yellow unicorn stallion with a long, spiked, black mane with a matching tail. He had midnight blue eyes, and a bass clef cutie mark. He also glowed with the same light as the other two unicorns.

Bass couldn't believe his eyes. "Am I... am I dead?"

The stallion approached Bass, and patted him on the back. "Almost, son. You still have a chance to kick 'is sorry arse out of existence."

Bass looked into the older stallion's eyes. "But... how? He's got all that power... and I'm..." he looked back at the stubs, where his wings were. "...Er... WAS just a pegasus. I have no chance to beat him."

"Yes, you do, Bass." The blue-eyed mare stepped forward, as the stallion stepped back. She smiled, and wrapped her forelegs around Bass's neck, holding him in a tight embrace. "When we were foals, you used to believe that if you followed your heart, you could do anything. In fact, look at how far you've come. You're one of the most famous ponies in all of Equestria."

Bass looked up, and stared into the mare's eyes. "But... music is one thing. This is a completely different subject."

"Just remember, Bass." The ruby-eyed mare chimed in, planting a soft kiss on Bass's cheek." This is your mind, not his. No matter how much he may say it, you are far more powerful than he is, here. You just have to find the strength to fight back. Here, you can do anything."

Both of the mares stepped away from Bass, and smiled at him again. "Just remember, son," the stallion spoke. "We're all 'ere, in your 'eart. And we're pushin' for ya, all the way. We all love ya. Now go out there, an' show 'im just 'ow bad 'e fucked up."

Bass finally smiled, a tear rolling down his cheek. "Thanks, Dad. Thank you, Rythm. Thank you, Vinyl. I'll never forget you." And with that, the three unicorns begin to blaze in a blinding white light, and Bass began to feel himself being carried away.

Chapter 24: Shades Of Black

A sudden sharp inhalation of air, and the pain was back, in full force. Bass's eyes shot open, for the first time in what seemed like hours. He looked down at the stone that was still piercing his chest, and pinning him to the tree. As his hearing returned, he could hear the evil black alicorn laughing maniacally. The thing that struck him as most odd was the new feeling that the laughter was causing. He didn't feel hopeless, like before. This time, he felt enraged by the laughter. Almost as if something in him had snapped, or a beast inside him had awakened. And either way, it was pissed. Bass looked down at the stone, where a brutalized corpse, reminiscent of Ivory was now laying, covered in blood, and torn open, from the tail up. That didn't make things any better. Bass lifted his legs up, and put a hoof on either side of the stone that had immobilized him, and pushed, with all his might. As the stone slowly removed itself from the tree, Bass cringed as it moved slowly through his body. Soon, both Bass, and the heavy stone hit the ground, with a loud THUD. The alicorn was still convinced that he had won, and paid no mind the the white stallion that had just freed himself from his impalement.

Blood rushing down his chest, Bass slowly approached the wicked being, his hooves hitting hard on the arid dirt below, with each step. The creature turned at the sound of the slowly approaching hoof steps, and laughed again. "Oh, so persistent, Mr. Bass. Indeed, you will be quite the kill. Much enjoyment will be taken from your slaughter." Without a single pause, Indulgence fired a black burst of magic at the pegasus, who was still wingless. The burst seemed to hit dead on, creating a decently sized explosion. As thick black smoke filled the air around the site of the explosion, the being of pure evil let out a victorious laugh, reveling in his victory.

A short moment later, the smoke parted, as if blown by the flapping of wings. As the smoke parted, a glowing orb of light became visible through the thin veil of smoke. When the smoke finally faded, the light became blinding, causing the black creature to shield its eyes with one of its massive wings. "What is this?! Pegasi can not perform magic! This is impossible!"

The light dimmed, the contents of the orb becoming completely visible. Inside was a pure white pegasus with shining white eyes, full healthy wings, complete with a second and third set of wings made of pure light. The pegasus also, somehow, bore a long, sharp horn at the top of his head, also made of pure light. He walked slowly toward Indulgence, a stern look in his eyes.

"No matter," the alicorn chuckled. "You're no immortal. I can still kill you all the same!" He then continued to fire bursts of black magic at Bass, as he pressed forward. He began to become angry, as the bursts would simply bounce off of the thin orb of light surrounding the pegasus.

The attacker stepped back, in shock. "What... how are you doing that?! That... it isn't possible! You're just a pegasus!"

Bass stopped dead in his tracks, and snarled. "You don't have a chance here, Indulgence. This is MY mind, after all." Bass stretched his three sets of wings, and took off, leaving at least three sonic booms in his wake, and shot directly toward the evil pony, his eyes blazing white, as he shot toward his target at a fraction of the speed of light, which gave Indulgence little to no time to react. Within milliseconds, Bass had connected the shot, driving the horn of pure light into the beast's chest, and carrying it into the distance. He made a quick banking turn, and headed directly for the very tree that he had been pinned to, planning on pinning him all the same, however, the end result was much more satisfying. Instead of simply pinning his enemy, he managed to shatter the entire tree trunk with the impact force. Bass stopped hard, sending the alicorn flying into the distance. Bass quickly grabbed Indulgence with his newly acquired magic, and pulled him back, slamming him hard, into the dirt.

The evil spirit clambered to his hooves, looking confused at the powerful pegasus before him, a chunk of his chest missing, and smoldering from the impact of the horn. As his own blood dripped down his chest, he turned and tried to stretch his wings, and fly away, only to be stopped by a sharp pain rocketing through his body. He turned, and saw his wings wrapped in a pure white aura. He thought he knew what was coming next, but was quickly proven wrong, when the aura started twisting the alicorn's wings.. the sharp pain from before was multiplied by the thousands, causing him to scream out in pure, unbridled agony as the sounds of bones and joints snapping, and tearing muscles filled the air.

