//------------------------------// // The Pony Who's Got the Touch // Story: The Symphony of a Winning Lyrist // by JaketheGinger //------------------------------// “Missed a spot,” Cherry snapped, standing over me as I toiled over her kitchen counter. “And there. And also to your right.” She let out an annoyed huff, as if this was somehow taxing for her. “You’re terrible at this. Have you never cleaned before?” I rolled my eyes and kept scrubbing at the counter. Cherry wouldn’t let me use my magic to hold the wash rag, so I had to do it all by hoof. “Well this is your house…” “What are you saying?” Cherry asked. The frown in her voice was all too noticeable. “I’m saying that you’re a slob. Just like me,” I told her matter-of-factly. “In fact, not like me at all; I at least eat all the crumbs.” I could hear Cherry’s hoofsteps clip-clop against the floor. “Oh Gendaaaaaaarme!” Quickly, I turned around, dropping the rag. I held out a hoof and shouted, “No—wait!” Cherry was nearly at her front door. A few seconds later and she might have actually attracted the Gendarme, and when they turned up, she couldn’t lie about summoning them. I sighed, my shoulders slumping. “I’m sorry…” “You better be,” Cherry warned, giving me an evil little smirk. “Now less yapping, more working. Chop chop!” Think about me however you want, but I didn’t deserve this. Problem was, there wasn’t anything I could do about it without risking going to prison. And Celestia help me if I dropped the soap… Cherry had set me to do her menial tasks in no time at all. There were loads: washing her floors, tables, dishes, doing the dusting… it began to feel like the lazy one here was her. But I couldn’t exactly call her out on it without her crying like a little bitch and running to the Gendarmerie. “Oh, one more thing,” Cherry began. “I want you to do my garbage duty for the day.” Garbage duty? Did she mean… I gulped. “Hauling around that smelly old cart, right?” She said nothing in response, so I faced her to see her nodding slowly, a stupid evil grin plastered on her smug, self-satisfied face. My eyes teared up. But to be fair, that was because I could already detect a whiff of the cart I’d be pulling. “Oh, right… why do you do that anyway?” Cherry rolled her eyes. “It’s a community thing. Don’t you ever wonder how Ponyville gets to be so clean?” Huh. Good point. All my days sitting around town and I had barely noticed a hint of litter. “I volunteered to help with the clean up around town. Some ponies pick up the rubbish, and I haul it off to be disposed of every week. I don’t get paid for it, but it has to be done.” She brushed aside her mane, continuing. “But I won’t have to worry about it today, will I?” Shaking my head, I lamely replied, “Uh, nope.” The very least I could’ve hoped for was if my minty scent remained by the end of all this. In hindsight, that was asking for too much. I smelled like shit. Sorry for the bluntness, but it’s not something you can dress up. I smelled like shit, and I probably looked like it too. The cart of crap I was dragging behind weighed even heavier than the package I had to deliver to Canterlot, so I was all sorts of ragged and sweaty. Ponyville didn’t have a dump. According to Cherry, all rubbish was taken to the outskirts of town, where it was disposed of by mages. That left too many questions, though. Did they teleport it? If so, where did it go? Or did they burn it? Feed it to a dragon? In the end, I guess it didn’t matter as long as the town still looked nice. Pulling the cart along really made me appreciate how pretty it was. Well, not at the time. Rotten food and scraps kept falling off the cart, so I had to keep stopping and starting, resulting in a very hot and bothered Lyra. My legs ached and were beginning to tremble, my mouth was as dry as a bone, and the awful odor just wouldn’t stop invading my nostrils. Of course I got strange looks. Why wouldn’t I? That much I expected. But what I didn’t prepare for was a friend coming up and having a short, but definitely not sweet, conversation with me. “Lyra?” Berry trotted alongside me, wincing at the smell and looking up at the huge cart. “What are you doing…?” “Cart,” I replied—I’m not very talkative when I’m tired. “I can see that. Good job. Gold star,” she said, sarcastic as always. “But this isn’t your job. You’ve never signed up to do the community clean up.” Panting like some dog, I strained my muscles, pulling one of the wheels over a stone. “Cherry!” I gasped. “Cherry?” She raised an eyebrow, then looked at the cart again and nodded in realization. “Aah. I getcha.” Her hoof went straight into my back, patting me way too hard. My legs almost faltered under me. “Well, have fun with that!” Off she went, leaving me alone to my miserable fate. Figures, I guessed she was still mad at me for what I did to Colgate. Regardless, I soldiered on without her help, done with self-pitying about that fiasco. Maybe I could unleash my frustration about all this at her later? Hm… no. She was still my friend, even if sometimes she didn’t act like it. Berry didn’t know that I was being blackmailed, so maybe she saw this as another attempt by me to get some respect within the community. Actually, thinking of that made me go a li’l faster. I ached and