//------------------------------//
// And I'm only your everything when you feel alone 
// Story: Irrelevant 
// by Undome Tinwe 
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The crowd applauded as Fiddle Faddle let the final note fade out on her current namesake, her eyes fixed on the most important member of the audience.

Thunderbolt's eyes were locked onto her, a look of pure wonder on her face that Fiddle had seen before, but which never failed to lift her spirits. As always, though, it was tinged with a hint of something else, a slight frown that Fiddle had also become familiar with.

Things were going according to plan, then.

"Thanks, y'all," she said, addressing the room. "It's been wonderful playing for ya. Enjoy the rest of your night, ya hear?"

Another round of applause accompanied Fiddle's exit as she made her way into one of the club's backrooms. She took a deep breath, appreciating the lack of cigarette smoke here. Awful habit, that, and one that Fiddle was sad to see returning in such a more odious form, but it'd fall out of style eventually, she hoped.

A few moments later, the door opened to reveal Thunderbolt being escorted by one of the security guards. "Hey, Fiddle."

"Thunder!" Fiddle grinned. "Glad you could make it!"

"Hey, no way I'm missing a chance to see how good someone that lives forever can be at music," Thunder replied. There was a slight reservation in her tone, and the way her stance hunched in on itself was unusual for the stunt flyer.

"What'd ya think?" Fiddle asked, trying to hide her nervousness under her usual country charm. Just because nothing had gone wrong yet didn't mean it wouldn't now. "This old mare still know a few tricks?"

"Definitely." Thunder smiled. "With those skills, you could be world-famous, you know?"

Fiddle shook her head. "That life ain't for me."

"Weird." With a sigh, Thunder sat down across from her. "I can't imagine that. I'd kill for just another chance to prove myself, to have everypony watching me and loving me again, instead of being a washed-up star who got wrecked by a drug scandal."

"Hey, you've still got me," Fiddle argued. "When I was playing out there, I only cared about what you'd think. Sometimes it just takes having one pony to care about to make it all worth it." There it was, planting the seed in her mind again. She was so close, now, to getting what she wanted.

"Well, I guess one's better than zero. I just..." Thunder let out a soft growl as her teeth clenched. "I wish everyone could see me like you do," she said. "Everypony else only sees what I've done wrong, and then won't give me another chance. It's not fair. Why couldn't the Fates have blessed me with immortality instead, so I could have all those chances like you did?"

"Life ain't fair," Fiddle said as sympathetically as she could. "And as long as I'm here, who needs those other ponies?" Heart pounding in her chest, she reached out a hoof to cup her friend's cheek. "I'll give you all the chances in the world."

She heard Thunder's breath catch in her throat. "Fiddle, you...?"

Fiddle nodded, unable to speak under the pressure in her own throat.

"Screw it, why not?" With that romantic declaration, Thunder leaned in to kiss Fiddle, who would have breathed out a sigh of relief if she wasn't consumed by passion.





Fiddlesticks was careful about when and where she played her music.

She was good at it. Very good, having had so many lifetimes to practice. But she also wasn't one for the limelight, had never been, really, and too many public performances would attract attention from ponies, make it harder to blend into the background.

The Apples could be trusted, so that was one opportunity for her to let loose. She also occasionally popped into the local clubs, playing a quick set before disappearing again.

As for playing in front of Lightning Dust, well, that was... complicated. It was one thing if she was just in the audience, as she was now, clapping and cheering with the rest of the crowd. But Fiddle had never let Lightning listen to her playing while they were both alone, because she knew that she wouldn't be able to help pouring out her soul into her song, and if Lightning saw that and rejected her...

This was safer. Fiddle played for everyone in attendance, summoned forth the wonder and joy and love she had felt over the centuries and put them into her song, enchanted the crowd with her music. And when she was finished her final encore, they would all leave happy, with a new memory to treasure for the rest of their days.

Fiddle was familiar with the song and dance by now, as it were, and so afterwards, she waited patiently backstage for Lightning to come to her. That was what mattered.

"Wow," the pegasus mare said as she entered the room and walked into her trap. "That was awesome!"

"Thanks, Lightning," Fiddle replied with a grin. "Glad ya liked it."

"I loved it." Lightning smiled. "You know, you could totally be world-famous if you wanted with those skills."

Fiddle rolled her eyes playfully. She'd had this conversation so many times before that she almost knew the answer by rote. "I ain't that kinda mare. The princesses and chaos spirits and whatever other immortals can have all of Equestria cursing or praising their names. All I need is good food, a roof over my head, and a song to play along with." She left off the last item on her list, waiting to see Lightning's response.

With a sigh, Lightning took a seat across from her. "Man, I wish I could be like you sometimes." She paused. "Well, honestly, a lot of the time."

Was this the opening that Fiddle needed? Her heart began to race as she casually tilted her head in curiosity. "How's that, darlin'?"

"You're so... content, with what you've got," Lightning said. "I wish I could be happy like you. Part of me still wants to make it big, even though I know that'll never happen now. I wish I could just give up on that."

"That ain't you." This was something Fiddle had learned well by now. "You're always gonna want to reach for the stars. That's what I love about ya."

The words had slipped out so naturally that Fiddle didn't even realize it until a moment later. Her breath caught in her throat as she waited to see what Lightning would say in response.

The other mare leaned over to pat her on the foreleg. "I'm lucky to have such a good friend, Fiddle. Anyways, I shouldn't hold you down with my own shit, not when you just rocked the crowd out there. You did good."

"Thanks," Fiddle said numbly. "And it's no trouble. I know you ain't got anyone else to talk to, and I'm always happy to be here for ya." She was basically operating on autopilot right now, relying on centuries of experience to guide her through this conversation while her mind reeled.

"I really appreciate it," Lightning replied. "So, you wanna grab some dinner?"

Fiddle nodded mutely, her heart breaking.

"Great!" Lightning grinned. "I'll wait for you outside, then?"

"Sure."

With that, Lightning made her exit, leaving Fiddle to stew in her loss. This hadn't ever happened before. Not like this. She'd only ever been rejected once before, a very, very long time ago, and she'd learned how to make sure it never happened again.

Fiddle shook her head, trying to clear it of her despair. She was over a thousand years old, had seen Equestria itself rise up from nothing into a great nation. She wasn't just going to give up now.

Fate would not be denied.

But maybe Fate needed a little bit of a push.