There is one R-rated(ish) scene still present in this chapter. The reason it remains is explained in the author’s notes. —Firesight
It was 10 in the morning and following a long night of lovemaking before Vinyl and Maya reluctantly rousted themselves, Vinyl pointing out that they needed to get up and get moving if they were going to make the fairgrounds by the planned meeting time of noon.
“I really like that you’re so eager, fillyfriend, but we really do gotta get going…” she motioned to the room clock.
“Yeah, you’re right…” Maya said, deflating slightly. “Guess I just don’t want this night to end…”
Vinyl smiled at that. “Me neither, but there’ll be other nights, filly. I’m here until Celly and Sparks go home. Guess I really should get word to Octy of where I am, though…” she mused.
“You can ask Celly or use Nick’s dragonfire candle to send her a message,” Maya reminded her friend. “She’s not gonna be mad that you just up and left to be with me, is she…?”
“Nah. She’s on a concert tour with the Canterlot Philharmonic right now anyway. She wasn’t supposed to be back for a couple weeks,” Vinyl answered as she began pulling on her human clothes.
“Just music? No prosecuting?” Maya asked while she did the same, wondering how the earth pony mare juggled both jobs.
Vinyl chuckled at that. “Octy’s not an everyday prosecutor. She’s so good they only bring her in for real important or difficult cases. She’s in a courtroom maybe once or twice a year. She’s really something else…”
“Better than Nick?” Maya teased as she began dressing, to which Vinyl had to pause and think.
“Put it this way, filly… if they ever got in the same courtroom together, I wouldn’t wanna bet either way!”
“Fair enough,” she granted, then turned thoughtful again. “Wonder what she’d think of being human?”
“Don’t know, but after I tell her how much I enjoyed this? It wouldn’t surprise me if she wanted to try it too!” Vinyl answered. “Octy’s serious and stubborn, and she’d hate me for saying this, but she enjoys the chance to loosen her bow tie once in awhile. And who knows, coming here and spending time as a human might be a way she can. Seriously, Trixie doesn’t know what she’s missing!” she decided, remembering the mare magician’s less-than-favorable response to learning Twilight took human form to be with Phoenix.
Maya’s expression went sour at the showmare’s mention, a fact not lost on Vinyl as she slipped on her top. “Still don’t like her, do you?”
“Oh, you think?” Maya rolled her eyes as she pulled her kimono back on. “She’s the most obnoxious, insulting and outright infuriating mare I’ve ever met! She rubs me the wrong way like you wouldn’t believe. I really don’t get what Pearly sees in her!” Okay, actually, I do… she admitted with her thoughts, remembering her cousin’s favorite movie.
“Eh, Trixie’s not so bad. She’s got an ego and an attitude to be sure, but she can walk the walk both in the courtroom and on a stage. She did real well in that dream trial, and take it from me—she’s real fun when she’s drunk!” the pony DJ recalled with a wistful smile.
“Yeah, well, you can say she’s okay, V-Jay,” Maya retained her sour look as she pulled on her kimono. “All I know is that whenever I see her, I get this urge to drop a railcar on her head.”
“A railcar?” Vinyl blinked, giving her friend a look as the finished dressing, pulling her t-shirt on over her blue-maned head. “That’s oddly specific.”
“Maybe, but it’s…” she started to reply but then her head abruptly snapped up. “Wha? Sis?” she suddenly called out, looking around.
“Sis? You mean… Mia?” Vinyl felt a sudden surge of apprehension.
“I can sense her. She’s… she’s here! She wants me to channel her. It’s okay, Vinyl, I don’t think she’s mad…” she quickly reassured her instantly anxious friend. “She just… wants to talk…”
Vinyl did her best to suppress a sudden urge to swallow, remembering how utterly intimidating Mia Fey had been when facing down The Nightmare… or Vinyl herself, as she’d done the previous day. “Well… best not keep her waiting, then…” she gave a slightly nervous grin. “Bring her on, and let’s hear what she has to say!”
