Dropping the Bass

Chapters

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter 4(finally!)
Conversation No. 12: The Future Waits for Nopony
Chapter 5
Conversation No.17: Birthday Surprises
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8 (Finale)
Coversation No. 1: Eyes on FIre
Conversation No. 7: Not Yourself

Chapter One

The crowd roared. They didn’t cheer, nor did they clap or yell, they just roared. The noise echoed around the hall, filling each and every one of it’s occupants with an incredible ecstasy.

“Fillies and gentlecolts. Are you ready for the ride of your life?” A voice boomed over the speakers that hung each corner of the room. The crowd roared in response, stamping their hooves against the hard wooden floor.

“Well then, allow me introduce to you: the most accomplished artist in all of Equestria; the only pony to have over twenty platinum albums; the mare of music herself; DJ PON-3!” Another roar, this one deafening. The lights in the room cut off, causing a few stifled gasps from the assembled audience. The stage lit up, one single light shone downwards, illuminating a small desk. The desk’s only occupant was a small record player, out-dated and looking slightly worse for wear. The needle on the player dropped downwards, illuminated only briefly by an aura of blue mist. It scratched against the vinyl that sat beneath it, causing it to crackle and pop. Soft music began to play, slowly at first, creeping out at a comfortable speed, but speeding as other instruments began to start.The sounds of Violins and cellos filled the air, backed up only by the soft sound of a double bass, playing quietly in the background.

The light on the stage spread outwards, enveloping the rest of the stage with it’s warm glow. Vinyl Scratch stood behind a small desk on the other side of the stage, nodding her head slowly in time with the music. She lifted her hoof up and brought it down towards the top of the table, stopping slightly before she smashed into it. She lowered her hoof the rest of the way, bringing it into contact with a record that spun slowly on the needle. She pushed forwards, and it began to spin faster, bringing forth another set of crackles and pops. The speakers that sat nearest to her began to purr, and a simple kick then snare beat resonated from within them. A high-hat filled in the empty spaces left by the percussion’s pattern, bouncing slightly as it was crashed into by the drummer’s stick. A synth line faded in slowly, playing only in the highest register, yet still adding melody where there was none before. The crowd began to stamp their hooves in time with the beat, causing the floor to vibrate with the sheer amount of force they created.

A few loud whistles escaped from the crowd, general reactions from the type of ponies that came to visit Vinyl’s shows. The drummer stopped, leaving only the violins and the synth line to continue playing alone. The kick drum came in, slamming down on every beat and causing the assembled ponies to stamp in time. The pitch of the music began to rise, steadily increasing the speed of the song. The build of pitch and speed reached it’s climax, then cut off, leaving the hall silent.

The listeners all lifted themselves upwards, as if in anticipation. Not a sound broke the blissful silence that filled the room, everypony holding their breath for what came next.

Then, the bass fell.

It kicked in, hard, smashing against Vinyl with the force of a truck. She felt her ears numb with the sudden explosion of distorted noise. She lowered her hoof towards the dial labeled ‘bass’, clasping it in the nook that was created when she bent her leg. She twisted, and the bass raised in pitch, swinging wildly as she twisted and turned the knob. The crowd roared their approval, bringing their heads down with every new fluctuation of the bass. She could feel the floor rattling under the amount of vibrations the bass was causing.

Vinyl’s ears rung, and she loved it.

****

Vinyl lifted a cloth up to her forehead, wiping the sweat from her brow. Her heart still pumped from the adrenalin rush she had had whilst on stage. Reaching out with her magic, Vinyl picked up a cool glass of water and brought it to her lips, drinking slowly.

She could hear voices outside her door, arguing. “... what? No, she can’t do that.” Another, much lower voice replied, but Vinyl couldn’t quite hear it. “Ugh, fine. I’ll ask her.”

The door opened, and in walked Minty, Vinyl’s agent and best friend, looking slightly huffed.

“Hey Vyn, great show.” Minty walked over and sat down on the red, velvet couch next to Vinyl. “I would’ve congratulated you sooner, but somepony,” she glanced towards the partially open doorway. “Wouldn’t let me in.”

“Thanks, what does the guy want?” Vinyl asked, sipping her drink again.

“He’s the agent of some visual effects pony or something,” Minty waved her hoof in the air. “He saw your show today, and came to me with a proposition.”

Vinyl finished her drink and lowered the now empty glass to the coffee table. “Which was?”

“He wants you to put on a show with his client,” Minty raised her voice slightly. “Personally, I think it’s a terrible ide-”

“Sure, why not?” Vinyl interrupted, standing from the couch.

“Wha? Bu- I...” Minty was lost for words, so instead she just gaped. “You can’t be serious.”

“C’mon Mints, you saw my act tonight,” Vinyl said, turning towards her friend. “Sure, it was awesome, but it could use something to,” Vinyl paused, trying to think of a word to describe her thoughts, “spruce it up.”

Minty sighed, “I suppose you’re right.” She stood up and turned towards the door, “Mister Rich, you can come in now.”

The door swung open, and a brown colt walked in, wearing a suit and tie. Vinyl turned towards him and smiled, “Filthy, how are you?”

“Actually, I prefer Rich,” Filthy Rich said, sighing.

“Alright then. So, I understand you have a proposition for me?”

“Yes, my client wishes to meet with you tomorrow, to discuss a show that the two of you will work on.” Filthy Rich lifted a clipboard up in front of his face, studying it. “Are you free at lunch?”

“Minty?” Vinyl looked towards her friend, who sighed and lifted a clipboard of her own.

“Well, I would have to move your practise session...”

“Perfect,” Vinyl turned back to Filthy Rich. “Yes, I’m free.” Filthy smiled and jotted down something on his clipboard.

“Okay then, be at the Cornerside Cafe at eleven thirty sharp tomorrow,” Filthy said, lowering his clipboard. He turned and started to leave.

“Wait,” Vinyl called out, reaching a hoof out to stop him. “Who is your client.”

Filthy Rich paused at the door, looking back over his shoulder.

“My client is none other than the great and powerful Trixie.”

A/N: Hey there, Taranasaurus here. Just gonna talk 'bout my new story.

Want to bget your OC in a fic? Why not sned me a PM, I'll see what I can do. Hopefully I can write up a few cool stories. I'm really enjoying writing these things, and I hope your enjoying them as much. I can't really do anymore writing, seeing as I leave for Japan soon, but not to worry! I shall continue to write!

That's about all, hope you liked it. As always, comments, critism, yadda yadda yadda.

-Taranasaurus

Chapter Two

Vinyl sat, alone, in a dark musty corner of the Cornerside Cafe. A cup of coffee floated just in front of her face, held in the air by a light blue aura that seemed to support it indefinitely. A copy of Equestria Daily sat on the table in front of her, opened to page sixteen.

She brought the cup to her lips, taking a small sip from it, as not to burn her tongue. The hot coffee sent a chill down her spine, flooding her body with warmth and energy. She set the cup down on the table and levitated the paper up to her face, letting it float within reading distance

The sound of the bell that hung over the door clanging caused her to lower the paper, and she peered over the top of it curiously.

Voices filtered in from outside, one masculine, and one very clearly female.

“... Are you sure this is the place? It seems very drab, Trixie does not like it."

"I assure you Trix-"

"The great and powerful Trixie."

"-Ah, great and powerful Trixie, this is the place."

"Humph." An azure unicorn entered the small coffee shop, followed closely by a brown stallion. She glanced around, taking in first the small bar, then the musty tables, and finally Vinyl's location. She smiled and began to walk in Vinyl's direction, but was promptly stopped by a bustling waiter who hurried past, a drink balanced precariously on her head. She bumped into the unicorn, sending the drink that she was carrying flying into the unicorn. Alcohol splattered over her, and she flung herself backwards in disgust.

"Watch where you are going, simpleton," cried the mare, glaring at the waiter. "Now you've gone and soiled Trixie's coat."

"I-I'm so sorry ma'am, it w-was an accident." The waiter fumbled around, trying to pick up the fallen glass whilst apologizing profusely.

"Save it." The unicorn whipped her head back, lifting her chin up. "What's done is done. Just let it be known that the great and powerful Trixie shall never dine here again!"

The coffee shop's other inhabitants rolled their eyes and turned back to their papers, satisfied that the fuss had been dealt with. Trixie stalked passed the waiter, knocking her with her behind as she did so. The waiter collapsed onto the table, sending the empty glasses and plates that sat on top shattering to the ground. Trixie approached Vinyl's table, a look of annoyance evident on her face.

She pulled out the table's other chair and sat down, tossing her mane slightly as she did so.

Vinyl introduced herself, "Name's Vinyl Scratch, A.K.A DJ PON-3." Vinyl held out a hoof for the other pony to shake. Trixie ignored it, instead turning away from Vinyl and looking back over the chaos she had caused in the restaurant.

"Trixie," she said, still not looking at Vinyl. "Is the great and powerful Trixie. The most entertaining pony who ever lived, and the greatest magic user in Equestria."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Trixie," Vinyl paused for a moment, taking another sip of her now warm coffee. "Now, I under-"

"-Why did you choose HERE as a meeting place?" Trixie finally turned to look at Vinyl. "Trixie means, the service is terrible, and the coffee looks horrible."

"I didn't," Vinyl huffed, slightly upset about being cut off in the middle of a sentence. "Your ASSISTANT chose the location."

"Oh he did now, did he?" Trixie turned in her seat to look at the pony who she had come in with. Filthy lowered himself slightly, trying to hide from the intimidating glare that Trixie was giving him. "Well, Trixie may just have to have a word with him after this little, uh, 'get together'."

"Yes, perhaps you will, maybe I should have a word with him as well." Vinyl winked in Filthy's direction, causing him to blush and lower himself even closer to the floor.

Trixie, oblivious to the exchange, turned back to Vinyl. "Now, Trixie is getting bored, and she wants to go home. Let us get this over with quickly."

"Yes, let's." Vinyl didn't exactly like Trixie, and yet there was something about this mare that kept her interested. She was strong, this 'Trixie' was able to pull her own weight, work and live on her own. This wasn't something most ponies could relate to, but Vinyl could, and did. "I understand you have a 'business opportunity' for me?"

"Yes, Trixie was at your show. It was very..." Trixie paused for a moment, as if deciding a word to use. "... Interesting. Trixie was wondering if you wanted to 'collaborate'"

"You make music?" Vinyl was surprised at this. She had received a very good view of Trixie's cutie mark, and wasn't sure how a magic wand would help make music.

"No you idiot, Trixie is an illusionist," Trixie stood up, sending her chair flying backwards into the waiting flank of the waiter, who sprawled over yet another table. "She uses her magical ability to astound and amaze ponies with her beautiful lights and spectacular colours."

"Uh huh, and this is going to help with my music how?"

"Trixie can time the lights to flash when a particular part of the song," Trixie said, her horn glowing softly. Lights began to fade in from nowhere, forming a blue circle in the air. Vinyl, intrigued, leaned in closer, trying to get a better look. The headphones that hung around her neck suddenly lifted and began to float towards Trixie.

"Hey!" Vinyl shouted, standing up, you can't touch those!" The shop's other occupants turned once again away from their papers to see what all the commotion was about.

"Trixie is not sorry," Trixie pulled on the rest of the headphones, causing Vinyl's iPod to pop out of it's restraint. "But, if they mean that much to you, Trixie promises that she will not break them. She merely needs an example. Now," Trixie's tugging caused the headphone's cord to disconnect from the iPod, letting the music that had been playing quietly through the headphones play out.

A soft melody filled the room, causing Vinyl to hum. She liked this song, in fact it was one of the first songs she had ever made. The blue circle that hung in the air began to shimmer and vibrate, sending small pulses of light outwards. The melody began to speed up as the percussion kicked in, adding a sort of 'bite' to the song.

Regular pulses of light began to emanate from the circle, floating out in time with the drum sounds. Vinyl found herself strangely entranced, and she stared, letting the familiar melody wash over her. The music suddenly stopped, and the circle disappeared, leaving the room feeling slightly empty.

"Hey, why'd you stop? I liked that," Vibyl asked, turning to Trixie.

"Trixie grew tired of the song," Trixie said simply. "So, do we have a deal?"

Vinyl looked across a Trixie, who stared back at her. "Fine."

"Good, I believe these are yours." Vinyl's headphones and iPod hung in front of her, surrounded in a slightly pinkish glow.

Vinyl snatched them from the air with a grumbled "thank you."

"So, where shall we meet next? Trixie certainly hopes it's not HERE again."

Vinyl lowered her headphones back around her neck. "We'll meet at the Nightingale club, it's number four one oh. That's where well be doing the gig."

"Yes, well," Trixie said, turning towards the exit. "Trixie will see you at this 'gig' then." Without another word, she tossed her head upwards and marched out, closely followed by Filthy. He paused at the door, turning his head towards Vinyl, an apologetic look on his face.

When he too, left, the small cafe sat in a state of silent shock. The waiter turned to Vinyl, his eyes hard.

"What a bitch!"

****

Vinyl’s headphones pumped loudly, blasting loud bass lines into her ears. She bobbed her head along in time with the music as she walked, causing her headphones to slip back and forth across her head. The pavement beneath her hooves was rough, and yet she did not falter or trip over any of its cracks. She had walked this path since before she could remember, so she knew each and every twist and turn like the bottom of her hoof. Carriages whisked passed, pulled along by some poor fellow who was just trying to make a living.

Ponies bustled passed her, paying her no heed as they did so. She rounded a corner onto the main street, only to be greeted by the increasingly aggravated face of Trixie.

“Woah!” Vinyl took a step backwards, her headphones sliding off of her ears.

“You are late.” Trixie stamped her hoof. “Why?”

“Hey hey, take it easy. I had to grab a bite to eat before I headed out.” Vinyl levitated a bag of rubbish towards Trixie in proof. “Anyway, the door’s don’t open ‘til-”

The doors to the club swung open, pushed by a grey stallion, levitating a clipboard in front of him. “Ladies,” he said, glancing up. “So, we have a miss Vinyl Scratch?”

Vinyl raised her hoof. “That’s me.”

“Good.” He turned his eyes back to the list. “And a miss... Trixie?”

“Present,” Trixie huffed.

“Good good. Alright, if you’ll just follow me.” He turned around and lead them inside. They entered a large room, filled mostly with a flashing dance floor that pulsated through every colour of the spectrum. A platform stood raised slightly above the ground, a set of turntables balanced on top, as if waiting for Vinyl. An alcove led off to the right, secluded from the rest of the nightclub by a large wall. In the center of the room stood a bar, its shelves lined with hundreds of different alcoholic beverages. The walls and roof were lined with a velvety red carpet, which seemed to reflect the colours from the dance floor in quite well.

Vinyl stared around in awe, not quite sure if to believe her eyes. “We’re playing here?” She asked in disbelief, turning to face the smug bouncer.

He grinned. “Yup, this here’s your stage,” he said, gesturing towards the turntables.

“Humph,” Trixie humphed. “Trixie supposes it will do.” She turned to face the bouncer. “Where are our dressing rooms? Trixie needs to practise.”

“Uh, right this way Trixie.” The bouncer turned towards a door just left of the stage, taking off in a brisk trot. Trixie tossed her head in Vinyl’s direction as she moved to follow.

Vinyl rolled her eyes, muttering something about “some mares”. She turned back to the stage, her look of awe instantly returning to her face. Large speakers crowded around a small desk, their cords running around and underneath the turntable’s legs. Two records already sat on their respective needles, as if waiting for Vinyl to play.

She reached out with her magic, grasping the on switch with a faint blue aura. The speakers buzzed and crackled into life, sending a blast of static outwards. Vinyl leaped backwards, lifting her fore-hooves to her ears in an attempt to stop the screaming white noise that threatened to deafen her. She grasped the volume switch with her magical fist and wrenched it downwards, effectively cutting off the noise. Vinyl’s ears popped and crackled as they adjusted to the new sound of silence, causing small spasms of pain to shoot into her mind.

Mentally cursing herself, she reached out with her magic again, pushing the left record’s needle down until it made contact with the vinyl beneath it. A soft synth lead began to play, mixing itself between the lower and higher registers as it moved through its set instructions. A grin stretched across Vinyl’s face; she was in her element. The right needle dropped down with a flick of her head, and the percussion kicked in, sending a heavy dance beat blasting outwards. Vinyls heart began to pulsate in time with the music, causing her to nod her head every time the kick drum was, well, kicked.

A shimmering circle appeared in front of her, smaller circles spread evenly throughout the inside of the first, larger one. Vinyl turned to her side, noticing the pale azure mare that stood next to her. Vinyl smiled at her, but Trixie just turned her head high and concentrated on her magic. Vinyl, slightly upset, returned back to her turntables.

The grey bouncer stallion stood alone on the dance floor, nodding his head to the beat. Vinyl smiled at the lone pony, surprised that he liked her music. From what she knew of her fans, they all seemed to be the crazy, meth-heads, not well-respected bouncers. Still, she could feel the build-up in her song beginning, cutting off the percussion. The synth lead began to rise in pitch, with the snare drum placing down a hit on every beat. The climax hit, and the entire room fell silent.

The bass dropped, and Trixie’s circles began to fluctuate wildly with colour.

Tonight was going to be awesome.

****

The club was packed, filled with ponies dancing and jumping wildly around to the songs that Vinyl blasted from her turntables. Trixie bounced along to the beat too, smiling a weak smile. She was happy, for the first time in a long while. She glanced over at her DJ counterpart, who had a pair of headphones strapped to her head. She rocked backwards in crazy swinging motions, her glasses slipping on and off of the bridge of her nose.

Trixie pushed into her head, forcing more magical illusions to spill forth, filling the room with colourful hexagons that danced and rotated along each wall. This seemed to excite the dancing ponies even more, as they began to scream even louder. The ponies that sat at the bar turned towards the dance floor, their eyes and mouths open with shock. As one, they all got up from their seats and headed for a spot on the floor. Vinyl noticed and bumped the volume up a few notches, letting the speakers screech in protest.

The crazy mare then kicked off her headphones and leaped onto the top of her turntable, raising her fore-hooves into the air. “DJ-PON3, in the house!” She screeched at the top of her lungs, her voice still managing to be heard over the din of the club.

The crowd responded in turn, with heartfelt cries of “DJ-PON3!” Vinyl jumped forward from the top of her turntables, flinging herself at the crowd. Trixie stifled a gasp, leaping forward to peer into the crowd. She was greeted by the grinning face of Vinyl Scratch as she lay, back facing downwards, on top of a hoard of hooves. The dancing ponies underneath had lifted themselves onto their hindlegs to catch Vinyl, and were now passing her along to other waiting hooves.

Was Trixie really... scared for Vinyl Scratch? Trixie looked back out over the crowd, before snorting and turning her head to the side. She thinks not! She was just worried that if her ‘partner’ were to come to harm, then she would not receive payment, that’s all.

Wasn’t it?

Trixie looked back towards the floating Vinyl Scratch, who had managed to pull a sombrero from thin air and was now marching atop the dancing ponies, a huge grin stretched across her face. Trixie felt her own smile widen a bit as she watched, her sadness washing away.

She would remember tomorrow, of course, but for now, she would dance.

****

Vinyl and Trixie stumbled out from the back door of the club, each with one fore-hoof over the other’s neck.

“Woah Trixie,” Vinyl slurred, the alcohol making itself present on her breath. “That was some *hic* party.”

Trixie replied, her own speech slightly slurred by the affects of too many aplletini’s. “Yes, Trixie *hic* agrees.” The two stumbled towards the mouth of the ally, and towards the waiting city outside.

The cold night air buffeted against Trixie, causing her to shiver. “Vinyl,Trixie is starting to get cold, do you know of a place where she can stay?.”

Vinyl Scratch looked towards Trixie with shock. “My, you’re certainly a lot nicer when drunk, arn’t you?” Trixie scowled at Vinyl, before smiling again. “Hey, why don’t you stay at my place?” Vinyl asked, turning to face Trixie. “It’s not to far from here, just up that road.” Vinyl pointed to the road that the two had just entered onto.

“Well-”

“C’mon, it’ll be fun. Just like a slumber party!” Vinyl took off in front of Trixie, not waiting for an answer.

“Yes,” Trixie said, scowling. “Fun.”

Next up, Slumber parties one-oh-one!

Author’s notes: Hey guys, sorry about not having a chapter ready sooner, I only got back from Japan on Wednesday, and school’s been hectic. My desktop PC screwed itself over when I customized the set-up (12 gigs RAM FTW!), So I’ve been writing on my crappy laptop.

The next part isn’t really going to be a chapter, instead it will be kind of like an intermission. It’s just... You’ll see.

Anyway, if you haven’t already, make sure to rate, comment and check out my other stories, it makes me feel all snuggly-wuggly* inside. Any errors? Make sure to point out the ERROR** of my ways.

That’s about it, hope you guys like where this is going.

Taranasaurus out!

*Actually a real word. Scientifically proven.

**See what I did there?

Chapter Three

Vinyl’s apartment was chaos. Not a mess, not untidy, chaos. Pieces of paper, dirty towels and record cases covered the floor, giving the room the appearance of a dumpster.

And then there were the pizza boxes. Oh lord, the pizza boxes.

They towered above Trixie, doing a splitting impersonation of the great wall of China. Hundreds of them sat, piled in corners, or anywhere there was space. The only part of the lounge that seemed organized was the far wall, which was covered by a large set of shelves, each stacked to the brim with vinyl records. There were thousands, each carefully sorted out by genre. The largest collection seemed to fit into the ‘dubstep’ category, which was almost overflowing. Compared to the rest of the room, the shelves were immaculate.

Vinyl stood in the center of the room, wearing a massive grin. “So,” she began, looking hard at Trixie. “What do ya’ think?”

Trixie scanned the room again, searching for something that she could complement. “It’s very, er... interesting, Trixie likes the way you keep your music,” she said, looking at the records.

“Yeah, I love my records.” Vinyl lifted up one of the large, black disks with her magic, her horn glowing with a faint blue aura. “These things are my life.” She looked fondly at the record floating in front of her, as if she was going to reach out and kiss it. Before any such intimacy between Pony and inanimate object could begin, Trixie cleared her throat.

“Yes, well, that’s all very nice, but Trixie is starting to get tired, where will she be sleeping?” Trixie glanced around the room once more, searching for a door that lead off into the bedroom.

“Aw, bed already? We haven’t even started the sleepover!” Vinyl pouted, putting on a hurt expression.

“Wait, you were serious about that? Trixie thought you were joking,” Trixie said, her voice showing a hint of surprise.

“Of course I was serious, I never joke around.” Trixie stared at Vinyl, giving her one of her best ‘are you bucking kidding me’ looks. “Er, well, not always.” Vinyl grinned sheepishly, her cheeks going slightly red.

“Well then, let’s get this over with,” Trixie said, lifting some of the boxes from the object that slightly resembled a couch. She sat herself down on the leather, curling up into a ball.

“Wait, you’re going to give up just like that?” Vinyl asked, her mouth slightly agape. “I woulda thought you’d put up more of a fight.”

Trixie snorted. “Huh, Trixie is above such meaningless acts of physical violence. Besides, she has never really been...” Trixie’s voice faltered, growing into a whisper.

“What was that last part?” Vinyl asked, leaning closer to Trixie.

“Trixie said...” Trixie’s voice shrank once again.

“One more time, just a little louder.”

“Trixie has never been to a sleepover before!” Trixie burst out, her face going red.

“Hey, try going a little louder? I think some of the ponies over in Phillydelphia didn’t hear you,” Vinyl said, smiling.

“Shut up.” Trixie turned away from Vinyl, sticking her tongue out.

“Oooh, so it’s a fight you want, huh?” Vinyl asked, walking towards the far end of the lounge. “Well, that takes us to item number one on our list of ‘fun things to do at a sleepover’.”

“And that is?” Trixie asked, turning towards the advancing Vinyl.

“Pillow fight!” Before she could comprehend what was happening, a pillow flew from the right of Trixie, smashing into her face. She leaped backwards from shock and anger.

“How dare you attack Trixie so- oof!” Another pillow collided with her mid-sentence, cutting her words short. She shook her head slightly, attempting to clear the stars that clouded her vision. “That, is, it!” she screamed, returning fire. Pillows shot and sprang around the room, smashing into walls and ponies alike. Feathers rained from the sky, forming an almost snow-like dusting on the floor.

Trixie, now hiding behind the couch, lifted a pillow from the floor. She placed it in front of her and cocked it as if it were a shotgun. Screaming some form of ineligible Equestrian, she leaped over the couch, sending pillows flying from all around her. Vinyl, surprised by the sudden attack, went to leap behind the cover of her pillow fort, but was too slow. She received a direct hit to the face, sending her hurtling into the pillows that covered the floor in front of her record shelf. She landed with a poof, sending feathers spiralling into the air.