"We certainly can't have you flying away, now can we? Don't you want to die with what little honor I plan on letting you have?" Bass struck a thinking pose. "Wait... no, I didn't plan on letting you have any dignity in your death. You are going to die kicking and screaming like a pissed off little filly." At that moment, the magic that was twisting the alicorn's wings suddenly intensified, and began squeezing the wings, as if trying to grind its already broken bones into dust, still twisting the wings. As the creatures screams became blood-curdling, its wings were suddenly ripped off, the sinew and muscle tissue hanging from both the limp, crippled appendages, and the crippled alicorn that they once belonged to.

The creature fell, its dark blood staining the dirt below, as it lay flailing on the ground. "How... how did you... become... so powerful?!"

Bass trotted toward the creature, stopping a few inches from its head. The horn on his head shone brightly, and a golden ring of light wrapped around Indulgence's neck, and another around his horn. "Because, Indulgence. This is MY mind, and I can do what I want, here." Bass then used the rings to lift up the creature by his neck, and grinned. "I win."

CRACK!

Chapter 6: Bright Lights and an Awkward Romance

((Pre-read fun fact: I'm uploading this chapter from my phone… in my car… in traffic. Doin it for you guys.))

Broken Strings, Ch. 6: Bright Lights and an Awkward Romance

"Oh my gosh! This is sooooo amazing!," Ivory said, smiling at me, eyes filled with pure pleasure. "Why didn't you ever tell me it was this good?"

I shrugged. "Well, I figured that living in Manehattan, you would've had it at least once. Or at least heard how good it is."

She shook her head. "No way," she said in exasperation. "I've never had cheesecake this good!"

I couldn't help but laugh. "How could you not have had a slice at least once?"

She looked down at the cheesecake, and sighed. "Well, I only moved here about a week before you showed up, so I'm still kind of new to the city. I still haven't seen the Statue of Livery, yet."

Then, a thought hit me. This definitely wasn't going to be just a tour of the city. No, a tour implies that your guide knows where they're going. But instead, we were two ponies who had no clue where we were going. All we had was a list of places and things we wanted to see. We were going on an adventure. To be honest, I think that was really the point where things started going right.

A few hours later, we found ourselves wandering down Mane Street, in search of any sights to see. Of course it wasn't too hard. There were just so many cool and grand things to see. "Look, Bass," my adventure companion cried out. "It's the Fillyharmonic!"

I looked at the enormous performance hall with its giant fountain. "It's huge!"

I felt something press against me, and looked over, and saw Ivory leaning against me, blushing. "It's beautiful."

I turned back to the building, chuckling a little at the swooning mare. "Alright, Ivory, let's go before you start playing with yourself."

She quickly pushed off of me. "I just like architecture is all. I'm not the kind of mare who fondles herself to Architect's Monthly, or anything like that."

I laughed again, and began walking. "Yeah, whatever. We'll just have to steer clear of any lumberyards."

SMACK!

I felt a hoof hit the back of my head, and knock my shades off. I quickly grabbed them, and placed them back on my head, then looked over at Ivory, who was now grinning at me. "What was that for?" Stupid question.

"Because you deserved it, of course."

I laughed for a second, and winked at Ivory. "Well, maybe I liked it."

She glared playfully at me. "Then I guess I'll have to do it again."

"No no. Once is enough."

Well, in the span of about 5 hours, Ivory and I had covered a decent amount of the city, and were now sitting on a bench in Central Park. The sun was setting, and we had a wonderful view from our bench. I remember watching the bottom edge touch the horizon, and feeling a head pressing against my shoulder. At first I dismissed it as Ivory being tired.

"Bass?" I heard a voice coming from the head on my shoulder.

I looked down to see her smiling sweetly back up at me. Remember everything I said about Vinyl earlier? Yeah, fuck that. As I looked into Ivory's sky blue eyes as the sun continuously slid down the horizon, my heart melted. "Yes, Ivory?" I couldn't help but smile back.

"Have you ever heard that if you share a kiss with someone special just as the sun sets, your first wish will come true?"

I kept my eyes on her, but shook my head. "No, I haven't. Why?"

Then I got my answer, as Ivory quickly pressed her lips to mine. She tasted sweet, and she had the softest lips I ever felt. I couldn't help but close my eyes, and melt into her kiss. I didn't even care about wishes or sunsets anymore. In fact, I didn't care about anything… until I remembered who I was kissing. As Big Macintosh would say, Eeeeyup. I was falling for my best friend's little sister. The moment I realized that, I slowly broke away from the kiss, and looked back at the beautiful mare, who was blushing, and smiling at me. Then, it hit me. I stopped caring that she was Mic's little sister, and leaned back in for another kiss.

((Author's Note:)) Sorry for making this one such a short chapter, but honestly, I think it gets it's point across rather well for being such a short one. Plus, I really pulled all the stops out for this one. Kinda to make up for the rookie-ass mistake I made when I posted chapter 4, and forgot to take out the placeholders in the song. Yeah. I fucked that up pretty bad. I've been beating myself up all day for it. Well, I hope you like the chapter.

Chapter 11 (Mature Version) [Link Only]

Chapter 11: Before the Dawn (Mature Version)

This is also where I'm going to be posting the alternate ending, but I will only start writing it once the original story is finished.