Her reaction was not lost on Maya, who put a reassuring hand on her friend’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay, V-Jay. If she was watching, she has to know how much I enjoyed being with you…” she promised as she stood up from the bed and grasped the Magatama that lay around her neck. Its glow brightened as she drew on its mystic power reserves, causing her body to quickly take a new form…
Within seconds, where Maya Fey once stood was a much larger, older and decidedly more mature-looking Mia Fey, who instantly crossed her arms and stared down at Vinyl from a head above her, a stern look on her face even though there was a decided twinkle in her eyes as well. Despite that, Vinyl Scratch couldn’t quite suppress a cringe, hoping Maya was right about her not being mad as the powerful spirit of her passed sister loomed large over her.
“Uh… hey there Mia. Maya said you wanted to talk, so… what can I do you for, sister?” she summoned her nerve and offered a wan grin.
Mia didn’t reply right away, holding her glare for several long and uncomfortable seconds until the corners of her mouth abruptly crooked upwards. “Sorry, Miss Scratch, I couldn’t resist. Let me put your fears to rest here and now by saying I couldn’t be more happy to see you together, and I thank you for making sure you waited until Maya was fully ready and the time was right. You made her happy and made her true first time memorable, and in the end, I could ask for no more than that,” she brought her palms together and gave Vinyl a short Kurain-style bow. “As you have shown nothing but the utmost love and respect for her, you are more than welcome to be with Maya going forward; I only ask that you restrain her more… problematic impulses until such time as she has fully figured out her boundaries.”
“Count on it, sister. I won’t be here all the time, but when I am I’ll treat her right and keep her grounded as much as I can,” Vinyl answered in some relief.
“Thank you. In the meantime, I did not come here just to tell you that. If you would please pass Maya a message, I would like her—and you!—to help arrange something for me,” she said, going to the nightstand to grab the pad and pen sitting there, using them to write out a quick note.
Vinyl cocked her head curiously in a gesture that was shared by both humans and ponies alike. “Arrange something?” she repeated. “What?”
In response, Mia gave a coy grin that was the equal of anything Celestia could offer as she completed her missive, passing it to Vinyl. “I’ll elaborate more when Pearly can channel me later today in Maya’s presence, but for now… let’s just say that I’ve learned some rather interesting things from the time I spent in the Summerlands, and if both you and my sister are willing, I’d like to put that information to good use…”
One of the advantages of the beachfront villa Twilight and Phoenix were staying at was having plenty of good things in walking distance, including the pier-built fairgrounds they’d been admiring from afar for days.
After an eventful morning and a mirror talk with Twilight’s friends, who took great pleasure in teasing Phoenix and Twilight over what Pinkie had picked up of their activities the previous night, they left the Villa and simply walked down the beach until they arrived at Pacific Park, Santa Monica’s longtime oceanside amusement park. They reached the front gates to find that Maya and Vinyl had arrived first, Phoenix guessing instantly what had happened between them from their held hands to the obvious glow they both had, blushing slightly for it as Maya gave him a heartfelt hug that lingered a second too long. Pearly arrived next, running all the way from the bus stop—“No, we don’t worry about her traveling alone, because she’s insanely strong for her size and got a wicked right that could floor anyone!” Phoenix said in response to Twilight’s query—then all but leapt into Twilight’s arms to give her a huge hug, asking if she was taking good care of “Mister Nick”.
“I am, promise!” she assured the young girl, just glad she didn’t have to hide her affections for Phoenix around Pearl any longer.
Celestia, Ferro and Cypreus appeared next, the former pair looking quite content as they introduced the latter, who Twilight couldn’t help but take an instant liking to, finding herself nearly as adorable as Pearly. She made fast friends with Ferro Stabile’s daughter, both girls delighted to meet someone their own age as they headed as a group into the hustle and bustle of the fairgrounds.
Being Saturday and the inland weather being quite warm, it was packed, but that scarcely mattered to Pearl, who loved people and activity after her previous mother-enforced isolation at Kurian village—to say nothing of getting to gorge on junk food like cotton candy, roasted nuts, and funnel cakes.
With the entire afternoon to work with, they alternated their activities between rides, games, and food carts, Celestia introducing Twilight to the challenge of Skee-ball—“You might say I’m something of a fanatic. You mustn’t use magic, or it’s cheating, my student!” she admonished as her practiced roll won a slew of tickets which she used to get a new stuffed animal for Cypreus—while Maya introduced Vinyl to video games, taking her into the arcade where she proved herself a master of all sorts of fighting, racing and shooting games.