Vinyl sat up, her head reeling. A triumphant Trixie stood just above her, her legs on either side of her panting chest. Trixie’s warm breath flooded against Vinyl’s coat, sending jolts of electricity down Vinyl’s spine.

Trixie, noticing the position she stood in, blushed slightly and attempted to move away from Vinyl. Her back hoof lost it’s purchase, and she slipped, dropping down onto Vinyl. Their chest’s collided, brushing against each other as Trixie attempted to pull herself up. Vinyl’s breathing deepened, allowing her to suck in large amounts of air at once.

She smells like lavender. Vinyl inhaled again, savouring the smell. The half-sober side of Vinyl’s mind registered this act as being slightly creepy, but the drunken half relished in it, her mind wandering freely. Trixie stumbled again, and began to apologize profusely.

“Oh, Trixie is sorry.” Trixie’s hoof found purchase, allowing her to regain her balance. Both mares untangled themselves from the awkward situation, blushing heavily and panting slightly from the sudden intimacy. “Again, Trixie did not mean to-”

“Hey, accidents happen.” Vinyl turned to smile at Trixie, having recovered partly from her bout of embarrassment.

“Yes, they do... Anyway, what is next in your, ‘bag of tricks’?” Trixie asked, using her magic to lift the dust from her shoulders.

Vinyl looked up in thought, racking her brains for some ancient information. “Ooh, I know!” Quickly, she ran to the edge of the room and turned off the lights. “It’s time for-” Loud thunder crashed outside. “Scary stories!”

“How did you do that?” Trixie asked, backing away from the window whilst simultaneously backing away from Vinyl.

Vinyl shrugged, before leaping over the couch to land in the centre of the lounge room. “Alright, so, do you want to go first, or shall I?”

“Mares first,” said Trixie, motioning for Vinyl to start.

“Implying you aren't one?” Vinyl chuckled. “Alright, this story is called, the Coldest night.” Another flash of lightning crashed down when Vinyl spoke, making Trixie jump.

“Seriously, how are you doing that?”

“It was a dark and stormy night...”

Young Melodic and his fillyfriend, Rose, had been out late at the local watering hole, spending a romantic evening together.

“Psssh, this story sounds rubbish already.”

“Shh, I’m only just getting started. As I was saying, romantic evening together...”

But the day had turned into night, and with the darkness came a terrible storm, that was upon the lovers within minutes. Fleeing for their lives, the two ran into the dark, secluded forest in search of shelter. They wandered for hours, soaked to the bone as well as hungry and cold. When they thought all hope was lost, they came upon a large, empty castle. Without thinking, the pair leaped at the chance, their minds only focused on hunger and warmth.

Inside, they found an already lit fireplace, along with food set out in places, as if waiting for them. They ate, and they warmed up, and soon the two were as fresh as they had been the day before. But the young mare said that she had to visit the bathroom, as she was feeling sick.

Her coltfriend never saw her alive again.

Minutes turned into hours as the stallion waited. Eventually, he grew tired of this, and went off in search of his love. He searched high and low, until he came to a large, oak door. Beyond was the gardens, and beyond that, the cemetery. He ventured forth, and soon he arrived at they crypt.

The iron doors were old and rusted, the many years sitting stock-still had taken their toll, leaving the gate useless. But someone had found a use for the iron.

Atop the highest ornate bar sat the head of Rose, its mouth silently screaming for help. Startled, the stallion took a step backwards, falling into a freshly cut grave.

Where he died.

“Well that was anti-climatic,” said Trixie flatly.

“Oh come on, it was a first attempt, give me some credit.” Vinyl pouted, her lower lip trembling.

“Well, it was alright.” Vinyl’s face brightened. “For a beginner.”

Vinyl scowled. “Hey I-”

Trixie cut her off mid-sentence. “Here, maybe you could learn a thing or two from Trixie.”

“Fine, take it away,” said Vinyl, leaning back into the pillows behind her.

Trixie straightened up, bringing her front hooves together in front of her head. “The forest was dark and silent...”

… The birds that once sang inside it now asleep. Below the frozen treetops ran a mare. From what she ran, she had no clue, but she ran all the same. Behind her, shadows twisted and sprang through the gaps in the trees, whispering their dark secrets to all that would listen.

A tree root sprang up from the undergrowth that covered the forest floor, tripping the fleeing mare and sending her sprawling in the dirt. In an instant, the darkness was upon her, surrounding her in its cold, empty tendrils. She reached with her magic, grasping a small box between her misty grasp. She drove down the match, causing light to spring forth, unsheathed. The darkness screeched at the sight, diving backwards into the dark shadows beyond the visible treeline.

The mare glanced around, searching for a way out of her nightmare. As if sent by Celestia herself, a second light sprang up from the darkness, appearing in what appeared to be the window of a small cottage. She galloped after it, holding the burning match aloft in front of her, as if it were a weapon.

The darkness leaped and danced at the edges of the orange glow, never coming too close in the fear of being burnt. She reached the door of the cottage, slamming herself into it in a desperate attempt to get inside. The door closed behind her, locking all light from the room. What had appeared to be a lantern in the window had just been a reflection, a device for luring her in. Now, she was trapped, alone in the darkness.

Her first match had been blown out by the wind from the door. So she struck another, and instantly regretted that decision...

Trixie paused for dramatic effect, lifting herself up from the ground.

“C’mon,” said Vinyl, a pillow clasped firmly in her jaw. “I wanna know what happens next!”

The walls of the room were covered in scrawlings and crude writing, each spelling out the same thing. ‘This is hell’. These three words had been repeated over and over again, on top of any bare or flat surface. The walls, the table, even the ceiling. And each time it had been engraved, it had been engraved in blood. It still dripped,as if it were only a few moments old, splattering the carpet and furniture with red splotches.

The mare was terrified. This room, this house, looked exactly like her own. She shut her eyes, crying, and turned around. Slowly, she opened the door and stepped outside, her heavy sobs echoing throughout the night. She stood tall, and let the darkness envelop her.

Lightning crashed outside the window, causing Vinyl to jump. She let out a loud scream, which was followed by Trixie’s laughter. “Aha, oh, you should have seen your face. Trixie can’t stop laughing!” Trixie doubled over again, clutching at her sides.

“Oh shut up,” Vinyl moaned, her throat hurting from the sudden shouting.

“Well, Trixie must say, that was mildly enjoyable.” Trixie walked towards the direction of the kitchen. “Where do you keep the glasses?”

“Under the sink, why?” asked Vinyl, standing up.

“Trixie needs a drink.” The sound of a tap turning on filled the small apartment. After a few moments, it stopped, and Trixie returned, a glass of water in tow. She lay herself down next to Vinyl and looked at her expectantly. “So, what have you got in store for Trixie next?”

“A slumber party classic,” began Vinyl, her sore throat spontaneously forgotten.”Truth or dare.”

“Oh, Trixie has played this one,” Trixie said, turning her head to the side and lifting her chin high.

“Good, then you should already know the rules.” Vinyl pushed herself around until she was directly in front of Trixie, their noses almost touching. “We can get started very, very soon. But first, you must swear an oath!”

Trixie smiled lightly and raised her hoof in the air.

“Do you,” began Vinyl, lifting her own hoof into the air. “Trixie, solemnly swear that you will answer or complete any of the following questions or commands without hesitation or lying?”

“I do.”

“Do you, Trixie, swear that any information that you receive from this point onwards will not leave this room?”

“I do.”

“Then,” said Vinyl, leaning backwards. “Let’s get started. Trixie, truth or dare?”

“Hm,” said Trixie, placing her hoof to her chin. “Trixie chooses, truth.”

“Have you ever taken an illicit drug?”

“What?! Don’t be absurd, Trixie has never taken any drugs, illicit or otherwise.” Trixie stood up, glaring at Vinyl. “How dare you ask suc-”

“Easy there, calm down,” Vinyl said, motioning with her front hooves. “It was just a question.”

“Alright, Trixie is calming down.” Trixie sat back down, a frown on her face. “Trixie supposes it is her turn now, is it not?”

“It is.”

“Then she shall begin. Vinyl, truth or dare?”

“Heh, let’s make this interesting.” Vinyl leaned forward until her entire face filled all of Trixie’s vision. “I choose dare.”

“Trixie dares you to.” Trixie glanced around the room, searching for something to force torture and misery on Vinyl. Finally, her eyes settled on one of the old pizza boxes, in which there were still a few old pieces of pizza. “Eat one of those old slices of pizza.”

Vinyl leaped up and ran towards the box, her hooves thudding against the wooden floor. She grabbed the edge of the box and tossed her head backwards, sending the pizza slices sky-high. They landed in her mouth and she turned back to Trixie, a triumphant look on her face. “Thee,” she said, her mouth full. “Eathy peathy.”

“Yes,” said Trixie, leaping back from the falling food refuge. “Quite.”

Vinyl swallowed before continuing. “Now, Trixie, truth or dare?”

“Trixie chooses dare.”

“Alright then, I’ll be back in a moment.” Vinyl leaped up from where she lay and sped off in the direction of the kitchen,an evil grin on her face. Loud banging and whirring noises erupted from inside, with flashes of light bouncing against the outside wall. After a few minutes of white noise, Vinyl re-appeared, looking significantly dirtier. A large container floated behind her, bubbling dangerously.

“Here we go,” said Vinyl, placing the bowl down in front of Trixie. “I dare you to drink that.”

Trixie gulped. “What,” she began, eyeing the contents suspiciously. “is it?”

“It’s a super-duper tomato-and-cocoa supreme deluxe Vinyl Scratch special 6000!” Vinyl said, eyeing the brown goop proudly. “It’s got tomato sauce, cocoa, iron filings, jam, Vegemite, milk and,” she said, extending the last word for effect. “Honey!”

Trixie gulped, again. “Is it, safe?”

“I wouldn’t know, I only just came up with it. Now, c’mon, you have to drink it. You swore.”

Trixie gulped for the third and final time. “Well, Trixie did swear...”

“Yes, you did, and now you will drink.” Vinyl pushed the bowl forward into Trixie’s face.

Trixie leaned down and brought her lips to the what could loosely be called liquid. She took a small sip, shoving it down her throat, forcefully. The goop burned against her insides, causing her to gag and retch. She swallowed, gulping down the acid before her body could reject it. She sat back, her face slightly green, and looked at Vinyl.

“And the rest,” Vinyl said again, pushing the bowl even closer.

“Trixie can’t,” said Trixie, placing a hoof against her mouth. “She thinks she is going to be sick.” Trixie retched, before leaping up and running towards the kitchen.

The sink was never quite clean again.

****

Once Trixie had finished and had cleaned herself up a bit, she returned to the living room.

“So, are you ready to continue?” asked Vinyl, sliding her headphones off.

“As Trixie will ever be.”

“Right then, I believe it was your turn.” Vinyl leaned forward in her chair. “Give me your best shot.”

“Truth or dare?”

"Truth"

“Have you ever been in a relationship?”

“Yes, of course I have. I’ve been in plenty, lik-”

“With a mare?”

Vinyl stopped. “Wh-what?”

“You heard Trixie. Do you, how to put this lightly, ‘swing that way’?”

“I-I... I might, I’m not sure. Never really tried it I guess.” Vinyl looked down at her hooves, her cheeks turning crimson. “Alright then, how about you, missy? Ever been in a relationship with a mare?”

“No, Trixie does not have time for such things. She is far too busy being great and powerful to bother with simple things like...” Trixie’s voice faltered slightly. “... Love.”

“Huh, me either. Guess that’s what comes with being a showmare, huh? No time for anything but the stage.” Vinyl seemed to quieten down for a few moments. “But anyway,” she said, leaping up from the couch. “It’s getting pretty early in the morning, and we’ve got another show today. Better hit the sack.”

Trixie stood up. “Yes, Trixie supposes you’re are right. Just one question. Where is she sleeping?”

“Oh, you can use my bed. I generally sleep on the couch anyway, closer to my records.” Vinyl plopped down on the sofa, laying her head back onto one of its soft cushions. “Night!”

“Goodnight,” said Trixie, turning to face the bedroom door. “Oh, and Vinyl?”

“Yes Trixie?”

“Thanks.”

****

A/N:Well howdy there y’all.

It’sa me, Taranasaurus.

Okay, so, this took a bit longer to come out for two reasons. One: I was bored, and tired. Two: I received every single season of Dr Who for my birthday. I regret nothing! And Three: I had a little trouble with googledocs.

So, sorry for taking so long. I plan to upload this in the morning before school, so then I get all the emails!

Leave a comment, rate and track, it makes me feel all fuzzy.

Also, not many of you know this, but I have a youtube account(No, really?) on to which I upload videos of me reading others stories, then posting them online. Go check it out, I spend a lot of time reading, better use it wisely!

I also finished Assasain’s Creed Revelations, and Halo 3(with my Dad), So they kinda held me up.

That is all!

Cya.

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Razzamatazz969?feature=guide
Email:
Password: **********
Cat’s name: Cheeseburger

Chapter 4(finally!)

The club pulsed with activity, vibrant colours flashing against the red velvet walls. Trixie stood, just behind the curtains that covered the VIP area, looking out over the crowd. Ponies danced and mashed together, their bodies rubbing up against each other as they moved with the beat. The current DJ, someone known as ‘The Jockey’, stood at the podium, mixing and slashing the records together with his draconic claws.

Vinyl Scratch walked up to stand next to Trixie, her trademark sunglasses now covering her face. She stared out over the crowd, then turned to Trixie. “Quite a group this time.” When Trixie didn’t respond, Vinyl pushed a question. “Everything all right, Trix?”

Trixie turned to face Vinyl, putting on a small smile. “Yes, everything is alright with Trixie.” She turned back to face the crowd as the song drew to a close. “Trixie is just… preparing for the show.”

Vinyl laughed, then patted Trixie on the back with a hoof. “I know that look. You’ve got ‘nervous’ written all over your face.”

“What? Trixie is not nervous! She is merely,” Trixie paused, scanning the crowd again. She gulped. “Anxious to get the show started.”

The crowd outside the curtains roared, signalling the end of the current DJ’s act. “Well that’s good,” began Vinyl, lifting up the curtain. “Because we’re on!” She stepped out into the light of the stage, a huge grin on her face. Trixie followed, her face rather more serious as she began her magical preparations.

“Fillies and gentlecolts!” screamed Vinyl, addressing the audience. Trixie closed her eyes and focused her mind, filtering out all outside noises. “Are you ready?” Trixie forced out her mental grip, attempting to tap into the pool of magic that lay within her. “For Drum!” Trixie stopped. “And.” Her magic was gone! She couldn’t find it, the pool of energy that fuelled her magic had disappeared! “Bass!”

Vinyl lowered the needle onto the record, causing a loud, heavy drum line to pulse out from the speakers. Trixie’s eyes opened in shock. This was her cue! Vinyl’s smug grin was quickly replaced with a look of worry, and she glanced over to Trixie, her eyes questioning.

Trixie glanced left to right, her panic growing. The crowd hadn’t seemed to notice the missing part of the act, they still roared and screamed at Vinyl for more. Trixie turned to the left, then ran off stage, attempting to escape the crowd, and Vinyl.

****

“What the hell?” Vinyl burst into the dressing room, her face clouded with anger. “Was that?”

Trixie looked up, her face streaked with lines where her mascara had started running. “V-Vinyl, Trixie is so s-sorry,” Trixie stammered, wiping her eyes.

Vinyl’s expression instantly switched from anger to concern, and she walked over to Trixie. “Trixie? What’s wrong?” Vinyl sat herself down on the red velvet couch beside Trixie.

“Trixie w-wanted to do the show, b-but when she tried to u-use her magic, she couldn’t!” Trixie sobbed again, her eyes brimming with tears. She threw herself at Vinyl, wrapping her forehooves around her waist. She wailed into Vinyl’s fur, her sobbing muffled. Vinyl slowly reached her hoof around to pat her friend on the back, shocked at the sudden change of personality.

“Couldn’t use your magic? As in, didn’t want to use your magic, or physically couldn’t?”

Trixie looked up, giving Vinyl a dirty look. “Physically you dolt. Trixie wouldn’t be like this if she hadn’t have wanted to use her magic, would she?” Trixie sniffled, then looked away.

Vinyl untangled herself from her friend, then stood up. “Hey, it’s all right, I spoke to the manager, he’s still going to pay us double, even if you didn’t do your half of the act.”

“Trixie doesn’t care about the money, Trixie has lost the most important thing to her, she’s lost her magic!” Trixie stood up, her eyes full of anger. “Trixie is grieving, and all you can think about is money? Some friend you are.” Trixie turned on her hoof and walked out the door, crying softly.

“Trixie wait!” Vinyl called, running to keep up with her friend. Trixie turned, staring Vinyl in the eye. “I think I know someone who can help.”

“Help? How can anyone help Trixie?”

“She’s really talented with magic. She’s the princess’ personal protégé!” Vinyl smiled, cocking her head to the left.

“The princess?” Trixie sniffled, wiping her eyes. “Well, if anyone can fix this, Trixie is sure that it would be the princess.”

Vinyl smiled, before turning to the exit. “C’mon then, we’ve got a letter to send!”

****

The carriage rumbled along slowly, its occupants bumping up and down with each hill in the road. Trixie sighed, her head leaning against the doorframe. She hadn’t used magic for three days, and it showed. Heavy bags hung under her puffy red eyes, clear signs of sleep deprivation. Vinyl sat next to her, looking slightly more upbeat, her large headphones over her ears. She nodded along softly to some melody that only she could hear, lost in a world of her own.

Trixie sighed again, then turned to Vinyl. She reached out and tapped her friend on the shoulder. “Yeah?” asked Vinyl, shrugging off her headphones.

“Where exactly are you and Trixie going?” Trixie asked.

“My friend lives out in the country, so we’re going to visit her.” Vinyl looked out the window to her left, her eyes tracking each of the trees that whirled passed.

“She’s the personal protégé to Princess Celestia, and she lives out in the country? Vinyl, Trixie is starting to doubt your capacity to remember things.” Vinyl rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, apparently she lives in this far out country town called Ponyville or something.” Trixie’s eyes widened.

“P-Ponyville?” Trixie gulped, her facial expression showing her fright. “Vinyl, Trixie doesn’t think this is such a good idea.”

“What?! Why?” Vinyl turned to Trixie.

“Trixie has some… bad memories of Ponyville. She’d rather not go back.” Trixie shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“C’mon Trix, we’ll be in and out.” Vinyl gestured with her hooves. “It’ll be a snap.”

Trixie pondered the thought for a second, looking back outside. Small trees and houses rumbled passed. “Trixie supposes, as long as she doesn’t run into her old… ‘acquaintances’, she should be fine.”

“That’s the spirit.” Vinyl tapped Trixie lightly on the arm. “Look, we’re almost there!”

Trixie scanned the suburban surroundings, her heart sinking dismally. “Vinyl, Trixie is sti-“ Trixie turned back to Vinyl, only to find the seat now empty. The carriage had stopped, and Vinyl had already gotten out.

“C’mon Trix, let’s go!”

Trixie climbed down from the carriage and stood by Vinyl’s side, glancing around hurriedly. The street seemed deserted, with most of the ponies either inside or talking idly in small groups.

“She lives just up here,” said Vinyl, pointing towards a large street. The two began to walk in silence, each to their own thoughts. As long as I don’t see any of those ponies that I played tricks on, I should be all right, Trixie thought, glancing around. She sighed, then quickened her pace slightly.

“So how long have you known this ‘friend’?”

“Oh, we went to magic school together.” Vinyl smiled fondly. “She was always top of the class, what with her being trained by the princess, but she never rubbed it in our noses. She was always quiet and kind, and she really helped me out during some of my later years. But when I went off to do a musical degree, she decided to study advanced magic, and we went out separate ways. We kept in touch though, always writing or coming out to visit each other. But she’s got loads of new friends.” Vinyl giggled, then turned to Trixie. “And I’ve got you.”

Trixie blushed, looking away. The two passed a few houses, then stopped. A large tree sprouted from the ground before them, large windows and doors carved into the intricate wood. A small sign hung out the front, a small picture of a book and a candle.

A library? What sort of pony lives in a library?

Noticing her questioning look, Vinyl Pointed to the picture and smiled at Trixie. “She really loved books when we were young, guess she still does.” Vinyl glanced at the door, then took a step forward. She rapped against the oak four times, before standing back to wait.

After about ten seconds, a young male voice faded in from inside the tree. “… Get it Twilight, don’t worry.” The door swung open, and a small purple and green dragon stood in the doorway.

“Spike!” shouted Vinyl, wrapping the dragon in a hug.

“Heya Vinyl,” the dragon said, returning the embrace, his eyes closed. They opened, and grew large with alarm. “Trixie?” he questioned, hopping down from the hug.

“Uh oh,” said Trixie backing away slowly.

“Who was it Spike?” came a call from inside the tree. A purple mare stepped out from the doorway, then gasped. “Vinyl?” She then turned to look at Trixie, gasped again. “You,” She said.

“Oh no no no.” Trixie continued to back away from the dragon.

“Hey, you guys know Trixie?” Vinyl smiled. “How come you didn’t mention her Trix?”

Trixie turned to Vinyl, her eyes wide. “Help,” she mouthed silently.

Twilight took a step forward, her eyes menacing. “How dare you show your face here again after what you did?”

“Twilight?” Vinyl took a step between the two mares, glancing back and forth. “Trixie? What did she do?”

“Oh.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “What didn’t she do? She humiliated my friends, she lied, and she almost got this entire town destroyed!”

Vinyl’s eyes widened, and she turned to Trixie. “I-is this true?”

Trixie opened her mouth to respond, then sighed. “Yes.” She hung her head. “Trixie did do all those things.”

Vinyl stepped back, shocked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Trixie looked up. “Because then you would’ve hated Trixie. Trixie regretted them afterwards, but by that time, it was too late. She couldn’t come back here, she knew that they would all hate her. So she fled to Manehatten, where she met you.”

Vinyl didn’t respond, instead turning back to Twilight. “Listen Twi, you got my letter, right?”

Twilight turned to Vinyl. “Yes, you said you had someone who needed magical help.”

“And what did you say?”

“That I would help them. But I didn’t know it was going to be her.” Twilight motioned in the direction of Trixie, who flinched.

“That’s beside the point; Trixie needs your help, urgently. Are you just going to stand there and let her leave, without even trying?”

Twilight sighed, hanging her head. “What’s wrong with her?”

“She can’t use magic. At all. She told me it was like her magical reserves had drained overnight.”

“She can’t even levitate things?” Twilight looked over at Trixie, then walked forward. “Odd. It’s not uncommon. I’ll need to ask her a few questions, though.” She smiled at Vinyl, then turned to the house. “Shall we?”

Vinyl walked inside, Twilight on her tail. Trixie looked to Spike, who seemed to not pay her any attention, instead just walking back inside. Trixie followed them into the Library’s foyer, where Twilight and Vinyl stood talking. When Trixie entered, Vinyl turned to her and smiled.

“Trixie, I’ve got to go out and sort some things with one of Twilight’s friends, apparently she needs a DJ for one of her parties. Do you mind if Twilight asks you some questions while I’m gone?”

“Well-,” Trixie replied, weakly.

“Awesome.” Vinyl turned towards the door, her headphones lifting themselves back onto her ears. “Cya later!”

The door slammed shut behind Vinyl, it’s echo bouncing around the now silent room. Twilight glowered at Trixie, her eyes pointing daggers. Trixie returned the stare, only less magnified, and with a terrified look on her face.

“Twilight, Trixie is so-” Trixie began, but was cut off by Twilight advancing.

“No Trixie, you’re not. You humiliated my friends, insulted me, and then come back a month later begging for help.” Twilight reached Trixie, her head held high. “Give me one good reason why I should help you.”

Trixie lowered herself to the floor, cowering. “B-because Vinyl asked y-you to?” she managed to stammer out, her voice barely a whisper. Twilight stopped, then looked thoughtful.

“Vinyl has been my friend for years, and she did ask for me to help you.” Twilight backed off a bit, letting Trixie pick herself up. “All right then, I’ll help. But on one condition.”

Trixie nodded her head, eager to right the wrongs that she had created.

“You apologize to all of my friends, personally.”

Trixie gulped. She nodded again. “Okay, Trixie will do it.”

