//------------------------------// // Forest I // Story: Princess Sparkle's School for Eccentric Unicorns // by ColtClassic //------------------------------// When Fleur de Lis stepped off of her chariot into the Ponyville town square, what struck her most about the village was the quiet. Even in the early morning, Canterlot was forever a city of hustle and bustle, but here only a small handful of ponies walked the streets. It wasn't just that there were fewer ponies, either; everypony seemed to speak softer, move slower. Fleur was used to the ringing of horseshoes against cobblestone, but in Ponyville the dirt roads swallowed the noise. Even the buildings seemed to be sleeping, their colorful facades cast into shadow by a sun that was barely above the horizon. Fleur pulled out the Princess's letter, levitating the crisp sheet of parchment before her. In neat handwriting, it gave directions to the Golden Oaks Library, as well as instructions regarding the team's “first session”. She frowned as re-read the lines. The preparations listed were clear enough; she had cleared her schedule of commitments for the near future and had packed everything the Princess had listed in her saddlebags. But the rest of the letter descended into a mess of magical jargon and theory that she barely understood, as well as a list of places that she didn't recognize. It seemed that Ponyville was only their first destination, though, and the fact that the list of supplies she was to bring included a bedroll was certainly ominous. She stowed away the letter and began to make her way through the town. For what wasn't the first time that morning, Fleur wished that her husband had been able to accompany her to Ponyville. In the week since her acceptance into the Princess's project, his constant encouragement and enthusiasm had been the only thing keeping her from sending Her Majesty a letter saying that she had changed her mind. Even now, the urge to turn tail and simply not show up was almost overwhelming. As she turned a corner and the building that was obviously the library came into view, a small smile grew on her lips. She hadn't expected the name “Golden Oaks” to be quite so literal. This town does have its charms, I suppose. Though it still seems strange that Her Majesty would choose to remain here instead of moving to Canterlot. Upon reaching the treehouse, she knocked on the front door hesitantly with her forehoof. It wasn't long before it opened, although to her surprise it was not the Princess who greeted her, but a young purple dragon. “You're here for the magic thingy, right?” he asked, yawning ferociously. “C'mon in, Twilight's almost done packing. There's breakfast and stuff on the table.” Fleur stepped nervously into the library. The entire inside of the tree seemed to be hollowed out, with the library's store of books resting on shelves carved out of the inner wall. The ceiling stretched high, and from a loft above her she could hear somepony moving around. Through an open doorway was a kitchen, where two unicorns sat at a simple wooden table. At one end was a green-coated mare who barely glanced at Fleur when she entered; she seemed entirely absorbed in her mangled breakfast, which she seemed to have picked apart without eating. Across from her was a white-coated mare whose wild blue mane and outlandish purple shades Fleur found oddly familiar, and who grinned and waved to Fleur even as she poured syrup over a heaping stack of pancakes. The dragon was clearing away dishes, grumpily ignoring them all. “Welcome to Team Sparkle!” the white mare said cheerily as Fleur approached the table. “We're still waiting on our fearless leader, so I guess intros are on me. This here is Lambda, she plays the flute or something, and our cranky little waiter is Spike. He's a dragon, which I think is the raddest thing ever. And yes, I'm Vinyl Scratch. Yes, the real Vinyl Scratch, the famous DJ-PON3, in the flesh. I know, it's hard to believe.” “Quite,” said Fleur, taking a seat. “I'm sure I've seen your face before, at least. I certainly don't frequent any of the Canterlot nightclubs, but the neon-colored fliers you've plastered on every wall and lamppost in Canterlot are hard to miss.” “That's the idea,” Vinyl said with a smirk. “And I'm pretty positive I've seen your face plastered on a few lampposts too. You're a fashion model, right?” “I have done modeling work, yes. If you mean to imply that I'm somehow less than qualified to be a member of this team, then I'll have you know that I also studied magical theory at Baltimare University.” “Woah, hey, nopony's