It was dark outside that night. The streets would have normally been alive with activity, and there would normally be laughter and shouting heard from the buildings that surrounded him... nothing. Silence. Singer wondered through the streets aimlessly looking for anypony, Serenity, Uncle Fender, just anypony. No luck.
Singer began to get scared, was he experiencing some sort of pony apocolypse? Or was this just a dream? He hoped it was all just a crazy messed up nightmare as continued his search for other ponies around.
Singer twitched his ear when he heard movement around him. A purple blur, zipping past him from behind, then above him, then out from a door. Singer finally saw something speed by when it zoomed right in front of his face. At first he hesitated, but out of curiousity, quickly bolted after the figure. He tried to follow it but it was going faster than he could gallop or even fly. He then stopped in the middle of the street to catch his breath after chasing it for about two blocks.
"HEY!" he called out. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? WHY ARE YOU RUNNING FROM ME? SHOW YOURSELF NOW!"
No answer. Singer thought this odd, and came to the conclusion that maybe he didn't want to find out what it was and it'd be best to just go home. So he turned back to the dirction of home, but when he turned his back, he got struck from behind, causing him to fall on the ground. When he turned his head to see who it was, he gasped in horror. The pony who struck him looked just like him, only different colors. Instead of blue fur, this stallion's fur was purple, having an orange mane instead of his normal red mane and instead of his normal curulean colored eyes, the color of his eyes were blood red.
Gathering up all the courage he could muster, Singer decided to speak to him, nervously saying "Wh-who are you?"
The stranger only replied by turning his head in Singer's dirction, smirking after which he lunged at Singer with an evil laugh, causing Singer to hold up his hoof to try and sheild and defend himself from the impending contact... then black!
He then awoke in his room, breathing at a fast pace, in his bed and under his covers, which had been badly messed up from all of his tossing and turning he had been doing while running. He had been asleep, it was all just a bad dream. As he calmed down he covered himself back up and rolled over on his side to try and get more sleep. Just a stupid, scary, messed up dream that was now over, he told himself mentally. He'd forget about it by morning.
When morning finally came, he woke up and prepared for his day, fixing himself some breakfast, hoping to shake off the weirdness from the night before. The dream from last night, still frazzling his mind, he quickly dismissed it however, letting it go. It was just a nightmare, right? Surely it was the end of it.
It had been about two and a half years, or more since Singer came to Las Pegasus and took on his career. By now he was pretty big in the town of Las Pegasus. He had his own record deal, he had his own music tour, both of which he shared with his marefriend, Serenity as a duet. The two had been dating on and off for the last couple of years, breaking up at least four times in that time and getting back together not long after, yet still continuing their music together. Singer had gotten pretty wrapped up in his music, Serenity herself doing the same, that it often caused problems with their relationship, causing them to break up and get back together off and on. Right now, they were doing pretty good with each other and their relationship.
The only problem he faced was that she had grown uneasy about the amount of letters that he and "this Violet mare" had sent back in fourth to each other over the course of their career. She didn't like how his eye seemed to twinkle when she'd watch as he'd write back to her. This had caused problems for them and was one of the reasons that they broke up one of four times that they did so. But Singer wasn't about to let up and leave his best friend in the dust. Serenity, after a compromise, came to accept it, though she didn't like it one bit. She felt that his interaction with Violet, not only got in the way of his music, but also them as a couple. Singer could tell that it was still bothering her, so he'd try to ease her mind every time the issue came up. He just didn't understand why she acted this way. He figured she'd just have to get over it in time. His cluelessness in this situation was agging the whole thing on however, and the longer he tried to drag it on, it seemed the more it intensified.
On the other hoof, he'd missed talking to Violet in person. How he wished there was some way he could do that. It was at that moment, sitting there in his room, that he thought about her and decided it was high time that they hung out again. He had a performance in Canterlot coming up in the very near future and decided that it was high time that he invited her to one of his performances. So he grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and began writing his letter of invitation to her.
"Dear Violet,
I just wanted you to know that I will be performing in Canterlot in a few days and I was hoping you'll be free to come see me. I really miss seeing you and talking to you in person. If you would, that would be great! I'm sending you three tickets so that you can bring my mom and Rain as well. I look forward to seeing you if you come. I love you guys and I really do miss you. And Uncle Fender says hi as well.
