Prologue: Oh you better start explaining, Shining Armor.

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"Is that how she used to look?" Cadance pointed at a picture of a grey mare with freckles and fizzy grey hair. She rested upright on her bed with her highs school yearbook in her hooves. A white blanket had been draped over her, as well as the white stallion that she called husband.

"Yeah. Wow. Octavia sure has changed a lot. Now she's in the Royal Canterlot Orchestra. She was quiet in class, that one," remarked Shining Armor who just glanced at the full moon and now at Cadance.

Cadance flipped through the next few pages, giggling and smiling at the memories her friends shared with her. She thought back to when she had Math class with Bon Bon, or Home Economics with Vinyl Scratch. Shining Armor too, recollected memories that were close to his heart, thinking back to the times when he pulled pranks with Hendric, or when he pulled pranks on Hendric.

Cadance stopped flipping the page. She stared at a white pony with a two-toned, blue mane, and frowned. "I don't remember her having green eyes."

"Huh. She's got red ones if I remember correctly." Shining Armor glanced at Vinyl posing as 'the next pony to be rich and famous'. She had her hooves thrown in the air as if she was partying, and had the words 'Vinyl Scratch a.k.a. DJ P0N-3.' underneath her photo. "Her eyes are red. See?"

"But dear, look at these ones." Cadance flipped back a couple of pages to one titled 'Prom Night'. "Her eyes are green in these ones."

"That's... uh." Shining Armor cocked his head aside and scratched his mane. Why does it look so famil- Oh! Right! "Uh... he is... different.” Shining Armor, with his set of pearly white teeth, smiled sheepishly.

"He?" Cadance raised her eyebrows.

"I mean she, no, he. I mean, gah! I can't tell you. I promise to keep it a secret."

"But why not? Were married now. Plus, he's a close friend of ours." Cadance pouted.

"Yeah but, can you promise not to kill me, or him for the matter?"

"Kill?" Cadance's eyes widened.

"Just promise!" insisted Shining Armor.

"Okay. I promise." She sounded as if she was asking a question.

"Not to judge us?"

"Us?" Cadance gave him a confused look.

"Just promise first!"

"Fine, I promise." She held his hooves and smiled reassuringly. But Shining Armor wasn't reassured.

"Not to tell any pony, including Twily, the princesses or even your closest friends?"

"I promise, for I love you. Forever and always." Cadance nuzzled his neck and buried her head under his. She adjusted herself until she was comfortable and looked up smiling at the nervous stallion. "Can you tell me now? I promise. No one will know, and I won't judge Vinyl. Or you. Even if you-,” Cadance flinched and hesitated, “-cheated on me."

Sigh. What choice do I have? I... I can't keep lying from her. Vinyl is right. It's better to be honest with one another. Especially her.

Shining Armor took a deep breathe in. Well, here goes nothing! "Vinyl Scratch is a changeling." Don’t kill him. Or me. Preferably me.

However, instead of raining torrents of pain onto her husband, Cadance burst into laughter, throwing Shining Armor off-guard. "Ha! No seriously-", she stopped laughing and fixed her eyes on him as if she was interrogating him, "-what's the secret?"

Shining Armor sighed. "I'm not kidding. In fact, he was there at the wedding."

"Vinyl is a girl. She, dear, not he."

"No. He. Him. Male. Stallion. Changeling. Vinyl Scratch," he stated manner-of-factly.

"Wait... what?"

"I have a confession." Shining Armor breathed in deeply again, and exhaled. "I didn't dance during the wedding, Vinyl did. And now, before you get mad, I-"

"What?!" shouted Cadance who looked like she was in a mix of shock, anger and betrayal. "Shining Armor!"

"I can explain!" Shining Armor backed away slightly.

"You better," growled Cadance.

Chapter 1: Well, I'm Vinyl Scratch. I'm new to Canterlot High. And I just made friends.

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In the city of Canterlot, the air was cool and crisp. Summer just ended, marking the start of fall. That also meant the start of a new school term. Some dreaded returning back to the blackboards and books. Some enjoyed the company of their friends. But for some, it marked the start of a new kind of life.

“Okay. First day of school. Of class. In Canterlot High. I can do this. I can—ah!! What’s that?!” Vinyl Scratch jumped at the school bell ringing right above him, slamming himself into the locker behind him. He looked up and gave a look of disbelief, then horror at the moment when he realised what the school bell ringing meant.

“Oh shit.”

Vinyl sped off and bent around the corners, nearing knocking into a few other ponies late for class and barely missing the pool of vomit lying in the middle of the hallway.

“Don’t run in the halls!” yelled a pony, but Vinyl just turned a deaf ear to her. No matter the cost, he was not going to miss first period. It was his favourite after all: music class.

He spotted his first classroom—room 135—just down the hallway and ran even faster. His heart raced and pounded his chest as if to match his hoofsteps. Gah! First day of class, and I’m late! I better hope my teacher isn’t Strict McPants or something.

Vinyl was too preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn’t see the white stallion standing by the door. He nearly bumped into him, but braked just in time to see him towering over.

“Ahem. You’re late.” He stood with his arms crossed and eyes staring down at the panting Vinyl Scratch. The stallion loomed over him; the air hung gloomily as two eyes stared down at him.

“Sorry. I didn't know what time it was, and I kinda got lost,” argued Vinyl, hoping to get away for being late.

“Yeah, sure. Tell me again during detention. After school.”

Dark, thunderous clouds formed around him; lightning seemed to flash in his eyes. Did he hear him correctly? Detention? On the first day? For being a few seconds late? Things were not going well for him already.

“What?! Detention?! Are you serious?!”

“That’s two for yelling at me." The teacher tapped his hoof against the floor and snorted.

“What?!” Vinyl realised his mistake and quickly corrected himself. “I mean, I’m getting detention for being measly late, and for merely questioning your judgement?”

“That’s three for going against professional judgement. You coming in?”

At this point, Vinyl wanted to skip school. Maybe his parents were right. That this was all a terrible idea.

”No. Your mum and I have decided that you’re going to stay here and train up.

“But I don’t want to be a solider! I want to do music!

“Listen to me, Vinyl Scratch! No one is going to like you once they find out who you are!”

“No! That’s not true! Not all ponies are bad!”

“Come back here!”

“No!”

“No.”

The teacher raised his eyebrows. “No?”

“No. I’m not going in.” Vinyl gritted his teeth and looked directly into the teacher’s eyes.

The teacher was unfazed and his hooves were still over his chest. He held his head up high and said nonchalantly, “Four.”

“No, you’re not.” Vinyl saw the teacher back up slightly and look nervously at the ground. At this point, he heard snickering coming from within the classroom. As he looked up to see which pony was laughing at his predicament, he spotted another white stallion with blue hair walking towards the teacher. He had a shield for a cutie mark and looked as tough as the teacher.

“Oh, come on Mr Meanie McPants. Leave him alone.”

So, the teacher’s name really is McPants. How convenient.

“You get back to your seat, Shining Armor. Let me have fun with the new foal,” growled the teacher.

“Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it? Give me detention?” Shining Armor snickered.

“Yeah. I’ll probably do that.” He leaned in towards the stallion menacingly.

“While you’re at it, tell my parents. Oh, and tell my sister too. I’m sure she’ll be quite pleased with your behaviour.”

Wow. This pony’s got guts! Although, I’m not quite sure if he should be speaking to a teacher like that. Or if a teacher should be speaking like this at all.

“Oh, you have to bring your sister in this? Fine.” The teacher turned to face Vinyl Scratch and growled. “I’ll see you around, kid.” And he walked away with his head still held up high.

“What a snob,” remarked Shining Armor. Then he turned to face Vinyl. “Don’t let him get to you. He’s harmless. Likes to pick on the new ponies. Speaking of which, what’s your name, new foal?” He held his hoof out.

Vinyl shook it and smiled at him. “My name’s Vinyl Scratch.”

“Vinyl, eh? Well, welcome to room 135. Or better known as the ‘my-teacher-is-always-late’ class.” Shining Armor chuckled.

“Wait, that wasn’t the teacher?”

“Hell no. That was Soarin’. He’s kinda a jerk, but he’s okay once you get to know him.”

“Well, thanks for saving me.” Vinyl smiled and nodded his head.

“No worries. That’s what I do. He dares not say shit to me ‘cause he hopes I’ll put a good word for him when he finally gets the guts to ask my sister out.” Shining Armor chuckled. “Not like he stands a chance anyways.”

"Wait, why can he give me detention?"

"He can't. But he can make you get detention like getting you into fights and tearing your homework up." Shining Armor shook his head.

"Oh."

“Sorry, I’m late guys!” Vinyl and Shining Armor turned in the direction of the voice and spotted a rather large-sized orange pony running towards them. He had dark orange mane and a xylophone for a cutie mark.

“Hey, Mr Z.”

“Hey there, Shining and… who is this?”

“Hello, Mr Z. My name’s Vinyl Scratch.” Vinyl shook Mr Z’s hooves.

"This is Mr Z, Vinyl. He taught me music last year too." Shining Armor gestured to his teacher.

“I sure did. You're a good student, Shining Armor." Mr Z patted Shining Armor on his back.

"Well, thanks." Shining Armor smiled.

"Hello, Vinyl. I don’t reckon I see you around before. Any who, welcome to class 135—Art of Music 101. Rather confusing, eh? This class’s all music and no art, I assure you. I can’t draw the darnest pony for a million bits.”

“That’s okay, Mr Z. You’re the best anyways.” Shining Armor patted Mr Z and smiled at him.

“C’mon, let’s go in. And I gotta apologise to them too.” Mr Z shook his head.

“No worries. They’re already used to it." Shining Armor chuckled as the three proceeded into the classroom.

- - - Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ - - -

Music class was a blast for Vinyl; Mr Z wanted every pony to do a solo on their instrument and Vinyl was picked first among the entire class. Happily, he approached the piano and started playing a soft melody. The entire class sat in silent as he started his journey, hopping from the first note to the other like frogs on lily pads. And when he ended his journey on the final note, he released the pedals, stood up, and faced an awed-struck crowd clapping away. He did notice that Mr Z was busy jotting down notes, probably about his performance.

As he sat down, Shining Armor volunteered to go next. He approached the stage, picked the microphone up and started on his opera piece. Vinyl’s eyes widened at his vocal range. And when Shining Armor hit what Vinyl thought was at his peak, he belched out a higher note and sustained that note for a few seconds. Vinyl’s mouth was left agape as Shining Armor continued with his moment. After what seemed like eternity for many ponies in the audience, Shining Armor finally let his note fade into silence, prompting the standing ovation.

