//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: The March of Romance 
// Story: Centre Stage Romance 
// by Erina Tail Yellow 
//------------------------------//



 Chapter 3


The March of Romance


 
On rocky out cropping an eagle stood waiting for it. Then it came as a slight change of the wind with a flap of its immense wings it took to the air and followed. The eagle dove past the snow and ice, past the conifers towards the ever steady beat. With every fourth beat the eagle flapped its wings to keep up with it. But as it neared the mountain the eagle veered away. 
Twilight took meticulous notes of the eagle that flew next to the train. Every stroke of its majestic wings was a silent reminder that she herself still had a long way to go before being ‘one with the wind’ as Rainbow had put it. As the train approached a tunnel and the heavenly bird pulled away. Twilight felt her heart sink and let out a soft sigh of discontent.
“Lost in thought now; are we?” Vinyl said with a small smile.
“Not really.” Twilight replied as she continued to stare out the window.
“When was the last time you saw your brother?” Vinyl asked idly.
“Two hundred thirty-seven days, six hours, thirty-seven minutes and, forty-two seconds” Twilight said in a low monotone voice.
“Okay. Something’s definitely up.” Vinyl turned to look at Twilight directly. “What has you so bothered?”
“It’s nothing Vinyl.” Twilight shot back.
“If it really was nothing you’d talk.” Vinyl sighed heavily. “Not talking leads to secrets. Secrets lead to pent up aggression. Which leads to?”
Twilight tore her eyes away from the passing scenery and looked at Vinyl. “It’s just I don’t. I try and yet. I guess I’m just confused.” a slight tear formed in her eye as her feathers ruffled slightly. 
“Confused. I can see that.” Vinyl looked down. “After all this is the first blood relative we’re telling. It’d be unlike you to be completely certain.”
Twilight looked down with her ears pinned back and her wings sagging slightly. “It’s not just that. This all seems all so sudden. I mean three years ago I never thought even in my wildest dreams thought I would be a princess, an aunt, and a lover. Its feels like a dream and when I wake up I’ll be little miss nothing who’s only claim to fame was being Celestia’s star student.” At the end of her mini rant Twilight flopped down onto the seat. 
“Nice of you to imagine me then.” Vinyl punctuated her statement by booping Twilight’s muzzle. “Besides does it get more real than that?”
Twilight looked up into Vinyl’s delicate and compassionate crimson eyes “Yes.” Twilight moved faster than Vinyl ever thought possible and planted a sweet tender kiss upon the white unicorn’s lips.’Yes it does.’
The train gently came to a stop. However it was just sudden enough to jar the two mares entranced by each other's embrace for them to fall out of their seat. They giggled as they righted themselves and began to leave. 
 



 
Twilight and Vinyl calmly entered the castle’s private parlor. “Well it appears we’ve got a few minutes before they arrive.” Twilight said as she sat on the room’s loveseat.
Vinyl snorted as she gracefully flopped onto the couch beside Twilight. “This place just screams royalty.” She remarked.
Twilight cocked her head to the side. “And Canterlot Castle didn’t?”
“Oh it did. But, I expected nothing less. In Canterlot even the raves have class.” Vinyl answered.
“Huh.” Twilight hadn’t ever really considered that. “How does this place ‘scream royalty’?”.
Vinyl shrugged. “Other than it being castle. You’ve got all the staples.” Vinyl gestured with one hoof as she continued. “High class furniture, fireplace, and not to mention this entire place is made of crystal.” 
Twilight chuckled “Oh. I suppose you make a point.” Twilight proceeded to lean up against Vinyl. “Even it is a little much you have to admit the room looks nice.” 
“It doesn’t look half bad. All the crystal is a little gaudy for my tastes.” Vinyl remarked.
“Vinyl. Our castle is made of crystal as well.” Twilight deadpanned.
“You hide yours with books and carpeting and other things. This is just just shameless.” Vinyl responded.
“ I’ll show you something shameless.” Twilight proceeded to pin Vinyl and kiss her unabashedly.
A door opened silently and was followed with a “You know that I have a room ready for you two. Right?” 
Twilight immediately ran to the intruder. “Sunshine, Sunshine, Ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake.”
Their movements were similar to a dance that accompanied the spoken words.  Vinyl had never heard anything like that before,and was almost certain that she never wanted to see or hear it ever again. “What was that?!” was Vinyl’s incredulous response.
