//------------------------------// // Track 3: I Owe You a Love Song (3:44) // Story: Seven Ponies, Seven Trials, Seven Loves // by Lieutenant Bubbles //------------------------------// Part 3 & 4 Track 3: I Owe You a Love Song (3:44) AN: Please remember the titles have nothing to do with the chapters here!!! It’s all a coincidence. I swear!!!! Music by JackleApp used with permissions. I do not own Shiny Toy Guns, the rights to their intellectual property, or their music or song titles. ****************************************************** Bass and Rainbow Dash sat at a table in the middle of Sugarcube Corner, a rather large dish of ice cream piled in front of each of them. Pinkie was very happy about these towering ice creams, as it took her only a few minutes to make. Bass and Rainbow had asked her to be a judge for this contest, and she was more than happy to do so. “3. 2. 1. GO!” The pink mare shouted. Rainbow and Bass grabbed their spoons and started eating as fast as they could. Pinkie got so excited and the ice cream looked so good that she just had to make herself one of those monstrous bowls of ice cream. She made hers ridiculously fast, and ate it all in one bite. Bass and Rainbow, both now experiencing the effects of advanced brain freeze, stopped eating to stare at the pink mare who was sitting happily on her stool. “I…I… I’ve never….” Bass began “Yeah…” Dash chimed in. She and Bass looked at each other, and each knew what the other was thinking without speaking. “You win!” They said together to Pinkie, the three of them breaking out into laughter. Pinkie stopped laughing suddenly, and fell to the floor clutching her head. “C...C…C…COLD!!!!” She yelled from her place on the floor. Rainbow and Bass laughed even harder at that, something that the Pink pony found oddly comforting, and right, even though it felt like the entire right side of her head was about to explode. A little while after that, Bass and Rainbow had left the shop, and were walking aimlessly through the streets, talking about the Wonderbolts. Rainbow was both impressed and jealous that Bass was on nickname terms with the team’s captain, Spitfire, and Soarin, another member of the world famous team. Bass was even more impressed that Rainbow had saved the lives of the entire team. He’d heard about that incident, but had never learned who’d been the pony to do so. They chatted a little while longer before agreeing to meet again the next day at the same place where they had met. Bass walked off, happily thinking about getting to know this Cyan mare better, while Rainbow flew home, dreaming of the competitions yet to come…. *************************************************************** Treble had run through most of the streets of Ponyville, and even tried to fly over the town twice and hadn’t yet seen Ditzy. He felt so horrible for the way that unicorn had treated Ditzy. He wanted to make it up to her. He really had been enjoying her company, and everything had been going so well. He hadn’t actually had anypony to talk to in quite some time, and Ditzy was the first pony that he’d been able to talk to in a very long time. It was incredibly easy for him to open up to her, and the fact that she was adorably cute didn’t hurt either. He wasn’t the type to just go for the first mare that talked to him, like his brother, but spent his time getting to know ponies. That was probably why he’d been alone for so long. He wanted desperately to find Ditzy, to tell her that the unicorn was wrong. He wanted to tell her that he’d enjoyed her company, and had already made up his mind to ask her out again. Not on a date, but just to hang out, like friends. Treble realized that he had no idea why she’d run off like that, but he hoped to one day find out. Maybe it was because of the mention of her daughter. He didn’t think that she was the kind of pony who’d leave her child alone while she went out, so maybe it was that she didn’t want to talk about her either. In all the talking they’d done about their families, she’d never once mentioned that she had a daughter. Perhaps that was the root of all of this. It could also maybe have been that nickname the unicorn used. What was it? Right, Derpy Hooves. The name itself was scathing and rude. That could have upset her. She seemed to have some trouble with her eyes sometimes, perhaps she was still being ridiculed about that, and she was sensitive because of it. He knew what it was like. Treble started rubbing at his left wing unconsciously as he sat on a bench in the park. He had no idea where Ditzy lived, had managed to get himself lost in town on his second day here, probably ousted himself from the higher social circles of Ponyville, and was facing the breakup of the band in two days. With the exception of the social circle thing, life was not going too well for him. The reality of the situation started to set in, and he started to tear up. He was leaving behind the world he’d known to move to a small town where everyone knew him, and he knew no one. He would have no job, nothing to do, and Nopony to spend his time with except his brother. The only pony he’d really connected to in town had been run off by some asinine unicorn that seemed to think she was better than she was, and he had no idea how to get in contact with her. The tears started to slip down his face. The more he thought about the situation the more he cried, until it was late at night, with Nopony around, and he curled up on the bench and fell asleep. ************************************** Two days had passed since the Disastrous evening at La Poney Fantaisie, and Ditzy was still wondering if she’d done the right thing in running away. Yesterday