Immortality: Vinyl Scratch's Challenge

Vinyl Scratch stuck her head out from behind a pizza stand.

"This is going to be so fun!" She whispered to her companion, Pinkie Pie. The pair was disguised as a pair of twin Pegasus foals. Vinyl's horn was hidden, and they both sported unusable wings. Pinkie giggled in response.

"What do you have in mind this time?" She asked. Vinyl pointed to her wings.

"I'm going to convince somepony I can do magic without a horn," she replied. Pinkie grinned.

"That will be hilarious! But won't they see your magic aura? That's not invisible, right?" She asked. Vinyl fluffled her pink mane.

"This stuff is covering my horn," she responded. "Now come on, let's go!" Vinyl darted out from behind the pizza stand. She concentrated and managed to lift Pinkie into the air. Pinkie giggled.

"That tickles! Put me down!" She squealed. A passing stallion stopped.

"How are you doing that?" he asked Vinyl. Vinyl grinned.

"I can do magic without a horn," she told him. The stallion looked around.

"Where are your parents?" He asked. Vinyl's smile wavered.

"My parents are, um, shopping! My sister and I are aloud to walk around while they're shopping!" Vinyl flipped Pinkie over.

"That's right!" Pinkie agreed. "They're so proud of my sister. She can do magic without a horn! But I don't mind." The stallion arched his eyebrows in a disbelieving way.

"Let me go talk to them," he replied, walking over and setting Pinkie on the ground. "The Unicorn Princess has strict laws governing foal care." Vinyl flashed a glance at Pinkie. Her face was scrunched up. Vinyl knew it was hard whenever Twilight was mentioned.

"Gotta go!" Vinyl yelled, grabbing Pinkie in her magic aura and dashing in the opposite direction.

"Hey! Come back!" The stallion galloped after them.

"I hate this small body," Vinyl grumbled as she ran. "My legs are too short." She turned down an alleyway and dove into a trashcan. She and Pinkie held their breath as they heard him walk through the alleyway.

"Foals?" He asked. "I need to take you to foster care if you don't have parents. And the one that can do magic without a horn, she can be brought to the Unicorn Princess. She's been looking for a protege, you know. It would 've fun!"

"Her name is Twilight Sparkle!" Pinkie burst out suddenly. She immediately clapped a hoof over her muzzle. The stallion appeared in their line of vision. He grabbed Vinyl and Pinkie by their hooves.

"Come on, there's no reason to be afraid," he coaxed. "I'm going to give you a nice home, much better than this dump."

"This isn't our home," Vinyl snapped. "Let us go!"

"Excuse me." All three of them turned to see a mint green unicorn standing in the entrance to the alley.

"Mommy!" Pinkie cried. Vinyl got the drift.

"Mommy!" She chimed in. "This stallion was trying to take us away!"

"Well, no," he stammered, dropping Pinkie and Vinyl. "You see, ma'am, I thought they didn't have parents. They ran away when I went to get you."

"Oh, Pinkamena and Vinylla are mischievous," Lyra replied, giving a stern glare to Vinyl and Pinkie. "They must have been frightened. Vinylla, were you showing off your magic?" Vinyl hung her head.

"Yes, mom," she replied.

"Sorry for the inconvenience," Lyra told the stallion. The stallion walked right past them.

"Quite alright. You should take that foal to the Unicorn Princess, though. She needs a protege."

Lyra's expression was tight as she watched him walk away.

"Pinkamena Pie, Vinyl Scratch! That was reckless!" She exclaimed, changing them back to their regular selves.

"Not disguising yourself was reckless," Vinyl pointed out cheerfully. "I mean, nopony has a lyre for a Cutie Mark anymore." Lyra rolled her eyes.

"Why don't you two just head on home?" She suggested. Vinyl thought about returning to her grumpy roommate Spade and shuddered.

"No thanks," she responded. Lyra rolled her eyes.

"Vinyl, if Spade annoys you so much, why don't you room with somepony else?" She asked. Vinyl shrugged.

"It would be rude, I guess. I mean, I don't think she hates me, just the world. It would be mean."

"You'd have to leave her sometime," Pinkie pointed out softly. Vinyl ran a hoof through her mane.

"Yeah, I know. But that won't be for a while. Now, how about we go out for gelato? My treat!" Pinkie and Lyra looked at each other.

"Sure!" Pinkie agreed and did a little skip.

"Alright," Lyra agreed.

"Let me lead the way!" Vinyl waved her hoof and led them down to the gelato place. Of the three of them, she was able to accept the changes around them the easiest. She wasn't sure why, but she didn't mind. It was fun to remind her friends that stuff like gelato existed.

When they entered the gelato shop, Vinyl immediately ordered herself a triple berry swirl.

"What flavor do you want, guys?" She asked Lyra and Pinkie. Pinkie grinned.

"Candy Floss, please," she replied. Lyra looked thoughtfully at the gelato.

"I think I'll have a vanilla one," she said. Vinyl rolled her eyes.

"I'm paying," she told the pony running the gelato store, then told Lyra, "Pretty plain, huh?"

"I'm not in the mood for fancy right now," Lyra replied flatly. Vinyl shrugged.

"You were in the mood for fancy when we lived in Ponyville," she pointed out. When the manager pony came back with their gelato, Vinyl shoved her bits across the countertop.

"I guess it felt nice there," Lyra agreed. The three ponies went outside and sat on a bench. "Ponyville then was a lot like Canterlot... when I was a filly." She glanced around. Vinyl grinned at the paranoia.

"Buildings and that stuff didn't change much over a thousand years," Lyra continued. "Just clothes and language. But now, there's faster trains- subways, right? -gelato, all these new products, and the buildings are different. It doesn't look like... how it used to."

"Hey, don't focus on that stuff," Vinyl advised Lyra. "Maybe knowing change is gonna happen doesn't make nostalgia easier to bear, but you have to stop looking so far back, Lyra." She took a bite of her gelato. Delicious. "Am I right, Pinkie?"

"Yeah," Pinkie responded between gulps of gelato. "You're fine, Vinyl Scratch." Lyra sighed.

"You guys are right," she admitted. "So, can-" The loud blast of a trumpet cut Lyra off. Vinyl turned to see three royal guards standing in the middle of the street. Uh oh.