Me, I never progressed past Pac-Man… Phoenix thought as she watched Maya play, working up a surprising sweat on the dancing games and even enticing Vinyl to try. Given her affinity for music, the unicorn mare DJ did surprisingly well for her first time despite her human form—“seriously, this’d be a lot easier on all fours!”—Maya picking out songs she knew her pony friend would like.
For her part, Twilight was startled and somewhat perturbed by the violent theme of certain games, but quickly discovered the simple joys of an older Tetris box, going head to head with Phoenix and beating him handily once she had figured out the rules and controls. She quickly took to some of the pinball games as well, though Phoenix caught her using very quick flares of magic to redirect the balls at times to score extra points and bonuses.
“I’ll tell the Princess on you, Twilight!” Phoenix mock scolded her, to which she only grinned on her way to the high score… only losing a ball when the machine went tilt from another magical nudge, to which they both looked up and saw Celestia giving them a wink.
Working further down the pier, they stopped next at an attraction that wasn’t Phoenix’s favorite—the bumper cars, and not just because he didn’t drive. It was because Maya loved them a little too much, and she and Vinyl quickly teamed up to try to hunt him and Twilight down. It was to some minor embarrassment that Twilight seemed to master the controls more quickly than he did, and scored at least one solid hit on the princess, who laughed and promised her ‘appropriate punishment’ later but otherwise took it all in stride, spending the bulk of her time with Ferro and the two younger girls.
Roller coasters and other rides were next; Maya found them ‘WAY too tame!’ but they were perfect for Pearl and Cypreus, who squealed with joy as they hit each one in turn. At Maya’s insistence, Phoenix got dragged onto the largest roller coaster even though Twilight initially wouldn’t let him on until she’d had a chance ‘to study the forces involved’ and was convinced it was safe. Finally, she was, but she insisted on joining him, riding up front with Maya so she could ‘save them if anything went wrong’, leaving Phoenix a seat behind with Vinyl.
Nothing did… except for Vinyl giving Phoenix a wink and then turning her mating aura on Maya on the way up the initial hill, causing her to squirm and squeal while a smirking Celestia did the same to an equally startled Twilight from below, telling her with a telepathy spell that “the penalty for assaulting a princess is severe, my student!”, leaving them flushed in the face and unbearably excited as they reached the top and began the initial plunge.
“Vinyl!” Phoenix initially protested.
“Sorry, Phoenix. Celly’s orders!” Vinyl explained as the combination of the mating magic and roller-coaster driven stimulation drove them both to climax in the middle of the ride as even Phoenix couldn’t help but laugh at the sight and sounds of their mutual pleasure, lost in the screams of the other riders.
When the ride was done and Twilight and Maya stumbled off, still flushed and holding onto each other heavily, they both stared at the Sun Princess. “Enjoy the ride, my student and Miss Maya?” Celestia asked in perfect innocence and a wink while she held Ferro’s hand, who likewise wore a smirk.
“We’ll get you both for this…” Maya swore as a momentarily speechless Twilight stumbled over to Phoenix, her eyes never leaving Celestia’s, something stunned yet strangely lascivious in them.
“Promises, promises…” Vinyl teased even as she helped an overheated Maya to a nearby bench, letting her sit in the sea breeze while quickly getting her a cool drink. “Now what say we hit that Mare-is wheel, finally…?”
After they had left, a nearby couple stared after them. “What’s up with them?” the boyfriend asked, but his girlfriend could only shake her head.
“No clue. And what’s a Mare-is wheel…?”
* * * * *
Once the girls had recovered, They got on three different cars, Celestia and Ferro along with Cypreus in the first, Twilight and Phoenix in the second, and Vinyl, Maya and Pearl in the third. The ride went delightfully slowly this time, stopping to load and unload everyone before going into a slow spin, taking them high over the pier and giving them spectacular views of the park and the Pacific Ocean.
Finally alone with Pearly, and still somewhat unsettled after her intense and unexpected climax, Maya fulfilled her sister’s request and asked Pearl to channel Mia. “Anything for you, Mystic Maya!” she quickly said, and did so, the cart suddenly sinking a little more to that side from the abrupt addition of extra weight.
“Hello, Maya,” Mia Fey called with a warm smile, quickly sharing a hug with her younger sister. “I must say, you seemed to be enjoying yourself a little too much there…” she winked.