implying anything. You're talking to a couple of humble musicians, remember? Besides, we all passed the Princess's crazy test. She told me that I had spunk! Or something like that.” “Did she now,” said Fleur, raising an eyebrow skeptically. “Anyway, Lisa,” said Vinyl, turning abruptly to their quiet companion. “I was just asking you about the music scene here in Ponyville. You get a lot of gigs?” “It's Lyra,” the green mare replied. “And, um, not really. I guess I'm more of what you would call a street performer.” “I dig it. Taking the music to the streets! Keeping it real! We should jam sometime.” “I don't know if—” They were interrupted by a series of loud knocks on the front door. Before Spike was halfway across the library, the door slammed open in a burst of magic, and a blue-coated unicorn wearing a purple cape and pointed hat stepped in. “Twilight Sparkle!” she called out. “Trixie has arrived, and is ready to begin!” “I'll be down in a second!” came a muffled voice from above. “Spike, help Trixie get some breakfast!” Fleur stared in disbelief as the newcomer approached the table. The blue unicorn—Trixie, Fleur supposed—didn't seem to walk so much as march, her nose held high in the air. What exactly have I gotten myself into? “Trixie is pleased to meet her fellow team members. She is sure that you will all be most helpful in assisting Trixie on her path to greatness.” “Wha'?” said Vinyl around a mouthful of pancakes. “Who'f 'rixie?” “Trixie is Trixie.” “That doesn't tell me anything.” “You are addressing Trixie, the Great and Powerful!” “I'm... what?” “She's refering to herself in third person,” said Lyra, clearing struggling to keep a straight face. “It's sort of a thing that she does.” “Wait, so you two know each other?” asked Vinyl. “Um, sort of,” said Lyra. “Trixie's sort of a big name around here. She, well, took over Ponyville awhile back.” “What do you mean, 'took over Ponyville'?” “Trixie would rather not speak of it,” said Trixie, pouring herself some orange juice and levitating plate of pancakes across the table. “I'm sorry,” said Lyra. “I shouldn't have brought it up.” “No way, I want to hear about this!” said Vinyl. “What, are you some kind of supervillain or something?” “If Trixie isn't comfortable talking about it,” said Fleur, “Then I think that we should respect her privacy.” Vinyl looked unconvinced, while Trixie gave her an appraising look. As far as Fleur could tell, it was the first time the magician had actually looked at any of them since entering the room. It was the sort of look that she had seen on, and given to, countless other models; the sort of wary respect of a pony sizing up the competition. It was disquieting, but a notch more pleasant than the blustering of the DJ. “All that's important,” said Trixie airily, “is that Trixie is a changed pony, and is ready to repay her debt to society.” “Oh yeah?” said Vinyl, squinting suspiciously at Trixie. “And how do I know that you're reformed or whatever? Maybe you're still trying to get revenge!” “Trixie has put such things behind her. She understands now that Twilight Sparkle is the greatest magician in Equestria, and that if she is to realize her own greatness, then Twilight Sparkle must be her teacher.” “A likely story!” yelled Vinyl, slamming her forehooves on the table. “You're probably going to sabotage the experiment! Or maybe you're a changeling spy! Who are you working for?!” The DJ's suddenly snarling snout was almost pressed against Trixie's face—though Fleur was certain that she saw a smile tugging at the corners of the white unicorn's mouth and eyes. Trixie seemed oblivious to this, however, and the anger was growing on her own features as stray sparks of magic began emitting from her horn. Fleur wondered if should intervene, but Lyra got there first. “Woah, hey, hey. If Twilight—if the Princess trusts Trixie, then we should too.” “The Princess does trust Trixie. And she was hoping we would at least make it out the front door before we started bickering amongst ourselves.” All four heads spun in unison to face the Princess, who was now standing in the kitchen doorway. Despite her admonishment, she was smiling at the group. Princess Twilight was not wearing her crown or any of the ornaments of her office, was sporting a pair of bulging saddlebags, and stood a full head shorter than Fleur, but she still somehow made an imposing figure. Fleur couldn't help but recall every teacher who had ever gazed piercingly at her from across a classroom desk. “I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting. I had less time