The Gemstone Quartet

by Lunafilly

We Meet Again

The day of the party, Lyrica was fussing with her appearance, particularly her hair.

This may be the last chance I'll have to meet new ponies. I absolutely cannot squander it. She decided to go with her classic updo, her Gala accessories, and her concert dress. Despite the quick choice in what she was to wear, everywhere she looked she saw a stray thread or a loose strand of hair. Finally, after much agonizing, she left the bathroom with an accepting "good enough". At this point, her mane was plastered with enough sprays and creams to glaze a box of donuts, and her clothing had been ironed so many times it was on the verge of burning her with its heat. Not wanting to go out bare hoofed, Lyrica found a pair of shiny black shoes in her closet, and blew the dust off them.

They don't quite match, but it'll have to do. Not knowing where the band's carriage was (and having nopony to pull it besides herself), Lyrica decided to walk to the party rather than calling a taxi. It was a garden party anyway, a public soiree in the Ponyville park. When she arrived, her shoes were a bit dustier than she would have liked, but the train of her dress lacked hoofprints, and her mane remained statuesque.

"All right, Lyrica, you can do this..." she said. Then she stepped up to the garden party, and she felt an odd sensation, similar to that of her heart dropping into her stomach.

Piranhas. My heart is in my stomach and my stomach is full of piranhas. I'M BEING EATEN AWAY FROM THE INSIDE! There were far, far more ponies than she had expected. There was drinking and shouting and dancing, and the refreshments were chips, dip, suspicious punch and hard apple cider. And worst of all, she recognized a familiar face. Two familiar faces. DJ PON-3 was visiting her hometown, and she had brought her marefriend with her. As Lyrica walked towards the stage, a half-drunk mare sauntered up to Lyrica, and was staring at her like she had just seen Nightmare Moon. Her mussed purple hair was hanging in her face, and she wore a crooked grin.

"Hiya. I'm the host here, and I gotta say: What's a mare like you doing at a party like this?" said Berry Punch, the party's host.

"Well, I was hoping for a little bit of... fun, I suppose," said Lyrica. Berry laughed.

"Hon, this ain't that kind of party," she said. Lyrica backed away, attempting to bury herself in the crowd. The music was booming in her ears, and it made her feel sick to think of who was providing it. She no longer had a desire for a social life. She had a desire to go home. She was making for an exit when the music stopped suddenly, in the middle of a song. Vinyl Scratch stepped down from the stage, and a band began setting up. Berry Punch apparently had a music group of her own, comprised of herself, Bottlecap, and Blossomforth. They were all wearing ridiculous costumes and bright makeup, and not one among them looked fully sober. Berry Punch leaned into her mike, and said with a heady shriek:

"THIS IS PSYCHADELIC PONY!" Blossomforth counted in the beat, and the first song of the set began. Lyrica didn't want to watch. She wanted to go home. She headed for the exit, and was stopped in her tracks by none other than Vinyl Scratch.

"Wow, seeing you here, huh. I got your message. On my phone," she said. Lyrica ground her teeth.

"Oh, did you really?" she said, scraping her hoof along the ground.

"Yeah. Honestly, it's no hard feelings or whatever. It's been a while, and maybe we can talk to each other again," said Vinyl. Lyrica smiled.

"Yes, I would like that very much," she said. Vinyl smiled back.

"So what're you doing these days?" she said. Lyrica shrugged.

"I have a band. We took down LolliPOP a couple of days ago," she said. Vinyl's face clouded up, and she shook her head, letting her shoulders slump.

"You know, you should be better than that," she said. Lyrica scowled, and pawed the ground again.

"Well, I'm not," she said. Then she trotted off in the other direction, a piece of gelled hair flopping from her manedo.

What does she know about honor? I'll show her. There is something that must be done. Get rid of the competition. Then, Lyrica made a decision, what would prove to be a poor one. It depends on the point of view. The decision was as follows: Lyrica Lilac charged the stage, and attacked the band. She hit Berry Punch first, knocking the microphone away from her mouth. She held the microphone stand between her hooves, brandishing it like a javelin. She let it fly, smacking Bottlecap square in the face. Then she kicked in Blossomforth's drums, shoving her behind her drum kit. The members of the band probably could have beat Lyrica in another situation, but they were all intoxicated, in addition to being surprised by her attack. But Lyrica knew when not to push her luck, and so she left the stage, to the boos and jeers of the crowd. She was accosted immediately by Vinyl Scratch, who grabbed her by her hooves and slapped her, so hard it made a cracking sound.

"What in Celestia was that? You call me telling me you love me, you act all friendly, then you beat up a band onstage, and... why? What is going on?" said Vinyl. Lyrica sighed.

"I didn't say... I didn't say I loved you! This is your fault! No, it's—it's Octavia's fault! It's all her fault!" she said. Octavia came up to her marefriend and put a hoof around her, giving Lyrica a sour look.

"PON-3, what are you doing? This is Lyrica Lilac, isn't it? Your ex? She's obviously unhinged... let's go," she said. Vinyl Scratch shook her head, and made a low snorting noise.

"No. I need to talk to her," she said. Lyrica leaned in, breathing in her face.

"Octavia stole you. She stole my show. She ruined my life. She broke my hoof!" she said. Octavia put a hoof between them.

"What are you talking about? What show?" she said.

"THE ONE YOU STOLE FROM ME! THE GALA! Lyra said I was hired, I was counting on it, then I was replaced!" shouted Lyrica.

"I didn't know that! Nopony told me that you had a canceled performance. Lyrica, I was offered a job and I took it. DJ PON-3 loves me, and now we're together. I broke your hoof two years ago, and I'm sorry. I paid your medical bill because I felt bad! I didn't steal anything. I haven't ruined anything," said Octavia. Her eyes began to fill with tears, and DJ-PON-3 led her away.

That can't be right. No. It's her fault.

"You can deal with your competition," said DJ-PON-3, turning her head,"and I'm not begrudging you that, even if you shouldn't have done it onstage. But I don't want you to talk to my marefriend like that! She's not the bad guy, Lyrica, you are! Get your priorities straight and get a life!" Lyrica slunk away, going back to her apartment, crying quietly.

I will not ever lose again. Nopony shall ever beat me again. I may suffer setbacks, but with the outcome all the same. I shall never lose again.