“All right!” said Twilight, moving over to the closest bookshelf. “Let’s see what the problem is.” Trixie reluctantly walked over to join Twilight, her head slightly lowered. “So,” began Twilight, giving Trixie a questioning stare. “What’s wrong?”

“Trixie cannot do anything with her magic.” Trixie sniffled slightly, then looked up to Twilight. “It’s like the magic is right there, just out of Trixie’s grasp.”

“Oh,” said Twilight, turning to her bookshelf. “I’ve heard of this before.” Quickly, she levitated out three large books and began to flick through the first one, her eyes darting from page to page. After a few minutes, she grumbled unhappily and put the book down, turning her focus to the second one. Her eyes leaped across the text, scanning for any information that could be useful. Around half way through the book Twilight’s eyes lit up, and she dropped it down onto the table, a hoof pointed at one of the passages. “Here it is, ‘Post-traumatic Magic Loss’.” Twilight smiled.

“Which is?” Trixie asked, her eyes scanning the page.

“Exactly what it sounds like. When a unicorn goes through a large physical or emotional point in their life, it can affect their magic usage, even to the point of complete loss of control.” Twilight said, reading directly from the book.

Trixie’s eyes shot open at this. “That sounds just like what Trixie has, no control.”

“Exactly.” Twilight smiled, looking pleased with herself.

“Is there a cure, or a way to fix it?” Trixie asked, manoeuvring herself around so she could read over Twilight’s shoulder, her previous fear of the unicorn forgotten.

“Well,” began Twilight, pointing a hoof at a passage in the book. “It says the cure is quite simple, it’s figuring out the cause that’s the hard bit.” Twilight flipped over to the next page telekinetically, her focus pouring into the book. “Here we are: ‘There can be many causes for PTML, ranging from a bump to the head to mind control formed from other unicorn’s. However, the most common cause for such a problem is quite simple. A massive emotional or physical upheaval can cause symptoms.

‘If a unicorn over exerts himself, then he can find that his magic pool is either empty or close to being so. While a unicorn’s magic pool regenerates rather quickly, when depleted it also’ yada yada yada,” Twilight trailed off, scanning down through the page, whilst talking to Trixie. “From what you’ve told me, I don’t think you’ve over-exerted yourself recently, have you?”

“Well.” Trixie pondered for a moment, her mind casting back into her memory. After a few moments, in which Twilight had stopped to look up at the other mare, Trixie shook her head. “No, Trixie has only been casting simple illusion spells at most.”

“Then the only other explanation is a mental struggle!” Twilight said, snapping the book closed with a loud thud. Trixie looked towards the other unicorn, her eyes questioning. “Has anything, anything at all, happened to you in the past few weeks, that could have caused this?” Twilight asked, leaning forward to inspect Trixie. “It has a gradual affect, which means it could have happened anywhere from yesterday to five months ago.”

Trixie cast her mind back, sending mental images flooding through her mind’s eye. After a few moments, she shook her head, to which she received a dismayed response from Twilight.

“Trixie, we can’t cure this until we know what caused it in the first place.” Twilight moved herself forward, until her face was inches from the mare. “You need to remember.”

Trixie’s eyes screwed shut, and she forced her memories forward once again. After a few moments, she let out an exasperated snort, and stamped her hoof on the floor. “There’s nothing there, Trixie can’t find anything, it’s like her memories are gone, or refusing to work with her at least.”

Twilight leaned back, touching her hoof against her chin. “Hmmm,” she hmm’d. After a few seconds of this, she sat upright again, her eyes bright and wide. “Aha!” Twilight leaped up, her horn glowing with magical energies. “Trixie,” Twilight began, her voice slightly strained from the effort. “I’m going to try something. This spell is called a mind delve, and it will put you into a slumber-induced fever dream.”

Trixie nodded, then slowly sat backwards slightly, resting on her haunches. Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated, her horn glowing brighter. A tingling sensation swept throughout Trixie’s body, and she felt her eyelids begin to droop. Slowly, her eyelids closed, and the mare felt herself slip backwards, into the awaiting tendrils of unconsciousness.

****

An inky-black mist swirled around Trixie as she woke, the dark shadows whipping randomly in all directions. She pulled herself to her hooves, her eyes darting around in the blackness.

“Ah,” said a voice that echoed around the seemingly endless expanse. “You’ve awoken.”

“Twilight?” Trixie called out, glancing around. “Is that you?”

“Yes,” Twilight replied, as the shadows swirled downwards until they were directly in front of Trixie. The swirls mixed together, crashing into one another as they fought for space inside a pony-sized container. After a few seconds, the mists parted slightly, allowing a glowing Twilight to pass through them.

“Ah,” she said as she looked downwards at her hooves. “It seems I have materialized, I thought I would just disappear. After all, it is your mind.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Trixie demanded, an edgy tone creeping into her voice.

“Nothing,” replied the transparent Twilight. She glanced around quickly, before facing Trixie again. “Okay, we’re going to start the delve itself.”

“Delve?” Trixie cocked her head to the side.

“We’re going to sort through your memories, to try and find the problem. At the moment we’re in the top layer of your mind, the conscious part of your mind.” Twilight explained, gesturing to the swirls around the pair. “We need to go deeper, into your memory layer, so we can find and fix the problem.”

Trixie nodded in response. “So… how does Trixie and you go, uh, ‘deeper’?”

“Well,” Twilight began, scratching her head. “The book’s details were a little confusing, but from what I could tell, we have to find some stairs.”

“Stairs.” Trixie said, her voice deadpan.

“Yup,” Twilight said, glancing around. “See any?”

Trixie surveyed the surroundings, her eyes darting over the darkness. “Maybe we have to search for them?” She suggested, after her search turned up no results.

Twilight started to walk forward, gesturing for Trixie to follow. The two walked in silence, each of them mulling over their thoughts.

“Trixie I-“

“Twilight, Tri-“

They both stopped, blushing slightly. After a few seconds of silence, Twilight spoke up.

“Trixie, I should apologize for the way I acted back at the library. I was rude and insensitive.”

“No Twilight,” Trixie cut the other mare off, just as she was about to speak again. “It is Trixie who should apologize. She came to Ponyville just to humiliate the inhabitants. The fact that it was your particular group of friends was just random chance, but it is still Trixie’s fault.” Trixie hung her head. “And she is sorry.”

The pair stopped, Trixie’s head still low, unable to see Twilight, bar her hooves. “Twilight?” Trixie looked up at the other mare, who was staring off into the distance.

“Stairs.” Twilight breathed.

“Sorry, what?” Trixie asked, staring at Twilight.

“No, stairs!” Twilight said, pointing in the direction she was looking. Trixie’s head shot forward, and her eyes widened in surprise. Just ahead was a large set of white marble stairs, surrounded by a golden glow.

Twilight leaped forward. “C’mon Trixie!”

Trixie, still rather hesitant, stepped forward, her hooves sliding slightly on the smooth surface. Once both unicorns had stepped onto the stairs, they began to slide, the stairs moving downwards on their own accord.

“Woah!” Trixie and Twilight said in unison, both of them thrown off by the sudden movement.

“Well,” began Twilight, turning to face Trixie. “At least we won’t get tired.” Trixie rolled her eyes at this, before turning to face down the stairs.

The white seemed to stretch on endlessly, the unearthly glow forcing itself out into the swirling pits of darkness beyond. Trixie breathed out a sigh of wonder. She could see Twilight do the same from beside her, and looked up at the other mare.

Twilight looked around, her eyes filled with wonder and delight. Trixie could just make out mutterings under the unicorn’s breath. Things like “… letter to the Princess…” and “… amazing…” stood out among the rest. Trixie smiled slightly despite herself, before staring back outwards herself.

A few moments of silence reigned as both mare’s payed no attention to each other, each lost in the mysteries of the mind.

“I forgive you.”

Trixie’s head spun around to face Twilight, who was now looking down at her. “What?”

“For what you said,” Twilight explained. “I forgive you.” Twilight turned and looked back out into the darkness, her expression slightly harder. Trixie did the same, but with a small, satisfied smile on her face.

And then, the stairs disappeared.

****

“… and then Ah said, ‘so what if ah’ve got two teeth, y’all are about ta have none!’” Laughter exploded around Trixie as the large yellow stallion beside her finished his story. Loud thumps and shouts of “Buy ‘im a round, on me!” chorused from around the table, filling the tavern with large amounts of noise.

Trixie glanced around, her eyes filtering over the expanse of the Inn. Waitresses weaved their way through the patchwork of tables that filled up the main area, carrying drinks or returning to the bar for more.

“Another drink miss?” Trixie’s head shot around from the rest of the bar, her eyes spinning to meet those of the waitress next to her. An iced beverage sat on a platter beside her, floating just above where Trixie sat.

“Uh, oh, yes.” Trixie replied, snatching the drink away from the waitress with her telekinesis.

Instead of walking away, like Trixie had expected her to, the waitress pulled out a seat and sat down, turning her attention to Trixie. “Are you all right miss? You look a bit under the weather.”

“Yes, Trixie is fine. Please, leave her alone.” Trixie replied, lowering her head down in order to drink from the cup in front of her.

“Trixie? Who’s Trixie?” The waitress glanced around, before turning back to Trixie. “Oh, you’s is one of them, whachamacall-ems. ‘third…’ something.” The waitress smiled to herself. “Aint’cha?”

Trixie lowered her head further into her cup, in an attempt to drive away the mare.

“Not one for talking, are ya?” The waitress moved forward slightly, attempting to get into eye contact with Trixie.

Trixie mouthed the word “No” through her drink, before turning around.

“All right then, that’ll be twenty five bits, miss,” the Waitress said, holding out a hoof.

“What?” Trixie asked, looking back up.

“Fer all of your drinks, it’s twenty five bits.” The Waitress still held out her hoof, her smile growing ever larger.

Trixie gulped, before nodding. “Of course,” she said, reaching behind her with her telekinesis. Her saddlebag opened, and a small pouch appeared. Trixie brought it up to her face, then opened it, smiling at what was inside. “Sorry,” she said, standing up. “Trixie thinks you’ll just have to put it on her bill.”

Trixie threw the pouch downwards, and a large cloud of smoke erupted from the ground, filling the room instantly. Trixie leaped backwards as the Waitress lunged forward in an attempt to grab her. The mare fell flat on her face as Trixie jumped over a table, her magic keeping her airborne for slightly longer, in order to land near the door. She threw it open with a burst of telekinesis and leaped into the night, the rain swallowing her up.

****

“… odd, but not the cause.” Twilight’s voice filtered out as Trixie’s eyes opened. The purple mare was leaning over Trixie’s face and, as she opened her eyes, leaped back. “Trixie!” Twilight said, helping the mare up.

Trixie gurgled slightly, her head pounding. “What… what was that?” she asked through clenched teeth, her body pulsing with pain as she stood up.

“Didn’t you recognize it?” Twilight seemed confused.

“Well…” Trixie cast her mind back, and gasped. “Was… was that one of my memories?”

Twilight smiled. “Precisely. However, it’s not the one we want, so we’ll just have to continue downwards.”

Trixie nodded, and the stairs below them started to move again, vibrating slightly as they slid downwards.

“Wait, how did you see the memory? I didn’t see you in the tavern.”

“I wasn’t there,” said Twilight. “I seemed to watch from an outside perspective, like there was a window between me and the world you were in.” Twilight looked out over the edge of the stairs, and gasped. “Trixie… what’s that.”

Trixie looked over the edge, and felt fear course through her veins. Below them spread a large, red pool, pulsing and moving as if it were organic. “Trixie is not sure.”

Suddenly the stairs stopped. Both Twilight and Trixie turned to face each other, looks of fright evident on each of their faces.

And then the stairs disappeared.

****

The rain still poured downwards, crashing and splashing down on the gravel road. Trixie trudged along, shivering from the cold. Her light blue coat was now thoroughly matted and stained with mud, and the rain was causing what was left of her makeup to run.

Trixie shivered again, before lighting her horn up. The rain stopped hitting against her fur, and instead began to fizzle just above her head, steam forming and drifting off into the darkness of the night. The hill that she was walking on sloped upwards, and Trixie had to struggle to keep a steady pace as she continually slipped on the mud beneath her hooves.

Trixie pushed her way to the top and onto the apex of the hill, where she stopped to breathe. Light poured out from the other side of the hill, the strong lamps of Manehatten’s streetlights filling the area with a warm glow. Trixie sighed with relief, before making her way down the slope.

The mud beneath her hooves began to slide as Trixie moved forward. Suddenly on of the rocks slipped forward, and Trixie found herself on her haunches, sliding straight down towards the ground. She let out a short scream before the impact, which sent her head over hooves into a tree.

All Trixie saw was Blackness.

****

“Will she be all right, sir?” asked a young voice from somewhere near Trixie’s right.

“I’m afraid it’s hard to tell son, but we’re doing all we can.” Another voice, this one from on her right.

“Hold on! I saw her eyelid flutter! She’s waking up!”

Slowly, Trixie opened her eyes. The bright lamp above her shone directly down, and she had to blink in order to avoid being blinded. She pulled herself up, feeling a hard hoof on her back.

“Woah there little missy,” said the masculine voice from before. “You had quite a tumble.” Trixie turned her head towards the voice. A large earth stallion stood tall, a large, white lab coat around his shoulders. “If it weren’t for little Pip here, you’d be dead for sure.” The pony gestured behind Trixie. When she whirled around, she saw a small earth pony, covered in splodges, smiling bashfully up at her.

Trixie smiled back, hers slightly forced, before turning back to the doctor. “Am I all right?”

“Well,” said the doctor, looking down at the clipboard in front of him. “Except from a minor concussion, you’re absolutely fine. You’re free to go miss…”

“Trixie, her name is Trixie.” Trixie said, before swinging her legs around the edge of the bed. The stallion put out another hoof, stopping her.

“Maybe we should call someone to come pick you up, you’re in no condition to walk out of here yourself.” The Doctor smiled. “Who should we call?”

“There’s no one to call.” Trixie replied. “Trixie is all on her own here.”

“Friends? Family?”

“Nopony.” Trixie shook her head. “Trixie’s mother died when she was very young, and she never knew her father.”

“Well then, I could drive you home in one of the carriages. What’s your address?”

“Trixie does not have a home, she is a travelling showmare.”

“So where is your carriage?” The doctor seemed to be growing more and more worried as Trixie dropped onto her hooves.

“Broken, it was crushed by an Ursa Major.” Trixie shrugged at open-mouthed doctor, who gaped at her with wide eyes.

“A-an Ursa M-Major?” The doctor stammered out. “How did you escape?”

“Some stuck-up magic-genius sent it packing.” Trixie began to walk around the bed, and towards the side table, where her saddlebags had been put. She levitated them up and onto her hindquarters, before turning towards the door. As she went to leave, a small tug on her right foreleg stopped her.

Whirling around, she came face to face with the small foal from before, who seemed to be jumping up and down with excitement. “You can come stay with me!” he said, practically bouncing on the spot.

Trixie’s mind momentarily stopped, and the speech-centre of her mind had temporarily shut down. “A bu-what?”

The doctor seemed to nod his approval at this, which astounded Trixie even more. “Well, don’t you have to ask his parents or something? Trixie just can’t barge in and demand a place to stay.”

“Don’t have none,” Pip explained, his happy grin still plastered across his face. “I live all by myself in my own house and everything!”

Again, Trixie’s mind stumbled over itself as it attempted to process the information this young foal was giving her. “Wha- h-how?”

The doctor stepped in here, his commanding voice somehow soothing Trixie slightly. “Pipsqueak here is a beggar and, what’s more, an extremely good one. His daily income more than doubles what I make in a week!”

“On some days,” Pip supplied, still grinning like a mad-pony. “Oh, this is going to be ever-so fun!”

“Pip, why don’t you head out into the lobby and find one of the nurses? I’m sure one of them will give you a sweet if you ask nicely. Trixie will come and find you when she’s ready to leave.”

Pip nodded at this, before turning to Trixie. “See you in a minute!” He then turned and pranced out of the door, the joy still evident in his step.

“But… i-is this really all right?” Trixie asked.

“Pip has taken strays in before.” Trixie looked slightly offended by the mention of ‘stray’, but shut her mouth. After all, these ponies were letting her out free of charge, and, what’s more, even giving her a place to stay. “They usually only stay for a few days at most, but Pip’s certainly glad of the company. He does get awful lonely up there on his own.”

Trixie nodded, and thanked the doctor, before turning out of the room. She could just make out Pipsqueak on the other side of the hall, as he sat on the counter, a lollipop in his mouth, chatting to one of the nurses. He laughed at the sight of Trixie, and leaped down from the table, before running up to her side.

“Ready to go, miss Trixie?” he asked, his grin as large as his face.

“Yes, Trixie is ready.” Pip pushed forward, one of his hooves wrapped tightly around Trixie’s as he led her towards the doors. Light streamed in from the large glass windows that spanned either side of the exit. As they pushed out into the day, a large gust of autumn wind pushed against Trixie, bringing the scent of dust, leaves and industrial smoke.

“C’mon miss Trixie!” Pip shouted, pulling the unicorn out onto the musty street. Ponies of all colours pushed passed the pair as they weaved their way through the crowds of ponies and carriages. Pip managed to weave and swerve around each of the obstacles with ease, and soon the two were across the other side and into the dark alley on the other side.

The sudden shadows caused Trixie to blink as she forced her eyes to focus in the damp darkness, her sight slowly adjusting. Still Pip pulled her along, the edges of the alley whipping passed as the pair pulled back out and into another street.

“We’re almost there!” Pip shouted from ahead as they passed through yet another crowded street. As they pulled through the edge of the ponies and out onto the sidewalk, a large building rose up in front of them, it’s grand architectural features standing out among the throng of red-brick buildings that scattered throughout most of Manehatten.

“Welcome!” Pip began as he pulled open the front door. “To Splodge manor!”

****

“A stuck-up magic-genius, am I?” Twilight asked, her eyes shooting daggers at Trixie.

“You had just destroyed most of Trixie’s possessions and ruined her reputation! She was still mad at you, even if most of it was her fault.” Trixie sat up again, her head, while still pulsing, didn’t hurt as much as it had last time. The marble flooring below her glowed with an intense light, almost blinding Trixie as she stood to her hooves. “Still on the stairs?”

“Yup, but I think were getting closer to the problem, look around us.” Trixie did as Twilight suggested, and sucked in a breath as she realised what was around her. Dark red walls pulsed with life, as if blood coursed through them. A loud pumping sound could be heard, two successive beats, one after the other, echoing around the expanse.

“This looks like a… a… heart.”

“We’re getting clos-“ Twilight’s voice cut off as she disappeared downwards, Trixie in close pursuit.

****

“Any change for a lowly beggar, sir?” Pip asked, holding out his piper’s hat. A small fistful of coins fell from above, landing in the hat with a soft chink. “A thousand thanks sir.” Pip bowed his head, as the large stallion continued onwards.

“You really are good at this,” Trixie told him for the hundredth time. “Look, there’s almost a hundred bits in there!”

Pip beamed up at her, pride pushing through his usually grim expression. “I think we’re done for the day miss Trixie, and I have a special treat in store for you tonight!” Trixie’s eyes widened in surprise. This was unusual.

“Oh?” Trixie asked. “What is this ‘treat’?”

“Can’t tell!” Pip replied, still beaming. “That would spoil the surprise!” He leaped up, and turned towards the large house on the other side of the street. “Race you home!”

He sped off, Trixie in close pursuit as the two leaped and twisted through the crowd and out onto the pavement. Trixie was larger, and thus had a longer and stronger stride. But, Pip’s size was the advantage out here on Manehatten’s streets, as he could easily dart underneath or around the passers by. Trixie stopped out the front of the house, wheezing slightly from the exercise.

Pip smiled triumphantly from up above her. “I win yet again,” he teased, pulling open the door. “You really must try harder.”

“Oh, you just wait. One day, Trixie is going to beat you.” Trixie walked inside, a giggling Pip leaping onto her back. “So, where to, young master?” She asked, giggling slightly along with the foal.

“The top floor!” he shouted. “You’re going to love this!”

Trixie nodded, then began leaping up the stairs two at a time. The two crashed through the door and into what used to be the study, which had now been turned into a makeshift bedroom. All Green, the houses butler, was inside as the two crashed in, and he smiled up at them.

“Now now, young master, mistress, what have I said about running inside?” He scolded, smiling slightly.

“Oh come off it, Greeny, you and I both know what this surprise is!” Pip said as he landed on his hooves. “Give us a break.”

“All right,” the stallion-servant agreed. “But just this once.” He chuckled, then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

“C’mon miss Trixie, it’s just over here!” Pipsqueak shouted, running over to the desk. On it sat two pieces of flat, rectangular paper. The words ‘Midnight Mare’ were written in large print on the front.

“And these are…?” Trixie asked, still not grasping the concept.

“Tickets!” The young stallion said, chuckling. “Tonight, we’re going dancing!”

****

Lights flickered and danced throughout the club as Trixie and Pip pushed their way inside. Heavy dance music dropped, spun and weaved its way towards them, filling their ears with a natural beat. Trixie felt herself begin to pulse slightly as the music took hold of her, her hoof automatically pumping up and down. She felt Pip do the same beside her, and smiled. Pip headed forward out and onto the dance floor, waving to the other ponies as they called to him.

Trixie followed the young stallion, still not quite believing the connections that this small pony had achieved.

“C’mon miss Trixie, let’s go dance!” The two pushed out into the flor and began to jump up and down, their limbs shaking in time with the music. The rest of the dancers did the same, and it gave the impression of a giant sea of hooves, as they all pounded the floor in time with each other.

As the song drew to a close, Trixie felt her body fill with adrenaline as she slowed down her jumping. Pip did the same, as with the rest of the dancers, as the lights began to dim.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts!” exploded a voice from the loud speakers that filled the room. “Next up on the stage, a DJ we all know and love, the mare of music herself, DJ… PON-3!” The entire club roared in appreciation as the white mare stepped up to the middle of the stage, her bright blue hair almost fizzling.

“Featuring her signature genre, dubstep!” The dancers seemed to roar even more as the pony lowered down a record from above, the needle dropping down and onto it. Immediately a slow, muffled drum beat poured out from beneath a range of high synth leads, filling the room with a slow and steady pulse.

The cut-time music set off a strange feeling inside Trixie as she began to sway, along with the rest of the club, Pip climbing up onto her back, as to get a better look at the stage. The cymbals kicked in, along with the heavy drum beat, and suddenly the music felt a lot louder, and Trixie felt her head pounding from the heavy kicks.

Suddenly, the synth dropped out of range, and the progressive kick came into focus. A low sound began to pulse from below Trixie as she felt her body unintentionally rising. The beats began to build in speed and intensity as the synths rose in pitch. Suddenly, as the sounds reached their apex, everything cut off, and a low rumble filled the room, followed by silence.

The DJ lifted her head up, then brought it downwards, and an explosion of noise pounded into the room. Heavily modulated bass lines ‘wubbed’ their way outwards, severely dominating the musical plane. The heavy drumbeat and synth lead from earlier came back, over-powered by the heavy bass. Everyone in the room bounced and pounded along with the drums and bass line, including Trixie and Pip.

Trixie felt herself get over-powered by the music, and she grinned like a madmare, her entire body pounding with each beat.

And she loved it.

****

“Well… that was certainly… interesting.” Twilight shook her head as Trixie stood up, her head pulsing slightly. “I didn’t expect you to like that kind of music.”

“Well, to be honest, neither did Trixie.” Trixie said. “It just sort of… happened.”

“Trixie,” Twilight began, her voice sounding off-key. “Look around.” The walls pulsed brightly, a loud heartbeat filling the empty expanse. Large fires burned around the pair, and the staircase below them glowed hotly, but was cool to the touch.

“Where are we?” Trixie asked.

“I don’t know… but we’re about to find out!”

And the staircase disappeared.

****

A/N: All Right, so I finally finished this chapter, after nearly a month of neglect. And for this, I’m sorry.

But there have been a lot of problems along the way. For one, I was capped and, unfortunately, because of me not purchasing Microsoft office, my large PC did not contain a copy of Word. Thus, I was using GoogleDocs in order to write. Meaning, that when I was capped, I wasn’t able to access to write. Luckily, I can leech off friends every once in a while.

So I finished what I was doing (Bloody DotA 2 and Batman.) and buckled down to finish this story.

Again, sorry for the delay on all of my stories, but I’ve been working harder and harder at school. And anyway, I’m fifteen, give me a break!

So, I’ll update my other stories later, and another, small, update is on the way for this story.

Tl;dr: Sorry, was capped, couldn’t update, leeched internet, wrote story, updates soon.

