//------------------------------// // Epilogue One - Twenty Percent Cooler // Story: A Shimmering New Year // by EchoWing //------------------------------// “Are you sure you want to do this?” “I am.” Derpy gave an apologetic smile to her friend. “You’ve got something you want to do for the Musical Showcase, and so do I. I don’t want to force you to accommodate me, and I don’t think you’d want me to do the same to you. It’s better if we’ve got two separate acts, with two separate bands.” Trixie sighed sadly. “Very well, if that’s your wish.” She found fresh resolve as they reached their destination. “Still, one cannot have a band if one does not have an instrument.” Once the announcement had been made about the Musical Showcase, many within the student body at Canterlot High scrambled to put together a band for the event. It didn’t hurt that the event was serving as a means to raise funds for the school’s extracurricular activities, including the upcoming trip to Camp Everfree during the summer. Being a performer herself, Trixie leapt at the chance to take part and draw attention to her talents. One problem existed, however, in the lack of the classic guitar. She knew how to play, of course, but she was lacking one, for reasons she had no desire to elaborate upon. Hence, her and Derpy being at the Canterlot Mall late on a Saturday morning, where a particular music store was having a sale. They entered just in time to see a familiar girl with electric blue hair tuck away her headphones and MP3 player. “Hi Vinyl. Is the sale still going on?” At the girl’s affirmative nod, Trixie smiled. “Excellent. Now to find a guitar worthy of the Great and Powerful Trixie.” As Trixie went off to further her quest and Derpy followed, several more students from CHS approached the store, one with a multicolored head of hair in the lead with a guitar case in hand. As Vinyl turned her attention to them, the fashionista among them continued, “I’ve nothing against being part of this band, Rainbow Dash, but I simply don’t understand why you cannot just play the guitar you already have.” “Trust me Rarity, you’ll understand in a second.” Sunset approached the counter and shared a brief fist-bump with the clerk. “And you won’t like it any more than I did.” Without any fanfare but with some shame, Rainbow laid her case upon the counter and opened it. Within was a battered, beaten old Gibson 335 that had clearly seen better days. Its pale green surface was bruised, battered and cracked, with various scuff marks all across. The neck, meanwhile, had been broken, and one string chose that moment to snap with a terrible ‘sproing’. Aghast, Rarity looked to her friend and apologetically noted, “Now I understand. But why bring it here?” “I’m kinda hoping I can turn the old guitar in for store credit towards the new one.” Rainbow looked to the clerk and asked, “So how does it look, Vinyl? Can this ax be reborn, or am I better off giving it a Viking funeral?” “Jimi Hendrix would approve,” Pinkie sagely noted with a nod. Vinyl examined the instrument in the case, then smiled and flashed a thumbs-up, much to Rainbow’s relief. “Vinyl Scratch, you are awesome.” The athlete then turned to examine the shop’s wares. “So now that’s done, I can find me a new one.” “How about this one?” Pinkie offered as she held up one unusual-looking guitar, decorated in varying shades of purple with a design that brought to mind zebra stripes. Sunset examined the instrument and thoughtfully crossed her arms. “Modified Dean ML. High sustain, more comfortable for some guitarists to hold than others.” “Not for me though.” Rarity let out a relieved sigh at Rainbow’s appraisal. “Good. That was a horrid color scheme.” “Oooh, lookie here!” Pinkie held up another instrument for Rainbow to consider. The athlete shook her head. “No Pinkie. That’s a banjo.” “What about this one?” Another instrument took the place of the previous one as Pinkie offered, “Super groovy!” “Super not a guitar, neither. She ain’t lookin’ for a brass horn.” Applejack gently relieved Pinkie of the instrument and asked, “You got any specifics in mind?” “That’s not the problem!” Rainbow looked among the offerings before her and explained, “It doesn’t matter what guitar I get, just as long as it looks as awesome as I’m gonna make it sound.” She gasped as she laid her eyes upon one guitar in particular. “And that one is definitely awesome!” Her friends looked to the guitar in question as Rainbow slowly approached it as if it were a holy relic. Fluttershy wondered aloud, “Um, why does it have two necks?” “Well, the thinking is that one neck is strung differently from the other. That way, a guitarist doesn’t have to switch to a different model for a different song.” Sunset shrugged and admitted, “They always struck me as impractical, though. The bigger the instrument, the harder it is to carry around.” Rarity looked to her with surprise. “You’re surprisingly knowledgeable on the subject of guitars, Sunset. I know you’ve been taught to play, of course…” “By Flash, who hangs out with other guitarists. I figured learning a thing or two wouldn’t…” “Hey!” The girls turned their attention back