“With a little help!” Maya gave Vinyl a halfhearted glare.
The pony DJ threw up her hands in a gesture she’d picked up quickly. “Hey, don’t be mad at me, filly. I was just doing what the Princess told me to! Remember, I’m a pony; I can’t disobey her!” she grinned impishly, not sounding sorry in the least.
In truth, Maya wasn’t upset either, but one of her ironclad rules of life was that if you were the victim of a joke, you always retaliated. “Yeah, well, I’d like to get back at her now! Don’t suppose you got any suggestions for pranking a princess, sis…?” she turned back to Mia, whose grin turned sly.
“Actually, I might…” Mia closed her eyes and grinned. “But it will take some effort to arrange. So if you two are willing…” she proceeded to outline her request, one that took most of the ride to explain but was enough to make them both blush.
“Whoa…” was all Vinyl could immediately say when Mia was finished.
“Sis? Are you serious?” Maya asked, initially shocked but liking the idea the more she thought about it. “I mean, this hardly seems all that angelic…”
“Not in the classic sense, perhaps. But as I seek to both punish the guilty and reward the worthy, I think the heavens will approve,” she replied, her sly grin growing. “But only if you’re comfortable with it, Maya. For what I’m asking, you should not feel you have to do this for me…” she quickly added, patting her younger sister’s hand.
Maya responded immediately and in way she wouldn’t have dreamed of just a few short days earlier. “Oh, don’t you worry about that, sis! After how much the princess did for me and after what she pulled out there just now? You bet I’m okay with it!” she grinned, rubbing her hands together eagerly. “Just sorry I won’t be able to see it…”
A hand on her shoulder stilled her. “Easy there, filly. Honored though I am, I gotta ask… what about Ferro?” he pointed out.
“I already spoke to him. With Luna’s help, I was able to approach him in a dream,” Mia replied. “He gave his blessing on one condition I will keep private, and will even do what he can to clear the decks when the time comes.”
“Guess we’re free and clear then! Don’t worry, filly, I’ll give you all the juicy details after. You can count on me, Mia! And hay, after what the Princess did out there, bet Sparks might be willing to help, too…?”
Mia chuckled. “If she is, so much the better. Since I think you both know what to do, I’ll take my leave for now. If for whatever reason you change your mind, Maya, just channel me and either leave me a note or have Vinyl tell me. I won’t be upset. And if you decide to go through with it…?” she grinned again. “Then I trust you two to have everything ready.”
“Oh, we will! Might take a bit of shopping first…” Maya glanced at her unicorn marefriend.
“Hey, we got plenty of money, remember?” Vinyl brought out the cash that the Princess had given them, holding it in a cheap blue Velcro wallet she’d bought earlier. “All Celly told us was not to spend it all in one place!”
“You’re right!” Maya grinned evilly. “So it’s settled, sis! We’ll go shopping tomorrow, and have it all ready for you by evening…”
The afternoon passed quickly, even though they took their time at each individual place, trying to get to everything the park offered before evening. But soon the sun was going down, and it was time to head out for their next activity, Celestia hiring another limousine to transport them to the Hollywood Bowl where Delta’s coming concert would be held.
As the group approached the outdoor amphitheatre and were led to their VIP box seats, they saw a frazzled-looking Five Stars pacing in front of the entrance to the venue, talking on her smartphone. “No, no, it’s okay, Byte, you stay with your wife, I’ll think of something… Okay, bye.” She hung up and blew out a breath, running a hand through her green hair.
“Hey, Five Stars! Is something wrong?” Maya asked as they came forward, Phoenix and Twilight looking curiously on.
Five Stars looked up in surprise, her eyes finding and lingering on Phoenix for a moment even as she bowed to the Princess. “Oh! You’re all here!” Glancing at her smartphone, she sighed. “I’m afraid something is indeed wrong, Miss Maya, but at this point, it’s not something I can really do much about. Our sound tech had to rush back to Equestria; one of his mares just went into labor.”
“And, lemme guess, you don’t have any backups?” Vinyl asked with the air of it having happened to her at various points in the past.