Enjoy this extra long chapter!

-Taranasaurus

Conversation No. 12: The Future Waits for Nopony

“… And then he said ‘but I don’t have any crabs!’” Vinyl finished. Trixie snorted into her drink, water splashing up around her snout. Vinyl smiled smugly at her own joke, nodding her head as if to say ‘another job well done’.

“Vinyl!” Trixie said, pulling her face from the cup. “You didn’t tell Trixie it would be that funny!” She smiled despite her eyes, which shot pretend daggers at Vinyl. Vinyl feigned hurt, placing a hoof against her heart.

“Trixie, I am shocked that you’d think that I knew how funny my joke was! Why, just the thought of it!” Her accent had changed into a smooth city drawl, to which she used to its full advantage. “Daaaahhhling, I am appalled!”

Trixie snorted again, falling back onto her haunches in a fit of giggles. Vinyl joined her, crashing backwards and pulling Trixie down with her. The two landed on their backs, looking straight up to the sky. After the fit of giggles had ended, the two sighed wistfully, their gazes drawn to the stars above.

Trixie turned her head slightly, as to address Vinyl. “Do you ever think that… maybe there’s more out there?”

“Mmm?” Vinyl asked, her attention elsewhere. “Oh, beyond the stars? Yeah, definitely! I read this article about life on other planets! It was totally awesome, there was stuff about-“

“No, Trixie means if you think there’s anything else out there for us.” Trixie sighed, turning to look towards Vinyl.

“Oh uh… I don’t know, don’t you enjoy what we do?” Vinyl asked, her eyes locked on Vinyl’s.

“Well Trixie does, but she doesn’t want to do it forever.” Trixie smiled, her hooves exaggerating her words with erratic movements.

Vinyl nods in reply, turning back to the stars. “There’s something, or someone out there fore both of us Trixie, we’ve just got to keep looking.” Vinyl looked back at Trixie for a moment, her eyes running over the other mare’s features.

Trixie seemed to look at the stars with wonder, but Vinyl thought she could see a small amount of longing in her friend’s eyes. Something was missing for Vinyl, something that both she and Trixie were missing.

Vinyl pulled herself up, silhouetting herself against the moon. Trixie followed, looking forwards towards the glow of the city that spread below them.

“Look at them all Trixie,” Vinyl began. “They live out their boring, uneventful lives, just like us. They go around the same old thing every day, as if it were some kind of routine.” Trixie glanced towards Vinyl as she stared out over the city, her monologue pulling into full swing.

“They just don’t understand how much their lives could change. We get adrenaline, we get fun, and we get danger. But we’re missing something, aren’t we? We’re missing our other halves… you know?”

Trixie’s face betrayed her, and she looked to Vinyl with interest. “You mean…”

“Yeah.”

The two sat, staring out over the city, the moon’s lights flaying over them with soft elegance. A cold wind blew, sending their manes spiralling upwards, and they entwined, each pony leaning into each other slightly.

The world turned, and they turned with it.

A/N: Mini-update complete.

And good news, everybody! I’ve almost finished the next chapter for this very story! That’s right, very soon(by that I mean the end of this week) you’ll have something new to read!

And even more good news! Well, kinda good. This story is growing to an end, and there are only a few more chapters (2-3) until you’ll get your finale. But… there’s something new to add. It’s not exactly a happy ending, and I’m not exactly going to enjoy writing it. I’ve had this ending in mind since the beginning, so it’s been eating away at my conscience for a while now, and I can’t believe I’m going to finally let it out.

So just…

Stay tuned.

-Taranasaurus

Chapter 5

A/N: Told you I'd update before the end of the week.

The floor beneath Twilight’s hooves pulsed unnaturally, as if it were alive. Her head pounded with a steady beat, her ears ringing with echoes of music. Beside her she - Trixie – could feel the pushing of Pip as he danced next to her. Twilight could here the muffled music through her cocoon in Trixie’s memory. She seemed as if she was sitting right inside Trixie’s eyes, seeing and hearing what Trixie saw and heard.

Outside her shell, the world pounded with adrenaline, heavy music filling the collected ponies’ heads with ecstasy. Trixie’s head bobbed and banged with the music, her horn glowing with a pulse that kept in time with the music. The song drowned down to a finish, and the crowd roared in response, a loud, booming voice coming over the speakers.

“And now, introducing one of the newest acts on the scene, DJ Pon-3!”

This sentence seemed to send the crowd into more of a frenzy, and Trixie and Pip roared along with them, the adrenaline pumping through their veins. A white pony with dark purple glasses stepped out from behind some red vinyl curtains, her horn glowing with a grey aura. She stood at the top of a podium, the rest of the stage lights dimming as she looked out upon the audience.

“Hello Ponyville! ~” Her glasses gleamed as smirked out at the frenzied audience, and she raised her hoof to the roof, somehow signalling a cue in the music. Something began to fade in from the silence, a soft synthesised bassline flowing lightly behind a much more erratic high synth.

Below, Trixie felt herself start to sway in time, and she stared up in wonder at the pony, who continued to smirk and grin, her horn glowing as it held a disc aloft. She lowered it onto the turntable, and a drum pattern faded in, it’s half time beat causing the entire club to sway at the same pace. At this sight the pony nodded in satisfaction, and lifted another needle with her horn.

All but the drumbeat started to fade, and the pony dropped the needle, sending the club into a spasm as loud bass poured forth from the speakers. Trixie herself began to bob and jump with the music, her head swaying viciously. And then, right before Twilight, the club froze. It was as if someone had pressed the pause button on a song, or she’d put down a really interesting story.

It had all stopped. Twilight peered around as she struggled to comprehend what was happening. Around her, the frozen ponies began to disappear, flashing out of place before vanishing in white. She blinked, not quite believing what was happening. And, in that small pause in her mind’s flow as she closed her eyes, the world around her changed.

She gasped as she opened them again, glancing around at where she now stood. It was a small, musty apartment. Pizza boxes towered towards the ceiling, creating walls of crusty cardboard and effectively cutting off half of the walkway. Twilight seemed to be in more control this time, as she could move and look around of her own freewill.

She didn’t seem to be trapped inside Trixie’s mind, as she had been in previous visions. As she walked down the hall, she could just make out the sounds of a scuffle coming from the next room. Muffled cries of surprise floated their way through the wall and into Twilight’s ears. She rushed forward and literally fell through the door into what she guessed was the living room. There, surrounded by mountains of pillows, was Vinyl and Trixie. Vinyl stood poised over Trixie, panting and grinning. Trixie was doing the same, but she was trapped beneath Vinyl’s hooves, her faced flushed.

Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise. She stepped back as realization hit her full in the face, and she stumbled backwards into a wall. In an instant, the entire room faded to nothing, and Twilight felt herself lose consciousness.

****

“… so who was that funky pony you were with?” Pinkie asked, streamers exploding from behind her as she attempted to stick them to the ceiling.

“Who, Trixie?” Vinyl asked, her head underneath her turntables. She grabbed a mouthful of cords as she pulled her head back up. “Oh, she’s the mare I work with, you know, we perform together.” She supplied, spitting out the cords onto the desk and grasping them individually with her magic.

“Only work…” Pinkie asked, slyly. Vinyl glanced up at the pink party pony, and she winked.

Vinyl shook her head. “Yeah, just work.”

“It’s just that, I remember how you and Twilight used to… well.” She paused, racking her brains for the right word. “Party together.”

Vinyl blushed in response, ducking her head to plug in the cables. “Well, it’s all work with Trixie and I.” She pulled her head back up and rested it on the table, looking up at Pinkie. “Sometimes I think she’s into me, and then…” Vinyl shook her head, returning to work. “I don’t know. I just don’t want to screw it up, you know?”

“Not really,” chirped Pinkie, sending more confetti flying as she bucked. “I don’t really get into the sort of stuff, I’m too busy working on my parties, or baking.” She smiled her biggest smile and turned towards the food table. “Oh, my, gosh!” she yelled, leaping towards the spread of confectionary. “Gummy worms!” She grabbed a hoof full and tossed them upwards, catching them in he mouth. “Theth are my fafouith,” she said, her mouth filled to the brim.

Vinyl shook her head, chuckling to herself. “Pinkie, you are a riot.”

****

Trixie’s eyes opened slowly as she woke, her vision filled with the lovely image of the library’s roof, which, coincidently, had not been cleaned. Beside her she felt something stir and, at a turn of her head, realised that Twilight had collapsed down next to her.

Trixie sat up, a hoof to her head, and gazed around. “What happened?”

Twilight pulled herself up to her haunches and turned to Trixie her eyes red and dilated. “I think we found the source of the problem.”

“Really? So what is it? What’s wrong with Trixie?” Trixie asked, locking eyes with Twilight.

“Isn’t it obvious?!” Twilight stood and helped Trixie to her hooves, still looking at Trixie.

“Not really.”

“It’s Vinyl!” Twilight said, almost jumping with the discovery, her horn glowing. The large book from before floated towards the pair before stopping in front of Twilight.

“Vinyl? What did Vinyl do?” Trixie looked down at the book and began to skim through the first part, her eyes darting across the words.

“Well, not Vinyl herself, but more how Vinyl interacts with you.” Twilight looked up from the book to stare at Trixie intently. “And… how you feel about her.”

Trixie blushed slightly, looking up to Twilight. “W-what to you mean?”

“Your feelings for her!” When Trixie looked abashed at this, Twilight pressed on. “Oh come on Trixie, it’s obvious! Why, even Spike, as emotionally detached as he is, could see it.”

“Trixie still doesn’t quite understand,” Trixie told her, fully understanding, just not wanting to let on to that fact. “Her… feelings?”

“Yes, Trixie.” Twilight sighed, shaking her head. “The things I do for friends.” She muttered. “Trixie, your love for her.”

“W-what?” Trixie took a step back, feigning hurt. She shook her head, looking back up to Twilight. “Well, even if that was the case, which it isn’t,” Twilight rolled her eyes. “How would Trixie go about fixing this, er, problem?”

Twilight brought the book forward so both ponies could read. “The cure is simple, all you need to do is admit the problem. You need to accept your feelings.”

“That’s it? Really?” Trixie read through the page again, before nodding her head. “So, all I need to do is admit it.”

“Easier said than done,” Twilight supplied, pulling the book away and resting it back on the table. “Now come on Trixie, just tell me how you feel about her. Not one word of this conversation will leave this word, I swear.”

“How can Trixie take your word for this? You hate Trixie!”

Twilight sighed again, lifting a hoof to her heart. “I Pinkie Pie swear. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my- ow!” Twilight rubbed her eye gingerly, muttering something incoherent but definitely vulgar. “A Pinkie Pie promise can’t be broken, it’s forever.”

Somewhere in the background an ominous voice shouted “Forever!” sending chills up both ponies spines.

“What was-“ Trixie began, but was cut off by Twilight

“It’s best we don’t talk about it.” She said, stepping back and allowing Trixie some space. “Now, I want you to try and lift this book.” Twilight motioned to the book on the table. “A simple task.”

Trixie nodded in response, her horn glowing. She reached out with her magical grasp, something of a six sense to a unicorn, and attempted to grab the book. Her mind envisioned it, but her magic did not comply.

“Good, I can feel you trying. Now, tell me about Vinyl, why you like her, what’s good about her.” Twilight nodded as Trixie closed her eyes.

“She’s… well, she’s nice. A lot nicer then most of the other ponies Trixie has spoken to.” Trixie’s horn let out a small spark, and Twilight motioned for her to continue, not that Trixie could see her. “She seems to be able to handle Trixie’s odd brand of attitude, and understands about her problems.” Another spark, this one larger and more bright.

“Her music, and the way she enjoys it, reminds Trixie of her tricks and stage shows, and how much she enjoys them.” Trixie’s horn sparked and began to glow. “But most of all, it’s the way she treats Trixie, not as a business partner, but as a friend. She even gave Trixie a place to stay!” Trixie chuckled at that, and the book began to hover slightly above the table. “And her hair… her bright blue hair is like a vision of hope to Trixie, the way it sways when she dances to her music, it’s almost… mesmerizing.”

“Trixie thinks you’re right Twilight, she does- I do love Vinyl.” Trixie’s horn exploded with light and the book flew straight up, surrounded by Trixie’s magical aura once more. Trixie smiled widely as she opened her eyes, almost laughing at the sight of a floating book. Twilight smiled with her and the two began to laugh as the book fell to the ground.

Trixie hopped up from where she had sat and bounded over to Twilight, throwing the unsuspecting unicorn into a hug. “Oh thank you Twilight! Thank you thank you thank you!” Trixie shouted into the fur of the other unicorn.

“Er… that’s all right Trixie,” Twilight said, cautiously patting Trixie’s shoulder. After a few moments of silence, the two split apart, and Trixie apologize bashfully, her face flushed.

“Sorry about that… Trixie doesn’t know what came over her.” Trixie cleared her throat, looking down at her hooves. Twilight smiled nervously, before walking over to the door.

“Why don’t we go tell Vinyl about our discovery?” she asked, smiling.

Instantly, all of the colour drained from Trixie’s face, and she looked up at Twilight with fear in her eyes. “Twilight… What if Vinyl doesn’t feel the same about me?”

“What?” Twilight asked, turning back around to face Trixie. “Oh… I, er…”

“Trixie doesn’t think that you should tell Vinyl just yet. Let Trixie tell her when she is ready.” Trixie stood and walked over to the door. “Alright?”

Twilight sighed, looking down. “Alright.”

****

Vinyl stood behind her turntable, her glasses sitting on her head and a smear of dirt tracked across her cheek. “Done,” she sighed breathlessly, turning to face Pinkie.

“Ooooh~ really?!” Pinkie asked, jumping over to the controls. “Can we try it out, can we can we?” Pinkie’s eyes gleamed as she looked over the various knobs and buttons, a million different possibilities flying through her mind at rates that far surpassed the speed of light.

“Uh sure Pinkie, but not right now,” Vinyl said, turning towards the entrance, where a door had opened. “I gotta go speak to some friends.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Pinkie said, waving a hoof at Vinyl dismissively. “I’ll look after your turntables.”

Trixie and Twilight walked in, laughing at something that they had been speaking about minutes before. At the sight of Vinyl, Trixie called out. “Hey Vinyl, Twilight and Trixie were just talking about you.”

“Oh?” Vinyl smiled. “Really?” She eyed Twilight cautiously.

“Yeah, about your school days. Trixie didn’t know you were so… adventurous.” Trixie said, stifling a giggle.

Vinyl blushed, smiling nervously. “Exactly… how much did she tell you?”

“Oh, just… everything.” Trixie smiled mischievously, her eyes slanting coyly. Vinyl blushed even more, looking down at her hooves. “Don’t worry,” Trixie said, walking passed her. “Your secrets are safe with Trixie.”

After a few moments, Vinyl looked up. “So, how’d it go? Did you fix your problem?”

“Oh yeah,” Trixie said, creating a small bubble of colour in front of her. “Twilight fixed it.”

“So, you up for a show then?” Vinyl asked, walking up to Trixie.

“Trixie gazed into Vinyl’s eyes. “Always.” She smiled, about to continue. A loud boom of sound burst from the speakers behind her, temporarily deafening her.

Vinyl looked up to her decks, were Pinkie stood, hooves pressed to the board and headphones clenched against her ears. “Oops,” she mouthed, taking off the headphones and stepping back from the decks.

“What in Equestria was that?” Trixie whirled, staring up at the speakers.

“Uh, an eleven kick I believe,” Vinyl supplied, walking up to her turntables. “Yep, an eleven, mixed with max reverb. Not a great thing to have burst into your ear, but definitely not the worst.”

Trixie rubbed her ears, cursing under her breath. She walked up to the podium and stood next to Vinyl, looking out over the empty hall. “Are you and Trixie performing tonight?”

Vinyl nodded in response, turning to face Trixie. “You ready for it?”

“Yeah,” Trixie said turning to face Vinyl. “If you still want Trixie to.”

“Of course.” Vinyl turned to her deck and smashed a button, sending out another blast of music. “Just don’t run off on me this time.”

Trixie giggled, and Vinyl giggled too. In front of them, Pinkie performed her own brand of magic, setting up the room for a party to end all parties. And, with Trixie and Vinyl there, it certainly was.

****

Lights flashed and music pounded, while the room jumped and bounced along for the ride. At first, Trixie and Vinyl had been the backing to a much-anticipated event, but now that it was over, it was their time to shine.

Vinyl looked over to Trixie, a smug grin filling her face. Trixie couldn’t help but return the smile, her horn sending out balls of light that flashed with the beat of the music. These balls of light were scattered around the room, as if they themselves were decorations. Lines of magical essence flittered above Vinyl and Trixie, their middles spiking upwards with each pulse of bass from the speakers.

The music cut out, and the room became dark, as if it were empty. The crowd dropped silent , and they gazed around in wonder as the walls themselves began to glow. Slowly, Vinyl let a small, yet noticeable rhythm forth from the speakers, it’s high pitch drowning out the heavy breathing of the collected ponies. Bass also sparked into life, it’s melody slightly more intricate and powerful, but also filled with low and simple notes to tie the song together.

A snare dropped in, giving the song more rhythm and something to dance to. Then, a low and steady kick began to pound on every first and third beat, filling the empty pulses in the music. Everything else faded out, leaving the kick alone as it pounded onwards. Then, even that faded out, and a low rush of air filled the room as it steadily built in both speed and sound. In the last instant, it cut out, and one word filled the room.

“Drop.”

And the room exploded, the kick and bass came back in, overpowered by a much louder dance synth that followed a low and hypnotic rhythm. Trixie’s orbs exploded, showering the audience with sparks of different shapes and colours. They all jumped and screamed for more, as if in a frenzy, and Trixie smiled, satisfied.

She looked in Vinyl’s direction, and saw the pony grinning as her head pounded with each beat, her horn still glowing as it controlled the various knobs and sliders that constantly moved beneath her grip. To her right, a keyboard’s keys pressed themselves down as if controlled by a ghost, obviously the main control for the melody and bass.

Trixie turned back out to the audience and sent out another wave of light that pulsed and spread across the room. The crowd leapt into the air, their hooves grazing the magic field. They screamed and jumped around in acceptance, and Trixie’s grin grew even wider.

The music pounded, and Trixie loved it.

****

As the party wound down and ponies began to leave, Twilight and her assortment of friends floated up to the podium where Trixie and Vinyl sat. Trixie stiffened as they approached, and Vinyl placed a hoof on her shoulder for support. The group stopped in front of the pair, with most of the eyes held within on Trixie.

“Er… hi,” she said, waving a hoof slightly. The small yellow one in the back squeaked and ducked behind a much more familiar white one.

She stepped forward, the yellow one still glued to her hind legs, and adjusted her purple mane. After a few moments of eyeing Trixie cautiously, she slowly lifted a hoof. “Hello, I am Rarity,” she began, her eyes still locked on Trixie’s. “You may well remember me.”

“Oh, ah yes… quite well,” Trixie stopped. “Not that that’s a bad thing, or-or a good thing, just that, uh… oh.” She stopped and looked down at the couch. “Sorry.”

The white unicorn took a step back. “Pardon?”

“Sorry… you know, about the whole mane thing, Trixie didn’t mean it.” Trixie still stared at the couch, as if it’s folds of fabric held something intricately interesting. “Well, she did at the time, but she regrets it now.”

The unicorn seemed quite taken aback, and she slowly nodded. “Th-that’s alright dear,” she started cautiously.

“Now ya got ta’ remember me,” said the orange one, walking forward with her hat tucked back on her ponytail. “Tha one y’all tied up.” She gave Trixie a cross stare, causing Trixie to sink back even more into the couch. After a few seconds of staring, the mare burst out into laughter, and Trixie looked up, a mixture of fear and curiosity on her face. “Oh you shoulda seen your face!” she managed to get out between fits of giggles.

After she had calmed down, the pony managed to explain her reasons. “I ain’t one to keep a grudge sugercube, so y’all are all right in ma books.” She smiled before turning to the pink pony from before. “Now Pinkie, where’s all the food at?”

“Right over here!” Pinkie sprang up and rocketed off towards the food tray, the orange mare close behind her.

Trixie leaned over to Twilight and whispered. “Does she always do that?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” nodded Twilight, looking over her group of friends. The rainbow pony nodded at Trixie, not smiling, but not exactly scowling either. The small dragon from before smiled at her, before turning to Rarity.

“May I have this dance madam?” he asked, his voice switching to a more posh accent.

Rarity feigned surprise. “Oh, but of course noble sir!” The pair giggled as they made their way out to the dancefloor.

Trixie leaned over to address Twilight again, but she was stopped by the purple mare herself. “Don’t bother asking, it would take all afternoon to explain.” Trixie nodded before turning to face the yellow pony from before, who now stood next to Twilight, quivering.

“Uh,” Trixie began. “Are you alright?”

The yellow pony squeaked before ducking behind Twilight, who rolled her eyes. “Fluttershy, get out from behind there and be nice to Trixie.”

After a few moments the pony creeped out and looked up at Trixie. She squeaked again and Trixie moved in closer. “Pardon?”

Another squeak.

“Didn’t quite catch that.”

“I said my name is Fluttershy,” the pony jumped backwards and stared down at the ground, her face flushed.

“Oh, hello Fluttershy, this is Trixie,” Trixie said, addressing herself.

“Who is?”

“Trixie is.”

“Yes, but who is Trixie?”

“Trixie.” Trixie gave her an odd look, before breaking out into a smile. She turned to Twilight and nodded.

Twilight turned and began to whisper things into Fluttershy’s ear. Fluttershy’s eyes widened, and she turned to look at Twilight. “Really?” she whispered back, rather audibly. Twilight nodded, and Fluttershy turned back to Trixie.

“Oh, well.” She giggled, before moving over to sit on the couch beside Trixie. “How are you Trixie?”

Trixie smiled. “Well…”

And the night continued on as the pair chatted away, as if they had known each other for years.

****

Manehatten wasn’t exactly the safest and most secure city in Equestria, but it felt like home to Trixie now. Vinyl had fallen asleep hours ago, and so Trixie had been left alone to ponder her thoughts, with only the occasional snore to fill the silence. But, they had arrived back at the apartment and, as Trixie carried Vinyl upstairs, she couldn’t help but feel safe.

She’d fixed up her past, now all she had to do was fix her future. And, looking at the sleeping Vinyl, she knew exactly how she’d do that.

****

A/N: And there we have it, chapter 5!

After a few gruelling hours of non-stop typing, I’ve managed to force this out. The next two chapters will be the finale to this story, which means that soon this story will be over.

I’ve decided to focus on this story primarily, and will have the entire thing finished within the next two weeks (hopefully), but don’t quote me on that. Anywho, it’s time for a break, so I’mma go eat some cake.

This update’s song list (Music I listened to during the creation) is:

Chairs – Tristam
Decisions – Borgore
Headshot – Feed Me
Episode 6 – The Going Quantum Podcast
And a bunch of other awesome songs!
Also, if you have the time, why not go check out a song I made for my buddy Chris:

Taranasaurus.bandcamp.com

It’s called McDonald’s Man

Th-th-th-that’s all folks!

-Taranasaurus

Conversation No.17: Birthday Surprises

“Does this city ever sleep?” Trixie asked, yawning as she looked out over the lights that collectively made up the city of Manehatten.

“Trixie, we sleep maybe two hours a night, do you really think that the rest of the city sleeps their healthy eight hours?” Vinyl asked, turning to look at her friend cynically.

Trixie sighed. “Yeah, Trixie thought not.” She stood to her hooves and offered a hoof to help Vinyl up.

“Where’re we going?” Vinyl asked, accepting the hoof. She gave Trixie a look. “This better not be a trick, ‘cause you know how much I hate tricks.”

“No, not a trick, just a surprise.” Trixie pulled Vinyl along by the hoof, half dragging and half carrying the mare behind her. She smiled self-consciously to herself, the thought of Vinyl’s face already in her mind. Trixie stopped and turned to face Vinyl, looking into the mare’s amber eyes. “Now Vinyl, in order not to ruin the surprise, you’re going to have to close your eyes, okay?”

“Uh, sure.” Vinyl obliged, grabbing hold of Trixie’s hooves as she clamped her eyes shut. The two walked for what seemed like five minutes to Vinyl, but what really was only a couple of seconds. When they stopped, Vinyl felt Trixie pull away from her and head off in a different direction. “Trixie?” she called out, trying not to sound too urgent.

“Just hold on Vinyl!” Trixie called back, her voice coming from a little way in the distance. After a few moments of silence, Trixie’s voice came from in front of Vinyl. “Okay, now, open your eyes.”