to pack last night than I thought, so I had to push back double-checking everything until this morning, and unfortunately I didn't even have time for a triple-check, so hopefully I didn't forget anything. Once everypony's done eating, we should be ready to head out. Oh, unless you have any questions?” “I have a couple,” said Vinyl, mopping up the puddle of syrup on her plate with one last pancake. “First, if I discover a new magic spell, do I get to be an alicorn Princess too?” Twilight chuckled. “I'm afraid not. My own transformation was a specific result of Starswirl's spell, and it won't work on just anypony. Though it is unfortunate that the spell is so difficult to reproduce; studying the only new spell to be discovered in millennia would be a great place to start for our research.” “Right, cool. Second question: are you a fillyfooler?” This elicited a round of gasps and sputtering from the other ponies, as well as a deep blush from the Princess. “I—it—what?” “I'm just saying, you picked all mares for your project here, and while I'm totally down with that, I would have packed differently if I had known it was going to be that kind of trip.” “Miss Scratch, I would appreciate it if you took this project more seriously. We're here to conduct magical research, not—I'm not even sure what you're implying.” She took a steadying breath. “And for the record, I didn't pick any of you. You picked yourselves.” “Trixie has a question,” interrupted Trixie. “One that isn't completely asinine.” “Hey, you heard the Princess, watch your mouth!” “Trixie wanted to know if you are serious in your intent to take us into the Everfree Forest.” Twilight nodded. “That will be the location for our first session, yes.” “Which brings Trixie to her second question: have you gone insane?” Fleur could hold it in no longer. She straightened her neck and made herself as tall as she could, and gave Trixie her best haughty glare. “I really must object to you addressing the Princess in such a crude manner.” “You didn't have a problem when that empty-headed foal was doing it!” “Excuse me?!” “You are both completely out of line!” scolded Fleur. “Remember that you are speaking to royalty!” “Where do you get off on calling me 'empty-headed'?” “Trixie calls them as Trixie sees them.” “Well—at least I learned to talk right in school! Ever heard of a word called 'I'?” “Will everypony please be quiet?!” The Princess's words were accompanied by a blinding light and a loud crack, after which she was suddenly towering over them, standing on the table amidst broken plates and overturned glasses. All traces of amusement were gone from her face; instead, she glowered down at the now-silent ponies. “I'm sorry to have speak to you like this, but this is important and I need you all to take it seriously. To answer your concerns, Trixie, I feel that studying the wild magic of the Everfree is one of the most promising leads in our research. I am also well aware of the danger. For those of you not familiar with the Everfree Forest, it is—as I explained in my letter—a large wilderness where the normal magic of Equestria holds no sway. This makes it an ideal place for our studies, but it is also the home to a wide variety of dangerous magical creatures and entities. “My friend Zecora lives there, and we'll be staying with her, so we'll have her help. But while we're there, I can't impress on you enough the importance of cooperating with each other, keeping a level head on your shoulders, and most importantly, following my directions. Now, we have a long day ahead of us, so if everypony's finished eating, we should get going. Trixie, I do need to have a word with you in private. The rest of you, I would appreciate it if you gave Spike a hoof cleaning up before meeting us outside.” With that, the Princess stepped down from the table and walked stiffly out of the library. Trixie hesitated for only a moment before following her, an expression of deep concern on her face. The remaining three unicorns looked between each other awkwardly for a long moment before hesitantly rising and making their way out. Fleur was beginning to have serious doubts about the whole situation. For the past week she was constantly thinking that there must have been some mistake, that there was no way she was qualified to work on such a momentous project with somepony as important as the newly crowned Princess. But after meeting her fellow “researchers”, it was the Princess's judgment that she questioned. She must know what she's doing, though. Celestia would not have raised her to her station if she