“That’s just how we greet each other.” Twilight frowned. “Is there a problem?” She smirked.
Vinyl instantly became nervous. “Ummmm.... Uhhhhh…. Nothing at all honey.” She laughed hesitantly.
Cadance grinned as she whispered something to Twilight. To which Twilight whispered something back. “Sooooooo... you must be Vinyl Scratch. It’s so nice to finally meet you.” Cadance finally said as she extended a hoof to Vinyl.
“Uh huh… It’s ummmmm nice to meet you too, I guess.” Vinyl lightly tapped her hoof against Cadance’s.
“Oh. Usually your greetings are a lot more energetic. Oh cool and your eyes really are reddish hue. How, unique.” Cadance said.
“Woah!” Vinyl immediately searched for her shades only to remember that her deal with Twilight stated that she couldn’t wear them on any of the meetings. “How?”
“I well… ummm” Cadance stumbled uncomfortably. “You see I ha- I kn-”
“Where’s Shining?” Twilight interrupted.
Vinyl grumbled as Cadance gave a sigh of relief and answered Twilight. “He’s probably off chasing Flurry around the castle or berating a guard for doing something they’d been told to do but haven't done.”
Twilight giggled. “There’s a good chance he’s doing both.”
“True, those guards are almost like children. I’m sorry for interrupting you earlier. Although I did stop you for a good reason.” Cadance said; her tone was nearly casual but Vinyl detected something more.
Twilight became slightly confused. “What do you mean?”
Vinyl caught on but said nothing as Cadance began to respond. “I can’t have you two going about casually ruining my furniture.” Vinyl and Cadance burst into laughter simultaneously once she had finished.
Twilight just looked more confused. “I don-” And then it hit her. “You two are filthy!”
“Yet you were the one caught in the act.” Cadance said teasingly.
“She did start it.” Vinyl admitted.
Twilight blushed furiously. “Vinyl!”
Cadance laughed and continued. “I’d imagine. I hope she has employed my… techniques properly.”
Twilight was flabbergasted. “Cadance!” She shouted.
Vinyl laughed hard. “Are all princesses this hospitable?” She asked bringing the conversation back down to normal standards.
Cadance couldn’t help herself. “Well I’d hope they are. After all you’re sleeping with one.”
Vinyl stopped dead in her tracks. “Woah…. Woah… woah. Okay that’s pushin’ it.”
Twilight turned to Vinyl. “That’s pushing it! Why is speaking explicitly of the sexual relations between two ponies, and not just hinting at it, considered too far?’.”
“Well that act is private. The rest is just a public performance.” Vinyl said coyly.
“Ugh. You are just… just impossible!” Twilight shouted.
The room was filled with an eerie silence and Vinyl saw that as an opening. “So what is this with you knowing so much about me?”
Cadance chuckled nervously. “Currently there are rumours going around. Someone thinks they saw a changeling on the outskirts of the empire. Although nothing is for sure yet; we have to keep a close eye on everypony who visits the empire.”
Twilight picked up where Cadance left off.“The Guard has put extremely close watch on the royal family. So I had to provide evidence to them that you were very real to get them to just let you in without them proceeding to take you in for questioning for the first few hours you were here.” Twilight said.
“That doesn’t explain how she knows. It would only explain why the guards would know.” Vinyl snorted angrily.
“Wellll...my husband is the captain of the guard. And since I was going to be meeting with you he saw fit to share some of your records with me.”
“What do you mean by some of my records?” Vinyl asked hesitantly.
“College transcripts and even a healthy amount of student counselor records.” Cadance responded simply.
Vinyl’s blood ran cold. “Did you personally read through those… records?”
“Skimmed them mostly but there were about two or three months of information from your freshman year.” Cadance mused.
Vinyl  stood immediately and began to walk to Cadance. “You are not at liberty to share any of that with anypony.”
“Awwwe… but I thought what you went through for her was so cute.” Cadance practically beamed with delight. “Oh young lo-”
“SHUT UP!” Vinyl shouted.
“Vy what is she talking about?” Twilight asked cautiously.
“Huh… I planned on telling this story in a better environment.” Vinyl responded. “And I planned on doing it when I saw fit!” She glared at Cadance.
“Sorry.” Was Cadance’s meek response.