I pained, but at least some ponies would be impressed that I was doing this dirty job. That kind of went away when I felt something cold and sludgy fall onto my flank and drip down. I shivered and just kept going. What should’ve been a five minute trot turned into an hour-something long slog. Eventually I just gave up and ended up lying on the grass, trying to catch my breath. I was near the river too, so I gave myself a quick wash and a drink. I may have also dozed off a little. My eyes were heavy and my limbs felt all sore and loose. And a little nap by the river didn’t seem too bad... “Hi Lyra!” I almost tumbled into the water. “Gah! Pinkie!” Thankfully she had the mercy to give me a few seconds to collect myself before rambling on. “What do you want?” I didn’t mean to sound so confrontational, but with Pinkie, you have to be direct. “Weeeeeeell…” I braced myself for the onslaught of words. “Dashie’s parents are in town—” News to me. Very interesting news indeed. “—and they’re super great and stuff—” Good to know. “—so me and Awesomom—” What? “—are gonna set up a huge, amazing, fantastical party here in Ponyville!” I slowly nodded, struggling to take that all in. Admittedly, I’m sometimes a little slow. “Right… thanks for the heads up, Pinkie.” Assuming that she’d then zoom off to tell the next pony, I touched her shoulder and continued. There was just one thing I wanted to know from her. “Do you think I’m lazy?” Pinkie smiled and spoke with such sugary sweetness. “Yep!” Trust Pinkie to be brutally honest in the nicest way. “But you’re also real loveable and goofy ‘cause you play the lyre super well and you smell like mint,” she took a whiff of my mane, “mmm, fresh as ever! So yeah, we still adore ya!” Alright, that brought a smile to my face. I was lazy, but at least I was wanted. Room for improvement, but better than nothing. She ruffled my mane a little, then stopped and spoke in a quiet voice, “Might wanna keep off the cupcakes though.” Then the prodding of my belly began. I blinked and inspected my stomach. It didn’t look any rounder than normal and I didn’t feel fat or bloated at all. Then again, Pinkie wouldn’t lie to me about this, and there was always the possibility that I’d put weight on without noticing… “Damn it, Pinkie.” I frowned and looked up at her, only to see that she had gone to the next pony to invite. Rolling my eyes, I soldiered on with my disgusting duty. At the very least, if I was getting pudgy, then this would help lose the weight. Pushing away that line of thought, my mind pondered what Pinkie had talked to me about in the first place. I don’t think I’d ever heard Pinkie describe a party as ‘fantastical’, and if she was planning it with somepony else, then it was sure to be bigger than her usual dos. In addition, Dash’s parents were in town and I couldn’t miss the opportunity to look at her family photos. Parents always have embarrassing photos of you—no exceptions. Especially my dad. Hopefully Cherry would have been merciful enough to let me go after this task, but I didn’t hold out on her too much. I could’ve told Bon Bon about this, actually. It would’ve been the smart thing to do. Unfortunately, I’m a pony who thinks in feelings, not silly things like a rational thought process. So my mind decided that following that course of action would’ve only hurt Bons, and that’s the last thing I wanted. Finally, mercifully, I reached the town outskirts. Dragging the cart to the edge of the road that led… somewhere, I put it down and then collapsed. However, napping near a cart full of rubbish wasn’t the best idea in the world, so I caterpillared back into town. Honestly, the dirt on the ground was cleaner than I was, so this was a pseudo-bath for me. Ignoring the stares everypony gave me as I crawled through town, I went back to Cherry’s house. Honestly, I probably could’ve napped on a bench like a dirty bum, but she probably wanted me for more work. Standing up, I knocked on her door, wincing when I left a dirty hoofprint on it. Hopefully she wouldn’t notice? The door swung open, revealing a very unimpressed Cherry. She sniffed the air, then shivered, glaring at me. “Go home and have a wash, you dirty bum.” She slammed the door in my face. Well, I guess that meant I was done for the day. Bons was still working at her stand, so I managed to get home and have a wash before any suspicion could be aroused. That’s how it was for the next couple of days. Bons ran her candy stand as usual while I toiled away for Cherry. Occasionally she ‘helped’ me by chatting with Bon Bon, meaning that my fake stories of where I’d been held more water. My body ached and pained, unable to deal with the sudden exertion I was having. Taking a look in a mirror, I saw one of the worst things for a mare in her prime. My earlier suspicions were correct: I was getting fat. A little bit of chub hung down from my belly, despite all the work that I had done. Granted, I was never one to eat particularly healthy, and exercise and a good diet do go hoof-in-hoof to a good body. So there I was, staring into the mirror at this slowly expanding lump before me. Looking closely, I could see bags under my eyes. Exhaustion stuck to my body like a disease and even my normally bright minty coloration was dulled. A