didn't. Perhaps... perhaps I will have a discussion with her. The sun had climbed above the rooftops of the town by the time they were all assembled outside, and Ponyville was beginning to come to life. They drew curious glances from passing ponies; Fleur supposed they looked quite odd, laden down with traveling bags and accompanied by the Princess herself. Her Majesty's dragon assistant followed them out to say goodbye. “Don't worry, Spike,” she said, smiling down at him. “We're out of your scales now.” “About time,” he grumbled. “Now I can get some shut-eye.” “Take good care of the library while I'm gone. Don't squabble too much with Owlowiscious.” “Yeah, yeah. Um, Twilight?” He gave an embarrassed look at the other ponies, then moved in to give Twilight an awkward hug, his arms not even making it all the way around her shoulders. “Come back in one piece, okay?” The Princess returned the embrace, wrapping a foreleg around him. “Don't I always?” “Yeah, well, I'm not sure how much I trust you with that lot,” Spike grumbled. The Princess's mood seemed to have improved, at least. As they walked, ponies would frequently call out to her, and she greeted them in return with waves and smiles. It astounded Fleur how casually the ponies of Ponyville treated the Princess. Few of them bothered with any sort of royal honorifics, and Fleur did not see a single bow or curtsey. She trotted to catch up with the Princess. “Your Majesty—” “Please, Fleur, you can call me Twilight.” “That was what I wished to speak to you about. I know it is not my place, but is it really appropriate for you to allow your subjects to address you this way?” The Princess smiled up at her. “I appreciate your concern, but you have to understand that I lived in Ponyville for quite some time before my... ascension, so to speak. To most of these ponies, I'm still their neighbor, not their Princess, and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. Frankly, I hope it doesn't.” “Shouldn't being royalty come with a certain amount of respect?” “I can get respect anywhere in Equestria. It's nice to know that there's someplace I can come to see friendly faces instead.” It was not long before well-ordered streets of town gave way to grassy farmland, dotted with small cottages. The distances between houses grew wider, and the empty spaces were filled with trees that grew ever denser. Although the morning sun was climbing, it seemed to grow dimmer as the canopy began to close in above them. Finally, they came to the edge of the forest. There was no clear line, but Fleur could feel something in the air as she stared into the trees. She could swear that the air grew dimmer, gloomier somehow. Here was where Equestria ended, and the wilderness began. The Princess turned to address them. “I suppose I should give everypony one last chance to turn back. Once we're in the Everfree, it is of upmost importance that we all stick together and stay alert. We're going to be staying at Zecora's for quite some time, hopefully until we get results. If anypony wants out, now's the time to say so. Nopony's going to judge you for it.” Fleur certainly considered the offer, and she didn't have to look at her companions to feel fairly certain that they were too. The whole prospect seemed disastrous. But her husband's face appeared in her mind, the look of pride he had worn when she had set off that morning, the confused disappointment she could easily imagine if she returned in failure. If she couldn't press forward for her own sake, she decided, she would do so for his. She couldn't imagine what kept the others from speaking up, but they each seemed to have their reasons to stay. At the very least, she supposed, nopony wanted to be the first to back down. The Princess smiled, and they followed her into the forest. “Miss Scratch! Are you listening?” Vinyl turned away from the mask she had been checking out. She found herself almost snout-to-snout with the Princess, who was giving her a look that was creepily similar to the one Tavi gave her whenever she caught Vinyl zoning out during one of her stories about orchestra practice. And truth be told, Vinyl hadn't been listening to the Princess's long-winded spiel about the history of the Extrafree Forest or whatever. It had been hard enough to listen to on the walk through the forest, and there was way too much cool stuff in the weird hut they had arrived for Vinyl to ignore. If nothing else, the trip out here was worth it just to meet Zecora; Vinyl had never met a zebra before, and was definitely impressed with all the spooky junk in her