With love,
Singer"
He beamed brightly as he placed the letter in the envelope and placed a stamp on it. He then got up and got ready to take it to the post office. He was excited for his Canterlot performance, he was finally going to get to see them; he had every bit of confidence they would show up, despite how he had sounded in his letter, because he knew that they missed him as much as he missed them. The trip to Canterlot couldn't get there soon enough.
When he got back home, he found Serenity at his door, waiting for him. He knew it was time to get to work. He greeted his marefriend with a kiss and they were on their way to the studio.
A couple of days later, in Cloudsdale, Violet emerged from her house to check the mail. When she opened the mailbox, she looked through her mail. She smiled when she got her letter from Singer. Even though she knew that he was with somepony else, it still didn't change a thing. She still had feelings for him, but she also knew that he was her best friend and she'd support him regardless of his status, whether it'd be single or dating. Though she found it difficult at times, she pressed on with her life.
During that time, she had gone on a few dates herself. The stallions she'd date would either be complete jerks or just lost interest in her on the first date, or vice versa. She'd even dated a stallion who was training to be in the royal guard, named Flash Sentry, who showed the most promise out of them all, but he had to move to Canterlot shortly after to persue his career in becoming a guard, so their relationship didn't last long as neither were into long distance relationships. It wouldn't have worked out anyway, she told herself.
In her mind, she was holding out for the hope that Singer would someday feel the way about her that she did for him, as selfish as it sounded. She'd been pretty selfless her whole life, so thinking such thoughts didn't really bother her a whole lot. At least not at first, then she'd metally slap herself for thinking such thoughts, as Singer already had a marefriend and thinking like that wasn't going to help make her situation any better. She put most of her focus on running her mother's flower shop. She liked the fortitude that the walls of the store gave her. It kept out all of her problems when she was inside. And having Singer's mother around to be a friend for her was another contributing factor to her coping. She'd been a blessing even before Singer had left for Las Pegasus, and the time they'd spend working in the shop together really helped her keep her mind off of things.
By the time she'd got inside, she was already anxious to read the letter that Singer had wrote to her. It'd been about a week or so since she'd recieved his last letter, so she was really excited to get this one. When she opened it up and read it, she couldn't believe her eyes. He'd invited her to his show in Canterlot! After reading the letter and finding the tickets inside, she let out a scream of excitement. This didn't go unnoticed by Rain, her little brother, who had been reading in the room next door.
"Violet? What's wrong?" Rain asked nervously, rushing in after hearing Violet scream, only to enter to see his older sister blushing; her face as red as a cherry.
"Oh... um sorry Rain. I just got a little bit excited." she replied, still blushing furiously.
"What's all the excitement about?" the young colt inquired, cocking his eye brow.
Violet showed Rain the letter that Singer had sent in the mail and the three tickets that he'd placed in the envelope. Rain read it and a small smile came on his face too. He was excited that he was going to get to go to Canterlot, a place that he'd only ever heard about. Rain then looked at Violet.
"You gonna tell Singer that you love him?" he asked playfully with a smirk.
Violet blushed, and deadpanned Rain. "No... I will not! As much as I do care for him, he's got a marefriend and I cannot and will not come between them. It just wouldn't be right! As long as I am his friend, that is enough for me... no matter how much I want to be with him."
Rain then frowned at the expression that now adorned Violet's face, which expressed sadness. She stopped for a second and began to look down at the ground. He felt a bit of remorse for this, so he quickly apologized.
"I'm sorry, Violet. I didn't mean to make you sad. I was only making a joke and I guess I stepped on the wrong tile."
Violet then looked up at her brother, smiling and then let out a small giggle. "It's alright, Rain. I was just thinking, that's all. No harm done. Although, I would like to know where you get your expressions from, that tile thing was pretty funny."
"I dunno, it just makes sense to me."
Violet reached over and pulled Rain in for a hug. "I love you little brother."
"I love you too, sis."
She hugged him for a few seconds before letting him go. "Now go get washed up, it's time for lunch."
"Alright!" he said, heading off.
Due to her dad having to work a lot as a weather pony, she often found herself being Rain's caretaker. She didn't seem to mind much, as they got along fairly well and he didn't really make a lot of fuss... usually. One thing that they had in common, was that they were both always fairly calm in everyday life, and not easily excited like Singer was. This, as well as her maturity was a contributing factor to Violet's success with being his guardian seventy to eighty percent of the time.
Violet, sat at the table, reading the letter over and over again. Her excitement was building up for she would soon get to hang out with Singer again. She just hoped that she would get to spend a little time with him.
