Don't Stop Believing

by Mitslits

Strangers, Waiting

Strangers, Waiting

River traversed the hallways, passing door after door until she came to rooms 17 and 18. "Ah, yes, the two unicorns", she said dryly. She held a key in her mouth and quickly locked their doors. Then she moved on and locked a couple other doors.

It was then that Indigo Moon awoke. He decided to go see how Dawn was doing. He pushed against his door, but it didn't budge. He tried again. "What is this?" Indy shouted. "Let me out of here!" He heard Dawn scream. "Dawn!" He glared desperately around the room. With a burst of power, he lifted the bed off the floor with his magic and threw it at the door. It splintered into pieces. Indigo leaped clear of the debris and turned to Dawn's door. He planted his front hooves and kicked backwards with his back hooves. The door fell inwards. Indigo Moon raced to the cream unicorn shivering in her bed.

"I heard hooves outside my door", she told him. "And then I heard River say something."

"That's because I did", River said. The two ponies turned to face the tan pegasus leaning nonchalantly against the door frame. She glanced at the splinters of wood that covered the floor and at the door lying on the ground. River returned her gaze to the two unicorns. "You're gonna have to pay for that."

Indigo Moon raised his head. "But we don't have any money. We told you that before. You agreed to our staying here for free."

River arched an eyebrow. "I let you spend the night for free; not once did I say you could kick down my doors and get away with it, scot-free." She settled back and glared at Indy.

"You locked us in!" Indigo shouted, anger rising.

"It's protocol!" River Song snarled back. She produced a book from underneath her wing and opened it to a certain page. "Article 4 Section 25, any guests spending the night at a hotel in an undesirable town, or under undesirable conditions, must be locked into their rooms. In the case of the undesirable town, this is not to keep the guests in, but unwanted intruders out." River fell silent.

"Let me see that!" Indigo told her sternly. When she held it out to him he snatched it and read the page, face growing pale when he saw that the passage was real. "So we are here under 'undesirable conditions' then, huh?"

"No, you're in a bad town, sweetie", River told him. The tan pegasus pushed herself completely upright and stared him down.

"Really? Because this is the nicest town I've ever been in", Indigo retorted. Dawn's Glow nodded her agreement.

"Sweetheart, you grew up in the slums of Detroit. Everywhere is nice to you", River retorted.

Indigo Moon backed up a pace or two. "Ho-How did you know that?" he gasped.

River rolled her eyes. "Well, it hardly matters now, does it?" She nodded to the empty doorways. "You're still going to have to pay me and you don't have the money. And, oh, lucky you! No one's hiring."

Dawn had been thinking hard for nearly the whole conversation. Suddenly, inspiration struck. The cream unicorn lifted her head and stared straight at River Song. "I can get the money." Silence fell.

River grinned. "You? Don't make me laugh, sweetie. I told you, no one's hiring."

Dawn shook her head. "I don't need a job to get money." And with that, she ran straight out of the hotel room and retraced her steps from last night. Dawn's Glow trotted up to the big window in front of the bakery and peered inside. A wide grin of pure relief split her face. They were there. Quickly, before she could stop herself, she rushed through the door and faced Applejack. "I need your hat", she gasped.

AJ just stared at her, blinking. "It's mah hat."

Dawn's Glow stared at her desperately. "Please, it's really important. I'll give it right back."

"Well..." AJ glanced at her friends and then removed her hat. "So long's ya give it back when yer done with it."

"Thanks!" Dawn grabbed the hat and placed it on her head. She cantered out of the club and raced to the club from yesterday. She burst through the doors and ran up to Vinyl Scratch. The cream unicorn whispered into the white DJ's ear. With that, she turned and leaped onto the stage. Setting the hat so that it was upside down she nodded to the DJ.

The music began and Dawn's Glow began to sing.

"You're not alone. Together we stand. I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand. When it gets cold. It feels like the end. There's no place to go, you know I won't give in. No I won't give in. Keep holding on! 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through. Just stay strong. 'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you. There's nothing you could say. Nothing you could do. There's no other way when it comes to the truth. So keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through."

The door to the club opened and Indigo Moon stepped in. "So far away. I wish you were here. Before it's too late, this could all disappear. Before the doors close. And it comes to an end", he sang.

He hopped onto the stage with Dawn and they sang together. "With you by my side I will fight and defend. I'll fight and defend. Yeah, yeah! Keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through. Just stay strong. 'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you. There's nothing you could say. Nothing you could do. There's no other way when it comes to the truth. So keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through."

"Hear me when I say, when I say I believe" Dawn sang, staring at Indy.

"Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny", Indy sang.

They sang together. "Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah."

The music began to die down and the two sang without it. "There's nothing you could say. Nothing you could do. There's no other way when it comes to the truth. So keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through."

Coins dropped into the hat and requests were called out.

Many songs later, the hat was nearly full of coins.

The two unicorns were about to exit the club with their earnings when a single pony called out, "One more!"

The Doctor fell back to his hooves, his cry echoing around the room. Other ponies quickly caught on, and soon the rafters shook with they call.

Dawn and Indy stood together and stared at the crowd of strangers, waiting for them to sing.

And sing they did.