hut. “Miss Scratch!” “I'm listening, I'm listening!” “What did I just say?” “Uh... something about... magical vortexes and, um... leylines?” The Princess glared at her. “'Kay, maybe I wasn't listening. But I think you need to work on your delivery, Princess. You could talk the ears off a statue.” “I'm trying to explain what we're doing here!” said Twilight. “I got it, jeez! The forest is weird and wild, the animals and weather don't work right, crazy magical energy, blah blah blah. What's the point?” “The point,” said Twilight with a frown, “Is that it isn't just the plants and animals that are wild and unpredictable out her. Magic itself behaves strangely in the bounds of the forest. If you'll have a seat with the rest of us, I can show you what I mean.” Vinyl glanced over the Princess's shoulder, and realized that everypony else was sitting around a fire pit in the middle of the room. Zecora was laying logs into the small hole, and as Vinyl watched, the zebra whispered something into the small pile of wood. When she pulled back, a small fire was sending up sparks. The flames quickly grew, filling the hut with heat and flickering light. Trixie, Fleur and Lettuce—that was her name, right?—were all staring back at her. “Yeah, cool, whatever. I'll sit down.” Zecora sprinkled a hooful of dust into the fire as Vinyl took her place, and it roared up and turned an electric blue. Vinyl fidgeted; it was starting to get very warm in the hut. She glanced at the other ponies. They all seemed to be attentive to Twilight, but she couldn't tell if they were actually listening or if they were drifting off like she was. “This first test should be very simple,” said Twilight. “Here, take these.” Twilight opened a pouch and levitated out what looked like a dozen small pebbles. A few floated over to each of her four students. Vinyl watched in confusion as three clattered to the ground in front of her. “These look like rocks,” she said, gingerly poking one with a hoof. “They are rocks,” said Twilight. “Are they magical?” asked Fleur, leaning down to inspect her own. “Nope!” said Twilight. “Just plain rocks. And you're going to perform the simplest, most basic spell on them—levitation. Just pick up the rocks, and juggle them in front of you.” The four of them exchanged skeptical glances. Trixie was the first to follow Twilight's instructions. A faint blue gleam surrounded the stones at her hooves, and they rose before her face. She looked questioningly at Twilight, and when she received a nod, the rocks began moving in a gentle circle. One by one, everypony else lifted up their own rocks, and soon the air was filled with the drifting rocks and the occasional soft clack as one brushed against another. “What exactly are we doing, Twilight Sparkle?” Trixie asked. “The Everfree forest has its own, unique energy,” said Twilight, “which affects any unicorn's magic when they're here. It's very subtle, but it's going to be the focus of our research. I want you all to be able to identify it, and the easiest way to notice it is when you're casting a very simple spell for a very long time. So keep at it, and tell me when you feel something strange.” Vinyl sighed. She was feeling something strange, all right. She was in a hut in the middle of the woods with a bunch of crazy ponies. The rocks danced in front of her face, and she couldn't help feeling that they all must look ridiculous, sitting around a fire and staring at floating pebbles. She didn't even know what she was supposed to be noticing. Time dragged on, and seemed to lose all meaning. Zecora sat in an odd position, with her legs crossed and her eyes closed. Vinyl couldn't tell if she was awake or not. Twilight sat at the fire's edge, watching them all patiently. The four of them juggled their rocks, and Vinyl kept stealing glances at the other ponies to try and figure out if they were getting anywhere. Trixie seemed to be glaring at her own rocks, as if she could intimidate answers out of them. Fleur seemed almost as bored as Vinyl. And that green musician chick, Lemon or whatever, looked so nervous that Vinyl thought she might jump out of her skin if there was a loud noise. Vinyl's mind drifted. All the while, a familiar sensation was building up in the back of her mind. It was that weird, unpredictable something that meant that a new song was coming on. She caught herself humming snippets, imagining cascades and crescendos. Most of all, there was a beat playing in her thoughts, persistent, driving, powerful, and low. There were words that went with it, too, but she didn't know what they were yet. She wouldn't have to write it down; she never did. When she got back to her synthesizer in Canterlot she would be able to play it note for note. She was already considering heading back to do just that—what she was doing now seemed like a major waste of her time. She was just figuring out exactly how she was going to rudely tell Princess Twilight Sparkle off when there was small gasp. Everypony's eyes were instantly on the green musician pony—Linty? Leela?