It took a minute and a half before they could stop clapping at Shining Armor’s breath-taking show. And it took another thirty seconds, and lots of convincing on the teacher’s part, to get another pony up on stage. Fiddlesticks took up his fiddle and played a melody, but no pony could top Shining Armor’s act. Not even Octavia with her cello or Lyra with her harp. They had to admit Shining Armor was already number one in the class. And it was just day one.

The bell rang, much to Vinyl’s disappointment. He was just starting to enjoy music class.

“Alright, kids. I’ll see y’all tomorrow for another solo session. And don’t forget to bring your scores for tomorrow’s theory lesson as well,” said Mr Z as the ponies walked out, happily chatting and commenting on how good everyone was. Vinyl too, strutted out with Shining Armor by his side.

“Hey, what class do you have next?” asked Shining Armor.

“I have Home Economics at 244. You?” said Vinyl absentmindedly. His eyes wandered around, searching for the room of his next class.

“Darn it. I have Advanced Math at 213. By the way, the teacher at 244—Plum Pastry—is really cool and fun to be with. You’re lucky to have her. She used to teach me Equestrian. Well, I’ll see ya around, Vinyl!”

“See ya, Shining Armor!” The two walked away in different directions—Vinyl walked smiling towards the spiral staircase in the middle of the hallway.

Well, this is going better than I have expected. My first class and I already found a friend. At least I think he’s a friend.

As he reached the top of the stairs, he felt the sudden urge to pee. Glancing left and right, he spotted the washrooms and walked straight into the male washroom. That made the two stallions inside stare at him, which made him uncomfortable.

“What?” Vinyl asked as he approached a cubicle.

“Uh, I think you got the wrong bathroom. This is the male bathroom," said one of them. Both stallions froze in their tracks, not knowing how else to react in a situation like that.

“Yeah, I’m—Oh. Shit.” Blushing, Vinyl quickly backed away and left the washroom. He then proceeded to lean his head against the wall beside the bathroom doors.

Shit... Force of habit.

He stood outside and watched the male bathroom door, hoping that it would swing open, and that the two stallions inside would leave. As he waited, his bladder grew fuller, causing him to start dancing on the spot. One minute had passed, and sure enough, the two stallions walked past the doors. They shot Vinyl weird looks as they passed him and walked quickly away. Once they were far enough though, Vinyl bolted straight inside the washroom and locked himself inside a cubicle.

Bleh. I have to figure this out at home. Immediately, Vinyl’s red eyes turned green. His horn faded away, and wings with holes started sprouting out. His white flank slowly faded into dark grey, and his pearly white teeth started bearing fangs. His hooves starting to show holes in them and his tail shrunk until it was a tiny stub.

“Ah…” And Vinyl started relieving himself inside the cubicle. And he was glad too. Any longer, and his bladder might have exploded. Once he was done, he trotted out happily, but not before recovering the color of his eyes, hiding his wings, sprouting his horns, and covering up all the holes in his body.

“Room 244.” Vinyl spotted the signboard on top of the classroom’s door not too far away from where he stood. Happily, he trotted towards it. If what Shining Armor did say was true, then he was going to like this class too.

As he entered the classroom, he can’t help but notice only five stallions were in the class, including him. The rest of them were mares. He grinned. “Where are the guys in this class?”

“Silly filly. If you wanted stallions, you should have signed up for Gym, not Home Economics.” Vinyl turned around to face a pink mare with pink mane giggling. She donned purple and white highlights in her mane and had a heart for her cutie mark. “You must be the new foal here. I’m Cadance.”

“I’m Vinyl. Vinyl Scratch. Nice to meet you.” Vinyl nodded and smiled at Cadance.

“Wanna sit beside me?” offered Cadance. “It makes all the guys jealous.” Cadance winked at a chuckling Vinyl.

“Sure!”

The school bell rang, signalling the start of second period. Unlike his first period, his teacher actually came on time and started the class by having everyone introduce themselves by using an adjective from the first letter of their names. There weren’t many that stuck out though; all Vinyl could remember was Cheerful Cheerilee and Big Mate Big Mac from Ponyville, and Radiating Rarity from Manehattan. Rarity stuck out the most for his guilty pleasure. With her curves, her sparkling navy blue eyes and soft mellow voice when she wasn’t being overly dramatic, he felt she was really ravishingly radiating.

Vinyl was last to speak. “Hi, I’m…”

Crap. What am I supposed to say?

“I’m… I’m Very Sexy Vinyl Scratch. From Canterlot.”

That prompted the entire class to bellow in laughter. All Vinyl could do was hide his red cheeks and bury himself in his white backpack. Being cheeky was one. Being impulsively cheeky with no regards to the current social situation was another. And promoting how ‘sexy’ she was wasn’t probably the best thing to say in a class full of mares.

Oh my Faust, what did I just say? Did I just call myself sexy? Even though he was embarrassed, Vinyl could help but stifle his laughter in the backpack.

“Hey, sexy!” shouted some pony above the roars of laughter, which made Vinyl look up to see which mare was trying to flirt with him. He spotted a yellow Pegasus waving at him. With the conflict in gender, he didn’t know which was funnier. Having a mare calling another mare sexy, or he himself calling his own body sexy.

“Well then, that was rather unorthodox, but it works, mate,” spoke the teacher who tried to resist laughing. She took a deep breath, chuckled, and shook her head. “Okay class, settle down now. I’m going to show you how to make grape juice using apples. Of course, it doesn’t taste as well as wine, but it’s the closest you can get to wow your friends at parties.”

And so the laughter died down, much to Vinyl’s relief. This was his new low when it came to self-promotion. Very Sexy Vinyl Scratch. I got to remember that one for future introductions.

He watched as Plum Pastry began slicing red and green apples and throwing them into a blender. Next, she added three scoops of sugar, two teaspoons of food colouring and half a litre of water. Lastly, she threw in a couple of slice onions, garlic and lemons in there, which made some ponies cock their heads in confusion. Vinyl noted the recipe just in case he had a housewarming party of some sort, especially after since he would be gone for so long. Parties were bound to happen, whether Vinyl made it happen or not.

Yet Vinyl sensed something amiss in the recipe, like the ingredients were not what they were said to be. He took a quick sniff in the air, and with sudden realisation, figured out what was going on.

The teacher flicked the switch on the blender. Vinyl watched as it mashed the ingredients to form a thick purple paste of sort. “You see here kids,” shouted the teacher over the whirls of the bender, “the trick is to add lemon. Lemon always makes things sweeter.”

“But isn’t lemon sour?” asked a confused Cheerful Cheerilee.

“It is, but I added onions in there too. Just a small amount so it kills the sourness.”

“Ah.” Many ponies quickly took notes. But Vinyl sat there snickering inside. Something told him he would be bursting into laughter soon.

After a few seconds, Plum Pastry switched the blender off and poured the thick purple paste into a couple of cups. “Well, here’s grape juice made from apples. Everybody, go ahead! Grab a cup.”

And they did. Initially, the ponies hesitated to go up; the smell of onion and garlic wafted in the room. Most thought that the teacher was insane. Even Big Mate Big Mac had trouble stomaching down the purple paste the teacher called ‘grape juice’. He winced at it and nearly barfed his breakfast.

With every pony fearing to taste it, all but one dared not approach it. All but Vinyl.

“Oh man, this tastes good!” Vinyl just downed a cup and was about to get a second cup when his teacher stopped him.
“Vinyl, let every pony try it.”

“Yeah, guys. Come one. It’s not so bad once you get used to the initial garlic smell.” That statement caused the rest of the class to back off even more.

“And ginger. And onion. And leek. And rotten cabbage.”

“Eww!”

“Okay, I was joking about that part. But, oh you know what’s the best part? The sweet aftertaste of rotten apples in your mouth. Not so bad if you can stomach it.” Vinyl laughed as he watched his classmates shake their heads and stuck their hooves out in a plea to say ‘no’. Instead, Vinyl grabbed two more cups from the side and walked towards them. “Go on. Try it.” Vinyl cackled. He then poured one of the cups down his throat.

The rest of the class just stared at Vinyl, partially in disgust and partially in awe. More in disgust however. “How can you stomach it? It’s simply horrendous!” groaned Radiating Rarity who pretended to faint.

All of a sudden, Vinyl burst into laughter--like what he previously was prepared to do. He rolled his eyes and decided just to give it to them; he looked at his classmates and could sense the fear building in them.

Still laughing, he revealed, “Easy. Once you realise that one, she didn’t add onion or garlic. Those were sugar cubes. Two, her food colouring is actually sweetener. Three, lemon does make things sweeter. And four, I was just kidding about rotten apples too.” Vinyl licked his lips and stuck the other cup out. “Here, try it.”

Reluctantly, Radiating Rarity took hold of it with her magic and brought it close to her mouth. She winced, daring to take a sip as the class watched her. A small drop touched her tongue, which told her that Vinyl wasn’t lying. It was sweet.
Braving it, she allowed more drops of the purple paste. This time, she allowed it to go down her throat. Vinyl noticed her face change suddenly after the liquid trickled down her throat.

“Oh my… this is… this is. Simply the most… horrendous tasting thing I’ve ever tasted. And yet… it tastes so sweet. And nice. And soothing. And ahh!” She pretended to faint once more.

“It doesn’t taste so bad after all!”

“Vinyl was right!”

“Eeyup.” And the rest of the class started chiming in their thoughts too.

“Told ya.” Vinyl chuckled.

“How did you know?” Vinyl turned around and faced a surprised Caring Cadance.

“Oh. I could smell the sugar and sweetness from the ‘onions’ when she placed them in. And I knew those weren’t onions. Those were sugar cubes. My mum used to feed me a lot when I was little.”

"What about the smell of onions and garlic in the room?"

"Psychological. The moment I realized I couldn't smell it, my brain just told me it wasn't that. Then I carefully whiffed the smell, and it smelled like maple syrup. Then I knew it wasn’t onion and garlic. We just can't believe everything our teacher says. Who knows, she may be teaching us the recipe for posion."

“Yeah." The two of them chuckled. "Then what about the food colouring?”

“Lucky guess.” Vinyl shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

“You’ve got a good nose.”

“And you’re got a beautiful mane.”

“Thanks. You know…”

And wow, those mesmerizing purple eyes. That cute nose. Wow, she sure is… pretty. Vinyl stared directly at Cadance’s eyes who was still beaming happily and chatting to him about her experiences with cooking. He had the sudden urge to hug her, but restrained himself.

No, no. I’m not having a silly crush now, am I? I… I can’t. It’s not possible.

But look at her. She’s beautiful. And I’m… I’m just Vinyl. A changeling within.

