The Mare Formerly Known as Lyraby Dubs RewatcherChaptersPreparationsDiscoveriesTalentsPerformances"Friends"TalksTests (Part I)Tests (Part II)EpiloguesAuthor's NoteOpportunitiesQuestionsPreparationsLyra shivered as frost slowly began to coat her turquoise fur. One of the few downsides about chariot travel was the fact that very few chariots were made with covers over the sitting area. This unfortunate feature left passengers very vulnerable to the frigid air that surrounded Mount Celestia(ironic, considering who the mountain was named for). Lyra shook the ice crystals off, careful to avoid hitting the other ponies sitting with her in the gold-plated car. She had been in the chariot for about an hour. Despite the fact that it was well past midnight, Lyra wasn’t anywhere near being tired. There was just no time to be, with all that had happened. Finally, after years of practicing, gig after gig, her music actually did something worthwhile. If she played her cards right, she could become a millionaire from this deal. Okay, even Lyra had to admit: that was probably pretty far fetched. But still, there was big money in Galaxy Music Group. She couldn’t wait to tell Bon Bon. Bon Bon. The name resonated in her head as it slowly turned from a tone of excitement to one of dread. Once this deal went through, she was probably going to end up having to move to Canterlot. What would happen to Bon Bon? They may have been the best of friends, but Lyra wasn’t sure that even their friendship could take on such a long distance and still survive. What would she say? Lyra’s thought became jumbled as the royal guard ponies pulling the chariot hit the ground, pulling their live cargo along for the ride. They galloped a few more yards before eventually coming to a full stop, their golden horseshoes clinking against the hard concrete runway. “All off who’re gettin’ off.” said one of the white pegasi who had been pulling the carriage. “This is the last stop, so that means the lot a’ ya.” Lyra slipped the straps for both her red suitcase, which held her money, trophy, and other things, and her jet-black lyre case over her shoulders. She slowly shuffled out of the carriage, glad to finally stretch her limbs after being crowded together with six others for an hour. Everypony walked toward the only building in sight: a shiny, bright terminal. This “airport,” as they called it, was relatively new. It was a well known fact that when Princess Celestia’s student, Twilight Sparkle, first came into Ponyville, she and her escorts simply landed in the middle of main street, almost running over quite a few innocent bystanders. Fortunately, nopony was hurt; unfortunately, the gust of wind created from the landing was enough to knock Ponyville’s resident mail mare to the ground, sparking a massive lawsuit which resulted in the new terminal. Despite Lyra’s usual lack of extra money, she did travel often, usually to perform at out-of-town shows. As such, she knew the routine well for passing through a terminal. First, they magically scanned her luggage. Disregarding Lyra’s multiple comments that her trophy, in fact, was not a bomb designed to take out half of Ponyville, the unicorns that led the security force still felt the need to triple-check the object with the most thorough probing spells they could find. Even after they had checked her luggage, she didn’t get it back; that honor went to a large, noisy, metal conveyor belt. Next came the stage where they check the actual pony. Even if she almost never wore actual clothes, Lyra always found the scan to be somewhat intrusive. They claimed that it was for security, but where on their body was a pony supposed to hide something, anyway? Lyra tried not to think very hard about it. The final stage was arguably the most difficult of all: waiting. Apparently, that conveyor belt was either very long, or very slow. So, Lyra stood, tapping her hoof impatiently, waiting for the metal catwalk to produce her luggage. A minute passes. It hasn’t come. Another five minutes passes. Still nothing. By now, she just wanted to go home, fall into bed, and pass out forever, but she couldn’t, because her luggage still wasn’t there, and there were unicorn guards staring at her like she was going to blow up half of Ponyville, and in the background, is that godawful elevator music that always seems to play in the most annoying of situations, grinding into your eardrums until you don’t know what music is anymore. Lyra, her senses heightened by pure impatience, snatched her baggage within seconds of it exiting the metal tube. She gripped the straps in her mouth, not even caring to put them on properly, and rushed out the exit, into the cold night air. It was at least a mile to her house from there, but she could deal with the cold. It would have been nice to have somepony to talk to, though. Suddenly, a knit cap forced its way over Lyra’s head. “Lyra, you really need to be more careful! Did you know that you lose more heat from your head than anyplace else?” Lyra lifted the cap over her eyes, only to be greeted by a familiar sight: it was Bon Bon! “Oh, Bon Bon!” Lyra yelped, surprised. “What are you doing here? It’s, like, three in the morning!” Lyra looked around for a moment, then leaned in close to her friend. “You haven’t been drinking coffee again, have you? Because you know how you get...” Bon Bon laughed. “No, silly! I’ve just been so excited to hear how you did! I couldn’t wait until tomorrow...or, today, rather. And besides, I figured you could use some company on the way home.” Bon Bon said, a smile on her face. “And it looks like I was right! You really need to learn to pack accordingly, Lyra! You would have frozen to death!” Lyra sighed, and pulled the cap down again. It wasn’t much, but it was better than walking bare. “Yeah, I know, I know! You’re right, I’m wrong, I know how it goes.” “Speaking of how things are going...how was the competition?! I was so anxious to hear from you!” “Oh, right. Just wait a sec.” Lyra stopped and popped open her rolling suitcase. Much to Bon Bon’s delight, out came a large, golden trophy, the top of which was decorated by a golden pony surrounded by music notes. “You could say I did well.” “OH, LYRA! CONGRATULATIONS!” Bon Bon shrieked, embracing her friend in a hug so vehement, it nearly sent the trophy flying. “You see? I told you that you would do well! You were all like, ‘Oh, I’m so bad,’ and I was like, ‘No, you’re amazing,’ and look what happened!” Lyra smiled at her friend’s enthusiasm. “There was also a cash prize of about a thousand bits. I haven’t-” “A thousand bits? Lyra, you’re rich!” “Rich? I don’t think so. You make more than that in like a week.” “Yeah, but I own my own shop. I hate to say it, Lyra, but you don’t even have a regular job. You should feel lucky.” Bon Bon gave Lyra a playful punch on the shoulder and returned the trophy. “Did anything else happen?” Lyra’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yeah, I-” Wait. Should she really tell Bon Bon about Noteworthy’s offer? As seen by her excitement over Lyra’s victory, Bon Bon was a very emotional mare. And, as much as Lyra hated to admit it, Bon Bon didn’t really have many friends besides Lyra. What would happen to her once Lyra left? Lyra really didn’t want to think about it. Besides, it was late, they were both tired...Lyra wasn’t in the best of moods to be trying to comfort a frantic, crying mare. “What?” Bon Bon asked, turning her head in confusion. “What happened?” “Oh, uh, nothing important. What did you do while I was gone? “What’s Noteworthy doing here?” “Didn’t he get fired?” “I heard he made some deal with Two Step!” “Oh man, do ya think it’s...you know?” “Oh Celestia no! I mean... I don’t think so...” Noteworthy slammed his office door closed. Rumors had been spreading ever since he had come back in that morning, surprisingly unfired. He really was shocked at how little faith everypony in the office had in him. How common of knowledge was his sell rate? Whatever. It didn’t matter now. He had about four days until Lyra came back to Canterlot. While he was waiting, he needed to prepare. knock knock Noteworthy jumped at the sudden, albeit gentle noise. “Come in?” he called. The door slowly swung inward, creaking as it went. And, standing in the doorway, was a dread and ghostly figure. It was Two Step. “Oh, sir! Thank you for coming to-” Two Step inhaled deeply, as he held up a hoof denoting silence. “Save it, Noteworthy. I got your message. Have you found somepony yet?” Noteworthy nodded heartily. Unconsciously puffing his chest out in pride, he said: “Yes, sir, I have. Just yesterday, she won the Canterlot Amateur Music Festival.” “Huh. Maybe you are not a failure after all.” Two Step declared. Noteworthy’s stance lowered a bit at the backhanded compliment. “What is her name?” “Her name is Lyra. She comes from Ponyville, and she’s a pro on the lyre. Now, I think-” “Really? A lyre?” Two Step interrupted. “Yeah. Why, is that a problem...?” Two Step chuckled, all the while piercing Noteworthy’s eyes with his own gold orbs. “Noteworthy, answer me this: how many artists have you heard of recently that have made it big playing a lyre?” “Uh...none, I suppose.” Noteworthy admitted. In fact, he wasn’t sure he even knew what a lyre sounded like, let alone a song. “B-but, couldn’t that work to our advantage? It’s original, it’s new!” Two Step sat on Noteworthy’s desk. “And therein lies your problem. You are trying to think like an innovator, like you are just going to come up with the best new thing in music since rock n’ roll. People do not want new; they want a catchy song that you can sing and dance to. We want the songs that those idiots on Equestrian Idol can sing.” “So, what do you want me to do?” Two Step clucked his tongue. “Well, if you are not willing to find another pony, then you have to get rid of the lyre.” Noteworthy blinked. “Sir, her cutie mark is of a lyre. According to her she’s been playing the lyre all her life. Her name is Lyra, for Celestia’s sake.” “So? Look at Bustin’ Jieber. His cutie mark is a can of hairspray. His real name is ‘Crew Cut.’ And yet, he sings for millions of school-age fillies every day.” Two Step held a hoof to his chin in thought. “Actually, that gives me an idea. Make her sing.” “Sing?” Two Step smiled and nodded. “Sing.” “Uh...okay? I guess I can work with that.” Two Step nodded. “You will have to learn to. You have less than two weeks left; make them count for something.” He turned and headed for the door, but stopped after a few feet and turned back. “Oh, I almost forgot. I figured since you actually have something to do now besides napping, you could use some extra help. I am giving you an assistant. Choose who you want, run it by me, and carry on.” Two Step shut the door gently behind him. Noteworthy breathed deeply as he pulled a small notebook from his desk. Turning over the first page(the contents of which Noteworthy would deny to his grave), he began to jot down what he had learned from the meeting. Singing New name(stage) Assistant? He stared at the last word. Apparently he could choose anyone. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Considering the rumors that had been floating around, it was unlikely he would find somepony willing to work for him. He could only think of one pony who could, or would possibly take the job. “Hey, Backbeat.” “AIYAAA!” Backbeat yelped, shooting straight out of her seat. Luckily, a pegasus passing overhead was able to catch the mare before she fell straight back down and hurt herself. “Damn it all, Backbeat! That’s the third time this week!” the pegasus said as he lowered the white unicorn back down to her desk. “You gotta calm those nerves!” “Sorry...” she murmured as the pegasus flew away, grumbling under his breath. She turned to the source of the original noise, brushing a few red locks out of her bespectacled eyes. “Oh, hi, Noteworthy...sorry you had to see that.” Noteworthy laughed. “It’s no worry.” Warily, he eyed the multiple empty coffee cups scattered around his friend’s desk. “...Maybe you should take his advice. Maybe try decaf?” “Oh, it’s not usually like this...I was up all night doing data entry for this week’s top twenty charts. Oh, uh, sorry, but Hayseed wasn’t there.” “Well, because that’s definitely a big surprise. Anyway, you’re probably wondering why I came.” Noteworthy said. Backbeat slowly nodded. “Well, I have a question for you, Backbeat." He spread his arms out in the air with a dramatic flourish. "One that could change our lives as we know it.” The unicorn’s white fur began to take the color of her mane. He couldn’t possibly be...? “How do you like your job?” Noteworthy asked. Backbeat's hackles raised as her fur paled once again. "Why, I hate it! Do you know what it's like to stay up every night just to fill out meaningless spreadsheets?! It's torture! I'm amazed I haven't thrown my godforsaken computer out the window yet! And they can't even have the decency to pay me a decent salary! It just makes me want to scream!" She slammed her hooves on the gray desk in frustration. Pointing at her flank, she continued: “I mean, what’s this microphone supposed to mean if I’m just supposed to have a desk job all my life?! Noteworthy slowly retreated from the mare, unsuccessfully trying to pass through the wall behind him. While Backbeat was usually a kind, albeit timid pony, there were some subjects which she felt very passionate about. One of these just happened to be her job. Despite her cutie mark, designating her for a life of music, Backbeat had been working with computers for as long as Noteworthy could remember. Backbeat took a calming breath. “Oh, I’m so sorry. Did I, um, get carried away again?” “Uh, yeah. It’s okay, though. In fact, that’s just the answer I wanted to hear.” Noteworthy said. He knew that Backbeat was his friend, and would listen to him no matter what, but still...it couldn’t hurt to use some sleaze for what he was about to ask. “How would you like to come work for me?” “Huh? You’re quitting the company?” “No, no, you don’t understand. I told you about Lyra, right?” Noteworthy asked, prompting a small nod from Backbeat. “Well, Two Step came and told me I could take an assistant to help me. I just have to run it by him, and we’d be golden. So, what do ya say? You in?” Backbeat looked away. “I...I don’t know, Noteworthy. Are you sure? I mean, I’m sure you don’t want me...there has to be someone more, uh, qualified, you know? I wouldn’t...” A frown planted itself upon the stallion’s face. “Oh, Backbeat, don’t be like that! I wouldn’t have chosen you if I didn’t think you would do well. And besides, what would you rather be doing?” He motioned towards the large, grey monitor on her desk. “Spend your life tapping out numbers into a machine? Or working with the best musicians in Equestria?” Backbeat looked down at the ground, as if something had suddenly stolen her attention. Suddenly, she stared back into Noteworthy’s eyes, steely conviction present in her blue irises. “When do I start?” “What about this one?” “What’s the title?” “Lemme see... Ode in Rosa?” Lyra dropped the box she was carrying, ran over to Bon Bon, and slapped the papers out of her hooves. “NO. NEVER AGAIN. No one is allowed to hear, read, or even see this song ever again.” Bon Bon pouted. “God, Lyra, what is your problem? What’s with you and hating everything you’ve ever written?” “I hate it because it’s terrible!” Lyra yelled, head pointed to the sky. “I need to find my best work, not some crappy composition I wrote for my high school music class!” The cream-colored mare organized the papers that had fallen. “Really? What grade did you get on this?” The turquoise unicorn’s face turned a shade of pink. “...An ‘A.’” ‘HA! I’m telling you, this is good! It must be, considering you’ve kept it for so many years. I mean, you’ve even-” “AHA!” Lyra shrieked, cutting off Bon Bon’s pep talk. “Now, this is what I’m talking about!” She blew the excess of dust off the packet in her hooves, revealing three sheets of paper, all decorated with various musical notations. The first page was entitled: ‘Amicitia Magus.’ “Now this is something I can use!” Bon Bon clapped her friend on the back, almost knocking the unicorn over. “You see? Everything worked out alright.” She looked over the first page, feigning understanding of the various symbols littered on the paper. “Hey, why do you need these things anyway?” Lyra nearly dropped the papers. “Oh, uh...” In truth, she was looking over her music to see what she could bring to Canterlot. Despite his confidence, Lyra wasn’t expecting Noteworthy is have much experience in the way of lyre music. As such, she needed to be as prepared as possible. How was she supposed to explain this to Bon Bon without giving up the truth? Maybe it was time to tell her...? “Do you have a concert or something coming up?” Bon Bon asked innocently. “Oh, yes!” Lyra replied, smiling as wide as she could. “Yep! Very important concert! Need all the music I can get! Ha, ha...” Lyra felt a few beads of sweat begin to form as Bon Bon shot her a penetrating look. Eventually, Bon Bon shrugged, and went back to searching through the many boxes that filled Lyra’s attic. Lyra realized that she had been holding her breath; she gave a long sigh, wiped her head, and placed her sheet music to the side. She couldn’t focus on Bon Bon now. She had work to do. Backbeat levitated her pen in the air, readying her clipboard. “Okay, when you’re ready...” Noteworthy paced around his office, thoughts racing. “We need a name. Something catchy. Memorable. Something that shows just what we’re trying to get at with Lyra’s music!” “Um...Noteworthy?” “Yes, Backbeat?” Backbeat shuffled her hooves. “Uh, what are we trying to ‘get at?’” Noteworthy stared blankly back at her. “I...don’t know. Damn. Uh...I guess, like, she’s trying to sing with her heart, or something like that. What do you think?” “Oh, I’m not very good at naming things...” Noteworthy held a hoof to his forehead and clenched his eyes closed in thought. “Can...can it be a pun, or something like that?” “OOH! I love puns.” Backbeat replied, a smile growing on her face. “Um...what did you say her special talent was?” “She plays the lyre. Or, at least, she played the lyre. Not after we’re done.” “The lyre...that’s a string instrument. It’s very melodic...” “So, what? ‘Melody Mare?’” “No, that, uh, sounds like a superhero...” Backbeat chewed on her pen. “Um, I think I have an idea.” Noteworthy stopped in his tracks. “Well, spit it out!” Seeing his assistant recoil, he added a small apology. “You said her music come from the heart...and the lyre is a string instrument...what about ‘Heartstrings?’” The blue stallion thought about it. “Yeah...yeah! I can see that working.” And he wasn’t kidding. ‘Heartstrings.’ It really did have a nice ring to it. It was new, creative, memorable, even cute. It was the kind of name you see consistently placing in the top twenty charts. Much better than ‘Bustin’ Jieber.’ Noteworthy caught Backbeat in a tight hug. “THAT’S IT! I told you this would work out! You are the best assistant!” The unicorn was speechless as blood began to well in her cheeks. Lyra was locked in a fierce staring match with the white earth pony that was seated at the information booth. While Lyra was fueled by pure anger, the white pony, who’s nametag designated her as “Checkmark,” was fueled by pure fear of the unicorn staring her down. “I, um, ah...ma’am?” Lyra grit her teeth, her gaze not even wavering. “Where. Are. My. Bags.” Checkmark didn’t dare break her hold on Lyra’s gold eyes. “I...I don’t know?” “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T KNOW?! Isn’t this the information booth?” “I mean, yeah, but I don’t really have control of where you put your bags.” Checkmark replied, her hoof instinctively crawling toward the button that summoned security. They had trained her in a lot of things at the Canterlot School of Hospitality, but this was not in her job description. “Maybe you should keep better track of your things...?” The white-cyan fur that covered Lyra’s head started to emit a few wisps of gray smoke. “Your employees were the ones who lost them. If you don’t get me them in the next minute, I swear to Celestia...” “Excuse me, miss?” Lyra turned to the new, gruff voice. However, the first thing she noticed was not the large crimson stallion who was sporting muscles which with he could probably rip Lyra apart in a few seconds. What she noticed first were her suitcases, all of which were covered in yellow-and-black tape. “Oh, there you are!” Lyra cheered, the smoke coming off of her body immediately blowing away. She galloped to the stallion, slipping two of the straps over her shoulder, and grabbing the other in her teeth. “Warf dif yif fan disf?” she asked through the leather. “‘Where did I find it?’ I was the one who took it. All three of your bags were marked for a potential bomb threat. We don’t take that lightly around here. Now, if you’d just sign here, we’d let you go.” The unicorn sighed, laid her red leather handbag on the ground, and quickly scribbled her signature. “Okay, can I go now?” The guard stared at the clipboard on which Lyra had signed. “Wait, what’s your name?” “Lyra.” “Okay. What kind of signature is this?” Lyra blinked. “Wait, what?” “Well, it’s just an ‘L’ then a straight line. How is someone supposed to make out ‘Lyra’ from this?” “Well, it’s a signature. It doesn’t really matter what it looks like, as long as I keep it consistent, right?” “Kinda obnoxious, ain’t it?” he asked. Lyra rubbed her head with a hoof, both trying to soothe the headache that was attempting to drill into her brain, and suppressing a nasty insult. “Whatever. You can go.” As if his words were a starting pistol, Lyra shot out of the Canterlot International Airport as fast as she could, barely stopping to avoid the many business ponies rushing to their respective flights. The Ponyville Airport wasn’t always as empty as it had been earlier that week. That was simply due to the timing of her flight; about midnight. However, even at it’s peak hours, it could never compare with the sheer size of Canterlot International Airport, especially at noontime. She stepped out into the warm afternoon air, filling her lungs with its fresh flavor. She had made it; after years of hard work, she was going to be living and working in Canterlot. It was a new slate. A chance to start over, as a new mare. But yet, one piece of Ponyville lingered in her mind: Bon Bon. No matter how many times they had met during the week, Lyra just couldn’t bring herself to hurt her friend like that. However, what she had ended up doing may have been even worse: she left without saying goodbye. Well, not completely. Lyra had left a note on the door to her cottage, stating why she was leaving, and why should couldn’t admit it to her face. It was comparable, Lyra noted, to breaking up with somepony through a mailed letter. A wave of nausea came over her as she pictured what Bon Bon’s face would look like as she read the note. Would she cry? Would she scream? Would she hate Lyra forever? Lyra was not looking forward to the next time she saw Bon Bon. She rummaged through her handbag, searching for the paper on which Noteworthy had written the address. “Okay, 112 8th Street...that’s on Bush Avenue, I think.” While Lyra had lived in Ponyville for most of her life, when she was younger she had been accepted in Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. As such, she knew the basic geography of Canterlot very well. Stepping out onto the curbside, Lyra whistled for one of the many yellow taxis that circled the airport. After a few seconds, one pulled out of the neverending circle to approach her. She eyed it suspiciously; and for good reason. Instead of the usual number/letter code that adorned the license plates of most cars, this one only read ‘FRESH.’ The driver’s face was obscured by a pair of large, fuzzy pink dice. It pulled up along side her. The driver was covered in shaggy brown fur, contrasting his greased black mane. “Yo, where ya goin’?” “Uh...Eighth and Bush?” He flashed a set of pearly white teeth, the center dotted by one golden square. “Yo, for a filly like you? No charge” Lyra shuddered. “Um, no thanks, actually. I...think I hear my laundry calling! Thanksseeyabye!” She ran as fast as she could back to the airport. Huh. Canterlot life was harder than she remembered. Discoveries(HOLY CHEESE, sorry this chapter took so long! I've been slowly whittling away at it for the past couple of weeks, writing it pretty much line by line. So much so, that the Google Docs version of this chapter is in my "Most Visited" toolbar! A lot happens in this chapter, so maybe it's worth it? YOU DECIDE!) Lyra marveled at the intricate architecture that inhabited the main branch of Galaxy Music Group. Countless arches, paintings, and fountains dotted the lobby, along with dozens of ponies, each one dressed in the latest Canterlot fashions. Compared to them, Lyra felt remarkably naked; perhaps she should have booked a hotel and changed before coming? Even the mare she was approaching, the receptionist, looked as if she was ready for a full-on photo shoot at any time. The receptionist’s fur looked as if it had been dipped in butter. It seemed to reflect light, tinting it in the same faded yellow that coated her. This contrasted heavily against her “with-it” mane: a neon blue so bright, it hurt Lyra’s eyes just to see it. While most ponies wore, if anything, just a top, she had brought the whole package: her legs and cutie mark were completely covered by tight-looking blue jeans. Lyra couldn’t get a look at her eyes, as they were hidden behind the latest issue of Equestria Daily magazine, the front of which was adorned by the charismatic face of pop superstar Bruno Saturn. Lyra trotted with her bags to the semi-circular desk. A few feet in front of it was a small metal sign that read ‘VISITORS MUST BE ANNOUNCED.’ Lyra figured that she counted as a visitor; after all, she hadn’t actually signed anything yet. Setting down her bag on the hard marble flooring, she waited for the mare, who a small nameplate designated as “Starshine,” to acknowledge her. Starshine turned a page nonchalantly. Lyra cleared her throat. Starshine let out a long, deep noise that Lyra could only guess was a yawn. “Uh, excuse me?” Lyra asked, one eyebrow raised. The receptionist let the magazine drop messily to her desk. She gave one look at Lyra, and simply let any trace of fake enthusiasm she had slip away. “Welcome. Is there something you need? Directions or something?” “Actually,” Lyra began, somewhat offended by Starshine’s assumptions, “I was wondering if you could call up to Noteworthy and tell him I’m here. He’s on the 28th floor, if I recall correctly. Starshine’s expression didn’t change. “I’m sorry ma’am, but Noteworthy no longer works here.” Lyra was taken aback. “What? But, but, I just met him last week!” The yellow mare raised the magazine back over her face. “I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is. Have a nice day.” Lyra’s mind began to race. How was this possible? Had...had she been tricked?! No, Noteworthy seemed so nice. maybe that was just the way they pulled you in. Got your money, and ran. But wait...Lyra hadn’t given Noteworthy any money. Maybe she had gotten the building wrong...? No, she still had the paper with his address on it. Had she just wasted her money, time and hopes for nothing?! And Bon Bon. Oh Celestia, Bon Bon. Hopefully she hadn’t read the note yet... “Hey, Lyra!” She turned her head to the source of the noise. At the end of the lobby, cantering steadily out of an elevator, was Noteworthy! He was followed closely by a white-furred, red-maned unicorn mare carrying a clipboard. "Oh, Noteworthy, you're here!" Lyra exclaimed exuberantly. Noteworthy looked confused. "Uh...yeah? Why wouldn't I be?" "Well, the receptionist said that you didn't work here anymore." "The hay?" He turned to Starshine. "Yo, Starshine, what's going on here?" For the first time since the conversation had started, Starshine's expression changed, albeit slightly. "Oh, Noteworthy, you're still here. Word around the office is that Two Step gave you the boot." Noteworthy looked ready to pop a blood vessel. "Where do these rumors keep coming from?! No, I was not fired!" “Well, it’s not like it would have been unusual or anything. I mean, I’m just a receptionist, and even I’ve heard about your re-” “STOP IT, STARSHINE!” Everypony stared at the white mare that had spoken up. Almost immediately, her face flushed with color. “I mean, uh, stop being so rude. Can’t we all just, you know, let it die?” Starshine rolled her eyes, smiled, and went back to Equestria Daily. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Have a nice day.” There was a tense silence. It was slowly broken as Noteworthy released a long sigh. “Okay. Come on, Lyra. Let’s get upstairs.” At this point, Lyra’s confusion had morphed into something akin to worry. Just what was she getting herself into with this? The elevator ride up seemed to drag on forever, Lyra noted. After the scene in the lobby, the air had become awkward. The conversation, already non-existent, was so dead that Lyra nearly jumped when Noteworthy spoke. “Oh, I just realized.” He turned to the two mares. “You two haven’t been properly introduced. Lyra, I would like you to meet Backbeat, my personal assistant. Backbeat, Lyra.” The two shook. “Nice to meet you.” Lyra offered. “And the same to you.” Backbeat responded, her bespectacled eyes lighting up. With a ding and a short lurch, the silver, double doors that marked the elevator entrance slid open. However, none of them stepped forward; it was only the fourteenth floor. On the contrary, Noteworthy stepped back, scowling at the new arrival. He was an earth pony stallion, just like Noteworthy. However, compared to him, Noteworthy was a tank; he was slim and smooth, as if he was a pegasus without wings. His cutie mark, a keyboard, adorned an ashen-furred flank. His mane bore a striking resemblance to that of the first taxi driver Lyra had encountered at the airport; jet-black, with an excessive use of grease. Sunglasses tinted just as dark as his hair covered his eyes. “Hey-o, Blues! You still here?” the stallion said, flashing a pair of pearly whites. Noteworthy wasn’t amused by the nickname. “Hello, Key Change. Yes, I’m still here. Thanks for asking.” “No problem.” Key Change stepped into place between Noteworthy and Lyra, carelessly pushing Backbeat into the back of the elevator. He turned to the turquoise unicorn on his left. “And a hello to you, Miss...?” “Uh, it’s Miss Lyra. Oh, um, I-I mean, it’s just Lyra.” Key Change grinned. “Lyra, huh?” Suddenly, he grabbed her hoof, and before she could react, leaned down and gave it a light kiss. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Lyra.” He only kept grinning as Lyra blushed in response. “So, Blues, this the new client everypony’s saying you got?” Noteworthy took in a calming breath. “Yeah. But I thought the rumors were saying I was fired.” “There are a lot of rumors.” Key Change responded before turning back to Lyra. “So, Lyra, what made you go for somepony like Noteworthy?” “Uh, I guess I just kind of met him after the Music Festival?” “‘Music Festival?’ Oh, you must mean the Canterlot Amateur Music Festival! Yes, now I know where I remember you from. Well, Lyra, my name is Key Change. You may know one of my clients, Bustin’ Jieber?” “You represent Bustin’ Jieber?” Lyra asked. Key Change chuckled. “Yes. Yes I do.” From behind him, Backbeat let out a groan so quiet only she could have possibly heard it. “And I have a question for you: how would you like to work with me?” Noteworthy snapped his head to Key Change. “What?!” Lyra gasped. “Wait, what?” “Oh, come on. What do you have to lose? Nothing. But to gain...” “I swear to Celestia, Key Change.” Noteworthy huffed. “Lyra is my client and I will not-” “Really?” Key Change interrupted, pulling down his sunglasses to reveal a set of piercing gold irises. “She’s already signed a contract, and everything?” “Well, no, but-” “Then she’s free game. So, what do you say, Lyra? Music is a tough world; don’t you want the best chance of survival?” Lyra frowned. Despite the smile and sleek appearance, she did not feel comfortable with the direction in which the conversation was headed. She felt like a piece of meat. Noteworthy seemed nice. Key Change seemed(to use a term she heard from her parents often, when describing Canterlot types) like a complete douche. “Thank you for the offer, Key Change. But I think I’ll stick with Noteworthy.” Now it was Key Change’s turn to frown. “Fine. Your loss.” The elevator gave a short ding as the black screen near the ceiling turned to a definite ‘28.’ “She’s all yours, Blues.” Noteworthy snorted in frustration as the doors opened. “Let’s go, Lyra, Backbeat.” The gray walls that led from the elevator were lined with pictures, paintings, and doors. The pictures depicted various ponies paired with the hottest musicians, no doubt manager and client. Lyra made a small mental note: Noteworthy was nowhere to be seen. Each door was marked with a small golden sign, engraved with dark black lettering. Once they had reached the one marked ‘NOTEWORTHY,’ the stallion in question pushed the door open easily, standing aside to let his two companions through. The room was pretty big, surprisingly. However, despite the size, it was remarkably empty. The back walls was a dull white, only marked by two large windows. In front of it was a metal desk, filled with pictures, random knick-knacks and a lone Marecrosoft computer. In front of that were two red chairs, each one looking comfortable. A couch rested against the left wall. Lyra put her bags down and settled herself on the gray couch, slumping over in a style most comfortable for her. Her parents had always lectured her “not to sit like that.” Supposedly it could hurt your back. But who were they to tell her how to sit? She was a grown mare, and she would do whatever she felt comfortable doing. However, she did not feel comfortable with the confused stares Noteworthy and Backbeat were giving her, so she settled into a laying position. “So, if I could ask a question...” “Shoot.” Noteworthy replied, rummaging through a file cabinet as Backbeat swiftly caught the items he threw out. “What’s going on around here?” Backbeat placed a pile of papers on Noteworthy’s desk. “What do you mean?” “Well...with everything! I mean, first the receptionist said you got fired.” Noteworthy looked up from a manila folder. “Hey, that was a vicious rumor.” “Yeah, but why was there a rumor in the first place? And what was that on the elevator? Who was that guy?” “That’s Key Change.” Backbeat began. “He has the highest success rate in the entire Canterlot branch. Maybe even, uh, the entire company...” “Not that he deserves it.” Noteworthy interrupted. “All he does is use underhanded tricks and sleazy tactics. And, somehow, he always gets the best clients. It gets pretty frustrating sometimes.” He pulled a long sheet of paper filled with writing out of the folder.. “Ah, here we are!” He handed it to Lyra. “Your contract.” Lyra looked it over warily. She still wasn’t completely content with how things were being done here. She was surprised by the brevity of the document; it was able to fit onto a single page, albeit leaving no room to spare. It outlined the basic details one would expect from a music contract. The company held all performance rights, could terminate contract at any time, etc.. After checking twice for any hidden fine print, Lyra bit down on the pen Backbeat offered her and signed, giving a small flourish on the end of the straight line that marked her signature. She handed it off to Backbeat, who levitated it in the air to read it. It had just occurred to Backbeat that she didn’t actually know herself what was on one of these things. However, after reading it over, what concerned her about the contract was not what was on it; rather, what wasn’t on it. “Uh, Noteworthy, could I please talk to you for a moment?” Backbeat asked. “Outside, I mean.” “Of course.” Noteworthy replied. He turned to Lyra. “If you would just give us a minute.” The two stepped out of the office, Backbeat slowly shutting the door behind them. “So, what was it you needed?” “Uh, I was wondering...you do realize that this contract doesn’t mention the, um, deal anywhere on it?” Backbeat asked honestly. “Oh. Right. About that.” He swallowed. “Actually, I wasn’t actually planning on telling her until it was over.” he said with a nervous chuckle. “I mean, what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her, right?” Backbeat gasped. “Noteworthy! Do you know how mean that is? What if she gets rejected? Can you even imagine how she would feel?” Noteworthy sighed. “Well, considering I would be out of a job too, I’d say I have a pretty good idea.” He grabbed her hooves. “Please, Backbeat. If Lyra- or Heartstrings, I guess, finds out about this she’ll probably flip. She’s already pissed.” Backbeat adjusted her brown glasses. “I, um, wouldn’t say she’s ‘pissed.’ She seems more confused, than anything. And I don’t think we’ve known her for long enough to say whether she would, you know, quit or not.” “Look. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. But we’ve got less than a week left, and we need to get Lyra ready for whatever Two Step’s got planned for her.” Noteworthy said, staring imploringly, straight into Backbeat’s brown eyes. “Can you please just go along with it for one week? For me?” “I-I-I...ah...” She sighed. “I guess so.” “Best assistant, I’m telling you!” Noteworthy cheered. He slowly opened the door and stepped into the office once again. Backbeat followed behind him, trace amounts of guilt lingering in her mind. Lyra clumsily shifted from a sitting position back to a laying one. “Oh, hey.” Noteworthy didn’t seem to notice. “Okay, Lyra. Do you mind if we head straight down to the studio, or do you have something else planned?” “I’m completely fine with that. Let’s go!” Lyra said, jumping from the couch. “But wait...I still have my bags. Should I leave them here, or...?” Backbeat nodded. “Don’t worry, your things will be safe here. Actually, I could probably book your hotel room, if you want me to. Unless you already have one.” Lyra smiled. “I actually didn’t, so thanks.” Backbeat nodded again, and left the room. Lyra went to grab the black bag that held her lyre. “Wait, Lyra.” Noteworthy called. “Hm?” “You can leave that here. We won’t actually be needing it.” The aquamarine mare raised an eyebrow. “But I thought we were going to the studio? Aren’t we recording?” Noteworthy nodded. “Yeah, we are. Just trust me on this.” She fell silent for a moment, but eventually relented. “Okay. You’re the expert.” Predictably, the elevator ride was just as slow. However, now that they knew each other a little more, the silences weren’t so awkward. “So,” Noteworthy began. “How do you like Canterlot so far? It must be pretty different from Ponyville.” “Actually, I used to live here. I was a student at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.” “O-ho! Really? That completely trumps my Hoofington High School diploma. Must be pretty easy to get a job with a degree like that.” “Yeah, it probably would be. But I, uh...dropped out. Heh, heh.” “Oh.” The God of Awkward Silences jumped for joy. “But, yeah, it is pretty different than I remember it.” Lyra continued, attempting to salvage the conversation. “The cab over here from the airport cost me eighteen bits! Eighteen! When I was living here, that would have been next to nothing!” “Well, they do have a lot of high-class ponies here. They need to make money somehow!” “Tell me about it. Have you ever been to Grand Galloping Gala?” Lyra asked. Noteworthy shook his head. “It’s a nightmare. Nothing but snooty mares and stuck-up stallions everywhere.” “You’ve been to the Grand Galloping Gala?” Noteworthy asked, incredulous. “Yeah. My fillyfriend, Bon Bon, has a cousin who won our town’s Running of the Leaves race, and she won two tickets. She didn’t want them, so she gave them to Bon Bon and me.” “Fillyfriend?” Noteworthy questioned. He was surprised; Lyra didn’t seem like the type. “Oh!” Lyra blushed. “Not like that! I mean, she’s just a friend who’s also a filly. You know what I mean.” Noteworthy chuckled. “Of course.” The elevator beeped, and within seconds, the door opened. However, the studio they were headed for was the 65th floor(the building was 101 floors in all, one of the biggest in Canterlot). They were only on the 40th. Unlike the previous elevator ride, no one currently in the car hated the pony stepping on. In fact, Lyra loved her. The mare’s head was completely covered by a shock of electric blue hair, a few strands falling in front of the purple sunglasses that graced her face. Her fur was a white matching that of Celestia’s, contrasted by the pure black of the backwards double quaver on her flank. She was known throughout Equestria as the Queen of Rave, Rap, and Pop. She was Vinyl Scratch. Or more commonly known as DJ Pon-3. Lyra tried to contain her hyperventilation as Vinyl stepped on and hit the button for the roof. “Y-you’re...” Vinyl turned to her admirer and smiled. “Yo, filly, you okay?” “YES! I OKAY!” Lyra yelped, nodding wildly. “But, but, you’re...DJ Pon-3! One of the greatest musicians in Equestria!” “Aw, dude, you’re makin’ me blush!” Vinyl replied, her smile unfading. “Always cool to meet a fan.” At that moment, she noticed the large, blue stallion sitting next to Lyra. “Yo, Blues! Wass shakin’, my brotha’?” She held up a hoof. Not even Noteworthy could get mad at the charismatic Vinyl Scratch for using the name he so despised. “Nothing much, Vinyl. How’s life?” he said, returning her brohoof. “It’s all good! Just headin’ up to the roof for some air. Gold Bar can be a pretty intense manager, I can tell you that.” She looked back at Lyra. “Do you want an autograph, or something?” Lyra nodded her head just as furiously as before, but slowed just as quickly as she had started. “I don’t think I have a pen or paper, though.” Vinyl laughed. “Filly, you stay famous for long enough, and you learn to be prepared.” Her horn shone blue for a moment. Suddenly, a picture of her playing and a marker emerged from her hair. “So, who should I make this baby out to?” “Lyra?” “Cute name.” Vinyl said, quickly sliding the marker over the paper in a messy signature. At that moment, the elevator pinged, signaling Lyra and Noteworthy’s stop. “See you around sometime, Ly. See ya, Blues.” As soon as the elevator doors shut, leaving the two alone, Lyra gave a fangirlish squeal. “EEEEEE! DJ Pon-3 knows my name! And she has a nickname for me!” "I didn't think you would be such a big fan of Vinyl Scratch. With an instrument like the lyre, I figured you'd be all classical." Noteworthy said, beginning to walk down the wide hallway. Every few yards, a door would interrupt the vast stretch of wall. Each one led into a recording studio. “Oh, no! I love modern music! I'm always open to new things." Noteworthy swallowed. "That's good to hear." "Okay, so how are we going to do this?" Lyra asked. Noteworthy sat at a large machine that sat against an even larger window. It was lined with lights and buttons of all shapes and sizes, so much so it gave Lyra a headache just to attempt to comprehend it all. The window looked into a small, metal chamber. A bright lighf illuminated the only occupant: a lone microphone that hung stiffly from the ceiling. "Before we get into the business of composing and all that, I just, uh, want to have another taste of what you sound like." He grabbed a few papers from a drawer below the machine. "Here, I had this prepared for you." Noteworthy handed her the papers, and motioned to a door that led into the chamber. "Head on in." "…Okay? I don't really see how this going to work without my lyre, but whatever." Lyra said, pushing the gray door open. A pitch black pair of headphones were hung on the microphone. Lyra shakily levitated them onto her head, and adjusted ths microphone to match her height(whoever had been there before her was either very short, or had been sitting). For the first time, she looked at the papers that she had been given. Lyra smiled. In the paper, emblazoned in clear cut black text were the lyrics to the song "Need You Now" by Filly Postbellum. Lyra loved this song! They played it all the time on her favorite radio station, "K-COLT." She had even composed a cover of it on lyre, just for whenever she wanted to hear it. But wait...these were just the lyrics. What was she...? "Okay, Heartstrings, do you know this song?" Noteworthy said through a microphone of his own. He was fiddling with the different controls that the machine was mottled with. His voive seemed to come at her from all sides. "Uh, yeah, I do. But what are you expecting me to do with this? I have no instrument." She thought for a moment. "And what did you call me?" If Noteworthy had heard her last comment, he didn't show it. He flicked a switch, and a few melancholy piano notes floated out of the speaker. "Yes, you do. You have your voice!" Noteworthy remarked. "Sing!" Whatever trace of a smile Lyra had disappeared immediately. "Wait, wait, what?! I-I-I can't sing!" "Psh!" Noteworthy replied. "I bet you're great! Now, get ready, your cue is coming!" Lyra swallowed, but found some difficulty attempting to pass the lump that had formed in her throat. "Here...here I go?" “PIIcture PEEEErfEct memoRIIIEs, scAAtTtered all around the flOOra...” Noteworthy grabbed his headphones and moved them as far away as possible, to no avail. The screeching sound of Lyra attempting to sing still bored into his eardrums as if it were an angry wasp. “REEeaching for the pHone, cause I can’t fIight it anyYymore...” In the next recording room, through the sound-proof walls that separated them, Sapphire Shores snorted in frustration. “I simply CANNOT work with that horrible screeching!” she yelled, stamping a hoof. “What is that?!” “And I woOnder if II ever crOss your MiNd...” Back in Lyra’s hometown of Ponyville, Pinkie Pie had just dropped a perfectly good cake on the floor, after she had begun to shake uncontrollably. Mr. Cake dropped the spoon he had been carrying, stared at his employee for a moment, and sighed. “Okay, I’ll bite. What does this one mean, Pinkie?” “Hu-bu-bu-bu-bu! Something big is happening! Something big and bad!” “Where? Can you feel it?” “All the way in Canterlot! Boy, I sure do hope the Princesses are okay!” “HOLY ME, WHAT IS THAT?!” Celestia screeched, holding her hooves over ears. “NO MATTER HOW MUCH I TRY, I CAN’T STOP THE NOISE!” Luna crouched in the corner, her left eyelid twitching every few seconds. Suddenly, she began to sob uncontrollably, and started banging her head into the stone wall. “Make it stop, Celestia! MAAAKE IT STOOOOP!” Two royal guards looked on in a mix of confusion and panic. “Uh...should we do something?” His partner shrugged. “I can’t hear anything. Must be their, you know...time of the month?” Luna stopped banging her head, and glared at the guard. “THOU SHOULD COUNT THYSELF FORTUNATE THAT WE ARE IN A FRENZY, WHELP.” “For mEE It happEns all the tIIIIIIIIIII-” “FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD, STOP SINGING!” Noteworthy screamed through his mic, the volume of his voice sending Lyra sprawling. He looked up through the 8-inch thick window, only to be greeted by a giant crack. Lyra lifted herself up and shuffled her hooves. “So...how did I do?” Noteworthy held back tears. “I...I don’t even know. I think my ears are bleeding. No offense.” She sighed. “None taken. I tried to warn you! I’ve never been very good at singing-” “‘Never been very good?’ That’s an understatement! That was a trainwreck! I’m amazed I haven’t already been smacked with fifteen lawsuits for medical expenses!” Noteworthy rebutted, beginning to hyperventilate. “I mean, uh, no offense, again.” Lyra glared at him. “None taken. Why did you want me to sing, anyway? I thought I was just going to be playing lyre, and that’s it.” She pushed open the door, and entered the room Noteworthy was sitting in. Noteworthy gave a nervous chuckle. “Oh yeah, I mean- I just wanted to see if you could sing, as well as play, you know...” “Is that really it?” Lyra asked, looking Noteworthy straight in the eye. “Because I think you’re lying to me. What’s really going on here?” "Oh, no, nothing. We're...we're all good." "Look." Lyra said, advancing toward the blue stallion. "I might be a chump, but I'm not naïve. I can tell that there's more to this than you're letting on. Tell me." There was an uncomfortable silence. It had just become very clear to Noteworthy that this wasn't going to work if he kept keeping secrets. "Fine. I guess you have a right to know the truth." Backbeat felt like laughing, she was just so happy. She usually didn't believe Noteworthy when he said she was the "best assistant ever." He was just being nice; and she knew better than anyone how nice Noteworthy was. He was just always there, giving you a hoof. And a pretty sturdy hoof, at that. A sturdy hoof, connected to a burly leg, connected to a muscular torso... Backbeat noticed the rims of her glasses were beginning to fog. What had she been thinking about again? Oh right, being happy. This time, she really was the best assistant ever. She gotten Lyra- or Heartstrings, rather, a suite at one of the best hotels in town, the Windwoods. But that wasn’t all. According to the Windwoods website, they were in need of a headliner for their weekly dinner theater. This week it was some magician, the name of whom Backbeat couldn’t recall. And they had specifically requested a singer! This was the perfect place for Heartstrings to make her start. Surprisingly, signing up for the gig hadn’t been hard at all; she had been able to conduct the entire thing in one phone call. They had said something about nopony wanting to be caught dead headlining for...whatever her name was. She had shrugged it off at the time. They were just being harsh, is all. Noteworthy and Heartstrings would be so happy. She opened the door to the studio Noteworthy had let her known they were going to be using. “I have big-” Lyra pointed an accusing hoof at Backbeat. “DID YOU KNOW?” Backbeat recoiled. “I, uh, wait, huh?” Lyra walked to her fellow unicorn with imploring eyes. “Did you know about this ‘deal’ that Noteworthy had going on?” The white unicorn searched for Noteworthy, hoping for some advice as to what to do. However, the only thing she found was a blue lump curled up under the recording machine, letting out a whimper every few seconds. “I-I-I don’t know?” Backbeat stammered. “You don’t know what?!” “I...I don’t know if I knew?” Lyra stamped her hooves in frustration. “I swear to Celestia! Can nopony give me a straight answer?!” “I...Heartstrings, I think-” “AND WHY DOES EVERYPONY KEEP CALLING ME THAT?!?!” Lyra screamed, tugging at her mane. “My name is Lyra! Not this ‘Heartstrings’ bullcrap! Seriously, who would come up with the name Heartstrings? It’s the worst name I’ve ever heard!” Backbeat sunk low to the floor. “I, uh, I’m sorry...” “Yeah, I bet you are!” Lyra huffed, pacing around the room. Noteworthy shuddered whenever she got too close. “My parents were right, Canterlot types are all the same! They lie and cheat just to get what they want! You were probably just going to throw me away once Noteworthy’s job was safe!” Backbeat picked herself up. “That is not true!” She rushed to Lyra, and gave her a quick jab in the side. “I’m not going to hide it; yes, we did lie to you. But that doesn’t mean we don’t care! We wanted you to succeed just as much as you did.” Lyra could only stare in shocked silence as the formerly timid mare lectured her. This wasn’t the pony she had met before. “We’re not evil, Lyra. You’re a good musician. You know that, and we know that. Now, you can stay and we can work together. Or you can leave, never see any of us again, and forget this whole thing ever happened. And let me tell you, I don’t look very kindly upon those who quit.” Backbeat huffed, punctuating her sentence with a piercing stare. “I...I don’t...” “Well?” Lyra stared down at her hooves. What was she doing? They had lied to her! She was being played! If she was sane, she would leave right there. Let them deal with their own problems! But yet...she wasn’t sane. She was a chump. Lyra sighed. “I...I get it. And...I’ll stay.” Backbeat nodded. “That’s good.” At that moment, her posture softened a bit. “I’m sorry I had to get so, uh, intense there.” “It’s okay. I was a bit out-of-line too.” Lyra said. There was a moment of silence, ended only by a shaky whimper. “Speaking of which...you might want to check on Noteworthy. I kinda...” Backbeat stared at him. “Let me guess. You flamed?” Lyra rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah.” Hesitantly, Backbeat touched the shuddering mass of blue fur. “Uh, Noteworthy? Are... are you okay?” “So...so much fire...” “Noteworthy?” Backbeat shook him a little bit. “Noteworthy, wake up.” she said tersely. “Fire...and the yelling...” Her horn became coated in a transparent white light. “NOTEWORTHY!” Backbeat yelled, a tinge of magic surrounding her voice. With a surprising amount of strength, Backbeat lifted him up, and gave him a firm slap across the face. “Wake up!” “Ai-yaa! Backbeat, what was that for?” Noteworthy asked, rubbing his cheek, the skin of which was beginning to turn red. “Oh! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! You just weren’t answering, and I, uh...” Backbeat whispered. Now she was the one who was turning red. Noteworthy shook his head. “Whatever. Anyway, what’s going on? Did Heartstrings leave?” Lyra stepped into place beside Backbeat. “Nah, I decided to stick around. I’m a sucker for a good sob story.” They all laughed. Suddenly, Lyra’s face turned grave. “But if you keep calling me that, I swear to Celestia-” “Okay, okay, I get it.” Noteworthy said, holding up his hooves defensively. “Anyway, I’d...I’d say we’re done for today.” Lyra nodded sheepishly. “Oh, really?” asked Backbeat. “I didn’t realize how long I was gone!” She turned to Lyra. “I bet you were great.” Noteworthy and Lyra exchanged glances. Lyra motioned for him to say something. “Oh, uh...Backbeat, about that...” “Oh, that reminds me.” Backbeat began. “I have a big surprise. I figured, since we only have a week and all, it would be best to give Lyra as much experience as possible. So, I signed her up for a gig!” Noteworthy gaped. “You did what now?” “In two days, Lyra will be headlining for the Windwoods Presents Performance Series!” Lyra stared at her in wide-eyed fear. “D-doing what?” she asked shakily. She couldn’t have. There was just no way. “Why, singing of course!” Noteworthy let out a high-pitched moan, and fell to the floor. “D-di-did I do something wrong?” “Ah!” Noteworthy yelped, shooting up from the couch where he lay. A small, blue icepack tumbled from his head to the red velvet carpet below. He was...back in his office? But he was just at the studio, recording with Heartstrings. And she had been terrible. Like...he couldn’t even think of something that had been as bad as that. Well, he had just woken up which meant that it had all been a dream. Heartstrings probably wasn’t even here yet. And Backbeat definitely hadn’t booked them a gig without telling him. It was all a dream... “Oh, you’re awake! Backbeat, he’s awake!” Noteworthy turned his head to the left. Standing over him, smile planted on her face was Heartstrings- no, wait, Lyra. He couldn’t place his hoof on it, but something told him Lyra was better at the moment. Lyra placed a bowl of water on the table that sat before Noteworthy. “Drink up. You took a pretty nasty fall.” “I-Wait, I...what happened?” Noteworthy asked, leaning down to lap at the icy liquid. Before Lyra could answer, Backbeat walked in. She carried a ruby red thermos around her neck. “Oh, good. I was so worried.” She trotted to the table and sat on the floor. “...Sorry about that.” Noteworthy stopped abruptly. “And what are you sorry about, exactly?” Lyra suppressed a gasp. He didn’t remember! That meant they could probably just get around this without him fai- “About signing Lyra up for the performance at the Windwoods.” Backbeat explained, adjusting her glasses. “Don’t you remember?” The only thing that could be heard once she stopped talking was the sharp sound of a turquoise unicorn slapping her hoof against her own face. Noteworthy’s pupils shrank to pin-points. His breathing became shallow. Lyra, who had since prepared herself for such an event, whipped out a brown paper bag and held it to Noteworthy’s blue muzzle. “OH *huff* CELESTIA *huff* I’M GOING TO *huff huff* GET FIRED.” Noteworthy gasped. Lyra sighed. “Noteworthy, calm down. Nopony’s getting fired. All we have to do is think of a way to get around this.” Noteworthy threw the bag to the floor. “Get around this? They’re expecting a five star singer, Lyra! You are not a five star singer!” Once again, Backbeat had shrunk to the floor. “Uh, sorry, again. And I’ve been, uh, thinking.” Lyra and Noteworthy turned to the white mare. “Yeah?” the stallion asked. “I mean, we could always, you know...cancel, couldn’t we?” “NO!” Lyra shrieked, stamping a hoof so hard it got even Noteworthy to jump. “THE SHOW MUST GO ON!” Her chest was puffed out in something that resembled pride. The other two stared at the unicorn with questioning looks. “What?” they said in unison. Lyra kept her pose for a moment before deflating. “Look, it’s just kinda a thing I have.” Lyra explained. “I may not be the best musician ever, but I do have my standards. And my one greatest philosophy is ‘the show must go on.’” She smiled. “I’ve never cancelled a show in my life, and I’m not about to.” Noteworthy dunked his head into the water. The freezing pain did nothing to calm his mind. “Well, what are we supposed to do, then? If we let you sing, we’ll probably end up getting run out of town.” There was a pregnant silence. “No offense.” Lyra frowned at him. “Okay, sorry.” Lyra and Noteworthy looked to Backbeat expectantly. She was sipping a dark brown liquid, which he could only assume was coffee, out of the thermos she hung around her neck. “Hm?” she asked, looking at them innocently. “What should we do?” the aquamarine mare asked. “I...don’t know.” “But you always know!” Noteworthy cried, holding his hooves to his head. “You’re the best assistant ever! You always have an idea!” “What am I, a one-trick pony?” Backbeat rebutted, her face stern. “Uh, sorry. But, I don’t really have an idea...” The three sat staring off into space. For once, it seemed as if everything wasn’t going to work out in the end. What were they supposed to do now? Was Lyra just supposed to stand by and watch Noteworthy get fired? Lyra rubbed her temples, trying to think of something, anything, that could get them out of the mess they were in. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she silently regretted ever winning that stupid festival. Blue Belle looked smart. She would probably know how to get out of this. That was when it hit her. An idea. In all honesty, it probably wouldn’t work, but, hey, what did they have to lose? Lyra stood up. “I...I think I might have a plan.” Noteworthy nearly jumped out of his seat. “You do?! What is it, what is it?” “Look, before I tell you, you have to know: I can’t guarantee anything. Like, at all. I’m pretty much going out on a limb here.” Backbeat gave a docile smile. “Something is better than nothing, I always say.” Noteworthy nodded in agreement. “I have a feeling I might just know somepony who can help us out.” (I'm not going to lie, I don't think this chapter was of the highest quality. But since I finished this, I've finally made an outline of how the entire story is going to go. Expect things to improve! Stay tuned! Also, if you couldn't guess, Lyra was butchering the song "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum) TalentsIn one quick motion, Lyra wrapped a fresh towel around her soaking wet mane. She hummed quietly to herself as she exited the bathroom and walked into the bedroom that made up most of her suite. She looked at the clock: '7:16.' Backbeat would probably be arriving in a few minutes. Lyra had to wonder: just what kind of budget was Noteworthy running on? It had to be a big one, considering how large her room was. It was comparable to her cottage back in Ponyville. The walls were a pale yellow, with thin brown stripes running vertically down them. The carpeting was soft and ridged, comforting Lyra’s hooves as she walked. Even her bed was spacious, being big enough to fit at least four full size ponies. At the front desk, they had called it the Princess Suite; a fitting name, she thought. knock knock Lyra turned towards the door. Had she heard something? It...didn’t sound like anything. It was probably just the wind. Lyra turned back to her suitcase, rummaging around for something nice to wear. Knock Knock The unicorn turned back. She knew that she had heard something that time. She trotted to the door, and looked through the small peephole that marked the center of the white door. Outside, sitting demurely in front of the door, was a unicorn with fur just as white as the door itself. She unlatched the lock, and pulled it open. “Oh, hi, Backbeat.” Backbeat walked in slowly, gazing around Lyra’s hotel room. “Wow, no wonder this cost so much.” Chuckling, Lyra stepped in front of a large mirror that graced the room’s north wall. “Thanks again for getting me a room here. I hope it wasn’t too hard. Let give me a few more minutes to get ready, okay?” asked the turquoise mare. She didn’t get a response. “Backbeat?” “Oh!” Backbeat piped up. “Sorry, what did you say?” “We’ll be good to go in a few minutes?” “Oh...no, don’t worry. Take all the time you need.” At that point, Backbeat noticed Lyra putting a somewhat strange looking contraption on her hoof. It appeared to be a dark brown glove, with round plastic rods sticking out of the flat part that covered her sole. Seeing that she had pulled it on correctly, Lyra smiled and began to run the rods through her damp mane, styling it from a flat form to the wavy one she liked. “Wait...what is that?” asked Backbeat. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so...uh, unique?” Lyra stopped brushing and stared at her fellow unicorn. “What, you’ve never seen a hoof-brush before?” Backbeat shook her head. “It’s what earth ponies and pegasi use to brush their manes. You know, no magic and all.” “But...you’re a unicorn.” “Yeah, but I’m no good when it comes to magic.” Lyra explained, placing the brush’s teeth back into her hair. “I doubt I could even handle trying to move the brush through my mane. I thank Celestia sometimes for making my special talent playing the lyre; all you need to play it is hooves.” Backbeat nodded slowly. “Right. That’s nice.” Lyra blinked. “No, not really. It’s kind of annoying, actually, to be a unicorn without magic.” Once again, there was no response. “Backbeat?” “Huh?” “Are you even listening?” Behind her brown glasses, Backbeat’s eyes widened. “I am, I am! You were talking about, uh...your magic? And how, it, uh...” she trailed off. Lyra raised an eyebrow. “Okay, I’m sorry. It’s just...I’m kind of depressed about tonight.” "Oh, I see. Well," Lyra walked to her friend. "We can still have fun, can't we?" "Yeah, I guess. But, I mean, I don't wanna sound ungrateful or anything, but you did kind of lead me on a bit." The white mare hung her head. "I guess Noteworthy just doesn't want to go on a date with me." "Now, wait just a minute!" Lyra exclaimed. "That isn't true at all. Do you want to know why Noteworthy did what he did?" Backbeat looked at Lyra curiously. "Why?" "He's a boy." "A...boy?" Lyra shut her eyes and nodded sagely. "Yep. And if I know anything about romance at all, it's that boys stink at it. So don't get too worried. Noteworthy will come around eventually, I promise." Backbeat beamed. "Thanks, Lyra. I needed that. So, are you ready to go?" Lyra contemplated the question for a moment, before a devilish grin planted itself on her face. "Yeah, I am. But you aren't." "Huh?" gasped Backbeat, startled by Lyra's accusation. Had she forgotten something? "Listen. Noteworthy might not think of this as a real date...but that doesn't mean that you don't have to!" Lyra explained. While she was talking, the turquoise unicorn was rummaging through the closet that was built into the west wall of the room. "And, if you're going on a date, you have to look good, don't you?" Backbeat looked down to inspect what she was wearing, which was...nothing. Well, at least her mane was groomed. And she smelled fine(at least, in her opinion). But the fact remained that Lyra was right: she hadn't dressed up at all for tonight. "I...I guess I could dress up a little." “Okay...this should be the address.” Backbeat told the taxi driver, reading off a small piece of paper. “Could you pull over on the right, please. But, uh, if you want to go to the left, that’d be cool too, I guess.” The taxi veered right, off of the busy Canterlot road and onto a narrow side street. Lyra peered out her window. That was when she realized: unless Noteworthy was just the least romantically inclined pony in the world, he really didn’t realize what Backbeat meant. The street itself was dirty and dark, being situated in the heart of downtown Canterlot. And it only held one restaurant: The Bluenote. Both mares agreed that this must be the place. Lyra got out first. While she wasn’t ever planning on going all out when it came to dressing up for this date, she was going to at least look professional. However, after giving Backbeat her makeover, Lyra had deliberately made herself look at bit haggard. It emphasized just how good looking Backbeat was. Not that Backbeat needed it. Even Lyra was stunned my the red-maned mare’s beauty. She had borrowed from Lyra an elegant red dress. By pure luck, it had turned out that the two ponies were the exact same size, so the gown fit Backbeat perfectly. After just a little grooming, Backbeat’s fur glistened with the reflected light of the moon. Even her brown glasses seemed to be unusually sleek. Unfortunately, neither of them had any perfume—however, it didn’t really matter, as Lyra had confirmed Backbeat’s suspicions that she smelled fine. The two stepped into the restaurant, and were immediately amazed by how dark it was inside. It was already night outside, but the two unicorn’s eyes still needed to adjust to the new lighting. They barely even saw the brown waitress approach, levitating two menus. “Table for two, ladies?” “Uh, no, actually.” Backbeat responded. Dressing up Backbeat had taken longer than expected, and it was well after eight. “Our friend should already be here. He’s a-” The waitress' eyelids lowered. “Blue stallion, tall build, not too muscular, kinda cute?” Lyra chuckled. Backbeat only blushed silently at the mare’s description. “H-How did you guess?” Backbeat asked, staring at the waitress’s brown hooves. “He came in here about twenty minutes ago, saying he was waiting for two unicorn mares. Told ‘im he could only stay if he bought something. He’s right over that-a-way.” She pointed across the restaurant. Sitting alone at a large table right next to an empty platform was Noteworthy. “You two should count yourselves lucky; Wednesday is the best night of the week!” Lyra raised an eyebrow. “Really? Why?” She winked. “You’ll see~” the brown pony responded, placing the two menus down on a counter and turning away. Considering the dark lighting, the empty stage next to Noteworthy, and the waitress’ remark, Lyra really began to hope they hadn’t just walked into a strip club. Lyra began to make her way toward the table. Backbeat, however, stayed behind for a moment. She tapped the waitress on the shoulder, waited for her to turn, and muttered with steely conviction: “I will have you know that he is plenty muscular.” Once she made it to the stageside table, the first thing Lyra noticed about Noteworthy was his mane. Normally smooth and neat, his hair now looked like the Everfree Forest had somehow gotten up and moved itself on top of his head. Lyra cautiously tapped him on the shoulder. “Uh...Noteworthy?” Noteworthy threw his hooves into the air and groaned. “I already bought, like, five! What more do you vultures want?!” Lyra recoiled. “I, uh, it’s me, Noteworthy. It’s Lyra.” The next thing Lyra noticed, once Noteworthy turned, were his eyes. They looked bloodshot and irritated, as if he had been crying. His cheeks shared the same red color. “Oh, Lyra.” he said. “It’s only you.” Lyra’s nose involuntarily scrunched up at the stench that was Noteworthy’s breath. Despite the odor, it carried a scent familiar to Lyra: alcohol. The turquoise mare took a seat at the table, facing away from the stage. “I hope we didn’t keep you waiting for too long.” "Oh, no, no!" Noteworthy babbled, gesticulating madly. "I was fine! It took a while to finish all of these!" He gestured to the many small glasses that populated the table. Lyra blinked. "Noteworthy. You do realize that there are, like, eight shot glasses here, right?" Before Noteworthy could answer, Backbeat walked up to the table. “H-Hello, Noteworthy. Uh...nice night out?” The stallion mumbled incoherently before taking another drink. Backbeat sat down opposite Lyra. “So, what were you saying, Lyra?” Lyra laughed nervously. “Oh, uh, well...I was just commenting on, um...what...a good table to this is.” Backbeat wasn’t listening. She was staring expectantly at Noteworthy, waiting for him to notice her fancy new gown. Noteworthy was looking through the many empty glasses on the table, and marveling at all the prismatic colors reflected in the container. Seeing that he wasn’t going to respond any time soon, Backbeat looked to Lyra worriedly. Lyra shrugged her shoulders. The white mare shot Lyra an imploring eye. The turquoise unicorn sighed, before loudly clearing her throat. “Oh, hey, Backbeat! Where did you get such a beautiful dress? I love it so much!” This got Noteworthy’s attention. He now scanned Backbeat up-and-down, examining her borrowed dress. However, the decorated pony didn’t notice, as she was looking at Lyra, confused. “But...Lyra, uh, didn’t you gi- OW!” Backbeat yelped, nearly jumping out of her seat. “W-W-What was that for?” she shouted at her fellow unicorn. Lyra swallowed. For a moment, she started to think that she had stepped over some invisible boundary. Backbeat looked as if she was about to cry. People at other tables throughout the restaurant had begun to stare at them, obviously wondering why this sweet, little filly had felt the need to yell at this big, rough mare, who was obviously abusing her. The big, rough mare began to motion wildly with her head toward Noteworthy. Backbeat’s mouth fixed itself into an ‘o’ shape. She looked to the blue stallion. Luckily, Lyra noted, he seemed buzzed enough that he hadn’t noticed what had just occurred. "Oh, uh...this...old thing? It's, um, a Hoity Toity original, I-I think." "It looks so good on you, I'm jealous." Blushing, the bespectacled unicorn glanced at her crush. "What do you think, Noteworthy? I mean, do you like it?" "Yeah." said Noteworthy, still fiddling with the cups. "You look better than you usually do." Both mares frowned. Backbeat put her head in her hooves and looked wistfully at Lyra. Lyra returned the stare with a weak smile. "FILLIES AND GENTLECOLTS! WELCOME TO THE BLUENOTE CAFE!" The trio looked up at the stage. Standing proudly at the front, a microphone stand in front of her, was the waitress from before. About a yard behind her was a large machine, behind which a teal stallion stood, fiddling with the buttons. Everypony in the restaurant, except for Backbeat and Lyra, began to stomp their hooves in applause. “My name is Clockwork, and I have the great honor of being your hostess tonight! Now, please join me in welcoming our special guest: Neon Lights!” A spotlight opened up on the teal pony. He wore a jet black leather jacket, and sunglasses colored just as dark. His mane, also black, was styled into sharp spikes, reminiscent of a dragon’s scales. He gave a charismatic nod to the audience. It sparked another round of raucous applause. Clockwork laughed and brushed back a lock of her flowing white mane. “As some of you might already know, Wednesday is a very special day around here! Can anypony tell me why that is?” A slurry of answers shot forth from the audience. Lyra and Backbeat exchanged confused glances. Backbeat’s ears were folded back at the clamor. Lyra strained to make out what the people were screaming. She immediately wished she hadn’t. She wished she could leave, right then and there. Just get up and walk out. Hay, she wished it had been a strip club. Before she could warn Backbeat, Noteworthy screamed the answer out himself. “IT’S KARAOKE NIGHT!” Clockwork signaled for everypony to quiet down. “Well, along with this ringing in my ear, I’m pretty sure you all gave the right answer! It is our Weekly Karaoke Night!” Backbeat clapped happily. “Ooh, I’ve never been to a Karaoke Night before. Are they fun? Lyra?” Lyra groaned. “Hay yeah!” Noteworthy exclaimed, patting Backbeat on the shoulder. “I come here every Wednesday! It’s the best night of the week!” It was most certainly not the best night of the week—at least, in Lyra’s opinion. Noteworthy seemed too drunk to really care, and Backbeat...well, Backbeat had already downed eighteen large cups of coffee, and was twitching. They had been there for an hour and a half, and had probably only said ten words since the singing started. If you could tell anything, it was that Neon Lights seemed to think his job was to make sure little to no conversation could be made under the torrent of bass and bad singing. Clockwork seemed to be enjoying herself. Lyra figured that, with all the coffee Backbeat was ordering, the brown mare was expecting a sizable tip. She would visit their table every few minutes, smiling and whistling to whatever song was currently being sung. Backbeat wasn’t the only one who increased their liquid intake. Noteworthy had, at least, doubled on the amount of alcohol in his system. Now, he was prone to intermittent fits of sobbing about how he was “a failure,” drunken and unintelligible story telling, or scratchy singing. As for the singing: it was, in the kindest words Lyra could find, terrible. Apparently, they offered some reward to whoever was the “best” singer of the night, and everypony wanted it. Somewhere around the fifth rendition of “Time After Time,” Lyra could have sworn she started to feel some kind of warm liquid fill her ears. She began to regret thinking those insults about Blue Belle’s student, High Class; this is what it must feels like to listen to her singing. She had barely touched her food, a poorly made alfalfa sandwich. “Hey...Noteworthy?” Lyra asked, prodding the stallion. Noteworthy raised his head off the table and gazed and Lyra drearily. “Yesh?” “Is there any chance we could go? Like, soon?” Noteworthy laid his head back down. “Well, what the hay do you want me to do about it? I’m not in charge of these ponies.” Clockwork glared at Neon Lights. “I don’t know, but do something. Every pony who’s sang so far has been a girl. Some asshole already reported me once for sexism, and I’m not about to let it happen again.” Neon Lights took off his sunglasses. “I’m not gonna go out there and force a stallion to sing karaoke.” “Well, you’re gonna have to if you wanna get paid. Look, the song is about to end. You don’t have to force him, but try to get one.” Clockwork explained. Turning away and putting her smile back on, Clockwork cantered away from the DJ. “I swear...” Neon Lights muttered, turning off the music. “The things I do for drugs...” He put his sunglasses back on and walked out onto the stage. “Okay, fillies and gentlecolts! We’re going to do something a little different tonight! Instead of me picking from those who want to sing, I’m gonna pick from the ponies who don’t want to! Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know!” Lyra gulped before throwing herself under the table. She was not about to get picked. Neon Lights squinted. Maybe he shouldn’t have brought out the sunglasses; it was already dark in the restaurant without them. He scanned the audience. “Okay...mare, mare...no, too ugly...D.B....drunk...” He stopped when his eyes reached the table just to his left. Sitting quietly, as if they hadn’t even heard him, was a large, blue mare and a small, white stallion. Neon Lights was straight, he knew, but even this stallion looked oddly...attractive. “Hey!” he called down. “You, with the glasses! What’s your name?” Backbeat looked up at him. Her eyes were glazed over with caffeine. “Backbeat.” “Well, Backbeat, how would you like to sing?” Lyra, still hiding, chuckled. Backbeat was shier than a foal; she would never be able to sing in front of all these people. Neon Lights was barking up the wrong tree. “HAY YEAH!” Backbeat shouted, slamming a hoof on the table. She galloped to the stage’s stairs, and, within a few seconds, stood next to the teal stallion. “What now?” Neon Lights smiled. “Well, now you gotta pick your song. We have pretty much any song you would ever want, so-” Backbeat grabbed his microphone. “I want ‘The Perfect Crime’ by The Tale.” ` “Cool. Just wait a sec, and I’ll get it up.” Neon Lights walked back to his console. Lyra picked herself up, and settled into her chair. She was happy that Backbeat had gotten over her shyness—even if it was only because of the coffee. However, somewhere in the back of her mind, Lyra was worried. What if Backbeat got booed off stage, or something? She’d probably end up locking herself away for the rest of her life. Still, Lyra didn’t protest. She sat with Noteworthy, patiently waiting for the white mare to start. A light guitar began to play, accented by a hint of bass every few seconds. And, then, Backbeat began to sing. “If you love too much, or never enough, there will be no jury fastening the cuffs You’ll make a strong case in your own defense The trial will rest on your conviction That you did your best...” Lyra noticed her ears craning to pick up every note, every sound Backbeat made. She was...amazing. Not even Blue Belle could compare to this. Everypony in the audience seemed just as enthralled. Some were even crying, and Backbeat hadn’t even gotten through the first verse yet. Even Noteworthy, drunk as he was, had started paying attention. “When love gets twisted, who'll take the blame It's all in an afternoon and the heat of your shame You'll ask forgiveness; it was insane and this too shall pass away but it won't spare your name...” Noteworthy lifted his head, and was now staring at Backbeat. “You keep pretending it's okay you keep pretending that you'd lay your love on the line Why haven't you?” Neon Lights was grinning hard. He was getting paid, no doubt. “Rhubarb city, here I come.” His excitement only peaked when he noticed Clockwork walking toward him. But...she looked angry. “What? I got you your stallion!” He pointed at Backbeat. Clockwork glowered. “Neon. That’s a mare.” Neon Lights lifted his sunglasses and stared hard at Backbeat. “Oh. Well, that explains why I thought he was hot.” “Love is the perfect crime, and you'll never be convicted Love is the perfect crime and you'll never be convicted of love...” Backbeat closed her eyes and began to massage her temples. After just a few more moments of solo guitar, the song faded with a soft flourish. There was radio silence in the restaurant. Lyra looked around. Everypony was staring, petrified(save for those who were crying). It was almost scary. Suddenly, a sound broke the deathly quiet. Lyra searched for the source, only to be surprised by what she found: it came from the same table that she was sitting at. Noteworthy was stamping his hooves furiously, rattling the many plates and glasses that inhabited the tabletop. Lyra eyed him nervously, only to receive a strangely confident glance in return. Lyra opened her mouth to say something, but stopped quickly. She too, began to stomp her hooves. Soon, the entire room was shrouded in applause. Even Neon Lights, bummed as he was, was stomping. Backbeat opened her brown eyes and gazed bleakly out at her audience. "Wha...W-What happened? Where am I?" "Oh, snap! That was amazing!" Backbeat turned her head to the new noise. Moving toward her, with what looked to be a skip in its step, was a large, brown blob. She took off her glasses for a moment to rub the fatigue out of her eyes. Walking up to her, a slightly-annoyed grin plastered to her face, was the waitress, Clockwork. Why was she...? “Wait.” thought Backbeat. “What just happened?” She looked out at the adoring crowd. Then, she looked at the microphone stand that loomed in front of her. Then at Clockwork. Back to the crowd. The mic stand. Clockwork. All at once, her mind put the pieces together. Backbeat’s eggshell face quickly turned a dark crimson. “I-I-I...” she whimpered, backing away from the black stand. “No need to be shy!” Clockwork exclaimed, wrapping a leg around the singer and pulling her back up. “That was great! Everypony, let’s give it up one more time for our...Queen of Karaoke, Backbeat!” At Clockwork’s words, the room once again exploded in sound. Clockwork let go of the “Queen,” who was now shaking in fear. Backbeat stood stock-still, staring back at the audience. Suddenly, Noteworthy rose from his seat and smiled. “We should probably get her down from there.” Lyra stared, flabbergasted, at the suddenly sobered stallion. She nodded dumbly. By now, the stomping had settled, and now everypony was staring at the red-and-white mare that refused to leave the stage. Clockwork lost some of her winning smile. She waved a hoof in front of Backbeat’s face. “Uh...you okay?” “Don’t worry. We got her.” Noteworthy said, making his way onto the stage. Lyra followed behind. He offered a hoof to Clockwork, who shook it hesitantly. “Thanks for the meal. But I think we’ll be leaving now. That okay with you, Lyra?” “Sure.” “Backbeat?” Backbeat squeaked. “I’ll take that as a ‘Yes.’” Noteworthy remarked, grabbing Backbeat’s front-left hoof and leading her offstage. “Er...sorry about that, you guys.” said Noteworthy as the three exited the restaurant. “I always end up getting a little carried away with the alcohol.” Lyra eyed him nervously. “Okay, I can accept that...but how in the hay did you sober up so quickly? You were drunker than Berry Punch on Friday!” Noteworthy stared, confused, at the unicorn for a moment, before deciding to skip over the poorly-planned anecdote. “Actually...I’m not completely sure. Everything is blur, all the way from when I had my...ah, fourth drink, all the way up to Backbeat singing.” Both ponies now turned to Backbeat, who’s heart was still racing. “Now, maybe it was just because I’m an earth pony. We’re built strong. Or, it may have been because of you, Backbeat.” The shaking mare jumped. “M-M-Me?” “That singing...it was bucking magical. I think it may have somehow gotten rid of all the alcohol in my body. I’ve been into music my entire life, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard somepony sing as well as you did, up on that stage.” Despite her heart still beating like a cheetah, Backbeat’s face had, at the very least, paled compared to the burning red it had been before. But now, it flushed again. “I-Me-My...Er...you...y-you thought it was...m-magical?” Noteworthy grinned. “Hay yeah. Look, I’ll admit, it was a karaoke bar. But still, you managed to get that place cheering more than I’ve ever seen. And you somehow won the title of Queen.” Suddenly, Lyra stopped in her tracks. “Uh, Noteworthy, before we go any farther; where are we going, exactly?” She looked down the dimly-lit Canterlot avenue. “We’re pretty far from anyplace I know.” “Nah, I live a few blocks from here.” Noteworthy responded. “Let’s walk and talk. Anyway, back to you, Backbeat.” “W-What about me?” “I’m not completely sure, but I think I might have a plan for tomorrow. And it involves you.” Noteworthy began, shooting his assistant a confident look. “Okay, so we all know what the Windwoods is expecting Lyra to do tomorrow: sing. And, again, we all know that Lyra can’t sing. No offense. So, what I’m saying is that we change our singer.” Both mares stared at the blue stallion. Lyra was the first to realize what he meant. “Oh, come on, Noteworthy. It took about twenty gallons of coffee to get Backbeat up on stage tonight, and that was for a karaoke bar. How is she supposed to handle a five-star hotel?” “Wait, what?!” Backbeat yelped. “You, you want me to perform tomorrow?! I...I can’t perform for all those ponies!” “But Backbeat, you have to! If you don’t, we’re gonna get laughed out of Canterlot before the board meeting even comes. And didn’t you tell me that you wanted to find out what your cutie mark really means?” Noteworthy pleaded, pointing to the microphone on Backbeat’s flank.. A few seconds passed, with no response from Backbeat. “If you won’t do it for yourself...would you do it for a friend?” Noteworthy gave a hopeful smile. The words stung Backbeat like venom. Friend. While part of her(her more docile part) wanted to give in, just do the damn thing, and make Noteworthy happy, her other part(the part that carried her passion, anger, and self-preservation instincts) disagreed. A small voice sounded off in her head. “If Noteworthy isn’t going to care, neither should I.” Backbeat, for the first time in as long as anypony could remember, snorted. This small sound shocked both ponies into both pure silence, and pure fear. The formerly demure mare stared Noteworthy in the eyes. “No.” “No?!” both Lyra and Noteworthy repeated. Now it was Backbeat’s turn to be shocked. While she had been expecting that kind of reaction from Noteworthy—hay, her angry half wanted it—Lyra was another case. For some reason, perhaps because they were both mares, Backbeat had been expecting Lyra to back her up on this. Seeing her fellow unicorn's face, Lyra quickly added: "Oh, don't get me wrong, I agree with you, but...I guess I wasn't expecting you to actually say 'No.'" Backbeat’s eyes softened. “Oh, uh, well...” Noteworthy sighed. "Fine. I won't make you do something you don't want to. But, still: we need to do something, and quickly!" The trio walked in silence for a few blocks. Lyra knew that she should probably be worried about her coming performance, but for some strange reason, she just couldn’t focus on it. Street lights lined the sidewalk, giving everything a dark orange color. The three of them seemed to be the only ponies on the street at that hour. “Well,” thought Lyra, “it is only a Wednesday.” Strangely, she didn’t recognize this part of Canterlot from her time living there. If she had heard Backbeat read the address correctly while in the cab, they were somewhere in downtown Canterlot. Downtown was well-known for being very artsy, so Lyra went there often. Usually with her boyfriend at the time, Eiffel. She had loved Eiffel; unfortunately, he also played a major role in her “dropping out.” She hadn’t thought about him in years. He always loved to sing. This made Lyra smile. Imagine, if she were to find him like she found Blue Belle and ask him to help her? That would be the day. Another thing Lyra would always remember about him was how laid-back he was. Probably a result of smoking too much rhubarb, Lyra always said. The only time he ever became passionate about anything was when he talked about singing. More specifically, lip syncing. He hated the act with a passion, constantly deriding it whenever he had the chance. “It takes no skill!” Eiffel would say. “All it’s good for is all those wusses who can’t just sing by themselves. Even if they’re good! They’re just so scared that their precious ‘image’ will get ruined that they don’t even try.” Lyra backtracked over her thoughts. Can’t sing by themselves... Scared of singing in front of others... Suddenly, like a buck to the face, it hit her. She leaped into the path of her companions. “GUYS!” she yelped. “I think I have a plan that just might save us!” “Really?” Noteworthy asked. Backbeat stayed silent, still embarrassed by her short outburst before. “What is it?” “I know both of you have heard of lip syncing. Am I right?” She didn’t wait for a response. “Well...why don’t we do that?” Noteworthy considered Lyra’s offer. “I...what do you mean?” “Well, Backbeat’s too shy to sing in front of all those ponies. I’m a musician; I perform for hundreds of ponies all the time. But I can’t sing, while Backbeat can.” Backbeat and Noteworthy looked at each other. “So, if I get what you’re saying,” Noteworthy replied, “you want Backbeat to sing, while you move your lips?” Lyra gave her best Big Macintosh impression. “That...might just be crazy enough to work! Backbeat, is it okay with you?” Backbeat glanced at Lyra, concerned. “Would anypony be watching me sing?” Lyra draped a leg over her friend’s neck. “Not if you don’t want them to.” “...Okay. I’ll do it.” “YES!” Noteworthy cheered, throwing his head into the air. “We did it!” “Whoa there, Alky.” teased Lyra. “I only just came up with it. We still haven’t tested it or anything. Backbeat, what time am I headlining tomorrow?” “It’s a dinner theater, so it’s late. About seven. Eight is the main performance, I think.” “Okay. So all three of us come into Galaxy early tomorrow to practice.” Noteworthy said, looking between the two. “Is that a deal?” Seeing his companions nod in affirmation, he smiled and reached out a hoof. “We’re gonna do this!” Lyra put her hoof over his and smiled wide. “Hay yeah!” Backbeat simpered and let her hoof join the pile. “Right.” The three lifted their legs into the air and laughed. “Well, this is my stop.” Noteworthy remarked, gesturing to a high-rise that stood behind them. “I’ll see you both tomorrow. Good night!” As Noteworthy entered his building, Lyra giggled. “Well, tonight went better than expected.” Even Backbeat let out a small chuckle. “You’re right, it did. Even if we’re not together, it feels great to see Noteworthy happy.” This spurred a small ‘d’awww’ from Lyra, sending the two into another laughing fit. “So, uh, I should probably take you back to your hotel now.” “WAIT AAAAAAAA MINUTE!” Both mares looked down the street to where they had heard the new voice from. Galloping full speed toward them, a black fedora barely hanging onto her orange mane, was a light yellow pony with a camera around her neck. She stopped on a dime, just a few inches away from Backbeat, who jumped backwards in fright. Without missing a beat, the new pony(neither Lyra nor Backbeat could identify it as male or female) began to circle the duo, snapping away with her camera. “Hey- You-” Lyra stuttered, but was stopped each time by the bright flash of the camera. “What-” A flash hit her right in eye. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” For a moment, the pony stopped and shot Lyra a winning smile. “FILM REEL, HERE ON THE CASE!” it yelled quickly, before taking another picture. From its voice, Lyra could finally see that it was a she. “What ‘case?’ And calm down!” Film Reel stopped and frowned. Her eye began to twitch. “Well,” she began, considerably slower than before, “you’re Lyra! Almost two weeks ago, you won the Canterlot Amateur Music Festival! I tried to see you after the show ended, but you up and disappeared! I’ve been tracking you ever since!” “Ever since...why?” “You know, pictures, an interview. Equestria Daily readers eat this stuff up! And Film Reel, ace reporter, always gets her shot!” Lyra sighed. Backbeat was hiding behind her. “Fine. Shoot.” Film Reel smiled and began bouncing around again. “QUESTION ONE! HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WINNING?” “Uh...good, I suppose. It was definitely a surprise.” “SO YOU OPENLY ADMIT YOU’RE A TALENTLESS HACK?” “Wait, what?” Lyra said, recoiling. “No! I just-” “SO YOU OPENLY ADMIT YOU THINK YOU’RE BETTER THAN EVERYPONY!” “No!” Film Reel leaned over Backbeat, piercing the shy mare’s brown eyes with her sharp, blue ones. “WHO’S THIS? YOUR FILLYFRIEND?” Backbeat stared up, terrified. Lyra blushed and pushed Film Reel away. “Again, no!” Suddenly, she grabbed Backbeat’s hoof and began to run away. Film Reel followed close behind. “DON’T RUN FROM ME! I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!” (The song Backbeat sang is "The Perfect Crime" by The Story. If you end up trying to find it online, know that the only two places that have it are iTunes and Rhapsody. I had to go to an E.R. shipping site on Geocities to find the lyrics.) Performances“Wow...there sure are, uh, a lot of ponies out there.” Lyra gave a grunt of approval at Backbeat’s comment. Currently, they were both waiting in the backstage area of the space the Windwoods used for their performances. Backbeat stared, both amazed and scared, from behind the curtain at the dozens of ponies that littered the outdoor dining hall/theater. There had to be at least a hundred, she figured, all dressed up for the occasion. It was as the hotel was a real theater, instead of...a hotel. Lyra simply shrugged it off; she was a professional musician, and was used to large crowds. Instead of gawking at the audience, Lyra was focused on the lyric sheet in front of her. Noteworthy had insisted they do a certain song for the performance, and, of course, it was one neither mare had ever heard before. Backbeat had picked it up pretty quickly, but Lyra, used to instrumental pieces, was still in the process of memorizing it. Even if she wasn’t going to sing, she still had to move her lips in time with Backbeat’s voice. She wasn’t worried, though—they had done perfectly back during their morning rehearsal at Galaxy. They just needed to run through it a few more times, and they would be good. Noteworthy was just a few feet away, pacing around the room. Understandably, he was nervous about the coming performance. He had seen and done some strange things throughout his music career. Hay, he had even worked with lip syncing machines before! But never in his life did he expect to be in the situation he was in now. There were so many things that could go wrong! What if one of them messed up? What if they were found out? What if “Noteworthy.” The stallion looked up to see Backbeat sitting in his path. She wore a weak smile, and worried eyes. “Noteworthy, are you, uh, feeling okay?” He took a deep breath. “Yeah. I mean, I’m just a little stressed, is all. I’ll be fine.” “Are you sure? ...Do you-” “I’m good on the coffee. Thanks, though, Backbeat. You have no idea how great it is to have you around.” Backbeat blushed, and returned to her spot near Lyra. She looked over the turquoise unicorn’s shoulder. “How are you doing on the song? I mean, do you, uh, know the lyrics and everything?” Lyra ran a hooftip along the last few lines of the song. “You finally find...you and I collide...” she whispered to herself, before smiling and rolling up the paper. “Okay, I think I’m good! Maybe we should just go through it once or twice mo-” The trio looked to the source of the new noise. Walking toward them, a headset around his skull and a clipboard levitating beside him, was a cyan unicorn stallion. His cutie mark was a megaphone. He wore a look of slight annoyance. “Clear out. We gotta get this ‘ere stage reh’ for tonoights pahformance.” he said through a thick Trottingham accent. All three stood. “Where should I wait?” asked Lyra. “Go foind ya dressin’ room. We’ll send somepony ova when it’s toim fa ya ta go on.” Lyra looked at Noteworthy. “We- I mean, I have a dressing room?” Noteworthy shrugged. The stage hand facehoofed. “It don’t mattah ta moi weh ya go, as long as ya don’t stoi ‘ere.” “Well,” Noteworthy said, taking a step forward, “let’s go, I guess.” At his words, the three walked out, into the side stage. He looked back at the mares. “So, I should find your dressing room. You two wait here. I should only be a minute.” It had been ten minutes. ‘This shouldn’t be so hard!’ Noteworthy thought to himself as he traversed the surprisingly large space the Windwoods used for shows. ‘It’s a whole room! Just find it already!’ Maybe he was stubborn. Maybe it was his stallion sense of pride. Maybe it was memories of countless family road trips, marred by his parents arguing about which turn to take. Maybe it was all three. But for some reason, Noteworthy could not bring himself to ask one of the many stage hands for assistance. Even when one had taken the initiative and asked him if he needed help, Noteworthy simply declined and said he knew where he was going. Cue suppressed giggling from the hand when Noteworthy passed him again, a minute later. Noteworthy was, without a doubt, stressed. Maybe Lyra and Backbeat couldn’t tell, but their entire situation was weighing down on him like a ton of bricks. The entire week he and Backbeat had been waiting for Lyra, he hadn’t worried at all. Who would have guessed that Lyra would turn out to be the worst singer in the world? Not him. And now that they were all stuck together like this...well, it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to deal with. Part of him(the more optimistic part) was telling him he should feel lucky. They had a plan! It was a strange one, no doubt, but it was a plan all the same. And he had to feel lucky about who he was working with. Backbeat was his best friend. She was loyal, kind and smart. Even if she was a bit strange(especially lately), she was the best assistant a pony could ask for. Lyra was a new friend, but still a friend. She was rational and creative. While she may not have been a genius in every facet of music, she was still one of the most musically-inclined ponies he knew. And he had only known her for about a week-and-a-half! Noteworthy took a deep breath, still walking down the dimly lit hallways of the Windwoods. He just needed to calm down... "Hey there, Blues." Noteworthy's ears pricked up at the use of his dreaded nickname. He recognized that voice. He turned. Standing just behind him, a confident grin dancing across his face, was Key Change. The blue stallion stared, silently steaming, at the new, ashen-furred pony. "Key Change, what are you doing here?" “Just waiting for the show to start, I suppose.” “You know that’s not what I mean. Why are you here? Who told you? How did you even get in?” “Whoa, slow down! One question at a time! You know that mare that came in second at the Music Festival? Blue Belle? If you didn’t know, I’m her manager now. Well, it turns out your Lyra went to see her the other day.” Key Change explained, beginning to circle Noteworthy. “She told Blue Belle about this concert, and Blue Belle told me.” He leaned in closer. “And I just had to see what Blues had cooked up. And, by the way, it’s a public performance. I have every right to be here.” Noteworthy swallowed. “That’s not my name.” “Oh, lighten up, Blues!” Key Change shot back, laughing. “It’s just a nickname. And you’ve got a lot of reasons to be happy! For the first time in...what, three years? You’ve got a gig that some ponies actually care about.” There was a pause. “At a hotel.” Key Change added. He was still grinning. Noteworthy glared. “And I know you’ve got those two mares all over your-” “YOU LIE!” Noteworthy yelped, pointing accusingly and blushing furiously. “I am a virgin, I haven’t gone anywhere near those two!” He crossed himself as he said it. A moment passed before Noteworthy realized what he had just said. “Wait, I mean-” He was interrupted by a guffaw from Key Change. “No, no, Blues, you don’t have to convince me, I believe you. Anyway, I’m expecting a great show.” Noteworthy took a step back. “Yeah, well, enjoy it. It’s gonna be amazing. I have stuff to do, so if you’d just let me go, I’d appreciate it.” he said. The blue pony walked toward Key Change, expecting him to move. He didn’t. Instead, Key Change began to look around, almost nervously. Noteworthy was about to ask what in the world he was doing, but he was cut short. Key Change suddenly removed his sunglasses, revealing a pair of piercing ruby-red eyes. His grin was gone, replaced by a look of anger. He moved into Noteworthy, and began to jab him in the chest with his hooftip. “You know, Blues, I don’t think you know something. Do you want to know what that is?” Noteworthy gaped. “I...what?” “You’re nothing.” Key Change seethed. His eyes narrowed. “Nothing at all, compared to me. I don’t know why you weren’t fired years ago. But somehow you’ve lasted this long, and I don’t like that. You have no idea how much I hate to tell you this, but do you know what you are?” “I-I-I...” Noteworthy stammered. He tried to retreat, but Key Change matched his every step. The ashen-furred stallion was jabbing him with every word. Noteworthy could feel a bruise forming. He wanted to resist, but there was some hidden quality in his rival’s irises that forced him to comply with Key Change’s prompts.” I-I...I’m n-nothing?” “Yes, but that’s not it. You, Blues,” he began mockingly, “are a threat. I don’t know how, but you somehow convinced Lyra to join you. She should have been with me, and you know that.” “B-but, you have Blue Belle! Isn’t she a-ama-amazing?” “Who, ‘Miss Second Place?’ She’s good, but not good enough. Not to mention she can’t make a single bucking mistake without crying for five hours.” Noteworthy swallowed, but found it a bit difficult, considering the lump that had formed in his throat. “S-So, I’m...I’m both a nothing and a threat?” Key Change just glared at him, red boring into blue. “Shut up. I’m going to give you an offer. I suggest you take it.” “Huh?” “Quit. Right now. Call Two Step, and quit.” Noteworthy blinked. “But why?” “That way, Lyra is fair game.” Key Change explained. “I can get rid of Blue Belle, and work with the pony I really want.” For the first time since Key Change had...changed, Noteworthy felt a flicker of confidence somewhere inside. He grabbed hold of it, and rebutted: “What makes you think Lyra would ever agree to work with an asshole like you?” Key Change slapped Noteworthy across the face. Noteworthy stood, stunned for a moment. “So, I’m assuming you accept my proposal?” “I, wait, you...” Noteworthy blubbered. “...NO!” Key Change bared his teeth. For a moment, Noteworthy could have sworn that the crazed stallion was going to lunge at him. But at the last moment, Key Change closed his mouth. He growled as his red eyes disappeared behind black lenses. "Fine then. If you won't quit, then I'll just have to crush you." Key Change said without missing a beat. He pushed past Noteworthy, and around a corner. Noteworthy gulped. What was that?! He had known Key Change was a jerk ever since they first met, but he had never seen the stallion like this. It was like Nightmare Moon herself crawled into his skin and died. “Oh, one more thing.” Noteworthy glanced at the corner Key Change had disappeared around. Now only his head was peeking out. His mane had been slicked back again, taming the few hairs that had escaped during his rant. That grin, the one that Noteworthy hated so, was back. He pointed down the hallway that Noteworthy had been originally heading down. “Go down this hall, take the right, take a left, and it’ll be the first door on your left.” he explained before leaving again. There was silence. Noteworthy’s eye twitched. “I KNEW THAT!” After Noteworthy had returned, and Backbeat had a moment of panic due to the red marks on Noteworthy’s chest and face(to which he explained: “It’s a long story”), Lyra and Backbeat made their way to the dressing room that was designated for events just like this. Despite the difficulty Noteworthy faced finding it, the dressing room was surprisingly close to the stage. "Wow..." Lyra whispered to Backbeat, "it's been a while since I've had my own dressing room. Well, I guess we'll be sharing it, so it's not all my own." Backbeat frowned. "Actually, uh, Lyra...we're going to be sharing the room with the main act. Sorry..." "Nah, it's fine, Backbeat." Lyra responded. Now, they were both standing in front of a large, orange wood door. A slightly dented sign near the top read: 'DINNER THEATER DRESSING ROOM.' Muffled screaming could be heard from inside. The two mares exchanged looks...before Lyra swung the door open. She was just in time to see an open water bottle hurtling straight toward her face. "Sweet Baby Luna!" Lyra cried as she ducked, letting the plastic container soar overhead. It exploded against the floor behind them. "The Great and Powerful Trixie specifically asked for ROOM TEMPERATURE WATER. Not this warm slop!" A yellow stage hand, just barely old enough to be considered a mare, cowered at the blue unicorn's wrath. "I-I'm sorry, Ms. T-T-Trixie. It won't happen again." Trixie stared down at the yellow unicorn, her body literally shaking with rage. "It most certainly will not. Now, go get Trixie what she asked for!” With that, the stage hand sprinted, tears running down her face, out of the room. It was only then that Trixie noticed the two new mares in the room. They all stared at each other for a moment, before the cyan mare nickered and turned back to her vanity stand. Her long cape flourished as she did it. "You simply can’t find good help these days." Lyra rolled her eyes and began to walk to the other side of the room. There, lining the walls, were three different stations, each one housing a variety of different mane styling tools, makeups, and mirrors. Backbeat followed close behind, being careful not to make eye contact with the angry silver-maned unicorn. The two pulled their seats closer to each other. "Don't worry," Lyra whispered, "she's just a washed-up magician. She's got nothing on us." “How do you know?” Backbeat responded, taking glances at Trixie. She swallowed. “S-She looks confident.” “A few months ago, she came to Ponyville. She told a bogus story about how she single-hoofedly defeated an Ursa Major. Six hours later, a real Ursa comes in, and she runs away. I’m amazed she’s back on the road already; she got roughed up pretty badly.” Backbeat looked down. “Oh. Well.” “But I guess I doesn’t really matter.” Lyra said. “It’s not like this is a contest or anything. Anyway, do you wanna practice? We’ve only got about a half-an-hour left.” The floor that Lyra and Backbeat stood on seemed to shake, their hearts were beating so hard. They could hear the hotel manager: an excitable young unicorn named Sweet Suite. She stood on the main stage, addressing the crowd. “Attention, fillies and gentlecolts! I trust that you have been enjoying your meals? We here at the Windwoods take pride in every thing that we do, and we hope that you find the fruits of our labor pleasing! But, I doubt you came here this evening just to hear me talk. Am I right, everypony?” There was a short murmur of agreement. The demurity of the crowd didn’t seem to faze Sweet. “Great! So, let me get to the chase. We have a great show for you tonight! Performing for us is a mare truly born of magic! The ‘Great and Powerful’ Trixie!” There was a round of applause, significantly louder than the last. Lyra rolled her eyes—these ponies didn’t know what they were getting into. “But first, we have a very special musical treat! It is my honor to present to you: Heartstrings!” As the crowd applauded, Lyra shot Backbeat an annoyed look. Backbeat held her hooves up defensively. “D-Don’t blame me! We got signed up for this before the whole, uh...incident. Anyway...get out there!” She nudged her head in the direction of the stage. The turquoise unicorn nodded before cantering out onto the stage. She had, like so many times before, shifted into her “concert mode.” She looked charming and professional. She looked as if she wasn’t about to basically cheat the entire audience. Lyra took her place at the mic stand. Sweet Suite was just a bit taller than Lyra, so she adjusted it...and while she was doing so, she flicked the “on/off” switch to the “off” position. As if it had been planned by Celestia herself, it just so happened that Backbeat knew a certain spell that would amplify one’s voice to whatever volume they wanted. As the red-maned unicorn never really liked to raise her voice, she was a bit out of practice—but she was still good enough for it to work. Lyra would simply mouth empty words into the inactive microphone, while Backbeat did the real singing. For a moment, she glanced backstage to where Backbeat was. The white unicorn’s horn was glowing fiercely. Lyra lifted her hoof up and pointed the flat toward the sky; a hoof gesture used to symbolize enthusiasm. She turned back just as the music kicked in. A light acoustic guitar, accented by long violin chords after a few moments. “Here goes nothing...” both mares thought in unison. “The dawn is breaking— A light shining through. You're barely waking And I'm tangled up in you, yeah.” Despite the fact she had already heard it multiple times in multiple places, Backbeat’s singing voice still sent shivers down Lyra’s spine. She was keeping up so far. It was true that she couldn’t exactly see through the glaring spotlight, but it didn’t seem like anypony was getting up to throw tomatoes either. “I'm open, you're closed. Where I follow, you'll go. I worry I won't see your face Light up again! “Even the best fall down sometimes. Even the wrong words seem to rhyme. Out of the doubt that fills my mind, I somehow find you and I collide!” From her place behind the curtain, Backbeat could only catch short glimpses of the audience(although she did have more visibility than Lyra). It was all she could do to not stop the spell right there and find a nice bed to hide under. But yet...they seemed to be affected by her voice. Almost enthralled. For a moment, she let herself actually listen to her own voice. She knew that everypony’s voice sounded different to themselves, but still...it was beautiful! Maybe Lyra and Noteworthy were right! Maybe singing was her special talent! Maybe... It was at that moment that, through a slit in the curtain, looking over Lyra’s back and through the crowd, her eye met another; one the color of pure black. A black eye surrounded by gray-brown fur. She recognized it well. Her amplification spell died for a beat as shock ran throughout her body. She could see the same shock, albeit for a different reason, run through Lyra’s veins too. The red-maned unicorn silently swore to herself. Luckily, it didn’t seem like anypony had noticed. “I'm quiet you know. You make a first impression. I've found I'm scared to know: I'm always on your mind.” Key Change blinked, before slowly removing his jet-black sunglasses. “What the hay was that?” Blue Belle, who had been enjoying the show so far, stopped mouthing the words to the song and glanced at her manager. “What was what?” “There was somepony behind the curtain. She looked familiar. And the sound went off for a second.” “It was probably a stage hand you saw when you left to talk to Blues before.” “No, that couldn’t have been it.” Key Change stood up. “I’ll be right back. Save my seat.” “Oh, of course.” the blue unicorn responded. Once he had trotted away, she sighed and returned her gaze to the singing mare on stage. “Even the best fall down sometimes. Even the stars refuse to shine. Out of the back you fall in time, I somehow find you and I collide! “Don't stop here. I lost my place... I'm close behind!” Noteworthy was very aware that his reputation, nay, his career rested on this performance going well. But yet, he was feeling strangely calm. Backbeat’s voice had that effect. At least, he felt calm. That was until he realized: in the few moments he had peeled his eyes away from watching Key Change’s every move, the stallion had disappeared. He started to sweat. He scanned the crowd, looking for the errant pony. All the while, he resisted the urge to make sure nopony was sneaking up on him with a knife. “Even the best fall down sometimes. Even the wrong words seem to rhyme. Out of the doubt that fills your mind, You finally find you and I collide!” Key Change was sure he had seen...whoever behind the curtain. And he was also sure that he saw, even if just for a second, her lips moving and her horn glowing. He had been in the business for a long time, and he knew what lip syncing looked like. He allowed himself a small grin as he traversed the backstage area, ignoring the confused stares he was receiving from stage hands who weren’t exactly sure he was supposed to be there. “To think...Noteworthy would have to stoop to something as low as this! Makes sense...only way he could think of to win is to cheat.” The singing grew louder and louder as he got closer to the curtain. He rounded the final corner. What he saw simply confirmed his suspicions. He couldn't place a name, but he recognized the mare from...somewhere. Galaxy? It didn't matter. What did matter was that Noteworthy was trying to cheat them all. So, not only was he unworthy of having Lyra, he was just wasting her talent! Key Change rubbed his temples and grinned. The song was ending. He made his way back to the table. “You finally find you and I collide, You finally find you and I collide.” The guitar and violin continued for a few moments more, but the audience didn't seem to notice. By the time the music faded away, every single pony(excluding one stallion) was on their hooves, stomping as hard as they possibly could. Cheers erupted from the crowd and Lyra gave a graceful bow. Backbeat smiled, but jumped slightly as she suddenly felt the soft touch of a familiar leg around her shoulder. "They're clapping for you, you know." Noteworthy said. "Yeah, they are, aren't they?" "You deserve it. You were bucking amazing." Backbeat gave the biggest grin she had given in years. "I was, wasn't I?" "YOU FOALS KNOW NOTHING OF TRUE TALENT! THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE IS BETTER THAN YOU ALL!" These were the words that Lyra heard, clear as day, from her dressing room as she sat alone, thinking to herself. A minute later, the azure mare in question bust into the room. Her normally purple coat was now covered in multi-colored splotches, and she carried the vague smell of produce. Trixie grit her teeth and stared at the empty hallway. “These ponies don’t know what true art is! They should feel honored that The Great and Powerful Trixie is even bothering to perform for them!” It was at that moment that Lyra made the mistake of giggling. “What?!” the blue unicorn snapped, spinning to face the turquoise. “What are you laughing at?” Lyra’s smile faded. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean-” “You have no right! How can a simple musicianeven think she can compare to a magician? Especially one that sits like that!” “Hey!” Lyra barked, snuggling deeper into her slouched position. “You can be angry with me, but don’t bring my sitting into this! That’s going too far.” Trixie turned up her nose. “Hmf!” She trotted to her mirror. There were a few moments of awkward silence. “Where did your friend go?” Trixie asked. “Home.” “Why are you still here?” “Well, I’m staying here at the hotel. And it’s always polite to stay until the act you headline for is finished.” Another rest. “...You know,” Lyra said, “I actually kinda liked your show, when you came to Ponyville.” The magician’s ears perked up. “You did?” “Yeah. I mean...until the Ursa came, and all that. I’ve always wished I could do magic like that, even if it is all just illusions.” “But you-” “Yeah, yeah, I’m a unicorn, I know. A unicorn with a faulty horn. I’ve never really been able to do magic. It gets hard sometimes, but you learn to deal.” “Trixie sees.” Trixie replied, taking off her pointed purple hat. “Well, The Great and Powerful Trixie thanks you for your kindness. Knowing that the fans like it make the entire thing worth it. ...At least, if I had any fans.” Lyra turned around in her chair and smiled. “Don’t worry. Just keep doing what you love, and they’ll come. Trust me.” “But-” “Trust me. Ponies are a lot more forgiving than they seem.” Trixie turned in her chair and made eye contact with Lyra. “Tri...I understand. I’ll remember that.” knock knock Both mares looked at the door, then back to each other. Neither was expecting anypony. “Maybe Backbeat forgot something?” Lyra thought, jumping out of her seat. She opened the door...and immediately regretted the decision. Standing in the doorway, a rolled up parchment in her mouth and an angry look on her face, was Bon Bon. “So...you really think I was good?” Noteworthy rolled his eyes. “Yes, Backbeat. For the twentieth time, you were amazing.” The white mare giggled. “I just love making you say that. I feel amazing too! Like I could take on the world, or something. Now it was the stallion’s turn to laugh. “I can tell! Good for you, Backbeat. You deserve it. With you singing, we’re all gonna be set for life.” Suddenly, Backbeat’s face darkened. She stopped walking. “Noteworthy, I just thought of something...what’s going to happen to Lyra after all this is over?” “What do you mean?” “Well, I doubt she’s going to want to be a figurehead her entire life.” Noteworthy shrugged and kept walking down the dark sidewalk. “I’m not sure. I can try and get her a deal playing lyre, but I can’t guarantee anything. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Backbeat ran to catch up with him. “That bridge is coming up soon! We have to talk about this!” “Look, Backbeat...I’m happy that you’re happy, and I get that our plan isn’t perfect. But I’m tired. Can’t we just a have a nice walk, the two of us?” She blushed. “Well, uh, I guess...” Noteworthy stared for a second. “That was weird,” he thought, “she was really confident, but she just suddenly lost it. Huh.” Backbeat adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat. She grinned. “But, anyway. Back to talking about how great I am.” A deathly silence hung over the room as Bon Bon walked in. She looked straight ahead, not bothering to acknowledge either unicorn. She placed her papers on the table in the middle of the room. They quickly unfurled to reveal two separate objects: a small piece of paper, and a larger...magazine? Lyra was speechless. Trixie could feel the tension like a second coat. Bon Bon took in a visibly strained breath. "Lyra..." "Bon Bon, I know you're mad, but I can explain." Bon Bon pulled the small note closer to her and cleared her throat. "Dear Bon Bon, "I hate to tell you like this, but I'm not sure I could stand to see you react. I'm going away to Canterlot for a long time(not sure how long yet) to make music. I promise I'll try and visit. Hay, maybe you can visit me! "Sincerely, Lyra.” Bon Bon turned to the turquoise mare. “Really, Lyra? A note?” “I...I’m sorry?” Lyra whimpered. “You’re sorry?! What the heck, Lyra?! How can you just suddenly leave one day without telling me, your best friend?!” Bon Bon yelled, causing Lyra to flinch. “I thought we told each other everything!” “I’m sorry Bon Bon, but there was something that I needed to do here!” “And why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Lyra blinked. “I, uh...because, um...there wasn’t enough time!” Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “Really.” “Yeah! I just got the call that moment, and they told me that I had to leave right away, or I’d never be able to make music here again!” Lyra yelped, gesticulating madly to emphasize her point. “Oh, riiiiiight. That’s why I was helping you find music for a ‘concert.’” Lyra’s ears flattened. “Oh. You remember that.” “Yes, I do! I remember the last time I saw my best friend before she moved to Canterlot!” Gulping, Lyra looked over Bon Bon’s shoulder, perhaps to make some kind of eye contact with the other unicorn. However, Trixie’s seat was empty. From the hallway, the sound of somepony galloping away could be heard. Bon Bon turned back to the table and grabbed the magazine with her mouth. “And fr whut? Jsht show you cin pley rock stir?” “What do you mean?” Lyra asked. Bon Bon placed the booklet on the floor in front of the unicorn. It was a copy of Equestria Daily. The front cover displayed the usual stuff: rumors, celebrities cheating on each other, an interview with Lyra, sexy beach bods- Wait. Interview with Lyra?! But there it was. Right there in the top-left corner, a small picture of Lyra sat, heralded in bold text with: “PAGE 65: INTERVIEW WITH THE WINNER OF THE CANTERLOT MUSIC FESTIVAL!” “I...What the hay? I never did an interview! Honest!” Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I bet. It’s all there!” she said. Lyra quickly flipped through the magazine. “I swear...I mean, you? A fillyfooler? I almost didn’t believe it! And you clearly said that you're leaving Ponyville!” The turquoise mare stopped flipping, only to stare, shocked, at her friend. “What?! I, me, wait...no! Don’t believe it!” She started again, and quickly reached page 65. She scanned the page. Various pictures and blocks of text scattered the page, revealing things about Lyra that the unicorn was quite sure she had never told anypony, least of all whoever it was that had written the article. Who was that anyway? Just below the heading, in small text, read: text and pictures credit to Film Reel Lyra grit her teeth. Film Reel had only asked her three questions, all of which she had answered with one-word responses! All of these quotations and answers were lies(excluding the thing about how she sometimes talked to her lyre; how did Film Reel know this stuff, anyway?)! Lyra could see what had upset her friend: quite a few times, Film Reel had made Lyra state outright that she was leaving Ponyville forever to be a star. And the pictures...most of them were from last night. However, there were one or two that showed Lyra out and about in different locations she recognized as being Ponyville. She could deal with the pictures. She could deal with the slander. But what she couldn’t deal with was what was at the very bottom of the second page. The question read: “Q: So, what can you tell us about the song you performed? Dedicated to anypony in particular? “A: Oh, yes, definitely. You see, there’s this mare I work with; he name is Backbeat. She’s simply the sweetest, kindest, most caring mare I’ve ever met. And she’s not too hard to look at either, if you catch my drift. [laughs] But seriously, I love her more than you can even comprehend.” There was more, but Lyra was too afraid of her teeth cracking apart from the strain to keep going. But what really got her goat was the picture next to it: Backbeat, staring, terrified, up into Film Reel’s camera. A small caption underneath said: “The sweetheart in question, spotted just a few blocks away from the Blue Note Cafe in downtown Canterlot.” Backbeat was not going to be happy when she saw that. It was at that moment she heard the one sound she hated more than any other: Bon Bon crying. The earth pony had always been emotional, ever since they were foals. “Please,” Lyra said, edging closer to the crying mare, “you have to believe me! This story isn’t true!” Bon Bon sniffled. “Yeah, right...” “No, really! I’m serious! Come on, you know Equestria Daily is just a dumb gossip rag!” Lyra insisted. She started desperately flipping through the magazine, looking for something to prove her point. “Uh...oh, here, look! ‘Culture Clash: Octavia and DJ PON-3 are Secret Lovers.’ There’s no way that’s true! Or, um...see, ‘Fancy Pants Makes Millions From Illegal Bootlegging Operation.’ Alcohol isn’t even illegal in Equestria!” But the cream-colored mare simply shook her head. “I j-just want my f-friend back, Lyra...” Lyra rubbed her temples. “Bon, you’re really stressing me out here...” “I’m stressing you out? What about me? What am I supposed to do?!” Bon Bon cried out. Tears started flowing again, but she remained indignant. “Lyra, maybe you haven’t noticed, but I don’t have many friends back in Ponyville! You were pretty much the only pony I ever really talked to besides my employees!” The unicorn didn’t know why, but for some reason, Bon Bon’s comment made her very angry. “So, what? Am I just supposed to look after you my entire life?” she asked. “You’re a grown mare, Bon Bon! Start acting your age!” “Me? What about you?!” Bon Bon shot back. She was practically screaming at this point. “At least I have a job! I have a living! You...you just don’t! You constantly come to me begging for bits just so you can pay your bills!” Lyra took a step back. “No, I don’t!” “YES, YOU DO! And, and you know why? Because of stuff like this!” She gestured to the room around them. “You take all these random trips all over Equestria, and for what? A few bits and a chance at becoming ‘famous?’ Things don’t work that way, Lyra!” “Maybe they don’t for you, but they will for me!” “No they won’t! They never do! They didn’t when you lost all that money gambling to get Frederic concert tickets?” “Hey, that was a-” “Or how about when you went to that bar, got trashed, and beat up that stallion because he was ‘looking at you funny?’” Huh?” “Would you just-” “Or when you got freaking expelled from Princess Celestia’s School, and had nowhere to go? Huh? What...about...that.” Bon Bon slowed down, thinking for the first time about the things she had said, and the look Lyra was giving her. As if it were a defense mechanism, she started crying again. “L-Lyra, I’m sorry...” Now Lyra was holding back tears of her own. “No, no, no...get out.” “Huh? But, but, Lyra-” “I SAID GET OUT!” Lyra shrieked, stamping her hooves. “Shut up, and get out! I’m gonna become a star, and there isn’t anything you can do about it! Now just go home and be lonely, you...you...UGH!” She turned away. The unicorn had thought that ranting like that would make her feel better; it didn’t. “I...Lyra...w-we...” Bon Bon stammered. A few moments passed before Lyra heard the earth mare gallop, bawling, out of the room. The lone mare shuddered and started to cry herself, head hung low. (The song Backbeat/Lyra did was "Collide" by Howie Day.) "Friends""Tonight's the countdown 'Til the day we're not around... And you're gone, And we're on with our lives! No...I don't want an ending..." Noteworthy could barely contain his excitement as the music faded away, leaving nothing but a white mare standing alone in the recording booth. He clapped mercilessly, not even waiting to remove his headphones. “YES YES YES!” he shrieked. Lyra, on the other hoof, had long since lost her enthusiasm for the singing. She played idly with her hooves as her friend sang. She definitely felt happy for her and all. It was great that she was all...confident, and happy now, but...she didn’t know. Something was wriggling at the back of her mind that kept her a bit on edge. All the while, one question sat in her mind: ‘What am I doing here?’ She didn’t know why it was there, or even when it arrived. All she knew was that it was there, and it was annoying her like nothing else. It was only compounded by the fact that she had gotten almost no sleep the night before. She usually wasn’t one to stay up all night crying, but it seemed like that was what Bon Bon had driven her to. She silently cursed the mare. Who did she think she was? “Backbeat, that was amazing! Even better than last time!” Noteworthy praised as Backbeat walked back in. The red-maned mare only giggled and flipped her hair back. “Thanks. What did you think, Lyra?” The turquoise unicorn rested her head on her hooves. “Yeah. It was great.” Noteworthy shuffled a few papers on the console. “So, last night I heard this great song on the radio that I think you would be great at. You wanna-” “NO!” Both stallion and mare stared at Lyra, who had her front hooves stretched out in front of her. “I mean, uh...I’m kinda getting a headache from all the music,” Lyra said. “Can we, like, go somewhere else?” Backbeat and Noteworthy looked at each other. “Well,” Backbeat began, “we could go up to the roof or something. The view of the city is amazing from the cafe.” The pony pony nodded. “Yeah, that’d be cool. Let’s just drop these papers off at my office first, then we’ll be good.” Ponies buzzed about the halls of Galaxy, doing everything from making phone calls to filling out spreadsheets. Lyra felt oddly alien in the office space; desk jobs were not her style. It was at that moment that Noteworthy stopped dead in his tracks. He looked as if he had just seen a ghost. “Stop. Look,” he said, pointing down a row of cubicles. Walking right toward them, flanked by two mares with clipboards and pens, was Two Step himself. Noteworthy started walking again, and signaled for his companions to do the same. “Don’t make eye contact. Just keep walking, and maybe he won’t-” “Ah, Noteworthy!” “-notice us. Crap. Get ready for insults. The gray stallion trotted calmly up to the trio. His assistants matched his every step. "Noteworthy, the stallion that could!" he said. "I have heard only great things recently!" Noteworthy gaped. "You have?" "Yes! Your little concert was very well-received. Exactly what I was hoping my test would bring about." Noteworthy was shocked. Two Step had never directly complimented him before. At least, not without an insult tacked on at the end. “Oh, uh, well, thank you, sir. It means a lot to hear that from you.” He gestured to Lyra. “And this,” he said, “is the mare responsible for all those good reviews! Ly...I mean, Heartstrings!” Lyra offered a hoof. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr....?” “Two Step,” the pony replied, returning Lyra’s hoofshake. “But you can call me ‘Sir.’” “Oh. Well. It’s a pleasure to meet you...sir.” Suddenly, a small tapping noise entered the ears of everypony present. Two Step was the first to find the source: Backbeat’s hoof. The mare was tapping it quickly against the floor, as if she were waiting for something. Two Step glared. “What, do you have a twitch or something?” Backbeat glared right back. “Oh no...just a habit. Don’t mind me.” The stallion nodded and turned back to Lyra. He opened his mouth to speak. “But you know,” Backbeat interrupted, “I was the one who booked the gig in the first place. So, you know, I’m really responsible for it all.” She gave a toothy grin. Everypony simply stared at her for a moment. “Well, it is great to see that we have a new singer!" Two Step started again. "Any chance you could give me a sample?" Lyra blinked. "What?" "Well, I am not about to let you leave without hearing what all the buzz is about! So, go on." The turquoise unicorn looked at her manager, who was looking right back. "Oh, um..." they both stammered in unison. "I have no idea what to sing to you!" Lyra explained, laughing as if it were some big joke. "Sorry, but I-" Two Step chuckled. "It does not matter to me. When you have worked in the music industry for as long as I have, you learn to like all kinds." Lyra looked around nervously for a moment before hearing a short, quiet giggle. Once again, the errant noise came from Backbeat. "Well?" the unicorn asked, smiling. "Show us that great voice everypony loves. We're waiting, Heartstrings." The lip syncer shot Backbeat a dirty and confused look. Her voice was bringing back memories of a certain tiara-wearing filly from Ponyville. With a nicker, Two Step's expression began to darken into something more familiar. "I do not have all day, Heartstrings." Lyra gulped. “I-I, uh, don’t think I...” she jabbered. And she probably would have been found out, if it weren’t for a conversation occurring just a few feet away. “Vinyl, I’m telling you, you can’t just go do a rave at some sleazy Manehattan club! We have appearances to keep up!” “Yo, Goldy, calm yourself! I didn’t do nothin’ wrong. Just havin’ a little fun, is all.” Vinyl Scratch shot back. The first pony, a fully crimson mare with a gold chunk on her flank, facehoofed. “Yeah, yeah...and we all know what your idea of fun is...” “Ah, Gold Bar!” Two Step suddenly yelped, alerting the mare. “I have been wanting to see you!” Gold Bar sighed before putting on a weak smile and facing her boss. “Oh, hello there, sir. Just talking to Vinyl about something which will not happen again. How are you? Was there something you needed?” “Yes, just wait one minute.” Two Step turned back to Noteworthy. “Well, Noteworthy, it seems you have found somepony that will work...even if she does seem a little slow,” he said. Lyra’s ears drooped. “I wish you the best of luck. Celestia knows you will need it for Monday.” At that, he walked away, his two mares in tow. Gold Bar proceeded on with him, leaving Vinyl behind. Vinyl grinned and walked up to the trio. “Yo, Blues, Beats...Ly, I think?” she asked. Lyra, the previous encounter completely forgotten, nodded enthusiastically. “Cool. Thanks for gettin’ me out of there. Goldy’s been ridin’ me like a bull ever since my last trip to Manehattan. I mean, you take one drink, punch one bartender in the face, and the press is all over you. It just ain’t fair! You know what I mean?” There was silence. Noteworthy chuckled nervously. “Uh, yeah, I suppose...” Backbeat smiled. “No, thank you!” she cheered. “We would have been doomed if you hadn’t stepped in when you did.” Lyra didn’t know why, but that last line really ticked her off—even if it was true. She eyed Backbeat with suspicion; the mare was annoying her more and more each minute. Nopony else seemed to notice. Instead, the blue-maned mare simply stared dully at Backbeat. “Yo, Beats...you feelin’ okay?” “Fine. Why?” “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you go a sentence without stutterin’.” The unicorn laughed. “Oh, I’ve just been feeling so great lately. It’s like I’m a whole new mare. Ever since the concert yesterday, where I sa-” “Sat and watched Lyra do such a great job!” Noteworthy interjected, laughing as he pulled Backbeat into a hug. “That’s why she’s so happy! That and nothing else!” Vinyl stared for a moment. “Uh...okay, cool. Whatever it is, you’re hot.” Backbeat glared at Noteworthy for a moment before returning to Vinyl, nodding. “Thanks. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have somewhere to be.” The DJ seemed taken aback by the mare’s momentary roughness, but she nodded. “Yeah, whatever. Thanks again. See y’all later.” Noteworthy let go of Backbeat, and the trio moved forward. However, the stallion stopped once again when he heard from behind: “Yo, Notes, wait up!” He turned to face Vinyl who had just run up to him. “Yeah?” “I almost forgot to tell you: watch out for Key Change. I’ve been hearin’ from everypony today that’s he’s even pissier than usual. Just this mornin’, when I said hi to him, he pushed past me like I was some piece a’ garbage or somethin’! I was about to smack him!” Noteworthy gulped. ‘Oh...is this about yesterday?’ he thought. “Oh, yeah? Well, that’s Key Change for you,” he said. “Thanks for the info.” “No problem. See ya, Blues.” Noteworthy closed his office door, hard. “Backbeat,” he began, “what was all that out there?” Backbeat let her papers and clipboard drop noisily onto the desk. “I was about to ask you the same question. Why did you interrupt me? Why can’t we tell Vinyl how great I was?” The blue pony rubbed his temples. “Listen, I like Vinyl as much as the next pony. But you know as well as I do that she can’t keep her mouth shut, especially when she’s drunk. Which is all the time. We can’t let anypony know about you.” He took a quick glance at Lyra. “At least, not yet,” he muttered. “Oh, right,” Backbeat fumed, “I forgot, we have to cater to Little Miss Lyre over here.” Lyra, who had just slumped down on the couch, jumped back onto her hooves and narrowed her eyes. “What is that supposed to mean?” “It means that, in a perfect world, everypony would get the credit that they deserve. But that’s not how it works, so I guess I’ll have to get used to it.” Noteworthy felt a bead of sweat form at the base of his mane. “Backbeat, maybe we can tone it down a bit...?” “No,” Lyra said. “I want to hear what she has to say.” “I’m not ‘saying’ anything,” Backbeat insisted. “But why should Lyra be praised while I sit in the dust? All she did was move her lips! I’m the one everypony should love!” Lyra laughed. “What, so you’re jealous of me?” “Me? Jealous of you? I think you’re the one who’s jealous of my singing!” “WHAT?!” the turquoise unicorn screeched. She started toward Backbeat. “You stuck-up, little-” KNOCK KNOCK All three ponies looked at the door. Sighing, Noteworthy opened it inwards. Standing in the doorway, saddlebags on his back and sunglasses over his eyes, was Key Change. Everypony stared as the stallion stepped inside, and smiled. “I heard yelling. Is everything alright?” Noteworthy wanted to make a sarcastic comment, but found himself unable to do so. “Yeah,” he said. “Everything’s fine.” Lyra and Backbeat glared at each other for a moment before turning up their noses and walking away. “What do you want?” Key Change snapped his gum. “What, I can’t just visit my fellow co-worker without wanting something?” “...No.” “That hurts, Blues. That just hurts,” Key Change lamented. “In fact, I actually wanted to give you all something. It’s for the ladies, in particular.” Lyra rolled her eyes as hard as she could. “Oh, wow. I’m so excited.” Key Change rummaged in his bags for a moment. He pulled out a small, glass bottle filled with a clear liquid. Running vertically up the side were bold, black letters reading “One Day.” As he uncorked it, a very strong scent filled the room. “I just wanted to share a bit of my success, is all. You, my dear friends, are the first in Equestria to get a whiff of Bustin’ Jieber’s new perfume, ‘One Day!’” Without warning, he held it up to Lyra’s nose. Lyra’s eyes abruptly widened before filling up with tears. She started coughing violently. “*cough* Oh, Celestia! That’s terrible! *cough* I can’t breathe!” Key Change pulled back. Noteworthy could have sworn he saw the stallion glare for a second, before quickly laughing it off. “Oh, well, I suppose not everypony can be as perfect as you, right?” he joked. Across the room, Backbeat huffed. “Yeah, I guess not,” Lyra said loudly. At that, Key Change simply laughed before spitting his gum into the garbage. As if by clockwork, he went into his saddlebags and pulled out another piece. Lyra eyed the packaging. ‘Blue-and-yellow...hey, that looks kinda like...wait.’ Just before he had finished unwrapping it, Lyra grabbed it out of his hooves and began to inspect it. Strangely, Key Change didn’t protest. Within seconds, the mare’s unease turned to pure dread. She recognized the gum. “Where...where did you get this?” “From my new assistant.” “You have a new assistant?” Noteworthy asked. “What happened to Sunset Bliss?” Key Change glanced at Noteworthy with one deep red eye. “She quit.” Lyra grabbed Key Change by his shoulders “Where did you meet her?!” The stallion smirked. “My, feisty, aren’t you? I hadn’t even mentioned that it was a she. Anyway, I met her just yesterday, after your show. She was all alone, crying. I asked her why, she mentioned you, I told her I worked with you, and just like that she accepted my job offer. Funny, how that works-” “Where is she now?!” “My office.” “Where?” “One floor up.” And with that, Lyra galloped out the door. The three remaining ponies looked at each other. “Well,” Key Change started, “I’ve got no more business here. Have a good day, everypony!” He quickly sauntered out the door before anypony could protest. Noteworthy took a deep sigh. “Oh Celestia,” he whispered, “what did I get myself into?” He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he barely noticed when Backbeat wrapped a leg over his shoulders. “Don’t worry,” she said. “Now that all of them are gone, we can have a nice, quiet time on the roof. Right?” “Don’t you think we should wait for Lyra?” “What? No, no, no, she’s obviously got problems of her own to deal with. I don’t think I want to get wrapped up in those. Do you?” The stallion looked at his...friend. “I...suppose not.” ‘What the hay what the hay what the hay what the hay what the hay...’ The walls shook as Lyra thundered down the halls of Galaxy. She desperately wanted to be wrong. Maybe she had just misread everything Key Change had said. Maybe the candy was just a coincidence. Maybe- “Oh my, you really are great!” Nope. She would recognize that voice anywhere. As she rounded one last corner, the pony the line had come from came into clear view. She was standing in the middle of the hall, talking to Blue Belle, who had a sheepish look on her face. She was carrying a saddlebag, into which a clipboard had been stuffed. Lyra stopped and stared for a moment. ‘DAMN IT, BON BON. DAMN IT,’ she screamed inwardly. Taking a calming breath, the unicorn cantered up to the other mares. Blue Belle was the first to notice her approach. With a small wave, she said: “Oh, hello, Lyra! I was just talking about you!” Bon Bon nearly jumped in surprise. She looked at the turquoise pony with shock, but her expression quickly shifted to menace. “Oh, hey there, Lyra. What’s wrong? You look worried.” Lyra held back a growl. “You know what’s wrong, Bon Bon. What the hay are you doing here?! Why are you working for Key Change?!” With a little sashay, the cream mare walked right up to Lyra. “Because I want to. Do you have a problem with that?” “Yes, I do!” “Really? I thought you didn’t want to have to look over me! Isn’t this what you wanted?” “I, you...shut up!” Lyra spat, earning a wince from Blue Belle. “This isn’t about me, this is about you! The only reason you’re doing this is to spite me, and you know it!” Bon Bon laughed. “Oh, really? To spite you? Can you prove that?” Lyra rolled her eyes. “Uh, yeah. I can. First off, you don’t know the first thing about music.” “What?! Yes I do!” “Really? Name The Rolling Rocks’ first album.” “I, well, um-” Bon Bon sputtered. “T-That doesn’t matter for this job!” “And don’t you have your own candy shop back in Ponyville? What’s going to happen to that?” At this, Bon Bon’s troubled expression cleared up. Putting one prideful hoof on her chest, she stated: “I’ve been training little Twist in the art of making candy for over a year now. She can run the shop fine without me.” “Bon Bon. Twist is still in middle school.” By this point, Blue Belle had just taken a seat on the ground, a few feet away from both of the angry mares. She had seen fights like this before. Eventually they would both run out of insults and it would be over. It was really too bad that they didn't like each other no; Blue Belle would have liked to ask Bon Bon about Lyra, but it didn't look like that would be happening anytime soon. "I know that!" Bon Bon said through grit teeth. "I have other employees who can help her. Everything is going to work out fine." Lyra smiled as she heard Bon Bon's ragged breaths. The earth pony was never one for confrontation, and could usually only go a few minutes without crying. All she had to do was keep this going for a little longer, and the fight would be hers. “You know this isn’t going to work,” said Lyra. “Why don’t you just go home now and save yourself the time, the money, and the trouble?” Bon Bon glowered for a moment. “So what if this ‘doesn’t work out?’ It will! But, let’s just say it doesn’t. Like you said, I have my own candy shop to go back to. What are you going to do when you don’t make it here?” Lyra smiled. “I don’t know, and I don’t need to. I’m gonna make it big here, and then you’ll regret all this. You’ll be saying, ‘Gosh, I wish I was nicer to Lyra, and didn’t bug her the entire time!’” The cream mare swallowed. “Listen, Lyra. We’ve been friends since we were foals. I’m just telling you the facts; things don’t work out for you. You should be the one who’s worrying about wasting money, considering how little of it you have.” “What did you say?!” Lyra yelped. “I have plenty of money!” “Really? Then why do you live in a shack in the middle of the woods?” Bon Bon asked. Lyra looked offended; good. That’s just what she was aiming for. “Why is it that, whenever I look in your fridge, all I see are those cheap alfalfa bags? Why do you still owe me three-hundred bits?” “Be quiet!” Lyra said. “I live that way because I want to. That’s it! I play music for a living. It’s what I always wanted to do, and I’m completely happy doing it! I make more than enough to be happy.” Blue Belle frowned. She didn’t like where this was going at all. They had already been arguing for three full minutes, much longer than usual. It just seemed like whenever it was about to end, somepony would open a wound and start it all over. Part of her felt that she shouldn’t be there; this fight was a personal matter for the two of them to work out. “Oh, yeah, I bet you’re soooooo happy, Lyra. Playing all those little garden parties and senior centers. I bet they pay so well.” “I told you, I don’t care about the money!” “Then why did you come here?” Lyra gaped. This wasn’t turning out like she had planned at all. ...Not that she really had a plan to begin with. All that was driving her now was a desire to hurt this mare. But it was like she just refused to take it! Usually by this point, Bon Bon would be sobbing between every other word. Not to mention that last question. She was speechless, thrown completely off-guard. “Wh...What did you say to me?” Bon Bon took a step forward. “If you’re so happy, why are you even here? I think I know why.” “...Why?” “Because you’re tired of being a failure.” “What?!” “I mean, really. You’re a unicorn...who can’t do magic. And you don’t have the strength of an earth pony, so that makes you useless in about 99% of life. The only thing you could think of to do is play music. And Celestia forbid you play something people actually want to listen to! No, you play the lyre.” Lyra tried to back away, but Bon Bon matched her every step. “S-Shut up.” Lyra stammered, looking to the side. “So, you came here because you thought it meant you would finally have some validation for your cutie mark. But it doesn’t matter, because you’re going to fail here too!” Lyra looked deep into Bon Bon’s blue eyes. “Shut up,” she ordered. She stopped moving backwards. “Why? Because I’m telling you the truth?” “I SAID SHUT UP!” Lyra screamed. She launched herself at Bon Bon. Unprepared for the assault, Bon Bon tumbled, head over hooves, with the unicorn, almost crashing into Blue Belle, who was now frozen in shock. She just barely dodged a punch from Lyra that most certainly would have left her with a black eye. “What the hay are you doing?!” Bon Bon yelped, trying to pin her assailant to the floor. “You’re a madmare!” But Bon Bon couldn’t hope to keep Lyra down. Unlike Bon Bon, the unicorn had not spent a large portion of her life making and eating candy, and, despite Bon Bon’s earth pony heritage, was much more physically fit. Lyra easily wrestled out of her grasp and delivered a swift punch to her side. The punch sent Bon Bon sprawling across the floor, crying in pain. Lyra rushed up to her, set on doing more, but quickly found herself enveloped in a deep blue magic. Blue Belle had woken from her trance, and was now holding the crazed mare far away from the earth pony. “W-What do you think you’re doing?!” Blue Belle cried. “Lyra, how could you do this? I thought you were better than that!” She turned her attention to Bon Bon, who was trying to lift herself up. “Oh, Bon Bon, are you okay?” Bon Bon groaned. “I think so...ugh, my side...” Lyra stared in fear for a moment, before galloping away. ‘What did you do?!’ She closed her eyes to block out the thoughts. Luckily it was late, and the halls were almost completely clear, so she didn’t bump into anypony. It only took a minute to make it to the elevator, where she smashed on the button that would take her to the lobby. ‘You just hurt Bon Bon. You bucking punched her.’ She lay down on the floor of the elevator, covering her eyes with her hooves, if only to stop the tears from coming out. “B-But,” she whimpered, “I, I didn’t mean to...” ‘You wanted to hurt her. You wanted to make her cry.’ “Oh, Celestia, why did I do that? Why am I such an idiot?!” “...and I’m just thinking the entire time, ‘Why won’t you stop talking?’ Hahahaha!” Noteworthy simpered and took a sip of his coffee. He gave a small, forced laugh, if only to get Backbeat to stop staring at him expectantly like that. He had lost count of how many stories the mare had told him in the past half-hour that had ended the same exact way. Evidently, Backbeat wasn’t one for telling ponies how she really felt. And, honestly...Noteworthy was starting to think that he liked it that way. The entire day, Backbeat had been acting really different, and it was kind of irritating. He liked it better when she was...well, when she was nice. Not to mention the fact that she kept looking at him and sighing. Backbeat put her head on her hooves and stared deeply into the stallion’s eyes. She sighed. “The sunset is so beautiful tonight, isn’t it?” Noteworthy averted his eyes and looked out over the view of Canterlot. She was right; it was pretty beautiful. It was probably his favorite part of working at Galaxy, even if Backbeat was leaning towards him, her lips puckered. He really needed to come here more often. Wait. Noteworthy pushed his chair back, eyes wild. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing?!” The unicorn pouted. “Well, I was going to kiss you, but—” “Wait, you...” Noteworthy stammered, jaw hanging loose. “W-What the hay is your problem?!” Backbeat looked confused. “What do you mean? I thought we were really connecting.” “I, but, we- I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON HERE!” Noteworthy screamed into the heavens. “I’m not going to kiss you! Do you really think you can just act like a jerk all day, make fun of people who I happen to be friends with, and then kiss me?!” Backbeat shrunk a bit. “But...I just thought that-” “I don’t care what you thought!” he said. Noteworthy threw a few bits on the table. “I’ll see you on Monday. And I hope that when I do, you’ll be back to normal. Because, right now, I’m pissed.” He walked away, out of sight. Backbeat stared after him for a few moments, gaping. What had just happened? For the first time in her life, she felt strong and confident. So, she tried to use that strength to win over the stallion of her dreams. And she had just royally messed up. In fact, Noteworthy...probably hated her now. Her mind blank and numb, the mare put her own bits on the counter. She then proceeded to go to the ground floor, walk the five blocks to her apartment, get in, go to her bedroom, lie down on the bed, and stare at the ceiling. She wanted to say something to herself, something that would fill the deafening silence, but she couldn’t get anything to come out. (The song Backbeat did at the beginning is "Don't Want An Ending" by Sam Tsui.) Talks"Oh, Celestia...no, no, no..." Lyra twisted and turned under her covers, unable to escape from her nightmares. This had been going on for more than twelve hours. She had gone to bed at eleven o'clock the night before, and it was one in the afternoon now. And, yet, she had only gotten, at most, an hour of sleep. Guilt rode her like a bull. With a shudder, she opened her bloodshot eyes once again. She winced at the light that filtered through the window. She hadn't felt like this in years. Groaning, she lifted herself out of bed and onto the floor. Maybe she should get lunch...? Nah, she wasn't hungry. Playing her lyre always put her at ease, maybe that? Yeah, that could work. She hadn't even looked at her lyre since she had arrived in Canterlot. The black bag it sat in was coated in a fine layer of dust, sitting right in the sun. Lyra picked it up and brought it out to the balcony, hoping that the brass hadn't gotten too hot that it burned the strings or something. "Okay," she whispered, "let's calm down and play, Lyra. No worries, no...no worries." A familiar chill ran down her spine as she hit the first notes. It was one of the first pieces she had ever written. She hadn’t heard it in such a long time...yet, she still knew every chord, every note by heart. It gave her a sense of knowing, a sense of security; things that she desperately needed. Celestia, what had she done? Bon Bon hadn’t looked too banged up, but still, Lyra had punched her! And then she just ran, like a coward! How had she gotten so angry?! Why was she such an idiot?! She hit a sour note. When it happened, the unicorn jumped. Lyra simply stared for a moment before groaning and throwing her head backwards, falling into a steep slump. “This is all their fault,” she muttered. “Backbeat, and, and, Bon Bon! Telling me I’m not good enough.” She got up and started to pace around. “Yeah...that’s it! It’s all their fault! They both provoked me! They were mean to me, and I just got them back, is all!” She thrust a hoof into the air, punctuating her accusations. “Yeah!” There was dead silence in the hotel room. Lyra blew a lock of white hair from her eyes and sat down on the bed. RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING Lyra jumped again. The room phone was ringing. That was a first. Hesitantly, she picked it up. “Hello?” “Uh, yeah, Lyra? It’s me.” “Noteworthy? What’s going on?” “There’s something kind of important I’ve been meaning to talk to you about. After everything that happened yesterday...” Even though she knew he couldn’t see it, Lyra frowned. “Why couldn’t you just come over here? It gets kind of lonely here, you know.” “I’m...busy.” “Busy? Doing what?” “...Taxes.” “Oh...okay. Well, what did you want to talk about?” There was a burst of static, like Noteworthy was sighing. “Um...how should I say this...? Lyra, I want to talk about what happens after Monday. You know, after the test and all that. Do you have any sort of plan?” Lyra chuckled. That was a strange question. “Well, I’m gonna keep working with you, of course. I came to Canterlot for a reason, didn’t I?” she said. There was a long silence. “...Noteworthy? Are you still there?” “So, wait. You’re okay with being Backbeat’s face? Really?” he said, sounding almost relieved. The unicorn blinked. “Huh?” “Oh, wow, that’s great to hear! I was expecting you to be mad about it, but this is great! Now we can stop worrying about that. Well, Lyra, tha-” “What do you mean, ‘be Backbeat’s face?’” “...You know, what we’ve been doing. With the lip syncing and all. You’re okay with doing that, even after the test is over, right?” “I, but, I thought...no! No, I don’t want to do that!” “Oh. Damn. Well, I knew it wouldn’t be that easy. What were you expecting?” Lyra pulled the receive away and just stared at it for a moment. Had he just made a joke?! “Well,” she said, “I was kind of expecting, oh, I don’t know, something for me.” “...Right.” “Have I just been your slave for the past week? I want to play my lyre! Where’s the contract you promised me when we first met?!” There was another burst of static. “Lyra, it’s just not that easy...” “So, you just lied to me?! Why can’t you get me signed on? Are you just too obsessed with Backbeat?” “Lyra, don’t be like that. I want you to get a contract. Really, I do! It’s just...the lyre.” “What about the lyre?” “I’m not trying to be mean here, Lyra, really. But the lyre isn’t...it isn’t really a, you know, popular instrument anymore. Not that it isn’t good! But ponies don’t really-” “Plenty of ponies listen to the lyre!” Lyra practically screamed. “I, I, I have great turnouts! I won the bucking music festival, didn’t I?!” “Yeah, but what ages were those ponies that were listening?” “I don’t know,” Lyra sputtered, throwing her free hoof into the air, “adults, I guess? So what?” “They’re seniors, Lyra.” “I, but...shut up!” “Lyra, I’m not trying to hurt your feelings!” Noteworthy insisted. “But the kind of music Two Step wants here at Galaxy is the kind that younger people will listen to. The best you’re probably going to get are the hipsters, and even that’s not guaranteed. That’s why Backbeat is good; she’s a singer, so she can basically do any kind of music we ask her to.” There was a silence. “I don’t like it either. But I just don’t have that much influence, Lyra. I’m sor-” “Yeah, well, thanks a lot,” Lyra growled through grit teeth. “Lyra, are you o-” She hung up. Lyra stared at the phone for what seemed like an eternity. She was literally shaking with rage. Her mind argued with itself as to what to do next. Part of it wanted to throw the phone off the balcony. Another part wanted to find an axe and murder everypony in sight, starting with Noteworthy and Backbeat. Yet, one thought stood out in particular. Every time it appeared, it felt like her stomach was trying to blast through her chest. It was a thought that she had been worried about for quite a while. ‘Bon Bon was right.’ In a fit of pure impulse, Lyra picked up her lyre and flung it across the room. It smashed against the wall with a sharp bang. It left the brass body with a large dent and knocked out a few strings. Sure, it would cost a lot to repair. In fact, she might have to buy a whole new lyre! But who really cared? According to everypony she knew, the lyre was useless! If Lyra had any magic at all, she most certainly would have burst into flames at this point. Yet, all she could muster were a few thin wisps of smoke. This just made her madder; even foals could get at least a spark going! What was wrong with her?! ‘Bon Bon was right.’ “SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!” she screamed, bucking wildly at an invisible mare. “I HATE YOU!” That was when the tears started to come—no. No, she wasn’t going to cry. She couldn’t. Instead, she flipped around, stood on her front hooves, and prepared to give the nightstand the hardest buck she had even given. She imagined it was some conglomerate of every pony she ever knew. knock knock She stopped, only a few inches away from the wood, and glared at the errant noise. She recognized that knock. It was one of the ponies she hated more than anything. Taking a deep, annoyance-filled breath, Lyra cantered over to the door and opened it. “Hello, Backbeat,” she said through grit teeth. Backbeat stared up at her fellow unicorn with bloodshot eyes. If it weren’t for the differences in color and shape, they would have been twins. She slowly cantered in, legs barely making it off the floor. After a moment, she collapsed onto the bed and began to wail. “Oh, L-Lyra!” she cried. “I...oh, I’m such an idiot!” She began to sob into Lyra’s bedsheets, soaking them in tears. Lyra didn’t hear her. Instead, she stared down angrily at her broken lyre. A small pang of regret hit her; that lyre had been expensive, after all. It had taken months of saving to buy it, and upgrade from her dinky old one that she had used since foalhood. But anger quickly took the reins again, as she realized: the investment had been useless! She hadn’t made any more money after upgrading. It barely sounded different! She was still poor and useless! It occurred to her at that moment that there was still another unicorn in her room, crying hysterically. Not to mention the fact that said unicorn wasn’t very high on her list of ponies she wanted to see at that moment. She walked over to Backbeat. “What’s up with you?” Lyra asked unenthusiastically. To be honest, she was the least bit interested; Backbeat was going to be famous. She should have been on top of the world. Backbeat lifted her head. Her lower lip trembled. “I-It’s Noteworthy...” Lyra laughed. “Oh, did he screw you over too?” This, for whatever reason, sent the demure mare into another fit. Wailing loudly, she stuffed her face back into the sheets. “Backbeat, what do you even want from me?” Lyra asked, sitting down and rubbed her forehead. “I’m really not in the mood.” The crying pony lifted herself back up and took a deep breath. “I...on Fr-Friday, I was with Noteworthy...and, and, I tried to...kiss him,” she whispered. “Oh, I was such an idiot! I was acting like a jerk all day, then I had to go and make Noteworthy even madder! I just hate myself!” Lyra frowned. “Who cares? He’s just one stupid pony,” she said. Backbeat looked at her like she was crazy. Lyra stared right back. “Considering the way you look and how submissive you are, I’m amazed you haven’t made it with, like, fifty stallions already.” Backbeat trembled. “No...I know it sounds cheesy, but all I’ve ever wanted, I found in Noteworthy. But I guess h-he just didn’t feel the same.” She sighed. “Oh, nothing matters anymore.” This made Lyra very, very angry. The aquamarine mare bit back a nasty comment. Instead, through grit teeth, she said: “You should feel lucky, you know. At least Noteworthy still likes you enough that he’ll give you a chance to be successful.” Backbeat stamped her hoof. “Oh, who cares about being famous?” If it was possible, Lyra would have burst into flames at that very second. No more Ms. Nice-pony. "WHAT," she screeched, "IS YOUR PROBLEM?!” “Huh?!” Backbeat stammered, backing up a bit. “You, you...I HATE YOU!” Lyra screamed. The tail was thrashing wildly. “You don’t know what you have! Do you know how long I’ve worked to get where I am?!” “N-No-” “Ever since I was a foal! My first word was ‘song!’ The first ‘A’ I ever got in school was for music! I’ve had to give up opportunity after opportunity, just because of this damned symbol on my bucking flank!” Lyra screamed, not even looking at the other mare anymore. “And for what? Love? No. Enlightenment? No. Success? NO. I’m not going anywhere with my life! In fact, just by staying in Canterlot for so long, I’ve probably put my bucking cottage into foreclosure!” Backbeat backed up against the wall. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t kn-” “Yes! I know you didn’t know!” Lyra interrupted. Her fiery, golden eyes bored into Backbeat. “But here you are! You come waltzing in, acting like some sweet little angel, then you steal what should be mine! You didn’t work for it! You don’t even want it! Why should you be better off than me, the pony who’s worked her entire life?!” Backbeat started to cry. “But I didn’t-” “SHUT! UP! Stop whining! No wonder Noteworthy didn’t want you! Nopony wants you! Nopony needs you! You’re the useless one, not me! YOU SHOULDN’T BE HERE, SO LEAVE!” “I-I-I...” Backbeat stammered, bloodshot eyes wide. She let out a small squeak before bursting through the door, and running down the hall, bawling. Lyra waited until the wails were out of earshot before settling from a battle stance to a normal one. She thought she would feel, at the very least, satisfaction, bringing down Backbeat like that. But she didn’t. She just felt like an ass. She fell back on her rump. Lyra glanced at her closet, in which her suitcase and bags sat. She didn’t need this. Not anymore. Tests (Part I)Knock knock knock “Hello, Mr. Noteworthy?” Noteworthy stopped pacing and looked to the door. “Come in!” he called. The door opened slowly, and a cyan unicorn, barely old enough to be called a stallion, poked his head in. He was levitating a small piece of paper behind him. “Sorry to intrude, Mr. Noteworthy, but I have a message for you!” He floated the card over to Noteworthy. With a gulp, Noteworthy read the memo. It said: Basement auditorium, 10:00. I expect the best. ~Two Step The stallion released the breath he had been holding. “Oh Celestia,” Noteworthy said to himself. It was finally here. “Sir?” Noteworthy looked up. “Huh?” “With all due respect, you don’t look very good. Is something wrong?” “Uh...no,” Noteworthy replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. “Everything’s fine. Thanks for the message.” The young intern eyed his superior, but eventually nodded, said his farewells and left. Noteworthy sighed and put the card on his desk. It was just after 9:00, so he had time. There was just one small problem. He was the only one there. Noteworthy hadn’t heard from either Lyra or Backbeat since Saturday, when the former had hung up on him. Neither were answering their phones. At least, Backbeat wasn’t. Lyra’s phone would ring once, then mysteriously cut out. He decided to try once more. He picked up the receiver of the phone on his desk and tapped out Backbeat’s number with his hooftip. He knew it by heart. It rang six times. ‘Hi, you’ve reached Backbeat’s house. Please leave a message, and I’ll try to get back as soon as I can. Thank you. BEEEEEEP’ “Hey, Backbeat?” Noteworthy said. “I don’t know how many voicemails I’ve left. But now, more than ever, I’m telling you: you need to get here or call me back, because I’m starting to get nervous. Thanks. Bye.” He hung up. Truth be told, he had surpassed nervousness a while ago. Now, it was more like abject fear. Backbeat...was this about what had happened on Friday? Nah, it couldn’t be! Backbeat was much too professional to let something like that get her down. And, besides, it was just some random thing she did because she was feeling weird. ...Right? Noteworthy shook the thoughts away. “Focus,” he said. “You don’t have time to be thinking about things like that.” He picked up the phone and pulled his roll-a-dex closer. He tapped the number for Lyra’s hotel room. It rang six times. “Hello! You’ve reached the Windwoods hotel! The guest you are trying to reach is not available right now. At the tone, please record your message. Have a Windwoods day! BEEEEEEEEP’ Noteworthy blinked. That was the first time he had actually gotten to her voicemail. In fact, he wasn’t even aware that hotels had voicemail systems! “Oh, uh, hey, Lyra. It’s Noteworthy. I’m sorry about what happened on Saturday, but I really need you. Either get to Galaxy or call me soon. Thanks. Bye.” He sighed loudly as he hung up. “Well,” he said, “if the call actually went through, that probably means Lyra isn’t there. Which is good, I suppose. Maybe she’s coming here?” He looked at the clock. 9:17. They had time, all he had to do was stay calm and not panic. Time passed quickly, with no sign of either of the two mares. Soon, it was 9:45, just fifteen minutes before the event that would decide the course of Noteworthy’s life. He began to panic. Where were they?! What was going on?! Noteworthy’s mind screamed at him to do something, but what was he supposed to do?! He had no idea where they even were! It occurred to him: maybe he didn’t know where they were, but that didn’t mean somepony else didn’t! “What do you mean you haven’t seen them?!” Starshine didn’t look up from her magazine. “Sorry, just haven’t,” she drawled. “I, but-” Noteworthy stammered. He had figured that, if the two mares really had come to Galaxy, they would have passed through the front door. Which would mean that Starshine, the receptionist, would have seen them. But either the mare wasn’t doing her job, or they really weren’t there. Noteworthy began to hyperventilate. Starshine, for the first time, looked up from her copy of Equestria Daily. “Hey, you okay?” she asked flatly. “You’re creeping me out.” Noteworthy glared. “No, I’m not okay! The future of my career is being decided in ten minutes, and the two mares I need to make it happen are missing! I AM FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW!!!” “Oh. Huh. Where is this thing happening?” “Basement auditorium.” The unicorn blinked. “Have you tried checking there?” “Huh?” “Have you tried checking there?” she repeated. “Maybe your two fillies are down there, doing...whatever it is you ponies do.” Noteworthy broke out into a wide smirk. “That’s it!” he cried, grabbing Starshine and bringing her into a hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Starshine gagged. “Oh Celestia, let go of me before I call security!” “Oh. Sorry,” Noteworthy said, pulling away. “...Bye!” He galloped off. The yellow mare nickered and pulled her magazine back up. “And I’m the receptionist.” Noteworthy busted open the double doors that led to the auditorium. “BACKBEAT! LYRA! I’M HERE!” he yelled. But instead of being greeted by two(hopefully) smiling mares, he was greeted by thirteen blank stares, the majority of which were from stallions. He felt a blush begin to take form on his face. All the ponies were sitting in various different seats. Specifically, the group was composed of nine stallions, and four mares. A few of them looked remotely familiar, but there was only one pony Noteworthy truly recognized. Sitting in the very top row, a strange mix of relief and anger on his face, was Two Step. The graying stallion trotted up to Noteworthy, looked him dead in the eye, and said: "You are a minute late." "I know, sir, but I-" "Now, is this Heartstrings mare of yours ready to perform? Or are you backing out?" Noteworthy looked away. "Um. Well...before I answer that, if you don't mind me asking of, of course, who are all these ponies?" Two Step looked back toward the seats, where everypony was sitting. Some were still looking at them, but quickly turned away when Two Step did. "These," he began, "are my pre-listeners. They get the final say on who makes it and who does not. Even I cannot override their decision." The blue pony gulped. "Oh." "They have been waiting here for quite a while. I hope that you are ready?" Two Step said. He looked around. "Where is she?" "About that...I don't know." Noteworthy braced himself for whatever it was Two Step was going to do to him. When a moment passed and nothing came, he opened his eyes. All he saw was Two Step's glare. “What do you mean, you ‘don’t know?’” he asked. “Do you think this is a joke?” “No, sir, I don’t-” “Then stop fooling around a do your job.” Two Step seethed. “These ponies have been waiting for hours, just to hear you and your miracle mare. And I do not think they would like to be kept waiting much longer.” ‘But I was only a minute late!’ Noteworthy thought. “Listen, sir, I just need a little time. Ly...I mean, Heartstrings and Backbeat will be here soon, I know it.” Two Step nickered. “I suppose it does not matter much to me. But I do not know about the rest of these ponies. You get as long as you can keep them occupied.” He walked back to his seat. Noteworthy began to think. He was supposed to distract all these ponies, the majority of which were probably cranky from having to sit here for hours(at least, if he was to believe Two Step). At the same time, he had a sneaking suspicion that the two mares weren’t going to show up on their own. He would have to go find them. So...how was he supposed to do this? “If only we weren’t the only three...” Noteworthy whispered to himself. That was when he realized something. Sure, he wasn’t the most popular guy in the office...but he could think of a few ponies that could still help him out. Gold Bar sighed bitterly as she added another apology letter to the already sizable pile. This one was directed to ‘DJ C0LT’s Music Emporium.’ Apparently, the manager refused to give Vinyl Scratch a discount on a new set of turntables, and she had threatened to “pop a cap in his”...well, you get the idea. It wasn’t easy being the manager of a crazy pony from Manehattan who had no sense of morals. Next...another letter of apology. This time, to the PAE, or Parent’s Association of Equestria. Without Gold Bar’s consent, Vinyl had allegedly distributed copies of a track entitled “For The Kids,” that included some...creative language. “*huff* Would Gold Bar and Vinyl Scratch *huff* please report to outside the basement auditorium? Thank-” “What are you d-” The red unicorn looked up. “The hay?” she asked out loud. “That sounded like Noteworthy. What does he want with me and Vinyl? Speaking of which, where is she?” “Vinyl...” Vinyl Scratch began to sweat. “Oh, yeah, yeah, that’s the ticket...” Octavia bit her lip. “Please, Vinyl, go easy on me; it’s my first time...” ”Hay no,” Vinyl said. “I’m going all the way!” The unicorn pushed forward. ”AH, VINYL!” Octavia barely ducked in time to avoid the flying piece of red plastic that had been flung from the game board. Vinyl threw her hooves into the air. “WOOOOOO!” she cried. “Five games in a row! Suck it!” “Really, Vinyl, calm yourself. It’s just a game,” Octavia said as she went to retrieve the peg, which had flown all the way to the other side of Vinyl’s private dressing room. “And, besides, this is my first time playing. You can’t really expect me to pick it up so quickly, can you?” Vinyl giggled devilishly. “Yo, you just mad ‘cause I gots dat 'Apology’ swag.” “You keep referring to this ‘swag’ thing. Do you even know what it means?” Vinyl didn’t answer. “I swear, if you weren’t my cousin,” Octavia said, punching the unicorn in the shoulder playfully. “Now, are we done here? Because I-” “*huff* Would Gold Bar and Vinyl Scratch *huff* please report to outside the basement auditorium? Thank-” “What are you d-” Both mares looked up at the loudspeaker. “The hay?” Vinyl remarked. “What do they want from me now? I didn’t do nuthin’!” The grey mare rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m sure.” “Yo, you wanna come with?” “Are you sure I’m allowed?” Vinyl lowered her sunglasses, giving her cousin a mischievous glance. “Who gives a buck?” Octavia tried not to grin, but Vinyl’s smile was infectious. “Fine, fine...” Gold Bar frowned. "I don't think so." Noteworthy grinned sheepishly. "It won't be that hard! All you need to do is distract all those ponies out there long enough for me to find Lyra and Backbeat. Please?" The stallion put on his best puppy-dog face. While Gold Bar was grimacing, Vinyl was smiling wide. "Yo, Goldy, don't be a wimp! This sounds buckin' awesome! Get to mess with a few rich brats." "And, besides," Noteworthy interjected, "you owe me, Gold Bar." The red mare looked incredulous. "For what?" "Remember when you borrowed that bit from me so you could buy a cup of coffee?" "One bit does not equal risking your reputation in front of the most important ponies in the music industry!" Vinyl snorted. "Whatever. I'm in. Howabout you, Octy?" Octavia, who had up to this point just been listening, began to think. "Where have I heard the name Lyra before?" "Weren't you the celebrity judge at the Music Festival?" Noteworthy asked. "She won." "Oh, right!" Octavia exclaimed, eyes lighting up. "That's it! ...I was supposed to spend a day with her, wasn't I?" Everypony nodded. "Oh. Well, maybe this will make up for being so late. I'm in." Everypony now began to stare at Gold Bar. The red mare attempted to stare back for a few seconds before breaking her gaze and growling. "I swear, if I get fired for this..." Noteworthy resisted the urge to giggle like a schoolfilly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He pointed at a door, located a few feet away from the double doors that led into the auditorium. "That should lead you straight to the backstage area. I just need you to distract them while I go find Lyra and Backbeat." He pushed them all forward. "Wait!" Octavia protested. "What are we supposed to do?" "It doesn't matter, just do something! I have to go!" Once they were through the doorway, the door shut behind them. They were in a dimly lit hallway, leading to another door, marked 'Backstage.' "A-yo, what we waitin' fo’?" Vinyl asked, charging ahead. "WAIT FOR US!" the two other mares yelled. Key Change closed a drawer in his desk. "Bon Bon, where are my sunglasses?" Bon Bon stared at a crack in the floor. Blue Belle gave her an anxious look. "Bon Bon? Bon Bon!" Key Change yelled, stamping a hoof. The cream colored mare jumped. “Ah, who, wha? Oh, I’m sorry, what happened?” “I asked you, where are my sunglasses?! Celestia, can’t anyone get anything done around here?!” Both mares winced. “Oh, I think you put them...right here!” She reached for the coffee table in the middle of the room, but the stallion reached it before her. He grabbed the shades, flipped them open, put them on, and took a deep breath. “Sorry for snapping,” he said with a grin. “I get angry when I don’t have my sunglasses.” ‘Not to mention what’s going on today...’ he thought to himself. Bon Bon sighed. “It’s fine. I should be the one apologizing. It’s just...oh, never mind.” Blue Belle gave her a reassuring smile. “Oh, come on, you can tell us! I’m sure we can help.” “No, it’s stupid.” Key Change bit back a growl. ‘Might as well get this over with now.’ He turned around and put on his ‘caring’ face. “Oh, Bon Bon, Blue Belle is right! We can help you. I guarantee it.” “It’s...I just can’t stop thinking about Lyra.” Blue Belle patted her on the shoulder. “It’s okay, Bon Bon. I’m still shocked too! I mean, who would have thought that Lyra would outright attack you?” “No, it’s not that!” Bon Bon insisted, pushing Blue Belle’s hoof away. She sighed. “Was...was I too mean to her?” Key Change rolled his eyes behind his shades. “What do you mean? She attacked you, didn’t she?” “Yeah, but it’s not like it was just some random act of violence! I provoked her! I was just insulting her, and putting her down...I called her a failure...” Bon Bon clenched her eyes shut. “I’ve known Lyra ever since we were foals, and I know that there’s not much you can do to get her really angry. But I did it...oh, and she must hate me now!” Blue Belle raised one eyebrow. “How can you even think about feeling sorry for her? Don’t you remember what she did to you?” “Of course I remember!” Bon Bon snapped, motioning to her side. “I certainly felt it!” At the end of their fight, Lyra had given Bon Bon a strong punch to the side. In the two days since, the swelling had gone down, but one could still see the remnants of a bruise. Bon Bon took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for yelling. I just feel really guilty! I didn’t want to be mean to Lyra! I was just so angry!” Key Change smiled and headed for the door. “Well, it’s all in the past now. Let’s go.” Bon Bon looked ready to protest, but she kept silent. Blue Belle, on the other hand, was beaming. “Are we going to the studio?” she asked excitedly. “Are we going to finally record a song?” “What? No.” Blue Belle’s smile fell. “Well, then where are we going?” The ashen-furred stallion smirked. “We’re going to see a show.” “Thank you! Have a Windwoods day!” Sweet Suite kept smiling as another happy guest walked away. She adjusted the small plaque in front of her desk that read ‘Manager.’ Just another day at her favorite place in the world: the Windwoods! It was perfect! Just her, the hotel, and hundreds of happy, smiling guests. Nothing could go wrong. At that moment, a blue stallion crashed through the front doors, tripped on the carpet, and went tumbling head-over-hooves, right into her desk. Looking over the threshold, down at the dazed stallion, Sweet Suite kept smiling. "Hello!" she chirped. "Welcome to the Windwoods! How may I help you?" Noteworthy pulled himself up off the floor and basically slammed his hooves on the desk. "Can you tell me what room a mare named ‘Lyra’ is staying in?” The pink unicorn turned away and tapped a few keys into the computer next to her. For the first time, her smile faded a bit. “I’m sorry, but it doesn’t look like we’ve ever had a guest going by that name.” Noteworthy’s ears drooped, but just as quickly sprang back up. “Can you try the name ‘Heartstrings?’” “Sure!” She tapped in a few more letters. “And...here we are! She was staying in room 406!” “Yes, thank you so much!” Noteworthy cheered. He raced away. Sweet Suite smiled, turned, and began appreciating the day again. After a few seconds, the earth pony came back. “Wait,” he said, “you said ‘was.’ You said she ‘was staying.’” “Yep! She checked out just a little while ago.” If it was anatomically possible, Noteworthy’s jaw would have hit the floor. “WHAT?!” he shrieked, making a few other ponies nearby jump. “But, but...when?!” “About an hour ago! You juuuuuust missed her.” “I, but, she, we...OH, CELESTIA!” Noteworthy yelped, throwing his hooves in the air. He fell backward and landed on his rump. With a deep, labored breath, he asked: “I don’t suppose she told you where she was going, did she?” “Oh no, she did!” “WHAT?!” Noteworthy shrieked again, rushing back up to the table. “She did?!” “Just in passing, but she told me. If I remember correctly, she said she was catching a train back home, down at the Friendship Express Train Terminal. She seemed pretty sad about it, though.” Noteworthy smiled. “Thank you so much! Have a great day!” He raced off. “No problem!” Sweet Suite called after him. She kept looking forward and smiling. ‘He was weird,’ she thought. “I mean, what’s the deal with airline food?! Am I right? Am I right?” Nopony laughed, save for one bright yellow pegasus near the front row. Two Step did not look amused. Gold Bar, sweating bullets, pulled at an invisible collar. She herself laughed, albeit nervously. "A-And, uh, what's the deal with, uh...m-music?” Gold Bar tried, hoping it would get at least a reaction from somepony else besides that gold pony. Once again, nopony laughed. From backstage, Octavia was watching the producer sadly. “She’s dying out there,” the gray pony called back to her cousin. “We need to do something!” There was no answer. “Vinyl, are you even li-” She stopped. For it was at that moment, she realized: Vinyl Scratch had been quiet for more than five minutes. The last time that had happened, the two of them were just teens. To make a long story short, it had ended up with both of them having their respective parents bail them out of jail. Octavia ran back to the room where she had left Vinyl. Much to her relief, the DJ wasn’t setting things on fire, or having “fun” with two stallions and a mare. Rather, she was fiddling with...thirteen glasses of water? What? “Vinyl, what in Celestia’s name are you doing?” Octavia asked, cantering up to the mare. “We need to help Gold Bar!” Vinyl Scratch wasn’t listening. Rather, she was pouring a rather finely crushed white powder off a sheet of paper and into the drinks, giggling all the while. “Yea, yea, just gimme a sec...” “Is that...water?” “Yea. Just figured I’d give those music ponies a little treat fo’ bein’ such great listeners.” “What is that powder?” “Rohypnol.” “Oh,” Octavia said. After a moment, her eyes widened, and she hit the powder out of Vinyl’s magical grasp. “NO!” “A-yo, what chu’ doin’? I was gonna save some o’ that fo’ later!” “ATTENTION EVERYPONY! THE NEXT TRAIN FROM CANTERLOT TO PONYVILLE WILL ARRIVE IN FIVE MINUTES! PLEASE HAVE YOUR TICKETS AND LUGGAGE READY WHEN YOU BOARD!” Lyra sighed and slumped farther into the bench she was sitting on. Quite a few ponies were staring, but she didn’t really care. All she wanted was to be out of Canterlot as soon as possible. This wasn’t what she wanted to be doing. Hay, who would want to be a poor, failure of a unicorn, with no chance at a future? She wanted to be playing her lyre in front of thousands of adoring, cheering fans. Most of them would be swooning, buff stallion heart throbs. Like Prince Blueblood! Yeah...he would do. And they would all love her, and she wouldn’t have to worry about anything ever again. And what about Bon Bon? She could stay in Canterlot all her life, for all Lyra cared. Wouldn’t make any difference to her. She didn’t need anypony. The station began to vibrate as the roar of a train whistle came into earshot. It would only be a minute before it got there. Then this entire nightmare would be over. lyra The unicorn’s ears pricked up. Had somepony just called her name...? Nah, it cou- Lyra Okay, now she was sure she had heard something. She turned toward the entrance way that led back into the main terminal. There was a blue speck in the distance, slowly growing larger. “LYRA!” Noteworthy screamed. “WAIT!” It was as if every butterfly already flying around in Lyra’s stomach exploded. What was he doing here?! How did he find her? He was getting closer. What was he going to do? What was she going to do? She needed a plan! Too late; he had already reached her. The stallion stopped a few hooves away and caught his breath. “Lyra...*huff*...we, we need to talk.” Lyra’s eyes narrowed. “About what?” “About...this!” Noteworthy said. “Lyra, you can’t just give up like this! You’re great, and you know that! You’ve just got to let everypony else know too!” With a wistful chuckle, Lyra shot back: “Yeah, right. It’s like you said: I’m useless. Nopony wants me around anymore. Nopony will care when I leave.” She turned away from the stallion. “You don’t even need me. You’ve got Backbeat. You were just using me.” Noteworthy sighed. “Yes, I was.” Lyra was surprised. She wasn’t expecting Noteworthy to actually admit it. “I was, and I’m sorry. I treated you like you were nothing. I made you stay back, and let Backbeat take what I promised would go to you. It’s what you wanted more than anything, and I just gave it away. I understand why you’re so angry.” “Y-Yeah,” Lyra stammered, trying to get rid of the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. “And, as much as I want to tell you that everything’s going to be perfect, I can’t.” “Huh?” “Lyra, I’m not taking back what I told you before. As amazing as you are, you’re probably not going to get the record deal you always wanted.” The turquoise unicorn spun around. “What?!” she shrieked, angry tears forming in her golden eyes. “You, you...UGH! I HATE YOU! If you’re just gonna tell me I’m terrible, THEN LEAVE ME ALONE!” Noteworthy gulped and looked away for a moment. There was silence between them as the train rolled into the station. “ALLLLLLLLL ABOARD!” the conductor called. Everypony, Lyra included, stood up and began to walk toward him. The blue pony’s head shot up. “Lyra, wait!” Lyra stopped, but didn’t turn. “What?” “Lyra, what’s...what’s your special talent?” “...What?” “What’s your special talent? Go on, I’m curious.” The mare laughed mockingly. “It’s playing the lyre, obviously. Now, if you’ll excuse me-” “Why?” Now, Lyra was annoyed. “What do you mean, ‘why?!’” Noteworthy grinned. “Why is it your special talent? Out of all the things in the world that could have been your special talent, why was it that?” “Well, because...because I’m great at playing the lyre, I suppose.” “And why are you great at playing the lyre?” Lyra blinked. “It’s my special talent,” she said. “I have to be good at it. That’s just the way it is.” The stallion gained a coy look. “Just what I thought.” Her eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean? What did you think?” “The only reason you play the lyre is because you have to.” Lyra frowned. “I...no, that’s not it. I love my lyre.” “No, you don’t.” “Yes, I do.” “No, you don’t.” “Yes, I DO!” Lyra insisted, stamping a hoof. “I love my lyre more than anything else I own!” “Then why don’t you do anything with it?” Noteworthy asked, still smiling. Lyra stared. “What did you just ask me?” “According to you, it’s useless. I guess that means you don’t do anything with it. So, how can you love it if you ne-” Before Noteworthy could finish, he felt himself being thrown to the ground by a large, turquoise blur. He looked up, only to see Lyra, staring down at him, her eyes afire. “Shut up!” she shrieked. “I have done more with this lyre than most ponies will ever even dream to. I have been in magazines. I have been recognized by artisans of the music world. I have, quite literally, played poetry. I have made grown stallions cry. “Ever since I was I filly, I’ve been playing. Year after year, performance after performance, chord after chord...do you know how much I’ve sacrificed? How much I’ve lost, just for my music? I’ve given up homes, schools, friends...hay, I’m not even on speaking terms with my own parents anymore! And, guess what? I’m fine. I’m happy. I chose to live like this, and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. “So, don’t you ever, ever tell me that I’ve never loved this lyre. This lyre is who I am.” The two ponies stared intently at each other for a few moments, silent. Tears of anger, sadness, and confusion were running down Lyra’s cheeks. That was when Noteworthy started to laugh. Lyra stared in disbelief. “You, you...s-stop laughing! Shut up, shut up!” Noteworthy managed to stifle his outburst to a chuckle. “I’m sorry, Lyra, but don’t you see? What you just told me...that’s the reason you should be out there, making music! Not moping around because some stupid record company isn’t letting you make an album!” “I, but, you-” “Lyra. You don’t do things because they’ll make you famous. You do them because they make you happy.” The unicorn opened her mouth, but no sounds came out. After a moment, her frown shifted into a wide smile. Her lower lip trembled. “Noteworthy, I-” “Ey, you, with the eh...horn, there.” Both ponies looked back at the train, where the conductor, a brown earth pony, was eying them warily. “Are you two, eh...just gonna sit there and chat?” he asked. “‘Cause we got a schedule, and eh...we need ta keep it, ya know?” He took one hoofstep into the train. “So, say goodbye ta ya coltfriend there, and eh...get on.” Lyra looked between the two stallions. Noteworthy gave her a pleading look. She wiped her eyes. “Alright,” she said after a moment. A beat of silence passed. She turned to the blue stallion on the ground, and handed him her hoof. “Let’s go pass that test.” Noteworthy beamed. “Hay yes! Let’s go!” He grabbed her hoof, and pulled her into a gallop, out of the station. The conductor adjusted his hat and stepped on the train. “Ey...crazy kids.” As they ran through the terminal, Lyra asked Noteworthy: “What are we doing now? Where are we going?” Noteworthy kept looking straight ahead. “We’re going to find Backbeat!” Back at the auditorium, Octavia had come up with another plan to distract the pre-listeners. At that moment, Gold Bar was tapping furiously at the keys of a piano, playing her "rendition" of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." A few feet away, Octavia and Vinyl were twisting and turning, doing their best impression of a salsa dance. Needless to say, neither the pre-listeners nor Two Step were amused. Vinyl and Octavia spun across the stage. The unicorn had her leg around her cousin's waist, and let her drop so her head was being held just a few inches from the floor. Upside down, Octavia stared daggers at the red unicorn playing the piano. "Really? 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star?'" she whispered angrily. "Hey, don't blame me!" Gold Bar shot back. "It's the only thing my piano teacher taught me before she was arrested for treason!" While they were performing, three new ponies had slipped into the theater unnoticed. Key Change, Bon Bon and Blue Belle were now watching the three ponies perform, laughing all the while. However, each one was laughing differently. Key Change, of course, was laughing the hardest. One of the benefits of being successful was having connections, and having connections meant that you knew what was happening at anytime, anywhere. As such, he knew exactly what was going on here. Once again, Noteworthy had failed. And, finally, Key Change would be rid of him. No more would he have to breathe the same air as the pathetic blue excuse for a stallion that was Noteworthy. And, after it was all over, Key Change would swoop in and force that sniveling unicorn, Beatback or whatever, to sign a contract with him. It was perfect. On the other hoof, neither Bon Bon nor Blue Belle knew exactly what was going on. They were in an auditorium, Key Change was happy, there were a bunch of important ponies in the room...and that was as far as either of them got. Still, they laughed along too, not wanting to seem out-of-place. DING Noteworthy and Lyra stepped out of the elevator on the nineteenth floor of the high rise where Backbeat lived. The stallion led his companion down a small hallway, coming to a beige door marked 19G. “Well,” he said, “here we are.” Lyra gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s going to be fine, Noteworthy. I’m sure once she finds out you don’t hate her, she’ll be fine.” Noteworthy put on a weak smile of his own. “I sure hope so.” He knocked twice. There was complete silence. The silence lasted for almost a full minute before Lyra turned to her friend and said, “Maybe she’s out...?” But at that moment, both of them began to hear shuffling sounds from behind the door. Both held their breath. “...H-Hello?” “Backbeat? It’s me, Noteworthy.” A few seconds passed quietly. “...WWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” Both Noteworthy and Lyra’s ears flattened in response to the loud wailing that was now erupting from the apartment. The two glanced at each other worriedly, as the intense crying didn’t seem like it was going to stop anytime soon. “B-Backbeat!” Noteworthy stammered. “It’s okay, calm down! I, uh...oh, Lyra is here too! Isn’t that great?!” “WWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Backbeat sobbed harder, making her visitors wince. “Oh, come on!” Noteworthy growled. “I thought she loved you, Lyra! What happened?” Lyra whistled innocently. Noteworthy sighed. “Please, Backbeat!” he yelled over the mare. “Please, let me in! I just want to talk to you! I’m not going to hurt you!” The crying slowly descended, until it was only a short gasp every few seconds. After a few moments, a sharp clack was heard, signaling that the door had been unlocked. It creaked as it opened. Both Noteworthy and Lyra stepped forward, but, suddenly, the former put a hoof on the latter’s chest. “Let me handle this,” he said. “I’ve known Backbeat for years. I think it’ll be better if I talk to her alone.” Lyra looked ready to protest, but didn’t. She nodded and let Noteworthy go off. As soon as Noteworthy closed the door behind him, he became blind. There was almost no light in Backbeat’s apartment. The shades were drawn and every single light fixture was off. By instinct, he reached for the switch he knew was by the door and flicked it on. Immediately, the entire entrance way was bathed in light. And, so was Backbeat. Noteworthy nearly jumped when he saw his friend. Backbeat looked terrible...for lack of a better term. Her mane was ragged, it’s normally fine, brushed locks thrown about and matted. She had deep bags hanging from her bloodshot eyes. Her face was shiny with liquid. Even her glasses were crooked. Silently and solemnly, Backbeat led the stallion into the still darkened living room. There too he flipped the light switch. Backbeat sat in a worn black leather chair. Noteworthy lay down on a blue loveseat opposite her. The two stared at each other for a moment. Backbeat began to cry again, albeit silently. “Backbeat, please, don’t cry.” “I-I’m, s...sorry,” she choked out. “I, I, I just...ooh...” “I’m sorry for snapping at you on Friday,” Noteworthy said. “I was rude, and I didn’t mean to get so angry with you.” Backbeat stared, flabbergasted. “Y-You? You’re sorry? But I...I should be the one who’s apologizing! I just came in and acted like a jerk all day. I figured, I’d finally found something I was good at, but nopony knew about it. I was just...so jealous of Lyra! I tried to hurt her, do whatever I could to make her know that I was the singer! “And then...oh, and then up on the roof. I was just...terrible! I was making fun of everypony! Those ponies were my friends, and I was just railing on them like they were the worst ponies ever to live! I...I don’t even know what I was thinking, trying to kiss you!” She hung her head. “I should have known that a stallion like you would never go for a mare like me. Especially not when I was acting like that.” “That’s true,” Noteworthy said with a sheepish smile. “You did do a lot of stuff.” Backbeat shuddered. “I...I like you, Noteworthy. A lot. I don’t want you to hate me. B-But, I...get it if you do...” Noteworthy smiled. “You know, I’m pretty lucky.” “Huh?” ”The most awesome mare in all of Equestria has a crush on me. I’d say I’m pretty lucky,” Noteworthy remarked, grinning widely. Backbeat’s jaw dropped. Before the unicorn could respond, he quickly added: “Backbeat, are you really sorry about all the things you said and did?” Backbeat’s eyes lit up. “Yes, yes, yes!” “Backbeat, I’m willing to give you a second chance. There’s only two things you gotta do first. One: come with us, and promise you’ll sing harder than you’ve ever sung before.” “Done!” Backbeat yelped. “And two: promise me you’ll cheer up, and go back to being the sweet little filly I knew.” Backbeat wiped her eyes and smiled. “I promise.” Noteworthy jumped off the couch and grabbed his friend’s hoof. “Let’s go, then! Time’s a’ wastin’!” They galloped out of the apartment. Lyra nearly jumped when the door burst open, letting the two ponies out into the hall. Lyra and Backbeat glanced at each other for a moment. “Backbeat,” Lyra began, “I’m sorry for everything I said the other day. Can you forgive me?” The white mare giggled. “Of course I can, Lyra! I know you didn’t mean it. Now...are you ready to make some music?!” “Yeah!” Lyra cheered, laughing along with her. Backbeat raced down the hall and slammed her hoof into the elevator button. Noteworthy and Lyra began to canter to meet her. “So,” Lyra began in a low voice, “you’re feeling lucky?” The stallion blushed. “You heard that?” “I was listening in at the door, and you said it pretty loudly.” She elbowed him in the ribs. “You’re just full of inspirational speeches today, aren’t you?” He grinned. “Eeyup.” With a ding, the elevator came, and they all stepped in. As soon as the door closed, however, Backbeat gasped and said, “Ooh, I look like a mess! I can’t go over there like this!” “We’ll fix you on the way over!” Noteworthy insisted. “We’re late!” Tests (Part II)“....508, 509, 510, 511- Ow, Vinyl, watch it!” Octavia seethed at the unicorn standing on her shoulders. “I bruise easily, you know!” The DJ, who was currently occupied with juggling six yellow rubber balls at once, didn’t seem to care. “Yea, yea, I know! Stop whinin’!” she growled downwards. She looked back up and concentrated on her juggling. "Yo, I TOLD all those suckas that goin' to clown college wasn't a waste a' time!" Gold Bar, who was holding Octavia on her shoulders and Vinyl above her, wobbled a bit on her unicycle. “Would you two shut up?! I’m trying not to let you idiots fall here!” ‘Who’s stupid plan was this?’ all three mares thought in unison. “ENOUGH!” “Aiyaa!” Gold Bar shouted, her unicycle flipping out from under her. Octavia and Vinyl tumbled to the ground along with her, dazed and confused. Everypony in the theater turned to look at Two Step, who was standing tall in the back row. “I have had enough!” he shouted. “Enough stalling! If Noteworthy does not get here in the next five seconds, I will-” The doors to the auditorium burst open. “WE’RE HERE!” Noteworthy screamed. The three mares on stage breathed a sigh of relief. Key Change and Two Step scowled. The pre-listeners chatted amongst themselves. Bon Bon and Blue Belle just looked apprehensive. Noteworthy walked up to his boss. "Sir, I'm sorry we took so long." Two Step grit his teeth. "Does it look like I care? We have been waiting over an hour! Go! Make her sing!" "Right," Noteworthy said, gulping. He, Lyra and Backbeat trotted down the steps that led to the stage. They went through an entranceway that led backstage. Key Change grimaced. He wasn't about to let Noteworthy win this. He got up. "Hey," Bon Bon said, "where are you going?" He didn't answer. Instead, he just stepped into the aisle, and began to walk backstage, where the other three were. Bon Bon slumped in her seat. "I have a bad feeling about this..." Backstage, the trio was chatting excitedly. "So, it all comes down to this," Noteworthy remarked. "It's now or never." “But, wait,” Backbeat interrupted, looking worriedly at Lyra. “Lyra, are you sure you’re okay with lip syncing? I mean, if we’re going to make a career out of this...” “Yeah, I thought about that, and I have a plan,” Lyra said nonchalantly. “We can just say that ‘Heartstrings’ got into some terrible accident and her face got disfigured, so she never has to do live performances again.” The other two stared. “Well, I never said it was a perfect plan,” Lyra muttered. Noteworthy shook it off. “Anyway, are you two ready?” Lyra grinned. “Hay yeah!" Backbeat simpered. "Right." The three put their forehooves into a pile. "Let's do this!" They all threw up their hooves, laughing. "Thanks," Noteworthy said. "For all of this. Thank you both." The two mares nodded before turning around to face the stage. However, before they could go, they were stopped by three new mares, walking off the stage. Gold Bar walked right up to Noteworthy and glared at him. "I am never borrowing a bit from you again." She walked away. Vinyl and Octavia stumbled after her. "That...was...sick!" Vinyl Scratch yelled, throwing her head back in a hearty laugh. “Yo, you shoulda' seen the look on their faces!” Octavia giggled. “Yeah, I guess that was pretty exciting.” Lyra and Backbeat glanced at Noteworthy. He sighed. “It’s a long story.” The two unicorns decided to let it lie. Lyra took a right, walking out into the spotlight of the stage. Backbeat went right, and slipped through another curtain so that the ponies in the audience couldn’t see her. Her horn began to shine with a deep white light. Lyra stopped when she reached the middle of the stage and bowed. In the crowd, Bon Bon stifled a groan. This was what Key Change brought them down to see? After everything she had said? The music began to play. A few guitar chords repeated over and over again. Drums and piano keys could be heard faintly, punctuating the melody. A few seconds later, Lyra opened her mouth, and Backbeat’s voice came out. “Do doo do...do doo doo...ahhhhh... Do doo do...do doo doo...ahhhhh.... Who do you think you are To do this to me? So I see it go so far, so bold, That how dare you take this from me...” Noteworthy watched excitedly from backstage. It was working! They were going to win! Everything was going to be alright! “Hey there, Blues.” The blue stallion spun around, only to come face-to-face with Key Change, and his dark sunglasses. The ashen-furred pony grinned maliciously. “I bet you think you’re so smart. You know, with this whole setup you have?” “W-What are you talking about?” Noteworthy asked, beginning to sweat. “What setup?” Key Change’s smile disappeared. “Don’t play games with me. I know that Lyra isn’t the one singing. You’ve been lying through your teeth to everypony. But I found you out. And it all ends here.” Noteworthy felt himself shaking, but he stood his ground. “Oh, yeah?” he offered. “So, you’ve figured it all out. What are you going to do about it?” Silently, Key Change removed his sunglasses, revealing blood-red eyes. He folded them up, and put them on the ground next to him. He took in a deep breath. There was a tense silence. Suddenly, he pointed at a long rope hanging from the rafters, a few yards away from the both of them. “Do you know what happens when you pull that rope, Noteworthy?” “...No.” “The back curtain opens. And do you know who is behind that curtain?” Noteworthy’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t.” “Try me.” Key Change rocketed from his spot, sprinting toward the rope. Notworthy, once he got over his shock, followed close behind. Unfortunately, Key Change’s body was much more lithe than his rival’s, and he was much faster. He reached the rope first, grabbed it in his teeth and- Before he could pull it, Noteworthy slammed into his side, sending him sprawling. Noteworthy assumed a battle stance and growled. “Nopony is getting to this rope!” he yelled. “You come now, you lay beside me... Oh, you love to rue me... I’ll lay you down, I’ll take you first, Before to get to stick it to me...”” Key Change and Noteworthy collided, each one holding the other back by their shoulders. “You can’t win this!” Key Change spat, eyes afire. “Just accept that you’re a failure!” “BUCK YOU!” Noteworthy swore, pressing down as hard as he could. “I’ve put up with your crap ever since I started working here! And I’m not about to take another minute of it!” Both Lyra and Backbeat could hear the two stallions fighting. However, it didn’t appear that the audience could. As such, they just concentrated on their singing, and tried to drown out the yells. It was for the best; the chorus was about to come in, and it happened to be the most intense part of the song. “Does it matter that I will not need you? Does it matter that I will not see you? Does it matter that I will not be you? Would you blame me, for all I am? “Does it matter that I still carry All the pieces of this story?! Come tomorrow morning, Standing here with all I am!” The music was becoming more intense as the song went on. And, also as the song went on, Bon Bon just felt worse and worse. She knew something bad was happening, she just didn’t know what! Her stomach felt like it was trying to force its way out through her skull. Blue Belle watched her worriedly. “Bon Bon, are you okay?” “No,” Bon Bon said. “I’m not.” She stood up. “We have to do something!” “About what? What’s going on?” “I don’t know!” She pointed to the doorway that Key Change had passed through. “Something bad is happening down there, I can feel it! We need to go!” Bon Bon insisted. She grabbed her friend’s hoof and pulled her down the aisle. “Whoa, Bon Bon, I’m coming! Stop pulling me!” What they saw when they passed backstage both shocked and terrified them. Key Change and Noteworthy were tumbling head-over-hooves across the floor, taking swings at each other whenever possible. They both stopped to look at the mares. Key Change smiled. “Great, you’re here!” He motioned to the rope with his chin. “Go pull that thing right there! And, while you’re at it, get this thing off of me!” “No, don’t!” Noteworthy yelled. “Whatever you do, don’t do it!” Bon Bon and Blue Belle looked at each other for a moment. They both shrugged. Blue Belle’s horn began to shine with a deep blue light. Within seconds, Noteworthy had been enveloped by the same magic. He was slowly lifted off his fellow stallion. No matter how hard he thrashed, he couldn’t seem to break free. “LET ME GO!” he screamed, to no avail. Bon Bon trotted up to, and stared warily at the rope. Key Change soon joined her. “Would you like to do the honors?” he asked. “Of what? What’s this rope?” Key Change smirked. “When you pull it, the curtain behind Lyra will open up, and reveal the pony singing for her. They’ll be ruined!” Bon Bon blinked. She had figured somepony else was singing. Lyra had never been able to sing, even when they were foals. But what was Key Change trying to do here? “Wait, let me get this straight. If I pull this, everypony will find out Lyra’s not really singing?” “Yes.” “Which will ultimately hurt Lyra, by letting everypony know that Lyra can’t sing and has been lying to us because all she wanted was to live her dreams?” “That’s exactly it.” Key Change replied. “Brilliant, isn’t it?” “Oooooh,” Bon Bon uttered. A few seconds passed. Bon Bon punched Key Change in the gut, sending him flying a few feet backwards. The mare stamped her hoof threateningly. “Nopony hurts my friends and gets away with it!” She turned to Blue Belle. “Quick, let him go!” Blue Belle gaped. “A-Are you sure? What’s going on?!” “JUST DO IT!” The blue unicorn nodded, and Noteworthy fell to the ground, landing on all four hooves. The three ponies gathered, and formed a barrier between the rope and Key Change. “I always knew you were no good!” Bon Bon scowled. Key Change lifted himself up and glared at all three. He grinned. “Well, you know what they say. If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.” “I can hardly argue; You meant to cure me... Born scared and frail and weak and kind, You’re meant to harden and arm me... “You come now, you sit beside me... Oh, you love to rue me... I want you if I do not stand, With this, I’ll rest as the scar that I am...” Key Change bared his teeth. The three ponies cowered for a moment, but Noteworthy said: “Oh, come on, Key Change. I know you’re a douche, but even you wouldn’t hit a mare.” “Well,” Key Change said, scanning his opponents, “that’s true. I can’t hit mares. But, you, Blues...even if you don’t act like one, you’re still a stallion.” Noteworthy took a step back. “What is that supposed to mean?” “I said I would crush you, Noteworthy. I’m just fulfilling a promise.” Key Change lunged forward, faster than ever before. “Does it matter that I will not need you? Does it matter that I will not see you? Does it matter that I will not be you? Would you blame me, for all I am? “Does it matter that I still carry All the pieces of this story?! Come tomorrow morning, Standing here with all I am!” The ashen-furred pony slipped through the gap between Bon Bon and Blue Belle, until he was just a few inches away from Noteworthy. Noteworthy tried to rear up. "What are you-" Before he could finish, Key Change whipped around and delivered a swift buck, right to Noteworthy's skull. Noteworthy only let out a pained groan as he hit the ground. Blue Belle just stood there, shocked. Bon Bon let out a shrill scream before rushing to the stallion’s side. “Hey!” she yelled, panicking. “Come on, get up! Get up!” Key Change stared down at him. A frown flickered across his face for a brief moment before being replaced by a manic grin. He grabbed the rope and glared at the three, his red eyes wild. “I warned you not to cross me! I TOLD YOU I WOULD WIN, AND I DID!” He tugged on the rope. “It ends here!” Out on the stage, Lyra was just finishing the final portion of the song. “Does it matter that I will not need you? Does it matter that I will not see you? Does it matter that I will not be you? Would you blame me, for all I am?” The curtain behind Lyra began to open. The turquoise unicorn didn't seem to notice, however, and kept on moving her mouth. Backbeat was totally engrossed in her singing, and kept on belting out tunes, like she didn't have a care in the world. Key Change kept pulling on the rope, until it was fully open. Everypony in the audience just stared, shocked. “Does it matter that I still carry All the pieces of this story?! Come tomorrow morning, Standing here with all I am!” The music ended with a flourish. Lyra took a bow, grinning madly. Backbeat was smiling too—at least, until she opened her eyes. Her already snow-white fur paled even more. Lyra's smile began to fade as well, once she realized that everypony was just staring at her, not making a sound. "Uh, thank you?" she asked more than stated. Two Step recovered from the shock quicker than anypony else. He stood up and shouted: "What is going on here?!" Lyra frowned. "Huh? What are you tal-" She was interrupted by a high-pitched squeak. She turned around, only to find the curtain opened, and Backbeat frozen in her place, failing to speak. The mare turned back to the crowd. "Oh, buck." After a few tense seconds, the pre-listeners exploded into a cacophony of arguments. Everypony was in a panic. Some were yelling at Lyra, some were yelling at other pre-listeners, some were even yelling at Two Step! The only one in the crowd who wasn’t yelling was an older, faded blue stallion, who dozed peacefully in his chair. “QUIET!” Two Step yelled, to no avail. “What is happening?! Where is that fool Noteworthy?!” “Oh, would somepony please call an ambulance?!” Lyra’s head spun toward the source of the request. That was Bon Bon’s voice! The cream-colored earth mare rushed out onto the stage and looked into the audience. “Somepony please help! There’s a stallion back here who’s been knocked unconscious!” This just fueled the flames, as the pre-listeners descended into an all-out shouting match, trying to decide just what had happened. Two Step was still trying to calm them down, not paying attention to Bon Bon. Lyra and Backbeat were the only ones who reacted. Lyra ran up to her former friend. “What happened? Who’s hurt?” “It’s that blue pony you were with! Key Change just attacked him!” Backbeat snapped out of her stupor. “Noteworthy’s hurt?!” she shrieked, eyes widening. “Where?! Let me see him!” She rushed up to Bon Bon and Lyra. The three trotted backstage, Backbeat barely containing the urge to sprint forward, ahead of them all. Noteworthy was lying on the floor. His tongue was lolling out of his mouth. Blue Belle was hunched over him, shaking him to try and wake him up. Key Change was a few yards away, sitting on his rear with a blank expression on his face. "Oh my Celestia, Noteworthy!" Backbeat yelped. She galloped over to his limp body, leaned down, and began murmuring unintelligbly. Lyra turned to Bon Bon. "Bon, what happened?" "There was a fight," she answered, looking away. "Noteworthy was trying to stop Key Change from opening the curtain. Key Change just ran up to him and knocked him out." "What?!" Lyra gaped. "How...why?! Why did he do that?!" "It wasn't supposed to happen this way!" Everypony looked at Key Change, who was literally shaking. "All of you are so quick to blame me!" Key Change shouted. "He was the one who got in the way! I was provoked!" Lyra and Bon Bon took a quick glance at each other. "If he had just let me pull the damned rope, he wouldn't have gooten hurt! It just-" The ground began to shake, silencing him. Strangely, the epicenter seemed to be focused on Backbeat. Her fur was standing on end, and her mane seemed to be shimmering with some unknown wind. There was a dead silence. Then, Backbeat exploded. The unicorn whipped around to face Key Change. Her entire body had become an inferno, as raging hot as Celestia’s sun. "YOU!” she screamed, causing everypony to wince in pain. “YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF DIRT!” She began to storm toward him, flames trailing her every step. “HOW DARE YOU HURT HIM!” Key Change tried to back away, but Backbeat matched his every step. “W-What’s wrong with you?!” he stammered. “Get away from me!” But Backbeat didn’t stop. “YOU’RE SCUM. NO, YOU’RE WORSE THAN SCUM! YOU’RE NOTHING! “Holy...Backbeat, what are you doing?!” Lyra yelled. “Oh, I don’t even know what’s going on anymore!” Bon Bon whined. “Can’t we all just calm down?!” Backbeat shot the two mares a deadly gaze. “NO WE CAN’T.” she screamed. The two promptly jumped before grabbing and holding each other, shaking in fear. The flaming pony turned back to her enemy, only to see him trying to get away. “OH, DON’T YOU EVEN DARE.” Her horn shone with a light as bright as lightning. Key Change became enveloped in pure white, and was dragged back to his tormentor. Backbeat looked him straight in the eye, brown to red. She grinned evilly. “NOW,” she boomed, “LET’S SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT!” Her face shifting back to a scowl, she proceeded to lift Key Change high up in the air. “Backbeat, don’t!” Lyra pleaded, stepping forward. “NO MERCY!” “JUST WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?” Two Step yelled. He had just stepped backstage a few seconds earlier, only to see what was one of the strangest scenes he had ever encountered. Blue Belle gained control of her body in time to yell: “You, gray pony! Duck!” Two Step glared. “Duck?! Why should I- OH CELESTIA HAVE MERCY!” He ducked just in time to avoid Key Change, whom Backbeat had just thrown across the room, and out into the auditorium. The ashen-furred stallion slid across the stage, stopping just a few inches away from the edge. Backbeat began to gallop forward again, but was just barely stopped by the combined efforts of Lyra, Bon Bon, and Blue Belle, who were all pushing against her. ”LET ME GO,” she shrieked. “I’LL KILL HIM! I’LL KILL HIM!” “Ah...what happened...?” Everypony looked at Noteworthy. His head was raised, and he was gazing at everypony groggily. “...Did we win? Oh, my head...” The flames that made up Backbeat’s fur immediately went out. “Oh, Noteworthy!” She ran to the pony's side. "Are you okay?!" The stallion attempted to lift himself up off the floor. He stood on shaky legs, wincing in pain every few seconds. There was a growing red bump on his forehead. “Well, my head feels like it just exploded and put itself back together again, but, besides that, I think I’m fine. What’s going on?” “That is what I would like to know,” Two Step snarlled, walking toward the duo. “I have waited. I gave you two weeks to find somepony who could sing. Then, you just lie to me?! Am I the only one here who sees something wrong with that?!” He gave each pony in the room an individual glare. Nopony answered. “I will not stand for such disrespect. Noteworthy, you were already hanging by a thread. This has gone too far.” He leaned in close to the shaking blue pony. “You are fired.” With a long sigh, Noteworthy promptly fainted. Backbeat’s eyes went wide. “B-But...we...we...h-h-he...” she stammered, not knowing quite how to react. A few seconds passed before all the events of the day caught up with her, and she began to sob loudly. Lyra took a threatening step forward. “That’s not fair! You can’t do that!” Two Step scowled. “And why not? Am I not the executive director of this company? I have every right! But you...this is as much your fault as it is his!” “Who cares?!” Lyra shouted. “You have a singer! Just take Backbeat! Who cares how you got her?! She’s here, and she’s great!” “It is the principal of the matter!” Two Step shot back. “I will not take being lied to!” Lyra rolled her eyes as hard as she could. “Oh, did little baby get his feelings hurt?” she mocked in a high-pitched voice. “Does he need his bottle?” “D...don’t you dare m-make fun of Mr. Two Step...!” Everypony stared as Key Change, his normally gel-loaded hair messed up, stumbled into the vicinity. His body was covered in bruises. He tripped a few times on his way over to his boss, who was looking at him strangely. “H-He is the perfect pa...pony.” he blubbered. Two Step frowned. “What in Celestia’s good name happened to you? Why did I have to duck to avoid you?” The beat-up stallion smirked, before spinning around and pointing at Backbeat, who was still crying. “That demon attac, attacked me!” “She didn’t!” Bon Bon yelled. “She was just defending her coltfriend there! Key Change attacked him first!” “It’s true,” Blue Belle chimed in, hesitating a bit. "I saw the whole thing." "FINE!" Two Step yelled. "You are all fired! Are you happy now?!" Key Change's jaw dropped. "But, but-" "Oh, do not even start!" Two Step groaned. "I am calling security! I want you all out of here, now!" He turned to walk away. Lyra's head spun. Everything was happening so fast, she barely had time to think! Backbeat, head hanging, nudged Noteworthy. "Not...Noteworthy, w-wake up...it's all over..." Noteworthy’s eyes fluttered open. “I need to stop doing that,” he moaned. Bon Bon looked at Lyra. “Hey...Lyra?” Lyra lifted her head up weakly. “Yeah?” “I’m sorry. About all of this.” “Nah,” Lyra said, putting on a smile. “I should be the one apologizing. I acted really stupidly. I just wanted this so much, that I was willing to do anything, even hurt you. ...Sorry about that, by the way.” “It’s fine,” Bon Bon said. She moved close to Lyra, and pressed her body against the unicorn’s. “You know I love you, right?” Lyra laughed. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Thanks.” Key Change glared at them. “How can you two be laughing at a time like this?!” he growled. “We are all screwed!” Backbeat helped Noteworthy limp over to the group. “As much as I hate to agree with him,” Noteworthy said, “he’s right. Things can’t get much worse than they are right now.” “Oh, please just shut up,” Key Change snarled. “You actually deserve to be fired. I DON’T! I’ve done more for this company than any of you can ever dream to!” Bon Bon shot daggers. “Can’t you be nice, even once? I mean, really! I’m ashamed I ever worked with you! I’m glad you were fired!” Key Change took a step forward. “Don’t you ever-” “Would all of you just shut up?!” Everypony looked at Blue Belle. Both her mane and eyes were wild. “Really! Everypony here is crazy! I thought I was going to be able to deal with a few loonies, but you’ve just dragged me into something...I don’t even know what to call it! This is like something out of a movie!” She gestured to Lyra. “I used to think you were amazing! That I could never be as good as you! But now I realize: you’re just as messed up as all the rest of these ponies! Can’t you people just accept that we’re all losers and get on with your damned lives?!” She panted hard. Everypony stared. Noteworthy gave her a questioning look. “Who are you again?” “UGH!” Blue Belle groaned, storming off. “FORGET IT! I QUIT!” There was a silence. “Where were we?” Lyra asked. Key Change sighed bitterly. “I hate you all. If you wake up one night to find me leaning over you with a knife, don’t be surprised.” He began to walk away. The remaining four hung their heads. As the seconds passed, Lyra found herself muttering a quick prayer to Celestia. "Dear Celestia...I know we don't talk much, and I don't even know if you're hearing this...but, please, we need help! Like, now!" Out on the stage, Two Step was trying fruitlessly to calm the pre-listeners down. Each one was yelling to ask what had happened backstage. Two Step attempted to explain, but with each passing word, they (sans the sleeping stallion) just grew more excited “So,” Two Step concluded, “I have made the decision to terminate everypony involved. I feel this will be beneficial to the productivity of this company.” The crowd immediately fell silent. One gray unicorn with a dark blue mane stepped forward. His cutie mark was that of an F-clef. His shaggy hair fell over his face, obscuring one deep blue eye. “Wait a second,” he said. “You can’t fire them!” Two Step sneered. “And why not?” “The singer—the real singer, we mean—her voice was beautiful! It was the greatest thing I’ve ever heard! She would be perfect!” “And you can’t fire her manager!” another added. She was a light yellow pegasus with a long green-and-yellow mane. Her cutie mark was a log on fire. “He found and trained her! That takes real talent! Besides...if he managed to fool you for two whole weeks, he must be good, no?” “My decision is final,” Two Step huffed, stamping a hoof. The stallion grinned. “Yes, sir, but you’re forgetting something: our decision as pre-listeners overrides yours. You said it yourself. And we say that those two are in. Am I right, everypony?” The entire crowd cheered. At this point, Blue Belle, Key Change, and the group of four had come out of the backstage. Blue Belle was heading toward the door, shouting profanities. Key Change was sitting quietly on the floor, pouting and wondering where his sunglasses were. The four were all walking very slowly and somberly. “But,” Two Step started, “she attacked that stallion right there!” He pointed at Key Change. “I intend to have them both taken by security!” The gray unicorn looked at them before smiling devilishly and adding: “Do you know how much money she could make?” Two Step’s eyes widened. “...Money?” “Hay yeah! She would sell way more albums than that Bustin’ pony! She would be a hit!” Putting a hoof to his chin, Two Step began to think. “I see...well, I suppose that Key Change did make the first move...” He looked at Noteworthy and Backbeat. “You! Noteworthy, white unicorn! Come here!” The two cantered over slowly, Backbeat helping Noteworthy keep stable. “Yes?” Noteworthy asked. He wasn’t sure if he should have said ‘sir’ or not, now that...you know. Two Step nearly groaned when he looked at them. “Now, you are are sure these are the two you want?” “YES!” the entire crowd boomed. “Fine.” Two Step put out his hoof. “Congratulations. You two are no longer fired.” “We’re not?!” they said together. “And congratulations on your record deal. I expe-” “WHAT?!” the two screamed, grinning wider than they ever had before. “A RECORD DEAL?!” Over on the other side of the stage, Lyra and Bon Bon beamed. “Hay yeah!” Lyra cheered. Key Change gaped. “But that’s not fair! Why should he get a job, when I-” "SHUT UP!" everypony yelled back. "Has somepony called security yet?" Two Step asked the room. He was answered with blank stares. "No? Well, I suppose I have to do everything." "No!" Key Change yelped, jumping up. "You'll never take me alive!" He began to back up the aisle, giving everypony death glares. "This isn't over, Blues! I'll crush you one day! Like a bug!" He ran out the door. Noteworthy gulped. "Shouldn't somepony-" "Nah," the blue-maned unicorn said. "Security'll get him before he leaves." He looked at the rest of his group, then to Two Step. "So...are we done here?" "Yes, you may leave." "Cool," the yellow mare remarked. The group began to disperse. Noteworthy and Lyra walked over to their friends, still grinning. "Lyra," Noteworthy began, "thank you so much. I owe you the world." Lyra laughed. "Oh, calm yourself! You don't owe me anything. I think I owe you, actually. You gave me the confidence I needed to do this. Thanks." She held up her hoof. Noteworthy returned the gesture with a shaky brohoof. "Hey, Backbeat," Lyra continued, "I have a question." Backbeat was still beaming. '"Yeah?" "The whole reason we did this entire thing was because you were too scared to sing in front of other ponies. I don't want to discourage you or anything, but how are you going to be a big star now?" "I was thinking the same thing," Backbeat admitted. "But...I don't know. It just doesn't worry me anymore. I feel a lot more confident in myself now." She looked back at the microphone that adorned her flank. "I always wondered what this truly meant. I guess I know now." Lyra laughed. "Yeah, I know what you mean." Suddenly, Backbeat's eyes widened. "Wait, Lyra, what about you? What are you going to do now?" The turquoise unicorn smiled. "You know, I was stressing for such a long time over being famous, that I forgot why I make music: to have fun. Sure, being rich and successful is great and all, but it's not everything. Besides," she murmured, moving closer to her cream-colored friend, "there's stuff in Ponyville that I want to get back to." "So, is this the last time we're going to see each other?" Noteworthy asked. "Oh, you can't get rid of me that easily," Lyra remarked. "I expect at least a ticket to your first concert. Alright?" Backbeat nodded. "Deal." Back in the audience, the yellow pegasus was attempting to wake up the sleeping stallion. "High Note...it's me, Wooden...it's time to wake up..." High Note juddered violently before nearly falling out of his seat. “Ah!” he cried. “Don’t scare meh like that! I have eh mind ta give ya a whippin’, lil’ lass!” “Oh, shut yer mouth! It ain’t meh fault that all this new-fangled pop music sounds the damned same! It’s borin’!” “Yeah, yeah, you’ve said that before.” She helped him up. “It’s too bad you were sleeping. You missed a great debate.” “Mm?” “Yeah. It turns out that the mare we thought was singing actually wasn’t! It was another unicorn, standing behind the curtain. And she had the most beautiful voice! A whole fight broke out, apparently. But, anyway, we got Two Step to not fire the singer, and everything worked out pretty well,” Wooden explained. She pointed to the small group of four. They were talking and laughing. High Note stared at them for a moment, bored. However, after a few seconds had passed, his eyes began to widen. Grabbing his cane he hobbled down the aisle, over to them. Wooden watched in confusion. The group noticed him a few feet away. Backbeat brushed a lock of hair out of her face; the old pony’s cutie mark was a rest note, signaling that he had something to do with music. But, instead of stopping at her, High Note kept walking until he was standing directly in front of Lyra. The two stared at each other for a moment, Lyra not really knowing what to do. “Uh...” she began. High Note’s eyes lit up. “Aha!” he shrieked. “Eh knew it! You are Lyra!” Lyra put on a friendly smile. “Yeah. You know me?” “Know you? Did Ode in Rosa run on a 4/4 time signature?” “Uh...yeah, it did,” Lyra answered, bewildered. “But...I wrote Ode in Rosa back in High School. How do you...?” The stallion beamed. “Seven years ago, Princess Celestia’s School performed at Canterlot Concert Hall. Eh was there, and Eh remember yeh very, very clearly. Yeh were the only pony there with even a shred o’ talent!” “I was?” “Yes! Eh’ve been wantin’ to hear yeh again ever since, but I just couldn’t find yeh! Where ‘ave yeh been?” “Oh, I’ve been down in Ponyville, just performing casually,” Lyra said with a smile. The stallion didn’t say anything, like he was waiting for Lyra to continue. “...That’s really it.” High Note looked almost offended. “What?! Yeh mean, yeh’re only peformin’ in one small town?! That’ll never do! The music world is bein’ ruined by all those greased up ponies who can’t make music worth a damn! Please tell meh yeh still play a lyre.” Lyra felt her heart begin to beat faster. “Yeah, I do. All the time.” “Good! Yeh may be one o’ the only ponies left who can make real music! Yeh gotta do somethin’ with it! You gotta get yer music out there, all across Equestria! And Eh’ll help yeh!” Lyra grinned hard. “You will?” High Note smiled as well and tapped his cane against the floor. “Eh may be old, but even Eh got a few tricks up meh sleeve! Eh got connections! Lotsa connections! And, if yeh still play like yeh did back then, you can expect good things! Eh promise yeh that!” Nodding wildly, Lyra said: “I do! And I will! Even better than before! Thank you so much!” She began to mentally recall the number for the instrument repair shop, back in Ponyville. Meanwhile, she started to laugh hysterically, as everything that had happened began to catch up with her. High Note eyed her worriedly for a moment, before Bon Bon grabbed her friend and forced her to stop laughing. “Sorry,” she said. “She’s just a bit tired, is all. Big day.” A few feet away, Backbeat watched with enthusiasm. Suddenly, she felt another pony, leaning close to her. “Hey, Backbeat?” Noteworthy began. “Yeah?” “After this, can we go to a hospital? I’m pretty sure I have a concussion.” “Of course.” “Oh, and...and one more thing.” “Yeah?” Noteworthy leaned down and gave Backbeat a small kiss to the cheek. The mare’s legs promptly turned to jelly, and she fainted. “...Backbeat? Backbeat, wake up. My head really hurts.” Epilogues“And now, the #1 new artist that’s been taking Equestra by storm! This is 102.7 FM, playing "You'll Always Be My Best Friend” by Backbeat!” “I wish I knew you, Way back when, Before you were part Of my plans..." Lyra sighed contentedly. The sun was shining bright, reflecting off her pristine turquoise coat. She was laying on a plastic-and-metal lawnchair, just outside her cottage, sunbathing. A large cup of soda sat on her left, half-empty. “Hey, Lyra!” The unicorn looked up over her belly. Trotting happily toward the cottage, a small package on her back, was Bon Bon. Lyra waved her over. Bon Bon giggled as she came closer. “Hey! So something funny happened...I accidentally made about five times more fudge than I needed for an order.” Lyra blinked. “How in Celestia’s name did that happen?” “I...I’m not exactly sure,” Bon Bon muttered, a thoughtful look on her face. “Anyway, I brought you some extra fudge we had back at the shop." "Well, thanks, I guess. Can you go inside and put it in the kitchen?" “Sure!” Bon Bon chirped. She walked past her friend and through the house’s front door, entering the living room. It was dimly lit, the only source of light being the windows. With a simper, the cream-colored mare noticed: on a small table filled with pictures, off on one side of the room, one frame towered over the rest. In it, Lyra, Backbeat and Noteworthy stood, smiling, in front of a brightly-lit stage. The lone stallion had a leg wrapped around Backbeat’s shoulder. Bon Bon walked through and down the tight hallway that led to the kitchen. Once there, she simply laid the package of fudge down on the wooden kitchen table, checked to confirm that it hadn’t melted, and walked out. When Bon Bon got outside, Lyra turned around in her chair and grinned. “Pull up a chair and stay for a while!” she called. “Sorry, Lyra, but I really can’t stay,” Bon Bon answered. “I told Twist I would be back in under an hour. She’s running the shop alone!” “Six months ago, you were completely willing to give her the shop.” Bon Bon gaped for a moment before sighing and grabbing another lawnchair. “Please, let’s not talk about that. I was not myself.” The two sat in silence for a minute, just enjoying each other’s company. Bon Bon began to hum the song playing. “Wow...it’s amazing, isn’t it?” “Hm?” “I mean, it’s only been a few months, and Backbeat has already become famous! And it’s all thanks to you!” Lyra put on a sheepish look. “I can’t take all the credit. I mean, she basically has the greatest voice ever. It was just a matter of helping her realize that.” “Yes, I suppose,” Bon Bon admitted. After a moment, she said: “I’m amazed that you’re not listening to your own album. I figured you’d want to bask in your “supreme glory” for as long as possible.” “Hey!” Lyra yelped, laughing. “You’re making me sound like a braggart! Seriously, though...you don’t know what it’s like to make an album.” “Oh? Enlighten me.” “Sure, it’s really cool at first. But once you’ve been recording for about a week, it starts to get pretty boring. You’re just hearing the same songs, over and over, day after day...eventually, you just can’t listen to them anymore!” She took a long gulp of soda. “And it doesn’t help that I hate all my own songs.” “Well, I like them,” Bon Bon said. “I could listen to your album forever! That’s why I bought ten copies.” Lyra nearly started choking on her drink. “You what?! Are you serious?” “Absolutely. And I’ve been telling everypony I know to do the same.” “B-But, it’s, like, twenty bits a CD!” “So what?” Bon Bon said. “So I’ll have to miss out on a few hooficures that I don’t need. Who cares? Anything to support my best friend.” Lyra sighed. “You really didn’t have to spend two-hundred bits, just for me.” “Well, I wanted to. So there,” Bon Bon replied indignantly. “You know, I’m only getting a small part of the profits. Very small, actually.” The earth mare’s face drooped a bit. “Really?” “Yeah. The rest goes to a bunch of different places. The store you bought it from, the record company, High Note...and I decided to give a part of it to charity.” “Oh. So...did I just waste a lot of money?” Lyra considered the question. “Not really, I guess? I mean, I have absolutely no idea what you’re going to do with nine extra CDs. But that’s still more money going to me. And that increases the sales of the album, meaning that I get more popular, and it gets more likely that I’ll have a second album.” “Well, good, then,” Bon Bon said, visibly relieved. “It’s really cool that you’re donating your profits.” “Yeah, well, I don’t need a hooficure every week, unlike some ponies,” Lyra said, rolling her eyes. “Oh, be quiet! Making candy all day, every day is tough on the hooves!” Bon Bon shot back, sitting up. “Hey, I have to pluck at metal strings all day!” Lyra growled. The two stared angrily at each other for a minute—before breaking out into raucous laughter. Bon Bon clutched at her sides. “Oh, don’t scare me like that! I thought you were really mad at me!” “What? I could never be mad at you!” “Oh yeah? Remember when you punched me?” The unicorn wiped her eyes. “That was a different time. I was a different pony!” “Oh, really?” Bon Bon asked sarcastically. “Yeah! I’ve learned things since then. I’ve learned how to enjoy life for what it is. I’ve learned to appreciate what I have. And, I’ve learned that while getting everything you want is cool, being nice is cooler.” Bon Bon giggled and rolled her eyes. "Did you learn anything else, Miss Morals?" Lyra thought for a moment before leaning back and slumping deeper into her chair. “Yep.” “Oh? What?” Lyra smirked. “I hate Canterlot.” Author's NoteIt’s over. It’s finally over. Jesus H. Christ, it’s over. Well, that took...nearly half a year. Anyway, thanks to everyone who read (what, like all three of you?)! It was a long and tough journey. I started the first chapter of this story on November 2nd, inspired by this blogpost on EqD: http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/11/official-blind-bag-pony-names.html Whenever something canon happens that in some way threatens my headcanon, my mind scrambles to make up an explanation that can fit both the canon and myself. For example, Sparkler and Dinky in the Sisterhooves Social. Instead of just accepting Sparkler as another daughter of Derpy, I made up this whole complicated story in which Dinky was sad about not having a sister, so Sparkler, a family friend, sneaks in with her. Here, my response was to write this down: Bigshot Canterlot producer will get fired if he doesn’t create the next “big thing” -Goes to Canterlot Amateur Music Festival, searching for talent -Lyra happens to win -Gets her to sign deal -Changes her name to Heartstrings -Finds out she’s a terrible singer That, my good friends, is what TMFKAL started out as. Noteworthy also came from that same wave of blindbags. I just found the whole “Heartstrings loves to sing!” thing strange, and wanted to write about it. Originally, this was supposed to be a oneshot. I predicted about 5000 words long. Little did I know that it would evolve into something MUCH bigger. Even though this didn’t get many readers (at least, as far as I can tell), this entire thing was a great learning experience for me. I learned, really, how to write something with more than one chapter I’m still not perfect at it (re: Blue Belle), but I learned how to write OC’s This was the first story I had ever written with any kind of “romance” in it. I realized that before I write something as big as this, I need to KNOW WHERE I’M GOING. It took me until the fourth or fifth chapter to write out a series-wide outline, and even that got changed a lot. That’s why there are a LOT of plotholes and stupid conclusions. 5: Finally: I love Vinyl Scratch. Before, really, the final chapter, I had absolutely no headcanon view of either Vinyl or Octavia. Now I gots them bein’ cousins and all that? Vinyl’s strange “Manehattan” accent is almost completely based on my own general New York accent. Anyway, if you’re still here, thanks again! Have a spectacular day! ~Dubs Rewatcher (By the way: the song sung is Tests (Part II) was "For All I Am" by Lisa Smith. In the epilogue, it was "You'll Always Be My Best Friend" by Relient K.) Opportunities*bzzt* Would Noteworthy please report to Two Step’s office? Thank you. *bzzt* Noteworthy struggled to lift his head off his desk as the drone of the speaker bored into his eardrums. Silently cursing whoever it was that had installed the accursed things, he proceeded to rub the sleep out of his olive eyes, mentally preparing himself for the impending meeting. Getting called down to the boss' office was never a good sign. The only time Two Step ever interacted with anypony besides his secretary(and possibly his wife, but even that was debatable) was if: a. You were being fired. b. You were in danger of being fired. c. One of your artists just did something that could possibly alter either their career, or the reputation of the company. And, considering none of Noteworthy’s clients had had any significant changes in at least four months, ‘c’ wasn't likely. He attempted to make his shock of a blue mane presentable as he exited his small, white-walled office. His footsteps caused everypony within the hallway to scurry away, no doubt gossiping about the pony that had just been called down. However, Noteworthy held his head high. He wasn’t about to let these vultures get what the shame they craved. If he was going to get fired, he would do it with pride. “H-hey, Noteworthy.” The blue stallion turned to the source of the noise. Standing to his side was a heavenly white-furred, red-maned unicorn, diminutive in size compared to him. Her flank was adorned by a small microphone. “Oh, hello, Backbeat.” Noteworthy replied, happy to have an excuse to prolong the inevitable. “How are you?” “Oh, uh, good, I guess...so, the boss is calling you down.” she said, trying to avoid the elephant in the room. “That must mean that Hayseed is doing well, right?” Noteworthy chuckled. “Backbeat, you know as well as I do that Hayseed hasn’t sold more than ten records in the four years I’ve been representing him. People just don’t like banjo music anymore.” He sighed and stared straight ahead. “Face it, I’m done. Might as well clear my desk now.” “Oh, don’t say that!” Backbeat insisted. “Yeah, sure, Hayseed might not be doing very well. And, uh, you might not have gotten a successful client in... a few years. And, uh, well, I mean...” she trailed off, rubbing one hoof on the back of her neck. “Well, we can always hope, right?” “Yeah. I suppose we can.” Noteworthy responded with a smile. “Well, have a good day, Backbeat. Celestia knows I won’t.” He left, leaving only a speechless mare in his wake. “You wanted to see me, Mr. Two Step?” A gray stallion sat calmly at a large desk which occupied the back of the room. He gave an affirmative grunt. “Yes. Come in.” He adjusted the gold nameplate sitting on the desk, which read: TWO STEP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GALAXY MUSIC GROUP Noteworthy sat in a plush, comfortable chair stationed in front of his employer. However, the smooth velvet padding did little to soothe his fears of Two Step, who had fixed him with a penetrating stare. “Noteworthy.” Two Step began. “Do you know why you are here?” “No, sir.” Noteworthy bluffed. “Right. Of course not. Well, let me fill you in.” Two Step said as he rose from his chair, revealing his cutie mark: a simple vinyl record, befitting his position. He began to pace in front of the large, fully windowed wall behind the desk. “As I am sure you are aware of, Noteworthy, Galaxy Music Group is the largest record label in Equestria. As such, we have something of a reputation to uphold.” he said, turning to the blue stallion. “Do you see where I am going yet?” A bead of sweat formed at the base of Noteworthy’s mane. “I...I think I have an idea.” “If you did not know, your success rate with musicians is the lowest we have at this company. I do not think I can even remember the last time you brought in someone notable. And, again, if you did not know, these are hard times. Layoffs might be necessary soon.” Two Step stared straight into Noteworthy’s eyes. “And it would only be fair if the first to go was the one providing the least.” “Sir, you have to understand-” “No, I think you have to understand.” Two Step said sternly, the anger on his face betraying the icy calmness in his voice. “The next budget meeting is in fifteen days. Noteworthy, I am giving you two weeks to find me the next ‘big thing.’ Once these two weeks is up, I will test whoever you find, to see if they’re up for the job. That is if you find somepony. Do this, or I won’t hesitate to let you go. Do I make myself clear?” Noteworthy glowered, but he nodded. “Yes, sir.” Two Step sat back down, and spun his chair toward the window. “I wish you the best of luck. You will need it.” “I live here on my knees, as I try to make you see That you're everything I think I need, here on the ground.” Blue Belle’s purple eyes were closed as she sang with an intensity that sent chills down the spines of everypony in the audience. She didn’t even notice the blue hair falling onto her face as she mashed keys on her grand piano, keeping in time with the violinist that accompanied her, sitting a few feet away from the spotlight. “But you're neither friend nor foe, though I can't seem to let you go. The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down!” She held her high note on the word ‘down,’ stretching her voice across the entire crowd. Both the violin and piano made a full stop, leaving nothing but the mare’s voice to fill the void. After a few seconds, Blue Belle began to tap out a few slow notes, signaling the violinist to fade in with her. She paused for a moment, just to take a breath, but then continued, repeating the final line of the bridge with just as much passion as the first time. Backstage, Blue Belle’s fellow contestants sat, holding their various instruments close. Even they, albeit begrudgingly, were moved by the love story being sung onstage. Some chatted about what they felt the results would be. Others shared experiences about different gigs they had taken. Others were content to simply sit alone, trying to build up their confidence. In the back corner, slumped over on a large, wooden box, a turquoise mare attempted to check how fast her heart was beating. Unsurprisingly, it was far from normal. “Oh, come on!” Lyra thought as she strummed a few quiet notes on her lyre. “Why did I have to go first?! The judges have probably forgotten all about me by now!” It wasn’t that Lyra hadn’t done well; in fact, one might call her performance perfect. It was just that Blue Belle was so much better. As she sat in worry, Blue Belle entered the final lines of her song. “Something always brings me back to you. It never-” At that moment, she hit a note on her piano about two steps higher than what was needed. Realizing her mistake, her eyes immediately flapped open and her dark-blue hackles raised as she attempted the note again, striking the right key this time. However, the damage had been done. She shakily continued. “t-takes too lo-ong...” The music died down. The spotlight slowly faded as silence rang out across the audience. After a moment, it was replaced by the thunderous applause of hundreds of ponies stamping their hooves. Blue Belle stood up, gave a quick bow, and walked off the stage, entering the dim light of backstage. She was greeted by a round of encouragement and praise from her peers. Noteworthy trotted through downtown Canterlot, paying no mind to the many stores and ponies that lined the streets. What was he to do? Hayseed definitely wasn’t going anywhere, and it wasn’t likely that he’d find another successful musician anytime soon. The sun had already set, meaning he really only had thirteen days left. It wasn’t like he was going to just walk into a bunch of talented musicians! As if on cue, his ears were flooded with the sound of stamping hooves. He quickly shook his head and looked around, only to find that he had walked right into a crowd of ponies without noticing. They were all staring at a large stage, from which two ponies were exiting. In the center was a large piano. Had the mare been playing the piano? When the applause had subsided, Noteworthy tapped a yellow unicorn mare on the shoulder. “Excuse me, what is this for?” he asked. The mare gave him a blank expression. She blew her blue bangs out of her eyes, and responded through her gum, “This is, like, the Canterlot Village Music Festival.” “Oh, was that tonight?” Noteworthy responded. He may not have had much success finding musicians, but it didn’t mean his cutie mark, three eighth notes, was undeserved. He quite a lot about the music world. And he definitely knew about the Canterlot Village Music Festival. Every year, at least fifteen amateur and uncontracted musicians gathered to show their stuff, and compete against each other for money, the chance to spend the day with whoever that year’s celebrity judge was, and other prizes. Of course, the greatest prize was the chance to be seen by the various talent scouts that always inhabited the crowd. More new musicians came out of this competition than any other. That was when it hit him: he was searching for a pony with musical talent, who would be willing to sign into a record deal. And it just so happened that he had walked straight into the heart of an amateur music festival. He silently thanked Celestia as he turned back to the mare. “Thank you!” he said excitedly. “Whatever.” the mare said, still chewing her gum with the same blank look. Noteworthy made his way to the front of the crowd, just behind the judging table. He sat and waited patiently. If he was going to have the first pickings of whoever won this, he would have to be ready. “Would all contestants please take the stage?” Lyra let herself be immersed in the crowd of ponies who were now taking the stage. Her heart beat hadn’t slowed at all since her performance ended. “Come on, Lyra. You didn’t come all the way to Canterlot for nothing. You didn’t practice your piece every day for the past six months to lose here. You will win this... I hope.” Lyra thought as she stepped into her place on the stage, sandwiched between a large, crimson stallion and a mulberry mare. The two judges stared at everypony on stage with cold, calculating eyes. The pony on the left was named Five Star. Five Star was notorious throughout Equestria for being one of the most critical unicorns to ever live. His cutie mark matched his name: a large, golden star, the only color in a sea of white fur. His mane, greyed by age, only showed a few streaks of yellow. Every few seconds, he would put his head down to scribble something on the clipboard in front of him. Sitting next to him was the biggest reason Lyra had even cared about this competition. The celebrity judge: Octavia. Known throughout Equestria as the greatest earth pony to ever play a string instrument, she was Lyra’s idol. Lyra could only imagine how much money was spent to secure Octavia as a judge. Unlike Five Star, Octavia simply scanned the contestants, a small smile betraying the look her purple eyes were giving. Lyra took in a deep breath. She was not about to blow her one chance to meet Octavia. "We'd like to thank you all for being here." Octavia began, her voice as melodic as the cello she played. "Music is a wonderful thing, and you should all feel proud that you have been given the ability to share it with others. I can assure you all of one thing: you all deserve to be here tonight. Starting from twentieth place, Five Star and I shall count down the places until we have reached the final three, who shall be receiving prizes for their efforts.” Five Star levitated his clipboard in front of him and cleared his throat. “When you are called, please walk and remain in the backstage area.” he boomed, obviously using a spell to enhance his volume. If Octavia’s voice was like silk, then Five Star’s voice was like rusty metal. “In twentieth place, hailing from Trottingham, is Giselle.” A round of applause accompanied the announcement. A blue mare, who Lyra assumed was Giselle, stepped out of the lineup, took a quick bow, and left the stage, all the while wearing a dejected look. Octavia took the next name, then it went back to Five Star, and so on, until there were only three ponies left on stage. Lyra, who was doing all she could not to simply pass out from nervousness. Blue Belle, who was trying to summon all the poise she could into a graceful, eloquent pose. And finally, on the far left, was a cream-colored pegasus stallion named Cool Star. Despite his high ranking, he stood with a stoic expression, only raising a hoof every few moments to brush a lock of red hair off his forehead. The only part of his performance Lyra remembered was that he played the bongos. “When I announce the third place pony, he or she should come to the judges table, receive their trophy, and proceed backstage.” Octavia said. She was eyeing each contestant equally, letting no hint of who had made it across. Lyra’s heart fluttered for a moment as she made eye contact with the gray mare. “And, in third place, receiving a plaque and a cash prize of 200 bits, hailing from Cloudsdale, is Cool Star.” Cool Star, taking advantage of his extra appendages, simply jumped to the judges table. He calmly shook hooves with both judges, grabbed the trophy in his teeth, gave a small nod, and flew backstage. A small amount of cheering could be heard from behind the curtain. Once again, Five Star cleared his throat. “Right. Now, that brings us to our final two ponies. From Ponyville, Lyra. From Canterlot, Blue Belle.” he said, igniting a round of applause. Blue Belle turned, and outstretched a hoof to Lyra. “May the best pony win.” she said. Lyra stared at the dark blue hoof being offered to her. Everypony already knew that Blue Belle was going to win this; why pretend? Her performance had been near perfect! But yet, Blue Belle’s expression was not that of one who knew they were better than everyone else. On the contrary, she looked almost sad, like she had given up. Lyra opened her mouth to say something, but stopped abruptly when she realized: everypony in the crowd was staring at her, waiting for her to accept Blue Belle’s sign of sportsmanship. Swallowing her words, Lyra slowly nodded and returned the gesture, giving a reassuring smile as she went. All the while, Noteworthy charted out what the quickest route backstage from his seat would be. “Remember, first prize, along with the 1000 bits and trophy, is the chance to spend one day with Octavia.” Five Star said, motioning to the mare next to him. Lyra began to systematically wring her hooves. She knew it probably didn’t look very good, but right now, she was too anxious to care. “And the winner is...” Five Star trailed off, leaving a deafening silence in the area. Having been a professional judge all his life, he was well tuned to the art of suspense. “GET ON WITH IT!” a voice from the crowd screeched, sparking a chorus of agreement within the crowd. Five Star turned around and stared into the audience, searching for the pony who had interrupted him. Having no luck finding the troublemaker, eventually he relented and settled in his seat once again. Octavia covered her mouth with a hoof, trying not to giggle. Five Star grumbled and lifted up a small, gold-lined paper. “As I was saying... the winner of the Canterlot Village Music Festival is...Lyra!” As if the crowd was simply a bomb waiting for its spark, the dozens of ponies gathered in front of the stage immediately broke out into thunderous stamping and cheering. Blue Belle smiled a wistful smile. She began to turn, planning to congratulate the victor, but was interrupted as Lyra, engrossed in both the joy of winning and the spirit of competition, embraced her in a fierce hug. Before the blue mare could react, Lyra was already galloping down to the judges table, basking in the frenzy of roses being thrown at her. She heartily shook both judge’s hooves, lingering on Octavia’s grasp. Octavia didn’t resist; she only gave an amused smile. After a few moments, Blue Belle walked up beside the turquoise unicorn. She too shook hooves with the judges, albeit more calmly than Lyra.different. Noteworthy bolted from his seat, pushing through ponies and galloping around the stage until he reached a sturdy red door labeled ‘backstage.’ As he proceeded inside, he ignored everypony giving him strange looks, and simply waited by the stage entrance. Back outside, Lyra had just finished talking to Octavia about their day together. Despite Lyra’s insistence that it be coordinated down to the minute, Octavia only gave the simple assurance that everything would be alright, and not to worry about it. Either way, she still had to check her schedule to see when she would be free, so they would have to organize it later. Even though she was just the least bit disappointed, Lyra agreed, gave Octavia one last hoofshake, and bid farewell. By now, most of the crowd had cleared out. A few admires crowded around Octavia as she cantered confidently away. Some competitors talked with each other, no doubt sharing tips and tricks or organizing times they could practice together. Others walked with their family or friends. Lyra had come alone, so she figured that she might as well head back to the airport. As soon as she had passed through the curtain that led backstage, Lyra received a tap upon her shoulder. She turned to see who it had come from: a large, blue stallion, with a cutie mark revealing he had something to do with music. “Yes? Can I help you?” she asked. Noteworthy smiled. Step one, actually approach the pony, was complete. Now it was time for step two: reel it in. At Galaxy, the first thing you learned was how to sell. Not only records, but the company, its artists, and yourself. Most at the company would call it charm. Noteworthy just called it sleaze. He hated tricking ponies like this, but right now, he had no choice “Lyra, was it? My name is Noteworthy. I’m a record producer representing Galaxy Music Group. Perhaps you’ve heard of us?” he asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He suppressed a groan at his own joke. Lyra’s eyes lit up. “Well, of course I’ve heard of you guys! You’re only the biggest record company in Equestria!” She shook his hoof enthusiastically. “But what do you need from me?” “Well, I heard your music out there.” he bluffed. Sure, he hadn’t actually heard her. But, considering she won, she couldn’t have been too shabby. “And I would like to make you a deal. How would you feel about becoming an artist for our company?” Lyra’s jaw dropped. Her? Performing for Galaxy Music Group?! This was like a dream come true! She could see it now... The cheering of ponies completely overcame whatever other sounds were attempting to be heard. And who were they all cheering for? Why the limousine coming down the block, of course. It came to a halt at the beginning of a long, red, silk carpet. The door opened, and out came the mare of the century: Lyra. Dressed in only the finest Canterlot fashions, the unicorn walked gracefully across the carpet, giving her adoring fans glances so seductive that they would faint within seconds. Up ahead, three ponies lined the ground. The first was a small, brown unicorn stallion, the image of a book on his flank. Lyra recognized him as Bold Text, headmaster of Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. He lamely groveled at Lyra’s hooves. “Oh, please, please, Miss Lyra!” he begged. “Please, grace our school with your presence!” Lyra laughed. “Yeah, I bet you wish I hadn’t dropped out now!” She moved onto the next ponies: her own parents. Her father, a blue unicorn held his hooves together, as if praying. “Oh, sweet daughter, can you ever forgive us? We’re sorry for trying to force you to become a doctor!” Lyra just shook her head and walked on. She had only made it a few feet, before a new sight came into view; only this time, she liked it. It was the most handsome, eligible unicorn stallion in Canterlot. Princess Celestia’s own nephew. Prince Blueblood. He held a snow white hoof out to her. Lyra took it in her own. They walked down the carpet, happily ever after... Noteworthy waved a hoof in front of Lyra’s face. “Uh...you okay?” Lyra shook her head, trying to free herself from the stupor she had fallen into. “No? You’re not okay?” “No, no! I am, trust me.” Lyra assured him, chuckling. “Just spaced out for a second there. So...” She leaned in close to Noteworthy. “When can I start?” “Hold up there.” Noteworthy said hastily, taking a small step away from the enthusiastic mare. “It’s not that simple. First you’ve got to sign a contract.” “Oh. So, do you have one?” Noteworthy laughed. “No, sorry. But, I can have one ready for you right away.” He quickly grabbed a conveniently placed pen and paper off a table near them. He scribbled a note down and handed it to Lyra. “Here you are.” Lyra stared at the piece of paper. All it said was: 112 8th Street Floor 28 Ask for Noteworthy “This is my contract?” Lyra asked, one eyebrow raised. Just what was this guy trying to pull? “Oh, no, no. I can’t just write one up for you right now. This is where you can find me during the day. Tomorrow morning, come on down and I’ll have it ready for you.” Lyra’s heart sank. “Tomorrow? Like, tomorrow tomorrow?” Noteworthy nodded, more than a bit confused. “Yeah. That’s usually what’s meant by ‘tomorrow.’” “Oh...you see, I actually have a flight back to Ponyville tonight.” “A flight? Can’t you cancel it?” “I would, but I don’t have the money for it. It would cost at least 200 bits.” “But you just won 1000 bits, didn’t you? It’s more than enough to cover the expenses.” Lyra sighed. “Yeah, I know. But apparently the money comes in a check, and I won’t actually be able to cash it until I get back home. Until then, I’m pretty much broke.” Noteworthy sighed in turn. What now? “Oh, I know! I could use my budget money to... No, that wouldn’t work. She isn’t on contract yet, it’s against the rules. And I only have two weeks...” Noteworthy took a quick glance at Lyra. And at that moment, his heart broke. Lyra simply stared at her hooves, shuffling them on the wooden floor. She just looked so disappointed. Once again, Noteworthy gave a long sigh. “How about this, Lyra?” he said, causing the turquoise mare to perk her head up. “I’ll give you...an extension, of sorts. How long do you think it’ll take you to get home, get your money, and come back?” Lyra thought for a moment, one hoof raised to her chin. “I’m not sure. Maybe a week or so? Flights between Canterlot and Ponyville don’t come around very often.” Noteworthy gulped. A week?! That would only give him about six days to get her in shape for whatever Two Step had planned. He couldn’t give her that much time...but, then again, when was he going to get another opportunity like this? Hesitantly, he lifted a blue hoof up to Lyra. “That’s fine, I guess. Just...don’t get here too late, okay?” Lyra nodded, exuberant. “You can count on me!” “Good. Here, why don’t I walk you out?” “Okay. Just let me get my lyre.” Lyra responded, trotting away from the producer. Noteworthy made a mental note. “Okay, she plays the lyre...I guess I should have figured, from her cutie mark. A bit classical, but I can probably make it work.” As Lyra and Noteworthy walked away from the performance area, and out into the dimly lit streets, Noteworthy recounted stories of his many clients(he paid special care to make just the right amount of corny jokes). Even if Lyra could tell which stories were true and which were false, she didn’t give any indication. She simply let herself be immersed in his voice, in the crowd, and in her dreams. (Note: The song Blue Belle was singing is "Gravity" by Sara Bareilles) QuestionsCompared to the sprawling urban landscape that made up most of Canterlot, the residential neighborhoods made Lyra feel much more at home. Birds chirped, unicorn foals played in the neatly-trimmed lawns, and it seemed like the smell of homemade apple pie always lingered in the air. This warm and friendly atmosphere contrasted the weather; an icy wind rolled through the rows of houses, collecting the fallen leaves into a swirling red-and-yellow tornado. The turquoise mare pulled her matching scarf over her muzzle. Autumn had returned, and it was back with a vengeance. The streets were lined with identical terracotta houses, differentiated only by the gold numbers engraved on each mailbox. Lyra searched up and down the road, looking for house ‘322.’ It was there that she would find the pony she was looking for. As she reached ‘319,’ Lyra began to hear dulcet tones, echoing through the air like the angels themselves. However, following these notes were scratchy, off-key ones that made Lyra cringe, even from three houses down. They grew louder and louder, until Lyra was right outside ‘322’ and was able to make out distinct noises drifting out of the second floor window. “Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti do!” the first voice sang, accentuating the solfège with two piano notes, the first lower than the second. Lyra could hear a faint sigh. “DO, rE, mi, fa, SO, La...uh, DI DA!” Somehow, even when singing, the second voice was dripping with sarcasm. Lyra imagined that this must be like what her singing voice sounded like; maybe Noteworthy wasn’t exaggerating. She approached the blue door that was built into the front of the two-floor gray building. She began to reach for the gold-plated doorbell, but stopped when the voice rang out again, still just as whiny. “Miss Belle, why do we have to keep doing this this? I already know how to sing! Can’t we just skip straight to the actual songs?” There was silence. “High Class, you may be...okay, but your parents are entrusting me with your voice, and I plan to make it as good as it can be. And that takes practice. Trust me on that. Now, let’s take it from the top. And a one, a two, a one, two three four!” But the first voice didn’t get a chance to start, as Lyra quickly tapped the doorbell. She hated to interrupt what she could only imagine was a fantastic singing lesson, but they didn’t have much time, and, well...she had already come all this way, hadn’t she? The voices stopped abruptly. Lyra could hear somepony trotting to the door, the clip-clops slowly becoming louder. Suddenly, the first voice rang out from inside. “Are you from the Fraternity of the Joyous Friends? If so, there are no stallions here-” “Blue Belle, it’s Lyra. From the Music Festival?” There was another click, and the door opened wide. Lyra hadn’t bothered dressing herself up, but Blue Belle looked just as professional as she had back at the festival. Her dark blue fur shined with the afternoon light, perfectly complementing her soft purple eyes. “Oh, Lyra! What a pleasant surprise! Come on in.” Blue Belle offered. Lyra trotted after her host, admiring the beautiful decor that made up the blue mare’s home. “What brings you here today?” “I was just wondering if we could talk for a little while.” “I was just in the middle of giving a singing lesson, but it’s fine if I end it a bit early today.” Blue Belle said cheerily. Not wanting to be rude, Lyra quickly rebutted: “Oh, there’s no need to stop what you’re doing, I can-” “No, no, it’s fine.” She stopped Lyra at the foot of a long staircase. “Between you and me, the colt I’m teaching, High Class, isn’t exactly the most polite of ponies. His parents are some of the richest in Canterlot, and I think some of their attitude has rubbed off on him.” Lyra nodded. “I know what you mean.” The duo climbed the stairs, which led to a large sitting room. It contained the normal things you would expect in a house as big as this: a few leather chairs, a long couch, ornate wall-to-wall carpeting, and, on the wall, was a flat-screen television bigger than Lyra’s whole body. However, sitting in the corner was an object that stood out from the modern decorations: a large grand piano. Sitting on its bench, a bored look on his face and elbows resting on the keys, was a gray unicorn colt whom Lyra could only assume was High Class. He blew a lock of black hair out of his eyes. Blue Belle cleared her throat, alerting High Class to their presence. He immediately sat straight up, attempting to regain whatever composure he had lost. Yet, the grimace on his face remained. “Yes, Miss Belle? Who’s this?” “High Class, I’m going to have to cut your lesson short today. This is my friend Lyra, and we would like to have some time alone.” Blue Belle responded. High Class didn’t answer. “You can tell Upper Crust that today’s lesson was free.” The foal’s blue eyes narrowed, fixing the two mares with an intense glare. “Are you two fillyfoolers?” Blue Belle’s jaw dropped, and her face began to redden. If Lyra had been drinking something, she most certainly would have spit it out. “High Regibus Class!” Blue Belle snapped. “Why would you ask something like that?! It’s rude!” High Class walked to a duffel bag that lay against a wall. “Well, are you? Because my parents told me not to talk to fillyfoolers.” Blue Belle snorted in annoyance. “High Class, you can bet that your parents will-” She stopped, realizing that if she told his parents, they wouldn’t scold him. On the contrary, they’d probably praise him. She sighed. “I’m not answering. Just...have a nice day, High Class.” The colt’s horn began to shine with a white light. The same light immediately surrounded the yellow bag, lifting it through the air and onto his back. “Of course, Miss Belle.” he said, his voice lined with sarcasm. There was a continued silence as High Class clip-clopped his way down the stairs, and out the door, which he slammed behind him. Blue Belle laughed nervously. “Sorry you had to see that.” Lyra realized that her jaw was still dropped. Quickly, she turned to Blue Belle and shrugged. “It’s fine. Trust me, I’ve seen worse.” Blue Belle walked from the room into a kitchen. “Make yourself at home. Would you like anything? Tea, maybe?” Lyra smiled. “That would be great.” As Blue Belle trotted into the next room, Lyra lay down on the long, velvet couch. She didn’t want to freak the blue mare out more than she probably already had, showing up out of the blue like she had. Lyra was amazed at Blue Belle’s hospitality; they barely knew each other, and already Lyra was being treated as if she was family! She felt almost guilty, accepting such special treatment. After a minute, Blue Belle cantered back in gracefully, her horn aglow. Levitating beside her were two intricately designed teacups, filled to the brim with a piping hot liquid. She landed one ever so lightly on the table in front of Lyra, careful to not let even one ripple cross its surface. She sat in a leather chair across from Lyra. Lyra stared at the cup in front of her. Obviously, she was meant to pick it up with her magic, and drink it like that. But it was just so hot...and she did not trust her magic to be able to pick it up. Magic had never been her strong suit. Lyra hopped off the couch and leaned forward, sticking out her tongue to lap at the tea. Centimeters away from the brown liquid, Lyra looked up. Blue Belle was staring at her guest, obviously perturbed by her strange behavior. The aquamarine pony gave a small laugh. “Heh.” She lay back down on the couch, and shakily gripped the cup with a light green glow. Blue Belle giggled and picked up her tea confidently. “So, what was it that you wanted to talk about?” “Well, first of all, I wanted to say congrats.” Lyra said, sipping at her shuddering cup. Blue Belle stared at her blankly. “I’m sorry, but for what, may I ask?” “For placing so high at the Festival! I wanted to talk to you sooner, but I kind of got caught up in something right after the award ceremony.” Blue Belle closed her eyes and chuckled. “Oh, right. That. You shouldn’t have worried yourself; I don’t deserve any congratulations.” She magically lifted her cup to her mouth, sipping slowly. “What do you mean you ‘don’t deserve any congratulations?’” Lyra said. “You were amazing! Better than I was, I bet. Those judges-” “Were right.” Blue Belle interrupted. “I came second place for a reason, Lyra. You can’t tell me that you didn’t hear my mistake at the end.” “Well, yeah, but I mean-” “That’s all there is to it, Lyra. I didn’t deserve to win.” Blue Belle said with an air of finality. There was a tense silence. “I may not know you very well, Lyra, but I doubt you came all this way just to compliment me. What is it you really need?” Lyra rubbed the back of her head and broke her eye contact. “Well, uh...” Should she really be doing this? What she was about to ask was a big request, especially for one pony. But what other chance would she have? Lyra decided to just steam on through. “Remember how I said I got caught up in something?” Blue Belle nodded, raising an eyebrow. “Well, you see...” Lyra had recounted her entire story, leaving no detail spared. She had started right from the first time she had met Noteworthy, and gone all the way up to knocking on the door here. Blue Belle had listened quietly, only interrupting every so often to ask a simple question. Lyra sighed as her tale came to a close. “And, well, that brings me to the guts of my visit.” Lyra said, smiling hopefully. She had been attempting to pick up the cup as little as possible, and as such, still had almost all of her tea left. Blue Belle had almost finished hers. She looked at Lyra warily. “I...see. And what is it that you need, exactly?” “I...We were hoping you would be our singer.” Blue Belle’s eyes widened. “What do you mean by that?” For the first time since the conversation had started, she set her tea cup down on the table. Lyra looked down at her curled up hooves. “Well, I’m no good at singing. But I know you are. Noteworthy is willing to offer you a full contract...if you choose to accept it, of course. You could start right away.” She looked up, hoping her words had swayed the blue mare, even just a bit. Blue Belle inhaled and exhaled deeply. “Well, this is definitely a surprise. A position at Galaxy Music group, the largest recording company in Equestria. And all for free. It’s what I’ve always wanted. And that is why I have to...” Lyra smiled wide. “SHE’S GOING TO SAY YES! SHE’S GOING TO SAY YES!!!” She thought. With a new found confidence, Lyra levitated her tea cup over and took a swig. It had been a nerve racking past few days, but it was all going to work out now. Blue Belle had said it herself: this was a dream job for her! And she would be great as Noteworthy’s new si- “...decline your offer.” The turquoise unicorn kept smiling. She blinked. “What?” “I’m afraid I’m going to have to say no to your offer, Lyra. Thank you, though.” Lyra’s tea cup fell to the floor, smashing into countless little shards. Despite only being dimly aware of her surroundings at the moment, the sound of impact was enough to make Lyra recoil. “Oh, buck, sorry.” Blue Belle rose to her hooves and suppressed a sigh. “It’s...okay, I suppose. I can get that cleaned up in a second.” The pieces were lifted into the air by Blue Belle’s magic. This was bad. Lyra had spent all her time just planning what to say. She had never considered what would happen if Blue Belle actually said no. Lyra put on what she considered to be her most “charming” smile. “Just to clarify: why are you saying no? Isn’t it your dream job?” “Well, yes, it is.” Blue Belle called from the kitchen. “And I’m happy to report that I’m already living that dream.” Lyra’s heart sank so fast, she could have sworn it made a sound. “I-I-I don’t understand, how are you-” “You weren’t the only one who got ‘caught up’ in something after the festival, Lyra.” Blue Belle began. She stepped into the room. Rays of golden light seemed to shoot in through the windows, lighting up Blue Belle’s fur like a blue sun. “Despite my grievous mistake, it seems somepony took notice of me. Just a few minutes after I left the stage, he caught up with me. He sweet talked me a bit; at first, I thought he was trying to pick me up. But that was when he gave it to me: the contract.” Blue Belle walked dramatically to her chair, and collapsed onto the leather. She had gotten caught up in her story, and there was no getting her out. “It was such a surprise!” Lyra managed a smile. “Yeah, I bet it was. I know it was for me.” “And that was before I even found out who he was!” Blue Belle continued. “He’s made so many ponies famous!” She turned to Lyra, excitement plastered on her face. “You’ve heard of that one stallion, right? Bustin’ Jieber?” The already weak smile disappeared. Lyra felt like Nightmare Moon herself was trying to burst out of her stomach. “I-I...yes?” “It’s the same pony who made him famous! His name is Key Change, and he’s just awe-inspiring!” Lyra was utterly speechless. Blue Belle was their one hope, and now she was gone too. Lyra was beginning to understand why Noteworthy hated Key Change so much. She wouldn’t exactly call him evil, but he was definitely an annoyance. Blue Belle snapped out of her ecstatic delirium. “Sorry about that. I got lost in my story.” Lyra shook her head and sighed. “It’s...it’s alright. I guess it was pretty rude of me to try and force you into the position.” “Not at all.” Blue Belle rose and crossed the room to stand beside Lyra. “I do apologize if I led you on a bit.” Lyra nodded wistfully. There was a lull in the conversation. For once, neither mare had something to say to the other. “I don’t want to be rude, but,” Blue Belle said. “Was there anything else you needed? Or was that it?” “That’s it.” Lyra said, lifting herself off the couch. “Thanks anyway, Blue Belle. Sorry about the cup.” Blue Belle led Lyra down the stairs, until they reached the front door. She slowly creaked it open, letting in a gust of cold air. “I hope we meet again soon.” said Blue Belle. “Actually, that reminds me; didn’t you mention in your story that you have a performance on Thursday?” Lyra froze. She did not want Blue Belle coming to that performance. The best case scenario was that she humiliated herself in front of everyone, and Blue Belle lost what little respect she had for Lyra. Lyra didn’t even want to imagine what the worst case scenario was. But yet, she couldn’t lie; besides being a terrible liar, she had already told Blue Belle about it. There was no backing down now. “Uh...yeah?” Blue Belle clapped her hooves together. “Oh, good! Where is it?” “...The Windwoods Hotel?” “Great.” Blue Belle said, smiling. “You can count on me being there.” “Oh, no, no.” Lyra said. “You don’t want to come see me! I’m terrible! You should...uh, stay home!” She was beginning to sweat, despite it being at most forty degrees out. “Stay home, and listen to your own great music! You’re so much better than me, it’ll be...you know...better!” Blue Belle smiled doubtfully. “Ah-ah-ah, Lyra! I’ve told you, you are the better musician. There is no way I’m missing this performance. Look at it as my offer to be friends.” She held out a hoof to Lyra. Lyra groaned internally, but still returned the hoofshake. “Right. Thanks.” As the door closed behind her, Lyra was left staring out into the fall-time neighborhood. Things...hadn’t gone as planned, to say the least. Noteworthy wouldn’t be happy. “I am not happy.” Noteworthy said, pacing around the room. Backbeat and Lyra stared on in amazement at his utterance of this phrase; it was the first thing he had said since Lyra had broken the news that didn’t have an expletive in it. “Not happy at all.” He paused, as if to gather his anger. He stared out the window. “In fact...I’M BUCKING ANGRY!” Lyra recoiled. “I’m sorry, Noteworthy. I did tell you I couldn’t guarantee anything.” Noteworthy pointed his muzzle at the ceiling, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. “Yeah, I know. I don’t blame you.” Backbeat smiled. Noteworthy seemed to be calming down; she never liked to see him upset. “I blame KEY CHANGE!” yelled Noteworthy, now pacing again. “That little bucking bastard! Goes right under your nose, right when you least expect it! He thinks he’s better than everypony else, just because he has a pretty face. I...I just hate it!” His eyes were frantic. “Noteworthy, it’s okay.” said Backbeat as she rose to her hooves. “We can get through this. It’s just a matter of...uh, perseverance, I suppose?” The blue stallion’s golden eyes lit up with worry. “But how, Backbeat? This Blue Belle mare was our last hope. What are we supposed to do now? Nothing will work!” Backbeat walked to Noteworthy, and place her white hooves upon his shoulders. She fixed him with an earnest glance. “That’s not true. We’ll get through this, Noteworthy. You’ve been in tighter jams before, I know!” She walked over to a small calender that hung from the wall. “Look: it’s Wednesday now. The budget meeting is Tuesday, meaning that the deadline is Monday. We’ve got a little less than a week to think of a plan. We can do this! All we need to do is focus. “And right now, well...” Backbeat trailed off. She walked back to Noteworthy and gave him the once over. “You don’t look very focused.” Her horn shined for a moment. There was a small pop, and her red thermos appeared in front of her. “Do you want some coffee?” Noteworthy stared down at the white mare. “Thanks, Backbeat. I think I’ll just go get some fresh air.” He trotted to the door. “Anypony care to join me? No? Okay, I’ll see you all in a few minutes.” He left after receiving two affirmative nods. After a moment, Backbeat walked over to Noteworthy’s desk, and pulled out a clipboard and pen. She set them down on the desk. Lyra barely heard a small sigh. “I worry about him sometimes.” Backbeat admitted. With a small spell, she began to write something down. Lyra chuckled. “That’s good. Somepony has to. Noteworthy is lucky to have you.” Backbeat at Lyra. “Yeah, I guess.” There was a pause before Lyra asked: “So, how long have you two been going out?” Backbeat’s magic shorted out, as her snow-white fur grew a dark scarlet. “I, wait, I, no, we’re-” At that moment, her voice gave out, leaving nothing but a small squeaking noise. She stared at Lyra with wide eyes. Lyra stared right back, confused. “What? Was it something I said?” Backbeat swallowed, and managed to get her voice up to something just short of a conversational tone. “W-we’re not goi-going out. We’re just...f-friends.” Her whole body was shaking. “Oh, crap! Sorry about that. You guys just had such a good relationship, I assumed...you know.” The white mare took off her glasses, conjured a cloth, and began to wipe the lenses. “Yes, well...we’re not. We have a completely platonic relationship.” She managed to make eye contact with Lyra. After a moment, Lyra broke out into a grin. She may not have been the greatest when it came to romance, but Lyra was still a mare. She knew what it looked like when somepony had a crush, and it was written all over Backbeat’s face. “So, it’s just professional?” “Yes, of course.” “That’s really it?” “...Yes. Um, where are you going with this?” Lyra, switched out her smile for a disappointed face. “Oh, that’s too bad. You know, considering how badly you’re crushing on him.” Once again, Backbeat’s fur began to turn the color of a ripe tomato. “I, wait, but, but, but, who told you that?!” Trails of gray smoke began to rise from Backbeat’s hackles. “Was it Sunset Bliss? Because I swear, everything that mare says is a lie!” Lyra held up her hooves defensively. “Whoa, whoa, I don’t even know a Sunset Bliss!” There was a pregnant pause. “So...am I right?” Backbeat stared worriedly at Lyra. “Can...can you keep a secret?” “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” Lyra swore, making sure to do the appropriate motions. Backbeat gaped at her. “Sorry. Ponyville tradition. But, yeah, I can.” “Listen...yeah, it’s true. I like Noteworthy.” Backbeat said, ears drooping. Lyra gave a small cheering motion. “Stop that! Look. I’ve liked him for a while now.” She walked over to the couch where Lyra was laying and sat beside it. “He’s just so...great, you know? He’s the best friend I’ve ever had.” “D’awwwww!” Lyra cooed. “That’s so nice! So, have you asked him out?” Backbeat looked shocked. “Celestia no! How could I do that? I couldn’t just go up to him and ask him on a date! Even I know how shy I am.” She looked down at the floor. “He’s way out of my league, anyway. I don’t deserve somepony as good as him.” “What are you talking about?!” Lyra yelped. “You’re amazing! And you know as well as I do that he’s crazy about you.” “He is?” “Hay yeah!” exclaimed Lyra. “In fact, I’m amazed he hasn’t asked you out yet!” "Do you...do you really think that?" "Sure. I bet if you were to go up to him and ask him to go to dinner with you, he would say yes faster than you can say 'Heartstrings.'" Backbeat grinned, her flushed face beginning to pale again. “Thanks, Lyra. I needed that. But I’m still not sure...” “Don’t worry. Look, I’ll even help.” Backbeat and Lyra had to wait half an hour before Noteworthy finally walked back in. The remnants of a headache still lingered in his mind; maybe he should have some coffee. When he arrived, the two mares were huddled close together, speaking in hushed whispers. They looked up at him with faces that seemed to be hiding something. “Oh, hey, Noteworthy!” Lyra called cheerfully. “How are you feeling?” Noteworthy closed the door behind him. “...Fine. How are you guys doing?” Lyra waved a hoof nonchalantly. “Oh, good, good...but, uh, Backbeat has something she wants to ask you.” For the first time since he had entered, the blue stallion looked closely at Backbeat. She looked as if she was trying to force her body to swallow her limbs. She refused to make eye contact with him, instead opting to look at the ground. She only gave a small squeak when Lyra jabbed her in the side with a hoof. After another moment of unresponsiveness, the turquoise unicorn eventually pushed her friend off the couch. Backbeat stumbled forward, stopping just in time to avoid crashing directly into Noteworthy. Slowly, she craned her neck upwards to look him in the eye. She let out a small laugh. “Heh. Well.” Noteworthy didn’t seem to notice that Backbeat’s face was filling with blood. “What’s up?” he asked, blinking in confusion. “I, um, well, uh, ah...” Backbeat stammered, rubbing one leg with a hoof. She looked pleadingly back at Lyra. The lyrest only winked, and mouthed the words, ‘Don’t worry.’ Backbeat turned back to face Noteworthy. “W-would you...” She clenched her eyes shut, bracing herself for her own words. “L-l-like to go ou-out to din-n-ner sometime...?” Noteworthy stared at Backbeat while the gears turned in his head. Unfortunately, they were the wrong gears. While Backbeat may have been only a budding romantic, Noteworthy simply...wasn’t a romantic. At all. After what seemed like an eternity to Backbeat, his eyes lit up. “Oh, hey! That’s a great idea!” Backbeat beamed. “Really? You mean it?” “Sure, Backbeat! I hadn’t even thought of that; if we’re going to be making up a plan for how to pass Two Step’s test, we should be spending as much time as possible thinking. A dinner is just the right place to do that!” Noteworthy exclaimed, gesticulating as he went. He turned to Lyra. “You’re up for it, right?” Lyra looked back blankly. “I, um...” “Of course you are!” declared Noteworthy. Before either mare could respond, he trotted to the desk, picked up the pen in his mouth, and scribbled a note on Backbeat’s clipboard. “And I know the best place! Okay, you two meet me here tonight. Say, eight?” Backbeat tried to protest, but no sound came out. “Now, it’s getting late. I’ll see you guys there.” Noteworthy explained, heading for the door. “But, wait,” croaked Backbeat as Noteworthy began to exit. “That’s not-” The door slammed. “...What I meant.” Lyra stared at the door, ears folded back. “Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting.” (Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, give me criticism on Blue Belle. I feel like I haven't really pegged down a solid character for her.)