Vinyl opened her eyes, and then widened them in shock. “W-what’s this?” she asked.

“Happy birthday!” Trixie shouted, jumping forward with a large present in tow. She stopped in front of Vinyl, panting slightly, and lowered the large wrapped gift down to the ground. “Sorry it’s a bit late, but Trixie wanted it to be a proper surprise.”

“T-Trixie, you didn’t have to-“

“No, let Trixie stop you there. She did have to get you something, after all, you gave her both a place to stay and a great friend, so she had to repay you somehow.” She smiled bashfully, looking down at her hooves.

Vinyl stared at her, dumbfounded. After a few moments, she bent over and looked at the present. It was large, rectangle and overly gift-wrapped.

Trixie stood, her hoof tapping. “Well come on, open it already!”

“Okay okay.” Vinyl reached down with a hoof and grasped the edge of the paper, her horn glowing as it grabbed the masking tape that stopped the corners from opening up as it was carried. She pulled and, with a flourish, the entire warpping came off in one sweep. She gasped as she lifted the large box up. “T-Trixie how did you?”

“You showed Trixie a picture and said ‘that’s my favourite mixing deck.’” Trixie smiled. “So Trixie went out and got it.”

“How could you afford it though? We don’t make nearly enough to pay for it.” Vinyl lifted the box up on it’s side, and slit it down it’s length, revealing what was inside.

“Well… Trixie did get a little help from Pip.” Trixie shook her hooves. “Not a lot, just enough to pay off half.” Trixie blushed again. “It’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”

“O-Of course.” Vinyl looked down at the decks, then back up to Trixie. “I-I’m speechless.”

“Well you don’t need to say anything.” Trixie said, smiling. Vinyl leaped up and threw Trixie into a giant hug.

“Oh thank you!” she cried, almost sobbing. After a few moments, Trixie returned the hug.

“You’re welcome.”

A/N: And another mini-update comes to a close.

This will be the last of the mini-updates, as the finale will be in two parts. After that, there will be an epilogue and a final Authors Notes, in which I will explain some of the more odd parts of the story, as well as word choice and the best dupstep ever.

Aside from that, enjoy while I set to work writing the last two chapters!

Alon-zy!

-Taranasaurus

Chapter 6

The apartment wasn’t quite as cold as Trixie remembered it, but there may have been good reasons for that. As she lifted the covers from atop her, Trixie gazed around the room, the assorted posters and records scattered both across the floor and the walls. Trixie yawned as she sat up, her hoof finding rest on a bump in the bed next to her. She froze and, ever so slowly, turned to look down at the sleeping form of Vinyl below her. Trixie gasped, rolling out of the bed and crashing onto the floor with a large thump.

Vinyl moaned, rolling over to look to where Trixie had been. “Trixie?” she muttered, rubbing her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Trixie just- she, uh…” Trixie blushed, looking down.

Vinyl sat up and smiled. “Hey, don’t sweat, I’ve woken up to another filly in my bed more than once.” She pulled herself out of bed and walked towards the door. “How about some breakfast, huh?”

Trixie nodded, following Vinyl out into the living area, her cheeks still flushed. Vinyl walked over to the kitchen and swept the piles of pizza boxes onto the floor with an almighty crash, causing Trixie to wince. Vinyl grinned as she blew the dust off the stove, the fine specks swirling around in a cloud. Trixie coughed in the swarm, her eyes watering.

“Gee, thanks Vinyl,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Vinyl grinned bashfully, her cheeks flushing.

She stooped down under the counter for a moment, before reappearing, a frying pan grasped between her jaws. She threw it up in the air, and it landed on the stove with a clatter. “How about some pancakes?” she asked, turning to the fridge.

“Er, sure.” Trixie peered over Vinyl’s shoulder as the unicorn rummaged through the fridge. After a few moments she pulled up, a bottle held in her magical aura. She lifted it up so Trixie could read the label.

“Pancake… mix,” Trixie read, squinting at the label.

“You ain’t got none!” Vinyl shouted, throwing the mix up with a bound. She landed back on her hooves and glanced at Trixie. “Er, sorry.” Her cheeks flushed again. “I don’t know what came over me.” She flicked a button on the stove, and a steady flow of gas poured out from the top. “Alright Trixie, I think you should find some cover.”

“Why?” Trixie asked, trying to see what Vinyl was pulling from the drawer. The pony lifted out a red box, a picture of Spitfire, the captain of the Wonderbolts, printed on the side. Trixie gasped. “Vinyl, you can’t! That’s a death wish!”

“Well, it’s not my fault that the bloody sparker on this thing doesn’t work.” Vinyl opened the miniature drawer encased in the packet of matches and pulled out a spindly match. She struck it and tossed it at the oven. She then turned to Trixie, eyes wide, and screamed. “Run!”

The two bolted forward, leaping over the couch and onto the pile of pizza boxes behind it. After a few seconds of laying in the dark, their breathing heavy, the two pulled out and peeked out over the couch. Over at the stove was a small flame, as the gas had lit, but not exploded. Both mares let out a sigh of relief, sinking down. They glanced at each other, and let out a small chorus of giggles as they stood.

Vinyl ran over to the kitchen, grabbing the mix in her magical grasp. “Here, shake this, will you?” She proffered the container of white semi-solids to Trixie.

“Alright, so long as it doesn’t explode,” Trixie laughed, grabbing the container and starting to shake it. After a few moments of silence, she attempted to start another conversation. “So, where’d you learn to cook?”

“Believe it or not,” Vinyl started, her grin growing. “I used to be a fry cook.” She smiled at Trixie’s expression as she continued. “Yeah, I know right? Me? A fry cook? Who’d have thought?” She laughed, grabbing the mix from Trixie. “Yeah, I was only doing it part time, of course, I was still working on my DJ skills. But, you know, my partying wasn’t exactly raking in profits.” She stopped shaking the pan to ponder something. “At least, until you came along.”

“Trixie? What did she do?” Trixie asked, curious.

“Well, with your added talents.” Trixie blushed at this, but Vinyl continued, oblivious. “The clubs started to want to hire me more over the other DJ’s who were just doing the same boring thing as everyone else.” When Trixie looked confused, Vinyl attempted to reform her statement. “All DJ’s do the same thing, really, with varying degrees of skill. But, when I offer them a free lights show that could kick the ass out of their pyrotechnics show, well, they can’t refuse, can they?”

Trixie looked down at her hooves, scuffing them against the floor. “Trixie isn’t that good Vinyl.”

“Oh, quit being so modest,” Vinyl said, pretending to punch Trixie in the shoulder. “You’re amazing! All of those lights, the way you control all of them at once. I’ve seen you do hundreds at a time! All of them different colours and everything!” Vinyl’s eyes took on a sort of misty look. “And… and the way they shine on your mane… so…”

“Er, what?” Trixie asked, turning away from the pancakes.

Vinyl blushed, turning away. She let out a loud cough. “Oh, uh, did that last bit sound like words?” She coughed again, her cheeks growing even redder.

Trixie shook her head, but before she could enquire further, black smoke began pouring from the pan. “Vinyl?”

“Mmm?”

“Should the pancakes be smoking like that?”

“Not really.” Both ponies turned to look at each other as flame erupted from the pan, frightened looks spread across their faces.

“Run!”

****

“So, Trixie, where to first?” Vinyl asked as the two stood at the entrance to Manehatten’s main street.

“Trixie still doesn’t understand what the two of you are doing.” Trixie gazed around at the assembled shops and cafes, her expression one of mixed curiosity.

“Oh come one,” Vinyl began, turning to make Trixie face her. “Don’t tell me you’ve never been shopping!” When Trixie replied with a blank look, Vinyl toppled over backwards, a hoof pressed to her forehead in fake despair. “Oh, you are a disgrace Trixie! What ever are we to do with you?”

Trixie giggled as she helped Vinyl up. “Still, what are we supposed to do while we’re out, er, ‘shopping’?”

“Well, buy things of course!” Vinyl shouted, startling some passers-by who shot the pair dirty looks. “So, what do you want to go buy first? Clothes? Music?” She glanced back into her saddlebags, the flaps opening as she rummaged inside.

“Trixie doesn’t know… clothes?” Trixie closed her eyes hesitantly.

A high-pitched squeal resonated from Vinyl as Trixie said those words, and she grabbed Trixie’s hoof with her own. “Ooooh~!” she sang, pulling Trixie towards the closest store. “Get ready for the hour of your life!”

The two crashed through the door, and instantly barrelled into a large pony who grunted as they collided with his chest. Trixie was up instantly, apologizing profusely and trying to get Vinyl to do the same. As Vinyl stood, the large pony broke into a huge smile, his face literally lighting up.

“Hey, Vinyl! Long time no see.” He smiled, wrapping the much smaller unicorn in a hug.

Vinyl returned it, smiling as well. “Heya Leaf! How’ve you been?”

The two broke apart, and the larger pony looked down at Vinyl. “Not too bad, got a steady job here at the boutique, and I’m about to be a dad!”

“Haha no way!” Vinyl punched him playfully in the chest. “You and Crystal finally went all the way, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess we did.” Leaf smiled, before turning to the door. “Catch ya later Vinyl, I’ve gotta get back to work.” He waved as he pushed through the door, and Vinyl waved back.

“And that was?” Trixie asked, turning to Vinyl with a sly smile.

“A friend. We met at a club where he was being a bouncer. I was playing later that night, and we had nothing better to do, so we just hung out.” Vinyl shrugged, before turning back to the inside of the store. “Anyway, this here is one of the finest stores in Manehatten. They import dresses from all over.”

Vinyl started to pull Trixie through the store. The two passed large racks with different saddles, dresses and other forms of clothing. They stopped in front of a large display with the words ‘Rarity’s fashion holiday!’ imprinted in bold.

“Remember that pony from the party? The white one with the really curled purple mane?” Vinyl eyed Trixie questioningly as she looked over the stock.

“I think so. I remember ruining her mane as well.” Trixie smiled sheepishly as she walked past the first row of dresses.

Vinyl seemed oblivious to the last part of Trixie’s sentence, and she continued. “Well, these are her dresses.” She motioned to the large display. “Some of the best in Manehatten!” She turned to face Trixie, a gleam in her eye. “So.” she started towards Trixie. “Want to try some on?”

“Oh no.” Trixie backed away slowly as Vinyl advanced. “No, no, no. Trixie does not want to.” Vinyl’s smile grew sinister, and Trixie gulped. “Well… alright.” Vinyl squealed. “But only a few,” Trixie warned. “Trixie doesn’t want to spend all of her money.”

Vinyl nodded. “Oh this is going to be so fun!” she pulled Trixie into the closest dressing booth, a large amount of dresses floating behind her.

Trixie gulped at the size of the pile. “Trixie is going to have to try on all of those?”

“Oh, this is just the beginning!” Vinyl’s eyes lit up behind her glasses. “There’s so many more we could try!”

Trixie rolled her eyes, groaning simultaneously.

****

Two hours and two hundred dresses later, Vinyl stood back to admire her handiwork. A velvet red dress entwined around Trixie, it’s large hemming at the base flourished and exaggerated, whilst at the neck of the dress, the stitching was tight and neat, giving the dress an altogether mixed look. Trixie strained her neck from side to side, trying to see the entire dress all at once. Vinyl held up a mirror, and Trixie silently thanked her, looking over the dress.

“Oh, one second!” Vinyl disappeared out of the curtains, reappearing a few seconds later, a tiara wrapped in her aura. She placed it on Trixie’s head, then stood back again, catching her breath. “You’re… perfect.”

“Pardon?” Trixie asked, looking back up at Vinyl.

“Uh, er, the… dress, it’s perfect!” Vinyl mentally facehooved. “Yeah, it looks great!”

Trixie smiled. “Do you really think so?”

“I know so, it looks awesome.” Vinyl opened up the curtains as Trixie removed the clothes, folding them back up neatly and floating them over to Vinyl. “All right,” Vinyl said, heading over to the counter as she pulled the clothes from Trixie’s grip. “Let’s go buy them.”

Trixie pulled her purse out. “How much are the-“

Vinyl held up a hoof, silencing her. “No, I’ll be paying.”

“But Viny-“

“No buts.” Vinyl smiled at Trixie. “My treat.” She spun around to talk to the clerk, as Trixie started to wander the shop. The show mare eventually found herself at the front, near one of the large display windows. She looked outside at all of the passing ponies living out their boring, uneventful lies. She knew she shouldn’t think like that, but she also knew it was the truth.

Trixie jumped as a hoof clasped onto her shoulder, spinning to see who it was. Vinyl’s dark glasses and obsessive smirk answered Trixie’s question before she’d even got it out of her mouth. “C’mon Trix, let’s go get some lunch.” Vinyl opened the door and pushed out and onto the street, Trixie following in her wake.

“And where, exactly, are you and Trixie going to eat?” Trixie asked, eyeing the back of Vinyl’s head suspiciously.

“Oh, it’s a small café that I used to go to regularly.” Vinyl shrugged as she led Trixie through the crowd of ponies.

“Used to?” Trixie asked as she was squashed up against a rather large mare who shot her a dirty look.

“Well, I had a falling out with one of their employees,” Vinyl said, glancing back to smile at Trixie.

“Falling out?” Trixie asked.

Vinyl shrugged as she squeezed through another group of ponies. “You know, she didn’t really like my music, or the way I acted. So I dropped her. I mean, if you can’t act yourself around a pony, why should you be around them at all?”

“But you want to take Trixie there?” Trixie let out her breath as the two emerged from the large group and she smiled as they walked up to the front of a café.

“Well… yeah.” Vinyl pushed open the door, and the two walked inside. The café wasn’t a large one, but what it lacked in quantity, it made up for in character. The wooden frame of the room was painted a deep black, whilst the main parts of the walls were white. Framed pictures hung from every inch of wall possible, and small, black tables surrounded by equally as black chairs filled the main floor.

“Looks pretty good, huh?” Vinyl asked, pulling Trixie towards the front counter.

“It does have a certain… quaintness, yes.” Trixie agreed, peering inside the counters fridge.

She looked up as a large, dark blue stallion propped himself up at the counter. “How may I- Hey! Vinyl, long time no see.” He grabbed her hoof in his and shook vigorously, his smile growing ever wider.

“Hey, Berry! It’s been a while,” Vinyl replied, returning the shake before setting her hooves back down on the counter. “Me and Trixie here were just looking for some lunch, do you guys still make those great quiches that I love so much?”

“You bet we do!” The stallion reached into the small fridge before pulling out a large platter, covered in small pastries. “The Vinyl special, see, we even named it after you.” He smiled, before proffering them the platter. “Here, on the house.”

Vinyl grinned and grabbed two of the quiches with her magic, motioning with her head for Trixie to do the same. The mare complied, her magenta aura lifting the pastries into the air. Vinyl waved to ‘Berry’ before leading Trixie towards a table. The two each pulled out chairs and sat down, plates appearing before them in small flashes of white. Trixie placed her food down before glancing up at Vinyl. The DJ had already stuffed her face with her food, and she chomped down, tearing the pastry apart as if she were a wild animal and the quiche her prey.

Trixie giggled despite herself, before adding. “You don’t waste any time, do you?”

Vinyl flashed her a pastry filled smile, before swallowing her food in a single gulp. “Trixie,” she started, thumping her chest loudly. “We’ve been living together for the past what, five months? And you still haven’t gotten used to how I eat?” She chuckled, already lifting her next victim towards her mouth.

“Five months… has it really been that long?” Trixie lifted her own quiche to her mouth, nibbling at the edges. Vinyl nodded in response, biting off half and swallowing it within seconds. Trixie shook her head, before doing the same, which managed to pull another smile from Vinyl’s lips.

“See, I’m rubbing off on you. You already like my music, and you eat in the same manner. All that’s left now is your sexuality.” Trixie’s food caught in her mouth at these words, and her cheeks instantly flushed a deep red.

“W-what?” she managed to hack out after swallowing her mouthful, tears in her eyes.

Vinyl sighed, turning to look up towards the counter, where the large stallion sat. She went to speak, but was cut off by the sound of the bell above the shop’s door. She glanced up from Trixie and her smile dropped. The colour in her face instantly drained, and she began to sink lower into her seat. Trixie glanced around in interest, and came face to face with a rather small mare, whose eyes glowed with rage.

“Who’s this then?” she asked, her voice teething with anger. She glanced towards Vinyl, who had almost disappeared under the table in an attempt to hide. “Your new marefriend?” She seemed to spit those last words directly at Trixie, who flinched in shock.

Vinyl lifted herself up slightly and looked down at the table. “H-hello Belle,” she stammered, her voice small and weak.

The mare, ‘Belle’, didn’t seem to hear what Vinyl had said, and kept her eyes locked with Trixie’s. “So, where’d you pick this one up, the brothel?” She moved her face closer to Trixie’s, her eyes darting across the showmare’s face. “How much is she paying you?” she asked.

Slowly, Trixie pushed her chair back and stood up from the table, her face slowly changing. Trixie had been fine before, she’d been happy and interested and most of all, content. But now, now she was angry. This mare had just walked in, intimidated her friend, and then compared her to a prostitute(Which, by the way, is a totally great profession, no offense meant.). “What did you just say?” Trixie began, her voice adopting a steely edge.

Belle paused for a moment, as if deciding which action would be the best to take here. “I said, just in case you’re ears aren’t functioning properly, how much is she paying you?”

Trixie stepped forward, her hoof coming down hard on the other pony’s, and effectively trapping her there. “No before that, where did you say Trixie worked?” The other mare started to speak, but was cut off by Trixie’s raised hoof. “Be very careful about what you say next.” Trixie warned.

“I said you worked in a bro-“ The last part of Belle’s sentence was cut off by her voice suddenly giving way. She floated roughly two feet above the ground, her legs dangling below her. A magenta aura surrounded her entire body, trapping her in the air. Trixie’s eyes glowed with rage, and her mouth almost looked as if it were foaming. A twisted smile formed on the showmare’s lips as she moved the pony backwards in the air.

“I,” Trixie began, punctuating the word with a sudden fling of the pony in the air. “Am not.” She turned until the pony was directly in front of the door. “A prostitute!” She flung, and Belle flew through the air, her torso crashing through the door and sending her out into the street. Vinyl rushed towards the door and peered outside, a smile forming on her lips. Trixie panted heavily, her smile disappearing as it was replaced with a look of exasperation.

Vinyl spun around to look at Trixie, her smile growing wider by the second. “That,” she started, grabbing Trixie by the shoulders. “Was awesome!” Trixie smiled in response, lifting her money bag out of her saddlebags and placing some coins on the counter, next to the stunned stallion.

The two then walked out the door, and straight passed a dazed Belle, who was rubbing her head, and looking towards Trixie, a look of terror on her face. Trixie smirked, and Vinyl grinned at Trixie’s expression, before pulling her across the street and towards the closest shop.

“We’ve still got so much to do!” Vinyl shouted, dragging Trixie through the door.

****

The lights in the room darkened again, and Trixie felt herself grow giddy with anticipation. She stepped out onto the dark side of the stage, and felt Vinyl’s side brush against her as she copied the motion. Even through the pitch-darkness, Trixie could feel Vinyl grinning her trademark grin, and this somehow comforted her. But, when the lights finally did flash on, she noticed she stood by herself. Vinyl stood on the other side of the stage, a microphone floating next to her head.

Trixie shot her a questioning glance, but Vinyl smiled and shook her head, before starting the music off in the background. A soft cord progression, no doubt made from some form of insane synth that Vinyl had concocted, floated in, as Vinyl slowly lifted the microphone to her lips.

You changed me, girl you gave me,
A reason to be happy.

Vinyl lifted her head up to look at Trixie, a small smile playing on her features. Trixie felt shocked, and she showed it. Vinyl’s smile grew wider, and she continued with the lyrics.

Never thought I would find something as real as this,
Heartbeat skips with all the time each and every thing.

Vinyl stepped forward, her hooves shaking despite her common bravado. Trixie did the same, and the two continued on in time with the music.

And I like it babe, don’t fight it,
You’ve got me so excited.

The music dropped, and, what Trixie had learnt over her time with Vinyl, was call a ‘build up’, started.

From the moment we met, girl I already knew,

Both Trixie and Vinyl stood in front of each other, Their eyes locked.

It would take all my strength to stop me falling for,

The music dropped, and silence filled the room.

You.

Vinyl brought her head forward, bringing her lips into contact with Trixie’s. The room stood silent, as did Trixie, at the sudden movement. After a few moments, Trixie’s eyes closed, and she pushed back into Vinyl, her lips moving in conjunction with Vinyl’s. Moments passed before the two broke apart, in which no pony spoke. Then, when the embrace ended, the crowd roared. Trixie and Vinyl blushed before dropping their gaze and turning to face the crowd.

Vinyl nodded her head, and the music kicked back in. Trixie laughed and her magic started, spraying dazzling light in every direction. The room erupted into dance and cheering, and Trixie couldn’t help but join in.

And, for the first time in her life, she felt complete.

And Trixie loved it.

A/N: Well, there we go, the first part of the ending is complete. Due to exams, it was slightly delayed, but it’s here now, and that’s what counts. Hope everyone enjoyed it.

And now, the list.
This chapter was written to the cool sounds of:

· Truth - Tristam

· Wake You Up – Koven

· 010, Conquest – Monstercat album

· and episode 70 of the Going Quantum Podcast

And for anyone who’s wondering, the song used at the end of this piece, wasn’t actually written by me, but by Dodge & Fuski. I just decided to use it, as it fit with the story (kinda). The lyrics were slightly edited to reflect the story, but you can still find it on Youtube.

Th-th-th-that’s all folks!

-Taranasaurus.

Chapter 7

Haha remember that one time when I said that there would only be one chapter left?

Yeah, well I lied.

This here's the second last chapter, and there will be one more before the epilogue.

And then it's done. Finished. Gone forever.

It almost brings a tear to me eye.

Vinyl rounded the corner, music pumping through her slightly slipping headphones as she bobbed to the beat. The city around her moved in a silent, broken stream of invisible ponies. It was a second reality, a world festering with routine blandness, where the final reward was an uneventful life earned at the expense of youth. It was so different from her world of flashing lights and pounding music that shattered the sterile bubble the world lived in.

Her gut twisted at the thought that these ponies couldn’t experience the adrenaline, the freedom, that she did every day. That was why her music was bumped up a few notches, so the ponies around her could taste how sweet life could, or rather, should be.

She pushed her way through the crowds of strangers, her eyes set firmly on the other side of the street, where her small, dark apartment sat. She’d been sent out almost two hours earlier by her flatmate and friend because she had a ‘surprise’ in store. Being the mare she was, Vinyl had been forced out in ten seconds flat and told to go ‘amuse herself’ whilst everything was prepared. So, Vinyl did the only thing she could do, she went to a club. And while pulsing to music was something that she used to love beyond anything else, it just didn’t feel the same without Trixie.

Still, this had been her request, and so Vinyl had followed orders, hoping not to spoil things. But Trixie’s time was up, and so was Vinyl’s patience. She rushed across the street, her hooves clattering against the cobblestone with loud echoes. Ponies turned to see the commotion, mixes of questioning and disgust spread on their faces. Vinyl didn’t care, she rushed through the gate and up the steps. slipping slightly on the loose stone work, before stopping at the door. she painted slightly, resting momentarily, before raising her hoof to the door.

****

Trixie stood back, a smile forming on her face as she surveyed her handiwork. She glanced up just in time to see the door begin to push slowly open. “Oh Celestia’s flank,” she swore, before spinning and heading towards the lounge.

****

As the door pushed open, Vinyl noticed two things. One: the hall was almost completely dark, as the lights had been switched off. In their place, however, candles had been lit, giving the room an almost earthly glow. The second thing Vinyl noticed, while not quite apparent as the first, was that the floor was covered with rose petals. Their velvet red glowed in the candlelight, filling the room with an orange tinge.
“Trixie?” Vinyl called out softly as she stepped through the door and past the lounge door, treading carefully between the petals. Something pressed against her back and slowly covered her eyes. She didn’t move, for fear of acting incorrectly.

A soft voice spoke into her ear, sending icy tendrils shooting down her spine. “Welcome home Vinyl, Trixie has been expecting you.” The voice spoke in barely a whisper, and yet Vinyl felt her body shiver as it pressed against her ear.

Vinyl smiled nervously, her usual bravado lost temporarily as she spoke. “Well wasn’t that kind of the point?”