The next few days couldn't have gone by any slower for Violet. She had been anticipating this ever since she had gotten Singer's letter. But the day had come and they were finally there. Luckily, the show was in Canterlot so the commute there was just a half hour or less flight away from Cloudsdale. Neither Violet, nor Rain had ever been to Canterlot, but since Belle, who once lived there, had come with them they felt better about being in a city they've never been to. Once they had landed in one of the streets, they rested their wings and began to walk around and looking at all of the sights that Canterlot had to offer. They even stood in front of the Castle of Princess Celestia, which they couldn't resist taking a picture in front of, as Belle took her camera and had Violet and Rain stand in front of the Castle and make goofy faces.
"Nice one" she laughed as the picture printed from the camera. Violet and Rain hovered over her shoulder to see how it turned out and they too laughed and revelled in the funny moment.
As they moved on, they noticed a few concert posters hanging on the walls of the streets, one in particular caught their eye. The poster for Singer and Serenity's show, later in the evening. Violet looked at the poster, that portrayed Singer and Serinity both holding microphones leaning against each other, back to back, each looking like they were belting out some heavy notes. Violet couldn't help but feel a small bit of envy, looking at the two together. She'd finally seen what Serenity looked like, and even she would have to agree that she was as attractive as a mare could be. She only wished she could say something to him, let him know how she felt about him. But this trip was intended her and Singer to reunite and hang out again, not to interfere with Singer's love life, as bad as she wanted that to be her with him. She would continue to be supportive of him, no matter what.
Her uneasiness lifted when around the corner came the aformentioned stallion. Singer, with a big smile on his face, rounded the corner and once he saw the trio of pegasai that he loved so much, his smile only intensified.
"Guys! You made it!" he shouted, rushing over to them, collecting them all in a large group hug. "I missed you all so much!"
"We missed you too, sweetie!" said Belle. "Now tell me. Have you been brushing your teeth?"
"Yes mom..." he replied. I should've known this was coming, he thought.
"Have you been making sure that you eat your vegitables BEFORE dessert?"
"Yes mom..."
"Have you been showering regularly? I know the busy schedule of a rockstar doesn't always leave time for personal hygene, but..."
"I love you too, mom." he cut her off, earning a smile from her.
"You may no longer live under my roof, son. But that doesn't mean my maternal instincts have withered away."
"Boy am I thankful for that." he said sincerely. He appreciated his mother, and although some of the naggy questions she asked annoyed him, he knew she only nagged because she loved him. Even after being separated for the last couple years, they're mother/son bond still remained in tact, much to each other's joy.
"Hey Singer!" said Rain, trying to make his presence known.
"Hey squirt!" exclaimed Singer, as he swooped over to him and picked him up, and placing him on his shoulders. "Ain't seen you in forever. Man, you've gotten bigger since the last time I saw you! Not much of a little squirt anymore, huh?"
"Nope!" he said proudly. "But I'm still too small to ride the fair rides..."
"Don't worry, kid. You won't stay small forever. But, between you and I, some of those rides aren't worth it anyway." he said as he put Rain back down.
Rain only responded by hugging Singer. Singer was pretty surprised that Rain still remembered him. Violet must have talked about him quite a bit while he'd been gone.
When he turned to talk to Violet, he was met with a slight playful punch on his shoulder. Violet smirked as he rubbed his shoulder.
"Why did you leave without saying goodbye?" she said, trying to keep a straight face without laughing. She wasn't near as mad or hurt about it, as she was before, but she still wanted him to know how bad of an idea she thought leaving without a goodbye was.
"I deserve that..." he said rubbing his shoulder, looking back at her with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Vi. I didn't mean to cause you any pain or hurt your feelings. It was a tough night for me that night."
"I know" she replied knowingly, followed by a slight sigh. "I understand. I remember how difficult it was for you that day. So I wasn't too upset by it." She kind of lied there. When she found out that he'd left, she was devastated, but thought it best to leave that out.
"Why don't we let them catch up?" said Belle to Rain. "Let's go see about getting some dinner. 'Kay?"
"Alright!" replied the young colt as they both turned toward the nearest restaurant, leaving the two childhood friends to talk and to catch up.
