//------------------------------// // The Cutie Mark Chronicles or The Story of My Butt Tattoo // Story: Permanent Vacation // by Apple_Crack //------------------------------// “Permanent Vacation” The Cutie Mark Chronicles or The Story Of My Butt Tattoo         I awaken and open my eyes, only to be greeted by sunlight hitting my eyes which I immediately regret. I snap my eyes shut and moan. It feels like someone is taking twenty jackhammers to my head and isn’t stopping.         “So, did you enjoy getting drunk last night?”         “Please don’t talk right now. It already hurts without your annoying voice.”         “Come on. You knew the consequences of drinking, so pay the price.”         “I know, I know. And to answer your question, I enjoyed last night. At least, what I can remember.” Last thing I remember is us four finishing the first pitcher.         I hear groaning come from behind me and something soft drape over my side. Someone is in bed with me... Oh God, tell me I didn’t do something I’d regret?! Talk about massive wakeup call!         “Well, I can’t guarantee the regret part, but yes, you did do something. And let me tell you since you can’t remember, it was one hell of a ride!”         “That better be figurative and not literal.”         “Maybe… Turn around and find out.”         Turning my head ever so slightly, I glance at the thing draped over me. Oh, you have got to be kidding me! A cyan wing belonging to only one pony I can think of. Slowly rolling over, I see Rainbow Dash just starting to wake up, the covers hiding just enough of her chest. Like me, the first thing she sees upon opening her eyes is sunlight. She slams her eyes shut and her wings instinctually fold in to cover them while she groans. Rubbing her eyes, she slowly opens them and smacks her mouth a couple of times. Her eyes go wide at the sight of me, her mouth hanging open. Probably how my face looks right about now.         An awkward silence passes between us before Rainbow Dash speaks. “…Blake?”         “…Yeah, Rainbow Dash?”         “Am I in your bed?”         I glance around to confirm that yes, this is my bedroom and not some cheap hotel room. “Yeah.”         “Did we…” She reaches up to rub the back of her head and looks away.         “No idea. You naked right now?”         She slowly lifts the covers up and looks down. “Yeah… Are you?”         Lifting the covers up, I glance down. “Yeah.”         “Should we…” Rainbow sits up, pulling the covers up to cover herself.         Keep a calm head right now. “Talk about this after we both get a shower? Yeah, we should. You go first.” Closing my eyes, I hear Rainbow slide out of bed. I then hear my door open and shut, followed by the sound of another door opening and shutting. Once I hear running water, I get out of bed and throw on my pants from yesterday. I see that my clothes are scattered on the floor, almost as if I was in a rush to get undressed. Stripping the covers and sheets off my bed for washing later, I then grab some clothes for me to change into, a button up, dark grey long sleeve dress shirt with a giant design of a cross with wings on the back and a pair of dark blue jeans, along with my iPod. With Rainbow still in the shower, I carry my dirty laundry to the washer and throw it in. Afterwards, I head to the kitchen and make a pot of coffee. Lord knows we’re gonna need it. What did we do last night? Should I be worried? How will this affect our friendship? “Hey… Is that coffee?” I jump slightly. I was so lost in thought I didn’t even hear Rainbow. I turn around to see her looking everywhere but me. “Yeah,” I grab a mug and hand it to her, “We can talk after I’m out of the shower.” Rainbow grabs the mug and I step off to the side so she can get her coffee. I start to leave the kitchen but pause at the doorway. “And Dash,” I look over my shoulder to see her looking at me, “Please don’t leave. We both need to talk this out. I don’t need my friendship with you ruined.” “I…Uh… I ain’t going anywhere,” Rainbow smiles after saying this. “Thank you.” Leaving the kitchen, I quickly head into the shower. I don’t want to make her wait any longer than I have to. “She could walk out right now. You know that, right?” “Of course I know that. But I have to trust her.” Getting out of the shower, I get dressed and head back into the