PreparationsLyra shivered as frost slowly began to coat her turquoise fur. One of the few downsides about chariot travel was the fact that very few chariots were made with covers over the sitting area. This unfortunate feature left passengers very vulnerable to the frigid air that surrounded Mount Celestia(ironic, considering who the mountain was named for). Lyra shook the ice crystals off, careful to avoid hitting the other ponies sitting with her in the gold-plated car. She had been in the chariot for about an hour. Despite the fact that it was well past midnight, Lyra wasn’t anywhere near being tired. There was just no time to be, with all that had happened. Finally, after years of practicing, gig after gig, her music actually did something worthwhile. If she played her cards right, she could become a millionaire from this deal. Okay, even Lyra had to admit: that was probably pretty far fetched. But still, there was big money in Galaxy Music Group. She couldn’t wait to tell Bon Bon. Bon Bon. The name resonated in her head as it slowly turned from a tone of excitement to one of dread. Once this deal went through, she was probably going to end up having to move to Canterlot. What would happen to Bon Bon? They may have been the best of friends, but Lyra wasn’t sure that even their friendship could take on such a long distance and still survive. What would she say? Lyra’s thought became jumbled as the royal guard ponies pulling the chariot hit the ground, pulling their live cargo along for the ride. They galloped a few more yards before eventually coming to a full stop, their golden horseshoes clinking against the hard concrete runway. “All off who’re gettin’ off.” said one of the white pegasi who had been pulling the carriage. “This is the last stop, so that means the lot a’ ya.” Lyra slipped the straps for both her red suitcase, which held her money, trophy, and other things, and her jet-black lyre case over her shoulders. She slowly shuffled out of the carriage, glad to finally stretch her limbs after being crowded together with six others for an hour. Everypony walked toward the only building in sight: a shiny, bright terminal. This “airport,” as they called it, was relatively new. It was a well known fact that when Princess Celestia’s student, Twilight Sparkle, first came into Ponyville, she and her escorts simply landed in the middle of main street, almost running over quite a few innocent bystanders. Fortunately, nopony was hurt; unfortunately, the gust of wind created from the landing was enough to knock Ponyville’s resident mail mare to the ground, sparking a massive lawsuit which resulted in the new terminal. Despite Lyra’s usual lack of extra money, she did travel often, usually to perform at out-of-town shows. As such, she knew the routine well for passing through a terminal. First, they magically scanned her luggage. Disregarding Lyra’s multiple comments that her trophy, in fact, was not a bomb designed to take out half of Ponyville, the unicorns that led the security force still felt the need to triple-check the object with the most thorough probing spells they could find. Even after they had checked her luggage, she didn’t get it back; that honor went to a large, noisy, metal conveyor belt. Next came the stage where they check the actual pony. Even if she almost never wore actual clothes, Lyra always found the scan to be somewhat intrusive. They claimed that it was for security, but where on their body was a pony supposed to hide something, anyway? Lyra tried not to think very hard about it. The final stage was arguably the most difficult of all: waiting. Apparently, that conveyor belt was either very long, or very slow. So, Lyra stood, tapping her hoof impatiently, waiting for the metal catwalk to produce her luggage. A minute passes. It hasn’t come. Another five minutes passes. Still nothing. By now, she just wanted to go home, fall into bed, and pass out forever, but she couldn’t, because her luggage still wasn’t there, and there were unicorn guards staring at her like she was going to blow up half of Ponyville, and in the background, is that godawful elevator music that always seems to play in the most annoying of situations, grinding into your eardrums until you don’t know what music is anymore. Lyra, her senses heightened by pure impatience, snatched her baggage within seconds of it exiting the metal tube. She gripped the straps in her mouth, not even caring to put them on properly, and rushed out the exit, into the cold night air. It was at least a mile to her house from there, but she could deal with the cold. It would have been nice to have somepony to talk to, though. Suddenly, a knit cap forced its way over Lyra’s head. “Lyra, you really need to be more careful! Did you know that you lose more heat from your head than anyplace else?” Lyra lifted the cap over her eyes, only to be greeted by a familiar sight: it was Bon Bon! “Oh, Bon Bon!” Lyra yelped, surprised. “What are you doing here? It’s, like, three in the morning!” Lyra looked around for a moment, then leaned in close to her friend. “You haven’t been drinking coffee again, have you? Because you know how you get...” Bon Bon laughed. “No, silly! I’ve just been so excited to hear how you did! I couldn’t wait until tomorrow...or, today, rather. And besides, I figured you could use some company on the way home.” Bon Bon said, a smile on her face. “And it looks like I was right! You really need to learn to pack accordingly, Lyra! You would have frozen to death!” Lyra sighed, and pulled the cap down again. It wasn’t much, but it was better than walking bare. “Yeah, I know, I know! You’re right, I’m wrong, I know how it goes.” “Speaking of how things are going...how was the competition?! I was so anxious to hear from you!” “Oh, right. Just wait a sec.” Lyra stopped and popped open her rolling suitcase. Much to Bon Bon’s delight, out came a large, golden trophy, the top of which was decorated by a golden pony surrounded by music notes. “You could say I did well.” “OH, LYRA! CONGRATULATIONS!” Bon Bon shrieked, embracing her friend in a hug so vehement, it nearly sent the trophy flying. “You see? I told you that you would do well! You were all like, ‘Oh, I’m so bad,’ and I was like, ‘No, you’re amazing,’ and look what happened!” Lyra smiled at her friend’s enthusiasm. “There was also a cash prize of about a thousand bits. I haven’t-” “A thousand bits? Lyra, you’re rich!” “Rich? I don’t think so. You make more than that in like a week.” “Yeah, but I own my own shop. I hate to say it, Lyra, but you don’t even have a regular job. You should feel lucky.” Bon Bon gave Lyra a playful punch on the shoulder and returned the trophy. “Did anything else happen?” Lyra’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yeah, I-” Wait. Should she really tell Bon Bon about Noteworthy’s offer? As seen by her excitement over Lyra’s victory, Bon Bon was a very emotional mare. And, as much as Lyra hated to admit it, Bon Bon didn’t really have many friends besides Lyra. What would happen to her once Lyra left? Lyra really didn’t want to think about it. Besides, it was late, they were both tired...Lyra wasn’t in the best of moods to be trying to comfort a frantic, crying mare. “What?” Bon Bon asked, turning her head in confusion. “What happened?” “Oh, uh, nothing important. What did you do while I was gone? “What’s Noteworthy doing here?” “Didn’t he get fired?” “I heard he made some deal with Two Step!” “Oh man, do ya think it’s...you know?” “Oh Celestia no! I mean... I don’t think so...” Noteworthy slammed his office door closed. Rumors had been spreading ever since he had come back in that morning, surprisingly unfired. He really was shocked at how little faith everypony in the office had in him. How common of knowledge was his sell rate? Whatever. It didn’t matter now. He had about four days until Lyra came back to Canterlot. While he was waiting, he needed to prepare. knock knock Noteworthy jumped at the sudden, albeit gentle noise. “Come in?” he called. The door slowly swung inward, creaking as it went. And, standing in the doorway, was a dread and ghostly figure. It was Two Step. “Oh, sir! Thank you for coming to-” Two Step inhaled deeply, as he held up a hoof denoting silence. “Save it, Noteworthy. I got your message. Have you found somepony yet?” Noteworthy nodded heartily. Unconsciously puffing his chest out in pride, he said: “Yes, sir, I have. Just yesterday, she won the Canterlot Amateur Music Festival.” “Huh. Maybe you are not a failure after all.” Two Step declared. Noteworthy’s stance lowered a bit at the backhanded compliment. “What is her name?” “Her name is Lyra. She comes from Ponyville, and she’s a pro on the lyre. Now, I think-” “Really? A lyre?” Two Step interrupted. “Yeah. Why, is that a problem...?” Two Step chuckled, all the while piercing Noteworthy’s eyes with his own gold orbs. “Noteworthy, answer me this: how many artists have you heard of recently that have made it big playing a lyre?” “Uh...none, I suppose.” Noteworthy admitted. In fact, he wasn’t sure he even knew what a lyre sounded like, let alone a song. “B-but, couldn’t that work to our advantage? It’s original, it’s new!” Two Step sat on Noteworthy’s desk. “And therein lies your problem. You are trying to think like an innovator, like you are just going to come up with the best new thing in music since rock n’ roll. People do not want new; they want a catchy song that you can sing and dance to. We want the songs that those idiots on Equestrian Idol can sing.” “So, what do you want me to do?” Two Step clucked his tongue. “Well, if you are not willing to find another pony, then you have to get rid of the lyre.” Noteworthy blinked. “Sir, her cutie mark is of a lyre. According to her she’s been playing the lyre all her life. Her name is Lyra, for Celestia’s sake.” “So? Look at Bustin’ Jieber. His cutie mark is a can of hairspray. His real name is ‘Crew Cut.’ And yet, he sings for millions of school-age fillies every day.” Two Step held a hoof to his chin in thought. “Actually, that gives me an idea. Make her sing.” “Sing?” Two Step smiled and nodded. “Sing.” “Uh...okay? I guess I can work with that.” Two Step nodded. “You will have to learn to. You have less than two weeks left; make them count for something.” He turned and headed for the door, but stopped after a few feet and turned back. “Oh, I almost forgot. I figured since you actually have something to do now besides napping, you could use some extra help. I am giving you an assistant. Choose who you want, run it by me, and carry on.” Two Step shut the door gently behind him. Noteworthy breathed deeply as he pulled a small notebook from his desk. Turning over the first page(the contents of which Noteworthy would deny to his grave), he began to jot down what he had learned from the meeting. Singing New name(stage) Assistant? He stared at the last word. Apparently he could choose anyone. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Considering the rumors that had been floating around, it was unlikely he would find somepony willing to work for him. He could only think of one pony who could, or would possibly take the job. “Hey, Backbeat.” “AIYAAA!” Backbeat yelped, shooting straight out of her seat. Luckily, a pegasus passing overhead was able to catch the mare before she fell straight back down and hurt herself. “Damn it all, Backbeat! That’s the third time this week!” the pegasus said as he lowered the white unicorn back down to her desk. “You gotta calm those nerves!” “Sorry...” she murmured as the pegasus flew away, grumbling under his breath. She turned to the source of the original noise, brushing a few red locks out of her bespectacled eyes. “Oh, hi, Noteworthy...sorry you had to see that.” Noteworthy laughed. “It’s no worry.” Warily, he eyed the multiple empty coffee cups scattered around his friend’s desk. “...Maybe you should take his advice. Maybe try decaf?” “Oh, it’s not usually like this...I was up all night doing data entry for this week’s top twenty charts. Oh, uh, sorry, but Hayseed wasn’t there.” “Well, because that’s definitely a big surprise. Anyway, you’re probably wondering why I came.” Noteworthy said. Backbeat slowly nodded. “Well, I have a question for you, Backbeat." He spread his arms out in the air with a dramatic flourish. "One that could change our lives as we know it.” The unicorn’s white fur began to take the color of her mane. He couldn’t possibly be...? “How do you like your job?” Noteworthy asked. Backbeat's hackles raised as her fur paled once again. "Why, I hate it! Do you know what it's like to stay up every night just to fill out meaningless spreadsheets?! It's torture! I'm amazed I haven't thrown my godforsaken computer out the window yet! And they can't even have the decency to pay me a decent salary! It just makes me want to scream!" She slammed her hooves on the gray desk in frustration. Pointing at her flank, she continued: “I mean, what’s this microphone supposed to mean if I’m just supposed to have a desk job all my life?! Noteworthy slowly retreated from the mare, unsuccessfully trying to pass through the wall behind him. While Backbeat was usually a kind, albeit timid pony, there were some subjects which she felt very passionate about. One of these just happened to be her job. Despite her cutie mark, designating her for a life of music, Backbeat had been working with computers for as long as Noteworthy could remember. Backbeat took a calming breath. “Oh, I’m so sorry. Did I, um, get carried away again?” “Uh, yeah. It’s okay, though. In fact, that’s just the answer I wanted to hear.” Noteworthy said. He knew that Backbeat was his friend, and would listen to him no matter what, but still...it couldn’t hurt to use some sleaze for what he was about to ask. “How would you like to come work for me?” “Huh? You’re quitting the company?” “No, no, you don’t understand. I told you about Lyra, right?” Noteworthy asked, prompting a small nod from Backbeat. “Well, Two Step came and told me I could take an assistant to help me. I just have to run it by him, and we’d be golden. So, what do ya say? You in?” Backbeat looked away. “I...I don’t know, Noteworthy. Are you sure? I mean, I’m sure you don’t want me...there has to be someone more, uh, qualified, you know? I wouldn’t...” A frown planted itself upon the stallion’s face. “Oh, Backbeat, don’t be like that! I wouldn’t have chosen you if I didn’t think you would do well. And besides, what would you rather be doing?” He motioned towards the large, grey monitor on her desk. “Spend your life tapping out numbers into a machine? Or working with the best musicians in Equestria?” Backbeat looked down at the ground, as if something had suddenly stolen her attention. Suddenly, she stared back into Noteworthy’s eyes, steely conviction present in her blue irises. “When do I start?” “What about this one?” “What’s the title?” “Lemme see... Ode in Rosa?” Lyra dropped the box she was carrying, ran over to Bon Bon, and slapped the papers out of her hooves. “NO. NEVER AGAIN. No one is allowed to hear, read, or even see this song ever again.” Bon Bon pouted. “God, Lyra, what is your problem? What’s with you and hating everything you’ve ever written?” “I hate it because it’s terrible!” Lyra yelled, head pointed to the sky. “I need to find my best work, not some crappy composition I wrote for my high school music class!” The cream-colored mare organized the papers that had fallen. “Really? What grade did you get on this?” The turquoise unicorn’s face turned a shade of pink. “...An ‘A.’” ‘HA! I’m telling you, this is good! It must be, considering you’ve kept it for so many years. I mean, you’ve even-” “AHA!” Lyra shrieked, cutting off Bon Bon’s pep talk. “Now, this is what I’m talking about!” She blew the excess of dust off the packet in her hooves, revealing three sheets of paper, all decorated with various musical notations. The first page was entitled: ‘Amicitia Magus.’ “Now this is something I can use!” Bon Bon clapped her friend on the back, almost knocking the unicorn over. “You see? Everything worked out alright.” She looked over the first page, feigning understanding of the various symbols littered on the paper. “Hey, why do you need these things anyway?” Lyra nearly dropped the papers. “Oh, uh...” In truth, she was looking over her music to see what she could bring to Canterlot. Despite his confidence, Lyra wasn’t expecting Noteworthy is have much experience in the way of lyre music. As such, she needed to be as prepared as possible. How was she supposed to explain this to Bon Bon without giving up the truth? Maybe it was time to tell her...? “Do you have a concert or something coming up?” Bon Bon asked innocently. “Oh, yes!” Lyra replied, smiling as wide as she could. “Yep! Very important concert! Need all the music I can get! Ha, ha...” Lyra felt a few beads of sweat begin to form as Bon Bon shot her a penetrating look. Eventually, Bon Bon shrugged, and went back to searching through the many boxes that filled Lyra’s attic. Lyra realized that she had been holding her breath; she gave a long sigh, wiped her head, and placed her sheet music to the side. She couldn’t focus on Bon Bon now. She had work to do. Backbeat levitated her pen in the air, readying her clipboard. “Okay, when you’re ready...” Noteworthy paced around his office, thoughts racing. “We need a name. Something catchy. Memorable. Something that shows just what we’re trying to get at with Lyra’s music!” “Um...Noteworthy?” “Yes, Backbeat?” Backbeat shuffled her hooves. “Uh, what are we trying to ‘get at?’” Noteworthy stared blankly back at her. “I...don’t know. Damn. Uh...I guess, like, she’s trying to sing with her heart, or something like that. What do you think?” “Oh, I’m not very good at naming things...” Noteworthy held a hoof to his forehead and clenched his eyes closed in thought. “Can...can it be a pun, or something like that?” “OOH! I love puns.” Backbeat replied, a smile growing on her face. “Um...what did you say her special talent was?” “She plays the lyre. Or, at least, she played the lyre. Not after we’re done.” “The lyre...that’s a string instrument. It’s very melodic...” “So, what? ‘Melody Mare?’” “No, that, uh, sounds like a superhero...” Backbeat chewed on her pen. “Um, I think I have an idea.” Noteworthy stopped in his tracks. “Well, spit it out!” Seeing his assistant recoil, he added a small apology. “You said her music come from the heart...and the lyre is a string instrument...what about ‘Heartstrings?’” The blue stallion thought about it. “Yeah...yeah! I can see that working.” And he wasn’t kidding. ‘Heartstrings.’ It really did have a nice ring to it. It was new, creative, memorable, even cute. It was the kind of name you see consistently placing in the top twenty charts. Much better than ‘Bustin’ Jieber.’ Noteworthy caught Backbeat in a tight hug. “THAT’S IT! I told you this would work out! You are the best assistant!” The unicorn was speechless as blood began to well in her cheeks. Lyra was locked in a fierce staring match with the white earth pony that was seated at the information booth. While Lyra was fueled by pure anger, the white pony, who’s nametag designated her as “Checkmark,” was fueled by pure fear of the unicorn staring her down. “I, um, ah...ma’am?” Lyra grit her teeth, her gaze not even wavering. “Where. Are. My. Bags.” Checkmark didn’t dare break her hold on Lyra’s gold eyes. “I...I don’t know?” “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T KNOW?! Isn’t this the information booth?” “I mean, yeah, but I don’t really have control of where you put your bags.” Checkmark replied, her hoof instinctively crawling toward the button that summoned security. They had trained her in a lot of things at the Canterlot School of Hospitality, but this was not in her job description. “Maybe you should keep better track of your things...?” The white-cyan fur that covered Lyra’s head started to emit a few wisps of gray smoke. “Your employees were the ones who lost them. If you don’t get me them in the next minute, I swear to Celestia...” “Excuse me, miss?” Lyra turned to the new, gruff voice. However, the first thing she noticed was not the large crimson stallion who was sporting muscles which with he could probably rip Lyra apart in a few seconds. What she noticed first were her suitcases, all of which were covered in yellow-and-black tape. “Oh, there you are!” Lyra cheered, the smoke coming off of her body immediately blowing away. She galloped to the stallion, slipping two of the straps over her shoulder, and grabbing the other in her teeth. “Warf dif yif fan disf?” she asked through the leather. “‘Where did I find it?’ I was the one who took it. All three of your bags were marked for a potential bomb threat. We don’t take that lightly around here. Now, if you’d just sign here, we’d let you go.” The unicorn sighed, laid her red leather handbag on the ground, and quickly scribbled her signature. “Okay, can I go now?” The guard stared at the clipboard on which Lyra had signed. “Wait, what’s your name?” “Lyra.” “Okay. What kind of signature is this?” Lyra blinked. “Wait, what?” “Well, it’s just an ‘L’ then a straight line. How is someone supposed to make out ‘Lyra’ from this?” “Well, it’s a signature. It doesn’t really matter what it looks like, as long as I keep it consistent, right?” “Kinda obnoxious, ain’t it?” he asked. Lyra rubbed her head with a hoof, both trying to soothe the headache that was attempting to drill into her brain, and suppressing a nasty insult. “Whatever. You can go.” As if his words were a starting pistol, Lyra shot out of the Canterlot International Airport as fast as she could, barely stopping to avoid the many business ponies rushing to their respective flights. The Ponyville Airport wasn’t always as empty as it had been earlier that week. That was simply due to the timing of her flight; about midnight. However, even at it’s peak hours, it could never compare with the sheer size of Canterlot International Airport, especially at noontime. She stepped out into the warm afternoon air, filling her lungs with its fresh flavor. She had made it; after years of hard work, she was going to be living and working in Canterlot. It was a new slate. A chance to start over, as a new mare. But yet, one piece of Ponyville lingered in her mind: Bon Bon. No matter how many times they had met during the week, Lyra just couldn’t bring herself to hurt her friend like that. However, what she had ended up doing may have been even worse: she left without saying goodbye. Well, not completely. Lyra had left a note on the door to her cottage, stating why she was leaving, and why should couldn’t admit it to her face. It was comparable, Lyra noted, to breaking up with somepony through a mailed letter. A wave of nausea came over her as she pictured what Bon Bon’s face would look like as she read the note. Would she cry? Would she scream? Would she hate Lyra forever? Lyra was not looking forward to the next time she saw Bon Bon. She rummaged through her handbag, searching for the paper on which Noteworthy had written the address. “Okay, 112 8th Street...that’s on Bush Avenue, I think.” While Lyra had lived in Ponyville for most of her life, when she was younger she had been accepted in Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. As such, she knew the basic geography of Canterlot very well. Stepping out onto the curbside, Lyra whistled for one of the many yellow taxis that circled the airport. After a few seconds, one pulled out of the neverending circle to approach her. She eyed it suspiciously; and for good reason. Instead of the usual number/letter code that adorned the license plates of most cars, this one only read ‘FRESH.’ The driver’s face was obscured by a pair of large, fuzzy pink dice. It pulled up along side her. The driver was covered in shaggy brown fur, contrasting his greased black mane. “Yo, where ya goin’?” “Uh...Eighth and Bush?” He flashed a set of pearly white teeth, the center dotted by one golden square. “Yo, for a filly like you? No charge” Lyra shuddered. “Um, no thanks, actually. I...think I hear my laundry calling! Thanksseeyabye!” She ran as fast as she could back to the airport. Huh. Canterlot life was harder than she remembered.
Discoveries(HOLY CHEESE, sorry this chapter took so long! I've been slowly whittling away at it for the past couple of weeks, writing it pretty much line by line. So much so, that the Google Docs version of this chapter is in my "Most Visited" toolbar! A lot happens in this chapter, so maybe it's worth it? YOU DECIDE!) Lyra marveled at the intricate architecture that inhabited the main branch of Galaxy Music Group. Countless arches, paintings, and fountains dotted the lobby, along with dozens of ponies, each one dressed in the latest Canterlot fashions. Compared to them, Lyra felt remarkably naked; perhaps she should have booked a hotel and changed before coming? Even the mare she was approaching, the receptionist, looked as if she was ready for a full-on photo shoot at any time. The receptionist’s fur looked as if it had been dipped in butter. It seemed to reflect light, tinting it in the same faded yellow that coated her. This contrasted heavily against her “with-it” mane: a neon blue so bright, it hurt Lyra’s eyes just to see it. While most ponies wore, if anything, just a top, she had brought the whole package: her legs and cutie mark were completely covered by tight-looking blue jeans. Lyra couldn’t get a look at her eyes, as they were hidden behind the latest issue of Equestria Daily magazine, the front of which was adorned by the charismatic face of pop superstar Bruno Saturn. Lyra trotted with her bags to the semi-circular desk. A few feet in front of it was a small metal sign that read ‘VISITORS MUST BE ANNOUNCED.’ Lyra figured that she counted as a visitor; after all, she hadn’t actually signed anything yet. Setting down her bag on the hard marble flooring, she waited for the mare, who a small nameplate designated as “Starshine,” to acknowledge her. Starshine turned a page nonchalantly. Lyra cleared her throat. Starshine let out a long, deep noise that Lyra could only guess was a yawn. “Uh, excuse me?” Lyra asked, one eyebrow raised. The receptionist let the magazine drop messily to her desk. She gave one look at Lyra, and simply let any trace of fake enthusiasm she had slip away. “Welcome. Is there something you need? Directions or something?” “Actually,” Lyra began, somewhat offended by Starshine’s assumptions, “I was wondering if you could call up to Noteworthy and tell him I’m here. He’s on the 28th floor, if I recall correctly. Starshine’s expression didn’t change. “I’m sorry ma’am, but Noteworthy no longer works here.” Lyra was taken aback. “What? But, but, I just met him last week!” The yellow mare raised the magazine back over her face. “I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is. Have a nice day.” Lyra’s mind began to race. How was this possible? Had...had she been tricked?! No, Noteworthy seemed so nice. maybe that was just the way they pulled you in. Got your money, and ran. But wait...Lyra hadn’t given Noteworthy any money. Maybe she had gotten the building wrong...? No, she still had the paper with his address on it. Had she just wasted her money, time and hopes for nothing?! And Bon Bon. Oh Celestia, Bon Bon. Hopefully she hadn’t read the note yet... “Hey, Lyra!” She turned her head to the source of the noise. At the end of the lobby, cantering steadily out of an elevator, was Noteworthy! He was followed closely by a white-furred, red-maned unicorn mare carrying a clipboard. "Oh, Noteworthy, you're here!" Lyra exclaimed exuberantly. Noteworthy looked confused. "Uh...yeah? Why wouldn't I be?" "Well, the receptionist said that you didn't work here anymore." "The hay?" He turned to Starshine. "Yo, Starshine, what's going on here?" For the first time since the conversation had started, Starshine's expression changed, albeit slightly. "Oh, Noteworthy, you're still here. Word around the office is that Two Step gave you the boot." Noteworthy looked ready to pop a blood vessel. "Where do these rumors keep coming from?! No, I was not fired!" “Well, it’s not like it would have been unusual or anything. I mean, I’m just a receptionist, and even I’ve heard about your re-” “STOP IT, STARSHINE!” Everypony stared at the white mare that had spoken up. Almost immediately, her face flushed with color. “I mean, uh, stop being so rude. Can’t we all just, you know, let it die?” Starshine rolled her eyes, smiled, and went back to Equestria Daily. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Have a nice day.” There was a tense silence. It was slowly broken as Noteworthy released a long sigh. “Okay. Come on, Lyra. Let’s get upstairs.” At this point, Lyra’s confusion had morphed into something akin to worry. Just what was she getting herself into with this? The elevator ride up seemed to drag on forever, Lyra noted. After the scene in the lobby, the air had become awkward. The conversation, already non-existent, was so dead that Lyra nearly jumped when Noteworthy spoke. “Oh, I just realized.” He turned to the two mares. “You two haven’t been properly introduced. Lyra, I would like you to meet Backbeat, my personal assistant. Backbeat, Lyra.” The two shook. “Nice to meet you.” Lyra offered. “And the same to you.” Backbeat responded, her bespectacled eyes lighting up. With a ding and a short lurch, the silver, double doors that marked the elevator entrance slid open. However, none of them stepped forward; it was only the fourteenth floor. On the contrary, Noteworthy stepped back, scowling at the new arrival. He was an earth pony stallion, just like Noteworthy. However, compared to him, Noteworthy was a tank; he was slim and smooth, as if he was a pegasus without wings. His cutie mark, a keyboard, adorned an ashen-furred flank. His mane bore a striking resemblance to that of the first taxi driver Lyra had encountered at the airport; jet-black, with an excessive use of grease. Sunglasses tinted just as dark as his hair covered his eyes. “Hey-o, Blues! You still here?” the stallion said, flashing a pair of pearly whites. Noteworthy wasn’t amused by the nickname. “Hello, Key Change. Yes, I’m still here. Thanks for asking.” “No problem.” Key Change stepped into place between Noteworthy and Lyra, carelessly pushing Backbeat into the back of the elevator. He turned to the turquoise unicorn on his left. “And a hello to you, Miss...?” “Uh, it’s Miss Lyra. Oh, um, I-I mean, it’s just Lyra.” Key Change grinned. “Lyra, huh?” Suddenly, he grabbed her hoof, and before she could react, leaned down and gave it a light kiss. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Lyra.” He only kept grinning as Lyra blushed in response. “So, Blues, this the new client everypony’s saying you got?” Noteworthy took in a calming breath. “Yeah. But I thought the rumors were saying I was fired.” “There are a lot of rumors.” Key Change responded before turning back to Lyra. “So, Lyra, what made you go for somepony like Noteworthy?” “Uh, I guess I just kind of met him after the Music Festival?” “‘Music Festival?’ Oh, you must mean the Canterlot Amateur Music Festival! Yes, now I know where I remember you from. Well, Lyra, my name is Key Change. You may know one of my clients, Bustin’ Jieber?” “You represent Bustin’ Jieber?” Lyra asked. Key Change chuckled. “Yes. Yes I do.” From behind him, Backbeat let out a groan so quiet only she could have possibly heard it. “And I have a question for you: how would you like to work with me?” Noteworthy snapped his head to Key Change. “What?!” Lyra gasped. “Wait, what?” “Oh, come on. What do you have to lose? Nothing. But to gain...” “I swear to Celestia, Key Change.” Noteworthy huffed. “Lyra is my client and I will not-” “Really?” Key Change interrupted, pulling down his sunglasses to reveal a set of piercing gold irises. “She’s already signed a contract, and everything?” “Well, no, but-” “Then she’s free game. So, what do you say, Lyra? Music is a tough world; don’t you want the best chance of survival?” Lyra frowned. Despite the smile and sleek appearance, she did not feel comfortable with the direction in which the conversation was headed. She felt like a piece of meat. Noteworthy seemed nice. Key Change seemed(to use a term she heard from her parents often, when describing Canterlot types) like a complete douche. “Thank you for the offer, Key Change. But I think I’ll stick with Noteworthy.” Now it was Key Change’s turn to frown. “Fine. Your loss.” The elevator gave a short ding as the black screen near the ceiling turned to a definite ‘28.’ “She’s all yours, Blues.” Noteworthy snorted in frustration as the doors opened. “Let’s go, Lyra, Backbeat.” The gray walls that led from the elevator were lined with pictures, paintings, and doors. The pictures depicted various ponies paired with the hottest musicians, no doubt manager and client. Lyra made a small mental note: Noteworthy was nowhere to be seen. Each door was marked with a small golden sign, engraved with dark black lettering. Once they had reached the one marked ‘NOTEWORTHY,’ the stallion in question pushed the door open easily, standing aside to let his two companions through. The room was pretty big, surprisingly. However, despite the size, it was remarkably empty. The back walls was a dull white, only marked by two large windows. In front of it was a metal desk, filled with pictures, random knick-knacks and a lone Marecrosoft computer. In front of that were two red chairs, each one looking comfortable. A couch rested against the left wall. Lyra put her bags down and settled herself on the gray couch, slumping over in a style most comfortable for her. Her parents had always lectured her “not to sit like that.” Supposedly it could hurt your back. But who were they to tell her how to sit? She was a grown mare, and she would do whatever she felt comfortable doing. However, she did not feel comfortable with the confused stares Noteworthy and Backbeat were giving her, so she settled into a laying position. “So, if I could ask a question...” “Shoot.” Noteworthy replied, rummaging through a file cabinet as Backbeat swiftly caught the items he threw out. “What’s going on around here?” Backbeat placed a pile of papers on Noteworthy’s desk. “What do you mean?” “Well...with everything! I mean, first the receptionist said you got fired.” Noteworthy looked up from a manila folder. “Hey, that was a vicious rumor.” “Yeah, but why was there a rumor in the first place? And what was that on the elevator? Who was that guy?” “That’s Key Change.” Backbeat began. “He has the highest success rate in the entire Canterlot branch. Maybe even, uh, the entire company...” “Not that he deserves it.” Noteworthy interrupted. “All he does is use underhanded tricks and sleazy tactics. And, somehow, he always gets the best clients. It gets pretty frustrating sometimes.” He pulled a long sheet of paper filled with writing out of the folder.. “Ah, here we are!” He handed it to Lyra. “Your contract.” Lyra looked it over warily. She still wasn’t completely content with how things were being done here. She was surprised by the brevity of the document; it was able to fit onto a single page, albeit leaving no room to spare. It outlined the basic details one would expect from a music contract. The company held all performance rights, could terminate contract at any time, etc.. After checking twice for any hidden fine print, Lyra bit down on the pen Backbeat offered her and signed, giving a small flourish on the end of the straight line that marked her signature. She handed it off to Backbeat, who levitated it in the air to read it. It had just occurred to Backbeat that she didn’t actually know herself what was on one of these things. However, after reading it over, what concerned her about the contract was not what was on it; rather, what wasn’t on it. “Uh, Noteworthy, could I please talk to you for a moment?” Backbeat asked. “Outside, I mean.” “Of course.” Noteworthy replied. He turned to Lyra. “If you would just give us a minute.” The two stepped out of the office, Backbeat slowly shutting the door behind them. “So, what was it you needed?” “Uh, I was wondering...you do realize that this contract doesn’t mention the, um, deal anywhere on it?” Backbeat asked honestly. “Oh. Right. About that.” He swallowed. “Actually, I wasn’t actually planning on telling her until it was over.” he said with a nervous chuckle. “I mean, what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her, right?” Backbeat gasped. “Noteworthy! Do you know how mean that is? What if she gets rejected? Can you even imagine how she would feel?” Noteworthy sighed. “Well, considering I would be out of a job too, I’d say I have a pretty good idea.” He grabbed her hooves. “Please, Backbeat. If Lyra- or Heartstrings, I guess, finds out about this she’ll probably flip. She’s already pissed.” Backbeat adjusted her brown glasses. “I, um, wouldn’t say she’s ‘pissed.’ She seems more confused, than anything. And I don’t think we’ve known her for long enough to say whether she would, you know, quit or not.” “Look. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. But we’ve got less than a week left, and we need to get Lyra ready for whatever Two Step’s got planned for her.” Noteworthy said, staring imploringly, straight into Backbeat’s brown eyes. “Can you please just go along with it for one week? For me?” “I-I-I...ah...” She sighed. “I guess so.” “Best assistant, I’m telling you!” Noteworthy cheered. He slowly opened the door and stepped into the office once again. Backbeat followed behind him, trace amounts of guilt lingering in her mind. Lyra clumsily shifted from a sitting position back to a laying one. “Oh, hey.” Noteworthy didn’t seem to notice. “Okay, Lyra. Do you mind if we head straight down to the studio, or do you have something else planned?” “I’m completely fine with that. Let’s go!” Lyra said, jumping from the couch. “But wait...I still have my bags. Should I leave them here, or...?” Backbeat nodded. “Don’t worry, your things will be safe here. Actually, I could probably book your hotel room, if you want me to. Unless you already have one.” Lyra smiled. “I actually didn’t, so thanks.” Backbeat nodded again, and left the room. Lyra went to grab the black bag that held her lyre. “Wait, Lyra.” Noteworthy called. “Hm?” “You can leave that here. We won’t actually be needing it.” The aquamarine mare raised an eyebrow. “But I thought we were going to the studio? Aren’t we recording?” Noteworthy nodded. “Yeah, we are. Just trust me on this.” She fell silent for a moment, but eventually relented. “Okay. You’re the expert.” Predictably, the elevator ride was just as slow. However, now that they knew each other a little more, the silences weren’t so awkward. “So,” Noteworthy began. “How do you like Canterlot so far? It must be pretty different from Ponyville.” “Actually, I used to live here. I was a student at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.” “O-ho! Really? That completely trumps my Hoofington High School diploma. Must be pretty easy to get a job with a degree like that.” “Yeah, it probably would be. But I, uh...dropped out. Heh, heh.” “Oh.” The God of Awkward Silences jumped for joy. “But, yeah, it is pretty different than I remember it.” Lyra continued, attempting to salvage the conversation. “The cab over here from the airport cost me eighteen bits! Eighteen! When I was living here, that would have been next to nothing!” “Well, they do have a lot of high-class ponies here. They need to make money somehow!” “Tell me about it. Have you ever been to Grand Galloping Gala?” Lyra asked. Noteworthy shook his head. “It’s a nightmare. Nothing but snooty mares and stuck-up stallions everywhere.” “You’ve been to the Grand Galloping Gala?” Noteworthy asked, incredulous. “Yeah. My fillyfriend, Bon Bon, has a cousin who won our town’s Running of the Leaves race, and she won two tickets. She didn’t want them, so she gave them to Bon Bon and me.” “Fillyfriend?” Noteworthy questioned. He was surprised; Lyra didn’t seem like the type. “Oh!” Lyra blushed. “Not like that! I mean, she’s just a friend who’s also a filly. You know what I mean.” Noteworthy chuckled. “Of course.” The elevator beeped, and within seconds, the door opened. However, the studio they were headed for was the 65th floor(the building was 101 floors in all, one of the biggest in Canterlot). They were only on the 40th. Unlike the previous elevator ride, no one currently in the car hated the pony stepping on. In fact, Lyra loved her. The mare’s head was completely covered by a shock of electric blue hair, a few strands falling in front of the purple sunglasses that graced her face. Her fur was a white matching that of Celestia’s, contrasted by the pure black of the backwards double quaver on her flank. She was known throughout Equestria as the Queen of Rave, Rap, and Pop. She was Vinyl Scratch. Or more commonly known as DJ Pon-3. Lyra tried to contain her hyperventilation as Vinyl stepped on and hit the button for the roof. “Y-you’re...” Vinyl turned to her admirer and smiled. “Yo, filly, you okay?” “YES! I OKAY!” Lyra yelped, nodding wildly. “But, but, you’re...DJ Pon-3! One of the greatest musicians in Equestria!” “Aw, dude, you’re makin’ me blush!” Vinyl replied, her smile unfading. “Always cool to meet a fan.” At that moment, she noticed the large, blue stallion sitting next to Lyra. “Yo, Blues! Wass shakin’, my brotha’?” She held up a hoof. Not even Noteworthy could get mad at the charismatic Vinyl Scratch for using the name he so despised. “Nothing much, Vinyl. How’s life?” he said, returning her brohoof. “It’s all good! Just headin’ up to the roof for some air. Gold Bar can be a pretty intense manager, I can tell you that.” She looked back at Lyra. “Do you want an autograph, or something?” Lyra nodded her head just as furiously as before, but slowed just as quickly as she had started. “I don’t think I have a pen or paper, though.” Vinyl laughed. “Filly, you stay famous for long enough, and you learn to be prepared.” Her horn shone blue for a moment. Suddenly, a picture of her playing and a marker emerged from her hair. “So, who should I make this baby out to?” “Lyra?” “Cute name.” Vinyl said, quickly sliding the marker over the paper in a messy signature. At that moment, the elevator pinged, signaling Lyra and Noteworthy’s stop. “See you around sometime, Ly. See ya, Blues.” As soon as the elevator doors shut, leaving the two alone, Lyra gave a fangirlish squeal. “EEEEEE! DJ Pon-3 knows my name! And she has a nickname for me!” "I didn't think you would be such a big fan of Vinyl Scratch. With an instrument like the lyre, I figured you'd be all classical." Noteworthy said, beginning to walk down the wide hallway. Every few yards, a door would interrupt the vast stretch of wall. Each one led into a recording studio. “Oh, no! I love modern music! I'm always open to new things." Noteworthy swallowed. "That's good to hear." "Okay, so how are we going to do this?" Lyra asked. Noteworthy sat at a large machine that sat against an even larger window. It was lined with lights and buttons of all shapes and sizes, so much so it gave Lyra a headache just to attempt to comprehend it all. The window looked into a small, metal chamber. A bright lighf illuminated the only occupant: a lone microphone that hung stiffly from the ceiling. "Before we get into the business of composing and all that, I just, uh, want to have another taste of what you sound like." He grabbed a few papers from a drawer below the machine. "Here, I had this prepared for you." Noteworthy handed her the papers, and motioned to a door that led into the chamber. "Head on in." "…Okay? I don't really see how this going to work without my lyre, but whatever." Lyra said, pushing the gray door open. A pitch black pair of headphones were hung on the microphone. Lyra shakily levitated them onto her head, and adjusted ths microphone to match her height(whoever had been there before her was either very short, or had been sitting). For the first time, she looked at the papers that she had been given. Lyra smiled. In the paper, emblazoned in clear cut black text were the lyrics to the song "Need You Now" by Filly Postbellum. Lyra loved this song! They played it all the time on her favorite radio station, "K-COLT." She had even composed a cover of it on lyre, just for whenever she wanted to hear it. But wait...these were just the lyrics. What was she...? "Okay, Heartstrings, do you know this song?" Noteworthy said through a microphone of his own. He was fiddling with the different controls that the machine was mottled with. His voive seemed to come at her from all sides. "Uh, yeah, I do. But what are you expecting me to do with this? I have no instrument." She thought for a moment. "And what did you call me?" If Noteworthy had heard her last comment, he didn't show it. He flicked a switch, and a few melancholy piano notes floated out of the speaker. "Yes, you do. You have your voice!" Noteworthy remarked. "Sing!" Whatever trace of a smile Lyra had disappeared immediately. "Wait, wait, what?! I-I-I can't sing!" "Psh!" Noteworthy replied. "I bet you're great! Now, get ready, your cue is coming!" Lyra swallowed, but found some difficulty attempting to pass the lump that had formed in her throat. "Here...here I go?" “PIIcture PEEEErfEct memoRIIIEs, scAAtTtered all around the flOOra...” Noteworthy grabbed his headphones and moved them as far away as possible, to no avail. The screeching sound of Lyra attempting to sing still bored into his eardrums as if it were an angry wasp. “REEeaching for the pHone, cause I can’t fIight it anyYymore...” In the next recording room, through the sound-proof walls that separated them, Sapphire Shores snorted in frustration. “I simply CANNOT work with that horrible screeching!” she yelled, stamping a hoof. “What is that?!” “And I woOnder if II ever crOss your MiNd...” Back in Lyra’s hometown of Ponyville, Pinkie Pie had just dropped a perfectly good cake on the floor, after she had begun to shake uncontrollably. Mr. Cake dropped the spoon he had been carrying, stared at his employee for a moment, and sighed. “Okay, I’ll bite. What does this one mean, Pinkie?” “Hu-bu-bu-bu-bu! Something big is happening! Something big and bad!” “Where? Can you feel it?” “All the way in Canterlot! Boy, I sure do hope the Princesses are okay!” “HOLY ME, WHAT IS THAT?!” Celestia screeched, holding her hooves over ears. “NO MATTER HOW MUCH I TRY, I CAN’T STOP THE NOISE!” Luna crouched in the corner, her left eyelid twitching every few seconds. Suddenly, she began to sob uncontrollably, and started banging her head into the stone wall. “Make it stop, Celestia! MAAAKE IT STOOOOP!” Two royal guards looked on in a mix of confusion and panic. “Uh...should we do something?” His partner shrugged. “I can’t hear anything. Must be their, you know...time of the month?” Luna stopped banging her head, and glared at the guard. “THOU SHOULD COUNT THYSELF FORTUNATE THAT WE ARE IN A FRENZY, WHELP.” “For mEE It happEns all the tIIIIIIIIIII-” “FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD, STOP SINGING!” Noteworthy screamed through his mic, the volume of his voice sending Lyra sprawling. He looked up through the 8-inch thick window, only to be greeted by a giant crack. Lyra lifted herself up and shuffled her hooves. “So...how did I do?” Noteworthy held back tears. “I...I don’t even know. I think my ears are bleeding. No offense.” She sighed. “None taken. I tried to warn you! I’ve never been very good at singing-” “‘Never been very good?’ That’s an understatement! That was a trainwreck! I’m amazed I haven’t already been smacked with fifteen lawsuits for medical expenses!” Noteworthy rebutted, beginning to hyperventilate. “I mean, uh, no offense, again.” Lyra glared at him. “None taken. Why did you want me to sing, anyway? I thought I was just going to be playing lyre, and that’s it.” She pushed open the door, and entered the room Noteworthy was sitting in. Noteworthy gave a nervous chuckle. “Oh yeah, I mean- I just wanted to see if you could sing, as well as play, you know...” “Is that really it?” Lyra asked, looking Noteworthy straight in the eye. “Because I think you’re lying to me. What’s really going on here?” "Oh, no, nothing. We're...we're all good." "Look." Lyra said, advancing toward the blue stallion. "I might be a chump, but I'm not naïve. I can tell that there's more to this than you're letting on. Tell me." There was an uncomfortable silence. It had just become very clear to Noteworthy that this wasn't going to work if he kept keeping secrets. "Fine. I guess you have a right to know the truth." Backbeat felt like laughing, she was just so happy. She usually didn't believe Noteworthy when he said she was the "best assistant ever." He was just being nice; and she knew better than anyone how nice Noteworthy was. He was just always there, giving you a hoof. And a pretty sturdy hoof, at that. A sturdy hoof, connected to a burly leg, connected to a muscular torso... Backbeat noticed the rims of her glasses were beginning to fog. What had she been thinking about again? Oh right, being happy. This time, she really was the best assistant ever. She gotten Lyra- or Heartstrings, rather, a suite at one of the best hotels in town, the Windwoods. But that wasn’t all. According to the Windwoods website, they were in need of a headliner for their weekly dinner theater. This week it was some magician, the name of whom Backbeat couldn’t recall. And they had specifically requested a singer! This was the perfect place for Heartstrings to make her start. Surprisingly, signing up for the gig hadn’t been hard at all; she had been able to conduct the entire thing in one phone call. They had said something about nopony wanting to be caught dead headlining for...whatever her name was. She had shrugged it off at the time. They were just being harsh, is all. Noteworthy and Heartstrings would be so happy. She opened the door to the studio Noteworthy had let her known they were going to be using. “I have big-” Lyra pointed an accusing hoof at Backbeat. “DID YOU KNOW?” Backbeat recoiled. “I, uh, wait, huh?” Lyra walked to her fellow unicorn with imploring eyes. “Did you know about this ‘deal’ that Noteworthy had going on?” The white unicorn searched for Noteworthy, hoping for some advice as to what to do. However, the only thing she found was a blue lump curled up under the recording machine, letting out a whimper every few seconds. “I-I-I don’t know?” Backbeat stammered. “You don’t know what?!” “I...I don’t know if I knew?” Lyra stamped her hooves in frustration. “I swear to Celestia! Can nopony give me a straight answer?!” “I...Heartstrings, I think-” “AND WHY DOES EVERYPONY KEEP CALLING ME THAT?!?!” Lyra screamed, tugging at her mane. “My name is Lyra! Not this ‘Heartstrings’ bullcrap! Seriously, who would come up with the name Heartstrings? It’s the worst name I’ve ever heard!” Backbeat sunk low to the floor. “I, uh, I’m sorry...” “Yeah, I bet you are!” Lyra huffed, pacing around the room. Noteworthy shuddered whenever she got too close. “My parents were right, Canterlot types are all the same! They lie and cheat just to get what they want! You were probably just going to throw me away once Noteworthy’s job was safe!” Backbeat picked herself up. “That is not true!” She rushed to Lyra, and gave her a quick jab in the side. “I’m not going to hide it; yes, we did lie to you. But that doesn’t mean we don’t care! We wanted you to succeed just as much as you did.” Lyra could only stare in shocked silence as the formerly timid mare lectured her. This wasn’t the pony she had met before. “We’re not evil, Lyra. You’re a good musician. You know that, and we know that. Now, you can stay and we can work together. Or you can leave, never see any of us again, and forget this whole thing ever happened. And let me tell you, I don’t look very kindly upon those who quit.” Backbeat huffed, punctuating her sentence with a piercing stare. “I...I don’t...” “Well?” Lyra stared down at her hooves. What was she doing? They had lied to her! She was being played! If she was sane, she would leave right there. Let them deal with their own problems! But yet...she wasn’t sane. She was a chump. Lyra sighed. “I...I get it. And...I’ll stay.” Backbeat nodded. “That’s good.” At that moment, her posture softened a bit. “I’m sorry I had to get so, uh, intense there.” “It’s okay. I was a bit out-of-line too.” Lyra said. There was a moment of silence, ended only by a shaky whimper. “Speaking of which...you might want to check on Noteworthy. I kinda...” Backbeat stared at him. “Let me guess. You flamed?” Lyra rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah.” Hesitantly, Backbeat touched the shuddering mass of blue fur. “Uh, Noteworthy? Are... are you okay?” “So...so much fire...” “Noteworthy?” Backbeat shook him a little bit. “Noteworthy, wake up.” she said tersely. “Fire...and the yelling...” Her horn became coated in a transparent white light. “NOTEWORTHY!” Backbeat yelled, a tinge of magic surrounding her voice. With a surprising amount of strength, Backbeat lifted him up, and gave him a firm slap across the face. “Wake up!” “Ai-yaa! Backbeat, what was that for?” Noteworthy asked, rubbing his cheek, the skin of which was beginning to turn red. “Oh! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! You just weren’t answering, and I, uh...” Backbeat whispered. Now she was the one who was turning red. Noteworthy shook his head. “Whatever. Anyway, what’s going on? Did Heartstrings leave?” Lyra stepped into place beside Backbeat. “Nah, I decided to stick around. I’m a sucker for a good sob story.” They all laughed. Suddenly, Lyra’s face turned grave. “But if you keep calling me that, I swear to Celestia-” “Okay, okay, I get it.” Noteworthy said, holding up his hooves defensively. “Anyway, I’d...I’d say we’re done for today.” Lyra nodded sheepishly. “Oh, really?” asked Backbeat. “I didn’t realize how long I was gone!” She turned to Lyra. “I bet you were great.” Noteworthy and Lyra exchanged glances. Lyra motioned for him to say something. “Oh, uh...Backbeat, about that...” “Oh, that reminds me.” Backbeat began. “I have a big surprise. I figured, since we only have a week and all, it would be best to give Lyra as much experience as possible. So, I signed her up for a gig!” Noteworthy gaped. “You did what now?” “In two days, Lyra will be headlining for the Windwoods Presents Performance Series!” Lyra stared at her in wide-eyed fear. “D-doing what?” she asked shakily. She couldn’t have. There was just no way. “Why, singing of course!” Noteworthy let out a high-pitched moan, and fell to the floor. “D-di-did I do something wrong?” “Ah!” Noteworthy yelped, shooting up from the couch where he lay. A small, blue icepack tumbled from his head to the red velvet carpet below. He was...back in his office? But he was just at the studio, recording with Heartstrings. And she had been terrible. Like...he couldn’t even think of something that had been as bad as that. Well, he had just woken up which meant that it had all been a dream. Heartstrings probably wasn’t even here yet. And Backbeat definitely hadn’t booked them a gig without telling him. It was all a dream... “Oh, you’re awake! Backbeat, he’s awake!” Noteworthy turned his head to the left. Standing over him, smile planted on her face was Heartstrings- no, wait, Lyra. He couldn’t place his hoof on it, but something told him Lyra was better at the moment. Lyra placed a bowl of water on the table that sat before Noteworthy. “Drink up. You took a pretty nasty fall.” “I-Wait, I...what happened?” Noteworthy asked, leaning down to lap at the icy liquid. Before Lyra could answer, Backbeat walked in. She carried a ruby red thermos around her neck. “Oh, good. I was so worried.” She trotted to the table and sat on the floor. “...Sorry about that.” Noteworthy stopped abruptly. “And what are you sorry about, exactly?” Lyra suppressed a gasp. He didn’t remember! That meant they could probably just get around this without him fai- “About signing Lyra up for the performance at the Windwoods.” Backbeat explained, adjusting her glasses. “Don’t you remember?” The only thing that could be heard once she stopped talking was the sharp sound of a turquoise unicorn slapping her hoof against her own face. Noteworthy’s pupils shrank to pin-points. His breathing became shallow. Lyra, who had since prepared herself for such an event, whipped out a brown paper bag and held it to Noteworthy’s blue muzzle. “OH *huff* CELESTIA *huff* I’M GOING TO *huff huff* GET FIRED.” Noteworthy gasped. Lyra sighed. “Noteworthy, calm down. Nopony’s getting fired. All we have to do is think of a way to get around this.” Noteworthy threw the bag to the floor. “Get around this? They’re expecting a five star singer, Lyra! You are not a five star singer!” Once again, Backbeat had shrunk to the floor. “Uh, sorry, again. And I’ve been, uh, thinking.” Lyra and Noteworthy turned to the white mare. “Yeah?” the stallion asked. “I mean, we could always, you know...cancel, couldn’t we?” “NO!” Lyra shrieked, stamping a hoof so hard it got even Noteworthy to jump. “THE SHOW MUST GO ON!” Her chest was puffed out in something that resembled pride. The other two stared at the unicorn with questioning looks. “What?” they said in unison. Lyra kept her pose for a moment before deflating. “Look, it’s just kinda a thing I have.” Lyra explained. “I may not be the best musician ever, but I do have my standards. And my one greatest philosophy is ‘the show must go on.’” She smiled. “I’ve never cancelled a show in my life, and I’m not about to.” Noteworthy dunked his head into the water. The freezing pain did nothing to calm his mind. “Well, what are we supposed to do, then? If we let you sing, we’ll probably end up getting run out of town.” There was a pregnant silence. “No offense.” Lyra frowned at him. “Okay, sorry.” Lyra and Noteworthy looked to Backbeat expectantly. She was sipping a dark brown liquid, which he could only assume was coffee, out of the thermos she hung around her neck. “Hm?” she asked, looking at them innocently. “What should we do?” the aquamarine mare asked. “I...don’t know.” “But you always know!” Noteworthy cried, holding his hooves to his head. “You’re the best assistant ever! You always have an idea!” “What am I, a one-trick pony?” Backbeat rebutted, her face stern. “Uh, sorry. But, I don’t really have an idea...” The three sat staring off into space. For once, it seemed as if everything wasn’t going to work out in the end. What were they supposed to do now? Was Lyra just supposed to stand by and watch Noteworthy get fired? Lyra rubbed her temples, trying to think of something, anything, that could get them out of the mess they were in. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she silently regretted ever winning that stupid festival. Blue Belle looked smart. She would probably know how to get out of this. That was when it hit her. An idea. In all honesty, it probably wouldn’t work, but, hey, what did they have to lose? Lyra stood up. “I...I think I might have a plan.” Noteworthy nearly jumped out of his seat. “You do?! What is it, what is it?” “Look, before I tell you, you have to know: I can’t guarantee anything. Like, at all. I’m pretty much going out on a limb here.” Backbeat gave a docile smile. “Something is better than nothing, I always say.” Noteworthy nodded in agreement. “I have a feeling I might just know somepony who can help us out.” (I'm not going to lie, I don't think this chapter was of the highest quality. But since I finished this, I've finally made an outline of how the entire story is going to go. Expect things to improve! Stay tuned! Also, if you couldn't guess, Lyra was butchering the song "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum)
TalentsIn one quick motion, Lyra wrapped a fresh towel around her soaking wet mane. She hummed quietly to herself as she exited the bathroom and walked into the bedroom that made up most of her suite. She looked at the clock: '7:16.' Backbeat would probably be arriving in a few minutes. Lyra had to wonder: just what kind of budget was Noteworthy running on? It had to be a big one, considering how large her room was. It was comparable to her cottage back in Ponyville. The walls were a pale yellow, with thin brown stripes running vertically down them. The carpeting was soft and ridged, comforting Lyra’s hooves as she walked. Even her bed was spacious, being big enough to fit at least four full size ponies. At the front desk, they had called it the Princess Suite; a fitting name, she thought. knock knock Lyra turned towards the door. Had she heard something? It...didn’t sound like anything. It was probably just the wind. Lyra turned back to her suitcase, rummaging around for something nice to wear. Knock Knock The unicorn turned back. She knew that she had heard something that time. She trotted to the door, and looked through the small peephole that marked the center of the white door. Outside, sitting demurely in front of the door, was a unicorn with fur just as white as the door itself. She unlatched the lock, and pulled it open. “Oh, hi, Backbeat.” Backbeat walked in slowly, gazing around Lyra’s hotel room. “Wow, no wonder this cost so much.” Chuckling, Lyra stepped in front of a large mirror that graced the room’s north wall. “Thanks again for getting me a room here. I hope it wasn’t too hard. Let give me a few more minutes to get ready, okay?” asked the turquoise mare. She didn’t get a response. “Backbeat?” “Oh!” Backbeat piped up. “Sorry, what did you say?” “We’ll be good to go in a few minutes?” “Oh...no, don’t worry. Take all the time you need.” At that point, Backbeat noticed Lyra putting a somewhat strange looking contraption on her hoof. It appeared to be a dark brown glove, with round plastic rods sticking out of the flat part that covered her sole. Seeing that she had pulled it on correctly, Lyra smiled and began to run the rods through her damp mane, styling it from a flat form to the wavy one she liked. “Wait...what is that?” asked Backbeat. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen something so...uh, unique?” Lyra stopped brushing and stared at her fellow unicorn. “What, you’ve never seen a hoof-brush before?” Backbeat shook her head. “It’s what earth ponies and pegasi use to brush their manes. You know, no magic and all.” “But...you’re a unicorn.” “Yeah, but I’m no good when it comes to magic.” Lyra explained, placing the brush’s teeth back into her hair. “I doubt I could even handle trying to move the brush through my mane. I thank Celestia sometimes for making my special talent playing the lyre; all you need to play it is hooves.” Backbeat nodded slowly. “Right. That’s nice.” Lyra blinked. “No, not really. It’s kind of annoying, actually, to be a unicorn without magic.” Once again, there was no response. “Backbeat?” “Huh?” “Are you even listening?” Behind her brown glasses, Backbeat’s eyes widened. “I am, I am! You were talking about, uh...your magic? And how, it, uh...” she trailed off. Lyra raised an eyebrow. “Okay, I’m sorry. It’s just...I’m kind of depressed about tonight.” "Oh, I see. Well," Lyra walked to her friend. "We can still have fun, can't we?" "Yeah, I guess. But, I mean, I don't wanna sound ungrateful or anything, but you did kind of lead me on a bit." The white mare hung her head. "I guess Noteworthy just doesn't want to go on a date with me." "Now, wait just a minute!" Lyra exclaimed. "That isn't true at all. Do you want to know why Noteworthy did what he did?" Backbeat looked at Lyra curiously. "Why?" "He's a boy." "A...boy?" Lyra shut her eyes and nodded sagely. "Yep. And if I know anything about romance at all, it's that boys stink at it. So don't get too worried. Noteworthy will come around eventually, I promise." Backbeat beamed. "Thanks, Lyra. I needed that. So, are you ready to go?" Lyra contemplated the question for a moment, before a devilish grin planted itself on her face. "Yeah, I am. But you aren't." "Huh?" gasped Backbeat, startled by Lyra's accusation. Had she forgotten something? "Listen. Noteworthy might not think of this as a real date...but that doesn't mean that you don't have to!" Lyra explained. While she was talking, the turquoise unicorn was rummaging through the closet that was built into the west wall of the room. "And, if you're going on a date, you have to look good, don't you?" Backbeat looked down to inspect what she was wearing, which was...nothing. Well, at least her mane was groomed. And she smelled fine(at least, in her opinion). But the fact remained that Lyra was right: she hadn't dressed up at all for tonight. "I...I guess I could dress up a little." “Okay...this should be the address.” Backbeat told the taxi driver, reading off a small piece of paper. “Could you pull over on the right, please. But, uh, if you want to go to the left, that’d be cool too, I guess.” The taxi veered right, off of the busy Canterlot road and onto a narrow side street. Lyra peered out her window. That was when she realized: unless Noteworthy was just the least romantically inclined pony in the world, he really didn’t realize what Backbeat meant. The street itself was dirty and dark, being situated in the heart of downtown Canterlot. And it only held one restaurant: The Bluenote. Both mares agreed that this must be the place. Lyra got out first. While she wasn’t ever planning on going all out when it came to dressing up for this date, she was going to at least look professional. However, after giving Backbeat her makeover, Lyra had deliberately made herself look at bit haggard. It emphasized just how good looking Backbeat was. Not that Backbeat needed it. Even Lyra was stunned my the red-maned mare’s beauty. She had borrowed from Lyra an elegant red dress. By pure luck, it had turned out that the two ponies were the exact same size, so the gown fit Backbeat perfectly. After just a little grooming, Backbeat’s fur glistened with the reflected light of the moon. Even her brown glasses seemed to be unusually sleek. Unfortunately, neither of them had any perfume—however, it didn’t really matter, as Lyra had confirmed Backbeat’s suspicions that she smelled fine. The two stepped into the restaurant, and were immediately amazed by how dark it was inside. It was already night outside, but the two unicorn’s eyes still needed to adjust to the new lighting. They barely even saw the brown waitress approach, levitating two menus. “Table for two, ladies?” “Uh, no, actually.” Backbeat responded. Dressing up Backbeat had taken longer than expected, and it was well after eight. “Our friend should already be here. He’s a-” The waitress' eyelids lowered. “Blue stallion, tall build, not too muscular, kinda cute?” Lyra chuckled. Backbeat only blushed silently at the mare’s description. “H-How did you guess?” Backbeat asked, staring at the waitress’s brown hooves. “He came in here about twenty minutes ago, saying he was waiting for two unicorn mares. Told ‘im he could only stay if he bought something. He’s right over that-a-way.” She pointed across the restaurant. Sitting alone at a large table right next to an empty platform was Noteworthy. “You two should count yourselves lucky; Wednesday is the best night of the week!” Lyra raised an eyebrow. “Really? Why?” She winked. “You’ll see~” the brown pony responded, placing the two menus down on a counter and turning away. Considering the dark lighting, the empty stage next to Noteworthy, and the waitress’ remark, Lyra really began to hope they hadn’t just walked into a strip club. Lyra began to make her way toward the table. Backbeat, however, stayed behind for a moment. She tapped the waitress on the shoulder, waited for her to turn, and muttered with steely conviction: “I will have you know that he is plenty muscular.” Once she made it to the stageside table, the first thing Lyra noticed about Noteworthy was his mane. Normally smooth and neat, his hair now looked like the Everfree Forest had somehow gotten up and moved itself on top of his head. Lyra cautiously tapped him on the shoulder. “Uh...Noteworthy?” Noteworthy threw his hooves into the air and groaned. “I already bought, like, five! What more do you vultures want?!” Lyra recoiled. “I, uh, it’s me, Noteworthy. It’s Lyra.” The next thing Lyra noticed, once Noteworthy turned, were his eyes. They looked bloodshot and irritated, as if he had been crying. His cheeks shared the same red color. “Oh, Lyra.” he said. “It’s only you.” Lyra’s nose involuntarily scrunched up at the stench that was Noteworthy’s breath. Despite the odor, it carried a scent familiar to Lyra: alcohol. The turquoise mare took a seat at the table, facing away from the stage. “I hope we didn’t keep you waiting for too long.” "Oh, no, no!" Noteworthy babbled, gesticulating madly. "I was fine! It took a while to finish all of these!" He gestured to the many small glasses that populated the table. Lyra blinked. "Noteworthy. You do realize that there are, like, eight shot glasses here, right?" Before Noteworthy could answer, Backbeat walked up to the table. “H-Hello, Noteworthy. Uh...nice night out?” The stallion mumbled incoherently before taking another drink. Backbeat sat down opposite Lyra. “So, what were you saying, Lyra?” Lyra laughed nervously. “Oh, uh, well...I was just commenting on, um...what...a good table to this is.” Backbeat wasn’t listening. She was staring expectantly at Noteworthy, waiting for him to notice her fancy new gown. Noteworthy was looking through the many empty glasses on the table, and marveling at all the prismatic colors reflected in the container. Seeing that he wasn’t going to respond any time soon, Backbeat looked to Lyra worriedly. Lyra shrugged her shoulders. The white mare shot Lyra an imploring eye. The turquoise unicorn sighed, before loudly clearing her throat. “Oh, hey, Backbeat! Where did you get such a beautiful dress? I love it so much!” This got Noteworthy’s attention. He now scanned Backbeat up-and-down, examining her borrowed dress. However, the decorated pony didn’t notice, as she was looking at Lyra, confused. “But...Lyra, uh, didn’t you gi- OW!” Backbeat yelped, nearly jumping out of her seat. “W-W-What was that for?” she shouted at her fellow unicorn. Lyra swallowed. For a moment, she started to think that she had stepped over some invisible boundary. Backbeat looked as if she was about to cry. People at other tables throughout the restaurant had begun to stare at them, obviously wondering why this sweet, little filly had felt the need to yell at this big, rough mare, who was obviously abusing her. The big, rough mare began to motion wildly with her head toward Noteworthy. Backbeat’s mouth fixed itself into an ‘o’ shape. She looked to the blue stallion. Luckily, Lyra noted, he seemed buzzed enough that he hadn’t noticed what had just occurred. "Oh, uh...this...old thing? It's, um, a Hoity Toity original, I-I think." "It looks so good on you, I'm jealous." Blushing, the bespectacled unicorn glanced at her crush. "What do you think, Noteworthy? I mean, do you like it?" "Yeah." said Noteworthy, still fiddling with the cups. "You look better than you usually do." Both mares frowned. Backbeat put her head in her hooves and looked wistfully at Lyra. Lyra returned the stare with a weak smile. "FILLIES AND GENTLECOLTS! WELCOME TO THE BLUENOTE CAFE!" The trio looked up at the stage. Standing proudly at the front, a microphone stand in front of her, was the waitress from before. About a yard behind her was a large machine, behind which a teal stallion stood, fiddling with the buttons. Everypony in the restaurant, except for Backbeat and Lyra, began to stomp their hooves in applause. “My name is Clockwork, and I have the great honor of being your hostess tonight! Now, please join me in welcoming our special guest: Neon Lights!” A spotlight opened up on the teal pony. He wore a jet black leather jacket, and sunglasses colored just as dark. His mane, also black, was styled into sharp spikes, reminiscent of a dragon’s scales. He gave a charismatic nod to the audience. It sparked another round of raucous applause. Clockwork laughed and brushed back a lock of her flowing white mane. “As some of you might already know, Wednesday is a very special day around here! Can anypony tell me why that is?” A slurry of answers shot forth from the audience. Lyra and Backbeat exchanged confused glances. Backbeat’s ears were folded back at the clamor. Lyra strained to make out what the people were screaming. She immediately wished she hadn’t. She wished she could leave, right then and there. Just get up and walk out. Hay, she wished it had been a strip club. Before she could warn Backbeat, Noteworthy screamed the answer out himself. “IT’S KARAOKE NIGHT!” Clockwork signaled for everypony to quiet down. “Well, along with this ringing in my ear, I’m pretty sure you all gave the right answer! It is our Weekly Karaoke Night!” Backbeat clapped happily. “Ooh, I’ve never been to a Karaoke Night before. Are they fun? Lyra?” Lyra groaned. “Hay yeah!” Noteworthy exclaimed, patting Backbeat on the shoulder. “I come here every Wednesday! It’s the best night of the week!” It was most certainly not the best night of the week—at least, in Lyra’s opinion. Noteworthy seemed too drunk to really care, and Backbeat...well, Backbeat had already downed eighteen large cups of coffee, and was twitching. They had been there for an hour and a half, and had probably only said ten words since the singing started. If you could tell anything, it was that Neon Lights seemed to think his job was to make sure little to no conversation could be made under the torrent of bass and bad singing. Clockwork seemed to be enjoying herself. Lyra figured that, with all the coffee Backbeat was ordering, the brown mare was expecting a sizable tip. She would visit their table every few minutes, smiling and whistling to whatever song was currently being sung. Backbeat wasn’t the only one who increased their liquid intake. Noteworthy had, at least, doubled on the amount of alcohol in his system. Now, he was prone to intermittent fits of sobbing about how he was “a failure,” drunken and unintelligible story telling, or scratchy singing. As for the singing: it was, in the kindest words Lyra could find, terrible. Apparently, they offered some reward to whoever was the “best” singer of the night, and everypony wanted it. Somewhere around the fifth rendition of “Time After Time,” Lyra could have sworn she started to feel some kind of warm liquid fill her ears. She began to regret thinking those insults about Blue Belle’s student, High Class; this is what it must feels like to listen to her singing. She had barely touched her food, a poorly made alfalfa sandwich. “Hey...Noteworthy?” Lyra asked, prodding the stallion. Noteworthy raised his head off the table and gazed and Lyra drearily. “Yesh?” “Is there any chance we could go? Like, soon?” Noteworthy laid his head back down. “Well, what the hay do you want me to do about it? I’m not in charge of these ponies.” Clockwork glared at Neon Lights. “I don’t know, but do something. Every pony who’s sang so far has been a girl. Some asshole already reported me once for sexism, and I’m not about to let it happen again.” Neon Lights took off his sunglasses. “I’m not gonna go out there and force a stallion to sing karaoke.” “Well, you’re gonna have to if you wanna get paid. Look, the song is about to end. You don’t have to force him, but try to get one.” Clockwork explained. Turning away and putting her smile back on, Clockwork cantered away from the DJ. “I swear...” Neon Lights muttered, turning off the music. “The things I do for drugs...” He put his sunglasses back on and walked out onto the stage. “Okay, fillies and gentlecolts! We’re going to do something a little different tonight! Instead of me picking from those who want to sing, I’m gonna pick from the ponies who don’t want to! Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know!” Lyra gulped before throwing herself under the table. She was not about to get picked. Neon Lights squinted. Maybe he shouldn’t have brought out the sunglasses; it was already dark in the restaurant without them. He scanned the audience. “Okay...mare, mare...no, too ugly...D.B....drunk...” He stopped when his eyes reached the table just to his left. Sitting quietly, as if they hadn’t even heard him, was a large, blue mare and a small, white stallion. Neon Lights was straight, he knew, but even this stallion looked oddly...attractive. “Hey!” he called down. “You, with the glasses! What’s your name?” Backbeat looked up at him. Her eyes were glazed over with caffeine. “Backbeat.” “Well, Backbeat, how would you like to sing?” Lyra, still hiding, chuckled. Backbeat was shier than a foal; she would never be able to sing in front of all these people. Neon Lights was barking up the wrong tree. “HAY YEAH!” Backbeat shouted, slamming a hoof on the table. She galloped to the stage’s stairs, and, within a few seconds, stood next to the teal stallion. “What now?” Neon Lights smiled. “Well, now you gotta pick your song. We have pretty much any song you would ever want, so-” Backbeat grabbed his microphone. “I want ‘The Perfect Crime’ by The Tale.” ` “Cool. Just wait a sec, and I’ll get it up.” Neon Lights walked back to his console. Lyra picked herself up, and settled into her chair. She was happy that Backbeat had gotten over her shyness—even if it was only because of the coffee. However, somewhere in the back of her mind, Lyra was worried. What if Backbeat got booed off stage, or something? She’d probably end up locking herself away for the rest of her life. Still, Lyra didn’t protest. She sat with Noteworthy, patiently waiting for the white mare to start. A light guitar began to play, accented by a hint of bass every few seconds. And, then, Backbeat began to sing. “If you love too much, or never enough, there will be no jury fastening the cuffs You’ll make a strong case in your own defense The trial will rest on your conviction That you did your best...” Lyra noticed her ears craning to pick up every note, every sound Backbeat made. She was...amazing. Not even Blue Belle could compare to this. Everypony in the audience seemed just as enthralled. Some were even crying, and Backbeat hadn’t even gotten through the first verse yet. Even Noteworthy, drunk as he was, had started paying attention. “When love gets twisted, who'll take the blame It's all in an afternoon and the heat of your shame You'll ask forgiveness; it was insane and this too shall pass away but it won't spare your name...” Noteworthy lifted his head, and was now staring at Backbeat. “You keep pretending it's okay you keep pretending that you'd lay your love on the line Why haven't you?” Neon Lights was grinning hard. He was getting paid, no doubt. “Rhubarb city, here I come.” His excitement only peaked when he noticed Clockwork walking toward him. But...she looked angry. “What? I got you your stallion!” He pointed at Backbeat. Clockwork glowered. “Neon. That’s a mare.” Neon Lights lifted his sunglasses and stared hard at Backbeat. “Oh. Well, that explains why I thought he was hot.” “Love is the perfect crime, and you'll never be convicted Love is the perfect crime and you'll never be convicted of love...” Backbeat closed her eyes and began to massage her temples. After just a few more moments of solo guitar, the song faded with a soft flourish. There was radio silence in the restaurant. Lyra looked around. Everypony was staring, petrified(save for those who were crying). It was almost scary. Suddenly, a sound broke the deathly quiet. Lyra searched for the source, only to be surprised by what she found: it came from the same table that she was sitting at. Noteworthy was stamping his hooves furiously, rattling the many plates and glasses that inhabited the tabletop. Lyra eyed him nervously, only to receive a strangely confident glance in return. Lyra opened her mouth to say something, but stopped quickly. She too, began to stomp her hooves. Soon, the entire room was shrouded in applause. Even Neon Lights, bummed as he was, was stomping. Backbeat opened her brown eyes and gazed bleakly out at her audience. "Wha...W-What happened? Where am I?" "Oh, snap! That was amazing!" Backbeat turned her head to the new noise. Moving toward her, with what looked to be a skip in its step, was a large, brown blob. She took off her glasses for a moment to rub the fatigue out of her eyes. Walking up to her, a slightly-annoyed grin plastered to her face, was the waitress, Clockwork. Why was she...? “Wait.” thought Backbeat. “What just happened?” She looked out at the adoring crowd. Then, she looked at the microphone stand that loomed in front of her. Then at Clockwork. Back to the crowd. The mic stand. Clockwork. All at once, her mind put the pieces together. Backbeat’s eggshell face quickly turned a dark crimson. “I-I-I...” she whimpered, backing away from the black stand. “No need to be shy!” Clockwork exclaimed, wrapping a leg around the singer and pulling her back up. “That was great! Everypony, let’s give it up one more time for our...Queen of Karaoke, Backbeat!” At Clockwork’s words, the room once again exploded in sound. Clockwork let go of the “Queen,” who was now shaking in fear. Backbeat stood stock-still, staring back at the audience. Suddenly, Noteworthy rose from his seat and smiled. “We should probably get her down from there.” Lyra stared, flabbergasted, at the suddenly sobered stallion. She nodded dumbly. By now, the stomping had settled, and now everypony was staring at the red-and-white mare that refused to leave the stage. Clockwork lost some of her winning smile. She waved a hoof in front of Backbeat’s face. “Uh...you okay?” “Don’t worry. We got her.” Noteworthy said, making his way onto the stage. Lyra followed behind. He offered a hoof to Clockwork, who shook it hesitantly. “Thanks for the meal. But I think we’ll be leaving now. That okay with you, Lyra?” “Sure.” “Backbeat?” Backbeat squeaked. “I’ll take that as a ‘Yes.’” Noteworthy remarked, grabbing Backbeat’s front-left hoof and leading her offstage. “Er...sorry about that, you guys.” said Noteworthy as the three exited the restaurant. “I always end up getting a little carried away with the alcohol.” Lyra eyed him nervously. “Okay, I can accept that...but how in the hay did you sober up so quickly? You were drunker than Berry Punch on Friday!” Noteworthy stared, confused, at the unicorn for a moment, before deciding to skip over the poorly-planned anecdote. “Actually...I’m not completely sure. Everything is blur, all the way from when I had my...ah, fourth drink, all the way up to Backbeat singing.” Both ponies now turned to Backbeat, who’s heart was still racing. “Now, maybe it was just because I’m an earth pony. We’re built strong. Or, it may have been because of you, Backbeat.” The shaking mare jumped. “M-M-Me?” “That singing...it was bucking magical. I think it may have somehow gotten rid of all the alcohol in my body. I’ve been into music my entire life, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard somepony sing as well as you did, up on that stage.” Despite her heart still beating like a cheetah, Backbeat’s face had, at the very least, paled compared to the burning red it had been before. But now, it flushed again. “I-Me-My...Er...you...y-you thought it was...m-magical?” Noteworthy grinned. “Hay yeah. Look, I’ll admit, it was a karaoke bar. But still, you managed to get that place cheering more than I’ve ever seen. And you somehow won the title of Queen.” Suddenly, Lyra stopped in her tracks. “Uh, Noteworthy, before we go any farther; where are we going, exactly?” She looked down the dimly-lit Canterlot avenue. “We’re pretty far from anyplace I know.” “Nah, I live a few blocks from here.” Noteworthy responded. “Let’s walk and talk. Anyway, back to you, Backbeat.” “W-What about me?” “I’m not completely sure, but I think I might have a plan for tomorrow. And it involves you.” Noteworthy began, shooting his assistant a confident look. “Okay, so we all know what the Windwoods is expecting Lyra to do tomorrow: sing. And, again, we all know that Lyra can’t sing. No offense. So, what I’m saying is that we change our singer.” Both mares stared at the blue stallion. Lyra was the first to realize what he meant. “Oh, come on, Noteworthy. It took about twenty gallons of coffee to get Backbeat up on stage tonight, and that was for a karaoke bar. How is she supposed to handle a five-star hotel?” “Wait, what?!” Backbeat yelped. “You, you want me to perform tomorrow?! I...I can’t perform for all those ponies!” “But Backbeat, you have to! If you don’t, we’re gonna get laughed out of Canterlot before the board meeting even comes. And didn’t you tell me that you wanted to find out what your cutie mark really means?” Noteworthy pleaded, pointing to the microphone on Backbeat’s flank.. A few seconds passed, with no response from Backbeat. “If you won’t do it for yourself...would you do it for a friend?” Noteworthy gave a hopeful smile. The words stung Backbeat like venom. Friend. While part of her(her more docile part) wanted to give in, just do the damn thing, and make Noteworthy happy, her other part(the part that carried her passion, anger, and self-preservation instincts) disagreed. A small voice sounded off in her head. “If Noteworthy isn’t going to care, neither should I.” Backbeat, for the first time in as long as anypony could remember, snorted. This small sound shocked both ponies into both pure silence, and pure fear. The formerly demure mare stared Noteworthy in the eyes. “No.” “No?!” both Lyra and Noteworthy repeated. Now it was Backbeat’s turn to be shocked. While she had been expecting that kind of reaction from Noteworthy—hay, her angry half wanted it—Lyra was another case. For some reason, perhaps because they were both mares, Backbeat had been expecting Lyra to back her up on this. Seeing her fellow unicorn's face, Lyra quickly added: "Oh, don't get me wrong, I agree with you, but...I guess I wasn't expecting you to actually say 'No.'" Backbeat’s eyes softened. “Oh, uh, well...” Noteworthy sighed. "Fine. I won't make you do something you don't want to. But, still: we need to do something, and quickly!" The trio walked in silence for a few blocks. Lyra knew that she should probably be worried about her coming performance, but for some strange reason, she just couldn’t focus on it. Street lights lined the sidewalk, giving everything a dark orange color. The three of them seemed to be the only ponies on the street at that hour. “Well,” thought Lyra, “it is only a Wednesday.” Strangely, she didn’t recognize this part of Canterlot from her time living there. If she had heard Backbeat read the address correctly while in the cab, they were somewhere in downtown Canterlot. Downtown was well-known for being very artsy, so Lyra went there often. Usually with her boyfriend at the time, Eiffel. She had loved Eiffel; unfortunately, he also played a major role in her “dropping out.” She hadn’t thought about him in years. He always loved to sing. This made Lyra smile. Imagine, if she were to find him like she found Blue Belle and ask him to help her? That would be the day. Another thing Lyra would always remember about him was how laid-back he was. Probably a result of smoking too much rhubarb, Lyra always said. The only time he ever became passionate about anything was when he talked about singing. More specifically, lip syncing. He hated the act with a passion, constantly deriding it whenever he had the chance. “It takes no skill!” Eiffel would say. “All it’s good for is all those wusses who can’t just sing by themselves. Even if they’re good! They’re just so scared that their precious ‘image’ will get ruined that they don’t even try.” Lyra backtracked over her thoughts. Can’t sing by themselves... Scared of singing in front of others... Suddenly, like a buck to the face, it hit her. She leaped into the path of her companions. “GUYS!” she yelped. “I think I have a plan that just might save us!” “Really?” Noteworthy asked. Backbeat stayed silent, still embarrassed by her short outburst before. “What is it?” “I know both of you have heard of lip syncing. Am I right?” She didn’t wait for a response. “Well...why don’t we do that?” Noteworthy considered Lyra’s offer. “I...what do you mean?” “Well, Backbeat’s too shy to sing in front of all those ponies. I’m a musician; I perform for hundreds of ponies all the time. But I can’t sing, while Backbeat can.” Backbeat and Noteworthy looked at each other. “So, if I get what you’re saying,” Noteworthy replied, “you want Backbeat to sing, while you move your lips?” Lyra gave her best Big Macintosh impression. “That...might just be crazy enough to work! Backbeat, is it okay with you?” Backbeat glanced at Lyra, concerned. “Would anypony be watching me sing?” Lyra draped a leg over her friend’s neck. “Not if you don’t want them to.” “...Okay. I’ll do it.” “YES!” Noteworthy cheered, throwing his head into the air. “We did it!” “Whoa there, Alky.” teased Lyra. “I only just came up with it. We still haven’t tested it or anything. Backbeat, what time am I headlining tomorrow?” “It’s a dinner theater, so it’s late. About seven. Eight is the main performance, I think.” “Okay. So all three of us come into Galaxy early tomorrow to practice.” Noteworthy said, looking between the two. “Is that a deal?” Seeing his companions nod in affirmation, he smiled and reached out a hoof. “We’re gonna do this!” Lyra put her hoof over his and smiled wide. “Hay yeah!” Backbeat simpered and let her hoof join the pile. “Right.” The three lifted their legs into the air and laughed. “Well, this is my stop.” Noteworthy remarked, gesturing to a high-rise that stood behind them. “I’ll see you both tomorrow. Good night!” As Noteworthy entered his building, Lyra giggled. “Well, tonight went better than expected.” Even Backbeat let out a small chuckle. “You’re right, it did. Even if we’re not together, it feels great to see Noteworthy happy.” This spurred a small ‘d’awww’ from Lyra, sending the two into another laughing fit. “So, uh, I should probably take you back to your hotel now.” “WAIT AAAAAAAA MINUTE!” Both mares looked down the street to where they had heard the new voice from. Galloping full speed toward them, a black fedora barely hanging onto her orange mane, was a light yellow pony with a camera around her neck. She stopped on a dime, just a few inches away from Backbeat, who jumped backwards in fright. Without missing a beat, the new pony(neither Lyra nor Backbeat could identify it as male or female) began to circle the duo, snapping away with her camera. “Hey- You-” Lyra stuttered, but was stopped each time by the bright flash of the camera. “What-” A flash hit her right in eye. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” For a moment, the pony stopped and shot Lyra a winning smile. “FILM REEL, HERE ON THE CASE!” it yelled quickly, before taking another picture. From its voice, Lyra could finally see that it was a she. “What ‘case?’ And calm down!” Film Reel stopped and frowned. Her eye began to twitch. “Well,” she began, considerably slower than before, “you’re Lyra! Almost two weeks ago, you won the Canterlot Amateur Music Festival! I tried to see you after the show ended, but you up and disappeared! I’ve been tracking you ever since!” “Ever since...why?” “You know, pictures, an interview. Equestria Daily readers eat this stuff up! And Film Reel, ace reporter, always gets her shot!” Lyra sighed. Backbeat was hiding behind her. “Fine. Shoot.” Film Reel smiled and began bouncing around again. “QUESTION ONE! HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WINNING?” “Uh...good, I suppose. It was definitely a surprise.” “SO YOU OPENLY ADMIT YOU’RE A TALENTLESS HACK?” “Wait, what?” Lyra said, recoiling. “No! I just-” “SO YOU OPENLY ADMIT YOU THINK YOU’RE BETTER THAN EVERYPONY!” “No!” Film Reel leaned over Backbeat, piercing the shy mare’s brown eyes with her sharp, blue ones. “WHO’S THIS? YOUR FILLYFRIEND?” Backbeat stared up, terrified. Lyra blushed and pushed Film Reel away. “Again, no!” Suddenly, she grabbed Backbeat’s hoof and began to run away. Film Reel followed close behind. “DON’T RUN FROM ME! I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!” (The song Backbeat sang is "The Perfect Crime" by The Story. If you end up trying to find it online, know that the only two places that have it are iTunes and Rhapsody. I had to go to an E.R. shipping site on Geocities to find the lyrics.)
Performances“Wow...there sure are, uh, a lot of ponies out there.” Lyra gave a grunt of approval at Backbeat’s comment. Currently, they were both waiting in the backstage area of the space the Windwoods used for their performances. Backbeat stared, both amazed and scared, from behind the curtain at the dozens of ponies that littered the outdoor dining hall/theater. There had to be at least a hundred, she figured, all dressed up for the occasion. It was as the hotel was a real theater, instead of...a hotel. Lyra simply shrugged it off; she was a professional musician, and was used to large crowds. Instead of gawking at the audience, Lyra was focused on the lyric sheet in front of her. Noteworthy had insisted they do a certain song for the performance, and, of course, it was one neither mare had ever heard before. Backbeat had picked it up pretty quickly, but Lyra, used to instrumental pieces, was still in the process of memorizing it. Even if she wasn’t going to sing, she still had to move her lips in time with Backbeat’s voice. She wasn’t worried, though—they had done perfectly back during their morning rehearsal at Galaxy. They just needed to run through it a few more times, and they would be good. Noteworthy was just a few feet away, pacing around the room. Understandably, he was nervous about the coming performance. He had seen and done some strange things throughout his music career. Hay, he had even worked with lip syncing machines before! But never in his life did he expect to be in the situation he was in now. There were so many things that could go wrong! What if one of them messed up? What if they were found out? What if “Noteworthy.” The stallion looked up to see Backbeat sitting in his path. She wore a weak smile, and worried eyes. “Noteworthy, are you, uh, feeling okay?” He took a deep breath. “Yeah. I mean, I’m just a little stressed, is all. I’ll be fine.” “Are you sure? ...Do you-” “I’m good on the coffee. Thanks, though, Backbeat. You have no idea how great it is to have you around.” Backbeat blushed, and returned to her spot near Lyra. She looked over the turquoise unicorn’s shoulder. “How are you doing on the song? I mean, do you, uh, know the lyrics and everything?” Lyra ran a hooftip along the last few lines of the song. “You finally find...you and I collide...” she whispered to herself, before smiling and rolling up the paper. “Okay, I think I’m good! Maybe we should just go through it once or twice mo-” The trio looked to the source of the new noise. Walking toward them, a headset around his skull and a clipboard levitating beside him, was a cyan unicorn stallion. His cutie mark was a megaphone. He wore a look of slight annoyance. “Clear out. We gotta get this ‘ere stage reh’ for tonoights pahformance.” he said through a thick Trottingham accent. All three stood. “Where should I wait?” asked Lyra. “Go foind ya dressin’ room. We’ll send somepony ova when it’s toim fa ya ta go on.” Lyra looked at Noteworthy. “We- I mean, I have a dressing room?” Noteworthy shrugged. The stage hand facehoofed. “It don’t mattah ta moi weh ya go, as long as ya don’t stoi ‘ere.” “Well,” Noteworthy said, taking a step forward, “let’s go, I guess.” At his words, the three walked out, into the side stage. He looked back at the mares. “So, I should find your dressing room. You two wait here. I should only be a minute.” It had been ten minutes. ‘This shouldn’t be so hard!’ Noteworthy thought to himself as he traversed the surprisingly large space the Windwoods used for shows. ‘It’s a whole room! Just find it already!’ Maybe he was stubborn. Maybe it was his stallion sense of pride. Maybe it was memories of countless family road trips, marred by his parents arguing about which turn to take. Maybe it was all three. But for some reason, Noteworthy could not bring himself to ask one of the many stage hands for assistance. Even when one had taken the initiative and asked him if he needed help, Noteworthy simply declined and said he knew where he was going. Cue suppressed giggling from the hand when Noteworthy passed him again, a minute later. Noteworthy was, without a doubt, stressed. Maybe Lyra and Backbeat couldn’t tell, but their entire situation was weighing down on him like a ton of bricks. The entire week he and Backbeat had been waiting for Lyra, he hadn’t worried at all. Who would have guessed that Lyra would turn out to be the worst singer in the world? Not him. And now that they were all stuck together like this...well, it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to deal with. Part of him(the more optimistic part) was telling him he should feel lucky. They had a plan! It was a strange one, no doubt, but it was a plan all the same. And he had to feel lucky about who he was working with. Backbeat was his best friend. She was loyal, kind and smart. Even if she was a bit strange(especially lately), she was the best assistant a pony could ask for. Lyra was a new friend, but still a friend. She was rational and creative. While she may not have been a genius in every facet of music, she was still one of the most musically-inclined ponies he knew. And he had only known her for about a week-and-a-half! Noteworthy took a deep breath, still walking down the dimly lit hallways of the Windwoods. He just needed to calm down... "Hey there, Blues." Noteworthy's ears pricked up at the use of his dreaded nickname. He recognized that voice. He turned. Standing just behind him, a confident grin dancing across his face, was Key Change. The blue stallion stared, silently steaming, at the new, ashen-furred pony. "Key Change, what are you doing here?" “Just waiting for the show to start, I suppose.” “You know that’s not what I mean. Why are you here? Who told you? How did you even get in?” “Whoa, slow down! One question at a time! You know that mare that came in second at the Music Festival? Blue Belle? If you didn’t know, I’m her manager now. Well, it turns out your Lyra went to see her the other day.” Key Change explained, beginning to circle Noteworthy. “She told Blue Belle about this concert, and Blue Belle told me.” He leaned in closer. “And I just had to see what Blues had cooked up. And, by the way, it’s a public performance. I have every right to be here.” Noteworthy swallowed. “That’s not my name.” “Oh, lighten up, Blues!” Key Change shot back, laughing. “It’s just a nickname. And you’ve got a lot of reasons to be happy! For the first time in...what, three years? You’ve got a gig that some ponies actually care about.” There was a pause. “At a hotel.” Key Change added. He was still grinning. Noteworthy glared. “And I know you’ve got those two mares all over your-” “YOU LIE!” Noteworthy yelped, pointing accusingly and blushing furiously. “I am a virgin, I haven’t gone anywhere near those two!” He crossed himself as he said it. A moment passed before Noteworthy realized what he had just said. “Wait, I mean-” He was interrupted by a guffaw from Key Change. “No, no, Blues, you don’t have to convince me, I believe you. Anyway, I’m expecting a great show.” Noteworthy took a step back. “Yeah, well, enjoy it. It’s gonna be amazing. I have stuff to do, so if you’d just let me go, I’d appreciate it.” he said. The blue pony walked toward Key Change, expecting him to move. He didn’t. Instead, Key Change began to look around, almost nervously. Noteworthy was about to ask what in the world he was doing, but he was cut short. Key Change suddenly removed his sunglasses, revealing a pair of piercing ruby-red eyes. His grin was gone, replaced by a look of anger. He moved into Noteworthy, and began to jab him in the chest with his hooftip. “You know, Blues, I don’t think you know something. Do you want to know what that is?” Noteworthy gaped. “I...what?” “You’re nothing.” Key Change seethed. His eyes narrowed. “Nothing at all, compared to me. I don’t know why you weren’t fired years ago. But somehow you’ve lasted this long, and I don’t like that. You have no idea how much I hate to tell you this, but do you know what you are?” “I-I-I...” Noteworthy stammered. He tried to retreat, but Key Change matched his every step. The ashen-furred stallion was jabbing him with every word. Noteworthy could feel a bruise forming. He wanted to resist, but there was some hidden quality in his rival’s irises that forced him to comply with Key Change’s prompts.” I-I...I’m n-nothing?” “Yes, but that’s not it. You, Blues,” he began mockingly, “are a threat. I don’t know how, but you somehow convinced Lyra to join you. She should have been with me, and you know that.” “B-but, you have Blue Belle! Isn’t she a-ama-amazing?” “Who, ‘Miss Second Place?’ She’s good, but not good enough. Not to mention she can’t make a single bucking mistake without crying for five hours.” Noteworthy swallowed, but found it a bit difficult, considering the lump that had formed in his throat. “S-So, I’m...I’m both a nothing and a threat?” Key Change just glared at him, red boring into blue. “Shut up. I’m going to give you an offer. I suggest you take it.” “Huh?” “Quit. Right now. Call Two Step, and quit.” Noteworthy blinked. “But why?” “That way, Lyra is fair game.” Key Change explained. “I can get rid of Blue Belle, and work with the pony I really want.” For the first time since Key Change had...changed, Noteworthy felt a flicker of confidence somewhere inside. He grabbed hold of it, and rebutted: “What makes you think Lyra would ever agree to work with an asshole like you?” Key Change slapped Noteworthy across the face. Noteworthy stood, stunned for a moment. “So, I’m assuming you accept my proposal?” “I, wait, you...” Noteworthy blubbered. “...NO!” Key Change bared his teeth. For a moment, Noteworthy could have sworn that the crazed stallion was going to lunge at him. But at the last moment, Key Change closed his mouth. He growled as his red eyes disappeared behind black lenses. "Fine then. If you won't quit, then I'll just have to crush you." Key Change said without missing a beat. He pushed past Noteworthy, and around a corner. Noteworthy gulped. What was that?! He had known Key Change was a jerk ever since they first met, but he had never seen the stallion like this. It was like Nightmare Moon herself crawled into his skin and died. “Oh, one more thing.” Noteworthy glanced at the corner Key Change had disappeared around. Now only his head was peeking out. His mane had been slicked back again, taming the few hairs that had escaped during his rant. That grin, the one that Noteworthy hated so, was back. He pointed down the hallway that Noteworthy had been originally heading down. “Go down this hall, take the right, take a left, and it’ll be the first door on your left.” he explained before leaving again. There was silence. Noteworthy’s eye twitched. “I KNEW THAT!” After Noteworthy had returned, and Backbeat had a moment of panic due to the red marks on Noteworthy’s chest and face(to which he explained: “It’s a long story”), Lyra and Backbeat made their way to the dressing room that was designated for events just like this. Despite the difficulty Noteworthy faced finding it, the dressing room was surprisingly close to the stage. "Wow..." Lyra whispered to Backbeat, "it's been a while since I've had my own dressing room. Well, I guess we'll be sharing it, so it's not all my own." Backbeat frowned. "Actually, uh, Lyra...we're going to be sharing the room with the main act. Sorry..." "Nah, it's fine, Backbeat." Lyra responded. Now, they were both standing in front of a large, orange wood door. A slightly dented sign near the top read: 'DINNER THEATER DRESSING ROOM.' Muffled screaming could be heard from inside. The two mares exchanged looks...before Lyra swung the door open. She was just in time to see an open water bottle hurtling straight toward her face. "Sweet Baby Luna!" Lyra cried as she ducked, letting the plastic container soar overhead. It exploded against the floor behind them. "The Great and Powerful Trixie specifically asked for ROOM TEMPERATURE WATER. Not this warm slop!" A yellow stage hand, just barely old enough to be considered a mare, cowered at the blue unicorn's wrath. "I-I'm sorry, Ms. T-T-Trixie. It won't happen again." Trixie stared down at the yellow unicorn, her body literally shaking with rage. "It most certainly will not. Now, go get Trixie what she asked for!” With that, the stage hand sprinted, tears running down her face, out of the room. It was only then that Trixie noticed the two new mares in the room. They all stared at each other for a moment, before the cyan mare nickered and turned back to her vanity stand. Her long cape flourished as she did it. "You simply can’t find good help these days." Lyra rolled her eyes and began to walk to the other side of the room. There, lining the walls, were three different stations, each one housing a variety of different mane styling tools, makeups, and mirrors. Backbeat followed close behind, being careful not to make eye contact with the angry silver-maned unicorn. The two pulled their seats closer to each other. "Don't worry," Lyra whispered, "she's just a washed-up magician. She's got nothing on us." “How do you know?” Backbeat responded, taking glances at Trixie. She swallowed. “S-She looks confident.” “A few months ago, she came to Ponyville. She told a bogus story about how she single-hoofedly defeated an Ursa Major. Six hours later, a real Ursa comes in, and she runs away. I’m amazed she’s back on the road already; she got roughed up pretty badly.” Backbeat looked down. “Oh. Well.” “But I guess I doesn’t really matter.” Lyra said. “It’s not like this is a contest or anything. Anyway, do you wanna practice? We’ve only got about a half-an-hour left.” The floor that Lyra and Backbeat stood on seemed to shake, their hearts were beating so hard. They could hear the hotel manager: an excitable young unicorn named Sweet Suite. She stood on the main stage, addressing the crowd. “Attention, fillies and gentlecolts! I trust that you have been enjoying your meals? We here at the Windwoods take pride in every thing that we do, and we hope that you find the fruits of our labor pleasing! But, I doubt you came here this evening just to hear me talk. Am I right, everypony?” There was a short murmur of agreement. The demurity of the crowd didn’t seem to faze Sweet. “Great! So, let me get to the chase. We have a great show for you tonight! Performing for us is a mare truly born of magic! The ‘Great and Powerful’ Trixie!” There was a round of applause, significantly louder than the last. Lyra rolled her eyes—these ponies didn’t know what they were getting into. “But first, we have a very special musical treat! It is my honor to present to you: Heartstrings!” As the crowd applauded, Lyra shot Backbeat an annoyed look. Backbeat held her hooves up defensively. “D-Don’t blame me! We got signed up for this before the whole, uh...incident. Anyway...get out there!” She nudged her head in the direction of the stage. The turquoise unicorn nodded before cantering out onto the stage. She had, like so many times before, shifted into her “concert mode.” She looked charming and professional. She looked as if she wasn’t about to basically cheat the entire audience. Lyra took her place at the mic stand. Sweet Suite was just a bit taller than Lyra, so she adjusted it...and while she was doing so, she flicked the “on/off” switch to the “off” position. As if it had been planned by Celestia herself, it just so happened that Backbeat knew a certain spell that would amplify one’s voice to whatever volume they wanted. As the red-maned unicorn never really liked to raise her voice, she was a bit out of practice—but she was still good enough for it to work. Lyra would simply mouth empty words into the inactive microphone, while Backbeat did the real singing. For a moment, she glanced backstage to where Backbeat was. The white unicorn’s horn was glowing fiercely. Lyra lifted her hoof up and pointed the flat toward the sky; a hoof gesture used to symbolize enthusiasm. She turned back just as the music kicked in. A light acoustic guitar, accented by long violin chords after a few moments. “Here goes nothing...” both mares thought in unison. “The dawn is breaking— A light shining through. You're barely waking And I'm tangled up in you, yeah.” Despite the fact she had already heard it multiple times in multiple places, Backbeat’s singing voice still sent shivers down Lyra’s spine. She was keeping up so far. It was true that she couldn’t exactly see through the glaring spotlight, but it didn’t seem like anypony was getting up to throw tomatoes either. “I'm open, you're closed. Where I follow, you'll go. I worry I won't see your face Light up again! “Even the best fall down sometimes. Even the wrong words seem to rhyme. Out of the doubt that fills my mind, I somehow find you and I collide!” From her place behind the curtain, Backbeat could only catch short glimpses of the audience(although she did have more visibility than Lyra). It was all she could do to not stop the spell right there and find a nice bed to hide under. But yet...they seemed to be affected by her voice. Almost enthralled. For a moment, she let herself actually listen to her own voice. She knew that everypony’s voice sounded different to themselves, but still...it was beautiful! Maybe Lyra and Noteworthy were right! Maybe singing was her special talent! Maybe... It was at that moment that, through a slit in the curtain, looking over Lyra’s back and through the crowd, her eye met another; one the color of pure black. A black eye surrounded by gray-brown fur. She recognized it well. Her amplification spell died for a beat as shock ran throughout her body. She could see the same shock, albeit for a different reason, run through Lyra’s veins too. The red-maned unicorn silently swore to herself. Luckily, it didn’t seem like anypony had noticed. “I'm quiet you know. You make a first impression. I've found I'm scared to know: I'm always on your mind.” Key Change blinked, before slowly removing his jet-black sunglasses. “What the hay was that?” Blue Belle, who had been enjoying the show so far, stopped mouthing the words to the song and glanced at her manager. “What was what?” “There was somepony behind the curtain. She looked familiar. And the sound went off for a second.” “It was probably a stage hand you saw when you left to talk to Blues before.” “No, that couldn’t have been it.” Key Change stood up. “I’ll be right back. Save my seat.” “Oh, of course.” the blue unicorn responded. Once he had trotted away, she sighed and returned her gaze to the singing mare on stage. “Even the best fall down sometimes. Even the stars refuse to shine. Out of the back you fall in time, I somehow find you and I collide! “Don't stop here. I lost my place... I'm close behind!” Noteworthy was very aware that his reputation, nay, his career rested on this performance going well. But yet, he was feeling strangely calm. Backbeat’s voice had that effect. At least, he felt calm. That was until he realized: in the few moments he had peeled his eyes away from watching Key Change’s every move, the stallion had disappeared. He started to sweat. He scanned the crowd, looking for the errant pony. All the while, he resisted the urge to make sure nopony was sneaking up on him with a knife. “Even the best fall down sometimes. Even the wrong words seem to rhyme. Out of the doubt that fills your mind, You finally find you and I collide!” Key Change was sure he had seen...whoever behind the curtain. And he was also sure that he saw, even if just for a second, her lips moving and her horn glowing. He had been in the business for a long time, and he knew what lip syncing looked like. He allowed himself a small grin as he traversed the backstage area, ignoring the confused stares he was receiving from stage hands who weren’t exactly sure he was supposed to be there. “To think...Noteworthy would have to stoop to something as low as this! Makes sense...only way he could think of to win is to cheat.” The singing grew louder and louder as he got closer to the curtain. He rounded the final corner. What he saw simply confirmed his suspicions. He couldn't place a name, but he recognized the mare from...somewhere. Galaxy? It didn't matter. What did matter was that Noteworthy was trying to cheat them all. So, not only was he unworthy of having Lyra, he was just wasting her talent! Key Change rubbed his temples and grinned. The song was ending. He made his way back to the table. “You finally find you and I collide, You finally find you and I collide.” The guitar and violin continued for a few moments more, but the audience didn't seem to notice. By the time the music faded away, every single pony(excluding one stallion) was on their hooves, stomping as hard as they possibly could. Cheers erupted from the crowd and Lyra gave a graceful bow. Backbeat smiled, but jumped slightly as she suddenly felt the soft touch of a familiar leg around her shoulder. "They're clapping for you, you know." Noteworthy said. "Yeah, they are, aren't they?" "You deserve it. You were bucking amazing." Backbeat gave the biggest grin she had given in years. "I was, wasn't I?" "YOU FOALS KNOW NOTHING OF TRUE TALENT! THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE IS BETTER THAN YOU ALL!" These were the words that Lyra heard, clear as day, from her dressing room as she sat alone, thinking to herself. A minute later, the azure mare in question bust into the room. Her normally purple coat was now covered in multi-colored splotches, and she carried the vague smell of produce. Trixie grit her teeth and stared at the empty hallway. “These ponies don’t know what true art is! They should feel honored that The Great and Powerful Trixie is even bothering to perform for them!” It was at that moment that Lyra made the mistake of giggling. “What?!” the blue unicorn snapped, spinning to face the turquoise. “What are you laughing at?” Lyra’s smile faded. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean-” “You have no right! How can a simple musicianeven think she can compare to a magician? Especially one that sits like that!” “Hey!” Lyra barked, snuggling deeper into her slouched position. “You can be angry with me, but don’t bring my sitting into this! That’s going too far.” Trixie turned up her nose. “Hmf!” She trotted to her mirror. There were a few moments of awkward silence. “Where did your friend go?” Trixie asked. “Home.” “Why are you still here?” “Well, I’m staying here at the hotel. And it’s always polite to stay until the act you headline for is finished.” Another rest. “...You know,” Lyra said, “I actually kinda liked your show, when you came to Ponyville.” The magician’s ears perked up. “You did?” “Yeah. I mean...until the Ursa came, and all that. I’ve always wished I could do magic like that, even if it is all just illusions.” “But you-” “Yeah, yeah, I’m a unicorn, I know. A unicorn with a faulty horn. I’ve never really been able to do magic. It gets hard sometimes, but you learn to deal.” “Trixie sees.” Trixie replied, taking off her pointed purple hat. “Well, The Great and Powerful Trixie thanks you for your kindness. Knowing that the fans like it make the entire thing worth it. ...At least, if I had any fans.” Lyra turned around in her chair and smiled. “Don’t worry. Just keep doing what you love, and they’ll come. Trust me.” “But-” “Trust me. Ponies are a lot more forgiving than they seem.” Trixie turned in her chair and made eye contact with Lyra. “Tri...I understand. I’ll remember that.” knock knock Both mares looked at the door, then back to each other. Neither was expecting anypony. “Maybe Backbeat forgot something?” Lyra thought, jumping out of her seat. She opened the door...and immediately regretted the decision. Standing in the doorway, a rolled up parchment in her mouth and an angry look on her face, was Bon Bon. “So...you really think I was good?” Noteworthy rolled his eyes. “Yes, Backbeat. For the twentieth time, you were amazing.” The white mare giggled. “I just love making you say that. I feel amazing too! Like I could take on the world, or something. Now it was the stallion’s turn to laugh. “I can tell! Good for you, Backbeat. You deserve it. With you singing, we’re all gonna be set for life.” Suddenly, Backbeat’s face darkened. She stopped walking. “Noteworthy, I just thought of something...what’s going to happen to Lyra after all this is over?” “What do you mean?” “Well, I doubt she’s going to want to be a figurehead her entire life.” Noteworthy shrugged and kept walking down the dark sidewalk. “I’m not sure. I can try and get her a deal playing lyre, but I can’t guarantee anything. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Backbeat ran to catch up with him. “That bridge is coming up soon! We have to talk about this!” “Look, Backbeat...I’m happy that you’re happy, and I get that our plan isn’t perfect. But I’m tired. Can’t we just a have a nice walk, the two of us?” She blushed. “Well, uh, I guess...” Noteworthy stared for a second. “That was weird,” he thought, “she was really confident, but she just suddenly lost it. Huh.” Backbeat adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat. She grinned. “But, anyway. Back to talking about how great I am.” A deathly silence hung over the room as Bon Bon walked in. She looked straight ahead, not bothering to acknowledge either unicorn. She placed her papers on the table in the middle of the room. They quickly unfurled to reveal two separate objects: a small piece of paper, and a larger...magazine? Lyra was speechless. Trixie could feel the tension like a second coat. Bon Bon took in a visibly strained breath. "Lyra..." "Bon Bon, I know you're mad, but I can explain." Bon Bon pulled the small note closer to her and cleared her throat. "Dear Bon Bon, "I hate to tell you like this, but I'm not sure I could stand to see you react. I'm going away to Canterlot for a long time(not sure how long yet) to make music. I promise I'll try and visit. Hay, maybe you can visit me! "Sincerely, Lyra.” Bon Bon turned to the turquoise mare. “Really, Lyra? A note?” “I...I’m sorry?” Lyra whimpered. “You’re sorry?! What the heck, Lyra?! How can you just suddenly leave one day without telling me, your best friend?!” Bon Bon yelled, causing Lyra to flinch. “I thought we told each other everything!” “I’m sorry Bon Bon, but there was something that I needed to do here!” “And why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Lyra blinked. “I, uh...because, um...there wasn’t enough time!” Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “Really.” “Yeah! I just got the call that moment, and they told me that I had to leave right away, or I’d never be able to make music here again!” Lyra yelped, gesticulating madly to emphasize her point. “Oh, riiiiiight. That’s why I was helping you find music for a ‘concert.’” Lyra’s ears flattened. “Oh. You remember that.” “Yes, I do! I remember the last time I saw my best friend before she moved to Canterlot!” Gulping, Lyra looked over Bon Bon’s shoulder, perhaps to make some kind of eye contact with the other unicorn. However, Trixie’s seat was empty. From the hallway, the sound of somepony galloping away could be heard. Bon Bon turned back to the table and grabbed the magazine with her mouth. “And fr whut? Jsht show you cin pley rock stir?” “What do you mean?” Lyra asked. Bon Bon placed the booklet on the floor in front of the unicorn. It was a copy of Equestria Daily. The front cover displayed the usual stuff: rumors, celebrities cheating on each other, an interview with Lyra, sexy beach bods- Wait. Interview with Lyra?! But there it was. Right there in the top-left corner, a small picture of Lyra sat, heralded in bold text with: “PAGE 65: INTERVIEW WITH THE WINNER OF THE CANTERLOT MUSIC FESTIVAL!” “I...What the hay? I never did an interview! Honest!” Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I bet. It’s all there!” she said. Lyra quickly flipped through the magazine. “I swear...I mean, you? A fillyfooler? I almost didn’t believe it! And you clearly said that you're leaving Ponyville!” The turquoise mare stopped flipping, only to stare, shocked, at her friend. “What?! I, me, wait...no! Don’t believe it!” She started again, and quickly reached page 65. She scanned the page. Various pictures and blocks of text scattered the page, revealing things about Lyra that the unicorn was quite sure she had never told anypony, least of all whoever it was that had written the article. Who was that anyway? Just below the heading, in small text, read: text and pictures credit to Film Reel Lyra grit her teeth. Film Reel had only asked her three questions, all of which she had answered with one-word responses! All of these quotations and answers were lies(excluding the thing about how she sometimes talked to her lyre; how did Film Reel know this stuff, anyway?)! Lyra could see what had upset her friend: quite a few times, Film Reel had made Lyra state outright that she was leaving Ponyville forever to be a star. And the pictures...most of them were from last night. However, there were one or two that showed Lyra out and about in different locations she recognized as being Ponyville. She could deal with the pictures. She could deal with the slander. But what she couldn’t deal with was what was at the very bottom of the second page. The question read: “Q: So, what can you tell us about the song you performed? Dedicated to anypony in particular? “A: Oh, yes, definitely. You see, there’s this mare I work with; he name is Backbeat. She’s simply the sweetest, kindest, most caring mare I’ve ever met. And she’s not too hard to look at either, if you catch my drift. [laughs] But seriously, I love her more than you can even comprehend.” There was more, but Lyra was too afraid of her teeth cracking apart from the strain to keep going. But what really got her goat was the picture next to it: Backbeat, staring, terrified, up into Film Reel’s camera. A small caption underneath said: “The sweetheart in question, spotted just a few blocks away from the Blue Note Cafe in downtown Canterlot.” Backbeat was not going to be happy when she saw that. It was at that moment she heard the one sound she hated more than any other: Bon Bon crying. The earth pony had always been emotional, ever since they were foals. “Please,” Lyra said, edging closer to the crying mare, “you have to believe me! This story isn’t true!” Bon Bon sniffled. “Yeah, right...” “No, really! I’m serious! Come on, you know Equestria Daily is just a dumb gossip rag!” Lyra insisted. She started desperately flipping through the magazine, looking for something to prove her point. “Uh...oh, here, look! ‘Culture Clash: Octavia and DJ PON-3 are Secret Lovers.’ There’s no way that’s true! Or, um...see, ‘Fancy Pants Makes Millions From Illegal Bootlegging Operation.’ Alcohol isn’t even illegal in Equestria!” But the cream-colored mare simply shook her head. “I j-just want my f-friend back, Lyra...” Lyra rubbed her temples. “Bon, you’re really stressing me out here...” “I’m stressing you out? What about me? What am I supposed to do?!” Bon Bon cried out. Tears started flowing again, but she remained indignant. “Lyra, maybe you haven’t noticed, but I don’t have many friends back in Ponyville! You were pretty much the only pony I ever really talked to besides my employees!” The unicorn didn’t know why, but for some reason, Bon Bon’s comment made her very angry. “So, what? Am I just supposed to look after you my entire life?” she asked. “You’re a grown mare, Bon Bon! Start acting your age!” “Me? What about you?!” Bon Bon shot back. She was practically screaming at this point. “At least I have a job! I have a living! You...you just don’t! You constantly come to me begging for bits just so you can pay your bills!” Lyra took a step back. “No, I don’t!” “YES, YOU DO! And, and you know why? Because of stuff like this!” She gestured to the room around them. “You take all these random trips all over Equestria, and for what? A few bits and a chance at becoming ‘famous?’ Things don’t work that way, Lyra!” “Maybe they don’t for you, but they will for me!” “No they won’t! They never do! They didn’t when you lost all that money gambling to get Frederic concert tickets?” “Hey, that was a-” “Or how about when you went to that bar, got trashed, and beat up that stallion because he was ‘looking at you funny?’” Huh?” “Would you just-” “Or when you got freaking expelled from Princess Celestia’s School, and had nowhere to go? Huh? What...about...that.” Bon Bon slowed down, thinking for the first time about the things she had said, and the look Lyra was giving her. As if it were a defense mechanism, she started crying again. “L-Lyra, I’m sorry...” Now Lyra was holding back tears of her own. “No, no, no...get out.” “Huh? But, but, Lyra-” “I SAID GET OUT!” Lyra shrieked, stamping her hooves. “Shut up, and get out! I’m gonna become a star, and there isn’t anything you can do about it! Now just go home and be lonely, you...you...UGH!” She turned away. The unicorn had thought that ranting like that would make her feel better; it didn’t. “I...Lyra...w-we...” Bon Bon stammered. A few moments passed before Lyra heard the earth mare gallop, bawling, out of the room. The lone mare shuddered and started to cry herself, head hung low. (The song Backbeat/Lyra did was "Collide" by Howie Day.)
"Friends""Tonight's the countdown 'Til the day we're not around... And you're gone, And we're on with our lives! No...I don't want an ending..." Noteworthy could barely contain his excitement as the music faded away, leaving nothing but a white mare standing alone in the recording booth. He clapped mercilessly, not even waiting to remove his headphones. “YES YES YES!” he shrieked. Lyra, on the other hoof, had long since lost her enthusiasm for the singing. She played idly with her hooves as her friend sang. She definitely felt happy for her and all. It was great that she was all...confident, and happy now, but...she didn’t know. Something was wriggling at the back of her mind that kept her a bit on edge. All the while, one question sat in her mind: ‘What am I doing here?’ She didn’t know why it was there, or even when it arrived. All she knew was that it was there, and it was annoying her like nothing else. It was only compounded by the fact that she had gotten almost no sleep the night before. She usually wasn’t one to stay up all night crying, but it seemed like that was what Bon Bon had driven her to. She silently cursed the mare. Who did she think she was? “Backbeat, that was amazing! Even better than last time!” Noteworthy praised as Backbeat walked back in. The red-maned mare only giggled and flipped her hair back. “Thanks. What did you think, Lyra?” The turquoise unicorn rested her head on her hooves. “Yeah. It was great.” Noteworthy shuffled a few papers on the console. “So, last night I heard this great song on the radio that I think you would be great at. You wanna-” “NO!” Both stallion and mare stared at Lyra, who had her front hooves stretched out in front of her. “I mean, uh...I’m kinda getting a headache from all the music,” Lyra said. “Can we, like, go somewhere else?” Backbeat and Noteworthy looked at each other. “Well,” Backbeat began, “we could go up to the roof or something. The view of the city is amazing from the cafe.” The pony pony nodded. “Yeah, that’d be cool. Let’s just drop these papers off at my office first, then we’ll be good.” Ponies buzzed about the halls of Galaxy, doing everything from making phone calls to filling out spreadsheets. Lyra felt oddly alien in the office space; desk jobs were not her style. It was at that moment that Noteworthy stopped dead in his tracks. He looked as if he had just seen a ghost. “Stop. Look,” he said, pointing down a row of cubicles. Walking right toward them, flanked by two mares with clipboards and pens, was Two Step himself. Noteworthy started walking again, and signaled for his companions to do the same. “Don’t make eye contact. Just keep walking, and maybe he won’t-” “Ah, Noteworthy!” “-notice us. Crap. Get ready for insults. The gray stallion trotted calmly up to the trio. His assistants matched his every step. "Noteworthy, the stallion that could!" he said. "I have heard only great things recently!" Noteworthy gaped. "You have?" "Yes! Your little concert was very well-received. Exactly what I was hoping my test would bring about." Noteworthy was shocked. Two Step had never directly complimented him before. At least, not without an insult tacked on at the end. “Oh, uh, well, thank you, sir. It means a lot to hear that from you.” He gestured to Lyra. “And this,” he said, “is the mare responsible for all those good reviews! Ly...I mean, Heartstrings!” Lyra offered a hoof. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr....?” “Two Step,” the pony replied, returning Lyra’s hoofshake. “But you can call me ‘Sir.’” “Oh. Well. It’s a pleasure to meet you...sir.” Suddenly, a small tapping noise entered the ears of everypony present. Two Step was the first to find the source: Backbeat’s hoof. The mare was tapping it quickly against the floor, as if she were waiting for something. Two Step glared. “What, do you have a twitch or something?” Backbeat glared right back. “Oh no...just a habit. Don’t mind me.” The stallion nodded and turned back to Lyra. He opened his mouth to speak. “But you know,” Backbeat interrupted, “I was the one who booked the gig in the first place. So, you know, I’m really responsible for it all.” She gave a toothy grin. Everypony simply stared at her for a moment. “Well, it is great to see that we have a new singer!" Two Step started again. "Any chance you could give me a sample?" Lyra blinked. "What?" "Well, I am not about to let you leave without hearing what all the buzz is about! So, go on." The turquoise unicorn looked at her manager, who was looking right back. "Oh, um..." they both stammered in unison. "I have no idea what to sing to you!" Lyra explained, laughing as if it were some big joke. "Sorry, but I-" Two Step chuckled. "It does not matter to me. When you have worked in the music industry for as long as I have, you learn to like all kinds." Lyra looked around nervously for a moment before hearing a short, quiet giggle. Once again, the errant noise came from Backbeat. "Well?" the unicorn asked, smiling. "Show us that great voice everypony loves. We're waiting, Heartstrings." The lip syncer shot Backbeat a dirty and confused look. Her voice was bringing back memories of a certain tiara-wearing filly from Ponyville. With a nicker, Two Step's expression began to darken into something more familiar. "I do not have all day, Heartstrings." Lyra gulped. “I-I, uh, don’t think I...” she jabbered. And she probably would have been found out, if it weren’t for a conversation occurring just a few feet away. “Vinyl, I’m telling you, you can’t just go do a rave at some sleazy Manehattan club! We have appearances to keep up!” “Yo, Goldy, calm yourself! I didn’t do nothin’ wrong. Just havin’ a little fun, is all.” Vinyl Scratch shot back. The first pony, a fully crimson mare with a gold chunk on her flank, facehoofed. “Yeah, yeah...and we all know what your idea of fun is...” “Ah, Gold Bar!” Two Step suddenly yelped, alerting the mare. “I have been wanting to see you!” Gold Bar sighed before putting on a weak smile and facing her boss. “Oh, hello there, sir. Just talking to Vinyl about something which will not happen again. How are you? Was there something you needed?” “Yes, just wait one minute.” Two Step turned back to Noteworthy. “Well, Noteworthy, it seems you have found somepony that will work...even if she does seem a little slow,” he said. Lyra’s ears drooped. “I wish you the best of luck. Celestia knows you will need it for Monday.” At that, he walked away, his two mares in tow. Gold Bar proceeded on with him, leaving Vinyl behind. Vinyl grinned and walked up to the trio. “Yo, Blues, Beats...Ly, I think?” she asked. Lyra, the previous encounter completely forgotten, nodded enthusiastically. “Cool. Thanks for gettin’ me out of there. Goldy’s been ridin’ me like a bull ever since my last trip to Manehattan. I mean, you take one drink, punch one bartender in the face, and the press is all over you. It just ain’t fair! You know what I mean?” There was silence. Noteworthy chuckled nervously. “Uh, yeah, I suppose...” Backbeat smiled. “No, thank you!” she cheered. “We would have been doomed if you hadn’t stepped in when you did.” Lyra didn’t know why, but that last line really ticked her off—even if it was true. She eyed Backbeat with suspicion; the mare was annoying her more and more each minute. Nopony else seemed to notice. Instead, the blue-maned mare simply stared dully at Backbeat. “Yo, Beats...you feelin’ okay?” “Fine. Why?” “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you go a sentence without stutterin’.” The unicorn laughed. “Oh, I’ve just been feeling so great lately. It’s like I’m a whole new mare. Ever since the concert yesterday, where I sa-” “Sat and watched Lyra do such a great job!” Noteworthy interjected, laughing as he pulled Backbeat into a hug. “That’s why she’s so happy! That and nothing else!” Vinyl stared for a moment. “Uh...okay, cool. Whatever it is, you’re hot.” Backbeat glared at Noteworthy for a moment before returning to Vinyl, nodding. “Thanks. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have somewhere to be.” The DJ seemed taken aback by the mare’s momentary roughness, but she nodded. “Yeah, whatever. Thanks again. See y’all later.” Noteworthy let go of Backbeat, and the trio moved forward. However, the stallion stopped once again when he heard from behind: “Yo, Notes, wait up!” He turned to face Vinyl who had just run up to him. “Yeah?” “I almost forgot to tell you: watch out for Key Change. I’ve been hearin’ from everypony today that’s he’s even pissier than usual. Just this mornin’, when I said hi to him, he pushed past me like I was some piece a’ garbage or somethin’! I was about to smack him!” Noteworthy gulped. ‘Oh...is this about yesterday?’ he thought. “Oh, yeah? Well, that’s Key Change for you,” he said. “Thanks for the info.” “No problem. See ya, Blues.” Noteworthy closed his office door, hard. “Backbeat,” he began, “what was all that out there?” Backbeat let her papers and clipboard drop noisily onto the desk. “I was about to ask you the same question. Why did you interrupt me? Why can’t we tell Vinyl how great I was?” The blue pony rubbed his temples. “Listen, I like Vinyl as much as the next pony. But you know as well as I do that she can’t keep her mouth shut, especially when she’s drunk. Which is all the time. We can’t let anypony know about you.” He took a quick glance at Lyra. “At least, not yet,” he muttered. “Oh, right,” Backbeat fumed, “I forgot, we have to cater to Little Miss Lyre over here.” Lyra, who had just slumped down on the couch, jumped back onto her hooves and narrowed her eyes. “What is that supposed to mean?” “It means that, in a perfect world, everypony would get the credit that they deserve. But that’s not how it works, so I guess I’ll have to get used to it.” Noteworthy felt a bead of sweat form at the base of his mane. “Backbeat, maybe we can tone it down a bit...?” “No,” Lyra said. “I want to hear what she has to say.” “I’m not ‘saying’ anything,” Backbeat insisted. “But why should Lyra be praised while I sit in the dust? All she did was move her lips! I’m the one everypony should love!” Lyra laughed. “What, so you’re jealous of me?” “Me? Jealous of you? I think you’re the one who’s jealous of my singing!” “WHAT?!” the turquoise unicorn screeched. She started toward Backbeat. “You stuck-up, little-” KNOCK KNOCK All three ponies looked at the door. Sighing, Noteworthy opened it inwards. Standing in the doorway, saddlebags on his back and sunglasses over his eyes, was Key Change. Everypony stared as the stallion stepped inside, and smiled. “I heard yelling. Is everything alright?” Noteworthy wanted to make a sarcastic comment, but found himself unable to do so. “Yeah,” he said. “Everything’s fine.” Lyra and Backbeat glared at each other for a moment before turning up their noses and walking away. “What do you want?” Key Change snapped his gum. “What, I can’t just visit my fellow co-worker without wanting something?” “...No.” “That hurts, Blues. That just hurts,” Key Change lamented. “In fact, I actually wanted to give you all something. It’s for the ladies, in particular.” Lyra rolled her eyes as hard as she could. “Oh, wow. I’m so excited.” Key Change rummaged in his bags for a moment. He pulled out a small, glass bottle filled with a clear liquid. Running vertically up the side were bold, black letters reading “One Day.” As he uncorked it, a very strong scent filled the room. “I just wanted to share a bit of my success, is all. You, my dear friends, are the first in Equestria to get a whiff of Bustin’ Jieber’s new perfume, ‘One Day!’” Without warning, he held it up to Lyra’s nose. Lyra’s eyes abruptly widened before filling up with tears. She started coughing violently. “*cough* Oh, Celestia! That’s terrible! *cough* I can’t breathe!” Key Change pulled back. Noteworthy could have sworn he saw the stallion glare for a second, before quickly laughing it off. “Oh, well, I suppose not everypony can be as perfect as you, right?” he joked. Across the room, Backbeat huffed. “Yeah, I guess not,” Lyra said loudly. At that, Key Change simply laughed before spitting his gum into the garbage. As if by clockwork, he went into his saddlebags and pulled out another piece. Lyra eyed the packaging. ‘Blue-and-yellow...hey, that looks kinda like...wait.’ Just before he had finished unwrapping it, Lyra grabbed it out of his hooves and began to inspect it. Strangely, Key Change didn’t protest. Within seconds, the mare’s unease turned to pure dread. She recognized the gum. “Where...where did you get this?” “From my new assistant.” “You have a new assistant?” Noteworthy asked. “What happened to Sunset Bliss?” Key Change glanced at Noteworthy with one deep red eye. “She quit.” Lyra grabbed Key Change by his shoulders “Where did you meet her?!” The stallion smirked. “My, feisty, aren’t you? I hadn’t even mentioned that it was a she. Anyway, I met her just yesterday, after your show. She was all alone, crying. I asked her why, she mentioned you, I told her I worked with you, and just like that she accepted my job offer. Funny, how that works-” “Where is she now?!” “My office.” “Where?” “One floor up.” And with that, Lyra galloped out the door. The three remaining ponies looked at each other. “Well,” Key Change started, “I’ve got no more business here. Have a good day, everypony!” He quickly sauntered out the door before anypony could protest. Noteworthy took a deep sigh. “Oh Celestia,” he whispered, “what did I get myself into?” He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he barely noticed when Backbeat wrapped a leg over his shoulders. “Don’t worry,” she said. “Now that all of them are gone, we can have a nice, quiet time on the roof. Right?” “Don’t you think we should wait for Lyra?” “What? No, no, no, she’s obviously got problems of her own to deal with. I don’t think I want to get wrapped up in those. Do you?” The stallion looked at his...friend. “I...suppose not.” ‘What the hay what the hay what the hay what the hay what the hay...’ The walls shook as Lyra thundered down the halls of Galaxy. She desperately wanted to be wrong. Maybe she had just misread everything Key Change had said. Maybe the candy was just a coincidence. Maybe- “Oh my, you really are great!” Nope. She would recognize that voice anywhere. As she rounded one last corner, the pony the line had come from came into clear view. She was standing in the middle of the hall, talking to Blue Belle, who had a sheepish look on her face. She was carrying a saddlebag, into which a clipboard had been stuffed. Lyra stopped and stared for a moment. ‘DAMN IT, BON BON. DAMN IT,’ she screamed inwardly. Taking a calming breath, the unicorn cantered up to the other mares. Blue Belle was the first to notice her approach. With a small wave, she said: “Oh, hello, Lyra! I was just talking about you!” Bon Bon nearly jumped in surprise. She looked at the turquoise pony with shock, but her expression quickly shifted to menace. “Oh, hey there, Lyra. What’s wrong? You look worried.” Lyra held back a growl. “You know what’s wrong, Bon Bon. What the hay are you doing here?! Why are you working for Key Change?!” With a little sashay, the cream mare walked right up to Lyra. “Because I want to. Do you have a problem with that?” “Yes, I do!” “Really? I thought you didn’t want to have to look over me! Isn’t this what you wanted?” “I, you...shut up!” Lyra spat, earning a wince from Blue Belle. “This isn’t about me, this is about you! The only reason you’re doing this is to spite me, and you know it!” Bon Bon laughed. “Oh, really? To spite you? Can you prove that?” Lyra rolled her eyes. “Uh, yeah. I can. First off, you don’t know the first thing about music.” “What?! Yes I do!” “Really? Name The Rolling Rocks’ first album.” “I, well, um-” Bon Bon sputtered. “T-That doesn’t matter for this job!” “And don’t you have your own candy shop back in Ponyville? What’s going to happen to that?” At this, Bon Bon’s troubled expression cleared up. Putting one prideful hoof on her chest, she stated: “I’ve been training little Twist in the art of making candy for over a year now. She can run the shop fine without me.” “Bon Bon. Twist is still in middle school.” By this point, Blue Belle had just taken a seat on the ground, a few feet away from both of the angry mares. She had seen fights like this before. Eventually they would both run out of insults and it would be over. It was really too bad that they didn't like each other no; Blue Belle would have liked to ask Bon Bon about Lyra, but it didn't look like that would be happening anytime soon. "I know that!" Bon Bon said through grit teeth. "I have other employees who can help her. Everything is going to work out fine." Lyra smiled as she heard Bon Bon's ragged breaths. The earth pony was never one for confrontation, and could usually only go a few minutes without crying. All she had to do was keep this going for a little longer, and the fight would be hers. “You know this isn’t going to work,” said Lyra. “Why don’t you just go home now and save yourself the time, the money, and the trouble?” Bon Bon glowered for a moment. “So what if this ‘doesn’t work out?’ It will! But, let’s just say it doesn’t. Like you said, I have my own candy shop to go back to. What are you going to do when you don’t make it here?” Lyra smiled. “I don’t know, and I don’t need to. I’m gonna make it big here, and then you’ll regret all this. You’ll be saying, ‘Gosh, I wish I was nicer to Lyra, and didn’t bug her the entire time!’” The cream mare swallowed. “Listen, Lyra. We’ve been friends since we were foals. I’m just telling you the facts; things don’t work out for you. You should be the one who’s worrying about wasting money, considering how little of it you have.” “What did you say?!” Lyra yelped. “I have plenty of money!” “Really? Then why do you live in a shack in the middle of the woods?” Bon Bon asked. Lyra looked offended; good. That’s just what she was aiming for. “Why is it that, whenever I look in your fridge, all I see are those cheap alfalfa bags? Why do you still owe me three-hundred bits?” “Be quiet!” Lyra said. “I live that way because I want to. That’s it! I play music for a living. It’s what I always wanted to do, and I’m completely happy doing it! I make more than enough to be happy.” Blue Belle frowned. She didn’t like where this was going at all. They had already been arguing for three full minutes, much longer than usual. It just seemed like whenever it was about to end, somepony would open a wound and start it all over. Part of her felt that she shouldn’t be there; this fight was a personal matter for the two of them to work out. “Oh, yeah, I bet you’re soooooo happy, Lyra. Playing all those little garden parties and senior centers. I bet they pay so well.” “I told you, I don’t care about the money!” “Then why did you come here?” Lyra gaped. This wasn’t turning out like she had planned at all. ...Not that she really had a plan to begin with. All that was driving her now was a desire to hurt this mare. But it was like she just refused to take it! Usually by this point, Bon Bon would be sobbing between every other word. Not to mention that last question. She was speechless, thrown completely off-guard. “Wh...What did you say to me?” Bon Bon took a step forward. “If you’re so happy, why are you even here? I think I know why.” “...Why?” “Because you’re tired of being a failure.” “What?!” “I mean, really. You’re a unicorn...who can’t do magic. And you don’t have the strength of an earth pony, so that makes you useless in about 99% of life. The only thing you could think of to do is play music. And Celestia forbid you play something people actually want to listen to! No, you play the lyre.” Lyra tried to back away, but Bon Bon matched her every step. “S-Shut up.” Lyra stammered, looking to the side. “So, you came here because you thought it meant you would finally have some validation for your cutie mark. But it doesn’t matter, because you’re going to fail here too!” Lyra looked deep into Bon Bon’s blue eyes. “Shut up,” she ordered. She stopped moving backwards. “Why? Because I’m telling you the truth?” “I SAID SHUT UP!” Lyra screamed. She launched herself at Bon Bon. Unprepared for the assault, Bon Bon tumbled, head over hooves, with the unicorn, almost crashing into Blue Belle, who was now frozen in shock. She just barely dodged a punch from Lyra that most certainly would have left her with a black eye. “What the hay are you doing?!” Bon Bon yelped, trying to pin her assailant to the floor. “You’re a madmare!” But Bon Bon couldn’t hope to keep Lyra down. Unlike Bon Bon, the unicorn had not spent a large portion of her life making and eating candy, and, despite Bon Bon’s earth pony heritage, was much more physically fit. Lyra easily wrestled out of her grasp and delivered a swift punch to her side. The punch sent Bon Bon sprawling across the floor, crying in pain. Lyra rushed up to her, set on doing more, but quickly found herself enveloped in a deep blue magic. Blue Belle had woken from her trance, and was now holding the crazed mare far away from the earth pony. “W-What do you think you’re doing?!” Blue Belle cried. “Lyra, how could you do this? I thought you were better than that!” She turned her attention to Bon Bon, who was trying to lift herself up. “Oh, Bon Bon, are you okay?” Bon Bon groaned. “I think so...ugh, my side...” Lyra stared in fear for a moment, before galloping away. ‘What did you do?!’ She closed her eyes to block out the thoughts. Luckily it was late, and the halls were almost completely clear, so she didn’t bump into anypony. It only took a minute to make it to the elevator, where she smashed on the button that would take her to the lobby. ‘You just hurt Bon Bon. You bucking punched her.’ She lay down on the floor of the elevator, covering her eyes with her hooves, if only to stop the tears from coming out. “B-But,” she whimpered, “I, I didn’t mean to...” ‘You wanted to hurt her. You wanted to make her cry.’ “Oh, Celestia, why did I do that? Why am I such an idiot?!” “...and I’m just thinking the entire time, ‘Why won’t you stop talking?’ Hahahaha!” Noteworthy simpered and took a sip of his coffee. He gave a small, forced laugh, if only to get Backbeat to stop staring at him expectantly like that. He had lost count of how many stories the mare had told him in the past half-hour that had ended the same exact way. Evidently, Backbeat wasn’t one for telling ponies how she really felt. And, honestly...Noteworthy was starting to think that he liked it that way. The entire day, Backbeat had been acting really different, and it was kind of irritating. He liked it better when she was...well, when she was nice. Not to mention the fact that she kept looking at him and sighing. Backbeat put her head on her hooves and stared deeply into the stallion’s eyes. She sighed. “The sunset is so beautiful tonight, isn’t it?” Noteworthy averted his eyes and looked out over the view of Canterlot. She was right; it was pretty beautiful. It was probably his favorite part of working at Galaxy, even if Backbeat was leaning towards him, her lips puckered. He really needed to come here more often. Wait. Noteworthy pushed his chair back, eyes wild. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing?!” The unicorn pouted. “Well, I was going to kiss you, but—” “Wait, you...” Noteworthy stammered, jaw hanging loose. “W-What the hay is your problem?!” Backbeat looked confused. “What do you mean? I thought we were really connecting.” “I, but, we- I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON HERE!” Noteworthy screamed into the heavens. “I’m not going to kiss you! Do you really think you can just act like a jerk all day, make fun of people who I happen to be friends with, and then kiss me?!” Backbeat shrunk a bit. “But...I just thought that-” “I don’t care what you thought!” he said. Noteworthy threw a few bits on the table. “I’ll see you on Monday. And I hope that when I do, you’ll be back to normal. Because, right now, I’m pissed.” He walked away, out of sight. Backbeat stared after him for a few moments, gaping. What had just happened? For the first time in her life, she felt strong and confident. So, she tried to use that strength to win over the stallion of her dreams. And she had just royally messed up. In fact, Noteworthy...probably hated her now. Her mind blank and numb, the mare put her own bits on the counter. She then proceeded to go to the ground floor, walk the five blocks to her apartment, get in, go to her bedroom, lie down on the bed, and stare at the ceiling. She wanted to say something to herself, something that would fill the deafening silence, but she couldn’t get anything to come out. (The song Backbeat did at the beginning is "Don't Want An Ending" by Sam Tsui.)
