Starlight jumped in place as her phone rang. She wasn't used to having a phone, and it hadn't rung before then. Of course, she was in a hotel, and there it was, ringing. She willed the receiver off the station and floated it over to herself quickly.

"Hello?" She heard something faint and realized she was holding it the wrong way. She grunted as she quickly flipped it around. "Hello?"

"Miss Glimmer?" asked a familiar female voice, stern, but not quite placed.

"This is she." Starlight peered at the receiver curiously. "Who is this?"

"I did tell you I'd call." It was the griffon, Gudrun. "Unfortunately, the doctor has declined your wish for an appointment."

Starlight hopped in place, shouting into her piece, "What do you mean?! This isn't optional! I'm com--"

"--We've already moved offices. Have a nice day." The line went dead.

Starlight saw nothing but red a moment, her magic hurling the receiver down with enough force to break it in half as she grunted with building annoyance. "What was I thinking?!"

That was when she saw what she had just done. "What was I thinking?" Her magic wrapped around the injured appliance and gently nudged it back together. With a flash, the broken pieces melded into one another in an almost-perfect repair. She quickly set the piece back on the base and sighed out softly. "That didn't work..."

She was back to square one, only knowing Fetlock was somewhere in Equestria, maybe in the city, maybe not. She had tried to find the victim, but she hadn't answered the door either of the times Starlight had gone by.

There was but one thread remaining. She hefted up the receiver with trepidation, slowly circling the dialer and waiting for it to click back into place. There was no hurrying it. Spin, click click click, spin, click click click click...

She heard a ring, and a second.

"Talk to me," spoke a female on the other end. "Wait, no, let me guess... Is this a gig looking for some star presence?"

Starlight smiled wryly. "Afraid not."

"Starlight! Almost as good. What's up?" asked Vinyl, her voice tinny but easily discerned the more she spoke.

"I lost the trail of Doctor Fetlock, if she even is a doctor. Do you know where Long Story is?"

"She's out," declared Vinyl, her smile audible across the line.

"Out of what?"

"You didn't know? Poor thing got tossed in the slammer."

Starlight's eyes widened. "What'd she do?!"

"They didn't tell me that part, just got word she was in there. I wrote a letter about what a good pony she was."

"Well, yeah..." Starlight rolled a hoof in the air. "She seems nice enough, but she was also pretty clearly in some dark stuff, which got her in jail."

"And that means we should abandon her? Nah, not my song. Anyway, it worked! They let her out."

Starlight placed a hoof to her face. "And she went right back to the trouble?"

"Nah."

"Nah?" Starlight peeked around her hoof, letting it fall away a few inches. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she has her own place. Her first big show's tomorrow. Wanna go together?"

Starlight sat up straight. "Oh, I mean... Yes... I think I would like that."

"Awesome, see you in the morrow!" The phone went dead

Starlight willed the receiver back where it belonged. "Huh..." At least that part had gone better than she had hoped.

"You look nervous." Bell reached with her wings, resting them on Long's shoulders. "It'll be fine. Everything's where it's supposed to be, promise."

Long smiled at her new partner. "What if I'm the one that messes up?"

"Not that I think you will, but even if you do, you'll play it off." She leaned in behind Long. "That's what you do, improvise and keep it interesting."

"Right!" Long smiled as she rose to her hooves. "Right, I have this." She reached up and rubbed at her beanie gently, its woolen presence another comfort. "I have this. Thank you, for helping, and being here."

"Hey, if you hadn't, where would I be? Running around doin' Keywork's busywork." She nudged Long forward with her wings. "Go on and git!"

Long cleared her throat and took two deep breaths before she stepped out behind the protective curtain of the stage. Suddenly she was in front of a crowd of eyes. "Hello, ponies and gentlecolts." She nodded towards them, bobbing as she tried to nod at each section of the crowd. "We're gathered here to tell a little story."

The lights dimmed without her having to ask for them to, Bell working behind the scenes to get things done as they had rehearsed. Long's smile grew in confidence. She wasn't alone. "It's a tale of a lost stallion from an exotic land." She reared up and threw her hooves wide. "But, be prepared, because this will be a Long, but interesting, Story."

Soft clops and stomps echoed through the crowd as she took a bow. The story began, while hers gently flipped to the next page.

When the lights were back, and most of the ponies had wandered away, Starlight advanced on the stage. She wasn't alone, Vinyl trotting alongside her. Starlight hopped up, looking at Long's bottom as Long was speaking to someone behind the curtain. "Nice show."

Long hopped in place and came down facing Starlight. "Oh! Hey. I didn't even know you were here." She quietly thanked the various powers that be that she didn't know. As if she needed more things to worry about on her first big performance. "Did you like it?"

"It was nice." Starlight gave a soft toss of her head. "It was similar to the one you did with Trixie, though the story was a bit different this time."

Long thrust a hoof at Starlight. "I don't read from a script. Half the fun is making it up, and reacting to people's responses, so each time is different." She leaned forward a little. "I also... just kinda hope maybe if someone like me hears it, they'll come say hi, you know?"

Starlight's smile was tainted with a sour note. "Yeah..."