kitchen. Sitting at the table is Rainbow Dash, a second cup of coffee directly across from her. Sitting down, I idly drink from my coffee, unsure how to even approach this. “Dash?” Rainbow lifts her head up. “Yeah?” “Thank you for staying.” Rainbow rubs the back of her head. “Well, you know me.” I reach my hand out and grab hers, causing her to look directly at me. “No, really. Thank you for staying. No matter how much you wanted to run, you stayed.” I release her hand while she takes a sip of her coffee. “I wanted to run, really, I did. But then I wouldn’t have been loyal to myself or to you. I gave you my word that I would stay, so I stayed.” “Again, thank you. Loyalty and trust are two things I’m not known for giving out. Now, let’s talk about last night.” Rainbow sighs. “Look, I’m sorry for this happening. I should have never brought you with last night.” I shake my head. “Rainbow, you have nothing to apologize for. If anything, I should apologize.” Rainbow raises an eyebrow. “Why should you apologize?” “Because… Well… I don’t normally drink that much to get wasted, but I was having a really fun time with you guys and, I guess, lost myself to the moment.” “Yeah, same here.” “Look, I don’t want this to ruin our friendship. We don’t know exactly what happened. So let’s forget last night and continue from there.” Rainbow grabs my hand. “Of course I want to forget last night… And this morning. But what if something did happen last night?” I squeeze her hand. “Then we’ll get through it, together, as friends. You six are the best friends, hell, some of the only friends I have. I don’t want to do anything that’ll ruin what I have with all of you. I never hurt my friends or leave them hanging.” Rainbow smiles. “Neither do I.” “Then please tell me, right here and now, that this will not affect our friendship in any way.” “Blake, you’re one of my best friends. I give you my word that we will stay friends, no matter what happens.” I down the coffee. “Well then, I guess that’s all she wrote.” Standing up, I motion towards the front door. “Come on, I hear Pinkie knows how to deal with hangovers.” Rainbow stands up as well. “You don’t have to ask me twice.” She heads for the front door but stops in front of it. “Uh, what do I tell ponies if they ask why I’m at your place?” I put a hand to my chin in thought. A good excuse for Rainbow Dash… Aha! I snap my fingers. “You were helping me with something only a pegasi can do! I just bought a new bed and it needs a cloud mattress, so I got you to help me with it.” Rainbow holds her hand out for a high five, which I return. “Nice one!” “Actually, I’m being serious. Mind helping me out here?” “Sure, show me the bed and I’ll do it in a jiffy.” I lead her to the spare bedroom. “Well, here it is. I’ll let the expert handle it from here.” Rainbow whistles as she rubs her hand along the frame. “Nice choice. I had one just like this when I was growing up.” I raise an eyebrow at her. “No kidding?” Rainbow turns to me and rolls her eyes. “I’m the Wonderbolts biggest fan. Of course I’m gonna have the bed themed after them.” I laugh. “Why am I not surprised.” Rainbow laughs as we head outside. I watch as she darts from cloud to cloud, shaking her head immediately at some while others she pauses, her hand on her chin, before shaking her head. She eventually finds a cloud that she deems acceptable, after testing it herself by lying on it, and brings it down to ground level. She carries it into the spare bedroom and molds it to fit the bed frame. “Are you sure this is the best cloud you could find?” Rainbow rolls her eyes. “Of course I’m sure. It’s my job to know clouds. I ain’t the head of the Ponyville weather team for nothing.” I cross my arms and laugh. “I find that hard to believe, what with your track record of sleeping.” Rainbow walks over and jabs her finger into my chest. “Believe it bub. I worked hard to get that job and I’m sure as Tartarus not gonna lose it over sleeping.” I back up and raise my hands up. “Alright, I believe you. Never said I didn’t, just that it was hard to believe,” I point to the bed. “We all set?” “Yeah, you’re good to go. That all you needed?” I shrug my shoulders. “Nothing that would require your help right now. All that’s left to do is thank you.” “Anytime. You need my help again, you know who to call.” “Ask