“Well, where to start?” Vinyl thought aloud. “Cadance why don’t you tell and I’ll fill in the holes.”
“What?!” Cadance acted shocked. “It’s your life experience.”
“It’s your fault I have to talk about it.” Vinyl shot back as she moved back to sit with Twilight once again. 
Twilight put a reassuring hoof on Vinyl’s shoulder. “You don’t have too.”
“No. I needed to tell this story anyways.” Vinyl sighed. “Okay. Cadance, start us off won’t you.”
Cadance cleared her throat and began. “Vinyl and Octavia Melody met on their first day of college at Manehattan University.”
Twilight interrupted. “The Octavia Melody. The pony who reinvented classical music. The pony who started the fusion movement.”
Vinyl chuckled. “Who do you think was right by her side? Our glorious revolution was all we wanted it to be.” She gestured to Cadance to continue.
“Vinyl that’s as far as Psych’s records go without getting too personal. Just to note he has your first kiss on record. As well as the first date of assumed actual physical relations only being about a week later.” Cadance spat out.
“Skip right to his accident report to the university’s law enforcement.” Vinyl said simply.
Twilight was confused. “Accident report. I didn’t hear anything about that.”
“You didn’t actually request the files yourself did you?” Vinyl asked.
“No.” Twilight’s ears pinned back. “I had Misty Morn put the request in for me. But only because I didn’t want to leave your side.”
Cadance spoke up. “Anyways, on Octavia’s twenty-first birthday the university law enforcement had a heated run in with Octavia’s mother. This occurred because she attempted to steal records from one of the student psychologists.”
“Twi, she’s almost as good with memorization as you are.” Vinyl quipped.
Twilight grumbled “Are you serious?!” She asked incredulously. “Why?”
“That mare’s got a history that I’ve sworn to share with nopony whatsoever.” Vinyl answered. “Let’s just say her mother didn’t like me.”
“And that’s where the records stopped. Other than a much smaller infraction of you harassing a bouncer nearly six years later in Canterlot.” Cadance said. “What happened to you two? Psych’s records when you graduated said and I quote ‘And they lived happily ever after.’”
Vinyl laughed heartily. “I added that myself. Without his permission of course. But I was so happy that we graduated together that I couldn’t resist. I guess he decided to keep it. As for what happened; it’s pretty simple. Our work got between us.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight inquired.
“We slowly just got better and better after The Revolution. We started renting a place in Canterlot even. But things can’t stay good forever.” Vinyl sighed heavily. “After a while Neon Lights approached me and we began working on an album together which was great because Tavi was doing some solo stuff just then too.”
“I don’t see the problem.” Cadance and Twilight said in unison.
“Neither did I. But soon enough I became too enveloped by my work and I started missing her shows. She always reserved a seat for me but I just stopped being able to swing making them. And I still regret it.” Vinyl finished as tears began to form in her eyes. “My not being able to make shows didn’t really frustrate her until the last time it happened. She was in Canterlot and we had been so excited to see each other for weeks but I didn’t make it.”
“Why not?” Cadance asked sadly.
“I was working with Neon and couldn’t tear myself away from the project and it just didn’t end well. I realized what I’d done wrong to late and charged the club she was performing at. It only ended in failure as the bouncer couldn’t let me in right then.” Vinyl responded. 
At this point Vinyl was crying fully and Twilight took initiative and comforted her. “It’s fine. Have you seen her since?”
Vinyl shook her head. “I packed my stuff the next morning before she got up and made my way back to Manehattan. I got a small studio apartment and continued my music career from there. Though it was a long while between all of that and when I met you it feels now that those events are much closer.”
“I shouldn’t have brought this up. I’m so sorry Vinyl.” Cadance stepped in. 
“You really shouldn’t have. But you did and it’s all fine now.” Vinyl deadpanned.
Twilight leaned over and kissed Vinyl passionately. “I love you. Thank you for sharing that. You really didn’t need to.”
Vinyl pulled away to catch her breath. “Like I said. I was gonna say something to you eventually.”
Cadance smiled. “You two remind me of Shining and I when we were young. Vinyl that leaves me with only one question.”
“And what could that possibly be?” Vinyl asked as she pecked Twilight on the cheek.
“Just when did you decide that you had the hots for my sister?” Shining said as he stepped in. He had a foal lying on his back surrounded by a protective yellow bubble.