Vinyl suddenly shoved in front. "Awesome show." She offered a hoof to have it met in a loud clop with Long. "Where's that partner of yours? Bell, right?"

"Someone call?" Bell leaned over the top of the stage, peeking at them all. "Oh, hey, I... know you?" She was squinting at Vinyl thoughtfully. "Don't tell me, gonna drive me crazy..."

Vinyl stuck out her tongue at Bell. "Thanks for assisting Long," she called up. "It's good to see she'd made a friend, or are you doing this fer the bits?"

"Well, yeah, I do like those," admitted Bell. "But she is a friend too. Why not both?" She fell off the edge of the roof and landed with a thump on all fours without harm. "You know Long?"

Starlight waved at Vinyl and herself. "We both know her." She glanced towards Long. "How much does she know?"

Long jerked, swallowing heavily. "So, hey, uh... Bell... What would you say if I said that story wasn't entirely made up?"

Bell wrinkled her nose a bit. "I'd say I wasn't stupid." She walked up past Starlight and Vinyl, reaching for Long. Though Long flinched back faintly, Bell still booped her on the nose. "Or maybe I'm bluffin'. Either way, hello, crazy other-world stallion thing."

Vinyl snorted. "You call me a stallion and we'll have words."

Bell's head snapped around. For as unsurprised as she acted to Long's reveal, she gaped at Vinyl. "Really?"

Starlight waved her forehooves wildly. "We're getting distracted from the point."

Long tilted her head. "There was a point?"

Starlight took a slow breath. "Fetlock got away, again. I thought I could succeed where Twilight failed, but I messed it up even more dumbly than she did." She pointed at Long. "You, at least, appear to be reformed."

Bell puffed out her chest. "What, I ain't reformed none?"

Long threw a leg around Bell, pulling her closer. "You're my favorite reformed mare."

Starlight looked between the two. "I don't... know you?"

Vinyl pointed at each of them. "They're partners in crime, but the crime in this case is telling stories for ponies that want to hear them, which isn't much of a crime, but it's what they have, right?"

Long bobbed her head. "Exactly. She worked for the don too, but she got away, like me." She pressed up against Bell. "Now we made a new life for ourselves."

Starlight's expression eased. "That's actually... kind of sweet. I mean, please, continue with that and don't let me get in the way." Her eyes darted around. "I just wish I could have gotten that Fetlock..." She cleared her throat softly. "But that's no reason to not be happy about tonight. You both did great, really."

Vinyl nudged Long gently. "What was your take?"

"Oh right!" She hurried away to find out in a scamper of hooves.

Starlight looked to Bell. "I know why she's here and what she's doing, but are you really, you know... into this?"

Bell lifted her shoulders. "I ain't promisin' I will be forever or nothin'. She's a good mare, and I can lend a hoof and, you know, save some bits, maybe try my own thin' eventually."

"About that!" called out Long as she returned in a shower of sparkles, a box floating beside her. "I had an idea that might work out well for you."

Bell blinked softly. "You're tryin' to get rid of me?"

"No! No no no!" She waved her hooves wildly, the box clomping to the ground in a heavy jingly thud. "You're welcome as long as you want, and I meant it when I said it. Still, I had an idea and forgot all about it. Post office!"

"Post office?" echoed all three of the other mares, peering at her with different flavors of confusion.

"You already know how to do deliveries, and you're good at it. You could work there whenever you wanted, and they'd be lucky to have you."

Vinyl snickered softly. "Oh, sure, yeah. You'd look cute in a postal uniform too."

Bell suddenly punched Vinyl right in the shoulder. "Shut up!" Her cheeks were burning red and Vinyl just laughed rather than being offended at the slug. "I mean, yeah, maybe..."

Starlight shook her head, turning for the exit of the small hall they were in, looking over the empty seats. "Well, things are in hoof for now. Uh, welcome to Equestria, and be good. I don't want to hear about you being in jail again, alright?"

Long waved at Starlight's retreating form before looking to her friends. "Oh, I didn't actually count." Her magic pulled over the box and popped it open, revealing a collection of bits and gems and even a few bills tucked away. "Not looking bad." She started counting methodically.

Vinyl nudged against Bell. "Hey, I wasn't trying to make fun, promise. If you want to be her assistant, or if you sling packages, either way's a fine way to go, so long as you're happy with it." She stood up with a grin. "Give me a call, Long, and don't be a stranger. It's nice to hear from a fellow once-humie."

Bell settled next to Long, watching the counting come to a sudden halt. "Something wrong?"

"Nope." She pushed a portion of the money aside. "That pays for the hall." She gestured at the still half-filled box. "This is what I get to keep."

Bell whistled. "I mean, that's a good amount of bits, but you're givin' up a fortune there." She eyed the portion that had been set aside. "Why ain't you just get your own hall or somethin'?"

"Maybe I will, someday." She closed the box and tucked it into her pocket carefully. "For now, I pay the rental fee, then we go and have a nice celebratory dinner."

"Now you're speakin' mah language over here!"

The two walked out of the hall side-by-side.

Author's Note

I feel... that was a good end. How do you feel? Endings make me nervous. How'd I do?!

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