pair of much stronger forelegs wrapped themselves around me, holding my chubby self together. “Honey, you look awful,” Bons stated. Can’t really fault her for her bluntness. Nodding, I reached behind me and gave her a tired nuzzle. “Yeah.” Sighing, I looked back to myself. “Bon Bon, do you think I’m getting… fat?” She blinked as if I had revealed some great surprise or something. “What? Lyra, you’ve been like that for months now.” Suddenly, I whipped my neck around to stare Bons right in the face. “What?” “I thought you knew, dear,” she told me. “Well I didn’t!” I protested, stomping a hoof on the ground. “I used to be thin and sexy. Perfect lover material. And now you just tell me I’ve got the chub?!” Bon Bon, per usual, kept calm, dismissing my cries with a hoofwave. “You’re implying I don’t find you attractive already.” Smirking, she gave me a tight squeeze. “And I do love my minty mare.” Couldn’t say I agreed with her right then. “Well I want to work out. Get rid of the pounds and become an even better mare for you.” Bon Bon smiled, nuzzling me appreciatively. “I do love it when you get a fire in your belly.” She lightly poked me in the stomach. “You can start after the big Ponyville party, hm?” I nodded. One last hurrah of fun, then it was time to buckle down and get serious. My lover’s smile turned into a teasing grin as I felt one of her hooves place itself on my cutie mark. She stroked it tenderly, ‘plucking’ the strings. “But we both know what burns off the most calories, yes?” Before I had any say in the matter, Bons had chucked me on the bed and proceeded to start nipping me and all that good, sexy stuff. I melted away in her strong embrace, my anxieties disappearing along with any thoughts of decency we had at the time. Cherry was ‘generous’ enough to not bother me when the day of the party arrived. And what a party it was. This wasn’t just a standard Pinkie Pie party at her place, or an Apple Family Reunion shindig. No, this was the whole town, dressed up and ready to partay! Bons and I went together, simply exploring what there was to do. There were bouncy castles, stalls with games, food… lots of food. Standing there almost salivating, I desperately tried to hold myself back from the hundreds of cupcakes on display. “Well I’m not going to stop you, Lyra,” Bon Bon said, watching me. I barely registered what she had said, focused on those luscious cupcakes. Just one would’ve made my day. I’d be happy. But then I’d get greedy and put on even more weight. Not something I particularly wanted right now. Gritting my teeth, I turned away and stomped off, trying my hardest not to look back. It was tough, but the long term gain would probably be for the best. Bon Bon followed, smiling sweetly at me. “Very tenacious. I like.” Grunting, I nodded, weaving through the crowd. Yeah, the place was packed. More than half the ponies here I had never seen before. Pinkie must have really pulled out all the stops for this one, and all for Dash’s parents? Maybe it was just her way of making a good impression. Heck, I was impressed already. Neither of us had seen any of our friends yet, but that really wasn’t much of a surprise. What was a surprise, however, was the brief sight of two long flowing manes. The two of us blinked in surprising, catching them at the same time. They were here too?! You would have thought the Princesses would have been busy with… Princessy duties or something. I knew that this was a mega Pinkie party, but even then... I briefly considered that if they were here, it only made sense that Cadence would be too. For a moment, my heart fluttered; it had been too long since she last visited, now that I was older, living in Ponyville and she had her Princess destiny or what have you. “Isn’t this a bit… much?” Bon Bon asked, looking around warily. “No different than your cons,” I replied. Bons is such a little nerd, going to these tabletop and other geeky conventions. When she can, of course. Holding back an urge to retch, I unfortunately remembered the infamous ‘con funk’ I had experienced once. “Smells better too.” “Completely different, Lyra. One, a convention is usually in a big building, not all over a town. And two, everypony there has something in common.” She eyed a random blue stallion as he walked past. “I wouldn’t know where to begin with these ponies.” “I suppose you’re right,” I confessed. “This party is meant to be for Dash’s parents—at least that’s what I thought—but I haven’t seen any trace of them.” “I have,” Bon Bon said. “Pretty nice ponies. Surprise is a little odd, like Pinkie, but Rainbow Dash is polite and nice enough. A little obsessed with looks, but apart from that she was lovely to speak to.” “Bons, you said ‘Rainbow Dash’ instead of her Dad’s name.” After a pause, I considered that ‘Surprise’ was probably a unisex name. “Or Mom’s.” “No, her mom is literally named ‘Rainbow Dash’,” Bon Bon confidently replied. “Rainbow is a love child.” I suddenly gasped in pure excitement, feeling the dimples on my cheeks form. “She is?! Oh, that’s amazing! No, it’s awesome! It’s no wonder she’s full of it, eh?” A love child is a wondrous thing, formed by the powerful love of a couple. That their love is strong enough to form new life is just so… inspiring. That’s the