had been the first official day of autumn, and while she’d had a wonderful time with her daughter, running through the parks and enjoying the change of colors, she couldn’t help but wonder if running away like she had done was the right thing to do. She sat and stared at the tickets that lay on the table in front of her. They were VIP tickets for a private box in the Ponyville Theater for the concert tonight. She wanted to go, but she was worried about seeing Treble again. What he must think about her for the way she reacted to that silly unicorn. She’d been teased enough throughout her life. First for her eyes, then because of Dinky and it was something she’d learned to deal with. She just didn’t expect it to happen there, especially not when she was talking to the very pony that she’d secretly harbored a crush on for years. It wasn’t uncommon to have a crush on a celebrity, but what was unusual was for that very same pony to come and invite you out to eat the very same day that you first talk. Ditzy had been in heaven for the entire meal, even though she worried about accidentally acting like a ridiculous fan girl in front of Treble. She’d read so much more about his brother, and so little had actually been printed about him that he was a mystery, and one that she wanted to unravel. She thought it through for a while and finally decided that she should go to the concert, and in a very short time, she and Dinky were on their way to the Theater. ***************************************************** Across town, Twilight and the gang were also on their way to the theater, accompanied by Silver, Lieutenant Bubbles, and Princess Luna. Rainbow Dash had been telling them all the stories about the various competitions that she and Bass had been through in the past few days, and while she could tell that not all of them believed it, they were at least listening. Well, most of them were anyways. Silver and Lieutenant Bubbles were engaged in a conversation about military technology, and Silver’s newfound love of crafting things. She normally would have expected Twilight to be a part of that conversation, but her favorite egghead was listening to her instead. They were all very excited about the concert, and gradually their conversation turned to the band and what songs they thought would be playing. It wasn’t long before they arrived at the theater, and were quickly ushered off to two private boxes in the theater, both rather close to the stage. Pinkie was there before anypony else, which was odd since she’d been the last of them to be checked in and, as far as the rest of them knew, had never been there before. They all just chalked it up to Pinkie being Pinkie, and sat down. Twilight waved to Luna and Bubbles who were sitting in their own, heavily guarded box just next to theirs. Pinkie took a look around the theater, enjoying the sight of so many happy ponies with their smiling faces. Suddenly she felt a twitch behind her ear. Then her tummy felt rumbly. Her knees shook and her tongue felt fuzzy. That combo meant that somepony wasn’t happy that should be, and she spotted the mare in no time. Across the theater sat Ditzy Doo and her daughter, Dinky in their own box. Pinkie was a little surprised at that since Ditzy didn’t make all that much working as a Mailmare. She was happy that Ditzy could come to the show and bring her daughter along. Pinkie waved excitedly, but Ditzy didn’t wave back, her eyes focused on the stage. Suddenly the lights began to dim, and everypony fell silent and turned to the curtain hidden stage…. **************************************** Treble ran his hoof through his mane nervously as the curtain began to rise. He was always nervous before a show, and this was no exception. Since this was the last show, he wanted to for the band to go out with a bang. Everypony on the stage was tense, and ready. Treble was not going to let his personal feelings about the band breaking up ruin this show. The ponies on the other side of the curtain had come here to see the show of their lives. That was exactly what they were going to get. The curtain reached the top of the rafters and the lights came up. Treble stepped forward to the microphone. “Good Evening PONYVILLE!” His voice was full of enthusiasm, and the crowd roared. Treble motioned unsuccessfully for silence. He motioned to Phantom to crank the volume up a bit and started talking again. “Before we play we have just a couple of announcements to make.” There was deafening silence in the theater. Treble was instantly aware that everypony had their full attention on him. He swallowed the lump in his throat and continued. “First, our guitar player, Riff, and his long time marefriend, Viola, our violinist and female vocalist have decided to announce their engagement!” Treble pointed to each of the ponies, Riff, the muscular unicorn with the spiked mane, and Viola, the white and grey earth pony with the violin in her hand. The crowd roared at the announcement of the engagement. It was something that anypony with a brain could have seen coming. Treble took the chance as the crowds roars died down to look at the boxes to see if Ditzy had come. She had, and suddenly he felt butterflies. He made a quick fluttering motion with one wing, sending a signal to the band. They all signaled back just as quickly, and just as unnoticeably. Something inside Treble’s mind clicked, and he knew just how to play things. “The rest of the announcements can wait. Did you come here to listen to me talk?” The crowd roared back a very enthusiastic, “NO!” “Well then, did you come here to listen to VICTORY CLEFT?” Treble was intentionally whipping them up into a frenzy. The level of