Cadance got up and greeted him. “Hey honey. How are you?”
“Frustrated.” He answered curtly.
Cadance pouted but straightened back up nearly instantly. “Well, never mind that. Twilight is here I’d imagine you’re happy to see her.”
Shining smiled as walked over to Twilight and hugged her. “Hey Twily.” He then turned to Vinyl.
“Hello. Shining Armor nice to meet you.” Vinyl said as she extended a hoof.
Shining gave her hoof a polite shake and then made his way to sit next to Cadance. “You must be Vinyl Scratch. Your shows certainly have a history with the Canterlot Guard.”
“Not my fault the fans are passionate.” Vinyl chuckled. “And you must be the pony who always shut down the mosh pits.”
“For liability reasons you should’ve done that yourself but yes before I was Captain that was me.” Shining responded.
“Okay. I’m sensing just a little tension here.” Twilight said.
“I’m just havin’ fun with him. That’s all in the past now.” Vinyl laughed. “So what’ve you gotten yourself up to here recently Captain Buzzkill?”
“Just the usual keeping an entire empire safe. How about you? Throw any destructive parties?” Was Shining’s reply.
“Oh you know finding somepony to keep me on the straight and narrow. Just minus the whole straight part.” Vinyl answered.
Cadance and Twilight watched with baited breath. Neither of them understood what was going on. Vinyl and Shining appeared to be in an intense staring competition after the last comment. The world around them descended into silence. It was Shining who finally broke that silence. “Well.... I approve.”
“Approve or not I already slept with your sister.” Vinyl shot back.
“Touche music mare. Touche.” Shining responded meekly.
Twilight was hopelessly lost. “What?!”
Cadance soon followed. “I have no idea what just happened.” She groaned.
“I approve.” Shining repeated.
“What do you mean by ‘I approve’? Just like that?” Twilight asked.
“She held her own against The Captain of The Royal Guard and because of that I approve.” Shining explained.
“Honey you didn’t really put up much of a fight.” Cadance deadpanned. “You didn’t even really challenge her. You just kind of traded half-assed insults with each other.”
“Hey! Captain Buzzkill was pretty creative.” Twilight defended.
“Twi, we both know it wasn’t.” Vinyl responded.
“That aside. Are you kidding that’s all you needed. No long process of misunderstanding. Just after a brief argument you’re just like ‘Hey, I think this mare’s okay.’” Twilight said in her best Shining Armor impression.
“Look. Do you want me to like her or not?” Shining responded.
“Oh no it’s great that you like her. I just didn’t expect things to go this well.” Twilight said simply.
“Babe, you never expect anything to go well.” Vinyl stated.
“After you’ve gone through half of what I’ve been through, you should understand. But given the data of the past few tests, I should stop being a pessimist and have a brighter outlook on what is next. Ohh I can’t wait to take you to meet my parents.” Twilight squeed. 
“Speaking of which Twily. Can I speak with you in the hallway for a moment?” Shining requested.
Twilight was slightly shocked. “Oh sure BBBFF. What do you want?”
Shining rapidly teleported the two of them into the hallway. “Are you sure you want to take her to Mom and Dad?”
“I’m not seeing the problem.” Twilight frowned.
“She is a she. Shining addressed.
“And?” Twilight asked.
“Do you remem-” Shining stopped. “How long did you stick around after the wedding and into the after party?”
“Your wedding?” Twilight guessed.
“Yes, my wedding.” Shining assured.
“Long enough for Pinkie to set Vinyl up and for me to sing  Love is in Bloom  and then we left.” Twilight explained.
“Okay then you didn’t see what I’m talking about.” Shining took in a deep breath. “Well a young unicorn by the name of Lyra Heartstrings had been under Chrysalis’ control until after we had shown that bug we mean business. During the ‘after party’ another mare approached her and they shared in a loving embrace. Our mother had a few choice words about that event.”
“What words?” Twilight inquired.
“I don’t remember specifics. I just remember she was really uncomfortable.” Shining confessed.
“Shining, I understand it’s a sensitive topic and ponies feel uncomfortable about. But I think once mom will see how happy Vinyl makes me she’ll get it.” Twilight said as she proceeded to walk back to the parlor. “Look we're going to see them next week. Period end of story. Now let's go see what those two have gotten themselves into while we were gone.”