In an unassuming part of Ponyville, within one of the many houses that dot the town, a band had begun production on their next song within soundproofed walls. While it had been some time since the Manehatten Concert, Three Night's Grace had finally managed to get everypony back together to do so.

With the Canterlot Pegasus named Yamaha Strings back from 'official business' in Canterlot and Iron Key back to helping manage the band, Zephyr managed to gain an idea of the next two songs to write and produce.

"Been a while since we all practiced like this, huh?" Burst wistfully said as he observes Snare on her drums, Strings on his guitar, and Electron managing the soundboard while he played the bass.

Zephyr looked over from his mike, an amused expression on his face. "I probably didn't help matters much myself."

"Oh stop it. You still have a life outside of the band." Electron piped up from her place. Despite that, her tone indicated she could barely contain her excitement at the thought of the newest songs taking off.

Finishing her drumming solo warm-up, Snare grins. "Maybe if Strings didn't take so long, we would have started a lot sooner!"

"You know full well I didn't have the luxury of speed, Snare." Was Strings' dry retort. "The bureaucratic red tape is not to be trifled with."

"Yeah yeah. We also have the benefit of one of our members not being in a constant fearful state anymore."

"Oi, that was a dark time in my life, cut me some slack!" Zephyr shakes his head. "Regardless, I'll work hard to try and make these songs a hit."

Iron heard the mail get dropped off and went to fetch it. Burst, meanwhile, gives his lead vocalist a knowing smile. "I know you will. You're the hardest working one here, to be honest. Juggling being a wind manager, raising a younger sister, and even doing various other things at the same time can't be easy."

That got Zephyr curious. "What... do you guys do during your downtime? I've never seen any of you outside of this room besides when I first got recruited."

"Don't forget that bout of chaos." Snare refused to forget that day due to how much it wore her out. "Anyways, I'm part of the administrative sect of the weather team."

Electron grins. "I sometimes help my cousin Vinyl with her gigs if she needs some electronic music to go with her trotstep."

"While it's not part of my Cutie Mark, I help with construction around Ponyville." Burst admitted with a thoughtful look.

"I occasionally help Canterlot Nobles with administrative affairs." Strings shook his head at that. "Though... there definitely days where I wished most of them would get their heads screwed on better." That got a round of laughs from everypony.

"... I play piano for the Nobles..." Iron had returned with the letters. He had taken interest in one in particular. "... Special request came in..."

Burst takes the specified letter and reads it. "Hmm... apparently there's a concert going on in Fillydelphia within next week. They apparently want us, plus a few other bands to attend."

Electron gives the letter a raised eyebrow. "That's... kind of spontaneous. What's going on there?"

"Didn't you hear? They're currently dealing with Parasprite issues." Strings started tuning his guitar a bit more. "If I had to hazard a guess, they wanted to try and boost their tourism in spite of the infestation."

"What's... a Parasprite again?"

Snare gave Zephyr a flat look. "Right, you weren't here for when Ponyville got hit as well. Parasprites are tiny flying... bugs, I guess. They look cute, but they have a voracious appetite and they multiply so fast one could turn into a whole swarm if left unchecked."

"So keep an eye on your food, got it." Zephyr shook his head before turning to Burst. "What's your verdict, boss? While it would be an excuse to travel a bit as a band again, there might be more to this than just the Parasprites."

Strings nods with a grim look. "I agree. I put forth the Parasprites because that's the most obvious reason, but I think something funny is going on."

Electron and Snare look at their male band mates with weirded out looks. "Why are you guys being so dark about this? Surely the only thing we need to worry about are Parasprites?"

"... I agree with the mares..." Iron didn't look too perturbed by what his band members were saying.

"Well, I also agree. If something happens, then we can just say Zephyr and Strings were right, but if not we can at least enjoy our time there." Burst nods at his band. "Besides, we do kind of need something to get our flanks in gear for the new songs. What better reason than a concert?"

Zephyr simply sighs. "I really hope you're right, Burst. Alright, time to focus! I got the lyrics finalized for one song, which I'll dub 'Painkiller'. The second one, while I haven't finished the second draft, I already know will be named 'Tell Me Why'."

The names got a snort of laughter from Snare. "Charming names, but they'll definitely grab attention. Alright, let's get started! Come on, everypony!"

In the lead-up before the band left, much like the Manehatten Concert, the band put as much energy as they could into the two new songs Zephyr had wrote. 'Painkiller' was surprisingly quick to learn, but 'Tell Me Why' had a few hiccups during the process. Ultimately the band managed to finalize the tone and feeling they wanted for both songs.