Behind her the voice sighed. “You’re ruining it,” it replied, annoyance evident in its tone. The pressure on Vinyl’s back changed momentarily, before pressing against her. “Trixie wants you to keep your eyes closed, okay?” Vinyl nodded in response, shutting her eyes. the hooves slowly lifted themselves from her eyes, before reaching and pull at her hoof. She responded in turn, letting the hoof pull her forwards towards the end of the hall. Soft objects brushed against the tips of her hooves, and she carefully avoided them, her usually heavy hoofsteps silent and careful.

“How close are we?” Vinyl whispered, her voice cutting through the calm silence like a hot knife through ice. Her leader shushed her, and pushed open a door in the dark, bathing Vinyl’s eyelids with a soft warmth. The two stopped then, and Vinyl felt a hoof on her face, and a hot breath of air washed over her.

“Okay Vinyl... you can open your eyes now.” Vinyl complied, her eyelids sliding open, and revealing the candle-lit scene before her. Rose petals covered the tiles, washing the white with a velvet red, and giving the room an organic feeling. Candles had been placed in every available position, bathing the room in an earthly orange, and reflecting off every smooth surface. A small table sat in between the sea of petals, like an island protruding out of the ocean. More candles adorned the top, as well as two plates of food.

Trixie positioned herself in front of Vinyl, a small smile dancing on her lips. “Well?” she asked, after a brief moment of silence. “How does it look?”

Vinyl only nodded in stunned silence, her eyes scanning the room. She then locked them onto Trixie’s own, and whispered softly. “Amazing.”

Trixie gushed with pride at that, her cheeks turning crimson, and her eyes dropping to the floor. “Yes, it is pretty amazing, isn’t it? Trixie thinks she has outdone herself this time.” She reached out then, and pulled Vinyl towards the table, her violet aura wrapping around a chair and pulling it out from under the table. Vinyl sat, her eyes still unfocused, sinking in her surroundings.

Tonight was going to be one heck of a night.

****

“... and then I headed into town and, well, here I am!” Vinyl finished her tale, lowering her hooves and looked towards her audience expectantly.

“Wow.” Berry Pie had stopped his cutting, his attention stolen by Vinyl’s story. “She did all of that, for you?”

Vinyl nodded, smiling. “Yup,” she paused, then gave her friend a look. “Wait, what do you mean, for me?”

He laughed, before shaking his head and turning back to his work. “Nothing, nothing.” His horn flashed, and the knife slashed through the row of carrots he had set up along his chopping board. “So,” he started, sweeping the area clean with a quick burst of magic, and lifting up a new bag of carrots. “What are you going to do in return?”

Vinyl froze, her pupils shrinking. Her lower lip trembled, and she glanced around, before leaning in to whisper to Berry. “What am I going to do?” Her voice sounded panicked, and Berry chuckled again, sweeping the board clean again.

“You really don’t understand this romantic stuff, do you Vinyl?” He winked at her, before placing the knife next to the sink and stepping towards the door. “Here, let’s walk, and I’ll explain what I mean on the way.” His horn flashed, and the door swung outwards, revealing the back alley of the Golden Cucumber, a small restaurant in the outskirts of Manehatten.

Vinyl followed Berry out, her eyes still darting from left to right in her panicked state. “Berry, seriously, what should I do?” She turned him around to look in his eyes. “I have absolutely no plans! H-how the heck does this stuff work?” Berry lifted a hoof and placed it on Vinyl’s shoulder, a knowing grin on his face.

“Don’t worry Vinyl, all will be explained.” He turned towards the mouth of the alley, and started forward at a brisk pace. “In time.” The pair rounded the lip of the alley, and out into the street, Vinyl following closely behind Berry. “Now, first things first: what have you got planned in the foreseeable future? We need to set up ideas for when and where you can take Trixie out.”

Vinyl pondered for a moment, her hoof tapping against her chin. “Well, we’ve got two more shows at the Nightingale, before the owner goes on vacation. There’s also my school reunion in two weeks, so that weekend is all booked out.” She looked up and down the street, her eyes scanning the various ponies that sat at each of the cafes around them. “Oh! And then we’re playing at the Gala!”

“What, really?” Berry asked, stopping momentarily to give Vinyl a questioning look.

“Yeah really,” Vinyl punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Apparently their main performer had to cancel last minute, something about his mother being sick. The organizers needed someone new, and, as you know, I’m friends with Twilight Sparkle, who is Princess Celestia’s pupil.” Berry nodded at this, before motioning for Vinyl to continue. “So, anyway, Twilight volunteered myself and Trixie, and we accepted.”

“Wow Vinyl, that’s great!” Berry pulled his friend into a hug, wrapping his large, red forehooves around her small shoulders.

“Yeah, I’m excited too Berry,” Vinyl gasped, pushing Berry away.

“No, I mean really great!” He nodded at her eagerly, but, when she returned him with a blank stare, he continued. “Well, it gives you a perfect chance to take Trixie out!”

“Wait, it does?” Vinyl asked, cocking her head.

Berry slammed his hoof into his face, eliciting a low grumble. “Of course it does! Think about it, you could spend the whole day with her. If I’m correct, you’ll only be playing at the after party, right?” Vinyl nodded. “Okay, which means that you could actually attend the event itself, with Trixie as your date, yeah?” Another nod. “Okay, good, well, now you just need to plan some other things to do during the day and early evening.” He turned another corner, and the pair stopped at the edge of the road, each looking at the other. “You’ve been to Canterlot before, right?”

“Yeah, I played at Twilight’s brother’s wedding, remember?”

“Oh yeah.” Berry stepped onto the road, and started to cross, Vinyl trailing behind him. “So, just go to any place that you think Trixie might enjoy, alright?” Berry lifted out a pair of keys from his pocket, and slid them into the gate in front of the two. “This is my place, so, I’ll see you later, alright?”

“Okay, catch you!” Vinyl waved, slipping her headphones up around her ears and walking down the street. Her mind wandered as she walked home, retracing the steps that she had taken to reach Berry’s small shop. The Gala... yeah, yeah that could work.

She rounded onto Mane Street, slipping into the crowds with practised precision. Her road took her straight to the Nightingale, her usual venue for playing. Trixie had said she would meet her there, after she finished her magic practice. Trixie tended to get a little... touchy, during her magical studies, so Vinyl had instantly left the house, and the mare, to their own devices.

She hummed softly as pushed passed the small queue of ponies that had started to line up out the front of the large doors that lead to the club. She nodded towards the bouncer, who chuckled slightly, before pushing open the doors. Vinyl stepped through and into the large foyer of the building, only to be greeted by a frantic Trixie.

“Vinyl! Vinyl!” Trixie shouted, leaping across the floor in a single bound. She stopped inches away from the DJ, heaving. “Oh Celestia is Trixie glad she found you!”

Vinyl took a step back, lifting a hoof in defence. “Woah woah Trix, let’s just take a step back here and-“

“No!” Trixie cut Vinyl’s words in half, wrapping a hoof around her marefriend’s middle and dragging her towards the entrance to the Greenroom. “There is no time for ‘idle banter’, Trixie is having a wardrobe meltdown, and she is in need of your immediate assistance.” Trixie slammed open the doors with ferocity, their hinges squeaking in protest.

“But Trixie just wai-“ Vinyl started, but was cut off by a hard jab to her stomach. She stumbled and flee to the ground, wheezing.

Trixie stopped, dropping down to Vinyl’s level. “A-are... you okay?” she asked, after a moment’s hesitation. “I didn’t see the table there.”

Vinyl nodded, slowly standing to her hooves. “Yeah... yeah, I think I’m alright.” She looked up to Trixie with a smile. “Thanks for ask-“

“No time for stopping.” Trixie spun on her heel, her aura wrapping around Vinyl and pulling her forward again. “Malfunction needs fixing now.” She took off, an unimpressed Vinyl dragging along behind her. After a few tense seconds of this, the pair burst through the final door to the Greenroom, and Vinyl was promptly tossed onto the couch.

Trixie tore towards the other end of the room, where a giant mirrored sliding door stood. She flung it open and began rummaging in its contents, bits of clothing flinging out behind her.

“Hey Trixie, um.” Vinyl paused momentarily, racking her brains for any way to make her next sentence sound casual. A soft velvet dress landed next to her as she continued to stutter out a sentence. “I wa-was wondering if-”

“No no, where is it?” Trixie muttered, tossing out more articles of clothing behind her.

“-you know, when we go to the gala-”

“-Trixie swears she put it-”

“-after our final shows at the-”

“-Wardrobe, Trixie is fed up with-”

“-you could possibly consider-”

“-release the clothes she requires-”

“-maybe we could go on a date together?!”

Trixie froze at this, her hooves mid-strike towards the wardrobe. Vinyl had stood up from the couch, her chest heaving, and her cheeks flushed.

“That’s if... you know, you want to.” Vinyl rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof sheepishly, averting her eyes from the showmare.

Trixie was speechless, her pupils dilating to the size of pinpricks. “A... date?”

VInyl looked up from her chosen spot on the floorboards to lock eyes with Trixie. “Well, you know, we’re already in Canterlot for the day, I thought maybe we could make it a bit more... formal, and call it a date?” Vinyl shrugged, turning away. “I don’t know... I’m not very good at this sort of emotional stu-”

“Yes!” Trixie blurted out, dropping back to the floor. “Th-that is to say, Trixie would be glad to join you on this...” she gulped. “Date.”

Vinyl hoof-pumped in victory, turning around. “Aw yeah!” she shouted, pulling open the door and sauntering out the door. “I just asked me out a-”

“Hey!” came a shout from the room behind her. Trixie’s head poked out through the doorframe, her eyes stern. “Where do you think you’re going? Trixie still has a major wardrobe malfunction, and you’re the only mare who can save her!”

Vinyl pointed out towards the end of the hall, where the rest of the Club’s crew were talking. “B-but braggin rights!”

“They can wait, now, come save Trixie!” Trixie disappeared back into the room, Vinyl close behind her, her eyes rolling.

****

Vinyl hadn’t felt like this since… well, last week, but still. She was on cloud nine, and her high felt like it would never let her down. Her head bounced with the music as it poured out of the massive speakers at her sides. Vibrant colours washed across the roof, covering the occupants of the room with shadows. They grinned in response, bobbing up and down in time with Vinyl’s selection. She dragged down her hoof, and the volume dropped. The room was plunged into darkness as Trixie pulled out of her magic with a smirk.

Vinyl lowered her head, her aura wrapping around a giant lever in the centre of her mixing desk. With her hoof, she lifted a bar, and a riser began in the background of the club. Unlike most of her other sets, Vinyl had managed to purchase some speakers that she had placed near the back of the room. They started the sound first, causing the ponies to turn around in confusion. Vinyl smiled at this, and she pushed the bar up further. The sound increased in volume as well as pitch, as Vinyl began to sing.

‘~Take me back to where we were~’

She turned towards Trixie, who nodded, and began to hum softly, her voice an octave higher than Vinyl’s. A soft blue glow began at the centre of the room, drawing itself out from nothing. It stretched and flew, travelling across the heads of the collected ponies. Other colours danced and entwined with it, flashing glows against the dark walls.
A steady beat pumped out from behind the group, accompanied by a low growl.

‘~To where we were~’

She slammed her hoof down, and a loud kick reverberated around the room, startling the patrons. They responded with smiles as Vinyl kicked again, their head’s dropping at the sound. Vinyl increased her speed, as did Trixie, and dragged the bar up to its maximum setting.

‘~Back to back to~’

Vinyl lifted her head to look outwards, a grin stretching on her face.

‘~To where we-~’

She s dropped the bar, so the room was completely silent, as everypony held their collective breaths.

‘~Were~’

Vinyl slammed the lever downwards, and a steady bass line exploded from the speakers. Instantly, Vinyl was at the controls, her hooves pounding out rhythms on drums and synths alike. The group pounded in response, throwing their hooves upwards and tossing their heads around.

Bass swamped through the group, as they moved in motion. They were in synch, a seemingly unconnected group brought together by one pony.

Vinyl Scratch.

****

The bar had filled up quickly after Vinyl’s and Trixie’s set, every clubber wanting to get a chance to talk to the two mares. Unfortunately they were only met with one, as the showmare had returned to the apartment early, due to a minor headache. Vinyl was more than happy to share some of her time with her fans, but at that moment she had only one thing in mind, and that was talking to the one stallion who knew Canterlot inside and out.

“Hey, hey Tumble!” Vinyl shouted across the bar, her voice all but drowned out in the noise of the club. “You got a minute?!”

The Pegasus waved a hoof in her direction, a glass sliding down from above him with the tip of a wing. His other wing gripped around a large bottle of Applejack Daniels, one of the more popular drinks at the bar. With the swiftness of years of practice, he slid the drink straight down the bar, the bottle following until the last second, where he pulled it back, the full glass stopping in front of its owner.

Tumble nodded to the patron, before turning away and making his way towards Vinyl. “Yeah Vinyl, what d’ya need?”

“Can we... talk out back for a couple minutes?”

Tumble glanced behind him, where the apprentice bartender stood serving drinks. The mare caught Tumble’s eye, and smiled, before waving him towards the door. “Tumble, you’ve been working all night, go, take a break!”

The pegasus laughed in response, before lifting up the bar door and following Vinyl towards the back exit to the club. The mare laughed, before pushing open the exit and motioning for Tumble to step through. Once the pair were outside, Vinyl turned to look at Tumble, a set of chairs pulling out from behind a dust cover behind her.

“Tumble,” she started, as the Pegasus sat. “You know Canterlot better than almost anypony I know, bar the princesses. Correct?”

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “I guess. Living there for eight years may have something to do with that though, hey?” He chuckled, his wings folding in behind his back. Vinyl nodded in response, a small smile spreading across her lips. “So, what d’ya want to know?”

Vinyl started off slowly, not sure on how to proceed. “I’m taking Trixie there next month, as a... you know, ‘date’, kinda thing. And I... uh,” Vinyl waved her hooves in front of her, eliciting a laugh from Tumble. “Hey! C’mon you know how I am about this stuff.”

Tumble nodded in response, wiping a tear from his eye. “Yeah... yeah I know. But it’s still so funny to see you exploring this kinda stuff.” He turned towards the end of the street as a carriage clattered past, its occupants laughing uproariously. “I take it you haven’t really thought of were to take her, huh?” Vinyl shook her head, and Tumble sat upright, flexing his wings. “Well, it’s easy, really. There are a few really great spots where almost any mare is guaranteed to fall head over heels in love with the Stallion – or mare - that takes her.” He finished his sentence with a wink, and Vinyl blushed in response.

He stood up from the table and reached towards a table next to the entrance to the club. He returned with a folded piece of paper and a pencil, which he stuck into his mouth.

“Awright,” he started, spreading the paper out in front of Vinyl. “Ve firth plath you wanth to –“

“What?”

He grabbed the pencil from his mouth with a wing and sighed. “I said; the first place you want to go to is the Gala Fete, it’s always on the morning of the gala, every year. There’s this one stall, the Toasted Toss, where, if you tell the guy who runs it you’re on a date and trying to impress your.” Tumble stopped, leaning in close to Vinyl. “Lady friend. He’ll rig it so that you’ll always win. It’s a kicker.” Vinyl nodded, making a mental note to remember the name. “Then, you wanna head into town, and find the Lavender Room. It’s a small cafe out on the far side of town, with a great view over the lake, and it’s pretty close to the castle. After that, head out towards the park across from the lake. Don’t worry, when you get there, I’ll make sure some has set up a little something for you two,” he finished with a wink. “After all... I owe you.”

Vinyl leapt from the table and wrapped the Pegasus in a hug, eliciting a groan from her friend. “Th-thanks Vinyl... but, you know, I kinda need air to breath.” Vinyl stepped back from the hug instantly, her face still glowing.

“Thanks so much man!” Vinyl said, grabbing the paper off the table and stuffing it into her mane. “This is the best plan ever. I’ve gotta go and get all my plans ready, see you later man.” Vinyl tore back inside, leaving a rather sore Tumble standing outside.

“Yeah...” he sighed, sitting back into his seat. “The best plan ever.” He looked back up as a noise from the end of the alley echoed around him.

“So...” a voice started, it’s source originating from the shadows. “Did you tell her the plan, like we discussed?”

“Yes... yeah, yeah I did,” Tumble replied, hanging his head. “Just like you said.”

“Good. Vinyl’s not going to know what’s hit her...” The shadow stepped back into the darkness, cackling as it left. “Mwahahahahahaha-“

“Did you just do an evil laugh?” Tumble asked, looking back up.

“No. No, definitely not.” Lightning crackled as Tumble lifted from his seat and headed back inside, his eyes still lowered towards the floor.

“The best plan ever.”

****

Author's Note

There we go, another chapter done. What d'ya think huh? Was it worth the wait? No?

Dang.

Gabe, you promised! Anyway, mostly I've been working a lot on my musical path, and less on writing, so I've been having a break for awhile. Also, school.

Lot's of school. Lit essays are fun and all, but not as fun as this.

Check out my soundcloud here: [here]

And my Twitter: [here]

As always, please leave any comments or criticisms in the comments below.

-Taranasaurus

Chapter 8 (Finale)

A solitary tear can express more than any words ever could. The cold, emptiness of an uncontrolled emotional reaction creates an understanding in almost any creature. Vinyl Ran, her cheeks streaked with a plethora of tears. Ahead of her she could make out Trixie, her form ever retreating. Vinyl could feel her heart chords tugging, and she felt as if the entire ballroom would collapse in on her. Around her, ponies danced, their swaying motion detached from her reality, like an offbeat in a regime march. The clockwork spun around her, even as she tried to cut through she found her way blocked by this and that, as each and everypony decided that they were more important than Vinyl's final chance at redemption.

Trixie disappeared into the crowd, and Vinyl could feel something tug on her emotions. She began to slow, and a sob slowly spread from her body.

Earlier that day

A single stream of light passed through the dull gray curtains, filling the room with a soft, orange glow. Trixie stirred in her sleep, rolling her body away from the sudden intrusion. Her hoof draped itself across the covers, resting atop a soft spot beside her. She smiled, pulling herself closer and sighing contently.

Slowly, her eyes drifted open, and she stared into a deep red circle. Vinyl blinked, before eliciting a yawn, and rubbing her eyes. “Morning babe,” she muttered, reaching out a hoof and pulling the mare closer. “Why’re you awake so early?”

Trixie pushed out her hooves, her back letting out a small crack as she stretched. She lifted the blanket off of her back with a small burst of magic. “Excitement?” she asked, throwing her hind legs over the edge of the bed. She dropped to the floor with a thud, and lifted her forehooves above her head with a groan of ecstasy. Vinyl bit her lower lip, and it took all of her self control to not reach out with her magic and pull Trixie straight back into bed with her.

“Celestia be damned you are cute,” she whispered. Trixie giggled in response and shot Vinyl a look over her shoulder.

“Oh really?” she asked, a mischievous grin appearing on her face. “How cute is she when she does this?” Trixie started to walk slowly away from the bed, her hips swaying from side to side in almost slow motion.

Vinyl let out a small squeal of delight, before leaping out of bed and tackling Trixie to the floor. Trixie squeaked in surprise, toppling backwards onto the soft carpet. Her muzzle was instantly peppered with small kisses from Vinyl.

“You are... so... cute… I could just... eat... you up!” Vinyl managed to say between kisses. Trixie giggled in response, before returning the favor. The two met lips and their eyes locked together for just a moment. Then Trixie broke away with a pant, and giggled again.

“Trixie is more than satisfied.” Trixie pulled herself up, her magic lifting Vinyl to her hooves as well. “Now, what will Trixie and yourself be having for breakfast? Trixie could make pancakes, or-”

Vinyl wagged a hoof at her fillyfriend. “Nuh-uh, there is no way you’re making breakfast this morning. This is a special day, Trixie, and I’m gonna make it the best it can be, so, I asked around, and managed to get us somewhere awesome for breakfast!” She smiled at Trixie, who returned the mare’s glee tenfold.

“You did?” Trixie asked, her grin growing wider at the news. “It’s been a long time since Trixie last ate a proper breakfast!” She clapped her hooves together in delight. Vinyl let out a small laugh, trotting over towards the dresser. Trixie smiled, before turning her gaze towards the small bathroom. “Trixie needs to…” She paused on the threshold of the bathroom. “Freshen up.” She grinned wickedly at Vinyl, who had a small comb dragged halfway through her unruly mane. “You’re welcome to join her if you wish.” She glanced over her shoulder quickly, before trotting into the bathroom.

Vinyl looked between the kitchen and the bathroom door. “But, I- I need to…” She frowned, before throwing the brush towards the bed. “Damn it!” she swore, trotting quickly into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

Trixie stepped out into the morning glow, the warmth of the early sun spreading across her face. She stopped momentarily, her eyes shut as she listened to the bustle of the city. So much calmer than Manehatten. Everypony had time on their hooves here, time to relax and enjoy the moment.

Not that she disliked the fast-paced feeling of Manehatten city - in fact she relished in it - she just needed a break every once in awhile.

Sighing wistfully, Trixie opened her eyes and turned towards Vinyl, who closed the door behind them.

"So, Trix, how does it feel?" Vinyl asked, locking the door.

"How does what feel?"

Vinyl rolled her eyes, slipping the keys into her ear. "How does it feel to know we're the headline act for arguably the most popular performance in all of Equestria?"

"Trixie... doesn't really understand. Should she feel different?" Trixie replied with a shrug, cocking her head. "It's just another show, isn't it?"

"Well, yes -but don't you think it's a little more important than that?" Vinyl stepped towards Trixie. "A little more... I don't know, special?"

Trixie shrugged. "Well, Trixie supposes so." Vinyl rolled her eyes, before turning away from Trixie. The two began to walk down the steps that led to the front exit of Canterlot castle. The pair had been staying in the daylight wing of the castle, which was located nearest to Canterlot gardens. They were greeted by a pair of butlers, both of whom bowed as they approached.

"Ladies," said the one on the left side of the door. "The Princess has requested that you eat breakfast here in the gardens." The stallion motioned towards a glass table, on which a covered silver platter sat.

"The Princess? As in - Princess Celestia?" Vinyl asked, glancing around the garden.

The butler nodded, a slight smile crossing his lips. "Yes, Princess Celestia. And her counterparts." The two sat, and the butler clapped his front hooves together, summoning another butler with a pot of coffee floating in front of him. The lid of the platter was lifted, revealing a collection of pastries underneath. "Unfortunately, the Princesses discovered this morning that she would have to leave for negotiations with the buffalo tribes, and cannot attend breakfast with you." The butler turned and began to walk towards the large doors that separated the gardens from the castle, but was stopped by an outstretched hoof from Vinyl.

"So, you're telling me that the Princesses wanted to have breakfast with us?" Vinyl asked, her mouth agape, and her eyes wide.

The butler nodded in response. "You are personal guests of the Princesses, and Celestia almost always makes time for guests." He smiled and turned towards the door, gesturing with his hoof. "If that is all ladies, I shall return to my other duties. Should you require anything, my assistant will be more than happy to help you." He bowed again and backed away from the table.

Vinyl pulled out the two chairs with her magic and flopped backwards, her blue aura reaching towards the pile of pastries. "This is all a bit... fancy, isn't it?" she asked, lifting the pastry to her face.

"Well, that's mostly because Trixie and yourself are quite famous now." Trixie looked around the garden, watching the small birds flutter in the morning glow.

Vinyl nodded, lifting another pastry. "You know, Minty told me that she's been getting requests for shows from everywhere, even places outside Equestria." A grin stretched across her face, and she sat upright in her chair. "Can you imagine it? Us, outside Equestria? Just two fillies and a wagon, riding through the great Buffalo deserts, or deep into the rainforests. Can't you see it?"

Trixie turned towards Vinyl, and flashed a wistful smile. "You know what," she started looking back towards the sunrise. "Trixie can."

The Canterlot fete was never really a formal event. Countless nobles had tried to bring some form of order to it, and countless nobles had failed. Balloons flew high, the occasional escapee drifting towards the clouds. Foals darted between legs, their laughs filling in the empty gaps between conversations. Music played through loudspeakers that had been strung up between stalls. Vinyl and Trixie walked in the midst of the chaos, their smiling faces joining the hundreds of others around them.

Vinyl paused by a vendor and lifted a few coins. He nodded, and a large stick of candy floss floated towards Trixie. Vinyl giggled as she watched Trixie's face light up, and the mare lunged forward, taking a huge bite out of the side of the pink mess. She turned towards Vinyl, her mouth opening with the start of an offer, but instead was met with a giggling filly. Trixie's eyes narrowed, and she lifted a hoof to her mouth, where a large piece of bright pink floss had stuck. She giggled, plopped the floss in her mouth, and tugged on her marefriend with a small burst of magic.