her if there’s something strange in her neighborhood.” “Dude, this is Ponyville. Pretty sure strange things happen on a frequent basis here. Not to mention Pinkie and her antics.” “Good point.” I head for the front door. “Now that that is taken care of, how about we head to Sugercube Corner?” As we step outside, I squint and cover my eyes from blinding sunlight. The pain in my head increases tenfold. Better hope Pinkie’s cure really works. Leaving my humble abode behind, we head towards Sugercube Corner. As we near City Hall, I spot a mare waving to us. Upon closer inspection, I realize I recognize her. “Hey, look. It’s Berry Punch.” Making a little detour, Rainbow and I walk over to her. “Nice to see you two up and about.” Rainbow wraps her arm around me. “Well, you know us. Can’t keep this mare and human down.” “So, what are you doing here?” I casually ask Berry. “Looking for you, actually.” I raise an eyebrow and cross my arms. “Really? Whatever for?” Berry rubs the back of her head. “Well, after your little song and dance last night, I kinda forgot how to make,” Berry looks around, “an Alabama Slammer. Would you mind telling me again?” I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t see why not. You need…” My brain processes what she said, “Wait a minute, what song and dance last night?” “Oh, don’t you remember?” Rainbow and I shake our heads. “Well, you four performed last night.” “Wait, what?” Rainbow asks. “Blake asked me if the karaoke machine worked, which I said yes to, and he climbed on stage and picked out a song.” “I did?” I don’t find this hard to believe, just that it’s hard to remember. “Yeah, you sung the first verse and pulled Applejack, who looked extremely nervous, up on stage. She started to voice her disapproval, but you handed her the mike and she sang the next line.” “Excuse us a second.” I pull Rainbow off to the side. “Do you remember any of this?” “No,” Rainbow smiles, “But I’m starting to wish I did cause this sounds awesome!” “I know, right?” We turn back to Berry. “Please continue.” “Let’s see… After a few lines, you,” Berry points to Rainbow, “Grabbed the mike and slid across the stage, singing a few more lines.” “I/She did?” Rainbow and I say at the same time. “Yeah, then Vinyl joined you three and you four sang the rest of the song.” “Say, what song was it?” Rainbow asks. “Oh, you know, the one about believing or something,” Berry replies, waving her hand to emphasize how unimportant it was. “Wow, really wish I could remember that,” I say. Berry shrugs her shoulders. “I’m not really surprised you don’t. After the amount of alcohol you four had, I’m surprised none of you passed out in the bar.” “So am I. Anyway, you wanted the recipe for a Slammer?” Berry snaps her fingers. “Oh, right. I’m ready whenever you are.” I list off the items and directions needed to make a Slammer. “Okay, I’ll remember it this time. Thanks again and remember, my offer still stands.” Berry walks away, waving over her shoulder, as Rainbow and I return the gesture. “So,” I glance at Rainbow as we near Sugercube Corner, “Still regretting last night?” “After what Berry just told us? No way!” Opening the door, we head inside and go right to the counter. The place is nearly deserted, save for two booths being occupied. “Hi, Dashie! Hi, Blake! What brings you two here? Do you need something to eat? A party planned?” Pinkie gasps. “I bet it’s a party based around food you need my help with! Well, your good friend Pinkie Pie—” Here we go again. “Pinkie, your cupcakes are burning.” Pinkie points her finger at me, a smirk on her face. “I knew you were gonna try that again! I don’t have any cupcakes in the oven, so ha!” Rainbow nudges me in the ribs. “So what do you have in the oven?” She asks. “Muffins. Why?” Rainbow points to the kitchen. “Cause they’re burning right now.” “What?!” Pinkie sprints into the kitchen while me and Rainbow high five. Pinkie comes walking back out a few moments later, laughing. “Okay, I really need to stop falling for that. It was pretty funny though!” I shrug my shoulders. “Eh, gotta love being pranksters at heart.” I lean on the counter. “Anyway, we hear you know how to help deal with hangovers.” Pinkie nods her head. “Yeppers! Grandma Pie showed me her super-secret recipe for a hangover cure.” “Well then, mind making it for Rainbow