Zephyr had learned that Applejack left earlier in the week for a rodeo competition in Canterlot. He had made sure to tell Rainbow Dash about his excursion to Fillydelphia in the days leading up to departure. She was disappointed he wasn't going to be around, stating he was going to miss Apple Cider Season that's coming up right shortly after Applejack gets back. Zephyr made sure to state he would've not gone for it anyways due to his 'weakness' with apple-based products.

While now in the know, Rainbow still wanted to save some for him if she managed to get her hooves on some of it. Despite himself, Zephyr found the gesture very touching.

On the day of departure, the band was surprised to see the town gathered to see them off, despite wanting to keep their residency a secret. Zephyr secretly blamed himself for that particular lost secret, considering how often he was identified as the singer for Three Night's Grace.

Burst checks the train schedule pamphlet. "We'll need to transfer trains after we get to Canterlot Station. The one heading to Fillydelphia shouldn't be long leaving after we arrive."

"Shouldn't be too hard to find. Canterlot station is pretty efficient with its layout, which was necessary considering it's basically the railway hub of Equestria." Strings looks at the schedule with a frown. "Question is, how busy will it be with a concert coming up?"

"If the bands are of any good repute, the turnout could be massive. Hopefully the infestation doesn't discourage any potential concert-goers." Electron said with a worried look. "It would feel bad if the venue was only half-full."

Snare scoffs at the notion. "Don't worry about it! Our band has enough of a reputation to at least fill a good chunk of a venue, so let's just focus on giving 'em all a good time!"

The band managed to make it to Fillydelphia without incident despite initial worries. True to the warnings from before, Parasprites were a common sight though it was apparent city workers had managed to gain some semblance of control over their population. The only reasons they were still a problem is because some were sneakier than others and the occasional tourist giving in to their cuteness and feeding them.

Iron swatted away a Parasprite the had gotten overly curious. "... Our hotel is close to where the venue is..."

Snare set down the last of her packed drum-set onto the platform. "I guess even with smaller concerts, they still want the bands as close as possible. What's the hotel's name?"

"Fillton Garden Hotel." Strings looks back at the map he had gotten from the terminal. "While not the best, it's still decent and it's proximity to the venue in the center of the city gave it priority."

Zephyr noted that it was fairly busy out on the streets in spite of the Parasprites. "Either ponies have accepted their pest infestation as a fact of life for now, or this concert really is drawing more to the city."

"Come on, ponies! We can stipulate more once we get to our room!" Electron hefted her luggage in her magic. "Strings, since you have the map, wanna lead us?"

"Fine... just don't fall too far behind."

Burst chuckled a bit. "It'd be best if it were somepony other than me. I can't seem to read maps if my life depended on it."

That got a snort of amusement from Snare. "Ladies and gentlestallions, our fearless leader." That got a flat look from said leader.

Zephyr shook his head at the sight before grabbing his own luggage. "Careful, you two, you'll get left behind!"

While the band members were on their way, Strings caught movement out of the corner of his eye and snapped his head towards it. While nothing was there anymore, he knew it wasn't some random pony. His time spent as an undercover agent for the crown made him very perceptive on things like this.

"Strings? What's up?" Zephyr had noticed Strings had stopped and turned to his band mate.

"Nothing... nothing so far." Strings started walking again, but made sure to lean in towards Zephyr to whisper. "But my bad feeling from before is still unchanged."

Zephyr grimaced as his own came back. "I still think this invite was too... spontaneous. We should have been given notice further back."

"Technically we did, but usually bands who're to be invited get their invitations with the notice. Three Night's Grace didn't get one until when we did."

"Meaning either one of the bands couldn't show for whatever reason... or there's something funny going on in the background."

Strings, despite it not being in his nature, decided to give his take. "Let's hope for the former... but the latter should stay in the backs of our minds. I just hope we can at least debut the two new songs before anything bad happens." Zephyr merely nods before the two hasten their speed to catch up to their band.

Despite the close call, a shadowy Unicorn saw enough to know what was next as he contacted someone through magic. "Target has arrived. I repeat, target has arrived in the city."

"Good. Monitor him and his band closely, but keep a wide berth.

"Understood."

Three Night's Grace reached the Fillton Garden Hotel without any further incident. True to what Strings said about the place, the suite provided wasn't as great as the one they had in Manehatten but was still fancier than the average room. It also provided a balcony view of the venue they were to play at.

Electron looks out on the balcony. "No matter how many times I do this, I'll never get used to it..."