“You called it. We didn’t think we’d need one, since this was going to be a one-off performance before Delta heads back herself,” the green-haired manager explained. “Now it’s biting us in the flank. I call him a sound tech, but Sound Byte is, in effect, Delta’s entire band. Given the need for discretion, she doesn’t want to employ human musicians who’ll wonder where she goes whenever she’s not touring. But there’s not a lot of ponies willing to travel to another world in an unfamiliar body just to play their instruments. Sound Byte came along because he wanted a change of pace, and he didn’t really mind the change, since as an Earth Pony he can use his sound gear more easily as a human than a pony.”
Maya nodded. “That’s right. ‘Arianne’ never has a full band with her; just a guy on stage who runs a big set of synth equipment.”
“And lacking them, she’s going to have use recorded music, which she hates,” Five Stars noted in turn.
“Synth equipment, eh?” Vinyl mused, grinning. Flipping out her magenta sunglasses, she slipped them on. “Then it’s a good thing you invited me, eh?”
Five Stars blinked, looking suddenly hopeful but wary. ”You can do it? I thought you were mainly a disc jockey!”
“I am, but take it from me, there ain’t much difference between using synth equipment and being a DJ,” Vinyl replied easily. “I’ve done both. I may prefer the sound and feel of scratching records, but I can use a synth setup, no problem.”
Maya grinned, pulling out her own shades, ones she’d initially received as a parting present from Vinyl in Equestria. “And since I mix my own music, I can show her how to use them effectively as a human. Two backups for the price of one. You can’t beat that, Five Stars,” she said, exchanging a high five with Vinyl.
Five Stars looked thoughtful as she considered their offer, then tapped her smartphone a few times with a finger before holding it to her ear. “Hello, Delta, it’s me. The Princess and the rest are here… Yeah, they heard about what happened with Byte. Vinyl actually asked if she could help out, and Maya volunteered, too… you sure? Alright, thanks.” Hanging up, she looked relieved. “Well, Delta seems to think it’s a good idea. Follow me, and I’ll show you the setup. With your permission, Princess?” she gave Celestia another bow before receiving a nod and smile. Glancing at the rest of the group, she added, “Your seats are near the front, but not quite in the mosh pit section. Oh, and… good to meet you again, Mister Wright,” she addressed Phoenix directly, giving him a wink as she turned away.
As she led the two girls away, Phoenix looked at Twilight and Celestia, feeling oddly perturbed. “Forgive me for asking, but… who exactly was that?”
“I don’t know her, except that I sometimes see her around Lady Requiem,” Twilight shrugged. “Actually, I think she was there in the library with her when I sent you and everyone else home from Equestria?”
Phoenix thought back to their departure, and remembered there had indeed been a green-maned mare there with Delta… one who gave him a look he wasn’t exactly comfortable with. “I think I remember her. Does she… come here often?” he asked, uncertain why he was feeling the strangest sense of deja vu at the sight of her.
“Her name is Five Stars. She’s Delta’s business manager and agent for her concert tours,” the princess explained. “She’s an excellent businessmare, and she’s nearly as good an organizer as you, my student. She accompanies Delta on all her concert tours, whether that’s in Equestria or on Earth giving a performance as ‘Arriane Reichmuth’.” Celestia grinned mischievously, then couldn’t resist a tease. “She’s been coming here regularly for a couple years now. And in that span of time, she’s grown quite fond of human men.”
The sense of deja vu got stronger. “And… dare I ask why…?” Phoenix had to know, unconsciously holding Twilight a little closer.
Celestia’s smile faded. “She had some… bad experiences that soured her on stallions and traditional herds. So when she first came here, and discovered men… she felt something she hadn’t felt in a while. Just ask the British writer she bedded,” she chuckled, and then, noticing the human lawyer’s discomfort, she smirked. “Be at ease, Phoenix Wright. While she, much like me, enjoys the company of men, she is not the type to poach those who are already spoken for. She clearly likes you, but be assured that although she may tease, she won’t touch.”
That made Phoenix and Twilight relax, as the group entered the theatre grounds. As they found their box seats, they noticed that the amphitheatre was already mostly full. “Delta’s human guise must be popular,” Phoenix noted.
“She is. As a mare or woman, her songs can truly touch the heart,” Celestia said idly. “Her spellsinging power is quite potent, even here… as I believe you will shortly see.”