As the old friends walked the opposite direction, more conversation began to open up. They had a lot of catching up to do, and they spent the hour enjoying each other's company and talking about the good ol' days, how things were going on each others ends; things like how Singer's career was going, how Violet was doing back home and about running her mom's flower shop in her mother's memory, things just came natural for the two as they reminisced over the good times that they shared, and hoped to share in the future. The conversation eventually somehow drifted towards Singer and Serenity, something that Violet wasn't sure she was prepared for.
"So how'd you two become a couple anyway?" she asked, though she knew she'd probably regret it.
"Well, it's kind of a cliche story, really. We obviously met through our music. She liked my voice, I liked hers, we became a duet, and a few months later we just started dating. We really get along well. Most of the time, anyway. You should meet her, she's pretty cool."
At that moment, Violet knew that what she said here would be critical. She didn't want her personal feelings to get in the way of being a good supportive friend, so she had to fight her desire to tell him how she felt. Despite herself, she agreed to meet Serenity, as hard as it would be. She'd just try her best to be friendly toward her, and hope for the best.
"I'd love to meet her" said Violet, with a smile as sincere as she could make it.
"That's great!" he replied back, obviously being decieved by Violet's shielding of her uneasiness. "However, before that happens, I was wanting to ask you something." He rubbed the back of his head, unsurely.
"What is it?" she inquired.
"I was wondering if maybe you'd like to come with me on my tour and stuff! It'd be 'Singer and Violet Best Buds on the Road', just like old times. Only we'd be traveling a lot! And I'd spend quite a bit of time with Serenity as well, but I would always be able to make time for my best friend!"
Violet, backed up a bit. This proposal, didn't sit well with her at all. Her eyes moved back and forth, and her smile grew faint.
"What's wrong, Vi?" he asked, concerned. "I thought you'd like this idea."
"It's not a bad idea, Singer... It's just... I can't do it. I mean, I've got Rain to take care of still, he's got school, plus I've got my mom's shop and I... I just couldn't."
"Well Rain could always come along as well."
"No, no, no... I can't, Singer. I can't subject him to travelling on the road. He's still young and he's never really been very far away from Cloudsdale before." she was running out of excuses, as legitimate as they were. She really wanted to do it, but she knew it would be hard being around Serenity. Who knows what would happen if the two mares got into an argument? Violet wasn't willing to chance it.
"But what if..."
"NO!" she said with a few tears sliding down her cheek, that had to be the end of it. She couldn't take it anymore.
Singer stopped talking, and put his hoof on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'll stop talking about it. It was kind of selfish of me to ask that of you."
"I'm sorry, as well." she said with a small sniffle, while rubbing the tears off of her face. "I really want to go with you, Singer. But you must understand why I can't."
"I do, and you're right. Let's just forget I even said anything, okay?"
"Alright."
He pulled a small rag out from under his wing and handed it to her. "Don't worry I haven't used it yet, it's clean. Wipe some of that off your face, there."
"Thank you" she replied. "I'm sorry for getting emotional back there."
"Don't worry about it. It was my fault. I'm just happy to see you again. If it helps, I'll try to make this happen more often. I can't be without my best friend for very long."
Violet looked up and smiled at him with his smiling face looking back at her. It was like they were back in school again, memories of dancing at the prom came back to them both, they vaguely remembered the few times that they had nearly kissed between classes, and the close bond that they used to share when they hung out every day. For the both of them, it was like home. Even if they weren't at their physical home. Things looked to be heading in a good direction for the two friends, however their moment was broken when a voice calling for Singer interrupted the two.
"There you are!" shouted Serenity. "I've been looking all over for you!" she walked up to the pair of friends, and fixed her eyes on Violet. "And who is this?"
"Sernity, this is my best friend, Violet. I've told you about her."
"So this is her. It's... uh... nice to meet you." said Serenity, with a hint of awkwardness in her tone.
"Likewise" replied Violet politely, sensing Serenity's displeasure.
"Not to be rude here honey, but don't you think we should be getting ready?" she said, turning back to Singer.
"Oh gosh, I didn't realize how late it was. Vi, you wanna..."
"It's okay, Singer. I'll leave you two to it. See you after the show?"
"Sure thing!" replied Singer, smiling at her. "I'll see ya afterwards then."
"Okay!"
Violet smiled back, before facing the direction, in which she was walking, disappearing around the street corner. Serenity watched this exchange and decided to voice her opionion on the matter, and she didn't seem pleased at all.
"You didn't tell me that she was going to be here." she said sternly.
"I'm sorry. I just really wanted to see my friends again. Saw my mom too."