"You never were one to get used to anything besides your actual jobs." Snare shot her band mate a smirk of amusement. "At least you're doing far better than when we first started with Clear Octave. I swear, I had to make sure you didn't just vomit on the spot due to stress."

"SNARE! You were hardly better! You kept putting on a cocky attitude, yet I could tell by the way you were shaking that you were just as nervous!"

"Wha-- I thought I hid it perfectly!"

The male band members merely looked at their female cohorts with amused expressions as the two started taking verbal shots at each other. Burst shakes his head. "Alright, enough with the drama you two. You'll disturb the neighbors if you keep it up." Snare and Electron stopped, but kept glowering at each other.

Zephyr grins as he sorts his personal effects out. "Besides, work yourselves up too much and you'll find it hard to fall asleep!"

That got him a look from Snare. "This coming from the pony who had nightmares right before his first concert?"

"EY!"

Strings shakes his head before going out to the balcony. While it looked like he was enjoying the view, he was keeping an extra careful watch over anything potentially suspicious. The last thing I want is my band mates getting dragged into something none of us wanted to be in.

The next day, Three Night's Grace had gathered in the venue alongside the two other bands performing with them. To their surprise, Disrupted was one of the two with the other being named Avenged Sixfold.

Disrupted's singer was surprised to see them as well. "Truth be told, we were expecting Linkin Colt to be the third band here."

Burst gave him a curious look. "Were you told by them or your invite who you would be performing with?"

"By the invite, actually. I wonder if something happened to keep them from coming... or if they turned the invite down for whatever reason." That revelation didn't help Strings' bad feeling at all. "That aside, will you be disguising yourself again, Zephyr?"

"Not this time. I feel like it's common knowledge that I'm the lead singer for Three Night's Grace at this point, so it's rather pointless."

Snare rolled her eyes at that. "You weren't even trying to reveal yourself, yet you still got recognized. Remind me not to ask you to keep secrets." That earned her a flat glare from Zephyr.

Avenged Sixfold's singer came along with a knowing smile. "Keep the disguise on hoof just in case. Singing without it IS a rather different experience. That aside, it's also nice to meet one of the two bands that won the Manehatten Concert Contest!"

Zephyr felt a bit more pressure as he nervously smiled. "N-nice to meet you too. I hope I don't d-disappoint."

A stagehoof came through the curtains leading onto the stage. "Will Disrupted make their way onto the stage? The first set is about to begin."

"Looks like we're up first. Remember, this won't be a contest so let's all be sure to have fun!"

The schedule for this particular concert was simple. The three bands each play one song to start, break for lunch, then rapid-fire the last 2 songs for each band. Despite Fillydelphia's infestation problem, it was apparent that ponies had come in droves to support the concert.

Three Night's Grace decided to start their performance with 'I am Machine' from the Manehatten concert to see if it'll help generate hype for the other songs. While Zephyr wasn't in the same emotional mindset as he was back then, he remembered enough of it to help keep the impact the of song the same.

The entire time, despite playing just fine, Strings could tell a shady party was observing the concert with great interest. The question is... what's their angle? Are they observing us to make sure we do our best 'or else' or is there a different agenda on the books?

Once the bands broke for lunch, Electron was doing her best to focus on her meal, which Zephyr noticed. "I'm a fine one to speak, but are you nervous, Electron?"

"Wha-- uh, y-yeah... l-like I said last night, I never got used to this kind of nervousness..."

Iron gives her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. ".... Deep breaths. Want some chamomile tea..?"

"That... actually would be lovely, thank you."

Despite herself, Snare lets out a sigh. "I think the pressure is extra on this time around because we have TWO new songs to reveal instead of just one. 'I am Machine' is still as much a hit as before, but these ones will be untested on a live audience."

Zephyr nods as he swats away a Parasprite from his sandwich. "I agree. It's less so the actual performance that gets to you and more the thoughts of 'what if they don't like this' during said performance."

"All we can do is hope for the best." Burst finishes his meal before continuing. "We just need faith that our practice and planning will bear fruit. Nothing ventured, nothing gained after all. Even if we have a flop or two along the way, we shouldn't let it get us down."

Electron, having calmed down a bit more thanks to the tea, smiles at Burst. "You're right. Honestly, I feel kind of guilty being the most nervous one when it's Zephyr's hard work getting judged."

"Everypony here was in on the process. Just because I was writing it doesn't mean it wasn't a team effort. You all feel the same pressure I do and... in a twisted sense, kind of comforts me I'm not the only one."