to Rainbow Dash to discover that she had some competition. One of her hands was upon one neck of the guitar, but holding the other neck… “Hands off my guitar, Trixie!” “I got into the store first, Rainbow Dash! Derpy and Vinyl can both verify that!” As the two girls nodded, the aspiring illusionist added as she tugged at the instrument, “And I touched it first! So there!” “Steady there, you two. Y’all don’t wanna break the thing and each get half a guitar, do ya?” The two looked to Applejack, who rolled her eyes and groaned in acknowledgement of her own lame joke. “Anyway, this sounds to me like the makin’ for a nice, friendly competition. Best player gets the guitar.” Trixie showed clear interest in the idea as she looked to her rival and proposed with a confident grin, “A shred-off?” Rainbow answered back with a grin all her own. “Shred on.” Vinyl approached and claimed the prize guitar as the two girls were each given instruments for the contest. Pinkie selected a Fender Stratocaster and passed it off to Rainbow Dash, while Trixie found herself with a left-handed Gibson Flying V courtesy of Derpy. Vinyl placed their prize back upon the wall, then raised her hand and looked between the two to see if they were ready. At their nods, she sharply lowered it, and the shred-off began. The two girls volleyed music back and forth, wicked chords sounding from the shop’s speakers with each stroke of their guitar strings. After several seconds, however, brief flashes crossed Rainbow Dash’s face – Trixie was actually pretty good. But she wasn’t about to let the boastful girl beat her; she was starting a band with her friends, after all, and she wasn’t about to let them down by losing before things even got started. Besides, this was the most fun she’d had in weeks. And that was when it happened. From Dash’s perspective, she felt a surge of energy build up inside of her as her feet lost contact with the ground. Those watching saw her eyes go white as energy surged through her and her instrument and a familiar pair of ears formed upon her head. The guitar itself shifted as well as it changed color from the same blue as its wielder’s skin to a darker, brilliant shade, save for its neck turning red with yellow lightning bolt details. Trixie, much to her credit, continued to play as she watched in shock as her rival rose up and gently spun about, with a pair of wings and a long ponytail extension completing her transformation. As it finished, Rainbow dropped to the floor and finished her performance with a rainbow shockwave and a bright flash of light. Combined, they were strong enough to knock Trixie off her feet and back into a drum set. “Whoa! Check me out!” Rainbow examined herself as her friends rushed up to her. “Please tell me someone recorded that!” “Got the whole thing!” Sunset pocketed her cell phone with a grin. The grin faded as she caught sight of Trixie; the look of disappointment was obvious upon her face, even if it was quickly replaced by a scowl as she was helped to her feet by Derpy. Rainbow didn’t notice Trixie’s disappointment as Vinyl presented her with her prize. The joy at getting her new guitar, however, faded as she looked to the one in her arms. Fancy and elaborate it wasn’t, but nonetheless, she’d won with it, and that counted for something. “You know what? Trixie can have that one.” She hugged the guitar close and declared, “Turns out this is the one that really speaks to me.” The shock at having gotten her prize anyway quickly faded into triumphant glee as Trixie claimed the guitar and declared, “The Great and Powerful Trixie always wins in the end!” “Yeah, think again.” Dash strode up to the counter as Vinyl rang up the price. Money and a receipt were exchanged, and Vinyl presented her customer with a new case for the new guitar. As all of this transpired, Trixie examined her prize and finally noticed the price tag. “Twelve thousand dollars?!” She turned back to her rival as the magic subsided and she returned to normal. “You’ll pay for this, Rainbow Dash!” Her words went ignored as Rainbow Dash and her friends departed, and she bowed her head and groaned, “Stupid Rainbow Dash with her stupid magic and her stupid guitar.” “Well, maybe you can get an installment plan?” Derpy offered. “I wouldn’t bother.” Both girls looked to Vinyl in shock as she explained, “That’s a right-hander. I can special order a lefty for you though.” Trixie grumbled and put the guitar back on the wall, then held up the Flying V she’d used. “I’ll take this one. If I’m going to best Rainbow Dash, I’m going to do it with this guitar, and nothing else!” Derpy looked at her with confusion. “But the Musical Showcase isn’t a competition.” “Then I’ll make sure that my performance is more memorable than hers!” Trixie raised a hand skyward, index finger extended, and declared, “And nothing shall stop me! Nothing!” She then looked to Vinyl and amended, “Assuming, of course, you accept payments via credit card.” - “Am I the only one who feels bad for Trixie?” Sunset and her friends made their way into the lobby of Skycastle Apartments, Rainbow Dash’s abode. Much to all their relief, it was in walking distance