power of love for you. Or rather, the magic behind it. Love magic is pretty powerful, but also latent, and can’t really be tapped into. Not even my family has been able to pull it off, although that’s probably just as well. Cadence though… she can. Bon Bon could only chuckle at my enthusiasm. “No wonder at all, Lyra.” “Now we just have to meet them! Any idea where they could be?” I peered around, almost frantically, looking for any trace of rainbow I could find. Sure, there was a small chance that I might have grabbed the wrong pony, but it was a risk I was willing to take. “Honey, the party is huge. I don’t think we’re going to find them even if we did rush around.” She looked towards the town hall, all glittered and lighted up. “But over there seems to be where most of the action is, so it’s a safe bet they’ll be around that area.” When we got there, it was quite a sight to see a big stage set up just out front of the building. Some DJ equipment was set and music was blasting out of speakers, but nopony was currently attending it. Below the stage, a whole mix of colors danced about, as ponies strutted their stuff on the dance floor. I grinned. Now was my time to shine. The moment we hit the dance floor, I stood up on my hind legs and took Bon Bon by her forehooves. She let out a cute little surprised squeak, yet held onto me. On the dance floor, she was mine to control. Bon Bon didn’t have good balance like I did, so she had to hold onto me for support. I moved my hind legs in time with the music, the typical sort of fast paced party fanfare. My body swayed, my legs fluid and rhythmic in motion; it felt so good. Alas, poor Bon Bon was resigned to carefully taking steps, looking down at her legs nearly the whole time. So obviously, I did the only thing a charming fillyfriend would: I tugged on her so she fell into my embrace. Leaning against me, I could feel her soft coat against mine, and even our energetic hearts beating in tandem. Although that may have just been my ears ringing. I kept moving, but slowed down for her sake. Bons seemed content to just move with me and for a moment, we were just a loving couple in a sea of raving party goers. Shame Pinkie ruined that. “Lyra!” “Lyra!” She shouted my name twice, not giving me any chance to react. It was only when I turned my neck, that I saw not one, but two Pinkies. Okay, so one was a white pegasus, but that aside, they looked chillingly alike. “Gyah!” I stumbled, nearly tripping both me and Bon Bon up, but I held her firm. She quickly pecked me on the cheek and went back down onto all fours, before walking up to the strange Pinkie doppelganger. “Surprise! Good to see you again,” she greeted her warmly, then nodded at Pinkie. “Loving the party you got going on here.” “Surprise…” My brain slowly clicked into gear; when romance levels are high in my brain, it doesn’t think very logically. “Oh! Rainbow Dash’s mother! It’s great to meet you!” I held out my hoof for a polite shake. Surprise gently took it, then suddenly pulled me in for a big hug. “Lyra! Bons has told me all about you! It’s super duper fantastic to finally see you!” “She did…?” I choked. “Uh-huh. She told me about how you play the lyre, the funny way you sit, the fact that you really love luuurve, and…” She dove her muzzle into my mane and took a deep big sniff. I… just had to endure that. “Yes! You do smell of mint!” Most ponies might have found that a bit odd, but I just smirked proudly. Having a minty aroma was my thing. “Glad you like it.” I was about to ask for the embarrassing photos of her child, when Pinkie grabbed my arm and pulled me away from Bons. “C’mon! You’re going on stage!” “What?!” I whipped my head towards Bon Bon, who was getting smaller in the distance. “I’ll be back, love. Promise!” “Is that a Pinkie Promise?” Pinkie asked. “Of course it is,” I answered defiantly. “If you let me go right now, the first thing I’d do is return to her.” “Save that for later—even if it is cute,” Surprise told me, as I was taken around the back of the stage. The music died down, as did our voices. “So… what’s this about?” I questioned. Obviously it was something to do with performing, but as much as I liked it, the lyre was not an instrument to rock out to. “Well…” Pinkie began, leaning close on my left side. “Me and Surprise both hired musicians for this awesome do.” “I hired one, and Pinkie the other, to represent us,” Surprise added, coming in from my right. “But then we realized we had nopony to represent Ponyville, and we couldn’t have that!” Pinkie cried. Surprise shook her head. “Oh no no no. It would be crime not to properly represent our darling Dashie’s home.” “Soooooooooooo we thought you would do, ‘cause you’re the best musician in Ponyville!” Pinkie finished. Confetti was then thrown at my face. “Congrats!” I was blushing, but under the low lit evening it was probably hard to notice. “Well, uh, thanks…” I rubbed the back of my neck, shuffling on the spot. I glanced towards the stage, picturing the huge crowd on the other side. “Er… so who am I going to be playing with?” “With? Silly filly, you won’t be playing with them!” Surprise said, as she and Pinkie both formed a mischievous smile at the same time. “You’ll be playing against them—” “In the greatest musical