excitement in the air was almost palpable. “Well then. ON WITH THE SHOW!!!!” The lights changed to the traditional color theme of the band, blue, red, and green, and they started to play. The crowd roared their approval at the choice of the song. The driving beat, the heavy riffs of the guitar, Bass’s deep notes made their impression on the crowd. Ditzy was watching just one member of the band. Her eyes were locked on Treble. He sang so effortlessly, the look on his face one of pure joy. She smiled; glad to see that he was happy. She watched as he moved around the stage, playing off the other ponies in the band, the little skits that were going on, the way he almost danced, the aggressive way he jumped at certain words. It was a beautiful thing, and she was glad she’d brought Dinky. Dinky was holding onto the wall at the edge of the box, totally caught up in the enthusiasm of the band and the crowd. Rainbow was watching Bass. She wanted to see just what made him so special in this band anyways. The bass lines that he played were vibrating the bones of her wings and it was definitely enjoyable. She was a little worried about things, especially since she couldn’t seem to get Bass out of her mind. They’d had an enjoyable race the day before, but they hadn’t done as much because he had to get off to practice. She’d see him after the show anyways. All Rainbow wanted to know was why she kept thinking about him, why she seemed to be acting a little more aggressively around him, and why for the love of Celestia, did her chest feel so fluttery when she thought about hanging out with him? The song ended almost as quickly as it had begun, and without a word and with a seamless transition, they began their next song. Rainbow didn’t really like this song. It was one of their mushier ones, and was something that she didn’t really listen to. All that Lovey Dovey stuff just wasn’t for her. She wasn’t even sure that she wanted to date anypony anyways. No sooner did she think that than she caught herself staring at Bass again. She wanted to know exactly what it was about him that she found so fascinating. Ditzy watched Viola come up and start to sing. The beat of the drums was irresistible, and soon Ditzy was up and dancing, enjoying the concert immensely. She hadn’t expected to enjoy it this much, and was glad she’d come. She stole a glance at Dinky who seemed to be enjoying the show as much as her mother was. Nopony in Twilight’s box noticed Fluttershy slip away, and if they had, they would just have assumed that she didn’t like the loud noise. If they could have seen into the control booth, they would have seen a yellow Pegasus joining Phantom at the boards. She wasn’t there to work, just to spend time with her Special Somepony, and to enjoy the concert the way she wanted to; in the dark. The song slowed to its end and the band struck up what was their uncontested anthem. The drums began to beat and the crowd roared their approval as the most recognizable of all their songs started. The lights on the stage and in the crowd began to pulsate to the rhythmic and almost tribal beat of the drums, the bass cranked ever so slightly higher, and everypony was up and dancing. Ditzy watched as Treble opened up on stage and really started to get into the concert. It was a great song, and she was dancing like crazy. She kept her eyes on Treble though, feeling butterflies start to form in her chest as she thought about seeing him after the show. She watched as he and his brother performed in the position that was always talked about, back to back, wings flared out to their most open. The show came to a momentary stop after the song as the band took a chance to drink a little water. The crowd was roaring so loudly that even if they had started playing again, they wouldn’t have been heard anyways. There was the sound of bells that went almost entirely unnoticed, as the band had indeed begun to play again. Nopony noticed that they were playing until the floor started to shake with the heaviest bass beat that had been played yet. It was an older song of theirs, back from when the band was first starting out, and a fitting one to play. The band kept it secret that they weren’t playing the full concert, but rather just a short selection of songs, acting as the opening act once again after all these years. There wasn’t a pony in the packed theater that wasn’t enjoying it, and the driving beat kept a great many of them dancing. Rainbow looked back into her box and started to laugh. Fluttershy wasn’t there, but Twilight was hanging over the edge of the box, staring down at the stage, her hoof tapping along with the song. Applejack and Rarity were dancing shamelessly, and Pinkie was making an even bigger spectacle of herself than usual by dancing on the edge of the box’s rail, and occasionally seeming to dance on the air itself as well. Silver was doing something odd in the corner, it might have been dancing, but it was not any kind of dancing that Rainbow could recognize. The entirety of it was not a sight that Rainbow ever thought she’d see in her entire life. She also had no idea that Rarity could dance like that, or that Applejack was that flexible. The beat of the song started to get into her at long last, and she started to dance herself, letting all of the confusing feelings and thoughts that she had about Bass just drift away on the wings of the music. Ditzy loved this song, and it was oddly enough the very first song of theirs that she’d ever heard. It was her personal favorite and she couldn’t help staring at Treble during it. She’d stopped dancing because she was exhausted, and as she leaned on the rail, regaining her energy, she watched the