Talks"Oh, Celestia...no, no, no..." Lyra twisted and turned under her covers, unable to escape from her nightmares. This had been going on for more than twelve hours. She had gone to bed at eleven o'clock the night before, and it was one in the afternoon now. And, yet, she had only gotten, at most, an hour of sleep. Guilt rode her like a bull. With a shudder, she opened her bloodshot eyes once again. She winced at the light that filtered through the window. She hadn't felt like this in years. Groaning, she lifted herself out of bed and onto the floor. Maybe she should get lunch...? Nah, she wasn't hungry. Playing her lyre always put her at ease, maybe that? Yeah, that could work. She hadn't even looked at her lyre since she had arrived in Canterlot. The black bag it sat in was coated in a fine layer of dust, sitting right in the sun. Lyra picked it up and brought it out to the balcony, hoping that the brass hadn't gotten too hot that it burned the strings or something. "Okay," she whispered, "let's calm down and play, Lyra. No worries, no...no worries." A familiar chill ran down her spine as she hit the first notes. It was one of the first pieces she had ever written. She hadn’t heard it in such a long time...yet, she still knew every chord, every note by heart. It gave her a sense of knowing, a sense of security; things that she desperately needed. Celestia, what had she done? Bon Bon hadn’t looked too banged up, but still, Lyra had punched her! And then she just ran, like a coward! How had she gotten so angry?! Why was she such an idiot?! She hit a sour note. When it happened, the unicorn jumped. Lyra simply stared for a moment before groaning and throwing her head backwards, falling into a steep slump. “This is all their fault,” she muttered. “Backbeat, and, and, Bon Bon! Telling me I’m not good enough.” She got up and started to pace around. “Yeah...that’s it! It’s all their fault! They both provoked me! They were mean to me, and I just got them back, is all!” She thrust a hoof into the air, punctuating her accusations. “Yeah!” There was dead silence in the hotel room. Lyra blew a lock of white hair from her eyes and sat down on the bed. RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING Lyra jumped again. The room phone was ringing. That was a first. Hesitantly, she picked it up. “Hello?” “Uh, yeah, Lyra? It’s me.” “Noteworthy? What’s going on?” “There’s something kind of important I’ve been meaning to talk to you about. After everything that happened yesterday...” Even though she knew he couldn’t see it, Lyra frowned. “Why couldn’t you just come over here? It gets kind of lonely here, you know.” “I’m...busy.” “Busy? Doing what?” “...Taxes.” “Oh...okay. Well, what did you want to talk about?” There was a burst of static, like Noteworthy was sighing. “Um...how should I say this...? Lyra, I want to talk about what happens after Monday. You know, after the test and all that. Do you have any sort of plan?” Lyra chuckled. That was a strange question. “Well, I’m gonna keep working with you, of course. I came to Canterlot for a reason, didn’t I?” she said. There was a long silence. “...Noteworthy? Are you still there?” “So, wait. You’re okay with being Backbeat’s face? Really?” he said, sounding almost relieved. The unicorn blinked. “Huh?” “Oh, wow, that’s great to hear! I was expecting you to be mad about it, but this is great! Now we can stop worrying about that. Well, Lyra, tha-” “What do you mean, ‘be Backbeat’s face?’” “...You know, what we’ve been doing. With the lip syncing and all. You’re okay with doing that, even after the test is over, right?” “I, but, I thought...no! No, I don’t want to do that!” “Oh. Damn. Well, I knew it wouldn’t be that easy. What were you expecting?” Lyra pulled the receive away and just stared at it for a moment. Had he just made a joke?! “Well,” she said, “I was kind of expecting, oh, I don’t know, something for me.” “...Right.” “Have I just been your slave for the past week? I want to play my lyre! Where’s the contract you promised me when we first met?!” There was another burst of static. “Lyra, it’s just not that easy...” “So, you just lied to me?! Why can’t you get me signed on? Are you just too obsessed with Backbeat?” “Lyra, don’t be like that. I want you to get a contract. Really, I do! It’s just...the lyre.” “What about the lyre?” “I’m not trying to be mean here, Lyra, really. But the lyre isn’t...it isn’t really a, you know, popular instrument anymore. Not that it isn’t good! But ponies don’t really-” “Plenty of ponies listen to the lyre!” Lyra practically screamed. “I, I, I have great turnouts! I won the bucking music festival, didn’t I?!” “Yeah, but what ages were those ponies that were listening?” “I don’t know,” Lyra sputtered, throwing her free hoof into the air, “adults, I guess? So what?” “They’re seniors, Lyra.” “I, but...shut up!” “Lyra, I’m not trying to hurt your feelings!” Noteworthy insisted. “But the kind of music Two Step wants here at Galaxy is the kind that younger people will listen to. The best you’re probably going to get are the hipsters, and even that’s not guaranteed. That’s why Backbeat is good; she’s a singer, so she can basically do any kind of music we ask her to.” There was a silence. “I don’t like it either. But I just don’t have that much influence, Lyra. I’m sor-” “Yeah, well, thanks a lot,” Lyra growled through grit teeth. “Lyra, are you o-” She hung up. Lyra stared at the phone for what seemed like an eternity. She was literally shaking with rage. Her mind argued with itself as to what to do next. Part of it wanted to throw the phone off the balcony. Another part wanted to find an axe and murder everypony in sight, starting with Noteworthy and Backbeat. Yet, one thought stood out in particular. Every time it appeared, it felt like her stomach was trying to blast through her chest. It was a thought that she had been worried about for quite a while. ‘Bon Bon was right.’ In a fit of pure impulse, Lyra picked up her lyre and flung it across the room. It smashed against the wall with a sharp bang. It left the brass body with a large dent and knocked out a few strings. Sure, it would cost a lot to repair. In fact, she might have to buy a whole new lyre! But who really cared? According to everypony she knew, the lyre was useless! If Lyra had any magic at all, she most certainly would have burst into flames at this point. Yet, all she could muster were a few thin wisps of smoke. This just made her madder; even foals could get at least a spark going! What was wrong with her?! ‘Bon Bon was right.’ “SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!” she screamed, bucking wildly at an invisible mare. “I HATE YOU!” That was when the tears started to come—no. No, she wasn’t going to cry. She couldn’t. Instead, she flipped around, stood on her front hooves, and prepared to give the nightstand the hardest buck she had even given. She imagined it was some conglomerate of every pony she ever knew. knock knock She stopped, only a few inches away from the wood, and glared at the errant noise. She recognized that knock. It was one of the ponies she hated more than anything. Taking a deep, annoyance-filled breath, Lyra cantered over to the door and opened it. “Hello, Backbeat,” she said through grit teeth. Backbeat stared up at her fellow unicorn with bloodshot eyes. If it weren’t for the differences in color and shape, they would have been twins. She slowly cantered in, legs barely making it off the floor. After a moment, she collapsed onto the bed and began to wail. “Oh, L-Lyra!” she cried. “I...oh, I’m such an idiot!” She began to sob into Lyra’s bedsheets, soaking them in tears. Lyra didn’t hear her. Instead, she stared down angrily at her broken lyre. A small pang of regret hit her; that lyre had been expensive, after all. It had taken months of saving to buy it, and upgrade from her dinky old one that she had used since foalhood. But anger quickly took the reins again, as she realized: the investment had been useless! She hadn’t made any more money after upgrading. It barely sounded different! She was still poor and useless! It occurred to her at that moment that there was still another unicorn in her room, crying hysterically. Not to mention the fact that said unicorn wasn’t very high on her list of ponies she wanted to see at that moment. She walked over to Backbeat. “What’s up with you?” Lyra asked unenthusiastically. To be honest, she was the least bit interested; Backbeat was going to be famous. She should have been on top of the world. Backbeat lifted her head. Her lower lip trembled. “I-It’s Noteworthy...” Lyra laughed. “Oh, did he screw you over too?” This, for whatever reason, sent the demure mare into another fit. Wailing loudly, she stuffed her face back into the sheets. “Backbeat, what do you even want from me?” Lyra asked, sitting down and rubbed her forehead. “I’m really not in the mood.” The crying pony lifted herself back up and took a deep breath. “I...on Fr-Friday, I was with Noteworthy...and, and, I tried to...kiss him,” she whispered. “Oh, I was such an idiot! I was acting like a jerk all day, then I had to go and make Noteworthy even madder! I just hate myself!” Lyra frowned. “Who cares? He’s just one stupid pony,” she said. Backbeat looked at her like she was crazy. Lyra stared right back. “Considering the way you look and how submissive you are, I’m amazed you haven’t made it with, like, fifty stallions already.” Backbeat trembled. “No...I know it sounds cheesy, but all I’ve ever wanted, I found in Noteworthy. But I guess h-he just didn’t feel the same.” She sighed. “Oh, nothing matters anymore.” This made Lyra very, very angry. The aquamarine mare bit back a nasty comment. Instead, through grit teeth, she said: “You should feel lucky, you know. At least Noteworthy still likes you enough that he’ll give you a chance to be successful.” Backbeat stamped her hoof. “Oh, who cares about being famous?” If it was possible, Lyra would have burst into flames at that very second. No more Ms. Nice-pony. "WHAT," she screeched, "IS YOUR PROBLEM?!” “Huh?!” Backbeat stammered, backing up a bit. “You, you...I HATE YOU!” Lyra screamed. The tail was thrashing wildly. “You don’t know what you have! Do you know how long I’ve worked to get where I am?!” “N-No-” “Ever since I was a foal! My first word was ‘song!’ The first ‘A’ I ever got in school was for music! I’ve had to give up opportunity after opportunity, just because of this damned symbol on my bucking flank!” Lyra screamed, not even looking at the other mare anymore. “And for what? Love? No. Enlightenment? No. Success? NO. I’m not going anywhere with my life! In fact, just by staying in Canterlot for so long, I’ve probably put my bucking cottage into foreclosure!” Backbeat backed up against the wall. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t kn-” “Yes! I know you didn’t know!” Lyra interrupted. Her fiery, golden eyes bored into Backbeat. “But here you are! You come waltzing in, acting like some sweet little angel, then you steal what should be mine! You didn’t work for it! You don’t even want it! Why should you be better off than me, the pony who’s worked her entire life?!” Backbeat started to cry. “But I didn’t-” “SHUT! UP! Stop whining! No wonder Noteworthy didn’t want you! Nopony wants you! Nopony needs you! You’re the useless one, not me! YOU SHOULDN’T BE HERE, SO LEAVE!” “I-I-I...” Backbeat stammered, bloodshot eyes wide. She let out a small squeak before bursting through the door, and running down the hall, bawling. Lyra waited until the wails were out of earshot before settling from a battle stance to a normal one. She thought she would feel, at the very least, satisfaction, bringing down Backbeat like that. But she didn’t. She just felt like an ass. She fell back on her rump. Lyra glanced at her closet, in which her suitcase and bags sat. She didn’t need this. Not anymore.
Tests (Part I)Knock knock knock “Hello, Mr. Noteworthy?” Noteworthy stopped pacing and looked to the door. “Come in!” he called. The door opened slowly, and a cyan unicorn, barely old enough to be called a stallion, poked his head in. He was levitating a small piece of paper behind him. “Sorry to intrude, Mr. Noteworthy, but I have a message for you!” He floated the card over to Noteworthy. With a gulp, Noteworthy read the memo. It said: Basement auditorium, 10:00. I expect the best. ~Two Step The stallion released the breath he had been holding. “Oh Celestia,” Noteworthy said to himself. It was finally here. “Sir?” Noteworthy looked up. “Huh?” “With all due respect, you don’t look very good. Is something wrong?” “Uh...no,” Noteworthy replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. “Everything’s fine. Thanks for the message.” The young intern eyed his superior, but eventually nodded, said his farewells and left. Noteworthy sighed and put the card on his desk. It was just after 9:00, so he had time. There was just one small problem. He was the only one there. Noteworthy hadn’t heard from either Lyra or Backbeat since Saturday, when the former had hung up on him. Neither were answering their phones. At least, Backbeat wasn’t. Lyra’s phone would ring once, then mysteriously cut out. He decided to try once more. He picked up the receiver of the phone on his desk and tapped out Backbeat’s number with his hooftip. He knew it by heart. It rang six times. ‘Hi, you’ve reached Backbeat’s house. Please leave a message, and I’ll try to get back as soon as I can. Thank you. BEEEEEEP’ “Hey, Backbeat?” Noteworthy said. “I don’t know how many voicemails I’ve left. But now, more than ever, I’m telling you: you need to get here or call me back, because I’m starting to get nervous. Thanks. Bye.” He hung up. Truth be told, he had surpassed nervousness a while ago. Now, it was more like abject fear. Backbeat...was this about what had happened on Friday? Nah, it couldn’t be! Backbeat was much too professional to let something like that get her down. And, besides, it was just some random thing she did because she was feeling weird. ...Right? Noteworthy shook the thoughts away. “Focus,” he said. “You don’t have time to be thinking about things like that.” He picked up the phone and pulled his roll-a-dex closer. He tapped the number for Lyra’s hotel room. It rang six times. “Hello! You’ve reached the Windwoods hotel! The guest you are trying to reach is not available right now. At the tone, please record your message. Have a Windwoods day! BEEEEEEEEP’ Noteworthy blinked. That was the first time he had actually gotten to her voicemail. In fact, he wasn’t even aware that hotels had voicemail systems! “Oh, uh, hey, Lyra. It’s Noteworthy. I’m sorry about what happened on Saturday, but I really need you. Either get to Galaxy or call me soon. Thanks. Bye.” He sighed loudly as he hung up. “Well,” he said, “if the call actually went through, that probably means Lyra isn’t there. Which is good, I suppose. Maybe she’s coming here?” He looked at the clock. 9:17. They had time, all he had to do was stay calm and not panic. Time passed quickly, with no sign of either of the two mares. Soon, it was 9:45, just fifteen minutes before the event that would decide the course of Noteworthy’s life. He began to panic. Where were they?! What was going on?! Noteworthy’s mind screamed at him to do something, but what was he supposed to do?! He had no idea where they even were! It occurred to him: maybe he didn’t know where they were, but that didn’t mean somepony else didn’t! “What do you mean you haven’t seen them?!” Starshine didn’t look up from her magazine. “Sorry, just haven’t,” she drawled. “I, but-” Noteworthy stammered. He had figured that, if the two mares really had come to Galaxy, they would have passed through the front door. Which would mean that Starshine, the receptionist, would have seen them. But either the mare wasn’t doing her job, or they really weren’t there. Noteworthy began to hyperventilate. Starshine, for the first time, looked up from her copy of Equestria Daily. “Hey, you okay?” she asked flatly. “You’re creeping me out.” Noteworthy glared. “No, I’m not okay! The future of my career is being decided in ten minutes, and the two mares I need to make it happen are missing! I AM FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW!!!” “Oh. Huh. Where is this thing happening?” “Basement auditorium.” The unicorn blinked. “Have you tried checking there?” “Huh?” “Have you tried checking there?” she repeated. “Maybe your two fillies are down there, doing...whatever it is you ponies do.” Noteworthy broke out into a wide smirk. “That’s it!” he cried, grabbing Starshine and bringing her into a hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Starshine gagged. “Oh Celestia, let go of me before I call security!” “Oh. Sorry,” Noteworthy said, pulling away. “...Bye!” He galloped off. The yellow mare nickered and pulled her magazine back up. “And I’m the receptionist.” Noteworthy busted open the double doors that led to the auditorium. “BACKBEAT! LYRA! I’M HERE!” he yelled. But instead of being greeted by two(hopefully) smiling mares, he was greeted by thirteen blank stares, the majority of which were from stallions. He felt a blush begin to take form on his face. All the ponies were sitting in various different seats. Specifically, the group was composed of nine stallions, and four mares. A few of them looked remotely familiar, but there was only one pony Noteworthy truly recognized. Sitting in the very top row, a strange mix of relief and anger on his face, was Two Step. The graying stallion trotted up to Noteworthy, looked him dead in the eye, and said: "You are a minute late." "I know, sir, but I-" "Now, is this Heartstrings mare of yours ready to perform? Or are you backing out?" Noteworthy looked away. "Um. Well...before I answer that, if you don't mind me asking of, of course, who are all these ponies?" Two Step looked back toward the seats, where everypony was sitting. Some were still looking at them, but quickly turned away when Two Step did. "These," he began, "are my pre-listeners. They get the final say on who makes it and who does not. Even I cannot override their decision." The blue pony gulped. "Oh." "They have been waiting here for quite a while. I hope that you are ready?" Two Step said. He looked around. "Where is she?" "About that...I don't know." Noteworthy braced himself for whatever it was Two Step was going to do to him. When a moment passed and nothing came, he opened his eyes. All he saw was Two Step's glare. “What do you mean, you ‘don’t know?’” he asked. “Do you think this is a joke?” “No, sir, I don’t-” “Then stop fooling around a do your job.” Two Step seethed. “These ponies have been waiting for hours, just to hear you and your miracle mare. And I do not think they would like to be kept waiting much longer.” ‘But I was only a minute late!’ Noteworthy thought. “Listen, sir, I just need a little time. Ly...I mean, Heartstrings and Backbeat will be here soon, I know it.” Two Step nickered. “I suppose it does not matter much to me. But I do not know about the rest of these ponies. You get as long as you can keep them occupied.” He walked back to his seat. Noteworthy began to think. He was supposed to distract all these ponies, the majority of which were probably cranky from having to sit here for hours(at least, if he was to believe Two Step). At the same time, he had a sneaking suspicion that the two mares weren’t going to show up on their own. He would have to go find them. So...how was he supposed to do this? “If only we weren’t the only three...” Noteworthy whispered to himself. That was when he realized something. Sure, he wasn’t the most popular guy in the office...but he could think of a few ponies that could still help him out. Gold Bar sighed bitterly as she added another apology letter to the already sizable pile. This one was directed to ‘DJ C0LT’s Music Emporium.’ Apparently, the manager refused to give Vinyl Scratch a discount on a new set of turntables, and she had threatened to “pop a cap in his”...well, you get the idea. It wasn’t easy being the manager of a crazy pony from Manehattan who had no sense of morals. Next...another letter of apology. This time, to the PAE, or Parent’s Association of Equestria. Without Gold Bar’s consent, Vinyl had allegedly distributed copies of a track entitled “For The Kids,” that included some...creative language. “*huff* Would Gold Bar and Vinyl Scratch *huff* please report to outside the basement auditorium? Thank-” “What are you d-” The red unicorn looked up. “The hay?” she asked out loud. “That sounded like Noteworthy. What does he want with me and Vinyl? Speaking of which, where is she?” “Vinyl...” Vinyl Scratch began to sweat. “Oh, yeah, yeah, that’s the ticket...” Octavia bit her lip. “Please, Vinyl, go easy on me; it’s my first time...” ”Hay no,” Vinyl said. “I’m going all the way!” The unicorn pushed forward. ”AH, VINYL!” Octavia barely ducked in time to avoid the flying piece of red plastic that had been flung from the game board. Vinyl threw her hooves into the air. “WOOOOOO!” she cried. “Five games in a row! Suck it!” “Really, Vinyl, calm yourself. It’s just a game,” Octavia said as she went to retrieve the peg, which had flown all the way to the other side of Vinyl’s private dressing room. “And, besides, this is my first time playing. You can’t really expect me to pick it up so quickly, can you?” Vinyl giggled devilishly. “Yo, you just mad ‘cause I gots dat 'Apology’ swag.” “You keep referring to this ‘swag’ thing. Do you even know what it means?” Vinyl didn’t answer. “I swear, if you weren’t my cousin,” Octavia said, punching the unicorn in the shoulder playfully. “Now, are we done here? Because I-” “*huff* Would Gold Bar and Vinyl Scratch *huff* please report to outside the basement auditorium? Thank-” “What are you d-” Both mares looked up at the loudspeaker. “The hay?” Vinyl remarked. “What do they want from me now? I didn’t do nuthin’!” The grey mare rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m sure.” “Yo, you wanna come with?” “Are you sure I’m allowed?” Vinyl lowered her sunglasses, giving her cousin a mischievous glance. “Who gives a buck?” Octavia tried not to grin, but Vinyl’s smile was infectious. “Fine, fine...” Gold Bar frowned. "I don't think so." Noteworthy grinned sheepishly. "It won't be that hard! All you need to do is distract all those ponies out there long enough for me to find Lyra and Backbeat. Please?" The stallion put on his best puppy-dog face. While Gold Bar was grimacing, Vinyl was smiling wide. "Yo, Goldy, don't be a wimp! This sounds buckin' awesome! Get to mess with a few rich brats." "And, besides," Noteworthy interjected, "you owe me, Gold Bar." The red mare looked incredulous. "For what?" "Remember when you borrowed that bit from me so you could buy a cup of coffee?" "One bit does not equal risking your reputation in front of the most important ponies in the music industry!" Vinyl snorted. "Whatever. I'm in. Howabout you, Octy?" Octavia, who had up to this point just been listening, began to think. "Where have I heard the name Lyra before?" "Weren't you the celebrity judge at the Music Festival?" Noteworthy asked. "She won." "Oh, right!" Octavia exclaimed, eyes lighting up. "That's it! ...I was supposed to spend a day with her, wasn't I?" Everypony nodded. "Oh. Well, maybe this will make up for being so late. I'm in." Everypony now began to stare at Gold Bar. The red mare attempted to stare back for a few seconds before breaking her gaze and growling. "I swear, if I get fired for this..." Noteworthy resisted the urge to giggle like a schoolfilly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He pointed at a door, located a few feet away from the double doors that led into the auditorium. "That should lead you straight to the backstage area. I just need you to distract them while I go find Lyra and Backbeat." He pushed them all forward. "Wait!" Octavia protested. "What are we supposed to do?" "It doesn't matter, just do something! I have to go!" Once they were through the doorway, the door shut behind them. They were in a dimly lit hallway, leading to another door, marked 'Backstage.' "A-yo, what we waitin' fo’?" Vinyl asked, charging ahead. "WAIT FOR US!" the two other mares yelled. Key Change closed a drawer in his desk. "Bon Bon, where are my sunglasses?" Bon Bon stared at a crack in the floor. Blue Belle gave her an anxious look. "Bon Bon? Bon Bon!" Key Change yelled, stamping a hoof. The cream colored mare jumped. “Ah, who, wha? Oh, I’m sorry, what happened?” “I asked you, where are my sunglasses?! Celestia, can’t anyone get anything done around here?!” Both mares winced. “Oh, I think you put them...right here!” She reached for the coffee table in the middle of the room, but the stallion reached it before her. He grabbed the shades, flipped them open, put them on, and took a deep breath. “Sorry for snapping,” he said with a grin. “I get angry when I don’t have my sunglasses.” ‘Not to mention what’s going on today...’ he thought to himself. Bon Bon sighed. “It’s fine. I should be the one apologizing. It’s just...oh, never mind.” Blue Belle gave her a reassuring smile. “Oh, come on, you can tell us! I’m sure we can help.” “No, it’s stupid.” Key Change bit back a growl. ‘Might as well get this over with now.’ He turned around and put on his ‘caring’ face. “Oh, Bon Bon, Blue Belle is right! We can help you. I guarantee it.” “It’s...I just can’t stop thinking about Lyra.” Blue Belle patted her on the shoulder. “It’s okay, Bon Bon. I’m still shocked too! I mean, who would have thought that Lyra would outright attack you?” “No, it’s not that!” Bon Bon insisted, pushing Blue Belle’s hoof away. She sighed. “Was...was I too mean to her?” Key Change rolled his eyes behind his shades. “What do you mean? She attacked you, didn’t she?” “Yeah, but it’s not like it was just some random act of violence! I provoked her! I was just insulting her, and putting her down...I called her a failure...” Bon Bon clenched her eyes shut. “I’ve known Lyra ever since we were foals, and I know that there’s not much you can do to get her really angry. But I did it...oh, and she must hate me now!” Blue Belle raised one eyebrow. “How can you even think about feeling sorry for her? Don’t you remember what she did to you?” “Of course I remember!” Bon Bon snapped, motioning to her side. “I certainly felt it!” At the end of their fight, Lyra had given Bon Bon a strong punch to the side. In the two days since, the swelling had gone down, but one could still see the remnants of a bruise. Bon Bon took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for yelling. I just feel really guilty! I didn’t want to be mean to Lyra! I was just so angry!” Key Change smiled and headed for the door. “Well, it’s all in the past now. Let’s go.” Bon Bon looked ready to protest, but she kept silent. Blue Belle, on the other hand, was beaming. “Are we going to the studio?” she asked excitedly. “Are we going to finally record a song?” “What? No.” Blue Belle’s smile fell. “Well, then where are we going?” The ashen-furred stallion smirked. “We’re going to see a show.” “Thank you! Have a Windwoods day!” Sweet Suite kept smiling as another happy guest walked away. She adjusted the small plaque in front of her desk that read ‘Manager.’ Just another day at her favorite place in the world: the Windwoods! It was perfect! Just her, the hotel, and hundreds of happy, smiling guests. Nothing could go wrong. At that moment, a blue stallion crashed through the front doors, tripped on the carpet, and went tumbling head-over-hooves, right into her desk. Looking over the threshold, down at the dazed stallion, Sweet Suite kept smiling. "Hello!" she chirped. "Welcome to the Windwoods! How may I help you?" Noteworthy pulled himself up off the floor and basically slammed his hooves on the desk. "Can you tell me what room a mare named ‘Lyra’ is staying in?” The pink unicorn turned away and tapped a few keys into the computer next to her. For the first time, her smile faded a bit. “I’m sorry, but it doesn’t look like we’ve ever had a guest going by that name.” Noteworthy’s ears drooped, but just as quickly sprang back up. “Can you try the name ‘Heartstrings?’” “Sure!” She tapped in a few more letters. “And...here we are! She was staying in room 406!” “Yes, thank you so much!” Noteworthy cheered. He raced away. Sweet Suite smiled, turned, and began appreciating the day again. After a few seconds, the earth pony came back. “Wait,” he said, “you said ‘was.’ You said she ‘was staying.’” “Yep! She checked out just a little while ago.” If it was anatomically possible, Noteworthy’s jaw would have hit the floor. “WHAT?!” he shrieked, making a few other ponies nearby jump. “But, but...when?!” “About an hour ago! You juuuuuust missed her.” “I, but, she, we...OH, CELESTIA!” Noteworthy yelped, throwing his hooves in the air. He fell backward and landed on his rump. With a deep, labored breath, he asked: “I don’t suppose she told you where she was going, did she?” “Oh no, she did!” “WHAT?!” Noteworthy shrieked again, rushing back up to the table. “She did?!” “Just in passing, but she told me. If I remember correctly, she said she was catching a train back home, down at the Friendship Express Train Terminal. She seemed pretty sad about it, though.” Noteworthy smiled. “Thank you so much! Have a great day!” He raced off. “No problem!” Sweet Suite called after him. She kept looking forward and smiling. ‘He was weird,’ she thought. “I mean, what’s the deal with airline food?! Am I right? Am I right?” Nopony laughed, save for one bright yellow pegasus near the front row. Two Step did not look amused. Gold Bar, sweating bullets, pulled at an invisible collar. She herself laughed, albeit nervously. "A-And, uh, what's the deal with, uh...m-music?” Gold Bar tried, hoping it would get at least a reaction from somepony else besides that gold pony. Once again, nopony laughed. From backstage, Octavia was watching the producer sadly. “She’s dying out there,” the gray pony called back to her cousin. “We need to do something!” There was no answer. “Vinyl, are you even li-” She stopped. For it was at that moment, she realized: Vinyl Scratch had been quiet for more than five minutes. The last time that had happened, the two of them were just teens. To make a long story short, it had ended up with both of them having their respective parents bail them out of jail. Octavia ran back to the room where she had left Vinyl. Much to her relief, the DJ wasn’t setting things on fire, or having “fun” with two stallions and a mare. Rather, she was fiddling with...thirteen glasses of water? What? “Vinyl, what in Celestia’s name are you doing?” Octavia asked, cantering up to the mare. “We need to help Gold Bar!” Vinyl Scratch wasn’t listening. Rather, she was pouring a rather finely crushed white powder off a sheet of paper and into the drinks, giggling all the while. “Yea, yea, just gimme a sec...” “Is that...water?” “Yea. Just figured I’d give those music ponies a little treat fo’ bein’ such great listeners.” “What is that powder?” “Rohypnol.” “Oh,” Octavia said. After a moment, her eyes widened, and she hit the powder out of Vinyl’s magical grasp. “NO!” “A-yo, what chu’ doin’? I was gonna save some o’ that fo’ later!” “ATTENTION EVERYPONY! THE NEXT TRAIN FROM CANTERLOT TO PONYVILLE WILL ARRIVE IN FIVE MINUTES! PLEASE HAVE YOUR TICKETS AND LUGGAGE READY WHEN YOU BOARD!” Lyra sighed and slumped farther into the bench she was sitting on. Quite a few ponies were staring, but she didn’t really care. All she wanted was to be out of Canterlot as soon as possible. This wasn’t what she wanted to be doing. Hay, who would want to be a poor, failure of a unicorn, with no chance at a future? She wanted to be playing her lyre in front of thousands of adoring, cheering fans. Most of them would be swooning, buff stallion heart throbs. Like Prince Blueblood! Yeah...he would do. And they would all love her, and she wouldn’t have to worry about anything ever again. And what about Bon Bon? She could stay in Canterlot all her life, for all Lyra cared. Wouldn’t make any difference to her. She didn’t need anypony. The station began to vibrate as the roar of a train whistle came into earshot. It would only be a minute before it got there. Then this entire nightmare would be over. lyra The unicorn’s ears pricked up. Had somepony just called her name...? Nah, it cou- Lyra Okay, now she was sure she had heard something. She turned toward the entrance way that led back into the main terminal. There was a blue speck in the distance, slowly growing larger. “LYRA!” Noteworthy screamed. “WAIT!” It was as if every butterfly already flying around in Lyra’s stomach exploded. What was he doing here?! How did he find her? He was getting closer. What was he going to do? What was she going to do? She needed a plan! Too late; he had already reached her. The stallion stopped a few hooves away and caught his breath. “Lyra...*huff*...we, we need to talk.” Lyra’s eyes narrowed. “About what?” “About...this!” Noteworthy said. “Lyra, you can’t just give up like this! You’re great, and you know that! You’ve just got to let everypony else know too!” With a wistful chuckle, Lyra shot back: “Yeah, right. It’s like you said: I’m useless. Nopony wants me around anymore. Nopony will care when I leave.” She turned away from the stallion. “You don’t even need me. You’ve got Backbeat. You were just using me.” Noteworthy sighed. “Yes, I was.” Lyra was surprised. She wasn’t expecting Noteworthy to actually admit it. “I was, and I’m sorry. I treated you like you were nothing. I made you stay back, and let Backbeat take what I promised would go to you. It’s what you wanted more than anything, and I just gave it away. I understand why you’re so angry.” “Y-Yeah,” Lyra stammered, trying to get rid of the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. “And, as much as I want to tell you that everything’s going to be perfect, I can’t.” “Huh?” “Lyra, I’m not taking back what I told you before. As amazing as you are, you’re probably not going to get the record deal you always wanted.” The turquoise unicorn spun around. “What?!” she shrieked, angry tears forming in her golden eyes. “You, you...UGH! I HATE YOU! If you’re just gonna tell me I’m terrible, THEN LEAVE ME ALONE!” Noteworthy gulped and looked away for a moment. There was silence between them as the train rolled into the station. “ALLLLLLLLL ABOARD!” the conductor called. Everypony, Lyra included, stood up and began to walk toward him. The blue pony’s head shot up. “Lyra, wait!” Lyra stopped, but didn’t turn. “What?” “Lyra, what’s...what’s your special talent?” “...What?” “What’s your special talent? Go on, I’m curious.” The mare laughed mockingly. “It’s playing the lyre, obviously. Now, if you’ll excuse me-” “Why?” Now, Lyra was annoyed. “What do you mean, ‘why?!’” Noteworthy grinned. “Why is it your special talent? Out of all the things in the world that could have been your special talent, why was it that?” “Well, because...because I’m great at playing the lyre, I suppose.” “And why are you great at playing the lyre?” Lyra blinked. “It’s my special talent,” she said. “I have to be good at it. That’s just the way it is.” The stallion gained a coy look. “Just what I thought.” Her eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean? What did you think?” “The only reason you play the lyre is because you have to.” Lyra frowned. “I...no, that’s not it. I love my lyre.” “No, you don’t.” “Yes, I do.” “No, you don’t.” “Yes, I DO!” Lyra insisted, stamping a hoof. “I love my lyre more than anything else I own!” “Then why don’t you do anything with it?” Noteworthy asked, still smiling. Lyra stared. “What did you just ask me?” “According to you, it’s useless. I guess that means you don’t do anything with it. So, how can you love it if you ne-” Before Noteworthy could finish, he felt himself being thrown to the ground by a large, turquoise blur. He looked up, only to see Lyra, staring down at him, her eyes afire. “Shut up!” she shrieked. “I have done more with this lyre than most ponies will ever even dream to. I have been in magazines. I have been recognized by artisans of the music world. I have, quite literally, played poetry. I have made grown stallions cry. “Ever since I was I filly, I’ve been playing. Year after year, performance after performance, chord after chord...do you know how much I’ve sacrificed? How much I’ve lost, just for my music? I’ve given up homes, schools, friends...hay, I’m not even on speaking terms with my own parents anymore! And, guess what? I’m fine. I’m happy. I chose to live like this, and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. “So, don’t you ever, ever tell me that I’ve never loved this lyre. This lyre is who I am.” The two ponies stared intently at each other for a few moments, silent. Tears of anger, sadness, and confusion were running down Lyra’s cheeks. That was when Noteworthy started to laugh. Lyra stared in disbelief. “You, you...s-stop laughing! Shut up, shut up!” Noteworthy managed to stifle his outburst to a chuckle. “I’m sorry, Lyra, but don’t you see? What you just told me...that’s the reason you should be out there, making music! Not moping around because some stupid record company isn’t letting you make an album!” “I, but, you-” “Lyra. You don’t do things because they’ll make you famous. You do them because they make you happy.” The unicorn opened her mouth, but no sounds came out. After a moment, her frown shifted into a wide smile. Her lower lip trembled. “Noteworthy, I-” “Ey, you, with the eh...horn, there.” Both ponies looked back at the train, where the conductor, a brown earth pony, was eying them warily. “Are you two, eh...just gonna sit there and chat?” he asked. “‘Cause we got a schedule, and eh...we need ta keep it, ya know?” He took one hoofstep into the train. “So, say goodbye ta ya coltfriend there, and eh...get on.” Lyra looked between the two stallions. Noteworthy gave her a pleading look. She wiped her eyes. “Alright,” she said after a moment. A beat of silence passed. She turned to the blue stallion on the ground, and handed him her hoof. “Let’s go pass that test.” Noteworthy beamed. “Hay yes! Let’s go!” He grabbed her hoof, and pulled her into a gallop, out of the station. The conductor adjusted his hat and stepped on the train. “Ey...crazy kids.” As they ran through the terminal, Lyra asked Noteworthy: “What are we doing now? Where are we going?” Noteworthy kept looking straight ahead. “We’re going to find Backbeat!” Back at the auditorium, Octavia had come up with another plan to distract the pre-listeners. At that moment, Gold Bar was tapping furiously at the keys of a piano, playing her "rendition" of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." A few feet away, Octavia and Vinyl were twisting and turning, doing their best impression of a salsa dance. Needless to say, neither the pre-listeners nor Two Step were amused. Vinyl and Octavia spun across the stage. The unicorn had her leg around her cousin's waist, and let her drop so her head was being held just a few inches from the floor. Upside down, Octavia stared daggers at the red unicorn playing the piano. "Really? 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star?'" she whispered angrily. "Hey, don't blame me!" Gold Bar shot back. "It's the only thing my piano teacher taught me before she was arrested for treason!" While they were performing, three new ponies had slipped into the theater unnoticed. Key Change, Bon Bon and Blue Belle were now watching the three ponies perform, laughing all the while. However, each one was laughing differently. Key Change, of course, was laughing the hardest. One of the benefits of being successful was having connections, and having connections meant that you knew what was happening at anytime, anywhere. As such, he knew exactly what was going on here. Once again, Noteworthy had failed. And, finally, Key Change would be rid of him. No more would he have to breathe the same air as the pathetic blue excuse for a stallion that was Noteworthy. And, after it was all over, Key Change would swoop in and force that sniveling unicorn, Beatback or whatever, to sign a contract with him. It was perfect. On the other hoof, neither Bon Bon nor Blue Belle knew exactly what was going on. They were in an auditorium, Key Change was happy, there were a bunch of important ponies in the room...and that was as far as either of them got. Still, they laughed along too, not wanting to seem out-of-place. DING Noteworthy and Lyra stepped out of the elevator on the nineteenth floor of the high rise where Backbeat lived. The stallion led his companion down a small hallway, coming to a beige door marked 19G. “Well,” he said, “here we are.” Lyra gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s going to be fine, Noteworthy. I’m sure once she finds out you don’t hate her, she’ll be fine.” Noteworthy put on a weak smile of his own. “I sure hope so.” He knocked twice. There was complete silence. The silence lasted for almost a full minute before Lyra turned to her friend and said, “Maybe she’s out...?” But at that moment, both of them began to hear shuffling sounds from behind the door. Both held their breath. “...H-Hello?” “Backbeat? It’s me, Noteworthy.” A few seconds passed quietly. “...WWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” Both Noteworthy and Lyra’s ears flattened in response to the loud wailing that was now erupting from the apartment. The two glanced at each other worriedly, as the intense crying didn’t seem like it was going to stop anytime soon. “B-Backbeat!” Noteworthy stammered. “It’s okay, calm down! I, uh...oh, Lyra is here too! Isn’t that great?!” “WWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Backbeat sobbed harder, making her visitors wince. “Oh, come on!” Noteworthy growled. “I thought she loved you, Lyra! What happened?” Lyra whistled innocently. Noteworthy sighed. “Please, Backbeat!” he yelled over the mare. “Please, let me in! I just want to talk to you! I’m not going to hurt you!” The crying slowly descended, until it was only a short gasp every few seconds. After a few moments, a sharp clack was heard, signaling that the door had been unlocked. It creaked as it opened. Both Noteworthy and Lyra stepped forward, but, suddenly, the former put a hoof on the latter’s chest. “Let me handle this,” he said. “I’ve known Backbeat for years. I think it’ll be better if I talk to her alone.” Lyra looked ready to protest, but didn’t. She nodded and let Noteworthy go off. As soon as Noteworthy closed the door behind him, he became blind. There was almost no light in Backbeat’s apartment. The shades were drawn and every single light fixture was off. By instinct, he reached for the switch he knew was by the door and flicked it on. Immediately, the entire entrance way was bathed in light. And, so was Backbeat. Noteworthy nearly jumped when he saw his friend. Backbeat looked terrible...for lack of a better term. Her mane was ragged, it’s normally fine, brushed locks thrown about and matted. She had deep bags hanging from her bloodshot eyes. Her face was shiny with liquid. Even her glasses were crooked. Silently and solemnly, Backbeat led the stallion into the still darkened living room. There too he flipped the light switch. Backbeat sat in a worn black leather chair. Noteworthy lay down on a blue loveseat opposite her. The two stared at each other for a moment. Backbeat began to cry again, albeit silently. “Backbeat, please, don’t cry.” “I-I’m, s...sorry,” she choked out. “I, I, I just...ooh...” “I’m sorry for snapping at you on Friday,” Noteworthy said. “I was rude, and I didn’t mean to get so angry with you.” Backbeat stared, flabbergasted. “Y-You? You’re sorry? But I...I should be the one who’s apologizing! I just came in and acted like a jerk all day. I figured, I’d finally found something I was good at, but nopony knew about it. I was just...so jealous of Lyra! I tried to hurt her, do whatever I could to make her know that I was the singer! “And then...oh, and then up on the roof. I was just...terrible! I was making fun of everypony! Those ponies were my friends, and I was just railing on them like they were the worst ponies ever to live! I...I don’t even know what I was thinking, trying to kiss you!” She hung her head. “I should have known that a stallion like you would never go for a mare like me. Especially not when I was acting like that.” “That’s true,” Noteworthy said with a sheepish smile. “You did do a lot of stuff.” Backbeat shuddered. “I...I like you, Noteworthy. A lot. I don’t want you to hate me. B-But, I...get it if you do...” Noteworthy smiled. “You know, I’m pretty lucky.” “Huh?” ”The most awesome mare in all of Equestria has a crush on me. I’d say I’m pretty lucky,” Noteworthy remarked, grinning widely. Backbeat’s jaw dropped. Before the unicorn could respond, he quickly added: “Backbeat, are you really sorry about all the things you said and did?” Backbeat’s eyes lit up. “Yes, yes, yes!” “Backbeat, I’m willing to give you a second chance. There’s only two things you gotta do first. One: come with us, and promise you’ll sing harder than you’ve ever sung before.” “Done!” Backbeat yelped. “And two: promise me you’ll cheer up, and go back to being the sweet little filly I knew.” Backbeat wiped her eyes and smiled. “I promise.” Noteworthy jumped off the couch and grabbed his friend’s hoof. “Let’s go, then! Time’s a’ wastin’!” They galloped out of the apartment. Lyra nearly jumped when the door burst open, letting the two ponies out into the hall. Lyra and Backbeat glanced at each other for a moment. “Backbeat,” Lyra began, “I’m sorry for everything I said the other day. Can you forgive me?” The white mare giggled. “Of course I can, Lyra! I know you didn’t mean it. Now...are you ready to make some music?!” “Yeah!” Lyra cheered, laughing along with her. Backbeat raced down the hall and slammed her hoof into the elevator button. Noteworthy and Lyra began to canter to meet her. “So,” Lyra began in a low voice, “you’re feeling lucky?” The stallion blushed. “You heard that?” “I was listening in at the door, and you said it pretty loudly.” She elbowed him in the ribs. “You’re just full of inspirational speeches today, aren’t you?” He grinned. “Eeyup.” With a ding, the elevator came, and they all stepped in. As soon as the door closed, however, Backbeat gasped and said, “Ooh, I look like a mess! I can’t go over there like this!” “We’ll fix you on the way over!” Noteworthy insisted. “We’re late!”
Tests (Part II)“....508, 509, 510, 511- Ow, Vinyl, watch it!” Octavia seethed at the unicorn standing on her shoulders. “I bruise easily, you know!” The DJ, who was currently occupied with juggling six yellow rubber balls at once, didn’t seem to care. “Yea, yea, I know! Stop whinin’!” she growled downwards. She looked back up and concentrated on her juggling. "Yo, I TOLD all those suckas that goin' to clown college wasn't a waste a' time!" Gold Bar, who was holding Octavia on her shoulders and Vinyl above her, wobbled a bit on her unicycle. “Would you two shut up?! I’m trying not to let you idiots fall here!” ‘Who’s stupid plan was this?’ all three mares thought in unison. “ENOUGH!” “Aiyaa!” Gold Bar shouted, her unicycle flipping out from under her. Octavia and Vinyl tumbled to the ground along with her, dazed and confused. Everypony in the theater turned to look at Two Step, who was standing tall in the back row. “I have had enough!” he shouted. “Enough stalling! If Noteworthy does not get here in the next five seconds, I will-” The doors to the auditorium burst open. “WE’RE HERE!” Noteworthy screamed. The three mares on stage breathed a sigh of relief. Key Change and Two Step scowled. The pre-listeners chatted amongst themselves. Bon Bon and Blue Belle just looked apprehensive. Noteworthy walked up to his boss. "Sir, I'm sorry we took so long." Two Step grit his teeth. "Does it look like I care? We have been waiting over an hour! Go! Make her sing!" "Right," Noteworthy said, gulping. He, Lyra and Backbeat trotted down the steps that led to the stage. They went through an entranceway that led backstage. Key Change grimaced. He wasn't about to let Noteworthy win this. He got up. "Hey," Bon Bon said, "where are you going?" He didn't answer. Instead, he just stepped into the aisle, and began to walk backstage, where the other three were. Bon Bon slumped in her seat. "I have a bad feeling about this..." Backstage, the trio was chatting excitedly. "So, it all comes down to this," Noteworthy remarked. "It's now or never." “But, wait,” Backbeat interrupted, looking worriedly at Lyra. “Lyra, are you sure you’re okay with lip syncing? I mean, if we’re going to make a career out of this...” “Yeah, I thought about that, and I have a plan,” Lyra said nonchalantly. “We can just say that ‘Heartstrings’ got into some terrible accident and her face got disfigured, so she never has to do live performances again.” The other two stared. “Well, I never said it was a perfect plan,” Lyra muttered. Noteworthy shook it off. “Anyway, are you two ready?” Lyra grinned. “Hay yeah!" Backbeat simpered. "Right." The three put their forehooves into a pile. "Let's do this!" They all threw up their hooves, laughing. "Thanks," Noteworthy said. "For all of this. Thank you both." The two mares nodded before turning around to face the stage. However, before they could go, they were stopped by three new mares, walking off the stage. Gold Bar walked right up to Noteworthy and glared at him. "I am never borrowing a bit from you again." She walked away. Vinyl and Octavia stumbled after her. "That...was...sick!" Vinyl Scratch yelled, throwing her head back in a hearty laugh. “Yo, you shoulda' seen the look on their faces!” Octavia giggled. “Yeah, I guess that was pretty exciting.” Lyra and Backbeat glanced at Noteworthy. He sighed. “It’s a long story.” The two unicorns decided to let it lie. Lyra took a right, walking out into the spotlight of the stage. Backbeat went right, and slipped through another curtain so that the ponies in the audience couldn’t see her. Her horn began to shine with a deep white light. Lyra stopped when she reached the middle of the stage and bowed. In the crowd, Bon Bon stifled a groan. This was what Key Change brought them down to see? After everything she had said? The music began to play. A few guitar chords repeated over and over again. Drums and piano keys could be heard faintly, punctuating the melody. A few seconds later, Lyra opened her mouth, and Backbeat’s voice came out. “Do doo do...do doo doo...ahhhhh... Do doo do...do doo doo...ahhhhh.... Who do you think you are To do this to me? So I see it go so far, so bold, That how dare you take this from me...” Noteworthy watched excitedly from backstage. It was working! They were going to win! Everything was going to be alright! “Hey there, Blues.” The blue stallion spun around, only to come face-to-face with Key Change, and his dark sunglasses. The ashen-furred pony grinned maliciously. “I bet you think you’re so smart. You know, with this whole setup you have?” “W-What are you talking about?” Noteworthy asked, beginning to sweat. “What setup?” Key Change’s smile disappeared. “Don’t play games with me. I know that Lyra isn’t the one singing. You’ve been lying through your teeth to everypony. But I found you out. And it all ends here.” Noteworthy felt himself shaking, but he stood his ground. “Oh, yeah?” he offered. “So, you’ve figured it all out. What are you going to do about it?” Silently, Key Change removed his sunglasses, revealing blood-red eyes. He folded them up, and put them on the ground next to him. He took in a deep breath. There was a tense silence. Suddenly, he pointed at a long rope hanging from the rafters, a few yards away from the both of them. “Do you know what happens when you pull that rope, Noteworthy?” “...No.” “The back curtain opens. And do you know who is behind that curtain?” Noteworthy’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t.” “Try me.” Key Change rocketed from his spot, sprinting toward the rope. Notworthy, once he got over his shock, followed close behind. Unfortunately, Key Change’s body was much more lithe than his rival’s, and he was much faster. He reached the rope first, grabbed it in his teeth and- Before he could pull it, Noteworthy slammed into his side, sending him sprawling. Noteworthy assumed a battle stance and growled. “Nopony is getting to this rope!” he yelled. “You come now, you lay beside me... Oh, you love to rue me... I’ll lay you down, I’ll take you first, Before to get to stick it to me...”” Key Change and Noteworthy collided, each one holding the other back by their shoulders. “You can’t win this!” Key Change spat, eyes afire. “Just accept that you’re a failure!” “BUCK YOU!” Noteworthy swore, pressing down as hard as he could. “I’ve put up with your crap ever since I started working here! And I’m not about to take another minute of it!” Both Lyra and Backbeat could hear the two stallions fighting. However, it didn’t appear that the audience could. As such, they just concentrated on their singing, and tried to drown out the yells. It was for the best; the chorus was about to come in, and it happened to be the most intense part of the song. “Does it matter that I will not need you? Does it matter that I will not see you? Does it matter that I will not be you? Would you blame me, for all I am? “Does it matter that I still carry All the pieces of this story?! Come tomorrow morning, Standing here with all I am!” The music was becoming more intense as the song went on. And, also as the song went on, Bon Bon just felt worse and worse. She knew something bad was happening, she just didn’t know what! Her stomach felt like it was trying to force its way out through her skull. Blue Belle watched her worriedly. “Bon Bon, are you okay?” “No,” Bon Bon said. “I’m not.” She stood up. “We have to do something!” “About what? What’s going on?” “I don’t know!” She pointed to the doorway that Key Change had passed through. “Something bad is happening down there, I can feel it! We need to go!” Bon Bon insisted. She grabbed her friend’s hoof and pulled her down the aisle. “Whoa, Bon Bon, I’m coming! Stop pulling me!” What they saw when they passed backstage both shocked and terrified them. Key Change and Noteworthy were tumbling head-over-hooves across the floor, taking swings at each other whenever possible. They both stopped to look at the mares. Key Change smiled. “Great, you’re here!” He motioned to the rope with his chin. “Go pull that thing right there! And, while you’re at it, get this thing off of me!” “No, don’t!” Noteworthy yelled. “Whatever you do, don’t do it!” Bon Bon and Blue Belle looked at each other for a moment. They both shrugged. Blue Belle’s horn began to shine with a deep blue light. Within seconds, Noteworthy had been enveloped by the same magic. He was slowly lifted off his fellow stallion. No matter how hard he thrashed, he couldn’t seem to break free. “LET ME GO!” he screamed, to no avail. Bon Bon trotted up to, and stared warily at the rope. Key Change soon joined her. “Would you like to do the honors?” he asked. “Of what? What’s this rope?” Key Change smirked. “When you pull it, the curtain behind Lyra will open up, and reveal the pony singing for her. They’ll be ruined!” Bon Bon blinked. She had figured somepony else was singing. Lyra had never been able to sing, even when they were foals. But what was Key Change trying to do here? “Wait, let me get this straight. If I pull this, everypony will find out Lyra’s not really singing?” “Yes.” “Which will ultimately hurt Lyra, by letting everypony know that Lyra can’t sing and has been lying to us because all she wanted was to live her dreams?” “That’s exactly it.” Key Change replied. “Brilliant, isn’t it?” “Oooooh,” Bon Bon uttered. A few seconds passed. Bon Bon punched Key Change in the gut, sending him flying a few feet backwards. The mare stamped her hoof threateningly. “Nopony hurts my friends and gets away with it!” She turned to Blue Belle. “Quick, let him go!” Blue Belle gaped. “A-Are you sure? What’s going on?!” “JUST DO IT!” The blue unicorn nodded, and Noteworthy fell to the ground, landing on all four hooves. The three ponies gathered, and formed a barrier between the rope and Key Change. “I always knew you were no good!” Bon Bon scowled. Key Change lifted himself up and glared at all three. He grinned. “Well, you know what they say. If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.” “I can hardly argue; You meant to cure me... Born scared and frail and weak and kind, You’re meant to harden and arm me... “You come now, you sit beside me... Oh, you love to rue me... I want you if I do not stand, With this, I’ll rest as the scar that I am...” Key Change bared his teeth. The three ponies cowered for a moment, but Noteworthy said: “Oh, come on, Key Change. I know you’re a douche, but even you wouldn’t hit a mare.” “Well,” Key Change said, scanning his opponents, “that’s true. I can’t hit mares. But, you, Blues...even if you don’t act like one, you’re still a stallion.” Noteworthy took a step back. “What is that supposed to mean?” “I said I would crush you, Noteworthy. I’m just fulfilling a promise.” Key Change lunged forward, faster than ever before. “Does it matter that I will not need you? Does it matter that I will not see you? Does it matter that I will not be you? Would you blame me, for all I am? “Does it matter that I still carry All the pieces of this story?! Come tomorrow morning, Standing here with all I am!” The ashen-furred pony slipped through the gap between Bon Bon and Blue Belle, until he was just a few inches away from Noteworthy. Noteworthy tried to rear up. "What are you-" Before he could finish, Key Change whipped around and delivered a swift buck, right to Noteworthy's skull. Noteworthy only let out a pained groan as he hit the ground. Blue Belle just stood there, shocked. Bon Bon let out a shrill scream before rushing to the stallion’s side. “Hey!” she yelled, panicking. “Come on, get up! Get up!” Key Change stared down at him. A frown flickered across his face for a brief moment before being replaced by a manic grin. He grabbed the rope and glared at the three, his red eyes wild. “I warned you not to cross me! I TOLD YOU I WOULD WIN, AND I DID!” He tugged on the rope. “It ends here!” Out on the stage, Lyra was just finishing the final portion of the song. “Does it matter that I will not need you? Does it matter that I will not see you? Does it matter that I will not be you? Would you blame me, for all I am?” The curtain behind Lyra began to open. The turquoise unicorn didn't seem to notice, however, and kept on moving her mouth. Backbeat was totally engrossed in her singing, and kept on belting out tunes, like she didn't have a care in the world. Key Change kept pulling on the rope, until it was fully open. Everypony in the audience just stared, shocked. “Does it matter that I still carry All the pieces of this story?! Come tomorrow morning, Standing here with all I am!” The music ended with a flourish. Lyra took a bow, grinning madly. Backbeat was smiling too—at least, until she opened her eyes. Her already snow-white fur paled even more. Lyra's smile began to fade as well, once she realized that everypony was just staring at her, not making a sound. "Uh, thank you?" she asked more than stated. Two Step recovered from the shock quicker than anypony else. He stood up and shouted: "What is going on here?!" Lyra frowned. "Huh? What are you tal-" She was interrupted by a high-pitched squeak. She turned around, only to find the curtain opened, and Backbeat frozen in her place, failing to speak. The mare turned back to the crowd. "Oh, buck." After a few tense seconds, the pre-listeners exploded into a cacophony of arguments. Everypony was in a panic. Some were yelling at Lyra, some were yelling at other pre-listeners, some were even yelling at Two Step! The only one in the crowd who wasn’t yelling was an older, faded blue stallion, who dozed peacefully in his chair. “QUIET!” Two Step yelled, to no avail. “What is happening?! Where is that fool Noteworthy?!” “Oh, would somepony please call an ambulance?!” Lyra’s head spun toward the source of the request. That was Bon Bon’s voice! The cream-colored earth mare rushed out onto the stage and looked into the audience. “Somepony please help! There’s a stallion back here who’s been knocked unconscious!” This just fueled the flames, as the pre-listeners descended into an all-out shouting match, trying to decide just what had happened. Two Step was still trying to calm them down, not paying attention to Bon Bon. Lyra and Backbeat were the only ones who reacted. Lyra ran up to her former friend. “What happened? Who’s hurt?” “It’s that blue pony you were with! Key Change just attacked him!” Backbeat snapped out of her stupor. “Noteworthy’s hurt?!” she shrieked, eyes widening. “Where?! Let me see him!” She rushed up to Bon Bon and Lyra. The three trotted backstage, Backbeat barely containing the urge to sprint forward, ahead of them all. Noteworthy was lying on the floor. His tongue was lolling out of his mouth. Blue Belle was hunched over him, shaking him to try and wake him up. Key Change was a few yards away, sitting on his rear with a blank expression on his face. "Oh my Celestia, Noteworthy!" Backbeat yelped. She galloped over to his limp body, leaned down, and began murmuring unintelligbly. Lyra turned to Bon Bon. "Bon, what happened?" "There was a fight," she answered, looking away. "Noteworthy was trying to stop Key Change from opening the curtain. Key Change just ran up to him and knocked him out." "What?!" Lyra gaped. "How...why?! Why did he do that?!" "It wasn't supposed to happen this way!" Everypony looked at Key Change, who was literally shaking. "All of you are so quick to blame me!" Key Change shouted. "He was the one who got in the way! I was provoked!" Lyra and Bon Bon took a quick glance at each other. "If he had just let me pull the damned rope, he wouldn't have gooten hurt! It just-" The ground began to shake, silencing him. Strangely, the epicenter seemed to be focused on Backbeat. Her fur was standing on end, and her mane seemed to be shimmering with some unknown wind. There was a dead silence. Then, Backbeat exploded. The unicorn whipped around to face Key Change. Her entire body had become an inferno, as raging hot as Celestia’s sun. "YOU!” she screamed, causing everypony to wince in pain. “YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF DIRT!” She began to storm toward him, flames trailing her every step. “HOW DARE YOU HURT HIM!” Key Change tried to back away, but Backbeat matched his every step. “W-What’s wrong with you?!” he stammered. “Get away from me!” But Backbeat didn’t stop. “YOU’RE SCUM. NO, YOU’RE WORSE THAN SCUM! YOU’RE NOTHING! “Holy...Backbeat, what are you doing?!” Lyra yelled. “Oh, I don’t even know what’s going on anymore!” Bon Bon whined. “Can’t we all just calm down?!” Backbeat shot the two mares a deadly gaze. “NO WE CAN’T.” she screamed. The two promptly jumped before grabbing and holding each other, shaking in fear. The flaming pony turned back to her enemy, only to see him trying to get away. “OH, DON’T YOU EVEN DARE.” Her horn shone with a light as bright as lightning. Key Change became enveloped in pure white, and was dragged back to his tormentor. Backbeat looked him straight in the eye, brown to red. She grinned evilly. “NOW,” she boomed, “LET’S SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT!” Her face shifting back to a scowl, she proceeded to lift Key Change high up in the air. “Backbeat, don’t!” Lyra pleaded, stepping forward. “NO MERCY!” “JUST WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?” Two Step yelled. He had just stepped backstage a few seconds earlier, only to see what was one of the strangest scenes he had ever encountered. Blue Belle gained control of her body in time to yell: “You, gray pony! Duck!” Two Step glared. “Duck?! Why should I- OH CELESTIA HAVE MERCY!” He ducked just in time to avoid Key Change, whom Backbeat had just thrown across the room, and out into the auditorium. The ashen-furred stallion slid across the stage, stopping just a few inches away from the edge. Backbeat began to gallop forward again, but was just barely stopped by the combined efforts of Lyra, Bon Bon, and Blue Belle, who were all pushing against her. ”LET ME GO,” she shrieked. “I’LL KILL HIM! I’LL KILL HIM!” “Ah...what happened...?” Everypony looked at Noteworthy. His head was raised, and he was gazing at everypony groggily. “...Did we win? Oh, my head...” The flames that made up Backbeat’s fur immediately went out. “Oh, Noteworthy!” She ran to the pony's side. "Are you okay?!" The stallion attempted to lift himself up off the floor. He stood on shaky legs, wincing in pain every few seconds. There was a growing red bump on his forehead. “Well, my head feels like it just exploded and put itself back together again, but, besides that, I think I’m fine. What’s going on?” “That is what I would like to know,” Two Step snarlled, walking toward the duo. “I have waited. I gave you two weeks to find somepony who could sing. Then, you just lie to me?! Am I the only one here who sees something wrong with that?!” He gave each pony in the room an individual glare. Nopony answered. “I will not stand for such disrespect. Noteworthy, you were already hanging by a thread. This has gone too far.” He leaned in close to the shaking blue pony. “You are fired.” With a long sigh, Noteworthy promptly fainted. Backbeat’s eyes went wide. “B-But...we...we...h-h-he...” she stammered, not knowing quite how to react. A few seconds passed before all the events of the day caught up with her, and she began to sob loudly. Lyra took a threatening step forward. “That’s not fair! You can’t do that!” Two Step scowled. “And why not? Am I not the executive director of this company? I have every right! But you...this is as much your fault as it is his!” “Who cares?!” Lyra shouted. “You have a singer! Just take Backbeat! Who cares how you got her?! She’s here, and she’s great!” “It is the principal of the matter!” Two Step shot back. “I will not take being lied to!” Lyra rolled her eyes as hard as she could. “Oh, did little baby get his feelings hurt?” she mocked in a high-pitched voice. “Does he need his bottle?” “D...don’t you dare m-make fun of Mr. Two Step...!” Everypony stared as Key Change, his normally gel-loaded hair messed up, stumbled into the vicinity. His body was covered in bruises. He tripped a few times on his way over to his boss, who was looking at him strangely. “H-He is the perfect pa...pony.” he blubbered. Two Step frowned. “What in Celestia’s good name happened to you? Why did I have to duck to avoid you?” The beat-up stallion smirked, before spinning around and pointing at Backbeat, who was still crying. “That demon attac, attacked me!” “She didn’t!” Bon Bon yelled. “She was just defending her coltfriend there! Key Change attacked him first!” “It’s true,” Blue Belle chimed in, hesitating a bit. "I saw the whole thing." "FINE!" Two Step yelled. "You are all fired! Are you happy now?!" Key Change's jaw dropped. "But, but-" "Oh, do not even start!" Two Step groaned. "I am calling security! I want you all out of here, now!" He turned to walk away. Lyra's head spun. Everything was happening so fast, she barely had time to think! Backbeat, head hanging, nudged Noteworthy. "Not...Noteworthy, w-wake up...it's all over..." Noteworthy’s eyes fluttered open. “I need to stop doing that,” he moaned. Bon Bon looked at Lyra. “Hey...Lyra?” Lyra lifted her head up weakly. “Yeah?” “I’m sorry. About all of this.” “Nah,” Lyra said, putting on a smile. “I should be the one apologizing. I acted really stupidly. I just wanted this so much, that I was willing to do anything, even hurt you. ...Sorry about that, by the way.” “It’s fine,” Bon Bon said. She moved close to Lyra, and pressed her body against the unicorn’s. “You know I love you, right?” Lyra laughed. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Thanks.” Key Change glared at them. “How can you two be laughing at a time like this?!” he growled. “We are all screwed!” Backbeat helped Noteworthy limp over to the group. “As much as I hate to agree with him,” Noteworthy said, “he’s right. Things can’t get much worse than they are right now.” “Oh, please just shut up,” Key Change snarled. “You actually deserve to be fired. I DON’T! I’ve done more for this company than any of you can ever dream to!” Bon Bon shot daggers. “Can’t you be nice, even once? I mean, really! I’m ashamed I ever worked with you! I’m glad you were fired!” Key Change took a step forward. “Don’t you ever-” “Would all of you just shut up?!” Everypony looked at Blue Belle. Both her mane and eyes were wild. “Really! Everypony here is crazy! I thought I was going to be able to deal with a few loonies, but you’ve just dragged me into something...I don’t even know what to call it! This is like something out of a movie!” She gestured to Lyra. “I used to think you were amazing! That I could never be as good as you! But now I realize: you’re just as messed up as all the rest of these ponies! Can’t you people just accept that we’re all losers and get on with your damned lives?!” She panted hard. Everypony stared. Noteworthy gave her a questioning look. “Who are you again?” “UGH!” Blue Belle groaned, storming off. “FORGET IT! I QUIT!” There was a silence. “Where were we?” Lyra asked. Key Change sighed bitterly. “I hate you all. If you wake up one night to find me leaning over you with a knife, don’t be surprised.” He began to walk away. The remaining four hung their heads. As the seconds passed, Lyra found herself muttering a quick prayer to Celestia. "Dear Celestia...I know we don't talk much, and I don't even know if you're hearing this...but, please, we need help! Like, now!" Out on the stage, Two Step was trying fruitlessly to calm the pre-listeners down. Each one was yelling to ask what had happened backstage. Two Step attempted to explain, but with each passing word, they (sans the sleeping stallion) just grew more excited “So,” Two Step concluded, “I have made the decision to terminate everypony involved. I feel this will be beneficial to the productivity of this company.” The crowd immediately fell silent. One gray unicorn with a dark blue mane stepped forward. His cutie mark was that of an F-clef. His shaggy hair fell over his face, obscuring one deep blue eye. “Wait a second,” he said. “You can’t fire them!” Two Step sneered. “And why not?” “The singer—the real singer, we mean—her voice was beautiful! It was the greatest thing I’ve ever heard! She would be perfect!” “And you can’t fire her manager!” another added. She was a light yellow pegasus with a long green-and-yellow mane. Her cutie mark was a log on fire. “He found and trained her! That takes real talent! Besides...if he managed to fool you for two whole weeks, he must be good, no?” “My decision is final,” Two Step huffed, stamping a hoof. The stallion grinned. “Yes, sir, but you’re forgetting something: our decision as pre-listeners overrides yours. You said it yourself. And we say that those two are in. Am I right, everypony?” The entire crowd cheered. At this point, Blue Belle, Key Change, and the group of four had come out of the backstage. Blue Belle was heading toward the door, shouting profanities. Key Change was sitting quietly on the floor, pouting and wondering where his sunglasses were. The four were all walking very slowly and somberly. “But,” Two Step started, “she attacked that stallion right there!” He pointed at Key Change. “I intend to have them both taken by security!” The gray unicorn looked at them before smiling devilishly and adding: “Do you know how much money she could make?” Two Step’s eyes widened. “...Money?” “Hay yeah! She would sell way more albums than that Bustin’ pony! She would be a hit!” Putting a hoof to his chin, Two Step began to think. “I see...well, I suppose that Key Change did make the first move...” He looked at Noteworthy and Backbeat. “You! Noteworthy, white unicorn! Come here!” The two cantered over slowly, Backbeat helping Noteworthy keep stable. “Yes?” Noteworthy asked. He wasn’t sure if he should have said ‘sir’ or not, now that...you know. Two Step nearly groaned when he looked at them. “Now, you are are sure these are the two you want?” “YES!” the entire crowd boomed. “Fine.” Two Step put out his hoof. “Congratulations. You two are no longer fired.” “We’re not?!” they said together. “And congratulations on your record deal. I expe-” “WHAT?!” the two screamed, grinning wider than they ever had before. “A RECORD DEAL?!” Over on the other side of the stage, Lyra and Bon Bon beamed. “Hay yeah!” Lyra cheered. Key Change gaped. “But that’s not fair! Why should he get a job, when I-” "SHUT UP!" everypony yelled back. "Has somepony called security yet?" Two Step asked the room. He was answered with blank stares. "No? Well, I suppose I have to do everything." "No!" Key Change yelped, jumping up. "You'll never take me alive!" He began to back up the aisle, giving everypony death glares. "This isn't over, Blues! I'll crush you one day! Like a bug!" He ran out the door. Noteworthy gulped. "Shouldn't somepony-" "Nah," the blue-maned unicorn said. "Security'll get him before he leaves." He looked at the rest of his group, then to Two Step. "So...are we done here?" "Yes, you may leave." "Cool," the yellow mare remarked. The group began to disperse. Noteworthy and Lyra walked over to their friends, still grinning. "Lyra," Noteworthy began, "thank you so much. I owe you the world." Lyra laughed. "Oh, calm yourself! You don't owe me anything. I think I owe you, actually. You gave me the confidence I needed to do this. Thanks." She held up her hoof. Noteworthy returned the gesture with a shaky brohoof. "Hey, Backbeat," Lyra continued, "I have a question." Backbeat was still beaming. '"Yeah?" "The whole reason we did this entire thing was because you were too scared to sing in front of other ponies. I don't want to discourage you or anything, but how are you going to be a big star now?" "I was thinking the same thing," Backbeat admitted. "But...I don't know. It just doesn't worry me anymore. I feel a lot more confident in myself now." She looked back at the microphone that adorned her flank. "I always wondered what this truly meant. I guess I know now." Lyra laughed. "Yeah, I know what you mean." Suddenly, Backbeat's eyes widened. "Wait, Lyra, what about you? What are you going to do now?" The turquoise unicorn smiled. "You know, I was stressing for such a long time over being famous, that I forgot why I make music: to have fun. Sure, being rich and successful is great and all, but it's not everything. Besides," she murmured, moving closer to her cream-colored friend, "there's stuff in Ponyville that I want to get back to." "So, is this the last time we're going to see each other?" Noteworthy asked. "Oh, you can't get rid of me that easily," Lyra remarked. "I expect at least a ticket to your first concert. Alright?" Backbeat nodded. "Deal." Back in the audience, the yellow pegasus was attempting to wake up the sleeping stallion. "High Note...it's me, Wooden...it's time to wake up..." High Note juddered violently before nearly falling out of his seat. “Ah!” he cried. “Don’t scare meh like that! I have eh mind ta give ya a whippin’, lil’ lass!” “Oh, shut yer mouth! It ain’t meh fault that all this new-fangled pop music sounds the damned same! It’s borin’!” “Yeah, yeah, you’ve said that before.” She helped him up. “It’s too bad you were sleeping. You missed a great debate.” “Mm?” “Yeah. It turns out that the mare we thought was singing actually wasn’t! It was another unicorn, standing behind the curtain. And she had the most beautiful voice! A whole fight broke out, apparently. But, anyway, we got Two Step to not fire the singer, and everything worked out pretty well,” Wooden explained. She pointed to the small group of four. They were talking and laughing. High Note stared at them for a moment, bored. However, after a few seconds had passed, his eyes began to widen. Grabbing his cane he hobbled down the aisle, over to them. Wooden watched in confusion. The group noticed him a few feet away. Backbeat brushed a lock of hair out of her face; the old pony’s cutie mark was a rest note, signaling that he had something to do with music. But, instead of stopping at her, High Note kept walking until he was standing directly in front of Lyra. The two stared at each other for a moment, Lyra not really knowing what to do. “Uh...” she began. High Note’s eyes lit up. “Aha!” he shrieked. “Eh knew it! You are Lyra!” Lyra put on a friendly smile. “Yeah. You know me?” “Know you? Did Ode in Rosa run on a 4/4 time signature?” “Uh...yeah, it did,” Lyra answered, bewildered. “But...I wrote Ode in Rosa back in High School. How do you...?” The stallion beamed. “Seven years ago, Princess Celestia’s School performed at Canterlot Concert Hall. Eh was there, and Eh remember yeh very, very clearly. Yeh were the only pony there with even a shred o’ talent!” “I was?” “Yes! Eh’ve been wantin’ to hear yeh again ever since, but I just couldn’t find yeh! Where ‘ave yeh been?” “Oh, I’ve been down in Ponyville, just performing casually,” Lyra said with a smile. The stallion didn’t say anything, like he was waiting for Lyra to continue. “...That’s really it.” High Note looked almost offended. “What?! Yeh mean, yeh’re only peformin’ in one small town?! That’ll never do! The music world is bein’ ruined by all those greased up ponies who can’t make music worth a damn! Please tell meh yeh still play a lyre.” Lyra felt her heart begin to beat faster. “Yeah, I do. All the time.” “Good! Yeh may be one o’ the only ponies left who can make real music! Yeh gotta do somethin’ with it! You gotta get yer music out there, all across Equestria! And Eh’ll help yeh!” Lyra grinned hard. “You will?” High Note smiled as well and tapped his cane against the floor. “Eh may be old, but even Eh got a few tricks up meh sleeve! Eh got connections! Lotsa connections! And, if yeh still play like yeh did back then, you can expect good things! Eh promise yeh that!” Nodding wildly, Lyra said: “I do! And I will! Even better than before! Thank you so much!” She began to mentally recall the number for the instrument repair shop, back in Ponyville. Meanwhile, she started to laugh hysterically, as everything that had happened began to catch up with her. High Note eyed her worriedly for a moment, before Bon Bon grabbed her friend and forced her to stop laughing. “Sorry,” she said. “She’s just a bit tired, is all. Big day.” A few feet away, Backbeat watched with enthusiasm. Suddenly, she felt another pony, leaning close to her. “Hey, Backbeat?” Noteworthy began. “Yeah?” “After this, can we go to a hospital? I’m pretty sure I have a concussion.” “Of course.” “Oh, and...and one more thing.” “Yeah?” Noteworthy leaned down and gave Backbeat a small kiss to the cheek. The mare’s legs promptly turned to jelly, and she fainted. “...Backbeat? Backbeat, wake up. My head really hurts.”