of the mall. “I mean, you know she isn’t going to take this well.” “Meh. How she takes it is her decision.” Rainbow Dash gave a dismissive shrug as she led her friends towards the elevator. “No fault of mine if she can’t afford the guitar.” “Yeah! If she wants it, then she’ll have to pay for it!” Pinkie gleefully declared. “That’s not what I meant.” The elevator doors opened for them as soon as Dash pressed the button, and they filed in together. Once the doors closed, Sunset continued, “Trixie’s already got a competitive streak, and I wouldn’t put it past her to say that the only reason you beat her was because you had magic.” “Okay, fine, but it’s not my fault that Twilight’s crown pumped it into me at the Fall Formal.” The elevator stopped, and the girls stepped out as the door opened. “If she’s gonna feel jealous about that, then that’s on her.” “Envious, dear,” Rarity corrected her. “And let’s not forget that she was among Sunset’s victims that night. As grateful as she is, I can easily see her being resentful if it was rubbed in her face.” She quickly turned to her flame-haired friend and added, “No offense meant for bringing it up, dear.” “None taken, I’d have brought that up myself.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Jealous, envious, same diff. I’m not wrong, and besides, it’s not like I’ve been bringing up the Fall Formal every time she’s in earshot.” As they reached her apartment door, she turned to her friends and offered, “Look, if I’d lost, I’d have accepted it. And what’s done is done anyway, so let’s move on and get to this study session already.” She unlocked the door, opened it and called out, “Dad, I’m home!” As she and her friends filed in, she called again, “Dad?” She turned back to them as she wondered aloud, “Where is he? He said he’d be free today.” “Probably ran into traffic on the way back from getting pizza.” Footsteps sounded behind her as a voice assured her, “Special occasion and all.” Rainbow Dash caught the surprised expressions upon her friends’ faces, no doubt mirrored by her own, and turned to look upon the source of the voice. Standing before them in casual clothing was an athletic woman, her skin a pale cerise color and her blue hair in a shoulder-length, professional cut. Her violet eyes had a mischievous twinkle, and her smile spoke of well-earned confidence. Her own eyes were wide as the athlete gasped, “Mom?” A gentle laugh answered her. “Hi Dashie. Surp-!” She gasped as the wind was knocked out of her by her daughter taking her into a tight hug. “Whoa! Careful!” She then noticed her daughter trembling, followed shortly by a wet feeling on her shoulder. “Tears? Not afraid of losing your cool in front of your friends?” “Don’t care. Too happy.” Dash looked up and started wiping her tears away. “You came home.” She fought back more as she sobbed, “I’m so sorry, Mom, I…” Her mother embraced her and held her close. “I know. I didn’t want to go either.” She gently wiped away some of her daughter’s tears and added, “But no way was I going to leave you forever. And I won’t.” Each of her friends watched with a smile, Sunset especially as she gripped her friend’s guitar case. “Told ya so.” Her friends laughed at that, and Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Yeah, laugh it up.” But her smile betrayed her as she broke off from her mother. “You remember my friends, of course.” “I do, all except for one.” Her gaze fixed upon Sunset as she strode forward with a military bearing. “Sunset Shimmer, I presume.” For her part, Sunset didn’t flinch. “Yes ma’am.” “I’ve heard a lot about you. Almost didn’t believe my husband when he told me that my daughter was friends with…” She looked to Dash out of the corner of one eye and asked, “‘The Alpha Bitch of Canterlot High’?” Dash flashed a nervous grin, but Sunset firmly corrected her, “Recovering Alpha Bitch, ma’am. Thanks in part to your daughter.” The older woman turned her gaze back upon her with a critical expression, only to grin. “I heard that too. And that you’ve been good for my daughter in turn.” She laid a hand upon her shoulder as the grin softened to a smile. “Welcome to our home.” Sunset smiled back. “Thank you, ma’am.” A chuckle answered her. “Don’t ‘Ma’am’ me – you’re not in my chain of command. And don’t call me ‘Mrs. Dash’ either. My name is Firefly.” She then took the guitar case and looked to her daughter. “Now what have I told you about just hoisting things onto other people? Go and put this away, then make sure your friends are comfortable.” “Got it.” Dash did as she was ordered and went off to her room with the guitar. “Dash!” Her mother’s call stopped her, and she looked to find Firefly pointing downwards. “Forgetting something?” A nervous chuckle, and Dash turned to Sunset and asked, “Hold this for me please?” Sunset accepted the guitar case with a nod, and the athlete slipped off her boots before retrieving it and continued on her way. Her friends did the same with a laugh, and Firefly gently ushered them inside. “Come on all of you, get comfortable. I’ve got catching up to do, especially with you, Fluttershy. That brother of yours still chasing after my daughter?”