battle ever seen!” Pinkie screamed, jumping into the air. “Yeah, that,” Surprise added. In comparison to Pinkie, it sounded just a bit lame. I suppressed the urge to gulp. Kind of difficult to do when you’re already keeping down the instinct to run back home. “Okay… who am I playing against?” “Well,” Pinkie began, “I picked one of the coolest musicians for this party. A pretty close friend of mine, Vinyl Scratch!” Everything that was me froze, save for the single drop of sweat running down my head. “What…?” “And I selected somepony more classy, but still really fun to be with. Maybe somepony for the older crowd I guess—like me!” Surprise pointed to herself, grinning. “I chose the wonderful Octavia!” I fell to the ground. Well, I would’ve had Pinkie not propped me back up, telling me not to be so clumsy. Vinyl and Octavia were here? And they expected me to battle against them? My party mood was completely destroyed, replaced by the infamous panic mode. I chipped away my hooves. With my teeth. My minty taste was of little comfort here. “Aw c’mon Lyra!” Pinkie cried, lowering her head as I curled up on the floor. Her voice went quieter too, with that gentle assurance you wouldn’t expect from Pinkie at first. “You’re the best musician in Ponyville! I’m sure your friends would love to see you perform.” “Bon Bon, too,” Surprise added, holding my lyre case. I wasn’t going to ask how she acquired it, but I doubt I would have gotten a clear answer. Opening the case, she very gently put my instrument before me. Staring at it, I suppose I should’ve felt more tense. But instead, I saw it as a way to get rid of said tension. Music is good for the soul, and an instrument is the vessel that allows you to channel your emotions. Either to vent them, or to explore them. Ponies, young or old, instantly react to the sound of music. Whether they love it or hate it, it shows they were alive. And so was I. Bon Bon and my friends probably didn’t expect me up on stage, but looking at my lyre, I felt the urge to surprise them and share some of the music I could make. Carefully, I grabbed it, instantly feeling a little reassured. “I’ll do it,” I told them both, standing up. I was immediately met with nuzzles from both sides of my face. “I knew you would!” Pinkie chirped. “Now get out there and dazzle the crowd!” “Make a scene! Be a star!” Surprised joined in, the pair both donning star shaped sunglasses. Nodding, lyre in my magic hold, I slowly walked up to the stage. Going past the curtains, I entered stage right and almost fainted. The crowd was a sea of immenseness. This wasn’t a party, it was a damned concert. All eyes turned on me and I quickly avoided their gaze. Thankfully I knew that the trick to being on stage was just to look above the audience, at the back wall. There wasn’t a wall here, but a nice view of the town ahead. Then I made the mistake of looking to my left. Two of music’s greatest icons stood there. Vinyl Scratch, surrounded by her DJ equipment, looking very at ease in her ‘control station’. The light glinted off her neon glasses, a brilliant grin on her face. Then there was Octavia, a complete stunner and contrast to Vinyl. Standing on her hindlegs alone, with only her cello by her side. Her poise was elegant, her face composed. Even though she only had a bowtie on, I couldn’t help but feel underdressed for this. My heart threatened to tear through my chest. Octavia was standing right before me, like an actual pony! And I was to battle her at her own craft. The two turned to me. Octavia’s face was unreadable, but Vinyl’s grin only increased. “Looks like we got a new challenger!” I opened my mouth and… “Yeeeearble…” Not that I needed my mouth to play anyway, but it would’ve been nice if it actually worked for my first impression. I noticed the barest hint of a smirk at the corner of Octavia’s lips. “Well we don’t need your name to battle anyways, and I’ve been sitting here for too long doing nothing. So let’s get this party started!” Vinyl raised a hoof, pumping it in the air, ready to rock. Or wub, in her case. Octavia looked at her, unimpressed, saying, “At least give her a chance to get ready.” I mumbled a thanks and shuffled past the cellist, taking place center stage. Lucky me. Looking down, I could see them. My friends, cheering me on. Derpy, Carrot Top, Kicky, Rainbow Dash, even Berry. Bon Bon, of course, stood out from the rest. I was still terrified mind you, but the sentiment was nice. Nodding at no one in particular, I signalled that I was as ready as I could ever be. That was when Pinkie and Surprise zipped onstage, each holding a microphone. “Are you ponies ready for a music battle that likes you’ve never seen?!” Pinkie screamed. The crowd cheered in response. “Then let’s get started!” Surprise pointed at Vinyl. “DJ PON-3, you’re up!” “Aaaaaw yeah!” Vinyl replied, slamming down a button on her DJ equipment. The crowd roared, while my ears were battered by the onslaught of wubs. Being so close to the huge speakers beside Vinyl, I couldn’t actually make out what she was playing. I could, however, feel the pure energy coursing through my veins. That’s what dubstep and things like that are to me. Less about musical grace and more about just having a good time. The crowd obviously thought