"Ow, ow! Okay, okay, I'm coming." Vinyl pulled herself up from the ground, slipping her shades down over her eyes. Yeah, she thought. Lookin' smooth. She flashed Trixie a grin, before leading her towards a collection of stalls. "C'mon Trix, let's get us some prizes."

Trixie trailed behind Vinyl, content with eating her candy floss. She paused, the treat inches from her mouth, and looked towards a small group that stood across the never-ending stream of ponies. An eerily familiar face stared back at her from the crowd. Is that? She blinked a few times, before focusing on the spot again. Trixie must be imagining things. Well, while she's at it, she would like a large muffin and a kiss right about now.

She turned back in search of her marefriend, only to have her face inches from Vinyl's. "Hurry up you silly filly," Vinyl said, accenting her sentence with a quick peck on Trixie's muzzle. Vinyl spun, her head lagging behind slightly as she winked towards her marefriend. Well, Trixie started. That's one down. Now where's her muffin?

She trotted after Vinyl, who had stopped outside a large red tent, and was busy studying the sign above the entrance. "Sir Humfington the Third's House of Cards," she supplied with a small smile.
Vinyl spun around, another wicked grin on her features.

"I know that, I can read." She lifted her hoof to her head. "Scout's honour!" Vinyl held attention for a few moments, before withering under Trixie's stare. "Yes Trixie, I can read!" She shook her head. "Geez." After a few moments of silence, Vinyl lifted the flap of the tent with her magic and motioned for Trixie to enter. "After you, mademoiselle."

Trixie giggled as she stepped over the threshold, gazing around the tent with curiosity. The walls had been lined with hundreds upon hundreds of cards, all of them unique. Each had its own identifying factor, be it a small dent, or an entirely new design, they all stood out. A large, official looking pony lifted himself out of his chair with a huff, smiling at the two.

"Welcome, welcome!" he shouted, holding his arms out. "To the House of Cards!" He smiled, before motioning towards the far end of the tent, where a large stack of cards sat. "This game is simple," he started, levitating the deck of cards over towards the pair. "If you can make your house of cards higher than that there sign-" he motioned towards the large card at the back of the room. "- then you've won yourselves a prize!"

Vinyl and Trixie shared a look, before Vinyl's face lit up. "Piece of cake!" She stepped towards the table, a smug grin crossing her face. She reached out with her magical grip, and lifted the small deck of cards. Trixie pulled the chair out from beside the table and seated herself next to Vinyl, placing a hoof on her fillyfriend’s back in support. She reached out with her magic and grasped the half of the deck that Vinyl offered to her. “Let’s do it together,” Vinyl whispered, before turning back to her half, her tongue poking out from the corner of her mouth.

Trixie shook her head, eliciting a soft giggle. “Trixie Shall try her best.”

The crowds of ponies that swayed and flowed in the market square seemed insignificant now. All the colours and noise blurred together for her. They rushed and turned and spun around her, and yet she ignored them. They weren’t important any more. She seemed to stick out in this crowd of happy, smiling faces. They all turned to her at some point or another, offering her greetings or flashing her a smile. She gave them no response, choosing instead to focus on what was in front of her. A red tent loomed before her, and she could hear soft voices inside. She pulsed some magic towards the tent, her horn glowing a light blue, and felt her breath catch in her throat.

There she was.

Vinyl sat, her face clouded with concentration, not three metres in front of her. She breathed out, and all other sound seemed to grind to a halt around her as she focused on that one mare. After a few moments of silence, she shook her head, and the world came rushing back to meet her. She lifted the flap at the back of the tent with her magic, and stepped forward.

Belle froze then, her head inches away from the back room. Maybe she could stop, right now. Maybe she could just head inside, and confess her feelings to Vinyl. Apologize, explain how wrong she had been. She hadn’t meant anything that she had said, anything that she had done. It had just happened. But then, she remembered Trixie, Vinyl’s new mare, and she shuddered with distaste. Vinyl would never take her back, but, she deserved better.

Belle lifted the flap once more, and stepped into the back section of the tent. She could see, through the small crack in the curtains that separated her and her goal, that both Trixie and Vinyl were concentrating on the card stack. Belle was almost impressed at how big they had managed to make their card house, but she could see the way Vinyl was sneaking glances towards Trixie every few moments, and she knew that this was what had to be done.

It wouldn’t take much. It was simple really, all she’d have to do was sabotage their date. And so, here she was. Steeling herself, she reached out with her magic, and tipped the bottom card of Trixie’s section of the pile, just slightly enough for it to look like an accident. The result was immediate, the tower began to fall like dominoes.

Smiling to herself, Belle stepped backwards out of the tent, and retreated into the sea of ponies.

Trixie paused, the card still floating in front of her face, and watched as the card slowly tipped. It seemed to come from nowhere, but she could see the edge begin to slip under the weight of the rest of the tower, and before she could correct her mistake, the entire deck collapsed. Vinyl stepped back, holding up her hooves, her mouth open in surprise. The entire deck toppled in on itself, before fluttering onto the floor. Both mares stood in stunned silence for a few moments, before turning to face each other.

“I didn’t do it,” Vinyl whispered. They both stared at each other for a few tense moments, before, the corner of Trixie’s mouth tipped upwards. Instantly, they were on the floor, laughing.

Sir Humfington trotted up to the pair, a warm smile on his face. “Well ladies,” he started, helping Trixie to her hooves. “Whilst your tower wasn’t quite tall enough to win a prize, you have both certainly given me something to laugh about, and I feel like those two are the same thing anyway, so feel free to claim any prize you want.”

Vinyl motioned for Trixie to head up to the wall of prizes. After a few moments of thought, she reached up with her magic, and dislodged a small card that sat at the back of the prize board. Giggling, she held it up to Vinyl, who smiled in response and nodded.

“Perfect.” Trixie placed the small card in a magical bag that hovered above her shoulder.
Vinyl paused, eyeing her marefriend for a few moments. “Wait, have you always had that?”

Trixie glanced towards her. “Yes.”

Vinyl lifted her hooves up in the air. “Well, it would have been helpful last night, you know, when we were carrying all that stuff back from the Nightclub!”

Trixie flashed her a small smile. “Are you sure that’s all Trixie’s magic could be useful for?” she asked, accenting her words with a wink. Vinyl blushed in response, before mumbling something and walking out the tent flap. Trixie smiled at the stall owner, who returned the gesture, before lifting the flap for her.

Vinyl was waiting outside, her cheeks still flushed, but she returned Trixie’s happy smile, and the pair ambled off down towards Canterlot’s main street.

One solitary mare watched them as they passed, a frown passing over her features. She shook her head once, then trotted back into the shadows between the tents.

The Lavender Room was a small café that rested in the heart of Canterlot. It was known mostly for it’s wide variety of food, and could cater to almost anypony’s needs. They even had a selection of delicacies from the Griffon kingdom, much to the distaste of the Canterlot Elite. The entrance was covered by a deep red cloth, that separated the outside world from the darkness within.

Trixie and Vinyl stepped up towards the entrance, turning expectantly to the waiter by the door. He looked them up and down, before lifting a small list up to his face. He straightened his bow tie, before lowering his gaze to the list in front of him and squinting at the paper.

“Names?” he grunted.

“Oh, uh,” Vinyl stumbled. “Vinyl Scratch and Trixie Lulamoon.” She flashed Trixie a smile over her shoulder.

He squinted again, before nodding. “Alright, you’re here. Head inside,” he said, lifting the curtain up with a hoof. “One of the servers will show you to a table.”

“Thanks.” Vinyl motioned for Trixie to step inside, before throwing a worried glance at the bouncer. He stared back at her with unmoving features, his eyes hard. And then, for a moment, they softened, and he flashed her a small smile. Instantly, his face was back to its stoic default, and he dropped the curtain, momentarily leaving Vinyl in the darkness. She blinked quickly, before turning to face the room. Her eyes lit up, and she felt her grin begin to grow wider.

The interior of the Lavender Room was just that, a lavender room. Cool violet lights bathed the soft walls with emotion, and gave the room just enough lighting to cause shadows to dance on the roof. Smooth jazz floated around the room, and Vinyl turned towards its source, spotting a small Jazz Quartet in the corner of the room. The pianist was a small, grey stallion, who flourished his hooves over the keys with ease. To his left was a tall, brown coated unicorn, who had a large double bass leaning upon her shoulder. Her horn shone with a soft auburn, and the strings on her bass plucked and vibrated to the beat.

The drummer, a short-maned maroon stallion, sat behind his small kit, using his hooves to play out a soft, slow rhythm. His head bobbed in time, and a small grin stretched the corner of his mouth. Standing centre stage was a white unicorn, who held a microphone aloft in front of her face, her eyes closed and her body swaying with the song. She opened her mouth, and a soft, almost angelic voice floated out over the assortment of ponies. Vinyl felt, that for a moment, a collective hush ran across the small crowd, as each turned towards the singer, tears welling in their eyes, and words dying in their throats.

Then, the bass brought back in her melody, and the room collectively sighed in content. Vinyl turned towards Trixie, and felt her breath catch in her throat for the second time that day. Trixie stood, her face glowing with violet light, and gazed towards the band, her eyes sparkling. Vinyl pulled the mare close to her, and Trixie instinctively laid her head against her fillyfriend’s shoulder. For a moment, the pair shared a blissful unity, and they both saw the same thing.

“Um, excuse me mademoiselles,” a voice spoke up from behind them. They separated quickly, spinning to meet the newcomer with flushed cheeks. The stallion smiled at them, before pointing a hoof towards a table. “Your lunch awaits.” He smiled warmly at the pair, before leading them right up next to the stage. The pair sat at the small table, and the waiter rounded towards them. “Our menus are in ze center of the table and, if you are ready, I will fetch you drinkz.”

Vinyl studied the wine list before her, her nose crinkling in concentration. “Oh, um, can I get a glass of the Pierre ‘Rose River Red’, please,” asked Vinyl.

Trixie stared at her for a moment, surprised by the choice, before turning to the waiter. “Trixie will have the same.” She nodded, and the waiter spun towards the bar. Trixie turned back to Vinyl and gave her a quizzical look, a small, confused smile on her face.

Vinyl sat back in her chair, her eyebrows raised. “What, am I not allowed to have good taste too?” she asked. Trixie shook her head in response, before placing her menu down on the table. She looked up at Vinyl, only to see the mare staring straight at her.

“What?” asked Trixie, reaching a hoof up to her head. “Does Trixie have something in her mane?” She ran a hoof through, a worried expression clouding her face.

“No, no!” said Vinyl quickly, shaking her head. “It’s just…” Vinyl smiled, resting her head on a hoof. “You look so beautiful in this light.”

Trixie flushed at this. “Oh u-um… Th-that is to say, Trixie thinks that you look fantastic as well,” Trixie stammered, her cheeks burning. Vinyl giggled at her response, glancing up at the band. “They sound wonderful, don’t they?” Trixie asked, turning towards the pianist who sat a few feet behind her.

Vinyl nodded, too content to speak, and began to tap her hoof absentmindedly against the hard wood table leg. She opened her mouth, as if to speak but paused, as the waiter approached the table, two large glasses balanced atop his head. He smiled as he neared, and Trixie lit her horn, lifting the glasses and placing them on the table.

“Thank you,” he said, flashing Trixie another glowing smile. “Have you ladies decided on vat you vish to eat?” He lifted a pen and pad from his suit pocket, poising the pen above the pad in readiness.

Trixie glanced at Vinyl, who nodded. “Trixie will have the… Parsnip Re-Rémoulade, please.”

“Ah excellent choice, excellent choice.” He finished jotting down his notes and turned towards Vinyl. “And for you mademoiselle

Niçoise-Style Salad, but without the peanuts please.” She smiled nervously at the waiter. “I’m allergic.”

He nodded, scribbling quickly. “That is fine, ve aim to please.” He nodded curtly. “Zis will not take too long, as ve are not too busy today. You would think, with la fête in Canterlot, that we would be -” He paused, his hoof against his muzzle in thought. “Plein - full.” He shook his head, a small sigh replacing his smile. “But, alas, everypony has gone, left us for that new café la ciel, across the way.” He seemed to spit the name, his face hardening for a moment. “Not to worry however, I expect they will soon realise what they are missing!”

He turned away from the table, but was stopped by an outstretched hoof from Vinyl. “Quick question, what’s the name of that quartet?” she asked, motioning to the band.

“Ah, Coda Timbre and the Tail Chasers.” He nodded his head, momentarily lost in the soothing tones of Coda’s voice. “Quite popular as of recent, they have the pas, the tonation, of our standards.” He turned back to Vinyl, a small smile on his lips. “If that is all, mademoiselle Scratch, I shall take my leave.” He bowed deeply, before turning and walking in the direction of the kitchen doors.

The band slowed their current song, and the gathered ponies gave a smattering of applause, Vinyl and Trixie among the loudest. After a few moments of silence, the pianist lifted his hooves, and the quartet began to play ‘Détendez-vous et salon’.

Vinyl lifted her head up from her hoof and laid it down on the table, inches from Trixie’s. She kept her gaze on Trixie, and smiled softly, eliciting a blush from the mare opposite. Trixie's hoof slid across the table and rested atop Vinyl's, and the pair locked eyes for a moment. "You know Trix... I don't think I've ever met a mare as wonderful, or as talented as you." Vinyl sighed, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I'm usually the brash party mare, drunk off my head and desperate to get into any filly's pants." She paused, glancing away from Trixie for a moment. "And yet, after all you've seen of me, everything that I've done... You're still here." She brought her gaze up to meet Trixie's, her expression stony. "I just... can't understand it."

"Understand what?" Trixie asked, uncertain.

"How you can still put up with me!" Vinyl lifted her hoof up in exasperation. "I mean, I'm annoying, insensitive and downright slobbish! All I ever talk about is music, and I don't seem to be able to- mmph!" Vinyl looked down at her muzzle, where Trixie's light blue hoof had stopped her voice.

"Vinyl, you are the most beautiful and talented mare Trixie knows, aside from herself, of course." She giggled softly, before lowering her hoof back to the table. "You need to understand that Trixie does truly feel something for you." She smiled softly, and Vinyl felt her body relax. "Stop being so insecure, you silly filly." Trixie tapped her muzzle softly, before turning her head towards the kitchen, where their waiter had just emerged, two plates balanced on his head.

He held his head high, and his posture was immaculate. His face lit up as he approached the table, and he bowed his head, the plates sliding onto the table. "Ladies, I have returned," he said, flashing them another warm smile. "Enjoy!" He backed away from the table with a deep bow.

Trixie and Vinyl turned to their respective plates, and lifted their forks up in preparation. "Trixie," Vinyl began, as she lifted a portion of spinach up from her plate. "About what you were saying. I just... I don't really feel like I'm going to live up to everything you think I am." She placed the food in her mouth and chewed, her eyes downtrodden.

Trixie giggled at that, swallowing her mouthful. "What did Trixie say? No more insecurity, okay?" She leaned forward, her eyes drooping seductively. "Are you not listening? Does Trixie have to punish you?" She winked, and Vinyl felt herself flush.

"Geez Trix, you're getting me all hot." Vinyl waved a hoof in front of her face, the cool air providing temporary relief.

Trixie smiled. "Why thank you, Trixie does her best."

"No, like, really, really hot!" Vinyl lifted her glass of wine and downed it in a single gulp.

Trixie could see Vinyl growing suddenly uncomfortable, and lowered her fork. "Vinyl?" She stood, her chair scraping loudly against the wood below. Instantly, the restaurant froze as the band ceased playing. The pianist stood, the microphone dropping from his magical grip.

"I-I just..." Vinyl paused, pulling at her neck. "It's just so... Hot." She whispered, before falling from her chair to the floor. Trixie rushed to her side in an instant.

"Vinyl, what's wrong? What's happening?" She lifted the mare with her magic, before staring into her half lidded eyes.

Vinyl glanced around deliriously as a small crowd of ponies began to circle the pair. "Trixie? What's... Oh no." She lifted a hoof to her face, studying her white fur intently. After a few tense moments, she saw a portion of her skin begin to bubble. "Oh no no no no no!" She looked away from her hoof towards her fillyfriend, her expression one of fear. "Trixie, the peanuts!"

"What?!" screamed the pair's waiter, who had forced himself to the front of the ring of ponies, and was now steaming from the ears. "Oooooh zat Ram is going to get et when I see him." He swore in Prench, before leaning back down to the pair. "What do you need?" He placed his hoof on Vinyl's, and looked towards Trixie.

"In... In..." Her voice faltered, and she scratched at her throat. "Insulin." She gave Trixie a frantic look. "Insulin Trixie, now."

Trixie nodded, before turning towards the waiter. "Gustav, she needs insulin. Does the restaurant have any?"

He jumped to his hooves, before forcing his way through the large crowd that had formed. Trixie could hear his forced politeness as he rushed towards the kitchen. She took Vinyl's hoof between her own and squeezed, reassured as Vinyl squeezed back.

"Tr... Trix, I gotta say s-something," Vinyl stuttered, her glazed eyes focusing on Trixie. "I can feel my body trying to f-fight back, so I'm not really..." She paused, a small smile creeping across her face. "Thinking... Straight." She giggled. "Not that I'm ever thinking straight." She sighed. "But, before he gets back, I just wanna tell you how I really feel." She looked down at Trixie's hooves and closed her eyes. "Trixie, I-"

Her eyes shot open, and she glanced down at her right shoulder, where Gustav had stabbed a small needle. "I found it!" He smiled openly at her, and she stared at him. He glanced up at the surrounding faces, and his expression changed to one of confusion. "What? Did I do something wrong?"

"Well," Vinyl started, her eyes rolling back into her head. "So much for that."

"We are so, so sorry mademoiselles, Gustav had checked and double checked your meals, and yet still..." He flashed them another apologetic smile.

"Honestly Gustav," Vinyl said, pulling herself from the large bench. "It's not your fault! A simple mistake, is all." She dusted her shoulder, before turning to Trixie. "Sorry for ruining lunch." She hung her head. "I shall accept whatever punishment is deserved."

Trixie leaned over and pecked Vinyl on her cheek. "Trixie decrees, that thou shalt endure her company once more at tonight's ball!"

Gustav shook his head. "You mare's are crazy." He scratched his chin, sighing. "Still, it iz lucky zat we had a patron bring in some insulin this morning."

Vinyl turned away from Trixie's grin and towards Gustav. "They did?"

He nodded sagely. "Quite lucky, as ze kitchen had none in stock."

"Who was he?"

"Sorry," Gustav shrugged. "I do not know." He smiled, before walking towards the pair. "Still, if there iz anything that you two need, Gustav... owes you a favour."

Vinyl stared up at the stallion, her eyes searching his features. After a few moments, she shook her head, and brought a hoof up to his shoulder. “Thank you, again, for your quick thinking.” He nodded at her, before turning towards the rest of the kitchen.

Vinyl spun to Trixie, who had struck up conversation with one of the chef’s at the restaurant. “No no, Trixie does not think you understand her,” her marefriend was explaining. “She asked if you had ever attended one of her shows.”

The chef scratched his head. “Va- vat? Who iz zis ‘Trixie’ you speak ov?” He shook his head before waving a hoof at the mare and returning to his station.

Trixie rolled her eyes at this. “Typical,” she muttered, as she turned her head to Vinyl. “So, miss ‘mare with a plan’, where to next?”

“What? Where did that come from?”

Trixie smiled. “It’s just something you muttered while you were out.” She reached up and brushed a lock of mane from over her eye. “But, the question still stands, where to next?”

“Oh, you know.” Vinyl began, shrugging. “Somewhere.” Vinyl stared deftly at Trixie’s raised eyebrows. “What? I thought I’d just wing this part.”

“How is that fair?!” Belle whispered under her breath as she stood from her table. Through the large kitchen doors she could spot Trixie and Vinyl leaving through the back entrance, their demeanor subtly improved. She huffed, before turning passed the waiting server and stalking out the door.

“Wait! Madame!” Gustav shouted after her, but she had already disappeared out through the large curtains. “Strange…” he muttered, before returning to his duties.

“It’s odd,” Vinyl remarked as she stopped by the gates to Canterlot park. “This place is usually packed right about now. I wonder where everypony is.” She gazed out over the almost empty grass.

“Vinyl.” Trixie started, shooting the mare a deadpanned expression.

“Mhmm?”

“The Canterlot Fete, remember?” Trixie gave Vinyl a small push on the shoulder, eliciting a small giggle.

“Oh yeah.” The two shared a small laugh, before Vinyl pulled Trixie along the path, her horn glowing. “C’mon, I figured out what we can do.” The garden around them flourished as they walked,a s if each hoof step filled the flowers with new life. It was said that Princess Celestia had created this garden in a fit of mourning. As such, the stories that magic flowed freely through the space were never disproved, and many still believe to this day that the flowers and grass were filled with magic beyond the reckoning of even Canterlot’s most exceptional unicorns.

Beyond the rows of flowers spread green grass, dotted occasionally with small clumps of tall redwoods, providing a stark backdrop to the otherwise overly chaotic foreground. Ahead of them sprawled a small lake, its edges surrounded by water lilies. Two large, white swans circled around the centre, their necks entwined. Aside from that, the water was almost still, and the park seemed to be a polar opposite to the city surrounding it. Silence reigned supreme, as if an invisible barrier had been constructed around the area. The pair passed from the pavement and onto the grassy plane, Vinyl leading Trixie to an unknown destination.

The ground began to incline, and before they knew it, the pair were standing atop a grassy knoll. With a flash of magic, a small blanket dropped from the air, and Vinyl dropped onto her haunches, indicating for Trixie to do the same.

“Here?” asked Trixie, her eyes studying her marefriend’s. “Why here? Is this a…” She trailed off as she turned away from Vinyl and looked out in front of them. The grass seemed to give way quickly to the edge of a cliff, and in front of that, Equestria. Large mountains dotted the distance, and small, grassy fields littered the closest parts of her vision. A large blue river spanned between the two, dotted with small towns and communities. But it wasn’t that which made Trixie lose her thoughts, it was what was above that. Celestia’s sun, in all its glory, was making its final descent, and filling the sky with a warm, vivid orange. The heat washed across her face, sending warm shivers down her spine.

She was at a loss for words, Trixie scoured her brains for some way to describe just how she felt at that very moment. It was amazing, beautiful, fulfilling, exciting and strangely arousing all at once. Yet, after a few moments of reflection, she settled on simply, “Oh.”

Vinyl cracked a grin at this, before leaning over and tapping Trixie on the nose. “You are just so cute,” she said, squeezing her shoulders and smiling.

“Trixie believes that is true yes.” She paused, glancing at Vinyl. The DJ had removed her glasses, revealing her ruby eyes. They sparkled in the twilight, accenting what her grin could not. Trixie once again found herself at a loss for words. “You are… t-that is to say - Trixie thinks you look very beautiful in this light.” she finished in a rush, her cheeks burning.

“Oh my gosh!” Vinyl rolled backwards, her grin growing larger. “You-you’re just so…” She hugged herself, before opening her eyes and lifting a hoof up. “Kay, there’s gotta be some ground rules about this okay?”

“Uh.”

She pulled Trixie close then, pressing their lips apart and sending a burning hot wave of passion between them. They broke, and Trixie opened her eyes again, meeting with Vinyl’s. “You’ve got to stop being so freaking cute, okay?” She giggled, and Vinyl gave her a cross look. “No, this is serious, I could die! Fr-from a cute-overload or something!”

“Vinyl, Trixie is fairly sure that is not a real condition.” Trixie gave her a quick peck, before raising her eyebrows.

“Well, maybe not yet. But no doctor’s have met you yet, so how could it be?”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Vinyl, that is just about the sweetest thing you could possibly say. Trixie thinks she may die of a ‘sweetness-overload’.”

Vinyl opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a soft pat on her head. “Wha-” She started, looking up towards the source of the feeling. Another quickly followed, and she lifted a hoof to brush the water out of her eyes. “Is it-?”

Raining. It was slow at first, but quickly picked up until a light drizzle surrounded the pair. The gentle taps on their manes seemed to do little, as each one gazed around them.

The water seemed to change the landscape. The grass began to glow softly in the orange light, each droplet, creating a glistening haze of beauty. The trees began to sway, as if dancing to a silent waltz, and the flowers all began to shine towards them. A hush seemed to pass through the park as the rain fell, and slowly the soft patter of rain created a backing score for their lives. The sun created a warm light that spread up their bodies, creating a lighter atmosphere around the pair. They both looked up to each other, their cheeks glowing in the wind.