band. It was amazing how much different Treble seemed now that he was performing. Where before he’d been polite and kind, soft spoken and a little nervous; now he was confident, loud, and apparently the life of the party. Some of the lyrics didn’t always make sense but even then his face never wavered. It was a mask of tranquility, his eyes sparkling with the boundless energy that he showed whenever he started to dance. The song’s end seemed abrupt, but that might just simply have been because everypony was enjoying it. The band moved quickly on stage, and both Riff and Viola stepped up to the mic. Bass and Treble picked up what appeared to be a violin and string Bass in the background. The song started up with Riff singing. Almost everypony was glad that this was a slow song, and many of them collapsed into their seats, exhausted from dancing. Rainbow was leaning on the rail, enjoying this song for the first time. She’d never played it since its title seemed so girly. Rainbow wasn’t a girly girl by any means, and she never wanted to fall into that trap and get caught up in all the mushy stuff that seemed to surround love, but the engaged couple singing on stage was adorably cute, and Rainbow both loved them and hated them for it. Ditzy stared, and watched as the two ponies sang their hearts out. The love between the two was obvious, and the fact that they were singing about it together was simply amazing. Ditzy wished that she had someone to care for her like that. She turned to look at Dinky who was now sitting in a chair, watching the stage intently. Dinky was obviously tired, as was Ditzy, but this song couldn’t be helping. It was slower, and less full of energy. Ditzy turned back to the stage to watch Victory Cleft’s final show. She wondered for a moment just how many other ponies out there in the audience knew that fact. The song ended in a slow fade of strings, and as it ended, the lights went out, leaving only a single spotlight on Treble. His heart raced, pounding both from the adrenaline and excitement of having performed, and in anticipation of what he was about to do. That had been the final song they’d planned, and while the band trusted him, and knew that he was about to announce the end of the band, he wasn’t sure that they’d go with his plan. He’d signaled that they were going to play the song that they’d both written and composed in a single night. If it went off well, it would be the greatest musical feat ever to have happened in Equestria. But first, there was another song, an older song that the entire band knew, that he wanted to play. “Everypony! I know right now you all must be wondering why we have stopped playing.” Treble’s voice lacked some of the enthusiasm that it had had at the beginning of the concert, and for those ponies who were listening closely; you could almost hear him sigh with sadness as he spoke. “Tonight we are not the headlining act. Tonight we are once again just the opening act. After nine years together, Victory Cleft is parting ways for now to pursue different interests.” The crowd greeted his bombshell with shocked gasps, wails of horror, and a couple of ponies breaking down into sobbing hysterics. “Viola has been accepted into the Canterlot Royal Symphony, and not a single band member would deny her the right to go. Beat is leaving next week to join the Equestrian Military to help guard our borders, and my brother and I are remaining here in Ponyville.” There were smatterings of applause, but mostly a stifling silence and a feeling of gloom that hung in the auditorium. Treble wanted to say more, but couldn’t. He stood up, lifting the violin that he held to his shoulder, and began to play. The sound of the violin was piercingly sad. He had planned to play it alone, but Viola had her violin and was joining him in the circle of light after the first few bars. A few bars later, the entire band had assembled in the small pool of light, Bass with his Bass, and Beat and Riff with Cellos, Treble and Viola with their violins. The song was old, even by Canterlot standards and dated back to a time hundreds of years before Nightmare Moon had ever existed. It was an old hymnal from the outskirts of Equestria, where other ponies still worshipped other gods besides Celestia and Luna. The sound was almost heartbreakingly sad, and full of unspoken regrets. Rainbow did something that she never did in public, letting a few tears roll down her cheeks. She was sad that the band was breaking up, and the song was the final straw in what was a one-two punch to her composure. She tried to hide her face, but since it was only her friends in the box, she didn’t try too hard to hide it. She looked over to Princess Luna’s box, and much to her surprise, saw a very worried looking Lieutenant Bubbles trying to comfort a distraught and sobbing Luna. Ditzy sat in the box next to Dinky who’d fallen asleep. She was proud of Treble for making the announcement with such a sure voice. He’d been so against talking about it when they’d had dinner that she thought that he’d never wanted to talk about it at all. She wasn’t even sure that they were going to announce it at the concert to begin with. She sat quietly, tears rolling down her face as the music hit her full force. She watched the stage, and saw how every pony had tears rolling down their faces as well. If either Ditzy or Rainbow Dash could have looked out into the crowd, all that could be seen was a sea of faces, silently staring at the stage, tears rolling down their faces. It was a moment of shared sadness, something far rarer than a moment of shared joy. Ponies all throughout the concert hall held onto their loved ones, hurting silently for