so, ponies bobbing their heads to the beat. Octavia was less impressed. I could see her looking away, quite bored by the whole thing. The crowd was a sea of movement and Vinyl was rhythmically pumping away at her gear, while little ol’ me stood in the middle of the stage, eyes wide. Lights from the stage were flashing onto the ponies below. A few seconds later, the music ended. Or maybe it was more like a minute. I honestly couldn’t tell since my senses were still recovering. Octavia rubbed her ears. “Seems it’s my turn then.” A part of me relaxed, knowing we would get some quieter music for a small while. The other part tensed up. It’s probably not fair to compare the two, given they have such different styles, but I do consider Octavia the better musician. At the very least, she wouldn’t be as intimidating. Turns out I was very, very wrong, as usual. As soon as she started, bow in hoof, she almost became a blur of poetic fury, her foreleg zigzagging along the cello when she strung those strings. Her body moved from side to side, just to keep her balance from those powerful strokes of hers. If I was close enough, the bow would’ve probably impaled me. The music was fast, tense, and unlike any of the slow but beautiful pieces I had heard from her before. And when it was all done, she hadn’t even broken a sweat. So she had three things going for her: beauty, her good music, and just being fit. Meanwhile, I felt like I was going to choke. I told myself to calm down. At least I tried, but that would’ve resulted in me standing awkwardly on stage. It was time to play, not the moment for running like a coward. Having done that once… little else feels worse. Raising onto my hindhooves, I stood upright. That in itself might have raised eyebrows from the two musicians besides me, since I wasn’t using anything to support myself. My horn glowed and my ethereal hands came into being. “Dude…” Vinyl began, staring at them. “That’s awesome.” “Thanks?” I smiled. It felt forced. Eugh. Deep breaths, I told myself. It might have helped, I’m not really sure. Closing my eyes did though; helped me get into the ‘zone’. I can’t really describe the ‘zone’—it’s just a thing that happens. I felt attuned to my instrument. In that moment, we were one and the same, and I was ready to play. I started off slow. Some would see that as a mistake, especially considering how silent the crowd were. But start off loud and you’ve just wasted your crescendo. Still, given this was a battle, I had to step it up quickly. My fingers double timed it, plucking those strings of mine. The tempo increased and I could feel myself stomping a hoof to the beat. Soon, the crowd was as well. The energy—my energy—was passing onto them and invigorating their bodies, minds and spirits. Of course, this being a battle, I didn’t have all day to impress. I ended on a loud note, the sounds echoing out across the crowd. Perhaps I could’ve ended more impressively, but I’d save that for later. When my piece ended, so did my confidence. My breaths become shaky as I slowly opened my eyes, to see the crowd staring back. Okay, not staring, more like cheering ravingly. Now their enthusiasm was passed onto me, and I couldn’t help but smile. I turned to Octavia, eager to see her reaction. She merely bowed her head, hiding a smirk. “Impressive. But that was only just the first round.” She readied her bow. “Time for the second.” The crowd hadn’t even calmed time before she struck her bow along the cello’s strings. A deep hum permeated the air, commanding everypony’s attention. I could see a single drop of sweat roll down her forehead. Even that seemed strangely poetic. The notes were faster and stronger than any I had played, although the cello was naturally a powerful instrument anyway. I watched her, gaining a little competitive jealousy in my gut. On her last note, she whipped around and pointed her bow to me as if to say ‘What say you?’ I would’ve replied in earnest, were it not for our other competitor. “Hey! You totally stole my turn!” Vinyl frowned. “Totally not cool, Octy.” Octavia blinked, then drew away her bow, ears flattening slightly. And was that a faint blush I could see? Whatever it was, she looked cute. “I suppose I did… apologies.” “Bah, it’s cool.” Vinyl waved her hoof across her equipment dismissively. “Just gave me more time to prepare. Now you should get ready...” Vinyl raised her hooves in the air and shouted, “For the bass of deeeestruction!!!” I heard a small sigh besides me. “She knows nothing of subtlety…” “I noticed,” I replied. To be honest, I’m not exactly subtle either, so I didn’t see it as a bad thing. My poor ears got a hammering again. At this rate, I’d be deaf before I’d even turned thirty. Given my hobby, I didn’t feel like suffering that cruel irony. I briefly cursed myself for not knowing a spell that gave me magic ear buds. Glancing at Octavia, I only just then noticed she was wearing earplugs. Vinyl’s music wasn’t bad, but at this distance I couldn’t hear much but loud noise. I guess Octavia felt the same way. But again, the crowd was live and energized, so you couldn’t fault her for that. In fact, I felt like jumping down there and joining in the madness. That thought quickly disappeared when I realized ponies would have