“… and I made it myself!” Vinyl focused back on the sound of Cadance’s voice, which prompted him to smile and nod his head. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have to quiz him on what she just said.

“How did you know?” the duo turned to face the shocked teacher, which caused the pair to giggle.

“Lucky guess?”

- - - Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ - - -

The school bell rang once more, signalling the end of second period, and the start of many ponies favourite session.

“Lunch!” yelled Vinyl as he raced Cadance towards the cafeteria after making a bet on who would reach there first. As he expected, he burst through the doors first, winning the bet and making Cadance buy his lunch.

“Wow you’re fast,” said a panting Cadance. “Remind me never to bet on speed.” She headed towards the counter and picked up a couple of cookies and cupcakes.

Vinyl chuckled as he sat down. School was going good for him. Shining Armor, Cadance, and now free lunch. If it meant anything, he felt nothing could ruin his day anymore.

He spoke too soon, however. “Hey, Vinyl Scratch.” A familiar voice spoke behind him. He turned around and spotted Soarin’ towering above him. “Tell you what. You’re lucky that kid stood up for you. You ain't gonna be lucky this time.”

Vinyl remembered what Shining Armor said earlier on. Don’t let him get to you. He’s harmless.

“Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it, give me detention?”

“I’ll give you more than that,” said Soarin’ smugly as he clenched his hooves and inched closer to his face.

Vinyl remembered the second part of what Shining Armor said. No worries. That’s what I do. He dares not say shit to me ‘cause he hopes I’ll put a good word for him when he finally gets the guts to ask my sister out.

“How about this. Leave me alone, or I’ll tell the whole school about your crush.” Vinyl knew he hit jackpot when he noticed the intimidating face Soarin’ had put on suddenly turned into a scared one. Still, he tried to keep his façade up.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“You’re right. I wouldn’t. But I know that you have a crush on Shining Armor’s sister. I don’t know who she is, but when I do, I’m telling her all about you.”

Soarin’ stared at Vinyl angrily. He took a deep breath in, sighed, and said, “Look here kid. You keep your mouth shut, and I’ll lay my hooves off you. Deal?”

“Deal.”

“Now if you excuse me, I’ve got some other fillies to bother.” And Soarin’ walked off, kicking a chair down in the process. Vinyl sighed in relief. At least he knew he wasn’t going to bother him anymore.

“Was that Soarin’ just now?” Vinyl turned his head to another familiar voice. He turned around and saw Shining Armor with a tray of food.

“Yeah. Told him that I would tell the whole school about his crush and he promised to leave me alone if I didn’t.”

“That thing I merely mentioned?”

“Yep. Scared him away though. Thanks for that.” Vinyl nodded his head to thank him.

“No problem. You eating with any other pony?” Shining Armor gestured to the seat beside him.

“Hey Shiny!”

“Cadance!” Vinyl turned her head again and spotted Cadance returning with two trays of food. She sauntered towards them and sat beside Vinyl.

“You two know each other?” asked Vinyl excitedly. The two friends he made today are already friends. Something told him that the three of them was going to hang out even more now.

“Yeah. I’ve known her since forever.” Shining Armor sat down beside her and starting munching on an apple.

“We met at kindergarten. I was also his sister’s foalsitter.”

“Mhmm.”

“So, how did you guys meet each other?” asked Cadance.

“Music. First period.”

“Ah. We just had Home Economics together. T’was funny.” And Cadance proceeded to tell how Vinyl realised the concoction their teacher made wasn’t what it came to be.

“Class’s quite fun actually” She winked at Vinyl, then returned her attention to Shining Armor. “How about you? How’s your first day?”

“Good. Math was boring however. I can’t seem to understand what differenting means.”

“You mean differentiation?” remarked Vinyl.

“Yeah that. Math is sooo complicated.”

“Trust me. It only gets harder from here,” deadpanned Cadance.

“Joy.” Shining Armor rolled his eyes. “Speaking of joy, you two wanna hang out after school? Oh, oh! We can go to that water park afterwards. Heard that a new ride just opened. You guys wanna?”

“Sure,” said Cadance.

“Yeah, I’m good for it. I like water parks.”

“Then you’re bound to enjoy the park later. Have you been there?”

“Nope. I’ve only been in Canterlot for only a few days.”

“Woah! So you’re new to this place too. We should bring him around, Cadance.” Cadance just nodded her head as if to say ‘yes’.

“It’ll be fun!” Shining Armor chuckled. “We’re gonna have so much fun. Us three. I can’t wait!”

Chapter 2: Well, I'm in a mess. Prom is in a few months but I guess I'm going single.

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Two years had passed since Vinyl began studying in Canterlot High; throughout his two years, he had spent most of his time hanging out with Shining Armor and Cadance.

He enjoyed their company; the three of them would often go everywhere together—water parks, theme parks and the occasional museum tours which Vinyl detested but tagged along anyway. They were the only ponies Vinyl really trusted. Not that he didn’t trust others, but that he was afraid he might hurt them when he would leave Canterlot High, and the city eventually.

”Vinyl, my son, even though I don’t like your decision, as a father, I will support you. You’re my son after all, even if it means doing something different.”

“Does that mean I get to study there?”

“Only if you promise to come back after school ends.”

“Oh, thank you, daddy!”

“Yes, I know. I’m the best. But be warned. Not everyone will accept you for who you are.”

“Yeah, I know that. I’ll try to keep a low profile. No one will ever figure it out.”

“Good. Now I hope you won’t come back and tell me that you regretted leaving home to chase this dream of yours.”

“I won’t.”

Now that Vinyl was on his last year of high school, the euphoric thoughts he first started school with now turned into feelings of dread. Each day, Vinyl would silently tick off his remaining days, hoping when the counter hits zero, he wouldn’t be too bummed about it.

He knew he was just fooling himself: how could he not be upset about it? He had spent the last three memorable years with two of his closest friends. With time ticking by, he could only run along with it as it threatened to break the bonds they shared. Breaking the bonds between him and his only friends.

There was Soarin’ too, but Vinyl didn’t pay much attention to him. On the contrary, Soarin’ started acting friendly towards him. He would offer to do Vinyl’s homework if he forgot about it. Occasionally, he will also walk him to his next class. He thought Soarin’ was just making up for being mean in the past, until he remembered he was in a female body. There was always the possibility of Soarin’ having a crush on Vinyl, but he shook that notion off. Not until a few weeks before school ended.

“Will you go to prom with me?”

- - - Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ - - -

“What?!” Vinyl’s words bounced off the walls of the stairwell. Mouth agape, he stared at Soarin’ who was kneeling on one knee.

“You. Me. Prom. How about that?” Vinyl just couldn’t believe what he is hearing. The pony that had threatened to give him ‘detention’ was asking him to prom?

“What? Hell no.” He stuck his hoof out and tapped his forehead. Gently, he pushed the kneeling Soarin’ away. He too, walked out of the stairwell and into the corridors of the first floor.

“B-but…” That was all Vinyl heard as he turned a corner and disappeared from Soarin’s sight. He sighed in relief as he made his way down the corridor. Spotting Cadance making her way to the cafeteria, Vinyl made a small run towards her and wrapped a hoof around her.

“Yo, Cay-Dannnce! Guess what?” Vinyl grinned.

“Let me guess.” Cadance rolled her eyes. “You managed to destroy Mr Z’s subwoofers again.”

“Nope. That’s gonna be tomorrow during the music presentation. But yeah, Soarin’ just asked me to prom.”

Cadance faced Vinyl with her eyes bulged out and her mouth agape. Her eyebrows were knitted as if she was really shocked and surprised. More shock than surprise actually.

“What,” deadpanned Cadance, not believing Vinyl.

“He was all on one knee and stuff, and then he asked me. Told him no before pushing him to the floor. Gently.” Vinyl barrelled in laughter. “Can you believe it? He wants me to go with him. Me.”

“Well, there’s really nothing wrong with that. I heard he had a crush on you since you first came.”

“What.” Now it was Vinyl’s turn to not believe Cadance.

“Something about you being able to stand up to him like that. He liked that.” Cadance nodded as if she approved of Vinyl’s bravado.

“What.” The still shocked Vinyl almost bummed into another pony, sidestepping last minute to avoid collision. “Sorry!” Vinyl called out.

“Yeah. You’re the first mare I’ve ever heard of being so tough too. I’d ask you if I was a stallion.” Both mares chuckled nervously. Vinyl seriously wanted that to happen as much as Cadance was serious about asking him out. Of course, that was never going to happen. The only thing Vinyl could do was dream.

As the pair entered the cafeteria, they spotted a seat not too far from them and proceeded to sit there. As they sat down, they levitated their lunch bag out of their backpack, opened it up, and munched on the goodies inside. Cadance had a daffodil sandwich, while Vinyl had baked bread with tomato, cheese, peppers and celery.

“Sooo, who are you going to prom with?” asked Vinyl.

“Uh, I don’t know yet.” Cadance took a bite of her sandwich.

“Wait. Who do you wanna go with? Big Mac? Blueblood? Some other pony I don’t know about?”

“Well, you do know this pony actually. You know him quite well.” Vinyl rolled her eyes. By saying that, he knew Cadance was just stalling the inevitable question. Vinyl decided just to go ahead and ask.

“Let me guess. You like him, don’t you.”

“Maybe.” Cadance placed her sandwich down and stared at Vinyl. “But it’s… complicated. Maybe he…” As the pair stared at each other, Vinyl noticed how her wrinkles would form on her forehead, her cheeks would redden and her speech would slow down considerably when she was nervous. He noticed how her hooves would tap against the table, and her eyes would shift left before looking down, then right and down. He saw how she kept scratching her mane with her hooves, only to fix it shortly after. He saw all of that, and thought she was beautiful.

This mare’s amazing, but I can’t do anything about it.

Vinyl’s heartbeat raced as he listened to Cadance rant on why she can't tell him about it. The more he listened to Cadance praise this stallion, the more he couldn’t help but wish he wasn’t stuck in this female body. As a changeling, he was supposed to be able to change to other ponies. However, he was born with a defect that only allowed him to copy one pony, and he was stuck with this white mare with blue hair. It was complicated at times, keeping his façade as a pony rather than a changeling, and a mare rather than a stallion. The former he got used to. The latter he wasn’t.

If… if I show her my true self, I think she’ll accept me. I think. After all, we’ve been through three years together. She trusts me. And I do too.

But what if she doesn’t? What if she sees me as a monster of some sort? What if this friendship of ours will abruptly end if she finds out who I am inside?

“… and that’s why I can’t ask him out.” Vinyl snapped back into reality and sighed.

“Well, who is this pony?”

- - - Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ - - -

The school bell rang for the sixth time, marking the end of school for the day. Some eagerly rushed out of their classrooms and bolted out of the school doors. Some chose to stay behind to mingle and chat with their friends. And some headed towards the library to study.

“Don’t forget to buy your prom tickets!” The PA system blared above the laughter and chatter of ponies. Vinyl was the kind of pony who would stay behind to chat. He searched around for his two friends, but only spotted one Shining Armor nervously strutting off in his direction.

“Hey, Shining—woah!” Shining Armor pushed Vinyl towards the stairwell behind them and pinned him against the wall. His eyes danced like wildfire and his hooves shook.

“What the hell?” Vinyl asked as he tried to back away from him.

Please don’t tell me he’s gonna ask me to prom, or force himself on me.

“… prom… don’t know… likes me…I do, Vinyl?”

“What?! Slow down! I barely understood a word you said.”

Shining Armor inhaled deeply, then exhaled before releasing his grasp on Vinyl. “I wanna ask Cadance to prom but I don’t know if she likes me the way I do. What should I do, Vinyl?”

“Oh?” Vinyl sighed in relief. “And I thought you were going to kiss me or something.”

“Ew. No. That’s nasty, bro. You’re my bro, making that incest.” Shining Armor shook his head. “Besides, Cadance is the mare for meeee,” said Shining Armor in a sing-songy voice. “But yeah. I need help.”

“Cadance, huh.” Vinyl breathed in and out and scratched his mane.

Cadance? Sigh. I should have seen this coming. I shouldn’t have fallen in love with a mare I shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have become best friends with the mare I loved. And now, I can’t do anything but watch her get whisked away by my other best friend.

Vinyl held back his tears as much as he could. He coughed twice, and said, “Y-yeah. You should totally do it.”

“But, I’m scared. I don’t know what she’ll say if I ask her. You’re a mare, Vinyl. Tell me how she will react when I ask her to prom.” Shining Armor grabbed onto Vinyl again, which made him flinch. Vinyl thought back to when Soarin’ tried to ask him to prom and shuddered further.

“Well, I know she’ll be flattered. And she’ll probably say yes. You’re funny, cool, awesome, and she’s beautiful, pretty, amazing, lovely. Her eyes blink twice whenever she tries to lies and she dots her ‘I’s with hearts. She love hugs and will give you a good hug whenever she can. She smells nice of lavender every day and her voice is as beautiful as an angelic choir.”

“Precisely! So, does that mean I stand a chance?” Shining Armor raised his volume a little louder.

“Mhmm.”

“I’m gonna find her and ask her right now. Thanks, Vinyl! You’re the best!” Shining Armor hugged Vinyl before heading off. Vinyl watched as Shining Armor blended into the crowd. Slumping back against the wall, he slid down and sat on the cold, hard floor.

“B-but… I like Cadance,” muttered Vinyl under his breath. “I like her a lot.” Tears formed on the edges of his eyes. He sat still as sounds of laughter filled his head. He was familiar with that sound. It made him happy, especially when he hung out with his two best friends.

He sobbed quietly as ponies passed by. Some of them stared at him shortly before moving on, and some just ignored him. I should be happy for them, right? But why do I feel so devastated?

After a while, Vinyl opened his eyes and saw Shining Armor and Cadance in the distance. They had their hooves wrapped around each other and they were trotting happily away from him. And if they’re happy, I should be happy, right?”

He heard an all-too familiar laughter; Soarin’ was chuckling in a corner with Spitfire and Cloud Kicker. And if even he can be happy, I can be, right?

Vinyl sighed and stood up. He looked through the glass windows on the right of him and saw that the sun was setting. I should wash up. I’ve been in this state for far too long. Scratching his eyes, Vinyl yawned and headed towards the washroom. As he pushed open the door, the sun cast a shadow of him onto the wall in front of him. And the shadow faded as he closed it.

- - - Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ - - -

“Ugghhh…” Vinyl sniffled as he splashed some cold water onto his face. He then wiped it off and stared at the pony on the other side of the mirror directly above the taps.

Why did I just tell Shining Armor that he should do it? Stupid me. Blueghhh. Vinyl splashed more water onto his face.

I should have seen it coming. I really should have. I’m a changeling, and she’s a pony. She’s never going to accept me. He stared into the eyes of his reflection and watched it slowly turn from red to green.

Will she ever?

Damn it, I’m feeling so bloody pathetic now. Look at myself. I’m so horribly insecure. Urgh. Vinyl splashed more water onto his face. He looked up, and noticed his white horn started fading into black. His head was next to change and fangs started sprouting out. He looked at his two hooves. True enough, they were his changeling hooves—grey with holes in them. Before he knew it, his wings sprouted and his tail shortened.

He backed away from the mirror, and saw the reflection of his entire body. His real body. He stretched his hooves out and looked at them. This is me. He stared out of the window. It wasn’t long before he had to return, and he hated it. He really loved it here. Loved the school. Loved his friends. Loved Cadance.

"The ponies there are going to treat you like an outcast!"

"No, they won't!"

"Yes, they will. The moment you reveal yourself, everyone will leave you. Your friends, your teachers. Everyone will despise you. Why? Because we are all breeds of parasites. We feed off them. They do not wants us."

"Not everyone is like that, mom!"

"They will kick you to the curb and before you know it, you'll be alone. And you'll come back.

"Stop! That's not true... that's not true!"

"You'll behave so differently than them that you won't be able to relate to them."

"Stop it!"

In a fit of rage, Vinyl clenched his fist and aimed it at the changeling in the mirror. The changeling didn't disappear; however, the mirror did break. Vinyl growled at it. "If I'm hated so much, then why do I have friends? Tell me!"

His horn lit up and he got ready to fire a beam of magic at it. However, his sensitive changeling ears picked up sounds of laughter from outside the bathroom, as well as the words ‘let me use the washroom first’. It grew louder as Vinyl stood there stunned, fully aware of what was going to happen: a pony or ponies were going to empty their bladders. They would come in and notice him in his changeling form. And they would freak out.

Vinyl freaked out; he attempted changing back, but his body refused to cooperate. No matter how hard he tried, he stared at the changeling in the broken mirror.

Disguising himself like always was an option thrown out of the window. He only had two seconds to get out of there. Hiding was probable but not possible. The cubicles with the doors were on the other side of the bathroom and the shower cubicles were even further away from him. He glanced outside the window, and knew it was his last resort. He just prayed the ponies lingering at the front of the school wouldn’t spot a grey being fly out of the school. Or at least if they saw, they saw a grey pegasus and not some monster flying.

The door swung open, and Vinyl took off.

Chapter 3: Every pony, meet Sabertooth and Emera. They're awesome and I love them to bits.

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The clouds wafted past him as he swerved from one to the other, using it as cover from the ponies below. Occasionally, he would bump into a couple of birds and other pegasus, some nastier than the others. Not that he was a bad flier or anything, but Vinyl could use help focusing on the clouds rather than his clouded mind.

“I still can’t believe I said yes,” groaned Vinyl. He scanned his surroundings. A y-shaped tree. A statue of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Two identical looking shop houses.

He flew past the window on the second floor of the left shop house and headed down the corridor. Phew. The lights are off. Landlord’s not around. He turned a corner, opened the second door on the right and entered.

Yawning, he threw himself on the bed and stretched his hooves. He let his eyes close as a gentle breeze swept over him. Today was a long day. I still can’t believe… sigh… I should stop moping over her. She wasn’t even mine to begin with.

But why am I still thinking about this afternoon?

Vinyl froze as he threw his eyes wide open. He heard buzzing sounds, as well as the sounds of two pony whispering faintly around him. He dared not budge. It didn’t matter who they were. If they saw Vinyl in this form, chances are that Vinyl would somehow end up in hiding or back with his parents.

“Think we should be doing this?”

“It’s about time. He can’t stay.”

“I thought we talked about it. We can always take our time. There’s no rush.”

“But now’s the time. Have you prepared the items necessary?”

“Sigh. Yeah, they’re here with me.”

“Good. He’s overstayed.”

“Forgive me, Vinyl.”

Vinyl scanned his room. There were no ponies other than the reflection of himself in the tall mirror across the room. He liked that sight, but now wasn’t the time to check his body out.

“I’m disappointed.”

Vinyl turned around. His breath was shallow and his heartbeat raced, but that was all he could do as he frantically searched the room for the source of the voices. Self-defence 101.

“Let’s go.”

Instinctively, Vinyl grabbed his flattened pillow behind him and raised it as if it was a shield. He raised another one using telekinesis as if it was a sword. I knew this landlord was trouble. I saw it coming when I first came here, but nooo. My parents insisted on living in this cheap, run-down, dilapidated, dirty, dusty… this piece of shit junkyard. If he’s thinking of taking me down, he better get ready. This changeling’s ready for shit.

He propped his infallible, trusty weapons in the air and braced himself. “Go… g-go away!” His eyes darted across the room to the cupboard that was slightly open. Squinting his eyes, he peeked through the tiny crack. “I s-see you.” Self-defence 101. “Go a-away!”

Vinyl waited for a reply. Silence. Few seconds passed. Birds chirping and shallower breathing.

He dared to stand up, his weapons by his side. Self-defence 101. Vinyl gulped. These ponies are wasting my time. Freaking standing here as bait and they don’t even want to get me.

“Vinyl.”

“N-no! Shoo! G-go away!” whimpered Vinyl as he propped his shield above his shoulder.

“Put those pillows down. You look silly.” Vinyl’s ears picked up an unfamiliar roughness in the voice. He didn’t recognize it; it sounded too soft for the rugged, drunk-half-the-time landlord, and it definitely sounded too rough for any ponies he knew. This better be someone I don’t know. I’d rather not snap the neck of any pony in my school. Maybe not even Spitfire. I pity him. Hangs around those few ponies who wouldn’t even stand up for him.

“Vinyl. Put it down. Now.” Vinyl heard a different voice speak this time—a mare’s voice, not too high-pitched to be a pony, but not too low-pitched to be a changeling. It reminded him of blueberry waffles, butter toast and the smell of lavender. His nose picked up a scent wafting in the room. Lavender. Oh, you have got to be kidding me.

Vinyl shook his head. Rolling his eyes, he let a soft chuckle out as he lowered his weapons. “You really need to lay off that perfume I got you for last Christmas.”

“Told you he would recognise you,” said the pony with the rough voice.

“Oh please, I never intended to keep my identity a secret,” replied the mare.

Vinyl chuckled once more as he rested his head on his hoof. “You too, dad. What’s up with that voice?” Vinyl laughed out loud. “You sound like a lion with a sore throat.”

“Hmph. I’ll take that as ‘you’re glad to see us, son’. And yes. I’m—“ Vinyl heard a cough, “—I’m sick.”