"What did I tell you about friends?" she said, scowling at him. "Friends in this line of work, can be a distraction! How do you expect to strive in this business if you keep letting distractions get in the way?"
"That's not a problem with me. I'm not distracted one bit. Can we not argue about this? We do have a show to do, and I don't want to postpone another show because of an argument. Besides, being around my loved ones has left me more focussed than ever for the show. It's all good, honest!"
"Fine... But remember, if it becomes a hindrance, you need to leave them alone and let them live their own lives. We are at a very crucial point in our careers right now, and I'm not about to let either of us screw it up!"
"Yes, dear..." he replied sadly. "Well, we should probably get ready then."
"Let's go. The show starts in an hour and a half. That doesn't leave us much time!"
With that, the two walked off toward the autitorium to begin preparations for the show, which would start soon. Fender, who had been practicing his guitar for the show, was already back stage to greet them when they arrived.
"Say, do you think we'll have enough time to go to that ceremony to celebrate the return of Princess Luna?" asked Fender. "Who woulda thought that the Mare in the Moon tale was real, eh?"
Singer only chuckled in response to the Mare in the Moon part. As for Fender's first question..."I don't know. My mom, Violet and Rain are here and I kinda want to see them again before they leave. You can go if you want to though." replied Singer.
"They're here? Awesome, man! I'll be going to see them too!"
"Both of you focus, please! Remember, Singer. No distractions!"
Singer nodded as rehersal began, and Fender lined up with the rest of the band to practice their number.
Meanwhile, Violet walked down the streets of Canterlot, alone. She needed some time to think about things. Not that she hadn't already decided upon what to do about them. She mainly just wanted to be by her self for a few minutes. After a short refreshing walk around the block she was walking around, she came across a donut store, called "Donut Joe's". She entered the store, not thinking about anything but getting a snack. She sat near the back, watching the line of customers. After they had all vanished, she left her seat to order something.
"Hello there, miss. What can I get for ya?" The friendly stallion behind the counter asked. It was apparent that the stallion was "Donut Joe".
"May I have a small bag of donut holes?" she asked.
"Coming right up!" he said, while preparing her order.
As Violet waited for her order, a dark blue unicorn stallion came in and sat up front by Violet to her right, not making any eye contact with her whatsoever. The stallion had emerald green eyes, and a chestnut brown mane and tail, which looked a bit scruffy. His cutie mark, a rolled out scroll.
It didn't take long for Violet to notice that she had somepony to her right, so she looked over and tapped on his shoulder. This apparently startled him, as he looked up with his eyes slightly widened.
"Hi!" she said to him, hoping to strike a conversation.
"Umm..." the shy stallion replied, unsure of what to do. "Are y-you talking to m-me?"
Violet looked around the room, noticing nopony else was in there with them. "That would be correct. Nopony else to talk to."
The stallion, looked away shyly, not wanting to be rude, but he just wasn't used to ponies wanting to talk to him.
"I'm sorry, I'm not usually this good at making conversations... I'm normally pretty shy like that as well. I've just had a wonderful, yet horrible day. And I just want to talk to somepony."
"I apologize for my quietness. I'm just not used to other ponies wanting to strike a conversation with me. I'm not all that interesting, and if you talked to me long enough, you'd see that."
"Neither am I, but I'm sure you're a nice stallion." she replied. "My name is Violet, what is yours?"
"My name is Dusk Noir." He replied politely.
"A pleasure to meet you." said Violet as she recieved her food and payed for it. "You should really try to be more positive, Dusk. What do your friends usually say about this?"
The stallion only looked down at the ground at the mention of friends, which was something that he didn't have. Violet, having been down that road before, could tell that this stallion's social life was not very well if there even was one for him, by his reaction to her question.
"I'm sorry Dusk. I know what it's like to have problems finding friends. I have the most amazing friend, but I just can't tell him how I feel about him. It's driving me crazy!"
"There is this amazing mare that I have seen around..." he began when she finished. "I've tried for years to get the courage just to speak to her, in hopes of someday becoming her friend. But why would she want the be friends with a uninteresting stallion like me?"
Violet looked at the stallion compassionately and placed her hoof on his shoulder. "I'm sure you'd make a great friend. The mare you speak of or any other pony for that matter would be pleased to have you as a friend!"