to catch me. The final blast from Vinyl’s speakers brought me back to reality. Vinyl was done, and Octavia already had her turn, so now it was my time to shine once again. The crowd was ecstatic, but I wasn’t going to give them a chance to calm down. I eagerly strummed on those strings of mine, creating a beautiful melody that echoed throughout the area. Maybe even the whole town, although that thought was just me feeding my ego. In hindsight, perhaps the guitar would have been a better instrument for this (I learned it during a phase in college). The lyre was nice, but it was also a delicate instrument much more home on quiet nights with a lover. Bon Bon would definitely agree with me there. Regardless, I still wowed the crowd. They weren’t as loud as the attention Vinyl got, but it’s not really fair to compare our musical styles; I still think I did a good job. Octavia even gave me a nod of recognition. Things just escalated from there. The atmosphere got more wild as we put our all into our instruments. My limbs ached, as did my head from keeping up my hands, and I really could’ve used a shower. Even Vinyl was sweating, despite being the least physically active out of all of us. I guess the heat of the stage lights didn’t help though. I’m not sure how long it went on for. It was all a blur. A vivid one for sure, but a blur all the same. I know how it ended though. By then I was really into it all, the atmosphere, the music—everything. I hadn’t felt such euphoria since I used to perform on stage back in my college days. So I got a little carried away. I moved my arms in wide big arcs, giving powerful strums with each swing that my lyre could only just handle. It was durable though, and had suffered far worse in my younger days (mostly during tantrums). Closing my eyes, I prepared for my final moment. I slid onto my hindlegs, skidding across the stage, rapidly plucking the strings into a final crescendo before… “YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH!!!” I really needed a drink after that. The ponies below went silent, looking at me with wide eyes, blinking. Even Vinyl didn’t say anything. Coughing, my bravado was drained from me in one fell swoop. Smiling awkwardly, I stood up and dispelled my hands. I desperately tried to think of something cool to say, but nothing came to mind that didn’t suck. Luckily my mouth didn’t move for me. “Well I guess that’s one way to finish a battle!” Pinkie cried, dashing back onto stage. “Now we’ll announce the winner!” “And the winner iiiis…” Surprise darted from the other side, stomping her hooves on the stage floor. Pinkie did the same, then the crowd, creating a daunting drum roll. I blinked and took in that this was actually happening. “Everypony! You’re all winners!” Surprise proclaimed, hugging everypony, including me. I didn’t really hug back, too shell shocked that everything back there really happened. “What?! That means we’re all losers too, dude,” Vinyl pointed out. “But you had fun, right?” Pinkie asked. The crowd roared in response and a sheepish smile formed on Vinyl’s features. “Well yeah, of course I did.” “Then that’s why you’re a winner,” Surprise said, with a sagely nod of motherly wisdom. “Having fun even when losing is a sign of a strong character.” The DJ lamely shrugged. “If you say so.” “So I can go now?” I asked. It did sound a bit rude, but in my defense, my whole body was quivering. Pinkie and Surprise nodded so I made my way off the spotlight, down to backstage. I distinctly recall sitting down and just staring at my lyre for a couple of minutes. I had done it. Really and truly. Somehow I had stood against the best Canterlot had to offer. And, now that I was still alive, I had enjoyed every single moment of the experience. I actually started laughing to myself, crazy as it seems. So lost in the euphoria of it all, I failed to notice a set of hoofsteps approach me. “Very well done back there.” I blinked, and looked up to see Octavia smiling back at me. “I’ve never seen—or heard—a lyrist play like that. It was most… enlightening.” “And radical. Don’t forget that, Tavi,” Vinyl added. ‘Tavi’ rolled her eyes. “Quite… regardless, I was very impressed by your musical prowess; perhaps you should come to Canterlot sometime.” I rubbed at an eye, unable to believe what was going on in front of me. “What, to perform?” “Possibly. But I was more thinking along the lines of a casual get-together.” She looked around, then back to me. “That’s a common thing here, isn’t it?” My cheeks were beginning to hurt from how much I was smiling today. “Yes! It is! I’d love to! When do—” A white hoof made its way to my lips. “Dude. Chill,” Vinyl commanded. I obeyed because it’s freaking DJ PON-3. She smirked and withdrew. “Yeah. You’re gonna be a lot of fun, I can tell. Wanna down shots?” Octavia let out a rather disgruntled sigh while I considered Vinyl’s offer. To be at an event like this and not get drunk was a travesty, to be honest. And drinking with Vinyl Scratch? That sounded way too awesome. Past Rainbow Dash levels of cool. Yet a surprisingly large part of me drew away from it. For one thing, I doubt Octavia would’ve been impressed and while Vinyl was great too, I really wanted to stay in the former’s good books. But the most