“Wait a minute,” deadpanned Vinyl as he searched the empty room. “Are you guys invisible or something?”

“Try again.” And Vinyl did just that. Except that he illuminated his horn, releasing steady pulses of electromagnetic waves out of it.

“Nope. Keep trying.” Vinyl groaned as he switched from electromagnetic waves to white shimmering light.

“Ah. Heat detection. Nice try, but no.” The pony with the rough voice laughed.

“Oh come on,” whined Vinyl as he shot a purple beam at his cupboard, causing sparks to jump around wildly, “Mum, dad, where are you?”

“Nope, we’re not in here.” Compulsively, Vinyl lighted up his horn and began firing neon-green projectiles at every corner of his room—a spell that if it hits a living target, the target will start spewing action phrases such as ‘Thou shall not mess with wubs’.

“Really? Son, I’m getting bored of this.”

“Oh, Sabertooth, let’s get on with this already.”

“Oh fine. Hey son, look up!” Vinyl did just that, and slammed his hoof against his face.

- - - Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ - - -

“Not bad. You still remember my teachings. Let your opponents think you’re weak before surprising them with your fangs,” said Sabertooth as he patted Vinyl’s shoulders.

“Sh’yeah. Learnt from the best.” Vinyl smiled. “I don’t say my dad’s the First Lieutenant of the Qua Ustar Epreon Es Nasion, or QUEEN, for nothing. It’s quite fun to see my changeling classmates go all 'wooooow' at me.” Vinyl chuckled and leaned back, resting against the back of his bedframe. He laid his head on top of one of his ‘weapons’, while the other was being held in captive in between his two hooves. “Bes poro ty secratio ina ino espa e. (I think they secretly were jealous of me.)

“You still know how to speak our native tongue? I thought you stopped caring a few years back?” asked a surprised Vinyl’s mum who sat on his blue swirling chair.

“Well, yeah. I do remember some words though. Um, Mum, dad..." Vinyl adjusted himself, sitting upright and facing his parents. "Why are you here?"

The only replies Vinyl got were the whirls of the fan in the corner of the room and the birds chirping outside his window. The three changelings stared at each other. Well, Vinyl did most of the staring. His parents kept nudging their heads and pointing at Vinyl with their eyeballs as if they’d rather not deliver the news, good or bad may it be. A scowl or two appeared on their face before Vinyl’s dad broke the silence.

“Um... Our Queen asks you back. You have to go back now.”

More silenced filled the room. Vinyl heart sank like his jaw dropped—heavily. He stared at the floor under him. His body laid dormant, sitting upright and facing his parents who tried to put on a smile for him. He couldn’t see their smiles. However fake a façade may be, Vinyl loved to see a smile, but he himself couldn’t smile at everything that happened today.

”Hey mum, dad! The letter’s here!”

“Vinyl Scratch will be studying in Canterlot High. Attached is your timetable, a map and a journal. Oh I’m so excited!”

“I’m… I’m glad for you son.

“Oh, what is this? Queen Chrysalis informs you that your study pass limits to the years in Canterlot High. The moment the years end, you are to come back to serve the QUEEN under the 42nd Afarso Rocen Telin for five years as grace of your Queen’s decision to allow you to leave the hive.”

“Son, five years. Wow.”

“Doesn’t matter anyways. 42 is Intel, isn’t it? It’s easy, I heard.”

“Don’t be too bummed about it. It’s rare for our Queen to let any changeling study aboard.”

“Well, I feel lucky then.”

"W-what?” squeaked Vinyl as softly as a mice. Still staring at the floor, he allowed himself to grab both his weapons and hugged it.

“Um, our Queen wants you back. She needs all the changelings back. For whatever reason, we dare not ask,” replied Vinyl’s mum, sighing. “I know the letter did say until the year end, but we can’t defy our Queen’s orders.”

Vinyl rocked slightly back and forth, sighing and breathing into his weapons. He buried his head into them, hoping that they would somehow solve his problem. That and to hide his even redder eyes from his parents. I… I knew… I knew this was coming one day, but not now. This wasn’t supposed to happen until this year ends.

“Son, I know it’s tough. Heard from your mum that you’ve taken a liking to the city here.”

“Y-yeah.” Vinyl sniffled.

“But everything goes away one day. Everything dies. No one lives forever.” His dad sighed. “I don’t know why. I can barely understand why you do certain things, my son. When you’re five, you starting making this noise at home.”

“Dad, that’s music. Dubstep,” deadpanned Vinyl.

“Yeah that. I don’t understand it. No one does. I don’t know if anyone except you considers that as music. But at age seven, that’s all you did. You played around with the mecroput and tinkered with it. And then it stopped working, and you cried for days.”

“Yeah. I lost all my music.” Vinyl sighed.

“At age ten, we found out you suffered from Bi-eraflucta. You couldn’t change to any other pony except that white one. Your classmates bullied and teased you. And we had to step in and call their parents.” Vinyl shuddered and frowned. He didn’t like his childhood back then. He didn’t like how because he was different from others, he was treated differently.

”Vinyl, what’s wrong?”

“No one understands me, Shining. No one.”

“It doesn’t matter. The two of us do, and that’s all that matters.”

“I’m different from all of you, Shining. I… I can’t perform magic really well. I fly slower than the others and I keep tripping.”

“That’s cause you’re a clutz.”

“Not helping!”

“Point is, no ponies here mind that. We’re all different, but that what makes it unique and fun. Because everyone’s special, no one can tell you what to do. Remember that. Just do what you can do. Don’t let them tell you. Stand up when you fall. Find your own true call.”

“It didn’t stop though,” said Vinyl’s mum. “We had to home-school you. At age twelve, you didn’t want to learn our language any more. You felt it was too hard. And so we let you be, but made sure you could speak Equestrian. You weren’t truly proficient in it, but at least you could speak and write. Parci Queen Chrysalis es do. (Thank Queen Chrysalis for that.)”

“I… I was never good at it. You kept scolding me and demanding I do tons of homework every day,” replied Vinyl.

“It was for your own good, son. Point is, nothing lasts forever.” Vinyl burrowed his head deeper into his weapons.

Sighing, he looked up at his smiling parents and asked, “Why now?”

“We… we don’t know.”

“You’re one of the highest ranking officers in the army, and you don’t know?!” retorted Vinyl.

“Watch your tone there,” growled his mum.

“It’s okay, Emera. Vinyl, my son, we… we know how hard it can be for you. How stressful it is for you to hear this news. Honestly speaking, estra udr nu ina epa. (I really don’t know.)” He scratched his head and walked towards Vinyl. In his hoof held two pieces of half-folded paper. Looking down at his son, he unfolded and held out one of them for Vinyl to read.

“Our Queen Chrysalis regrets to inform you of your annulation of your study pass. You are to return to the Hive within the next moon or you will be charged with Section Three of the Erapa Consigno Et Ta Act.”

“So, it is true.” Vinyl sighed. He noticed his dad wielding the second piece of paper in his hoof and gestured for it. His dad hesitated, pausing to stare at Vinyl in his eyes, before unfolding that piece of paper too and bringing it down to his eye level.

“I think you’ll hate us for this.”

- - - Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ - - -

“And if you need anything, just write to us like you always do.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Take care, my son.” And his parents flew out of his window disguised as a pegasus. Vinyl waved at them cheerily. They too, looked back and waved at him before speeding towards the clouds.

- - - Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ - - -

“You think we made the right decision? Not to tell Vinyl that he’s adopted?”

“I think I do. I don’t want him growing up thinking we treat him differently just because he’s… well… different than the other colts who have real parents.”

“But we are his real parents, Emera. We raised him up like he was our own.”

“Sigh. People ask me if I’m his mum, and I say yes. Although, sometimes I wish I can say no. He… I have to admit. He embarrasses me sometimes.”

“What is there to be embarrassed about? He’s an amazing young changeling.”

“Not the way the others tell me about him. I… I think he should know the truth, Sabertooth.”

“One day, Emera. One day.”

Chapter 4: I will banish any pony who says the L-word. Grr!

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Ring.

With the bell, the hallways were immediately flushed with the students of Canterlot High. It marked the end of the day, as well as the start of a downcast afternoon. Grey clouds filled the skies; clouds that also seemed to hover above every pony’s head as they all worried anxiously about their upcoming final year exams. Many hurried out of the school or into the library with textbooks that substituted as in-class makeshift pillows in their hooves.

Vinyl had more to worry then mere numbers on papers. Carrying more than a heavy backpack, he trudged past lockers, occasionally glancing in front of him to make sure he wasn’t going to bump into any pony. He wasn’t sure what to make of it; one thing he knew for sure was that he dreaded what was going to happen.

“Twenty-four days left,” he muttered to himself. He slid his back down the pale yellow walls of the school and sat on the floor. He arched his back and rested his head in between his hooves. He shut his eyes, fearing that a passer-by would see his redden eyes and the drop of sentimental liquid flowing down the side of it. “They should know the truth.”

“What truth, Vinyl?” asked a familiar voice. Vinyl raised his head up and slightly opened his eyes. In the little slit of light, he could make out what was the visible features of an alicorn—a horn and wings.

“Nothing, Cadance. I… you won’t understand.” He shut his eyes again. No pony understands me.

“You can trust us.” This time, the voice was much lower. He recognised this voice anywhere; it was the same voice that was there when he was picked on by Soarin’, when they laughed at jokes and pranks and when he asked him about inviting Cadance to prom. “We’re your friends.”

Friends?

“Loser, loser, Vinyl Scratch’s a loser!”

“No one likes you, Vinyl. Go away.”

“Who let him here?”

“Vinyl, the mare changeling!”

“You suck. You can’t even change into other forms.”

“Hey, I’m hosting a party. I’m inviting all of you but that Vinyl Scratch over there. Ha!”

“You have no friends, you worthless piece of junk.”

Friends?

Vinyl mustered enough strength to look up and open his eyes. There were two ponies in front of him with two grim lines for mouths staring at him. “Friends?”

Cadance and Shining Armor nodded their head in unison and tried to smile, but Vinyl could easily make out their worry behind those up-curled lips. After all, he had spent his childhood life trying to make out what people felt and thought about him. Reading emotions, other than it being a changeling’s capabilities to do so, had been second nature to him.

He could see it. The sadness they bore reflected against him. Their eyes showed concern, but enough to show fear and distress. He stared in front until the pair disappeared from his sight.

“Friends.” He felt two hooves placed on his shoulders. He glanced left and right briefly and saw that they had merely repositioned themselves, one on each side of him. His heart grew heavy and he sighed. Without any warning, he was being squeezed in an embrace he grew accustomed to. He liked it. It always made him feel better.