Epilogues“And now, the #1 new artist that’s been taking Equestra by storm! This is 102.7 FM, playing "You'll Always Be My Best Friend” by Backbeat!” “I wish I knew you, Way back when, Before you were part Of my plans..." Lyra sighed contentedly. The sun was shining bright, reflecting off her pristine turquoise coat. She was laying on a plastic-and-metal lawnchair, just outside her cottage, sunbathing. A large cup of soda sat on her left, half-empty. “Hey, Lyra!” The unicorn looked up over her belly. Trotting happily toward the cottage, a small package on her back, was Bon Bon. Lyra waved her over. Bon Bon giggled as she came closer. “Hey! So something funny happened...I accidentally made about five times more fudge than I needed for an order.” Lyra blinked. “How in Celestia’s name did that happen?” “I...I’m not exactly sure,” Bon Bon muttered, a thoughtful look on her face. “Anyway, I brought you some extra fudge we had back at the shop." "Well, thanks, I guess. Can you go inside and put it in the kitchen?" “Sure!” Bon Bon chirped. She walked past her friend and through the house’s front door, entering the living room. It was dimly lit, the only source of light being the windows. With a simper, the cream-colored mare noticed: on a small table filled with pictures, off on one side of the room, one frame towered over the rest. In it, Lyra, Backbeat and Noteworthy stood, smiling, in front of a brightly-lit stage. The lone stallion had a leg wrapped around Backbeat’s shoulder. Bon Bon walked through and down the tight hallway that led to the kitchen. Once there, she simply laid the package of fudge down on the wooden kitchen table, checked to confirm that it hadn’t melted, and walked out. When Bon Bon got outside, Lyra turned around in her chair and grinned. “Pull up a chair and stay for a while!” she called. “Sorry, Lyra, but I really can’t stay,” Bon Bon answered. “I told Twist I would be back in under an hour. She’s running the shop alone!” “Six months ago, you were completely willing to give her the shop.” Bon Bon gaped for a moment before sighing and grabbing another lawnchair. “Please, let’s not talk about that. I was not myself.” The two sat in silence for a minute, just enjoying each other’s company. Bon Bon began to hum the song playing. “Wow...it’s amazing, isn’t it?” “Hm?” “I mean, it’s only been a few months, and Backbeat has already become famous! And it’s all thanks to you!” Lyra put on a sheepish look. “I can’t take all the credit. I mean, she basically has the greatest voice ever. It was just a matter of helping her realize that.” “Yes, I suppose,” Bon Bon admitted. After a moment, she said: “I’m amazed that you’re not listening to your own album. I figured you’d want to bask in your “supreme glory” for as long as possible.” “Hey!” Lyra yelped, laughing. “You’re making me sound like a braggart! Seriously, though...you don’t know what it’s like to make an album.” “Oh? Enlighten me.” “Sure, it’s really cool at first. But once you’ve been recording for about a week, it starts to get pretty boring. You’re just hearing the same songs, over and over, day after day...eventually, you just can’t listen to them anymore!” She took a long gulp of soda. “And it doesn’t help that I hate all my own songs.” “Well, I like them,” Bon Bon said. “I could listen to your album forever! That’s why I bought ten copies.” Lyra nearly started choking on her drink. “You what?! Are you serious?” “Absolutely. And I’ve been telling everypony I know to do the same.” “B-But, it’s, like, twenty bits a CD!” “So what?” Bon Bon said. “So I’ll have to miss out on a few hooficures that I don’t need. Who cares? Anything to support my best friend.” Lyra sighed. “You really didn’t have to spend two-hundred bits, just for me.” “Well, I wanted to. So there,” Bon Bon replied indignantly. “You know, I’m only getting a small part of the profits. Very small, actually.” The earth mare’s face drooped a bit. “Really?” “Yeah. The rest goes to a bunch of different places. The store you bought it from, the record company, High Note...and I decided to give a part of it to charity.” “Oh. So...did I just waste a lot of money?” Lyra considered the question. “Not really, I guess? I mean, I have absolutely no idea what you’re going to do with nine extra CDs. But that’s still more money going to me. And that increases the sales of the album, meaning that I get more popular, and it gets more likely that I’ll have a second album.” “Well, good, then,” Bon Bon said, visibly relieved. “It’s really cool that you’re donating your profits.” “Yeah, well, I don’t need a hooficure every week, unlike some ponies,” Lyra said, rolling her eyes. “Oh, be quiet! Making candy all day, every day is tough on the hooves!” Bon Bon shot back, sitting up. “Hey, I have to pluck at metal strings all day!” Lyra growled. The two stared angrily at each other for a minute—before breaking out into raucous laughter. Bon Bon clutched at her sides. “Oh, don’t scare me like that! I thought you were really mad at me!” “What? I could never be mad at you!” “Oh yeah? Remember when you punched me?” The unicorn wiped her eyes. “That was a different time. I was a different pony!” “Oh, really?” Bon Bon asked sarcastically. “Yeah! I’ve learned things since then. I’ve learned how to enjoy life for what it is. I’ve learned to appreciate what I have. And, I’ve learned that while getting everything you want is cool, being nice is cooler.” Bon Bon giggled and rolled her eyes. "Did you learn anything else, Miss Morals?" Lyra thought for a moment before leaning back and slumping deeper into her chair. “Yep.” “Oh? What?” Lyra smirked. “I hate Canterlot.”
Author's NoteIt’s over. It’s finally over. Jesus H. Christ, it’s over. Well, that took...nearly half a year. Anyway, thanks to everyone who read (what, like all three of you?)! It was a long and tough journey. I started the first chapter of this story on November 2nd, inspired by this blogpost on EqD: http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/11/official-blind-bag-pony-names.html Whenever something canon happens that in some way threatens my headcanon, my mind scrambles to make up an explanation that can fit both the canon and myself. For example, Sparkler and Dinky in the Sisterhooves Social. Instead of just accepting Sparkler as another daughter of Derpy, I made up this whole complicated story in which Dinky was sad about not having a sister, so Sparkler, a family friend, sneaks in with her. Here, my response was to write this down: Bigshot Canterlot producer will get fired if he doesn’t create the next “big thing” -Goes to Canterlot Amateur Music Festival, searching for talent -Lyra happens to win -Gets her to sign deal -Changes her name to Heartstrings -Finds out she’s a terrible singer That, my good friends, is what TMFKAL started out as. Noteworthy also came from that same wave of blindbags. I just found the whole “Heartstrings loves to sing!” thing strange, and wanted to write about it. Originally, this was supposed to be a oneshot. I predicted about 5000 words long. Little did I know that it would evolve into something MUCH bigger. Even though this didn’t get many readers (at least, as far as I can tell), this entire thing was a great learning experience for me. I learned, really, how to write something with more than one chapter I’m still not perfect at it (re: Blue Belle), but I learned how to write OC’s This was the first story I had ever written with any kind of “romance” in it. I realized that before I write something as big as this, I need to KNOW WHERE I’M GOING. It took me until the fourth or fifth chapter to write out a series-wide outline, and even that got changed a lot. That’s why there are a LOT of plotholes and stupid conclusions. 5: Finally: I love Vinyl Scratch. Before, really, the final chapter, I had absolutely no headcanon view of either Vinyl or Octavia. Now I gots them bein’ cousins and all that? Vinyl’s strange “Manehattan” accent is almost completely based on my own general New York accent. Anyway, if you’re still here, thanks again! Have a spectacular day! ~Dubs Rewatcher (By the way: the song sung is Tests (Part II) was "For All I Am" by Lisa Smith. In the epilogue, it was "You'll Always Be My Best Friend" by Relient K.)
Opportunities*bzzt* Would Noteworthy please report to Two Step’s office? Thank you. *bzzt* Noteworthy struggled to lift his head off his desk as the drone of the speaker bored into his eardrums. Silently cursing whoever it was that had installed the accursed things, he proceeded to rub the sleep out of his olive eyes, mentally preparing himself for the impending meeting. Getting called down to the boss' office was never a good sign. The only time Two Step ever interacted with anypony besides his secretary(and possibly his wife, but even that was debatable) was if: a. You were being fired. b. You were in danger of being fired. c. One of your artists just did something that could possibly alter either their career, or the reputation of the company. And, considering none of Noteworthy’s clients had had any significant changes in at least four months, ‘c’ wasn't likely. He attempted to make his shock of a blue mane presentable as he exited his small, white-walled office. His footsteps caused everypony within the hallway to scurry away, no doubt gossiping about the pony that had just been called down. However, Noteworthy held his head high. He wasn’t about to let these vultures get what the shame they craved. If he was going to get fired, he would do it with pride. “H-hey, Noteworthy.” The blue stallion turned to the source of the noise. Standing to his side was a heavenly white-furred, red-maned unicorn, diminutive in size compared to him. Her flank was adorned by a small microphone. “Oh, hello, Backbeat.” Noteworthy replied, happy to have an excuse to prolong the inevitable. “How are you?” “Oh, uh, good, I guess...so, the boss is calling you down.” she said, trying to avoid the elephant in the room. “That must mean that Hayseed is doing well, right?” Noteworthy chuckled. “Backbeat, you know as well as I do that Hayseed hasn’t sold more than ten records in the four years I’ve been representing him. People just don’t like banjo music anymore.” He sighed and stared straight ahead. “Face it, I’m done. Might as well clear my desk now.” “Oh, don’t say that!” Backbeat insisted. “Yeah, sure, Hayseed might not be doing very well. And, uh, you might not have gotten a successful client in... a few years. And, uh, well, I mean...” she trailed off, rubbing one hoof on the back of her neck. “Well, we can always hope, right?” “Yeah. I suppose we can.” Noteworthy responded with a smile. “Well, have a good day, Backbeat. Celestia knows I won’t.” He left, leaving only a speechless mare in his wake. “You wanted to see me, Mr. Two Step?” A gray stallion sat calmly at a large desk which occupied the back of the room. He gave an affirmative grunt. “Yes. Come in.” He adjusted the gold nameplate sitting on the desk, which read: TWO STEP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GALAXY MUSIC GROUP Noteworthy sat in a plush, comfortable chair stationed in front of his employer. However, the smooth velvet padding did little to soothe his fears of Two Step, who had fixed him with a penetrating stare. “Noteworthy.” Two Step began. “Do you know why you are here?” “No, sir.” Noteworthy bluffed. “Right. Of course not. Well, let me fill you in.” Two Step said as he rose from his chair, revealing his cutie mark: a simple vinyl record, befitting his position. He began to pace in front of the large, fully windowed wall behind the desk. “As I am sure you are aware of, Noteworthy, Galaxy Music Group is the largest record label in Equestria. As such, we have something of a reputation to uphold.” he said, turning to the blue stallion. “Do you see where I am going yet?” A bead of sweat formed at the base of Noteworthy’s mane. “I...I think I have an idea.” “If you did not know, your success rate with musicians is the lowest we have at this company. I do not think I can even remember the last time you brought in someone notable. And, again, if you did not know, these are hard times. Layoffs might be necessary soon.” Two Step stared straight into Noteworthy’s eyes. “And it would only be fair if the first to go was the one providing the least.” “Sir, you have to understand-” “No, I think you have to understand.” Two Step said sternly, the anger on his face betraying the icy calmness in his voice. “The next budget meeting is in fifteen days. Noteworthy, I am giving you two weeks to find me the next ‘big thing.’ Once these two weeks is up, I will test whoever you find, to see if they’re up for the job. That is if you find somepony. Do this, or I won’t hesitate to let you go. Do I make myself clear?” Noteworthy glowered, but he nodded. “Yes, sir.” Two Step sat back down, and spun his chair toward the window. “I wish you the best of luck. You will need it.” “I live here on my knees, as I try to make you see That you're everything I think I need, here on the ground.” Blue Belle’s purple eyes were closed as she sang with an intensity that sent chills down the spines of everypony in the audience. She didn’t even notice the blue hair falling onto her face as she mashed keys on her grand piano, keeping in time with the violinist that accompanied her, sitting a few feet away from the spotlight. “But you're neither friend nor foe, though I can't seem to let you go. The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down!” She held her high note on the word ‘down,’ stretching her voice across the entire crowd. Both the violin and piano made a full stop, leaving nothing but the mare’s voice to fill the void. After a few seconds, Blue Belle began to tap out a few slow notes, signaling the violinist to fade in with her. She paused for a moment, just to take a breath, but then continued, repeating the final line of the bridge with just as much passion as the first time. Backstage, Blue Belle’s fellow contestants sat, holding their various instruments close. Even they, albeit begrudgingly, were moved by the love story being sung onstage. Some chatted about what they felt the results would be. Others shared experiences about different gigs they had taken. Others were content to simply sit alone, trying to build up their confidence. In the back corner, slumped over on a large, wooden box, a turquoise mare attempted to check how fast her heart was beating. Unsurprisingly, it was far from normal. “Oh, come on!” Lyra thought as she strummed a few quiet notes on her lyre. “Why did I have to go first?! The judges have probably forgotten all about me by now!” It wasn’t that Lyra hadn’t done well; in fact, one might call her performance perfect. It was just that Blue Belle was so much better. As she sat in worry, Blue Belle entered the final lines of her song. “Something always brings me back to you. It never-” At that moment, she hit a note on her piano about two steps higher than what was needed. Realizing her mistake, her eyes immediately flapped open and her dark-blue hackles raised as she attempted the note again, striking the right key this time. However, the damage had been done. She shakily continued. “t-takes too lo-ong...” The music died down. The spotlight slowly faded as silence rang out across the audience. After a moment, it was replaced by the thunderous applause of hundreds of ponies stamping their hooves. Blue Belle stood up, gave a quick bow, and walked off the stage, entering the dim light of backstage. She was greeted by a round of encouragement and praise from her peers. Noteworthy trotted through downtown Canterlot, paying no mind to the many stores and ponies that lined the streets. What was he to do? Hayseed definitely wasn’t going anywhere, and it wasn’t likely that he’d find another successful musician anytime soon. The sun had already set, meaning he really only had thirteen days left. It wasn’t like he was going to just walk into a bunch of talented musicians! As if on cue, his ears were flooded with the sound of stamping hooves. He quickly shook his head and looked around, only to find that he had walked right into a crowd of ponies without noticing. They were all staring at a large stage, from which two ponies were exiting. In the center was a large piano. Had the mare been playing the piano? When the applause had subsided, Noteworthy tapped a yellow unicorn mare on the shoulder. “Excuse me, what is this for?” he asked. The mare gave him a blank expression. She blew her blue bangs out of her eyes, and responded through her gum, “This is, like, the Canterlot Village Music Festival.” “Oh, was that tonight?” Noteworthy responded. He may not have had much success finding musicians, but it didn’t mean his cutie mark, three eighth notes, was undeserved. He quite a lot about the music world. And he definitely knew about the Canterlot Village Music Festival. Every year, at least fifteen amateur and uncontracted musicians gathered to show their stuff, and compete against each other for money, the chance to spend the day with whoever that year’s celebrity judge was, and other prizes. Of course, the greatest prize was the chance to be seen by the various talent scouts that always inhabited the crowd. More new musicians came out of this competition than any other. That was when it hit him: he was searching for a pony with musical talent, who would be willing to sign into a record deal. And it just so happened that he had walked straight into the heart of an amateur music festival. He silently thanked Celestia as he turned back to the mare. “Thank you!” he said excitedly. “Whatever.” the mare said, still chewing her gum with the same blank look. Noteworthy made his way to the front of the crowd, just behind the judging table. He sat and waited patiently. If he was going to have the first pickings of whoever won this, he would have to be ready. “Would all contestants please take the stage?” Lyra let herself be immersed in the crowd of ponies who were now taking the stage. Her heart beat hadn’t slowed at all since her performance ended. “Come on, Lyra. You didn’t come all the way to Canterlot for nothing. You didn’t practice your piece every day for the past six months to lose here. You will win this... I hope.” Lyra thought as she stepped into her place on the stage, sandwiched between a large, crimson stallion and a mulberry mare. The two judges stared at everypony on stage with cold, calculating eyes. The pony on the left was named Five Star. Five Star was notorious throughout Equestria for being one of the most critical unicorns to ever live. His cutie mark matched his name: a large, golden star, the only color in a sea of white fur. His mane, greyed by age, only showed a few streaks of yellow. Every few seconds, he would put his head down to scribble something on the clipboard in front of him. Sitting next to him was the biggest reason Lyra had even cared about this competition. The celebrity judge: Octavia. Known throughout Equestria as the greatest earth pony to ever play a string instrument, she was Lyra’s idol. Lyra could only imagine how much money was spent to secure Octavia as a judge. Unlike Five Star, Octavia simply scanned the contestants, a small smile betraying the look her purple eyes were giving. Lyra took in a deep breath. She was not about to blow her one chance to meet Octavia. "We'd like to thank you all for being here." Octavia began, her voice as melodic as the cello she played. "Music is a wonderful thing, and you should all feel proud that you have been given the ability to share it with others. I can assure you all of one thing: you all deserve to be here tonight. Starting from twentieth place, Five Star and I shall count down the places until we have reached the final three, who shall be receiving prizes for their efforts.” Five Star levitated his clipboard in front of him and cleared his throat. “When you are called, please walk and remain in the backstage area.” he boomed, obviously using a spell to enhance his volume. If Octavia’s voice was like silk, then Five Star’s voice was like rusty metal. “In twentieth place, hailing from Trottingham, is Giselle.” A round of applause accompanied the announcement. A blue mare, who Lyra assumed was Giselle, stepped out of the lineup, took a quick bow, and left the stage, all the while wearing a dejected look. Octavia took the next name, then it went back to Five Star, and so on, until there were only three ponies left on stage. Lyra, who was doing all she could not to simply pass out from nervousness. Blue Belle, who was trying to summon all the poise she could into a graceful, eloquent pose. And finally, on the far left, was a cream-colored pegasus stallion named Cool Star. Despite his high ranking, he stood with a stoic expression, only raising a hoof every few moments to brush a lock of red hair off his forehead. The only part of his performance Lyra remembered was that he played the bongos. “When I announce the third place pony, he or she should come to the judges table, receive their trophy, and proceed backstage.” Octavia said. She was eyeing each contestant equally, letting no hint of who had made it across. Lyra’s heart fluttered for a moment as she made eye contact with the gray mare. “And, in third place, receiving a plaque and a cash prize of 200 bits, hailing from Cloudsdale, is Cool Star.” Cool Star, taking advantage of his extra appendages, simply jumped to the judges table. He calmly shook hooves with both judges, grabbed the trophy in his teeth, gave a small nod, and flew backstage. A small amount of cheering could be heard from behind the curtain. Once again, Five Star cleared his throat. “Right. Now, that brings us to our final two ponies. From Ponyville, Lyra. From Canterlot, Blue Belle.” he said, igniting a round of applause. Blue Belle turned, and outstretched a hoof to Lyra. “May the best pony win.” she said. Lyra stared at the dark blue hoof being offered to her. Everypony already knew that Blue Belle was going to win this; why pretend? Her performance had been near perfect! But yet, Blue Belle’s expression was not that of one who knew they were better than everyone else. On the contrary, she looked almost sad, like she had given up. Lyra opened her mouth to say something, but stopped abruptly when she realized: everypony in the crowd was staring at her, waiting for her to accept Blue Belle’s sign of sportsmanship. Swallowing her words, Lyra slowly nodded and returned the gesture, giving a reassuring smile as she went. All the while, Noteworthy charted out what the quickest route backstage from his seat would be. “Remember, first prize, along with the 1000 bits and trophy, is the chance to spend one day with Octavia.” Five Star said, motioning to the mare next to him. Lyra began to systematically wring her hooves. She knew it probably didn’t look very good, but right now, she was too anxious to care. “And the winner is...” Five Star trailed off, leaving a deafening silence in the area. Having been a professional judge all his life, he was well tuned to the art of suspense. “GET ON WITH IT!” a voice from the crowd screeched, sparking a chorus of agreement within the crowd. Five Star turned around and stared into the audience, searching for the pony who had interrupted him. Having no luck finding the troublemaker, eventually he relented and settled in his seat once again. Octavia covered her mouth with a hoof, trying not to giggle. Five Star grumbled and lifted up a small, gold-lined paper. “As I was saying... the winner of the Canterlot Village Music Festival is...Lyra!” As if the crowd was simply a bomb waiting for its spark, the dozens of ponies gathered in front of the stage immediately broke out into thunderous stamping and cheering. Blue Belle smiled a wistful smile. She began to turn, planning to congratulate the victor, but was interrupted as Lyra, engrossed in both the joy of winning and the spirit of competition, embraced her in a fierce hug. Before the blue mare could react, Lyra was already galloping down to the judges table, basking in the frenzy of roses being thrown at her. She heartily shook both judge’s hooves, lingering on Octavia’s grasp. Octavia didn’t resist; she only gave an amused smile. After a few moments, Blue Belle walked up beside the turquoise unicorn. She too shook hooves with the judges, albeit more calmly than Lyra.different. Noteworthy bolted from his seat, pushing through ponies and galloping around the stage until he reached a sturdy red door labeled ‘backstage.’ As he proceeded inside, he ignored everypony giving him strange looks, and simply waited by the stage entrance. Back outside, Lyra had just finished talking to Octavia about their day together. Despite Lyra’s insistence that it be coordinated down to the minute, Octavia only gave the simple assurance that everything would be alright, and not to worry about it. Either way, she still had to check her schedule to see when she would be free, so they would have to organize it later. Even though she was just the least bit disappointed, Lyra agreed, gave Octavia one last hoofshake, and bid farewell. By now, most of the crowd had cleared out. A few admires crowded around Octavia as she cantered confidently away. Some competitors talked with each other, no doubt sharing tips and tricks or organizing times they could practice together. Others walked with their family or friends. Lyra had come alone, so she figured that she might as well head back to the airport. As soon as she had passed through the curtain that led backstage, Lyra received a tap upon her shoulder. She turned to see who it had come from: a large, blue stallion, with a cutie mark revealing he had something to do with music. “Yes? Can I help you?” she asked. Noteworthy smiled. Step one, actually approach the pony, was complete. Now it was time for step two: reel it in. At Galaxy, the first thing you learned was how to sell. Not only records, but the company, its artists, and yourself. Most at the company would call it charm. Noteworthy just called it sleaze. He hated tricking ponies like this, but right now, he had no choice “Lyra, was it? My name is Noteworthy. I’m a record producer representing Galaxy Music Group. Perhaps you’ve heard of us?” he asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He suppressed a groan at his own joke. Lyra’s eyes lit up. “Well, of course I’ve heard of you guys! You’re only the biggest record company in Equestria!” She shook his hoof enthusiastically. “But what do you need from me?” “Well, I heard your music out there.” he bluffed. Sure, he hadn’t actually heard her. But, considering she won, she couldn’t have been too shabby. “And I would like to make you a deal. How would you feel about becoming an artist for our company?” Lyra’s jaw dropped. Her? Performing for Galaxy Music Group?! This was like a dream come true! She could see it now... The cheering of ponies completely overcame whatever other sounds were attempting to be heard. And who were they all cheering for? Why the limousine coming down the block, of course. It came to a halt at the beginning of a long, red, silk carpet. The door opened, and out came the mare of the century: Lyra. Dressed in only the finest Canterlot fashions, the unicorn walked gracefully across the carpet, giving her adoring fans glances so seductive that they would faint within seconds. Up ahead, three ponies lined the ground. The first was a small, brown unicorn stallion, the image of a book on his flank. Lyra recognized him as Bold Text, headmaster of Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. He lamely groveled at Lyra’s hooves. “Oh, please, please, Miss Lyra!” he begged. “Please, grace our school with your presence!” Lyra laughed. “Yeah, I bet you wish I hadn’t dropped out now!” She moved onto the next ponies: her own parents. Her father, a blue unicorn held his hooves together, as if praying. “Oh, sweet daughter, can you ever forgive us? We’re sorry for trying to force you to become a doctor!” Lyra just shook her head and walked on. She had only made it a few feet, before a new sight came into view; only this time, she liked it. It was the most handsome, eligible unicorn stallion in Canterlot. Princess Celestia’s own nephew. Prince Blueblood. He held a snow white hoof out to her. Lyra took it in her own. They walked down the carpet, happily ever after... Noteworthy waved a hoof in front of Lyra’s face. “Uh...you okay?” Lyra shook her head, trying to free herself from the stupor she had fallen into. “No? You’re not okay?” “No, no! I am, trust me.” Lyra assured him, chuckling. “Just spaced out for a second there. So...” She leaned in close to Noteworthy. “When can I start?” “Hold up there.” Noteworthy said hastily, taking a small step away from the enthusiastic mare. “It’s not that simple. First you’ve got to sign a contract.” “Oh. So, do you have one?” Noteworthy laughed. “No, sorry. But, I can have one ready for you right away.” He quickly grabbed a conveniently placed pen and paper off a table near them. He scribbled a note down and handed it to Lyra. “Here you are.” Lyra stared at the piece of paper. All it said was: 112 8th Street Floor 28 Ask for Noteworthy “This is my contract?” Lyra asked, one eyebrow raised. Just what was this guy trying to pull? “Oh, no, no. I can’t just write one up for you right now. This is where you can find me during the day. Tomorrow morning, come on down and I’ll have it ready for you.” Lyra’s heart sank. “Tomorrow? Like, tomorrow tomorrow?” Noteworthy nodded, more than a bit confused. “Yeah. That’s usually what’s meant by ‘tomorrow.’” “Oh...you see, I actually have a flight back to Ponyville tonight.” “A flight? Can’t you cancel it?” “I would, but I don’t have the money for it. It would cost at least 200 bits.” “But you just won 1000 bits, didn’t you? It’s more than enough to cover the expenses.” Lyra sighed. “Yeah, I know. But apparently the money comes in a check, and I won’t actually be able to cash it until I get back home. Until then, I’m pretty much broke.” Noteworthy sighed in turn. What now? “Oh, I know! I could use my budget money to... No, that wouldn’t work. She isn’t on contract yet, it’s against the rules. And I only have two weeks...” Noteworthy took a quick glance at Lyra. And at that moment, his heart broke. Lyra simply stared at her hooves, shuffling them on the wooden floor. She just looked so disappointed. Once again, Noteworthy gave a long sigh. “How about this, Lyra?” he said, causing the turquoise mare to perk her head up. “I’ll give you...an extension, of sorts. How long do you think it’ll take you to get home, get your money, and come back?” Lyra thought for a moment, one hoof raised to her chin. “I’m not sure. Maybe a week or so? Flights between Canterlot and Ponyville don’t come around very often.” Noteworthy gulped. A week?! That would only give him about six days to get her in shape for whatever Two Step had planned. He couldn’t give her that much time...but, then again, when was he going to get another opportunity like this? Hesitantly, he lifted a blue hoof up to Lyra. “That’s fine, I guess. Just...don’t get here too late, okay?” Lyra nodded, exuberant. “You can count on me!” “Good. Here, why don’t I walk you out?” “Okay. Just let me get my lyre.” Lyra responded, trotting away from the producer. Noteworthy made a mental note. “Okay, she plays the lyre...I guess I should have figured, from her cutie mark. A bit classical, but I can probably make it work.” As Lyra and Noteworthy walked away from the performance area, and out into the dimly lit streets, Noteworthy recounted stories of his many clients(he paid special care to make just the right amount of corny jokes). Even if Lyra could tell which stories were true and which were false, she didn’t give any indication. She simply let herself be immersed in his voice, in the crowd, and in her dreams. (Note: The song Blue Belle was singing is "Gravity" by Sara Bareilles)
QuestionsCompared to the sprawling urban landscape that made up most of Canterlot, the residential neighborhoods made Lyra feel much more at home. Birds chirped, unicorn foals played in the neatly-trimmed lawns, and it seemed like the smell of homemade apple pie always lingered in the air. This warm and friendly atmosphere contrasted the weather; an icy wind rolled through the rows of houses, collecting the fallen leaves into a swirling red-and-yellow tornado. The turquoise mare pulled her matching scarf over her muzzle. Autumn had returned, and it was back with a vengeance. The streets were lined with identical terracotta houses, differentiated only by the gold numbers engraved on each mailbox. Lyra searched up and down the road, looking for house ‘322.’ It was there that she would find the pony she was looking for. As she reached ‘319,’ Lyra began to hear dulcet tones, echoing through the air like the angels themselves. However, following these notes were scratchy, off-key ones that made Lyra cringe, even from three houses down. They grew louder and louder, until Lyra was right outside ‘322’ and was able to make out distinct noises drifting out of the second floor window. “Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti do!” the first voice sang, accentuating the solfège with two piano notes, the first lower than the second. Lyra could hear a faint sigh. “DO, rE, mi, fa, SO, La...uh, DI DA!” Somehow, even when singing, the second voice was dripping with sarcasm. Lyra imagined that this must be like what her singing voice sounded like; maybe Noteworthy wasn’t exaggerating. She approached the blue door that was built into the front of the two-floor gray building. She began to reach for the gold-plated doorbell, but stopped when the voice rang out again, still just as whiny. “Miss Belle, why do we have to keep doing this this? I already know how to sing! Can’t we just skip straight to the actual songs?” There was silence. “High Class, you may be...okay, but your parents are entrusting me with your voice, and I plan to make it as good as it can be. And that takes practice. Trust me on that. Now, let’s take it from the top. And a one, a two, a one, two three four!” But the first voice didn’t get a chance to start, as Lyra quickly tapped the doorbell. She hated to interrupt what she could only imagine was a fantastic singing lesson, but they didn’t have much time, and, well...she had already come all this way, hadn’t she? The voices stopped abruptly. Lyra could hear somepony trotting to the door, the clip-clops slowly becoming louder. Suddenly, the first voice rang out from inside. “Are you from the Fraternity of the Joyous Friends? If so, there are no stallions here-” “Blue Belle, it’s Lyra. From the Music Festival?” There was another click, and the door opened wide. Lyra hadn’t bothered dressing herself up, but Blue Belle looked just as professional as she had back at the festival. Her dark blue fur shined with the afternoon light, perfectly complementing her soft purple eyes. “Oh, Lyra! What a pleasant surprise! Come on in.” Blue Belle offered. Lyra trotted after her host, admiring the beautiful decor that made up the blue mare’s home. “What brings you here today?” “I was just wondering if we could talk for a little while.” “I was just in the middle of giving a singing lesson, but it’s fine if I end it a bit early today.” Blue Belle said cheerily. Not wanting to be rude, Lyra quickly rebutted: “Oh, there’s no need to stop what you’re doing, I can-” “No, no, it’s fine.” She stopped Lyra at the foot of a long staircase. “Between you and me, the colt I’m teaching, High Class, isn’t exactly the most polite of ponies. His parents are some of the richest in Canterlot, and I think some of their attitude has rubbed off on him.” Lyra nodded. “I know what you mean.” The duo climbed the stairs, which led to a large sitting room. It contained the normal things you would expect in a house as big as this: a few leather chairs, a long couch, ornate wall-to-wall carpeting, and, on the wall, was a flat-screen television bigger than Lyra’s whole body. However, sitting in the corner was an object that stood out from the modern decorations: a large grand piano. Sitting on its bench, a bored look on his face and elbows resting on the keys, was a gray unicorn colt whom Lyra could only assume was High Class. He blew a lock of black hair out of his eyes. Blue Belle cleared her throat, alerting High Class to their presence. He immediately sat straight up, attempting to regain whatever composure he had lost. Yet, the grimace on his face remained. “Yes, Miss Belle? Who’s this?” “High Class, I’m going to have to cut your lesson short today. This is my friend Lyra, and we would like to have some time alone.” Blue Belle responded. High Class didn’t answer. “You can tell Upper Crust that today’s lesson was free.” The foal’s blue eyes narrowed, fixing the two mares with an intense glare. “Are you two fillyfoolers?” Blue Belle’s jaw dropped, and her face began to redden. If Lyra had been drinking something, she most certainly would have spit it out. “High Regibus Class!” Blue Belle snapped. “Why would you ask something like that?! It’s rude!” High Class walked to a duffel bag that lay against a wall. “Well, are you? Because my parents told me not to talk to fillyfoolers.” Blue Belle snorted in annoyance. “High Class, you can bet that your parents will-” She stopped, realizing that if she told his parents, they wouldn’t scold him. On the contrary, they’d probably praise him. She sighed. “I’m not answering. Just...have a nice day, High Class.” The colt’s horn began to shine with a white light. The same light immediately surrounded the yellow bag, lifting it through the air and onto his back. “Of course, Miss Belle.” he said, his voice lined with sarcasm. There was a continued silence as High Class clip-clopped his way down the stairs, and out the door, which he slammed behind him. Blue Belle laughed nervously. “Sorry you had to see that.” Lyra realized that her jaw was still dropped. Quickly, she turned to Blue Belle and shrugged. “It’s fine. Trust me, I’ve seen worse.” Blue Belle walked from the room into a kitchen. “Make yourself at home. Would you like anything? Tea, maybe?” Lyra smiled. “That would be great.” As Blue Belle trotted into the next room, Lyra lay down on the long, velvet couch. She didn’t want to freak the blue mare out more than she probably already had, showing up out of the blue like she had. Lyra was amazed at Blue Belle’s hospitality; they barely knew each other, and already Lyra was being treated as if she was family! She felt almost guilty, accepting such special treatment. After a minute, Blue Belle cantered back in gracefully, her horn aglow. Levitating beside her were two intricately designed teacups, filled to the brim with a piping hot liquid. She landed one ever so lightly on the table in front of Lyra, careful to not let even one ripple cross its surface. She sat in a leather chair across from Lyra. Lyra stared at the cup in front of her. Obviously, she was meant to pick it up with her magic, and drink it like that. But it was just so hot...and she did not trust her magic to be able to pick it up. Magic had never been her strong suit. Lyra hopped off the couch and leaned forward, sticking out her tongue to lap at the tea. Centimeters away from the brown liquid, Lyra looked up. Blue Belle was staring at her guest, obviously perturbed by her strange behavior. The aquamarine pony gave a small laugh. “Heh.” She lay back down on the couch, and shakily gripped the cup with a light green glow. Blue Belle giggled and picked up her tea confidently. “So, what was it that you wanted to talk about?” “Well, first of all, I wanted to say congrats.” Lyra said, sipping at her shuddering cup. Blue Belle stared at her blankly. “I’m sorry, but for what, may I ask?” “For placing so high at the Festival! I wanted to talk to you sooner, but I kind of got caught up in something right after the award ceremony.” Blue Belle closed her eyes and chuckled. “Oh, right. That. You shouldn’t have worried yourself; I don’t deserve any congratulations.” She magically lifted her cup to her mouth, sipping slowly. “What do you mean you ‘don’t deserve any congratulations?’” Lyra said. “You were amazing! Better than I was, I bet. Those judges-” “Were right.” Blue Belle interrupted. “I came second place for a reason, Lyra. You can’t tell me that you didn’t hear my mistake at the end.” “Well, yeah, but I mean-” “That’s all there is to it, Lyra. I didn’t deserve to win.” Blue Belle said with an air of finality. There was a tense silence. “I may not know you very well, Lyra, but I doubt you came all this way just to compliment me. What is it you really need?” Lyra rubbed the back of her head and broke her eye contact. “Well, uh...” Should she really be doing this? What she was about to ask was a big request, especially for one pony. But what other chance would she have? Lyra decided to just steam on through. “Remember how I said I got caught up in something?” Blue Belle nodded, raising an eyebrow. “Well, you see...” Lyra had recounted her entire story, leaving no detail spared. She had started right from the first time she had met Noteworthy, and gone all the way up to knocking on the door here. Blue Belle had listened quietly, only interrupting every so often to ask a simple question. Lyra sighed as her tale came to a close. “And, well, that brings me to the guts of my visit.” Lyra said, smiling hopefully. She had been attempting to pick up the cup as little as possible, and as such, still had almost all of her tea left. Blue Belle had almost finished hers. She looked at Lyra warily. “I...see. And what is it that you need, exactly?” “I...We were hoping you would be our singer.” Blue Belle’s eyes widened. “What do you mean by that?” For the first time since the conversation had started, she set her tea cup down on the table. Lyra looked down at her curled up hooves. “Well, I’m no good at singing. But I know you are. Noteworthy is willing to offer you a full contract...if you choose to accept it, of course. You could start right away.” She looked up, hoping her words had swayed the blue mare, even just a bit. Blue Belle inhaled and exhaled deeply. “Well, this is definitely a surprise. A position at Galaxy Music group, the largest recording company in Equestria. And all for free. It’s what I’ve always wanted. And that is why I have to...” Lyra smiled wide. “SHE’S GOING TO SAY YES! SHE’S GOING TO SAY YES!!!” She thought. With a new found confidence, Lyra levitated her tea cup over and took a swig. It had been a nerve racking past few days, but it was all going to work out now. Blue Belle had said it herself: this was a dream job for her! And she would be great as Noteworthy’s new si- “...decline your offer.” The turquoise unicorn kept smiling. She blinked. “What?” “I’m afraid I’m going to have to say no to your offer, Lyra. Thank you, though.” Lyra’s tea cup fell to the floor, smashing into countless little shards. Despite only being dimly aware of her surroundings at the moment, the sound of impact was enough to make Lyra recoil. “Oh, buck, sorry.” Blue Belle rose to her hooves and suppressed a sigh. “It’s...okay, I suppose. I can get that cleaned up in a second.” The pieces were lifted into the air by Blue Belle’s magic. This was bad. Lyra had spent all her time just planning what to say. She had never considered what would happen if Blue Belle actually said no. Lyra put on what she considered to be her most “charming” smile. “Just to clarify: why are you saying no? Isn’t it your dream job?” “Well, yes, it is.” Blue Belle called from the kitchen. “And I’m happy to report that I’m already living that dream.” Lyra’s heart sank so fast, she could have sworn it made a sound. “I-I-I don’t understand, how are you-” “You weren’t the only one who got ‘caught up’ in something after the festival, Lyra.” Blue Belle began. She stepped into the room. Rays of golden light seemed to shoot in through the windows, lighting up Blue Belle’s fur like a blue sun. “Despite my grievous mistake, it seems somepony took notice of me. Just a few minutes after I left the stage, he caught up with me. He sweet talked me a bit; at first, I thought he was trying to pick me up. But that was when he gave it to me: the contract.” Blue Belle walked dramatically to her chair, and collapsed onto the leather. She had gotten caught up in her story, and there was no getting her out. “It was such a surprise!” Lyra managed a smile. “Yeah, I bet it was. I know it was for me.” “And that was before I even found out who he was!” Blue Belle continued. “He’s made so many ponies famous!” She turned to Lyra, excitement plastered on her face. “You’ve heard of that one stallion, right? Bustin’ Jieber?” The already weak smile disappeared. Lyra felt like Nightmare Moon herself was trying to burst out of her stomach. “I-I...yes?” “It’s the same pony who made him famous! His name is Key Change, and he’s just awe-inspiring!” Lyra was utterly speechless. Blue Belle was their one hope, and now she was gone too. Lyra was beginning to understand why Noteworthy hated Key Change so much. She wouldn’t exactly call him evil, but he was definitely an annoyance. Blue Belle snapped out of her ecstatic delirium. “Sorry about that. I got lost in my story.” Lyra shook her head and sighed. “It’s...it’s alright. I guess it was pretty rude of me to try and force you into the position.” “Not at all.” Blue Belle rose and crossed the room to stand beside Lyra. “I do apologize if I led you on a bit.” Lyra nodded wistfully. There was a lull in the conversation. For once, neither mare had something to say to the other. “I don’t want to be rude, but,” Blue Belle said. “Was there anything else you needed? Or was that it?” “That’s it.” Lyra said, lifting herself off the couch. “Thanks anyway, Blue Belle. Sorry about the cup.” Blue Belle led Lyra down the stairs, until they reached the front door. She slowly creaked it open, letting in a gust of cold air. “I hope we meet again soon.” said Blue Belle. “Actually, that reminds me; didn’t you mention in your story that you have a performance on Thursday?” Lyra froze. She did not want Blue Belle coming to that performance. The best case scenario was that she humiliated herself in front of everyone, and Blue Belle lost what little respect she had for Lyra. Lyra didn’t even want to imagine what the worst case scenario was. But yet, she couldn’t lie; besides being a terrible liar, she had already told Blue Belle about it. There was no backing down now. “Uh...yeah?” Blue Belle clapped her hooves together. “Oh, good! Where is it?” “...The Windwoods Hotel?” “Great.” Blue Belle said, smiling. “You can count on me being there.” “Oh, no, no.” Lyra said. “You don’t want to come see me! I’m terrible! You should...uh, stay home!” She was beginning to sweat, despite it being at most forty degrees out. “Stay home, and listen to your own great music! You’re so much better than me, it’ll be...you know...better!” Blue Belle smiled doubtfully. “Ah-ah-ah, Lyra! I’ve told you, you are the better musician. There is no way I’m missing this performance. Look at it as my offer to be friends.” She held out a hoof to Lyra. Lyra groaned internally, but still returned the hoofshake. “Right. Thanks.” As the door closed behind her, Lyra was left staring out into the fall-time neighborhood. Things...hadn’t gone as planned, to say the least. Noteworthy wouldn’t be happy. “I am not happy.” Noteworthy said, pacing around the room. Backbeat and Lyra stared on in amazement at his utterance of this phrase; it was the first thing he had said since Lyra had broken the news that didn’t have an expletive in it. “Not happy at all.” He paused, as if to gather his anger. He stared out the window. “In fact...I’M BUCKING ANGRY!” Lyra recoiled. “I’m sorry, Noteworthy. I did tell you I couldn’t guarantee anything.” Noteworthy pointed his muzzle at the ceiling, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. “Yeah, I know. I don’t blame you.” Backbeat smiled. Noteworthy seemed to be calming down; she never liked to see him upset. “I blame KEY CHANGE!” yelled Noteworthy, now pacing again. “That little bucking bastard! Goes right under your nose, right when you least expect it! He thinks he’s better than everypony else, just because he has a pretty face. I...I just hate it!” His eyes were frantic. “Noteworthy, it’s okay.” said Backbeat as she rose to her hooves. “We can get through this. It’s just a matter of...uh, perseverance, I suppose?” The blue stallion’s golden eyes lit up with worry. “But how, Backbeat? This Blue Belle mare was our last hope. What are we supposed to do now? Nothing will work!” Backbeat walked to Noteworthy, and place her white hooves upon his shoulders. She fixed him with an earnest glance. “That’s not true. We’ll get through this, Noteworthy. You’ve been in tighter jams before, I know!” She walked over to a small calender that hung from the wall. “Look: it’s Wednesday now. The budget meeting is Tuesday, meaning that the deadline is Monday. We’ve got a little less than a week to think of a plan. We can do this! All we need to do is focus. “And right now, well...” Backbeat trailed off. She walked back to Noteworthy and gave him the once over. “You don’t look very focused.” Her horn shined for a moment. There was a small pop, and her red thermos appeared in front of her. “Do you want some coffee?” Noteworthy stared down at the white mare. “Thanks, Backbeat. I think I’ll just go get some fresh air.” He trotted to the door. “Anypony care to join me? No? Okay, I’ll see you all in a few minutes.” He left after receiving two affirmative nods. After a moment, Backbeat walked over to Noteworthy’s desk, and pulled out a clipboard and pen. She set them down on the desk. Lyra barely heard a small sigh. “I worry about him sometimes.” Backbeat admitted. With a small spell, she began to write something down. Lyra chuckled. “That’s good. Somepony has to. Noteworthy is lucky to have you.” Backbeat at Lyra. “Yeah, I guess.” There was a pause before Lyra asked: “So, how long have you two been going out?” Backbeat’s magic shorted out, as her snow-white fur grew a dark scarlet. “I, wait, I, no, we’re-” At that moment, her voice gave out, leaving nothing but a small squeaking noise. She stared at Lyra with wide eyes. Lyra stared right back, confused. “What? Was it something I said?” Backbeat swallowed, and managed to get her voice up to something just short of a conversational tone. “W-we’re not goi-going out. We’re just...f-friends.” Her whole body was shaking. “Oh, crap! Sorry about that. You guys just had such a good relationship, I assumed...you know.” The white mare took off her glasses, conjured a cloth, and began to wipe the lenses. “Yes, well...we’re not. We have a completely platonic relationship.” She managed to make eye contact with Lyra. After a moment, Lyra broke out into a grin. She may not have been the greatest when it came to romance, but Lyra was still a mare. She knew what it looked like when somepony had a crush, and it was written all over Backbeat’s face. “So, it’s just professional?” “Yes, of course.” “That’s really it?” “...Yes. Um, where are you going with this?” Lyra, switched out her smile for a disappointed face. “Oh, that’s too bad. You know, considering how badly you’re crushing on him.” Once again, Backbeat’s fur began to turn the color of a ripe tomato. “I, wait, but, but, but, who told you that?!” Trails of gray smoke began to rise from Backbeat’s hackles. “Was it Sunset Bliss? Because I swear, everything that mare says is a lie!” Lyra held up her hooves defensively. “Whoa, whoa, I don’t even know a Sunset Bliss!” There was a pregnant pause. “So...am I right?” Backbeat stared worriedly at Lyra. “Can...can you keep a secret?” “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” Lyra swore, making sure to do the appropriate motions. Backbeat gaped at her. “Sorry. Ponyville tradition. But, yeah, I can.” “Listen...yeah, it’s true. I like Noteworthy.” Backbeat said, ears drooping. Lyra gave a small cheering motion. “Stop that! Look. I’ve liked him for a while now.” She walked over to the couch where Lyra was laying and sat beside it. “He’s just so...great, you know? He’s the best friend I’ve ever had.” “D’awwwww!” Lyra cooed. “That’s so nice! So, have you asked him out?” Backbeat looked shocked. “Celestia no! How could I do that? I couldn’t just go up to him and ask him on a date! Even I know how shy I am.” She looked down at the floor. “He’s way out of my league, anyway. I don’t deserve somepony as good as him.” “What are you talking about?!” Lyra yelped. “You’re amazing! And you know as well as I do that he’s crazy about you.” “He is?” “Hay yeah!” exclaimed Lyra. “In fact, I’m amazed he hasn’t asked you out yet!” "Do you...do you really think that?" "Sure. I bet if you were to go up to him and ask him to go to dinner with you, he would say yes faster than you can say 'Heartstrings.'" Backbeat grinned, her flushed face beginning to pale again. “Thanks, Lyra. I needed that. But I’m still not sure...” “Don’t worry. Look, I’ll even help.” Backbeat and Lyra had to wait half an hour before Noteworthy finally walked back in. The remnants of a headache still lingered in his mind; maybe he should have some coffee. When he arrived, the two mares were huddled close together, speaking in hushed whispers. They looked up at him with faces that seemed to be hiding something. “Oh, hey, Noteworthy!” Lyra called cheerfully. “How are you feeling?” Noteworthy closed the door behind him. “...Fine. How are you guys doing?” Lyra waved a hoof nonchalantly. “Oh, good, good...but, uh, Backbeat has something she wants to ask you.” For the first time since he had entered, the blue stallion looked closely at Backbeat. She looked as if she was trying to force her body to swallow her limbs. She refused to make eye contact with him, instead opting to look at the ground. She only gave a small squeak when Lyra jabbed her in the side with a hoof. After another moment of unresponsiveness, the turquoise unicorn eventually pushed her friend off the couch. Backbeat stumbled forward, stopping just in time to avoid crashing directly into Noteworthy. Slowly, she craned her neck upwards to look him in the eye. She let out a small laugh. “Heh. Well.” Noteworthy didn’t seem to notice that Backbeat’s face was filling with blood. “What’s up?” he asked, blinking in confusion. “I, um, well, uh, ah...” Backbeat stammered, rubbing one leg with a hoof. She looked pleadingly back at Lyra. The lyrest only winked, and mouthed the words, ‘Don’t worry.’ Backbeat turned back to face Noteworthy. “W-would you...” She clenched her eyes shut, bracing herself for her own words. “L-l-like to go ou-out to din-n-ner sometime...?” Noteworthy stared at Backbeat while the gears turned in his head. Unfortunately, they were the wrong gears. While Backbeat may have been only a budding romantic, Noteworthy simply...wasn’t a romantic. At all. After what seemed like an eternity to Backbeat, his eyes lit up. “Oh, hey! That’s a great idea!” Backbeat beamed. “Really? You mean it?” “Sure, Backbeat! I hadn’t even thought of that; if we’re going to be making up a plan for how to pass Two Step’s test, we should be spending as much time as possible thinking. A dinner is just the right place to do that!” Noteworthy exclaimed, gesticulating as he went. He turned to Lyra. “You’re up for it, right?” Lyra looked back blankly. “I, um...” “Of course you are!” declared Noteworthy. Before either mare could respond, he trotted to the desk, picked up the pen in his mouth, and scribbled a note on Backbeat’s clipboard. “And I know the best place! Okay, you two meet me here tonight. Say, eight?” Backbeat tried to protest, but no sound came out. “Now, it’s getting late. I’ll see you guys there.” Noteworthy explained, heading for the door. “But, wait,” croaked Backbeat as Noteworthy began to exit. “That’s not-” The door slammed. “...What I meant.” Lyra stared at the door, ears folded back. “Well, that wasn’t what I was expecting.” (Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, give me criticism on Blue Belle. I feel like I haven't really pegged down a solid character for her.)