important reason was that there was a very special mare waiting for me amongst the chaos of the party. “Sounds fun Vinyl, but I really got to get back to my fillyfriend.” I laughed a little, rubbing the ground. “I was dragged away from her a little suddenly.” “We understand,” Octavia replied. “When you find the time, do come visit. My address is… one moment.” She started to look around for something to write on. Her search was interrupted when Vinyl levitated over a piece of paper with surprisingly delicate magical engravings on it. It was definitely neater than anything I could have produced. “Ah, thank you Vinyl,” Octavia said, nodding respectfully at her friend. “No prob, bro.” Vinyl returned the gesture. She definitely had more of a cooler air about it though. “Vinyl, how many times do I have to—” Facehoofing, Octavia gave up on that train of thought. “Regardless, take care of yourself… Lyra, was it?” “Yeah. Lyra Heartstrings,” Vinyl answered for me. She must have seen my confused stare I was giving her, so she explained. “Pinkie told me your name.” That seemed to give Octavia an enlightened sense of awareness. “Oh, you’re a Heartstrings? I’ve heard a lot about—” Halting herself again, she coughed politely. “Sorry. I’m keeping you; we’ll have a lot more to discuss in the future, of that I’m sure.” Nodding eagerly, I started to head back to my Bon Bon. “We will, definitely! It was an honor meeting you two!” “The honor was all mine,” Octavia replied, giving me a little curtsy. “It was definitely way cool,” Vinyl added. Giving them a quick wave, I headed back through the mess of ponies. Much to my shock, it was harder than expected given that a lot of ponies wanted me to stop so they could praise me on my performance. My cheeks turned redder and redder as I thanked them quickly and subtly tried to make my escape. At one point though, a congratulatory slap on the back from Rainbow sent me sprawling to the ground. Kicky delivered justice by helping me up, and wing whapping the Rainbow Menace. Yet throughout all the commotion I had to go through, there was not one sign of my beautiful Bons. I started to get worried, biting my lip and nervously pacing about wherever she could be hiding. Suffice to say, she was definitely not near the bins with the drunks. There was quite a few of them, which was to be expected given the scale of everything. A shiver passed through me when I saw them. Not too long ago, I was like them. Probably even worse. A very strong body mass then piled onto me, bowling out my memories and the rest of my being. I struggled in its very strong grip, but I wasn’t afraid. I had never been happier this night until right then. “You were amazing, love!” Bon Bon cheered, effortlessly flipping me over so I could stare right into her gorgeous eyes. Bons doesn’t get excited often—she’s a calm spirit at heart—but when she does, I can definitely feel it. My blush, which was starting to fade, flared up in full force. Then Bon Bon pressed herself equally as forcefully against me and gave me a very passionate kiss. I returned it, giving her all that energy I still had from my performance. When all was said and done, we were making out in the street, so when we had finished, I made my best attempt to push Bons off me. It didn’t work, but she got the message just fine. “As much as I love your sensual embrace…” I started, getting up and dusting myself off. “Shouldn’t we wait until the after party at least until we start banging like rabbits?” My fillyfriend gave off a classic Bon Blush: her cheeks went rosy pink, looking extremely pinchable, and she began to fidget around. “Well, yes… I’m just so thrilled for you, that’s all.” “I know, honey.” Closing my eyes, I rested my head against hers. We did this a lot, just being close to one another. It made both of us feel safe, happy and blissfully unaware of all the drama in our lives. But it wasn’t a ward against the latter. Somepony tapped my shoulder, causing me to jerk back and spin around. Right into the face of Cherry. “So sorry to interrupt,” she lied through her teeth. “Just giving Bon Bon some advance notice about tomorrow.” Bons smiled, stepping forth to meet my enemy. “Don’t worry about it, Cherry. What is it?” “Well, me and Lyra agreed that we’d make a day out of tomorrow. Have some quality mare bonding, if you know what I mean?” She forcefully slung a foreleg around me and pulled me in. I gulped, but Bon Bon was distressingly unaware of such. “Oh that’s great!” she cried, looking upon us both with happy admiration. “I was worried there was some tension between you two.” For the first time in my life, I thought Bon Bon was dumber than me. Even if it was just for a moment. Cherry laughed sweetly. Yes, sweetly burning my ears from the inside out. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’re pretty cool with each other.” I practically froze when she started nuzzling me, but I forced a smile. If Bon Bon really knew how bad things were right then… “Right, Lyra?” She nudged me when I didn’t respond, which ended up being counter-productive; she got me right in the ribs, almost winding me. “Y-Yeah…” I hastily coughed and spoke up, more confident. “Yeah! Of course!” Cherry nuzzled me again, and every part of me screamed from the inside.