She's probably just saying that to be nice, he thought. Better not waste any more of her time. "Th-thank you for the compliment, Miss. But... I-I had better get going, I just remembered that I had somewhere that I needed to be. Fairwell!" He said as he got up and walked out the door.
"Bye..." said Violet, confused as she sadly watched the stallion leave.
As a few minutes flew by, Violet's order had been completed and brought to her. She sat there and ate her snack, popping one donut hole at a time into her mouth, while still thinking about Singer. How glad she was to see him, but yet how sad she was inside because he was right there in front of her and she couldn't tell him how she felt! But at the same time her strong feelings toward being a good, supportive friend still remained. Conflicted, confused and frustrated, she could almost feel a headache coming on. But when her eyes drew toward the clock on the wall, she realized something... Singer's show was about to start!
She paid the clerk, grabbed what donut holes she had left, stuffed them in her bag, and gallopped as fast as she could to the auditorium. She did so for a couple of minutes before she remembered that she had wings, and flapped them as hard as she could hoping to make the show on time. In all her thinking she'd forgotten that she was a pegaus and could have been flying the whole way. How sad was that? She thought to herself.
Her worrying was for naught, however. She had arrived at the show, just five minutes shy of the start. The hard part was over. As she trotted closer to the gate, she was stopped by security, a tall brown earth pony stallion.
"Excuse me, Miss! I'm afraid I can't let you in! We're already packed out."
Unbelievable! "But wait! I have a ticket!" She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out her ticket and handed it to the guard.
After looking it over, he gasped and looked down at the mare apologetically. "Very sorry, Miss. But I can't let you have a seat!"
"Why not?" inquired Violet nervously.
"Because this is a backstage pass!" he exclaimed. "My sincerest apologies. I'll have the usher escort you backstage immediately!"
"Oh... well... thank you!" beamed Violet gratefully, as the usher came to guide her back stage.
She was able to catch up with Belle and Rain, who also had a similar experience with the security guards.
"Violet! There you are!" exclaimed Rain as he tackle hugged his approaching sister.
"Hey Rain! Sorry I'm late. Has he gone on stage yet?"
"Not yet." replied Belle. "He and Serenity are still getting ready for the show."
A tall red pegasus stallion appeared behind them. He had a guitar on his back, and was ready to perform. It was another familiar face to the trio.
"Well, well, well... I knew it was only a matter of time before Sing invited you guys to the party!" the friendly stallion said with a smile.
"Hello Fender!" replied Belle. "It's nice to see you again! You and Singer have been keeping yourselves busy, I see."
"Yep! It's been a pretty long road. Faust darn it! I've almost lost track of the time." he said with a chuckle, then eyeing the refreshment table. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get some food in my system real quick..." The stallion trailed off as he headed off to the table.
"I see he's still always hungry" remarked Violet with a giggle, Belle joined in briefly.
"He hasn't changed a bit. Singer, however..." said Belle. "I can definitly tell something is off about him. And I'm not sure that I like it."
"I'm sure he'll be fine." said Violet.
"You're right. He's probably just going through a phase that all artists go through. Good thing he has Serenity."
"Oh yeah..." Violet chuckled awkwardly. "Good ol Serenity!"
Belle suddenly remembered that she knew about Violet's crush on Singer, and her facial expression quickly became apologetic towards Violet for mentioning that. However, Violet was quick to send her signals that it didn't bother her and that it was fine, even if it did sting a little bit. Violet knew she meant no harm by it. Besides, she needed to be strong anyway.
Singer and Serenity both emerged from the dressing rooms in their uniforms. They were both kind of matching today. They both wore white, Singer wearing a suit and sunglesses and Serenity wearing a white dress. They both smiled at the others, as they walked on to the stage. Singer walked out first, and Serenity after him. She quickly scowelled at Violet when their eyes met as they walked by, Violet catching it. Nopony else seemed to notice. She wondered what it was all about. A look of fear came upon her face, as she watched the two stand on the stage as they began their performance.
............
After the performance had ended, the two took a bow and left the stage to prepare for their second and final song of the evening as their concert had cut in half of what it was originally to be to accomadate for the unexpected celebration of Princess Luna's return to the throne.So there was plenty of time during the half time break for Singer and Serenity to do whatever.
The former, wanted to go over to his mother and his friends, but he got swamped by reporters wanting to ask him questions. Serenity however, managed to avoid them. Amid the chaos, she went on a mission to get Violet alone. She surfed through the crowd, searching for the mare. She'd take this matter into her own hooves. She eventually found her struggling to find a safe place to stay without running into any reporters or other crazed fans. Serenity made herself visible to Violet and signalled her into her dressing room. Desperate to get out of the stampede, the mare complied and followed Serenity inside.