As if on cue, the lights in the area began to dim at that moment. Movement could be seen on the stage, though it was impossible to see exactly what was going on. When the music started suddenly, it caught Phoenix off-guard, especially since none of the lights had come back on. A spotlight then lit up, falling on Delta, who was wearing an elegant gown of the same color as her fur in pony form. She began to sing as the intro ended, launching into ‘The Power of Love’, the same song she had sung at the diner with Celestia, Vinyl, and Maya.
At the song’s end, everyone cheered as Delta bowed and smiled to the audience. “Hello, City of Lost Angels!” she called out. “I’m only here for a brief time, so we need to make the most of things, wouldn’t you agree?” A deafening roar answered her. “Sounds good to me, so… let’s just live!”
As the cheers spiked, the next song began, a hard rock guitar, drums, and bass sounding out, having a scarce few seconds before Delta began singing again. While the music was upbeat, the lyrics were somewhat somber, reminding the crowd that life wasn’t a fairy tale, that tragedy could strike without warning. But through all the downs of life, the song reminded the crowd to not get bogged down in their troubles, to let time mend their hearts and keep moving forward.
Partway through, much of the music cut out, as a very somber verse was sung. It was definitely a change from the very upbeat ‘Power of Love’ or even the earlier segment of the song. Yet again, despite the slow, sad pace, the song’s message remained; keep going forward. Finally, as the music picked up once again, Delta belted out the final chorus, which had different lyrics:
LET’S JUST LIVE!
Just one day, let’s forget about our problems
Let’s fall in love with life and just be free!
The sun will never fade
The night won’t steal our day
Let’s dance and laugh and love and
LET’S JUST LIVE!!!
The crowd roared in approval, as Phoenix and his friends all cheered and applauded. It was one of the most powerful songs Phoenix had ever heard, and he decided it fit part of his life. He’d had a lot of low points in his life, particularly his trial, and the death of Mia. Yet he’d never truly given up. He’d come close, but he’d always found a way to press on. He decided that, if he ever got tired of the Steel Samurai theme, this song would make an excellent ringtone.
The concert continued. Many of Delta’s songs were about love, loss, and pressing on, though something odd was happening as well. With each new song, Vinyl got more and more into it, until suddenly her horn ignited brightly and she magically took control of all the lights and equipment, the sound becoming far more pure and light show more spectacular for it.
“Twilight? What’s going on?” Phoenix asked her as Delta gave her and Maya a glance and grinned, feeding off their combined energy and enthusiasm as well as that of the crowd, who didn’t know what was happening but could certainly appreciate the show.
“Her magic…” Twilight realized in surprise and excitement. “She could barely use it as a human before, but now she’s at full strength!”
“But how could that be…?” Celestia was just as surprised as her student, having never seen this effect before, watching as Vinyl played all the synth equipment like a maestro, sensing her magic flowing through the electronics themselves, enhancing and improving them.
“I think I know!” Twilight answered in excitement. “Magic flows from Harmony, and for a pony to be in Harmony, they have to act in accordance with themselves and their special talent—which for her, is music! By doing what she loves and is best at, she gets her magic back! Princess! Do you know what this means?”
Celestia understood the implications as well. “It means all unicorns or ponies, in general, could use their magic here, even as humans, as long as they were doing what they loved and acting in concert with their cutie marks!” the Sun Princess realized immediately. “Not just the most powerful of mages like us…”
“But… then how can that apply to you, Twilight?” Phoenix asked. “I mean, you don’t have a specific talent like singing or DJ’ing…”
“But it does apply to me! In my case, my special talent is magic, so…” she let him follow the evidence to reach his own conclusion.
“So in your case, you get more magic by simply using magic…” Phoenix paraphrased. “Wow…”
“I believe we will have to investigate this more upon our return, my student!” Celestia noted, to which Twilight could only nod eagerly, already planning a foray for information into the Canterlot Archives.
As the concert neared its end, however, the Sun Princess suddenly stood up. “Celly? What’s wrong?” asked Ferro, surprised.
“Even a Princess must occasionally use the little filly’s room. As humans say, when you gotta go, you gotta go,” Celestia replied, giving him a kiss. “Don’t worry, darling, I’ll be back.” With that, she carefully made her way out of the seats, and seemingly vanished into the crowd.
“Huh. Hope she hurries up, the next song’s the last one, according to the pamphlet,” Phoenix noted.
