After another quick session, Abel had to hand it to Coloratura – she was very good. Much better than even he could imagine her to be. Her vocal capabilities were on par with his own, and she could bring out the emotion in lyrics very well, perhaps even better than he could – which was surprising, given the very different fields of lyrical topics she had compared to his.

“I… I can’t take all this in at once,” he confessed, reaching over and patting her neck. “C’mon, let’s get something to eat before our big showdown.”

Abel set out with Ricky, another team member, Amir, and Peter (who didn’t seem to go anywhere without his guitar) back down the halls. As they approached the door, a loud racket could be clearly heard, and camera shutters went off repeatedly like fireworks.

“I’ve seen this before…” Coloratura spoke as security opened the doors.

“F**kin paparazzi…” Peter muttered as they slowly made their way to the car. Being significantly shorter, Coloratura didn’t get much attention as she patiently walked behind Abel. She’d had run-ins with paparazzi back in Equestria, though they were more civilized. These people were almost heartless in their urge to get good photos. More than once Abel’s bodyguards had to push them aside and yell for them to give space and minimize the flashes.

“Do those lowlifes ever leave you alone?” Coloratura inquired, her voice sounding irritated as the crowd disappeared behind the tour van as it drove off.

Abel shook his head sadly. “Hardly ever. But I try my best to respect them – it’s their job to take photos of me to sell to those who make magazines and news articles. I don’t mind it, just wish they’d be more mature and controlled.”

“They surely need to get a better job than hounding famous stars just for photos,” Coloratura hissed. “Do your eyes ever hurt from their camera flashes?”

Abel shuffled over to her. “Hey, don’t sweat it, Coloratura. We try our best to cope with what comes with what we choose, and lay it hard when needed. Yes, it does hurt occasionally, but most of the time I simply look down so the glare doesn’t hit me directly – and at the same time they don’t get too much of a good shot.” He gave a mocking wink, and Coloratura snickered back.

“Back in my world, little fillies would ask ‘what does a unicorn do when she’s stuck in a traffic?’”

“I have no idea… throw rainbows?”

“And then they’d say, ‘She honks her horn.’ Because unicorns have a horn, get it?”

“Hahaha! Nice one, I love it.”

Coloratura gave Abel a soft, almost romantic smile. While she couldn’t fully sympathize with his lyrical subjectivity, she couldn’t help but admire his slightly bashful and friendly composure, and his incredibly chill demeanor.

As Coloratura continued telling juicy jokes and Abel eagerly shared his experiences, Peter quietly picked up his guitar and whipped up a quick melody. Then he started singing, first quietly then slowly louder and louder.

“We're far apart in every way,

But you're the best part of my day,

And sure as I breathe the air,

I know we are the perfect pair,

On a prickly path that goes on for miles,

But it's worth it just to see you smile,

And I cannot be pulled apart,

From the hold you have on my heart,

And even if the world tells us it's wrong,

You're in my head like a catchy song,

The seasons change and leaves may fall,

But I'll be with you through them all,

And rain or shine, you'll always be mine,

On a prickly path that goes on for miles,

You're the only one who makes it all worthwhile,

And you should not blame me, too,

If I can't help fall in love with you...”

“What was that all about?!” Abel snapped, and Peter quickly put down his guitar as if nothing had happened at all.

Coloratura turned with a stare. “Yeah. What makes you think that? I mean, it’s amazing, but –”

“Totally uncalled for,” Abel cut in.

Coloratura bit her lip and gave him a look that read “took the words right out of my mouth”. But it wasn’t a look of offense. It was…friendly. Like when a friend completes a sentence for the other out of eagerness and care.

“S…sorry, bro,” Peter muttered, and Abel’s face relaxed.

“Not a prob,” Abel replied. “But you’ll have a couple questions from me to answer when we return.”

The tour van pulled up by the side of a busy downtown intersection, and the chauffeur opened the door with a press of a button. Abel stepped out, with his trusty bodyguards ready at hand. Coloratura stepped out after him, followed by Amir, who instructed Peter to wait behind.

Right off the bat, fans came swarming in from all sides like killer bees on a bear. Around ten tried to push past the guards pleading to take a picture, holding out their phone cameras, while others chanted his name saying that they loved him over and over.

“One at a time, please everypony!” Coloratura shouted in an attempt to make her voice heard. “Give him space!”

All at once, part of the attention drifted to her, and several of the swarm of fans – mostly young girls – rushed over and bent down to try and caress her.

“You’re so cute!” one squealed, extending her arm behind one of the guards.

“Thanks!” Coloratura replied with a forced smile, reaching out to shake her hand, which resulted in a wave of loud squeals. Right in front of her, Abel also was shaking a couple hands as well, and signed a couple album covers. In spite of the crowd, Coloratura managed a true smile. This was the difficult but also the enjoyable part of life for both him and her – meeting and making the day for the fans who loved them the most. Only here it was much more difficult and harder to control.

Staying close to Abel, Coloratura crossed the street, shielded from other rude fans by bodyguards. Leaning out, she noticed a sign with a star and a woman on the front, reading “Starbucks Coffee”.

“Sounds good to me,” she thought excitedly.

Inside Starbucks, Abel sat down, accompanied by Coloratura and a single bodyguard.

“Whatcha eatin’ bro?” said Amir, holding up a clipboard.

“Order time, what would you like?” Abel quickly asked, handing Coloratura a pamphlet.

Knowing the limited time she had, Coloratura skimmed through the menu. There were so many choices – cookies, muffins, croissants, and more. Not to mention the endless flavors of coffee. After about two full minutes, she made up her mind.

“Two blueberry muffins, one butter croissant, and an iced latte cappuccino, please.”

Abel went with a good decaf roast and a bagel sandwich, while Amir quickly jotted down their orders at the speed of a typewriter.

“Quite an interesting combo,” Abel commented.

“Lots of interesting food,” Coloratura replied politely. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a group of fans pointing and waving with yells of excitement at the windows opposite them. Coloratura waved back with a smile, and blew them a kiss.

“Just need a bit more respect when it comes to the enthusiasm of these people, eh?” she remarked, though Abel only nodded. His face was turned down slightly, as if thinking deeply. For a moment, Coloratura reclined back in her chair and gazed back at the singer who’d been so caring, comforting, and so chill despite the crazy events that occurred in his life that was ever-so-full of movement, crowds, timing, and fame. She pondered what went on way down inside. What truly was influencing his deep meaningful sex-oriented lyrics? How much had he adapted to his crazy fame? And how much of an effect would she have on him after she returned to Equestria?

That is, if she did. Maybe Abel’s lyrics weren’t the sweetest fruit of the bunch, but she liked him. His personality was among the best she’d seen from anyone with this much fame, status, and influence.

Author's Note

Back with another chapter! Man, I loved "The Perfect Pear". By far the best episode of Season 7, if not the entire show.

Trying to get this done soon so I can get back to my other writing projects. Added a cover picture now too. All comments and likes are greatly appreciated