—who looked back at them like they were all about to jump her. “I felt—I mean, I think I felt something. Um, that energy thing, or whatever.” Twilight nodded, and the green mare continued. “It's like—it's hard to describe. Like I'm not the only one who's controlling the pebbles, who's using my magic. Usually, when I, uh, do magic, I feel like I'm in complete control. But now there's this pull, like if I let go, something... something will happen. Something wild, and crazy, and—I don't know. The feeling's gone now, but it was definitely there for a second.” While the other pony talked, Vinyl looked back at her own rocks. Was the kid making it all up? She absently twirled them, set them spinning, trying to see what they were talking about. On an impulse, she set two of them on a collision course. That hit each other with a sharp clack. She did again, and again, to the beat of the song playing in her head, and she realized that the beat wasn't coming from her. “Yeah, no, I've got it!” She had everypony's attention, and suddenly she was wide awake. “It's like a beat, or a melody, that—that somepony else is playing, inside my head. It's like—” she bit her tongue. What was it like? “Lasso's right, it's like there's somepony else is there with you, moving the pebbles, or your magic, or whatever, and it's so small that you almost don't even notice, but...” she banged the rocks together again, one beat after another, and she swore that it was in rhythm with some far-off song she couldn't quite hear. Weird. The Princess smiled and launched into another lecture, but Vinyl wasn't listening. She kept staring at the rocks, trying to focus on her magic. It was something she hadn't thought about since was a foal and just starting to learn magic. For so long, casting spells had been second nature, and now she was trying to pick it apart again. The afternoon drifted on, and the exercise continued. The Princess began to walk from pony to pony, coaching each of them. Her conversation with Vinyl was short; the thing with the magic was fascinating, but as soon as she trying to talk about it she got tongue-tied and frustrated, and the Princess's technical jargon just bored her. She was soon left to her own devices, and lost herself in spinning and twirling her rocks. She did notice, to her amusement, that Trixie seemed particularly frustrated at her own lack of progress. The shadowy forest outside looked barely different, but eventually Zecora declared that it was time to stop for dinner. They crowded around the zebra's small wooden table, and she served them bowls of dark brown soup, which Vinyl sniffed distrustfully but eventually found to be delicious, if spicy. She sat shoulder to shoulder with Fleur, who studiously ignored her to talk with their host. Lipgloss and the Princess were stilling nattering on about magic, and Trixie stewed over her stew. When she thought nopony else was looking, Vinyl took the opportunity to stick out her tongue at the Trixie, who just scoffed and rolled her eyes. After dinner, everypony broke off to do their own thing. Zecora was doing her meditation thing; she invited anypony who was interested to join her, but Vinyl wasn't in the mood for sitting still for that long. Trixie and the Princess were in the corner, having a conversation in low voices. Occasionally Vinyl caught a word or two from Trixie when she raised her voice angrily. She would have loved to find out what the two were arguing about, but decided she was probably in enough trouble with the Princess. Besides, the hut was crowded with so many ponies. She decided it was time for a breath of fresh air. She had somehow imagined that the forest would be silent at night. The dark trees that surrounded the hut were definitely a far cry from the noise of Canterlot nightlife, but they had a noisiness all of their own. The wind blowing through the leaves, the chirping of insects, the cries of far-off birds. The hairs on her neck stood on end as she peered into the gloom. Maybe there was something in the Princess's warnings, after all. She resolved not to wander off too far. Another sound caught her