Vinyl sobbed softly, but just audible enough for Cadance and Shining Armor to hear it. As if it was on cue, they patted his back and whispered, “It’s going to be alright.”

He hoped that they were right. That things were ultimately going to be alright.

“I think you’ll hate us for this.”

“The Queen approves your request of an extended deferment until the original end date of your study pass.”

“Wait, what?!”

“Well, I figured since I’ve some power in the QUEEN, I might as well try my luck. Gor mer Queen jel er upio-prastaco. Pre seb namet yell tras. (Thank the Queen I’m well-favoured. Nearly had to beg for it.)”

“… You could have told me from the start instead of giving me this mini heart attack.”

“Now where’s the fun in that?”

“Grr. I hate you dad.”

“Love you too, son.”

“Hey, what about me?!”

“Hate you too, mum.”

“Hmph.”

The trio sat there in an embrace, none daring to breathe a word out. They lay still as dozens of ponies whizzed by them, some occasionally giving them stares. Even the janitor who often rushed his job so he could go home earlier graciously avoided them as to give them some privacy. “I’ve never told you this, but... I’m going back to my hometown in twenty-four days.”

“What?” His two friends voiced in unison, not loudly enough to alarm any pony around, but soft enough to give that warm, concerned voice they intended to show.

“What do you mean by ‘going back?’ You’re gonna leave us?” Cadance eyes grew wide and her mouth was left agape.

Yet all Vinyl could muster was a simple nod. His eyes swelled as he stared into Cadance’s eyes. “I… I have to go soon. And what makes things worse is that I don’t wanna go back.”

“W-why?” stammered Cadance.

“There’s this whole army conscription thing back in my hometown. I kinda have to do it because of some stupid thingy my parents sign.” He grunted, slamming his hooves against the wall.

“Can’t you just stay here or something?” Cadance scratched her head and creased her furrowed eyebrows.

“I can’t. The… umm… Things run differently there. My parents can get arrested and questioned as to why I’m not in the army. I… I don’t want anything to happen to them. Also, there’s this seventy-five thousand bits problem that we deposited to allow me to study here.”

“Seventy-five thousand bits?!” exclaimed Shining Armor. “That’s… that’s a lot of bits.”

“Precisely why I have to go back. I’ve got no other choice.” Vinyl sighed. He felt a weight resting on his left shoulder and shifted his eyes towards it. He noticed something different about him; he saw that Shining Armor was staring like how he would at his parents when he was a mere foal—he had on two pair of eyes that felt like void had consumed all sense of joy and hope. His shoulders dropped and his ears flattened against Vinyl’s shoulder.

Man, this must really be hitting him hard. I’ve never seen the guy like this before.”

He felt a similar response on his right; Cadance had wrapped her hooves around him and had begun to sob, choking on every other syllable as she whispered, “I… I don’t know what—“

“It’s okay. I’ll be back once I’m done. Don’t you guys worry.” Vinyl tried to smile, but forcing it wasn’t going to uplift anyone’s moods.

“I guess,” said Shining Armor as he looked up, trying to put on a smile. “And then we can all hang out again.”

“Yeah. Meanwhile, you two can, and should, spend the time together as much as possible. When I’m back, I’m afraid I’ll be the third wheel,” chuckled Vinyl as he looked at their reddened faces. The laughter was unfitting and short-lived; Vinyl soon dropped his shoulder and sighed.

“Shining, do you remember the first class we were at?” asked Vinyl. He turned around and faced Shining Armor with eyes that reflected his.

”Hello. I’m…”

“… In this class, you darn learn to play. And play good! You too, can make some good ol’ music for y’all two little ears to hear. Work in pairs for this project I’mma issue you now...”

“… Oh this is gonna be so exciting!”

Vinyl turned away and stared blankly in front of him. “Music always drives me forward. Like I… I’ve based my whole life on it. Whenever I was upset, I’d put on some hip hop or rap music, ya know? Then if I needed a quiet space, I’d play some upbeat dance music and move my head with it. It just… brings me along, ya know? Take me out of this world, stuff like that.” Vinyl sighed. “That’s why I wanna study music. I feel like I owed my life to music way too much. It’s brought me to a place I’ve never thought I’d be at.” Silence filled the hallways. “I… I don’t wanna leave. I wanna stay here. But I can’t.”

Shining Armor started singing. “This is the start. The start of a brand new life.” Vinyl ears picked up that tune. He knew it all too well. It was their first song ever made together for music class.

“”We come from different walks of life to show what we are made of.” Vinyl sang the next line and looked at Shining Armor who tried to smile. Except that it wasn’t forced. Vinyl knew music drove him forward as much as it did to himself. It was his passion to sing for smiles. And Vinyl smiled.

“Together we will stand, together hand in hand.”

“A million tries won’t break us down, we’ll make it as…”

“Friends.” The duo sang in unison. Vinyl had the music playing in his head. He knew the key transposed higher at this point, and made sure to change with the music.

“The rain will pour, the sun will shine.”

“But nothing can stand in the way between you and I.”

“Because we will make it as.”

“Friends.” Vinyl glanced at both Shining Armor and Cadance who had put on their all too familiar smiles, and smiled back at them. He heaved a sigh and hugged his two friends. “Let’s not waste these twenty-four days, okay?”

- - - Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ - - -

The next few days went splendid for the three of them. They spent all their time together trying to piece together the perfect prom dresses and suits. After all, it was going to be in three weeks’ time—three days before Vinyl had to say goodbye. They figured that if they wanted Vinyl to bring back a piece of Canterlot High, it was going to be their prom. It had a reputation of being one of the liveliest parties ever conducted within school grounds; they made their neighbouring schools’ proms sound like they were hosting bingo games.

The next few days went splendid for the three of them, until…

Please go to prom with me.

- - - Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ - - -

“What. Are. You. Doing?!” exclaimed a shocked Vinyl in the middle of the school hallways. Murmurs and squeals of excitement rose in the crowd that formed a U-shape behind Vinyl. In front of him kneeled the last stallion he would ever think would resort to such thick-skinned mannerism.

“Please go to prom with me. Please, please, please—”

“Look, I’m not interested, okay?” retorted Vinyl as he started at Soarin’; the stallion had gone down on his knees. One forehoof held flowers, and the other had chocolates. He had on huge puppy eyes that glinted with a hint of hope, and half-frowned, half-pouted at Vinyl.

“C’mon, he’s changed! He will treat you nice!” yelled a pony in the crowd.

“Just walk away, Vinyl!”

“Give him a chance!”

“Break his heart!”

As much as Vinyl wanted to do what half the crowd wanted, he couldn’t bear to publicly humiliate the school’s least-liked stallion. Over the years, the stallion himself had built up quite a reputation: bullying, crying, more bullying, more crying. Ironic fool, hypocrite. These were a few words that many ponies described him as. No one could fathom as to why he behaved this way. Vinyl could guess why, but his views were equally as like-minded as the general populous.

“Can you like, stand up? Sheesh, you’re making a fool of yourself,” commented Vinyl. The crowd giggled and snickered.

“He’s a fool alright!”

“Yeah!”

“Can you guys shut it too?” retorted Vinyl as he swung around and glared at them. Some of them simply rolled their eyes at him, while others shied away. “He ain’t asking you.”

“I rejected him!”

“Me too! Amen, sister!”

“Me three!”

“Ha! Loser!”

The crowd roared in laughter as more ponies started chiming in with remarks and comments of their own, some of which weren’t even related to Vinyl or Soarin’. But Vinyl felt a twinge in his heart—it felt like an old wound reopening. He saw himself in Soarin’s position—not kneeling and begging, but shame and hurt. He saw the once-familiar hurt in the eyes that screamed, “Leave me alone!” He saw the lonely, empty fill in the heart that Vinyl had covered with love and music. His head started playing some blues in his head, and he could see the connection between the music and what was going on.

“Loser!”

The mocking continued; all this time, Vinyl’s mind floated away from his body, and onto a stream of conscious thoughts that felt surreal.

”Hey Vinyl, what can I do for you today?”

"The usual.”

“Down with the blues again?”

“You can say that.”

“School?”

“Yeah.”

“Life sucks, but persevere. You’re a good changeling, Vinyl. You’re not like the others.”

“Heh, it’s just you. No one else likes me.”

“You’ve got to start somewhere though. Here’s your coffee.”

“Thanks.”

“You can’t expect everyone to like you, no matter how much you try. But don’t change who you are for just anybody. Change only for those you care for.”

“Hmph. You’re saying I care about you.”

“Ha. I know you do.”

“… Vinyl? Vinyl? Yo, Vinyl’s gotten loco!” laughed a mare waving her hooves in front of him. He snapped out of his thoughts and snapped at her, causing her to tumble and back out into the crowd again.

“Please?” He heard a familiar plea and looked back down. Soarin’s position hadn’t changed. And even if he did, he had probably moved closer to Vinyl to hide his tears and reddened face from the crowd.

“Vinyl?” begged Soarin’.

“How ‘bout you cry for her? Maybe she’ll take you then!” mocked a stallion. The crowd’s laughter rose in volume.

“Or take her lunch money!”

“Or tackle her!”

“Just go away! No pony wants you!”

“Enough!” yelled Vinyl. “Leave this guy alone!” Vinyl’s face reddened—not in shame, but in anger. He gritted his teeth and lit his horn up, firing a beam of magic at the ceiling. There was a flash of light; the moment it subsided, every pony around Vinyl opened their eyes in fear.

“What did you do?” asked a pony with her hooves trembling.

“I casted a spell, and you don’t want to find out what will happen if I cast it one more time now, do you. So shut it,” insisted Vinyl. Murmurs of disapproval and worry came from the crowd, but Vinyl just shrugged it off. He had a bigger predator to worry about.

“You.” Vinyl pointed his hooves directly at Soarin. “Give me a reason why I should say yes. If I don’t like it, you’ll give me two times more of reasons until I’m satisfied. So tell me, why?”

Soarin’ trembled and searched around frantically as if the answers were around him. “Uh, uh, because you’re pretty?” His remarks caused the crowd to snicker.

“TEH! Wrong answer! Now give me two other reasons.”

Soarin’ sighed and looked down. He scratched his head and tapped against the floor. “I… I think you’re funny and fun to be with?”

“That counts as one. And I didn’t like it. So, TEH! Four now.”

“But—”

“Oh come on,” yelled a pony amidst the crowd, “you don’t have to resort to this, Soarin’. Get up and walk away!”

“No, no, I can do this,” said Soarin’. “Okay, how about this. One, you’re unique. I haven’t seen a mare like you. Two, I like your guts. Three, I like the way you laugh. It’s cute. Four, you’re not scared to be rough. Uh, is it good enough?”