“Trixie, I…” Vinyls started, but she was stopped by a hoof from the mare.

Trixie shushed her, bringing their lips closer. “Don’t spoil the moment.”

Vinyl nodded, before closing her eyes and leaning in. She could hear the world slowly die away as she slowly focused on Trixie. She could feel the mare’s hot breath mixing with her own, her soft hoof against her burning cheek. She pulled her closer in anticipation, her heart quickening as they closed the gap. She breathed in and-

*Splash*

Vinyl’s eyes shot open, and she stared at Trixie, the mare’s face currently obscured by her wet mane. She lifted a hoof to her mouth to stop the oncoming laughter, but her attempt was in vain, and she toppled backwards, her giggles echoing around the pair.

Trixie grumbled, her ears flattened against the side of her head. She blew a strand of the wet hair out from her face. “Well that’s just peachy.”

Belle’s sigh of relief was barely audible above the pouring rain around her. From her position behind the two, she could see both Vinyl and Trixie laughing together, their hooves tightly entwined. She felt another surge of pain, and readied her horn again, another ball of water forming in front of her. But she stopped, and let it splash back into the swirling pools below her, hanging her head.

They both seemed so… perfect together. The way they acted, talked, spoke, as if they were destined. Vinyl seemed to compliment Trixie’s outrageous bravado, while still managing to create a counterbalance for her own rambunctious personality. They seemed to flow together, peacefully, and Belle couldn’t help but feel regret for her actions. How could she split something like that up?

And then, her anger resurfaced, and she lifted her gaze again, her eyes steeled. Silently, she shifted back onto the streets behind her, leaving the pair to themselves.

The Grand Galloping Gala was never known as a quiet affair, and, after the fiasco of last year, it had cemented its place as one of the more ‘wild’ occasions hosted by the princesses. Ponies from across Equestria would spend days traveling just in the hopes of obtaining a ticket. As such, the main event had still been scheduled in the grand ballroom of the castle. However, an afterparty, which required no invitation, had been scheduled and approved by the princesses, and it was rumoured that Luna herself was planning to attend.

In itself the main event was never really considered a ‘cool’ place to be, which Vinyl had been repeating to Trixie for the majority of their walk to the castle gates.

“Honestly Trix, we really don’t have to go!” Vinyl yelled, her voice barely audible above the general hubbub of the city around them. She was being held just above head height, her body surrounded by Trixie’s violet aura. “You know how much I hate all this… ‘frilly’ stuff!”

Trixie paused, and lowered her marefriend’s eyes down to hers. “So it wasn’t you who took Trixie into a clothing shop and forced her to model a dress, was it?”

Vinyl glanced away, an expression of guilt passing over her face. “W-well, that was different, that was for fun!” She looked back towards Trixie, her trademark smile disappearing from her face. “Besides, I wasn’t the one in a dress.”

“Trixie told you Vinyl,” Trixie started as she lifted the mare back into the sky and began her walk anew. “You purchased her a dress, and she only felt it kind to do the same for you.”

Vinyl’s ‘humph’ was all the consolation Trixie needed to let her know that she had won this small disagreement, and she continued her march, the pair slowly fading into the sea of ponies around them.

Truth be told, Canterlot’s main street had always been busy. Even in the dead of night, there would be at least a dozen ponies traversing the thin cobble, their voices hushed and their hoof stomps masked by careful placement. In the day, however, noise was not an issue. Around them, the city moved, as if run by a clockwork watch. Each action seemed to be significant, each movement of a pony required. The gears of Canterlot turned as Vinyl and Trixie weaved between their complex machinery.

The castle loomed before them, its gates atop a large marble staircase. The golden arches seemed to shimmer under the lantern light, and both mares could feel themselves grow giddy at the sight, as much as Vinyl hated to admit it. The pair stepped inside, and were promptly met by a large white stallion.

“Are you miss Vinyl Scratch and miss Trixie Lulamoon?” he asked, his voice deep and scratchy.

The pair nodded, and he motioned for them to step towards the small set of doors beside the large entrance. “Princess Sparkle requested your gowns be moved to a much easier location for you to prepare, as so you do not have to return to your room.” He spoke softly as they twisted through the winding halls of the castle, their path seemingly random, and yet all too familiar. The guard seemed nonchalant about their trek through the damp glow of the dimly lit corridors, his posture laid back and relaxed.

“Wait, princess Sparkle?” Trixie asked, shooting the guard a questioning look. “As in Twilight Sparkle?”

The guard turned his gaze to meet hers, and nodded sagely, a small smile stretching across his features. “Her coronation was just last week. Did you not read the papers?”

Vinyl shook her head. “We were traveling from Manehatten to Canterlot last week.”

Trixie glanced towards Vinyl, and the two shared a look of concern. “So wait,” She started, her hooves slowing her walk as she kept pace with Vinyl. “Twilight’s a princess now?”

Vinyl shrugged, before slowly motioning for Trixie to continue walking. They eventually reached a large oak door, which the guard pushed open to reveal the large white halls of the castle proper. Long, flowing tapestries hung from floor to ceiling, accented by the golden arches that separated each section of the corridor. Carpet stretched beneath their hooves, and both Vinyl and Trixie instinctively sunk their hooves into the warm folds of fabric.

“Your gowns are just up here,” the guard started, his voice echoing down through the room. He pointed towards another oak door, and the three set off for their destination.

Clothing was never something Trixie was really good at. Aside from her cloak and hat, she’d never bought anything herself. So, when she had finally decided that she would buy Vinyl something, her quest for a gown had begun. She had enlisted the help of one of Twilight’s friends, a unicorn mare who she had wronged at some point. Twilight had told her: ‘just offer to model for her, and she’ll forget all about it!’. And so, she’d done just that. Rarity, the mare’s name, had been in Manehatten with Twilight and the rest of her friends for a performance. Using one of the many shots of Vinyl and her ‘dancing’, Rarity had been able to use her inspiration to craft something unique for Vinyl.

The pair stepped into the room, and, as the guard clicked the door shut, they marveled at the space they had been given. The room was spacious and mostly empty, aside from the two mirrors that sat on either end of the far walls. Two large, wrapped gowns were hung on a mobile clothes rack, their packaging glinting in the bright of the room. The two lifted their respective dresses with their auras, and began the painful task of slowly removing the plastic that protected each from the elements. Slowly, the sound of crinkling packaging gave way to the gentle rustle of silk as the dresses were unzipped and slipped on. Each one seemed to slide into their gown with ease, and the soft fabrics sent soft sensation up their spines. As Vinyl twisted and tied the strings on the back of her dress with her aura, she couldn't help but glance over to her marefriend, who seemed to be waiting patiently for her. She finished with a flourish, before glancing up to Trixie, who had turned her back to her and lifted her mane with her magic.

"Trixie requires assistance with her zip." Vinyl nodded, before she stepped forward and took the small metal between her teeth. Delicately she lifted her head up, and the silence of the room was filled with the soft sound of a sigh. Vinyl paused as the zip met its end, and she found herself close to Trixie's neck. Slowly, she reached forward and planted a small kiss on her throat, only breaking when Trixie leaned in to return the favor. The two stepped apart after mere moments, and Vinyl stood back, admiring her marefriend.

Trixie twirled once, her dress glimmering in the half light. "How does she look?" she asked, a soft smile playing on her lips.

Vinyl's muzzle slowly stretched into a small grin, and she stepped forward to embrace Trixie once more. "Perfect."

The waltz was the dance that most anypony knew, and as such, it was always featured midway through the event. Whilst Trixie and Vinyl had refrained from dancing up until this point, instead choosing to spend time with the newly crowned 'princess' Twilight and her friends, they could only feel guilty as they noticed they were among the few that did not step onto the floor for the dance. Trixie slowly turned to face Vinyl, before she held out her hoof, her masquerade mask still attached to her snout.

"It would be Trixie's honor to have this dance." She bowed deeply, a small smile stretching across her features. Vinyl let out a small giggled, before she accepted the hoof and was slowly led into the mass of ponies. A loud clap resounded throughout the hall, before the assembled ponies lifted themselves up onto their hind legs, interlocking their front hooves with each other. Trixie and Vinyl leaned against each other for support as they attempted to balance, their faces glowing from the act. Slowly, a deep timbre sound filled the ballroom, as the lead cellist slid her bow across the strings of her instrument. A double bass slowly faded into the song, and then, as if in an instant, the rest of the quartet began to play. The room was filled with motion and music as the ponies began to move in tandem with one another. The high notes of a viola mixed within the cello's range, and the two played a duet, backed only by the double bass and piano. The music seemed to bounce, and with it so did the assembled ponies, their bodies spinning and sliding in time.

Vinyl and Trixie spun with them, their movements almost in sync, and they pressed against each other all the while, focused not on their surroundings, but on each other. The pair spun around the ballroom, their path weaving them in and out of the less experienced ponies. To her surprise, Trixie had found that Vinyl was exceptionally good at her role, even as the two stumbled, they seemed to instantly fall back into the flow, as if their movements were natural and of one being. Even as the music slowed down , the two kept time, their movements taking them to the edge of the crowd as the song finished. They embraced as the music ended, their bodies clinging to each other with emotion that had not been present moments before. And then, in an instant, the two separated, avoiding each other's gaze as they glanced at their surroundings, their cheeks glowing with warmth.

Slowly, their eyes met, and each opened their mouth to speak, but paused whilst the other started.

"That was-" Trixie started.

"-Amazing." Vinyl finished, her breath catching in her throat.

Trixie could only nod in response, before she offered her hoof again. "Shall we try another?"

Before she could respond, Vinyl was cut off by the sudden appearance of another masked pony. The large, flowing dress seemed oddly familiar, but from where Vinyl could not place.

"Excuse me miss," the pony started, her voice sounding unnaturally high. "May I have this next dance?"

"Well-" Vinyl started, but was cut off by a laugh from Trixie.

"Of course you can!" her marefriend responded, before pushing Vinyl out towards the mare. "Go, have fun! Trixie shall acquire a drink and see if she can find miss Rarity."

Before she could protest, Vinyl was whisked away into the crowd, her body moving in tandem with the pony she was led by. The mare ahead of her lifted her up to meet, and the two joined hooves, their hind legs moving of their own accord. Vinyl ignored the ponies around her as she danced, instead focusing on the mare in front of her. Something about her seemed to stir emotions within Vinyl, as if she recognized her, or had seen her in passing. She seemed to resonate a sense of Déjà vu, like Vinyl had danced with her before. The mare seemed to notice her staring, because she let out a small laugh, her eyes remaining passive.

"It seems you are starting to recognize me."

In an instant, Vinyl's memory rushed back, and she stopped her dance, dropping back to her hooves. "B-Belle?" she stammered, an edge of fear creeping into her voice. The mare laughed again in reply, before she motioned for them to continue the dance. Vinyl took a step back in response, shaking her head. "No, no way am I going to dance with you." She took another step back, into the couple that had been dancing behind them.

"Hey!" the mare shouted, her eyebrows furrowing.

Vinyl's ears dropped to her head, and she whispered a soft "sorry," before she pushed her way through the crowd and out onto the balcony. The cool night air washed over her as she moved towards the railing, and her blush slowly began to fade. What was Belle doing here? Why was Belle here?

"Vinyl, you don't have to run from me."

Vinyl spun at the voice, her gaze meeting an unmasked Belle's. "There is no way that I would ever hurt you."

"Was it you?" Vinyl asked, her voice rising. A question had started to occur to her, and it was forcing Vinyl into a silent rage.

"Was what me?"

Vinyl waved her forehoof towards the balcony, her tone taking on a sharp and dangerous edge. "All of that stuff today. Was that you?"

Belle seemed momentarily confused, before she seemed to be hit with understanding, and she slowly nodded. "The... sabotages, yes, that was me."

Vinyl seemed shocked, and her expression softened, but the rage instantly replaced any emotion she had had before, and she took a step towards the mare. "Why?"

"What?"

"Why?!"

Belle seemed to ponder this for a moment, before she slowly opened her mouth. "Because I'm still in love with you."

Vinyl was surprised, and she showed it, her eyes growing wide. "W-what? All of that?" She took a step back. "Was because you're 'still in love with me'?" Belle nodded in response, and Vinyl seemed to pause, her expression going blank. Then, she began to laugh. It started slowly at first, as the grin spread across her face, but eventually she was in hysterics, and she had to use a hoof to steady herself from falling backwards in her ecstasy. "Are you serious?" Another nod, and more laughter. "Are you a foal?"

"What?!"

"Those things... T-they seemed like accidents. I thought th-that nopony would ever really...." Vinyl teetered out again, her joy coming back in another bout of laughter. "How could you be so childish?"

"Childish?! Me?!" Belle asked, her tone betraying her otherwise calm nature. "You're the one who started to date that hussy of a mare-"

Vinyl expression changed as those words left Belle's mouth, and while her grin had been harmless before, a hint of venom began to creep into her features. "Pardon?" she asked, her tone sickly-sweet.

Belle faltered, suddenly unsure. "I-I said th-that-"

"I know what you said." Vinyl's gaze turned steely, and she stepped herself up to Belle, her fury now evident across her face. "And if I ever hear you say it again, I will not be so in control, okay?" Belle nodded once again in response, her final attempt meek in comparison.

As Vinyl stalked past her, Belle could feel her final chances slipping away. She couldn't give up now, not after all her hard work. Vinyl deserved somepony better than this 'Trixie', and Belle was sure that, given the right reasoning, Vinyl would see that too. They were destined to be together, Belle had seen it. "Vinyl, wait!" she called out, stepping forward to meet the unicorn. "At least let me leave you with something to remember me by."

"What- mmph!" In an instant, Belle had closed the gap between the two and pressed her lips against Vinyl's. Vinyl pushed her away instantly, her eyes filled with betrayal.

"Vinyl, Trixie is-" Trixie froze, her face clouded with shock. Instantly, tears began to well in her eyes, and Trixie turned away from the two, a low sob leaving her.

"Trixie wait!" Vinyl called, but the mare had already run off through the crowd of ponies inside. Vinyl spun around to face Belle, and her hatred knew no bounds. She looked as if she was about to say something, before she stopped, and just shook her head. In an instant she had taken off after Trixie, leaving Belle alone in the cold evening.

And the dance continued on.

Trixie weaved and spun her way through the crowd, her eyes closed to hold back the flood of tears that threatened to cascade at any moment. Her movements were erratic and unplanned, and yet she fit into the clockwork of the dance around her. She could hear a voice call out her name, but she blocked the sound, instead focusing on her destination. If she could reach her dressing room, perhaps she could take her things before Vinyl could find her.

Vinyl. That name brought back another wave of sadness, and she let out another uncontrolled sob. She'd been so happy. How could she have been so blind, so stupid? Vinyl was using her, it was as simple as that. Trixie lost her focus as she barreled through the door and out into the emptiness of the halls. She glanced around, her vision blurred by her tears, before she took off in the direction of her room.

"Trixie, wait!" The shout came from behind her, and momentarily, she considered stopping. Her tears convinced her otherwise, and she redoubled her efforts to reach the room before her... 'friend'.

Trixie disappeared into the crowd, and Vinyl could feel something tug on her emotions. She began to slow, and a sob slowly spread from her body.

Vinyl refused. She refused to give up, and, in her moment of clarity, she shone her horn, and disappeared in a flash.

A sudden flash of blue filled her vision, and Trixie came sliding to a halt, her forehooves rubbing at her eyes in irritation. As her vision slowly returned, she could make out the shape of Vinyl before her, a serious and uncharacteristic expression on her face. "Trixie..."

"No! T-Trixie does not want to hear it!" she pushed the mare away, wiping at her tears with her free hoof.

"Trixie-"

"No!"

"Trixie!" Vinyl shouted, wrapping her hooves around Trixie's. "Stop! Listen to me. P-please." Trixie's ears perked at that, and she glanced up, confusion on her face. A single tear streamed down Vinyl's cheek, almost invisible against her white fur. "Back there, w-what you saw. It wasn't me..."

"Oh," Trixie started, anger flaring up inside her chest. Her tears suddenly started flowing again, but her voice grew steady. "So that wasn't you in there kissing some mare?!"

"Yes! Wait, no!" Vinyl slumped. "Trixie, that was Belle."

Trixie's rage died at that, and she peered at Vinyl, her tears still stinging her eyes. "Y-your ex?"

Vinyl nodded. "Trixie, she came here to tell me how she felt. All those things throughout the day, at the card house, the peanuts, that was her!" Vinyl placed her hooves on Trixie's shoulders. "She came back to tell me she was still in love with me!"

"And what," Trixie started, pushing Vinyl's hooves away. "Y-you realised you were still in love with her too, and decided that Trixie wasn't worth it?"

"No!" Vinyl grasped Trixie again, a sob escaping her this time. "She told m-me that, and I told her s-she could..." Vinyl trailed off. "Trixie, I didn't kiss her, she kissed me!"

"I-isn't that the same thing?" Trixie asked, her voice suddenly unsure.

"She forced me to kiss her Trixie. I-I didn't want that, and I didn't want you to see that!" Vinyl stared at Trixie, her eyes pleading with her. "Trixie, I... I still love you. And, I hope that... I hope that y-you do too."

Trixie stared back at Vinyl, waiting for the moment where she would change, for her to laugh it off and tell her that she was making it all up. It never came, and Trixie's tears began to flow anew. This time, however, they weren't tears of sadness. "O-of course Trixie still lo-" Trixie stopped, and she slowly stood, dragging Vinyl with her. She pulled the mare into a tight embrace, her hooves shaking. "O-of course I-I still love you."

Vinyl pulled tight against Trixie, her hooves squeezing every bit of emotion out of her body. Around them, the empty hall seemed to close in, as if joining in the comfort and realisation of the two ponies and their love. Behind them, the dance continued on, and the laughter began again.

Love is never a fleeting thing. Even here, in her life, Trixie knew this. Vinyl represented Trixie's passion, but it was more than that. She represented her will, and her desire. She was the wild and unpredictable soul that Trixie could use to complete herself, and this thought comforted her more than any other, because she knew that they would be like this forever. Trixie was Vinyl's unwavering conscious. She was everything Vinyl needed to keep her grounded and in her head. Trixie was more than just a lover, she was hers. Entirely and utterly hers, and she would never give her up. And so, as the clockwork of the dance would continue on, Vinyl and Trixie soon found that their love would too.

The End

Author's Note

And so ends my longest, and by far my most favourite fanfiction!

After over two years of writing and editing and mucking about, I have finally finished what I set out to do: tell a story.

It may have taken me entirely too long to write this final chapter, and for that I apologize. I am an amazing procrastinator at my best, and this fic just took on a life of its own in my head. I had hundreds of ways for me to end this, and, if you'd read my plan, you would know that this was not ever really prepared. But, as I was writing, this is where my story took me, and I followed it without question. As many writers would say 'An author does not create the world in which their story lives; they are merely the tool by which the story brings itself to life'. I have spent way too long on this story, and while I love it dearly, I have reread over the first few chapters, and they need a lot of revision. I have come a long way since the start of this story, and such is evident by my first chapters. I will be going back and editing at some point.

There will be another, final conversation post, and an epilogue shortly, but for now, I am tired.

For those of you who are new, welcome to the end! And for those of you who have been here since the beginning: Thank you so much for sticking with me to the end. It has been a pleasure to write for you all, and I will continue to do so until I can no longer put pen to paper!

I hope you enjoyed, and, as always, comments and criticism are welcome!

Signing off,
Taranasaurus :scootangel:

Coversation No. 1: Eyes on FIre

A short conversation, written from the memory of Trixie into her dream journal.

“Vinyl, why do you always wear sunglasses?” Vinyl turned to face Trixie, her smile faltering.

“M-my sunglasses?” she asked, her voice wavering slightly.

“Yes, that is what Trixie said, sunglasses.”

“Uh, well I guess I... what I mean to say is... Oh what’s the use?” Vinyl sighed, her shoulders slumping visibly in defeat. “Lying can only get me so far.” She turned so that her face was inches away from Trixie’s, letting Trixie stare into the dark recesses of her sunglasses. “Trix, what I tell you now must never be told to another living soul as long as I live, understand?”

Vinyl’s sudden seriousness startled Trixie, so much so that the mare had trouble talking. “Uh, y-yes, Trixie understands.”

Vinyl sighed, her sunglasses being wrapped in a light blue aura as she lifted them up with her magic. The black shades levitated from against the bridge of her nose, revealing her eyes underneath. Trixie stifled a gasp, staring hard into her friend’s eyes. Two red rubies stared back, perfect circles, only broken by the small black dots in the center of her eyes.

“Vinyl...”

“No Trix, don’t.” Vinyl leaned back, resting back on her haunches. She sighed, before continuing. “I was born with them. My mother used to say it made me unique, but I knew it just made me a freak. I went to school, expecting the other children to understand. Needless to say, they didn’t. I spent the first five years of my life being tormented, being told I was creepy, not natural. I learned to hide them, I learned that they made me different from the others. When I left school, I swore to wear these sunglasses forever, just in case.”

“Trixie had no idea...”

“Neither did they, but you don’t see them stopping, now do you?” Vinyl was suddenly angry, and she pulled herself up. “You know what, Trix, it was great comin’ out here,” she gestured to the grassy hill that the two occupied. “But I’ve got to get home and, er, practise.”

Vinyl turned to leave, but was stopped by the feeling of a hoof to her back. “While you and Trixie may not have been friend's for long, Trixie can promise you this, Vinyl; She is not like the other’s and she understands what it is like to be treated as an outcast. She would never break your trust.”

Vinyl’s face softened as those words left Trixie’s mouth, and she sat back down next to her friend. “Thanks Trix, you have no idea how much that means to me.”

“Trixie is glad she could help.”

“So Trixie, I’ve got a question.”

“Huh, Trixie shall not answer.”

“Hey, c’mon, I answered your question, now it’s your turn.”

“Trixie supposes that is only fair.”

“So Trixie...”

The rest of the memory is undecipherable, as the ink was smudged when what appears to be tears fell upon the page...

Author’s note: Hey there, it’s me again.

What’s this, two updates in one night? Impossibru!!!!

Alright, so this is something I’m going to be doing regularly every two, maybe three chapters. A little conversation between Vinyl and Trixie going on about their personal lives, and how they interacted with each other.

Anyway, it’s nearly ten, and I’m tired.

Night all!

Conversation No. 7: Not Yourself

A conversation between Vinyl Scratch and Trixie, as told by an unnamed source.

“... Trixie, why do you speak in the third pony all the time?” Vinyl turned her glowing eyes to face Trixie. The white mare had been instructed by her marefriend to wear the sunglasses less, as she had been told her eyes were beautiful.

“Trixie has... reasons.”

“I see.” Vinyl lowered her gaze. ”I’m sorr-”

“Don’t be. you have every right to know.”

“Once... Trixie was happy. She had a mother and a father, and they both loved her very much. They spent hours just playing together, as a family. Trixie grew close to them, but one day, they were torn apart.”

“Trixie knew that the family was in debt. They had needed money ever since she had been born, as neither of her parents had time to work any more. But when Trixie came home one day, she found their house empty. Ransacked and broken, someone had torn the place apart.”

“Trixie’s father stood in the center of the mess, sobbing. He told Trixie that some ponies had come and taken away her mother, and that they would never see her again. Trixie thought he was lying. Trixie ran out into the cold and used her magic to locate her mother. She ran for days and nights, until finally, the trail ended.”

“There, on the side of the road, lay Trixie’s mother. Broken, battered and bleeding, she looked a lot worse than Trixie felt. When Trixie tried to help her up, to get her to leave, her mother was cold, lifeless.”

“Trixie stayed by her mother’s side for many days and many nights, slowly starving to death. One day, a travelling circus passed by, and the owner offered to take Trixie in. Trixie left with the circus, and has never seen her father since. It is why she is a showmare, because she was raised that way.”

“Trixie was once happy, but no longer. She had everything stripped away from her in one moment, everything she cared and loved. Trixie no longer feel like herself, so Trixie is not herself. Therefore, she must speak as if she were and observer.”

Vinyl’s eyes glistened with tears. “Trixie, I’m so sorry for asking, please can y-”

“Really Vinyl, Trixie is fine, she has you, and that is all she needs.” Trixie snuggled closer to her friend, pulling her into a warm embrace, that lasted for the rest of the night.

Beyond them, the stars shined.

****

A/N: Another conversation, what is this?

As I said before, I’m using these as a way to tell information that may not be shown in the stories.

Anyway, talk to you later!

-Taran.

Email: Lolaboo2004@gmail.com