As the current song wound down, the group was nervous that Celestia wouldn’t make it in time. Up on stage, Delta bowed to the crowd. “Thank you, Los Angeles! I’ve had a blast here, and I hope you’ve all enjoyed yourselves, too!” The resounding cheers made her smile. “But, alas, all good things must come to an end, and so too must this concert. This final song is… an unusual one by my standards, and one I wouldn’t normally sing. That’s why I’m not going to,” she added cryptically. As the crowd murmured in confusion, she continued. “This song is an old one from a distant land, dating back to a time of war and strife. For those who suffer through such things and ask why they must… this song provides a few answers.”
With that, she, Maya, and Vinyl began a haunting chorus, pitched lower than the earlier upbeat songs of the concert. It was a mournful tune, a far cry from Delta’s other songs. As the chorus ended and some strings joined in, Delta spoke up. “Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to welcome a special guest: Princess Celeste Alva of Equios!”
“Wait, what?!” blurted Phoenix quietly. The others of the group looked no less pole-axed.
Sure enough, walking onto the stage was the unmistakable figure of Celestia’s human guise. She’d changed from the casual attire she’d been in earlier into a beautiful flowing gown of white, her hair not blonde but in its usual flowing multi-colored locks. As she took center stage to uncertain murmurs, Twilight and Ferro just as surprised as Phoenix was that she was revealing her true colors, Delta passed her the microphone, falling back to be near Maya and Vinyl as the music started and Celestia began to sing:
To all of my children in whom life flows abundant
To all of my children to whom death hath passed His judgment
The soul yearns for honor, and the flesh the hereafter
Look to those who walked before to lead those who walk after
As the song went on, the lyrics and the music grew more and more powerful, Celestia proving that she didn’t just have the body of a goddess, but the voice of an angel. The more she sang, the more the audience got into it, starting to sing the choruses even though they didn’t initially know the words, watching as images of dragons and destruction were projected by lasers through smoke and screens.
It was touching. It was incredibly moving. It was felt to Phoenix and all present as a tug on his very heart, a callback to an earlier time that involved a titanic struggle. He had no idea what it was, he just knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that it had happened, that for the emotion Celestia was displaying that she had been there, that many had fallen in battle—and worse, had fallen for her. Her sorrow was real; he could just see the glistening in her eyes, but could also hear the pride in her voice at how her nation and her beloved ponies had risen up in their own defense.
He held Twilight tightly all through it, listening as by the end they were both singing along with everyone else. And when the song ended, the applause was raucous, even Vinyl and Maya rising to offer their acclaim as Delta gave Celestia a heartfelt hug.
It was another hour before Maya and Vinyl returned from backstage, the princess following shortly after giving an impromptu interview to a music magazine, having changed back into her day clothes and reverted her hair to blonde to make her less recognizable.
“Quite a day, huh?” Maya offered, holding Vinyl’s hand again as they reappeared.
“That it was. And you both were something else!” Phoenix offered them the well-earned compliment. “So was Lady Requiem, for that matter!”
“She was, but she wasn’t the only one! That show you put on was amazing, Vinyl! And Princess… I had no idea you could sing!” Twilight gushed, still awestruck as her mentor went to Ferro and kissed him.
“Mare of many talents, my student. And it gratifies me greatly to know that Harmony can even find us here,” she said. “A truly special night, and one I was very happy to spend with all of you.”
“The feeling is mutual, Princess…” Phoenix told her, and meant it, having thoroughly enjoyed the concert and getting to share it all with Twilight and all his friends. So, guess we’ll all meet up again for dinner tomorrow?” he suggested.
“Actually, Nick, V-Jay and I were thinking…” Maya began with a glance at Vinyl, who grinned. “Since tomorrow’s the last full day before everyone goes home… why don’t we all meet up at the Villa and make a grand party out of it? There’s lots of room there and plenty of stuff to do! We could have a cookout, use the beach, cool off in the pool, soak in the hot tub…”
“Uh…” Phoenix exchanged a quick look with Twilight, who nodded and smiled. “Sure, but… do you and Vinyl even have a swimsuit, Maya?” he had to ask.
“Does Sparkle? I’ll buy one for me and V-Jay with the leftover money the Princess gave us!” she answered, hoping she didn’t sound too eager for a yes answer. “So what do you say, Princess?”