Vinyl laughed inside. As much as he wanted to put this poor pony out of his misery, he wanted to milk the situation out a little. It was probably hereditary, but Vinyl wanted to get a good laugh before he made up his mind.

“Well? Yes? Please?” begged Soarin’.

“Go away! She’s just toying with you! She doesn’t want to go with you!”

“Save your breath, loser!”

“Hey! I said, shut it!” Vinyl fired a beam of light up in the ceiling again. This time, when the light subsided, they realised that two ponies had mysteriously vanished.

Vinyl stared at Soarin’. This time, Vinyl knew he moved. He was down on one hoof and had propped his flowers and chocolates in the air. His eyes still bore the same emerald green he always had, although Vinyl swore it may had been tinted a little red. It could have been the lighting too, but Vinyl knew where the red mostly came from.

“Soarin’…”

“Loser!”

As if on command, Vinyl shot that same beam of light. Just like last time, one pony had disappeared from sight.

“You guys don’t learn, do you?!” grunted Vinyl as he glared at the crowd once more. This time round, the crowd went silent. “Good. Now remain silent, or else.” Vinyl pretended to shoot a beam of magic out, causing the crowd to flinch.

“Now Soarin’,” Vinyl turned and faced him, “To be honest, I liked your answers. All of them. But you’re annoying. You’re a player. Every pony knows that. And you’re inconsiderate, selfish. The list goes on.”

Soarin’s mouth was agape from the shock he received. He clenched his hooves and shut his eyes almost immediately as Vinyl stopped commenting on his flaws. The flowers in his hand looked like it was wilting, and him crushing them in his hooves certainly sped the process up. He dropped his hooves and looked away.

“Enough! Leave the loser alone!” Immediately, a pony stepped out from within the crowd and rushed towards Soarin’. Vinyl almost casted his magic when he recognised the pony that stepped out.

“Spitfire,” said Vinyl, “Now, I don’t have a grudge against you, but you better give me a good reason before I turn you into a necklace like the others.” Vinyl growled at her.

“What?!” exclaimed the crowd.

“Don’t worry, they’ll be returned back to normal with no recollection of what happened to them while they were my lovely necklaces.” Vinyl flashed the necklaces at the crowd. There was a ribbon, a tennis ball and a bowl of noodles hung around Vinyl’s neck.

“Well, well. Loser certainly strikes a chord with you. But he’s my loser to worry about. Who are you to pick on him?” growled Spitfire back at him.

All Vinyl did was stare at Spitfire, back straightened and head slightly tilted. He smirked and chuckled softly.

“What’s so funny?!” asked Spitfire whose face turned slightly red. “I-I mean like, he can be such a pain in the butt sometimes, but… he does not deserve this!” Spitfire flashed her fist at Vinyl as if she tried to insult him or his mother. “I know you guys don’t like him, but he has really changed for the better.” She turned and grabbed Soarin’s hooves. “You don’t deserve this. Let’s go.” Immediately, she tried to help him up, but Soarin’ refused to move.

Soarin’ looked down, his eyes now open and fully reddened. “You’re right, Vinyl. I’m inconsiderate. I’m mean. No pony likes me.”

“But I do!”

“It’s just you Spitfire. I-I can’t get any other pony to like me. Even…—” Soarin’ sighed and sniffled, “—even Cloud Kicker left me. Said I was the most selfish pony ever.”

“Who cares about them?! Argh?! You’re such an idiot sometimes, you know?” whined Spitfire whose cheeks were even redder than before. “Stand up. Now!” Spitfire screamed at him as she tugged at him, but he refused to budge.

“’Cause you’re mean!” voiced a pony in the crowd.

“And you are selfish!”

“And a lazy pony! I have half a mind to tear the homework you gave me to complete.”

“Argh! I can’t take this anymore!” A pony screamed, but it wasn’t Vinyl. Instead, a lavender pegasi stepped out from the crowd and came rushing to Soarin’s side. Vinyl recognised her easily. She too, had a reputation of infamy hung around her head.

Soarin’ looked up at the pegasi beside him. He saw that familiar angry face she had put on and stared in shock.

“Cloud…”

“Retard!” Cloud Kicker smacked him in his head. “Who said you could mention about me, short-stick?”

Soarin’ blushed and looked away. “I… I’m sorr—,”

“I’m not done yet!” And Cloud Kicker smacked him again. “Who said you could bring yourself so low as to beg?! Who said you could show some humility?!” Tears swelled in her eyes. “You’re a loser, you now? You’re. A. Freaking. Loser!” Cloud Kicker smacked him one last time and stared at the red marks on his face. She huffed and growled at him.

“You…” Cloud Kicker dropped her shoulders and sighed. She stared at him, her angry scowl slowly turning into a sad frown. “You…”

She dropped her hooves around him and hugged him. “This is the Soarin’ I used to know.” She squeezed him even tighter. “What, it took you two broken hearts to realise your pride’s as worth as what’s down there?”

Vinyl stared incredulously at Soarin’ and his inflamed cheeks. He had only seen one other pony blush this red, and that was when his dad flirted with his mum in front of him. However, what he saw wasn’t shame, pity or anger. It was something far more powerful than anything else: Love.

It hadn’t struck to him until he left home. In the initial stages of his departure, he felt empty. He cried for nights, not knowing why.

When school started, only did he start feeling better. Then he found two ponies who he considered his friends. The void started shrinking until it was eventually replaced with a sense of joy. And he was happy, not knowing why.

Yet he could feel the love resonating from the two ponies who stood by Soarin’. He felt the strength seeping into him, and he realised he had been accidentally draining their love. Shrugging it off, he watched as the duo helped Soarin’ up. For the first time, he obliged. That, and the crowd was unusually silent.

“Let’s go,” chimed Cloud Kicker, but Vinyl was quick to react.

“Wait!” His heart skipped a beat as he called out. He felt a chilly breeze travelling from one end of the hallway to the other and his hooves froze.

Every pony stared in silence, daring not to move. Only did three move. And they did just to face Vinyl, two with a scowl, and one with a surprised look. Yet Vinyl just chuckled.

“Yes,” said Vinyl as he sighed and walked towards Soarin’. “Yes, I’ll go to prom with you.”

“What?!” yelled every pony around, including the trio. Vinyl watched Soarin’ as his frown turned upside down, and for the first time, spoke without begging.

“What? You mean it?” asked Soarin’ as he stared into Vinyl’s eyes. Vinyl saw a glint in it, and smiled earnestly at him. He knew that glint; it wasn’t the same glint as before. It wasn’t pity or hope. It was joy. Happiness. It reminded him of home. Of when his parents bought him the things he wanted after hours of begging. Of course, he knew he hadn’t deserved it. His parents loved him.

Vinyl knew Soarin’ didn’t deserve it either, but he knew neither did he not deserve love.

“Yes. I mean it,” said Vinyl as he leaned forward and threw his hands around him. Soarin’ was slightly shocked; after a short delay only did he return the favour.

“Oh. Ha. Ha!” Soarin’ started giggling. It soon escalated into deep laughter, and Vinyl just stared at him, much confused with his outburst. “Thank you! Thank you!”

“Well…” Vinyl broke off from the embrace. Only then did he notice the mixed cries of cheers and jeers coming from the crowd behind him. “Yeah. I guess. Uh, I’ll see you on that night?”

“Definitely! Here,” Soarin’ shoved the slightly-crushed flowers and still-intact box of chocolates into Vinyl’s hooves, “These are yours.”

“Uh, thanks. They look, uh, wonderful.” Vinyl tried to sound as genuine as possible as he stared at the flowers and realised they were fake. “Look, I got to go. Oh and…” He shot a beam out of his horn and engulfed his surroundings with a white blast of light. When it died down, three ponies stood with a confused look in front of him.

“Huh? What happened?” The three ponies scratched their head.

“Laters.”

“Wait!” Soarin’ called out as Vinyl was about to leave. Vinyl spun around and noticed Soarin’ walking towards him. “Let me walk you home.”

That prompted Spitfire to rush to their side. She grabbed Soarin’ by his hooves and yelled at him, “Wait! I mean, we’ve got plans. Right, Soarin’?” She elbowed him and growled at him.

“Oh, yeah. I was supposed to hang out in the park with you today.” Soarin’ pondered for a while before he spoke again. “Um, let me just walk her home first, ‘kay? I’ll meet you there later. Same spot?”

“No, no, no!” Spitfire shook her head. You promised!”

“And now I promise I’ll see you there, ‘kay?” reassured Soarin’, but Sptifire spun around with her hooves folded across her chest. She let out a slight ‘hmph’ before storming off.

“It’s me or her! You choose!” yelled Spitfire as she dashed away from them. She turned a corner and was barely out of sight before Vinyl called out.

“Spitfire, wait!”

"See what you did, small-balls? Ugh!" Similarly, Cloud Kicker stormed away and disappeared past the corner. "Spitfire, wait up!"

“It’s okay, Vinyl,” said Soarin’ as he caught Vinyl who nearly started running after her. “She’s like that. She’ll be okay once she cools down.”

“Bleh. I was gonna tell her that it’s fine. You two can go on your date.” Soarin’ flinched slightly at the word.

“Oh, we’re just friends.” Soarin’ blushed, “And besides, wouldn’t it technically be me cheating on her if I asked you to prom?”

“Heh. Whatever man.” Vinyl turned around and headed towards the school door. “You should go after her. It’s fine. I can walk home by myself.”

“But—” retorted Soarin’, but Vinyl quickly interrupted his speech.

“I’ll understand. She needs you. Now.” And Vinyl disappeared into the crowd of ponies who either laughed at her or high-fived her.

Soarin’ stood there rooted for a moment. He stared at the crowd, then behind him, then at the crowd once more. She needs you. Now.

He made up his mind; Soarin’ ran for the corner.

Vinyl glanced back briefly, and saw that Soarin had already made up his mind. Casually, he opened the front doors of the school with magic and strutted out.

He stared out as the sun shone on him and the cool breeze blew against his mane. He smiled. Then he took a step and froze in his tracks. He looked back once more, and his smile turned into a cringe. His eyes started twitching and he looked down at his hooves.

“Did I seriously just say yes to another male asking me to prom?” Then he heard a cry for his name.

“Vinyl!” He recognised that voice, and sighed in relief. At least it wasn’t Soarin’.

“Vinyl!” Shining Armor called out as he strutted towards him with a big grin on his face. “Yo, I can’t believe you said yes! And… you don’t look happy about it.” Shining Armor’s face turned into one with puzzlement. “Huh?”