Once inside, Violet let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks" she said with exaspiration.
"Think nothing of it." Serenity replied. "This happens all the time. Singer and I are both used to it." She boasted.
"I'm not so sure that I could handle that kind of pressure." said the modest mare.
"You don't look the type for that kind of bombasticness."
Violet awkwardly chuckled. "You would be correct in that assumption."
"And you don't look like the type who'd... I dunno... move in on some other mare's territory?" she said, now glaring at her with suspision in her features.
"O-Of course not! I would never d-do anything like that! I respect and know my boundaries..."
"Do you now?"
Violet suddenly got scared. She should have known that the glare she recieved from Serenity was a sign. This was a trap, and Violet walked right into it.
"Look Serenity... you seem like a reasonable mare. I don't want any trouble."
"Then stay away from my colt friend!" Serenity snapped.
Violet's eyes grew wider and she cowered down as Serenity seemed to tower over her with her condescending form. Her glare looked as if it could have gone through her body ten times, effortlessly. It was a classic death stare, something that Violet wanted nothing to do with.
"I've read your letters! He may be too blind to see it, but I can see plain as day that you are in love with him!" She had a few of the letters that she'd snuck out of Singer's saddle bags, and had them levitating them in front of Violet's face. "Don't even try to deny it, Violet!"
"I... I don't know what you're talking about!" Violet frightfully replied, holding her hooves over her head. She wanted to cry at that point. Serenity had her cornered and scared. She wanted to make a mad dash for the door and run or fly away as fast as she could, but there were still too many ponies out there.
"You listen to me..." she said, followed by a slight pause which she used to set one of the letters ablaze in front of her with a lighter. "Singer does not need you constantly bothering him with 'the good ol' days'! He has done just fine without you are his back-stabbing family! In fact, your presence here is becoming an even bigger hindrance!"
Violet burried her face into her hooves and began to sob. Serenity noticed, but chose not to let up. She felt that Violet needed to hear the truth, or her version of 'the truth' anyway.
"He will never feel that way for you, so you might as well leave him alone! We are both at a very crucial point in our careers, and I am not going to let him fall victim to distractions, nor will I put up with anymore of your feeble attempts to take Singer away from me!"
"But I'm not... I just want to be there for him! I just want to be his friend, and support him!"
"Well unfortunately for you, he doesn't need you anymore! So... if you really care about him, leave him alone! You'll be saving everypony some heart ache!"
Violet, hung her head in defeat. She couldn't help but give in to what Serenity was saying. Perhaps Serenity was right. Perhaps Violet was a hindrance, and Singer had only been responding to her letters because of their old friendship. In her despare, she over looked the fact that Singer had invited her to come and hang out with him. But even then, she might have come to the conclusion that Singer had only done so to be nice, and so that he could finally move on.
"I suggest you leave as soon as you can, before you hurt yourself or Singer any further!" she said sternly, showing her the door.
Defeated, and tears falling down her face, Violet turned and faced her while turning to head out, only to say one thing. "Well then... I hope that you two are happy together. You're obviously perfect together." She walked out of the dressing room, saying nothing further to Serenity. The unicorn mare smirked as she watched Violet leave the dressing room.
"Thank you! Now if you don't mind, I'm trying to get ready! Have a good life, Violet!" she said as she slammed the door.
Violet, with tears running all down her face, ran out from back stage and through the half empty seats in the auditorium. She hoped that nopony would see her so she could just be alone. However, what she failed to see when she stormed out of the building was that Singer had noticed her running out, and was in persuit of her.
"VIOLET!" she heard him calling, but she just ran and ran, hoping to lose him. Singer chased her for about two blocks on hoof, only to give up running and using his wings to catch up with her. Singer stopped right in front of her when he flew past her, hoping that she would stop. It worked.
Violet couldn't even look at him. She felt so humiliated. The confused stallion stared at her quizzically, trying to figure out why she was acting this way.
"Violet? What's wrong? Why are you upset?"
"I'm not!" She tried to lie keeping her head turned toward what was behind her, as to not make eye contact with him.
"Come on Violet! That's even worse than my lying attempts, and you could spot those from a mile away. Now please tell me what's wrong. I'm your friend remember? Best friends forever?"