“A tempting offer, Miss Maya,” Celestia gave the response Maya hoped. “An informal beach party instead of stuffy afternoon tea with nobles at Canterlot Castle? I would like nothing better. And as it happens, I do have a swimsuit,” she announced, causing Maya to go giddy.
“Hey, if Sunshine’s in, I’m in,” Ferro said evenly, winking at Maya and Vinyl before kneeling down before the two young girls, putting a hand on their shoulders. “So how about it, Cyprey? Pearly? Do you two want to go to the beach tomorrow? If you want, Pearly, you can even stay the night and have a sleepover with Cyprey!”
”Yay!” They both said in unison, their antics reminding Twilight more and more of the Cutie Mark Crusaders Pearly was an honorary member of.
“Sounds like it’s settled, Nick!” Maya put on her smug look.
“Sounds like we’ve been volunteered…” Phoenix rejoined with a chuckle, rubbing a hand behind his head. Guess I’ll have to go get Twilight a swimsuit too… he thought, liking the idea of seeing her in a two-piece. “Oh, but there is one thing…” he belatedly remembered, and quickly explained that he’d checked his voicemail before the concert and returned a message from Edgeworth asking if he could come over the following afternoon to meet the princess and give Twilight her promised rematch in chess.
Maya’s eyes lit up at the news, despite the complication their prosecutor friend’s presence could present. “Oh, Edgey-poo’s gonna be there too? Cool!” Knowing him, I doubt he’ll stick around that long. He should be gone by the time sis shows…
Unaware of Maya’s thoughts, Celestia smiled. “You may inform Miles Edgeworth I would be more than happy to receive him and answer any questions he may have. But a chess match, my student?” The Sun Princess turned to Twilight and gave her an arched eyebrow.
Twilight nodded ruefully. “He’s really good, Princess. He beat me easily the one time we played!”
“Truly?” Celestia’s smile got broader as they headed for their waiting limousine. “How interesting. I might wish a match with him myself, then…”
* * * * *
With the hour approaching midnight and most of the group exhausted by the long day, they said their goodbyes with a promise to meet back up at the Villa at 2 pm the next day. Phoenix was already thinking about what they could cook to satisfy all tastes as he and Twilight walked back down the beach towards the Villa, hand in hand. He wondered at one point if he was just imagining hearing a faint buzzing noise overhead over the sound of the surf but otherwise paid it no mind.
With Maya and Ferro’s permission, Pearls went back with Ferro and Celestia to have a sleepover with her new friend Cypreus, having thoroughly enjoyed the day’s activities but starting to nod off for it.
“See you tomorrow!” Maya and Vinyl waved goodbye to them before Maya pulled up an app that summoned them a car to take them back to the Gatewater. Upon arriving, they went upstairs and collapsed on the made bed, too tired to do much else. “I’m beat, V-Jay…” Maya announced. “But it’s a good beat. Never mind the park and getting to talk with sis, getting to handle the sound equipment for Lady Requiem was a lot of fun… and that last song was something else!”
“You said it, filly…” Vinyl replied, reaching over to hold Maya’s hand. “I was so happy to get all my magic back there, but… think I may have overdone it. Feels like I’ve got a touch of magical exhaustion now,” she sensed, feeling weak and somewhat lightheaded after her energy expenditures at the concert. “I’d love to be frisky, but at this point, I need sleep ‘fore I do anything else, sorry…”
“No problem,” Maya said evenly, rolling over to give her friend a kiss. “I’m ready for bed too. I’m just happy we got to spend today together, even if you and Celly did pull that little stunt on the roller-coaster earlier…” she mildly groused.
“And are you mad we did?” Vinyl asked in an impish tone as they tossed off their clothes and climbed up the bed to get under the covers.
Maya’s initial reply was another kiss. “It was fun, but… I’m still gonna get her back for that!” she promised. “Gonna feel almost guilty for it after the way Celly sang, though…”
“I know what you mean! But don’t worry. In the end, I don’t think she’s gonna mind! Well then, we better get some sleep, filly…” Vinyl grinned as she reached down to pull the covers up over them both, snuggling up close with her human marefriend. “’Cause considering what your sis says she has planned for tomorrow, we both better be rested and ready…!”