the quartet of ponies baring their souls on stage. Fluttershy held a sobbing Phantom in her arms, tears rolling down her face. Silver had his head down and was crying openly, Applejack next to him with watery eyes, trying to calm him down. Twilight and Rarity sat quietly in their chairs, tears rolling down their cheeks, and a look of shock on their faces. Pinkie was crying, but more disturbingly, her hair had gone straight. The song ended, and there was near total silence in the Theater, broken only by the occasional sniffle. Treble stepped up to his band mates, turning his back on the crowd. He didn’t care now whether his mic was on or not. “Gentlecolts, it has been a privilege playing with you tonight.” The words struck home with the band members, and as they shook hands and left the circle of light to return to the darkness, there was only silence. Treble turned and winked up at the control booth. They were going to do it, it had all been confirmed during the handshakes, and he just hoped that Phantom remembered what to do. They’d only talked about it that morning. Phantom had calmed down, and he did indeed remember what to do. He counted to ten, and then started hitting buttons, switches, and levers rather quickly, bringing the lights back up on stage, and turning the volume of the music back up. Treble saw the lights coming on and stared directly at Ditzy. What he was about to do might just be the biggest mistake of his life, and even if it wasn’t it was probably the most brazen and foolhardy thing that he’d ever done. The lights on stage were a muted white, and the crowd looked expectantly at the stage. This evening had already been an emotional rollercoaster, everypony in the crowd was wondering just what the band could be planning next. The song began without fanfare, and Treble locked his eyes on where Ditzy was sitting. He didn’t dance or prance about. He stood where he was and looked right at her. Ditzy felt faint and as he began to sing, the feeling of butterflies in her chest began to double. He sang as honestly as he could. The maniacal energy he’d had before wasn’t apparent, but the strength of his voice was unmatched. There was no question who he was singing about. He used the nasty nickname for Ditzy that the Unicorn had used only to drive home the point that he didn’t care what the rest of Ponyville thought. He used her real name too just in case there was any confusion. He’d written the song just the day before, and the band had only really gotten it down that morning. He really hoped that they didn’t make any mistakes. He thought back to the day before as he sang….. ****************************** Treble had found Ditzy in a grove of trees in the town park. The leaves had been changed by their seasonal magic, and were now the most beautiful shades of red, gold, orange, and purple. He wanted to go up and talk to her, but he saw that she was with a small filly. He assumed that it must have been her daughter. Treble wasn’t sure that Ditzy wanted him anywhere near his daughter, most mothers were protective of their fillies, and when it came to celebrities there was a level of protectiveness that seemed odd. Parents seemed to think that celebrities would corrupt their children, and wanted them kept away. Well, at least most parents seemed that way. Treble turned and walked away, his head hung low. He just wanted to talk, and he felt ashamed of himself for being so cowardly. He walked through the trees, trying to enjoy the bright and vibrant colors, like he did every year, but something seemed to dull them all. He caught glimpses of Ditzy and her filly as he walked through the park, and every time he did, he couldn’t help but to smile widely. He walked through the park some more and came to the very bench that he’d fallen asleep on the night before. He sat there and started to think. He wanted to talk to Ditzy, but every time he came closer, never actually close enough to be seen though, something stopped him. He felt butterflies in his chest every time he saw her, and the way he’d reacted at the restaurant. He’d never acted that way before. He’d always secretly been fed up with the arrogant way the richer ponies treated those who actually worked, but he’d never before said anything about it. Normally he would have just gone along with the situation. Perhaps the breakup of the band was changing him. He didn’t really have to worry as much about how what he did affected the image of the band. His manager, Blaze could scream all he wanted about that little fiasco at the restaurant now, but Treble didn’t have to listen. Treble kept on thinking, the gears in his head turning. He’d never felt this way before, but he’d studied enough to have an idea of what was happening. He rushed off to his hotel to start writing. He had a plan, and he just hoped that it would work. He had to get something to the post office first though…. ********************************** The song slowed down, and Treble kept right on singing. It finally came to an end, and the ponies in the crowd went wild. They didn’t care who the song was about, it was amazing, and the ending had been amazing. If it was the last song that Victory Cleft every played together, it was one that would forever be remembered by the citizens of Ponyville. Ditzy sat, stunned. She had no idea what to think, and even less of an idea of what to do. She kept sitting there, waiting for some clue of what to do next to pop into her head. Treble stood on stage, oblivious to the standing ovation that he was receiving, and just watched Ditzy, hoping for some sign, anything that could give him a clue as to how his song, his master stroke in his plan had been received…….