She sighed and finally turned to face him. She couldn't help, but start to sob.
"Singer... I know that we were friends when we were growing up. But... now we have two totally different lives, and I can't keep distracting you from your goals. I know from your proposition from earlier that you were just asking me that to make me feel better."
"Where is this coming from? Violet! Don't be like this! We've never gotten in a fight before! I asked you to come with me because I want you by my side!"
"Maybe you did for a while. But now you're just holding on to our friendship because it reminds you of yourself as a kid. Well... we arent' kids anymore, Singer! You have your life, and I have mine. We can't keep this up anymore! You live miles away and are always on the go! I can't do that! The letters have been great, but I really can't keep doing it anymore! I'm sorry Singer. But I really don't think we should talk anymore... at least not for a while. It's time that we both moved on from our childhood. I don't want to hold you back anymore!"
"Violet Petals!" he scolded. "Listen to yourself! I know you don't really feel this way! Stop trying act grown up all the time, and realize that you're still young! Ponies do long distance friendships all the time! I can't not have you in my life!"
"I'm sorry Singer, but this is the way it has to be." she said with regret in her tone. "I don't want this either, but it's the way it has to be... I'm sorry!" She turned and walked off, leaving Singer hurt and stunned.
"Vi..." he could barely bring himself to call out. No! No! No! He thought to himself! This could NOT be happening! Why? His friendship with Violet was the only thing that he felt kept him connected with those that he cared about, but now she didn't want to be a part of his life anymore. By the time, he mentally gathered himself, it was too late. She had gone. Disappeared into the night. With tears streaming down his face, he trotted back to the auditorium.
.............................
Violet flew on home. She had told Belle that she wasn't feeling well, and asked her to bring Rain home. She could tell knew that she wasn't telling the truth, but she didn't try to talk her out of going home. She knew that something was wrong by the way she had acted. Minutes before his next performance, Singer met back up with Belle and Rain. He walked up to his mother, bearing a look of devistation on his face, and hugged his mother.
Belle returned the hug, firmly holding her son. She knew that something had happened between he and Violet. It was blatantly obvious. But at that moment, saying anything about it didn't matter. She knew. All she could do was support Singer during the small amount of time he had left before the next song.
Serenity, unaware of the consequences of her actions, approached Singer while he and his mom continued their embrace. She tapped on his shoulder to let him know that it was almost show time. Singer gave her a nod, before he and his mother ended their hug. Poor Rain had watched the whole thing, and had no clue as to what was going on. Singer didn't say a word. He just turned and followed Serenity on stage.
With tears in his eyes, Singer grabbed his microphone and prepared to begin the song as the music started. But as the bright spot light shone upon him in the dark room, the audience barely visible to him, he found himself growing weak to the knees. He then collapsed on stage, much to the embarassment of Serenity. The audience gasped in horror, but many of them were quickly relieved when Singer picked himself back up off the ground.
Feeling a lump in his throat, Singer adressed the audience with some bad news. "I'm sorry everypony..." he began. "I'm just not up for any more performing tonight!"
This earned a scowel from Serenity. But Singer didn't look his marefriend in the eye. He just turned and walked backstage, disappearing out of the limelight. Serenity was left standing alone, so she had to improvise. She oredered the DJ to play some music from one of her singles to make up for what just happened.
Singer approached Belle one last time before he retreated to his dressing room. "Thank you for coming. Thank you both. But I gotta go now." Belle nodded, knowingly as Singer retreated. She gave Rain a nudge, informing him that it was time to leave. As much as she wanted to go and comfort him some more, she knew that he wanted to be alone. Reluctantly, she took Rain on home. Perhaps she'd have more luck talking to Violet.
Singer slammed his door shut and jumped onto his makeshift bed inside his dressing room, burrying his head into a pillow. He just wanted to be alone for a while. Memories flashed through his mind of all of the things that he and Violet had been through. All the good, the bad, and the ugly things that they had faced together. But now, he could only think of how all of that was lost, as Violet had basically ended their friendship. She had felt like Singer didn't need her anymore, and Singer now felt the same way. If only he knew the whole story. If only he knew how Violet REALLY felt about him. But at this point, all of that didn't look to be revealed any time soon.
"Words could not describe the pain I felt in that instance! I felt betrayed, I felt abandoned, and I felt alone. That night was the beginning... the beginning of how I lost myself. The beginning of what I thought would be the end..."