That got a snort of laughter from Snare. "Sharing the misery, huh? I suppose it IS a way to ensure your nerves don't fray too hard. Regardless, just like Burst said, just keep the faith that we'll get through."

Strings verbally agreed with his band, but mentally he was elsewhere. He had slowly begun piecing together a theory as to who might have 'lured' his band to the city as well as what their motivation is. I've yet to isolate a particular motive, but I have narrowed it down...

He didn't realize that the rest of his band had finished up and was moving to go back to the venue. Zephyr noticed the contemplative look on his band mate's face and stayed behind as well. "Strings, you've been distracted lately. That bad feeling we've been getting still on your mind?"

That made Strings give a start before realizing that it was just the two of them. Shaking his head, he gets up. "Yes, but like I said yesterday, I'm still hoping it won't happen until at least after the performance is concluded. If we leave the city without incident, then I'd say that's fine."

"Alright, but care to let me know what theories you currently have?"

"Apologies, but I should refrain until after the concert. However, I will at least tell you them tomorrow if nothing happens. I can promise you that much."

Zephyr frowned a bit but nodded regardless. "Alright. Let's hurry back, the break's almost over."

When the band got back to the venue, Avenged Sixfold had started on their second song. To mix things up, the order the bands play will be different for each set. This meant that Three Night's Grace will play both songs back-to-back before finishing up for the day.

Burst was uncertain on how to feel about it. "While it allows us to get both songs out of the way quickly, I just hope it doesn't sound too jarring. Maybe we should reverse the order we were going to play them just to be sure."

"You mean switch it around so we play 'Tell Me Why' first and 'Painkiller' second?" Electron thought about it for a second. "Any particular reason?"

"More than likely because 'Painkiller' has a stronger finish." Strings put forward as he tunes his guitar. "No sense going out on a weaker end if we're playing both back-to-back."

"That... definitely checks out. Even if the last two songs from the other bands have strong finishes, no sense letting our final song have a weaker one." Snare does a quick warm-up before grinning. "I'm for it!"

When everypony else agreed, Zephyr nods. "'Tell Me Why' was also the more troubled song during its creation, so even without the stronger finish, we might as well save the better one for last. Alright, when Disrupted is done, let's give them a show they'll never forget!"

"See, why can't you have more confidence like that?"

"Snare! Come on!" Everypony laughs at Zephyr now being pouty.

With the plan set, the band performed once it was their turn. While the reaction was still good, 'Tell Me Why' definitely didn't get the same enthusiasm 'I am Machine' had. 'Painkiller' more than made up for it, especially when the band surprised the ponies in the venue by rapid-firing the songs rather than taking a quick break. By the time they were done, the entire place was roaring with cheers.

With the weight of both the concert and the reveal of the new songs lifted, Zephyr breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad that's over."

Electron smiles a bit. "I think the chamomile tea did wonders for my nerves. I felt very calm going into them."

"Hm... maybe that could be a pre-song ritual of sorts. Especially for our more nervous members." Strings, being a pony from Canterlot, would never be opposed to tea as a refreshment.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm more concerned with what we should do to celebrate! That feeling of adrenaline during a song will never get old, but the reward afterwards is always nice." Snare stretches her legs to remove any leftover adrenaline in her system.

Burst, having already gotten an idea, smiles to his band mates. "The organizers have already arranged our compensation for doing this. Perhaps a fancy meal to celebrate?"

"We could also stay in Fillydelphia for a bit longer as well. We left Manehatten after that concert in a hurry because of the Grand Galloping Gala, but there's nothing saying we can't do sightseeing after this one." Electron suggested, wanting to relax a bit after the concert.

Strings thought about it before nodding. "That should be fine."

"Alright, fearless leader. Be sure to pick a good spot for a celebratory meal!" Snare nudges Burst a bit with a grin, causing the Unicorn to sigh.

Later after the dinner celebration, the band retired to their room in preparation for tomorrow's sightseeing. However, Strings told his companions to go on ahead as he wanted to check something out before returning as well. Following a certain 'shady' stallion, Strings found himself in a section of the city often infamous for 'disappearing' unsuspecting ponies.

"Figured you would show up here, Agent Yamaha." Strings turns around, seeing numerous ponies of all 3 races slowly surround him. Their Unicorn leader stood a bit further back with a sadistic grin. "While I was unsure you would take the bait, I knew you'd be suspicious enough to sense something amiss."