and me?” “Sure. Take a seat and I’ll bring it out to you.” Pinkie bounces into the kitchen, humming to herself. I turn around to see Rainbow already sliding into a booth. Just as I slide in next to her, Pinkie pops up beside the table, two glasses filled with a golden liquid in her hands. Wordlessly, she places the glasses down in front of us then skips back into the kitchen. I look at Rainbow to see her shrug her shoulders and take a drink. Picking up my own glass, I take a drink. Smacking my lips, I find that it tastes pretty good. It’s sweet, but not too sweet to the point where sugar overpowers everything else. I believe I detect a hint of orange juice and cinnamon as well. “Hey, you want to know what this reminds me of?” “No, but you’re probably gonna tell me anyways, right?” “Jarate!” I spit back into the glass, my eyes wide. “Blake, what’s wrong?” I look at Rainbow Dash to see her staring at me, one eyebrow raised. I wave my hand at her. “Nothing. Just had a really weird thought.” The door to Sugercube Corner slams open, causing me to look at the offender. Applejack walks in, a scowl on her face and mumbling under breath. Upon seeing us, the scowl is replaced with a small smile as she walks over to us. “You too, huh?” She asks as she slides into the seat across from us. I nod my head. “Like you wouldn’t believe. So, what has you in a mood?” “Other than the hangover? Some varmits stole from our harvest and ah chased them down, only ta lose them when ah ran into the Crusaders. Ah got so frustrated that I came her ta see if Pinkie could make her hangover cure.” I glance down and point to the glass in front of Applejack. “Well, looks like she already has you covered.” Applejack’s gaze follows my finger, her eye going wide at the sight of the glass. “What? How did…” Applejack sighs, “One of those Pinkie moments, right?” “Pretty much,” Rainbow and I say. Applejack grabs the glass and takes a long drink before looking between Rainbow and I. “So, do either of ya remember anything from last night, cause I sure don’t.” Rainbow shakes her head. “Not much. Only thing I remember is the first pitcher.” I nod my head. “Same here,” I then smirk. “But we did find out from Berry about our musical number last night.” Applejack, taking a sip of her drink at the time, spits back into the glass. “Come again?” Rainbow and I regale her with what Berry told us. As we tell Applejack, her smile grows until she can’t help but laugh along with us. “Wow, great story! Now tell the one about the flying spaghetti monster!” I jump, nearly spilling my drink, and look to my right to see Pinkie sitting on a chair. “Pinkie, where did you come from?” I ask. “Well, you see, when a mare and a stallion love each other—” “Not what I meant! Where were you five minutes ago?” “Blake,” I turn to look at Applejack, “Just let it go. Sometimes it better ta just accept things like this than try to explain them.” “But I… She…” I sigh and take a long swig of my drink. “Nevermind. Pinkie, could you get us a round of donuts, please?” I slide some money towards her. Pinkie grabs the money and rushes behind the counter, depositing it in the register. “Uh, can you be a teeny bit more specific about what kind of donuts you want?” I sigh and look down at the table, waving my hand at her. “You’re the queen of random, just pick any three.” “Okie Dokie Loki!” I don’t look up until I hear a plate slide across the table. On a little plate are three donuts. One is chocolate frosted, another is glazed, and the last one is covered in powdered sugar. “Enjoy!” Pinkie once again bounds into the kitchen. “Alright, so who gets first pick?” Rainbow asks, licking her lips as she eyes the donuts. “You two get first pick. This is my treat to the both of you for last night.” Rainbow grabs the powdered sugar donut and stuffs her mouth. She mumbles something out, which I can only assume is thanks, and I nod in return. Applejack grabs the glazed one. “Mighty kind of ya,” She says before taking a bite. “No problem.” Grabbing the frosted donut, I nibble away at it, occasionally taking sips of the drink, as us three make general small talk. Rainbow finishes describing the upcoming weather patterns to Applejack when the front door opens. Out of curiosity, I look to see who it is. Coming in is none other than Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity. “Yo, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy!” They turn to see me waving at them, causing them to wave back and walk over to the table. Dash and I scoot over to make room for them to sit down. Rarity sits down beside me. “Hello girls,” I shoot Rarity a scowl, “And Blake.” Applejack tips her hat. “Howdy, Rares, Twi, Fluttershy. What brings y’all over here?” “Well, after Fluttershy and I’s fabulous spa date, I decided that a little treat was in order for us.” I nod my head. “That explains you two,” I motion towards Twilight, “But what about you, Twilight?” “Oh, I’m here to pick up an order of sapphire cupcakes for Spike. He’s been working so hard lately that I figured he could use a reward. So, what are you three doing here?” Rainbow downs the last of her drink. “What does it look like we’re doing? We’re eating donuts and trying to deal with a hangover.” Rarity sighs and shakes her head. “Rainbow Dash and Applejack, when are you two going to learn to drink in moderation?” I turn to Rarity. “Oh, have you never gotten drunk before?” “Goodness, no! A mare of my standing cannot afford to get drunk.” I allow a devilish smirk to cross my face. “Oh, I’m gonna have fun breaking you.” “Hi girls!” All of us jump at the sight of Pinkie popping up beside the table. “What can I get you? Oh, and Twilight,” Pinkie reaches into her hair and pulls out a blue box, “Here’s your order for Spike.” Twilight gingerly grabs the box. “Uh… Thanks?” “You’re welcome! So, what can I get for you?” “I’ll take a vanilla milkshake, dear. Fluttershy?” Fluttershy tries hiding behind her hair now that all the attention is on her. “Oh… Um, a vanilla milkshake, please.” Rarity claps her hands. “Wonderful! Anything for you, Twilight?” “Oh, it’s fine, Rarity. You don’t need to get me anything.” “Twilight, I insist you get something.” Rarity puts a lot of emphasis on insist as she hands some bits to Pinkie. “Well, if you’re offering… A strawberry milkshake, please.” “Great! I’ll be back in a flash.” Pinkie darts away, leaving behind a dust cloud of herself, only to reappear seconds later in the exact same spot with three milkshakes in her hand. She hands them off to the pony that ordered it, before pulling up a chair and sitting it in. “Uh, Pinkie?” Pinkie leans her elbows on the table and cups her chin in her hands, looking at Twilight. “Yes?” “How did you make these so fast?” Twilight asks as she takes a sip of her milkshake. “Twilight, please, for the love of God and all that is holy, don’t question it right now. I’m as curious as you are, but I’m not in the mood to deal with it,” I plead. “But… Fine. Thank you, Pinkie.” I shake my head. “I can’t believe that you four have become accustomed to this kind of stuff.” “When you’ve lived in Ponyville as long as I have, you kinda get used to Pinkie being Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash says, causing Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack to mummer in agreement. Pinkie suddenly stands up straight, a distance look in her eyes. “I must go. Three fillies need me at this exact moment in time.” “And you know this how? How would you hear somebody talking about you?” I ask. Pinkie looks at me and smiles. “I’m like Superman, baby. I know when I’m needed.” With this, she bolts out the front door. “Did she… How did… Great, I’m getting a headache when I shouldn’t.” “You’re telling me. How about I smack my head against the table a few times, see if that helps?”  “Blake! Blake!” I blink my eyes to see Twilight snapping her fingers in front of my face. “Huh, what?” “You sorta zoned out there,” Rainbow Dash says. “Oh, sorry. Just thinking some things over.” Twilight snaps her fingers. “Oh, I almost forgot. Rainbow, the Crusaders are looking for you.” Rarity nods her head. “That’s right. I was telling them the story of how I got my gorgeous Cutie Mark.” Applejack lifts her glass up and nods her head. “Same here.” Fluttershy nods her head, too busy drinking from her milkshake to answer properly. The front door opens and Pinkie walks in, her eyes closed and a smile on her face. “And that’s how Equestria was made!” The Crusaders follow her in, confused expressions on their faces. However, upon seeing Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo smiles and rushes over, nearly bowling over her fellow Crusaders. “Finally! I’ve been looking all over for you, Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow smirks and rubs her hand on her chest. “Well, look no further, squirt. What do ya want?” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle walk over to the table. “We were wondering if you’d tell us how ya got your Cutie Mark.” “That’s it? Well then, prepare to hear the awesomest Cutie Mark story ever! It all started back in flight school…” I’ve kinda gotten used to drowning out ponies by now when they talk about things I already know, which is exactly what I’m doing right now to Rainbow Dash. “Wow! What an awesome story, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo cheers once Rainbow finishes her story. “Yeah. I really like the part where you created the Sonic Rainboom. It must have looked really pretty,” Sweetie Belle says as she stares off into space, probably imagining the Rainboom. “Wait ah minute… Didn’t y’all say ya saw or heard ah rainbow explosion?” Apple Bloom asks, causing all of the girls to look at each other. I down the rest of my drink. “Excuse me, but I need to use the restroom.” Rarity nods and slides out of my way, sitting back down once I’m out of the booth. “Um, somebody mind pointing me to the restroom?” Pinkie points over her shoulder towards a door behind the counter, earning a nod from me. After taking care of business, I open the door to see the girls and the Crusaders in a group hug, with Scootaloo struggling to escape. “Hey, let’s all sing a song!” Pinkie says. Nope! I’m not getting roped into a song, so time for me to leave. Creeping towards the kitchen and the back door exit, I spot Scootaloo staring at me with wide eyes and mouthing help me. I mouth back I’m sorry and quickly exit the building as the first notes of a tune reach my ears. Going out front, I spot Spike beckoning to me from a bench. When I walk over, he jumps off the bench. “Hey, Blake, I’ve been looking all over for you.” I chuckle. “You’re the second person to say that today. I must be popular.” He glances at Sugercube Corner, then back to me. “You went out drinking last night with Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Vinyl, didn’t you?” I’m pretty sure my mouth is open. “How would you know?” “Big Mac told me. He found Applejack passed out on their couch this morning, mumbling your name and something called an Alabama Slammer. According to him, Pinkie makes a great hangover cure.” I scratch my head. “Uh, aren’t you a little young to know about drinking?” Spike looks around before lowering his voice. “Look, I’ll be honest with you, I know a lot more than I let on. Being around books all my life, I’ve learned things that I shouldn’t know at my age. Plus, Celestia taught me things whenever I had free time away from Twilight.” “So what you’re saying is that you have the mind of an adult with the body of a child, yet still do childish things? And that Celestia knows about this?” Spike nods his head. “Huh, who would have thought? So, why were you looking for me?” His face perks up, his voice returning to its normal volume. “Well, I’m starting a band!” I raise an eyebrow and cross my arms across my chest. “Really? What instrument do you play and where did you learn to play it?” “The drums. I taught myself back in Canterlot when Twilight didn’t really need my help with her studies or when Celestia was too busy to teach me stuff.” I shrug my shoulders. “Makes sense to get yourself a hobby, but I think it takes more than one person to start a band.” Spike rubs a claw on his chest and smirks. “I already got that worked out. I got Big Mac playing bass, and guitar if needed, and Lyra Heartstrings playing guitar.” I nod my head. “Sounds like you got everything worked out. So, what’s this got to do with me?” “Well, we need a lead singer before the Ponyville talent show and figured you might want to join.” “Ponyville talent show?” “Yeah, it’s this little contest that the mayor holds the night before the Gala, which is in a week, so Ponyville can have its own celebration.” I rub the back of my head. “Well, I did always have a dream to be in a band when I was younger. Tell you what. I’ll join your band if I can get guitar lessons and decide on what songs we do. Deal?” I hold my hand out. Spike goes to grab my hand but stops. “Well, I’m fine with it but I don’t know about the rest of the band. I’ll have to talk it over with them.” I retract my hand and shrug my shoulders. “Fair point. Where are you guys meeting?” “Actually, we’re meeting over at Sweet Apple Acres in the barn,” Spike turns and starts walking away, prompting me to follow him. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to Mac and Lyra once we get there.”         As Spike and I near Sweet Apple Acre’s barn, I hear the sweet sounds of a bass being tuned coming from inside. The doors are already open, so we stroll inside. I see a very large and muscular stallion, wearing a red and white plaid shirt under a beaten brown jacket and dark blue jeans, sitting on a hay bale off to the side and casually strumming a red bass guitar. I can only assume that this is Big Mac. Leaning against the opposite wall is Lyra, a teal with streaks of purple guitar on the floor beside her.         “Hey guys, I’m back,” Spike says, causing Mac and Lyra to look our way. “Big Macintosh, this is Blake. Blake, this is Big Macintosh.”         I walk over and shake Mac’s hand. “Big Mac, a pleasure to meet you.”         “Eeyup.”         “Wow, a real conversationalist.”         “No kidding.”         “And this is Lyra Heartstrings.” Spike points to Lyra.         I walk over to her and shake her hand. “You came third in the Running of the Leaves, correct? A pleasure to meet you as well.”         “Nice to meet you! I’ve heard plenty of things about you. And I must say, your entire culture fascinates me. But enough about that. Are you here to be our lead singer?!” She asks with glee.         I glance at Spike to see him rubbing the back of his head. “Well, you see, he agreed but only if he gets guitar lessons—”         “I can teach him!” Lyra interrupts.         “At least that’s settled. But he would also like to decide what songs we play.”         “Now hold on here,” We all turn to Big Mac. “We don’t know anything about him. Why should we give complete control of our band over to him? How do you know he ain’t just gonna tear us apart?”         I sigh. “You brought up a fair point, Mac, but look at me. Honestly, I have no intention of ruining this band. Your sister is a good judge of character, ain’t she?” Mac nods his head. “So if your sister approves of me and trusts me, why shouldn’t you?”         Mac grabs a straw of hay from the pile he’s sitting on and places it in his mouth, idly chewing on it as he strums his bass. After a couple of moments, he responds. “Alright, so maybe you ain’t that bad of a pony. But why do you want to decide on the songs we play? It still seems strange.”         “Again, a fair point. I’m only trying to help you guys out here. I come from a different planet or universe that has music that this world has never seen before. So if you play music from my planet or universe…” I let the sentence linger for them to think about.         Lyra snaps her fingers. “Then all the music we play would be completely original in our world! It’s the perfect plan! Oh, I’m so on board with you choosing the songs!”         Spike nods his head. “I’m up for it. We only were gonna play cover songs anyway.”         Mac spits out the straw of hay and walks over to me, patting me on the back. “Well, it’s like my pa always said, sometimes the best ideas come from the strangest places. Welcome aboard.”         “Thanks guys. Now then, before we go further, I need to know what you instruments you can play. Spike told me that, you,” I point to Mac, “Can play bass and guitar if needed?”         Mac nods his head. “Eeyup.”         I nod my head then point to Lyra. “And all you can play is the guitar?”         Lyra shakes her head. “Nope! I can play any instrument in all of Equestria. It’s what my Cutie Mark means.”         I raise an eyebrow. “But I thought your mark was a lyre? Shouldn’t that mean you’re good at playing the lyre only?”         Again, Lyra shakes her head. “No. The lyre is my favorite instrument, but I found out I’m naturally gifted with any instrument, so I took it that my mark meant that I can play instruments well.”         “That, or she’s really good with her hands. Bow-chicka-wow-wow!”         “Alright, I’ll give you that one.”         I shrug my shoulders. “Works for me. Now then, can you play violin? Cause we’re gonna need it for this song I want to use at the talent show.”         “Sure I can. Do you think we could listen to the song so we can practice playing it?”         “Sure, I have it right here on my iPod,” I say, pulling out the device.         “Alright, get the song and I’ll copy it to my iApple.” Lyra pulls out her own device.         I raise an eyebrow. “What do you mean copy it?”         “Haven’t you ever magically copied a song to another device?” In the corner of my eyes, I see Spike facepalm.         I roll my eyes. “And going back to our previous conversation, where did I come from?”         Lyra blushes and looks away, rubbing the back of her head. “Whoops, sorry. Anyway, music can be copied to other devices by latching onto the magical signature given off the gems powering them, provided they are formatted to accept music.”         I glance at Lyra as I scroll through my song list. “Then how do music companies make money if one person can buy a song and share it with everybody else?”         “The gems in consumer devices are enchanted to prevent sharing between them, so only the retailers or the company itself can add music to the device.”         I find the song and hover my thumb over it. “And you think this will work with my iPod? Also, found the song.”         Lyra takes her iApple and touches it to the bottom of my iPod so the two ports are touching. “In a sense, more or less. I figure that since you’re from a different world, and since your device wasn’t built by a company here, it isn’t constrained by the laws. If anything, I believe it should trick my iApple into thinking you’re the company or a retailer.”         Big Mac speaks up at this point. “You seem to know an awful lot about this stuff.”         Lyra shrugs her shoulders. “Eh, I used to work for Vinyl in her store—”         “Wait, Vinyl has a music store here in Ponyville?”         Lyra looks at me. “Yeah, right behind her club is a three story building. She lives upstairs, the second floor is a recording studio, and her store occupies most of the ground floor. I’m surprised she never showed it to you.” Man, Vinyl must be doing pretty well in life to have a house that big, a successful business, and a recording studio in her home.         I shrug my shoulders. “I might be able to get a job there. Anyway, continue with your story.”         “Anyways, I worked with Vinyl in her store. She taught me everything she knew about the music business.”         “Quick question. If songs are digital or magical now, how does her store stay in business?”         “Some ponies prefer buying a hard copy of the music instead, like Twilight actually,” Spike answers.         “Alright,” I look at Lyra, “Now what?”         “Play the song. If everything works out, then as soon as the song starts, my iApple will pick up on it and copy it.”         “Well, here goes nothing.” I tap the song and it starts playing. After waiting a bit, Lyra pulls her iApple away and I stop the song.         “So, did it work?” Spike asks while Lyra thumbs flicks up on the screen.         Lyra pauses in her searching, smiling wide. “Here, you tell me,” She says as she turns her iApple around to face me.  Looking at the screen, I return her smile. “Well I’ll be,” I hear Mac say as he leans over my shoulder to look at the screen. “Come on guys! I want to see it too!” I pick Spike up and sit him on my shoulder so he can see as well. “Wow.” I clap my hands. “Wonderful! We need to practice this right away. Hey, another question. How many songs can we do?” Big Mac rubs his chins and looks up at the ceiling. “Well, in previous years, bands could play two songs if’n they wanted to.” “Okay, another question. Can Applejack dance?” Mac nods his head. “She don’t want ta admit it, but she can dance. She ain’t never been on a stage before though.” I smirk. “And how do you feel about messing with Applejack?” Mac looks at me and smirks slightly. “What kind of big brother would I be if’n I didn’t tease her every once in a while?” “Perfect. Lyra, we’re gonna need another song to practice with.” Scrolling through my songs, I wait for Lyra to touch our devices before tapping the song. Spike, still on my shoulder, leans forward to look at the name of the song. I turn my head to look at him and see him grinning from ear to ear. “Best idea I’ve had since moving here from Canterlot.”