ear. Soft notes drifted through the air, simple and sweet. Somepony was playing music. Curious, she followed the noise around the back of the hut. There, sitting just outside of the pool of light from Zecora's hut, was that green musician mare. Her eyes were closed, and she levitated her harp-thingie in front of her, her magic flowing over the strings. She looked a lot more peaceful than she had earlier. The soft music wasn't Vinyl's style, but she had to admit it was pretty. She trotted over to sit beside the other pony. “Sweet jams, Lindbergh.” “It's Lyra,” the unicorn said as she strummed out one final chord. “Although at this point I'm pretty sure you're just making fun of me.” “Ha! Okay, you caught me. Just a stupid little laugh I was having. Hope you aren't too mad.” “I guess not,” Lyra said. “Thought so. I'm glad somepony in this crazy outfit has a sense of humor. You're alright, kiddo.” “Heh. Thanks.” Lyra fell back into silence, starting at the ground beneath her hooves. Vinyl could tell she had interrupted the other pony in some sort of soul-searching moment. Musicians were funny like that, always wandering off to be alone with their instrument, as if the answers to all of life's problems could be answered by plucking their strings. She had seen it all before. Vinyl had also picked up on something about this particular green mare, something that intrigued her immensely. It was absolutely none of her business, which was exactly why it caught her attention. She briefly considered whether to bring it up or not, but it wasn't really a question. Presented with an anthill, Vinyl's immeadiate instinct was to poke it. “So, you've got the hots for the Princess.” Lyra's reaction was not disappointing. She jerked her head around so quickly her neck cracked, and it was hard to tell in the dim light, but Vinyl was sure that her face was as red as a beet. She sputtered incoherently for a few seconds before she managed to get out a few words. “I don't have—I mean—how did you—” Vinyl laughed. “Kid, I can read you like a book. If I read books, which I don't, but that's not the point. You've been watching her all day with this starry look in your eyes, like you're a little lost puppy and you're just waiting for her to scoop you up and take you home. I'm pretty sure the only reason she hasn't noticed is she's too busy getting hot and heavy over her theories and lesson plans.” The blush on Lyra's face was almost glowing. “I'm not that bad. Am I?” “It's kind of cute. In a sad sort of way.” Vinyl chuckled. “And anyways, I can't blame you for aiming high.” “So...” Lyra scuffed the ground with a hoof. “So... you think I might have a chance, then?” “Oh, absolutely not.” “What?” “C'mon, kid, she's a Princess. She's got bigger fish to fry. If she's even interested in that sort of thing, she's got her pick of pretty much any pony in Equestria. Hayseeds, I wouldn't be surprised if she was shacking up with one of those mares she's always hanging with, the Essences of Hippiedom or whatever.” “I don't think that they're like that,” said Lyra. “The point is, you and me and those other two clowns, we're not on her radar. Not in that way. We're her students. Or her fellow researchers, or whatever, I'm not really sure. But we're not her friends.” Lyra opened her mouth as if to protest, but shut it again after a moment. She turned back to look into the darkness of the forest around them, and let out a sigh. “You're right. I guess we're not.” It was kind of a buzzkill for Vinyl, laying out the truth so bluntly. But Lyra seemed like a pretty chill mare, and Vinyl didn't like the thought of somepony setting themselves up for such a big disappointment. It was always better to pony up and face the music than keep on deluding yourself. “Yet,” said Lyra softly. “What's that?” Lyra turned to Vinyl with a small smirk. “We're not her friends yet.” “Heh. Well aren't you the optimist.” “Do you think I'm wrong?” “I think you're crazy, chasing after a Princess. But she's probably crazy too. The fact that we're sitting out here in this forest probably proves that we've all got a few screws loose.” “Even you?” “Especially me.” Lyra turned her attention back to her instrument, smiling as she strummed the chords to another song; some classical piece, probably composed by a stallion a zillion years ago. But music was music, and Vinyl lay in the grass and closed her eyes, letting the melody take her away. And though she could hardly admit it to herself, that pulsing beat in the back of her mind had come back, but now she could hear the words that went with it. New magic.