Immortality: Vinyl Scratch's Challenge

Vinyl wasn't too keen on being strapped to several different machines in the very back of the lab. Still, what choice did she have?

"Reminds you of old time, right, Twilight?" Pinkie asked with a giggle. Twilight didn't reply; instead, she focused on hooking Pinkie up to her own set of machines.

Vinyl marveled at how Twilight had changed. Her hair was longer, but she was just as tall as the average mare. She seemed so distant and cold.

"So, Twilight, how do you like your job? Being a princess and all?" Vinyl asked. Lyra shot her a dirty look. Twilight locked her gaze on Vinyl, who regretted her question.

"I have big plans for Equestria," she replied slowly. "Equestria is lucky to have me as a ruler."

"Ow!" Lyra cried. Vinyl felt as sharp pain on her head.

"What gives, Twilight?" She asked. Twilight rolled her eyes.

"I suppose it's obvious I need your DNA to perform several tests," she responded.

"Well, couldn't it be less painful?"

"It was one second, Vinyl. Watch your tone, though." Vinyl knew Twilight meant business. A thought suddenly occurred to Vinyl.

"How can you threaten me if I'm immortal?" She asked. Lyra groaned. Twilight stared at Vinyl.

"I don't yet know the full extent of your immortality. Until I do, you must watch it, Vinyl. Have I mentioned I know how to take away unicorn magic?" Twilight's voice was soft, but Vinyl detected the venom in her voice. "Or maybe I've already said too much."

Vinyl decided to sit back and not say anything else. It was clear that whatever she did just provoked Twilight, for whatever reason. She turned her attention to the machines around her.

Vinyl was in a glass capsule, with her back to the stuff that was going to analyze her. She could feel the machines humming behind her; it felt weird. Vinyl cast a sideways glance at Pinkie Pie. Her hair was straighter. She must be disappointed in the negative changes in Twilight.

Twilight paced in front of them, watches things unknown to Vinyl. She suddenly broke her pace and consulted a sheet of paper being dispensed from a printer.

"Lyra. Pinkie. Vinyl. Think back to your earliest memories," Twilight ordered. "Go through your memories chronologically, you don't have to think about all of them."

Vinyl faintly remembered her first day of school. She had been teased a little bit for her weird name. At her eight birthday party, she had blown out two of the eight candles on the cake.

Vinyl skimmed through memories until she arrived at one important memory. She had been at the entrance of the Museum, 45 years old, and Lyra had arrived, attempting to sell her diary to the Museum for bits.

She remembered visiting Cloudsdale after Lyra had discovered an ancient walk-on-cloud spell. She remembered falling into a river with Lyra. She remembered building a cabin out in the woods and getting all muddy.

She remembered her time in Ponyville, and her roommate Octavia. Octavia was the pony she had grown closest to, outside of Lyra and Pinkie. She remembered Octavia practicing until ten o'clock at night. She remembered being DJ for Princess Cadence's wedding.

Vinyl skipped to the day Lyra insisted they pack up and move because Pinkie Pie was suspicious. She remembered working at the cherry orchard until Lyra, disguised as a filly, came and warned her Pinkie was on the way.

She remembered faking her death, and Pinkie finally catching her and Lyra. Explaining to Pinkie. Finding out Pinkie was immortal, too. Playing pranks with Pinkie, while Lyra looked on with an almost motherly disapproval. Lyra had changed over the years. The many years. She was cautious now.

Vinyl refocused on her memories until Twilight announced they could stop.

"Princess Twilight, what will those memories be used for?" Lyra asked.

"Searching for patterns," Twilight replied simply, pushing a button. The glass capsules surrounding Vinyl and her friends lifted. "Patterns are very useful. Now, you will be guests at Canterlot Castle for a while. And of course-" she smiled at Pinkie "-we won't need to hold auditions for the Element of Laughter." She led the girls back to her throne room.

"That wasn't a real smile," Pinkie muttered. "She's forgotten friendship."

"Oh, Pinkie," Lyra responded quietly.

Twilight's guards took Vinyl, Lyra, and Pinkie to a small room down the hallway.

"You will be staying here," one of the guards told them, edging them into the room.

"Oh, alright," Lyra replied. "Thanks." The guard nodded and shut the door.

Lyra swung around to face them.

"I think Twilight is up to something," she proclaimed. Vinyl noticed a camera in the room and shook her head.

"Yeah, maybe she'll finally help us figure out why we're immortal," she replied loudly, nodding in the direction of the camera. "Now, let me see these beds!" She flopped onto a small bed in the back of the room.

"Please don't tell me we're sharing that," Pinkie remarked, coming up to the bed. "I don't see any other beds here!" Lyra flopped in the bed as well.

"You do know we're being held here, against our will," she murmured in a low voice. Vinyl nodded.

"Sure. But for now, let's figure out where we're sleeping. Does that sound good?" Pinkie and Lyra nodded.

"I'll just- hey, my magic isn't working!" Lyra exclaimed as she tried to cast a spell. "Help!"

"Lyra, they know you can teleport. You've probably had the spell on you all day," Vinyl suggested. "Now, let's play rock, paper, scissors, shall we?"

"Count me in!" Pinkie agreed. Lyra stopped tugging at her horn.

"Fine. But we should still be watchful of where we step," she murmured. Vinyl knew Lyra was right. Twilight wasn't the nice studious pony she knew from Ponyville. Not anymore.