"Hmph, it's just what one develops if you're in my line of work for long enough. Besides, I know your kind well enough. I came here as early as I could before you got any 'bright' ideas of taking any innocents hostage."

"Hah! The temptation was there, let me tell you! That mutant freak of a Pegasus and those two mares you are band mates with would've made fine trophies, but they're ultimately bonuses. Of greater interest is you... after what you did to our leader and organization!"

Strings forced down a snort of laughter. "For one, your leader has already confessed to everything meaning your revenge will be pointless in the end. Two, your organization grew... overconfident to the point you overplayed your hand. That's why you're no longer prosperous."

The leader snarled. "Shut it! It's all YOUR fault it all happened! Even if we will never reattain our former glory... the least we can do is make sure you're coming down with us! GET HIM!"

Even with all the henchponies bearing down on him, Strings was never concerned. His practice in hoof-to-hoof combat and agility as a Pegasus ensured that, while he might take a few knocks, none could keep a grip on him. He even had various methods to break out of Unicorn magic if one thought they could immobilize him with it.

But for all his skills and methods, he was still just one pony. After knocking out just over half of their number, he was beginning to feel weary. But just when an Earth Pony was about make a direct hit to his head, the henchpony got blind-sided by a green blur. "Strings! You alright!"

"Zephyr? Why are you here?"

Zephyr lands behind Strings, back-to-back. "I had a hunch you were following yours. I might not be a fighter, but I'll eat my mike before I leave you to fend for yourself. And before you say anything, I don't doubt your skill but having some assistance always helps."

"Grr, so the freak decided to join you in your demise? Guess I'll have to get my own hooves dirty to 'vanish' you as well!"

Unfortunately for the leader, thanks to Zephyr swiftly dealing with enemy Unicorns and being a distraction for most of the Pegasi, Strings was able to mop up everypony else. The agent knew of his band mate's capabilities when he helped rescue him, but was surprised when Zephyr looked like he had been in a few scraps before by the way he handled himself.

Once the dust settled, the local law enforcement arrived to arrest the offending group, having been tipped off by Strings ahead of time. After the two answered all the questions the officers asked, the two were on their way back to their room when Zephyr looks at Strings. "While I might not have the right to know, I still want to ask just who are you."

"I could also ask you how you can handle yourself in a fight, but I think I can guess. Anyways, I can tell you, but you must swear to me not to tell a single soul without permission." Upon Zephyr agreeing to the condition, Strings told him everything he told the Elements of Harmony back in Ponyville.

"An undercover agent, huh? Regardless, thank you for helping my friends and family rescue me when I had given up on my own life."

"It's nothing. But now you know why I took an 'extended business trip' before I came back to the band. Forgive me for that."

Zephyr shook his head. "You're fine, Strings. And before you say anything, I know you still give your all despite the band being one of your 'cover jobs'. Our songs wouldn't take off the way they have if you half-hearted your playing."

"Heh, thank you. As for how well you handled yourself in that fight... was it because of your brief stint as a Royal Soldier?" Strings couldn't help but chuckle at Zephyr's reaction. "Remember, I answer to the Princesses themselves. Despite your time as a solder being short, you still developed a small level of combat strategy when combined with your more... 'unique' aspects. You target Unicorns with great agility and the knowledge they can't do anything to you."

"That's true, but in the same vein I can't contend with Earth Ponies very well. Brief contact might be fine, but many instances of said contact in a short period of time might still affect me negatively."

"Always play to your strengths while keeping weaknesses in mind." Strings looks up at the ever darkening sky. "Regardless, thank you for the assistance tonight."

Zephyr remembered something the two were going to discuss earlier. "Since the danger has passed, care to tell me your theories now?"

"It's warranted now that you helped me and know my real job. I had narrowed motive down to two potential reasons: The first and correct one was that they were trying to lure me in to get revenge. I doubt this will be the last time remnants of an organization will want to settle the score. The second was the potential of them targeting you because of your unique physiology and past."

"You were thinking it might have been the same ones behind my foalnapping in Ponyville?"

"Yes, but thankfully it was not the case. Regardless, the situation has been resolved and we can sight-see without worry. For now, let's get back before our companions start to worry."

Zephyr nodded, but one question remained in his mind. What's going on in the shadows for the Princesses to have agents like Strings so well prepared?

Author's Note

This one was originally just going to be 'The Last Roundup' and 'The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000' mashed together due to a lack of idea on how Zephyr could affect them more broadly, but then I realized this chapter was better served to be an original one focused on the band. If episodes will be skipped, the events will be referenced somewhere in the chapter.