“Well, I just said yes to him.”

“Yeah! I can’t believe you said yes, dude. What in the world were you thinking? Soarin’? Really?” Shining Armor threw his hooves in the air.

“I pitied him, alright?” Vinyl sighed.

“Yo, that’s so nice of you! You should be happy. You made one pony really happy today.” Shining Armor playfully punched Vinyl in the shoulders and smiled at him.

“Yeah,” Vinyl chuckled, “I guess so. But like, I don’t know. It feels… weird.”

“Weird? Shouldn’t you be happy too? You finally got a date for prom.”

“Well yeah,but… I feel disgusted rather. It feels weird.” Vinyl shuddered.

“Weird? You’re weird. Pft.” Shining Armor rolled his eyes at him.

“Like… this was not who I imagined to go with.” Vinyl scratched his head and stared at blue sky. I wanted to go with… never mind. It would never happen. I should stop dreaming.

Shining Armor grinned. “Ooh! Who then?”

“Uh… fine. I’ll tell you something.” Vinyl grabbed Shining Armor’s hooves and stared into his eyes. “Promise me never to tell anyone else. Okay?”

Shining Armor chuckled, but nodded in approval. “I promise.”

“Well… how do I put it?” Vinyl started pacing back and forth, looking down as he scratched his head. “I... I-I don’t find an… interest… in stallions, if you get what I mean.”

“Oh.” Shining Armor knew what he meant and pondered about it. “Oh.” The second one was him in shock when he realised one of his closest friends was a lesbian. “That means you—”

“Yep. Shh!” Vinyl put his hooves to his own lips. “Don’t tell anyone!”

“Okay, okay! Wow” Shining Armor stared at Vinyl in surprise, “I mean… I didn’t see that coming. Since when did you feel this way?”

“Uh, since… since a few years ago. Stallions didn’t really… please me.” Vinyl wasn’t lying. He was never a mare in the first place. He never had to act as a mare before he studied in Canterlot. And he certainly did not have to lie to hide the fact he was male.

“Oh. Uh, that’s cool.” Shining Armor drew tiny little circles in the ground with his hoof and looked down.

“You okay?” asked Vinyl as he put a hoof on Shining Armor. “The news isn’t hitting you too hard, is it?” His question sounded more like a statement. Shining Armor looked up and after a while, nodded his head and smiled.

“Yeah. We’re still bros, right?” He held his hoof out.

“Mhmm.” Vinyl fist bumped it and smiled. “Anyways,” Vinyl threw the box of chocolates and fake flowers into the bush behind him, “You wanna hang out? I’m free, and homework is for ponies who do not pay attention to class.”

“Psh. Homework’s important, Vinyl.”

“Yeah, to be used as—”

“Origami!” The duo voiced in unison. They let out a hearty laugh and walked down the front steps of the school. Wrapping a hoof around each other, they walked out of the school grounds and towards the park. Indeed, they saw Spitfire and Soarin’ in a secluded spot of the park. Spitfire was sobbing and Soarin’ was trying to cheer her up. But the pair left them alone and walked towards another corner of the park.

At that corner, they sat down on the grass and admired the sunset. Then Vinyl spoke.

“I still can’t believe I said yes.”

Chapter 5: The face of my face is a face I'd face in a face.

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With the exams over and prom closing in, the mares of Canterlot High couldn’t be more than excited. Most had spent the week before prom dolling themselves up, and some even took the liberty to miss class for that. It seemed like the population of the school had suddenly halved itself for each day that passed.

The school could have done something about it, but the teachers couldn’t care less about the missing students. With the level of spirit in each and every one soaring high, classes were often taught with the subject of prom in it, with much digress. Math? Calculate the surface area of a dress. Science? Study how tenacious fabric can be with certain chemicals found during prom. English? Write a short story about how you asked your date to prom.

Vinyl couldn’t care less about all of that; he was going to return in a few days, and dreaded each day that passed. However, prom was nearing too. He wanted one slow dance with Cadance; it was going to be his most memorable experience that he would bring back with him, or so he dreamed. If he knew anything about couples, it was that priority came to them during slow dances, and he would most likely have to dance with Soarin’. Unless…

“I can’t dance!”

- - - Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ - - -

“So, which one? The blue dress with the white shoes and white wings necklace, or the fuchsia laced dress with black shoes and black fedora?” asked Cadance as she propped up each set for Vinyl to see. The pair had been dolling themselves up for prom—or rather, Cadance had been and Vinyl just played along with it. If he could go in a simple dress, he would already be happy.

However, simple was not a vocabulary in Cadance’s dictionary. Neither was the closet they were inside of.

“I’m digging the purple dress, but the fedora is over the top,” said Vinyl as he glanced around Cadance’s closet, eyeing for the most non-flashy, unpretentious dress around. With racks of assortments hanging above Vinyl, he felt like he was in some kind of super store for models.

Dresses were arranged in a circle according to the colors of the rainbow, with black and white forming a zen-shaped symbol in the centre. Pink was, however, on a different floor with its own grouping; lighter pinks were on the left, while darker pinks were on the right. On the floor above that, there were many platforms with different accessories.

“You’re right,” said Cadance as she tossed the fedora away. “How about the pink cloche?”

“Nah, too out-of-style.”

“Mmm. True.” Cadance gently placed the cloche hat aside. “Can you look over at my hat section and pick something nice? I can’t seem to find something fitting.”

Vinyl looked up at a platform with the big hat sign. He spotted beanies, baseball caps, berets and many other hats that started with B that he hadn’t really known until Cadance told him the names of each and every one. He eyed a black veil, but it reminded him too much of Nightmare Night. “How about just letting your hair flow?”

“Now that you mention it,” Cadance brought a mirror to herself, “I don’t really need a hat now, do I? Alright, hatless it is.”

She put the mirror away and started grabbing purses from a closet. “Now time to find me a matching purse. Vinyl, go pick whichever dress you want. I’ve too many to wear anyways. Just tell me once you’re done,” said Cadance as she disappeared behind racks of clothing.

“Hmm… what’s good for my first—” Vinyl rolled his eyes and deadpanned “—date? Ugh.” His eyes darted to a floral white dress that was draped over a mannequin. “Ooh, that one looks decent.”

Carefully, he levitated it down to his level and donned it. “Perfect size even! Alright man! Time for some bling!”

He glanced around at the platforms above him. On one, there were necklaces with jewels of all shapes and sizes, and bracelets of different kinds. On another, there were plenty of shoes—plenty enough for every occasion imaginable. There were shoes for occasions unimaginable either, like a ‘Birthday’ shoe, a ‘Good-Luck’ shoe, or a ‘Talk-to-my-Aunt’ shoe.

“A ‘Birthday’ shoe? Pffft.” Vinyl giggled as he continued his search.

Something shiny caught his attention. It was a pair of blue headphones that hung out of a transparent Toyoga container that had ‘Junk’ written over it. There were piles of stuff in that box that did look like junk.

He made his way over to the box and fliped over everything until he reached the headphones. Gently, he picked those up and donned it over his ears. Man, these feel so soft! Time to test this out with my iPony.

He plugged the jack into his iPony and began playing some of his songs. Not bad… could use a little treble—oh wait a minute. Browsing through the equaliser on it, he realised he had turned all but low frequencies down. Now if I just turn these babies back to normal, then it—AHH! YES! OHMYGOSH THESE ARE AWESOME!

“Hey, Cadance! Can I keep these headphones? These are AWESOME!” Vinyl yelled out as he rocked his head back and forth.

“What? Oh, those things. Yeah, Shining got them for me last birthday. You could have them if you want.”

“Sweet! Thanks! Hey—” Vinyl picked up a pair of purple retro shades that was hanging on a wall “—mind if I take these babies too?” He donned the shades and posed in front of a mirror.

“Uh, if it’s from the junk box, sure. I was planning on donating those to the charity home down the street.”

“Sweet! Thanks, Cadance!” Eagerly, he put it on and took a stance when he realised he was still in his pony form. Glancing left and right, he made sure no pony else was around before he dropped his cloak.

In the mirror stood a slightly feminine changeling with a white dress, blue headphones and retro purple shades. “Not bad, not bad all… minus the dress, of course,” Vinyl mused. “Hmm, but it’s got to do.” As much as I’d like to go all out, I can’t. Pony body will have to do. Vinyl sighed and dropped his shoulders before changing back into his pony form.

“Hey, Vinyl, you done yet?” asked Cadance as she stepped out of a door labelled ‘Make-up’. “Do you wanna… oh? What’s with the frown?”

“What frown?” Vinyl hadn’t noticed, but his eyebrows had dropped and he hadn’t exactly been smiling. “Ohhh, that frown.”

“Is there anything wrong, Vinyl?” voiced Cadance as she levitated herself down and landed beside Vinyl. “Is the dress not good enough? I’ve plenty more than my aunt gets me during—”

“No, no.” Vinyl grabbed her by the shoulders and smiled, letting a slightly nervous chuckle escape. “The dress is lovely. It’s just… there’s plenty of things on my mind right now.” His smile disappeared. In its place was discontent.

“About prom? You know, I’m nervous too.”

“Nervous? Psh. Well, that’s not the right word.” Vinyl let go and started pacing around. “It’s just… I don’t know if I wanna do this anymore.”

Cadance eyebrows rose. She stared at Vinyl who started flipping through more ‘junk’ in the junk box.

“Hey, Cadance… ever thought that maybe you were someone else. And that the ‘you’ you show isn’t you at all?” asked Vinyl as he took off his shades. “Like sometimes, you have to act like somebody else in order to get what you want? And then it hurts. It kinda hurts doing that.”

“Then don’t do that anymore. Be who you are. No one is going to judge you.” Cadance placed a hoof on Vinyl’s shoulders, which surprised him. He remembered she was much further away.

“But… it’s not that I’m not who I am inside. It’s just… faces, you know? I gotta be someone else for now, and I don’t have a choice.” Vinyl looked at the floor and sighed.

“You do have a choice. Just stop. That’s how I did it.” Cadance chuckled.

Vinyl’s eyes enlarged and his jaw dropped. “You? The Princess’s niece has problems?”

“Hey!” growled Cadance. “Being royalty doesn’t mean I get everything I want, okay?”

“No, no. Don’t take offence, Cadence. What I’m trying to say is… you have plenty of helpers in the castle. Your aunt’s the Princess. Like, when you have trouble, don’t you have someone to help you?”

Vinyl was waiting for Cadance to rebut him. Instead, what surprised him was that she actually answered him with a simple, quiet ‘no’.

Cadance’s voice dropped to a hush. “It gets lonely here when Shining Armor or his sister isn’t around. Everyone’s so busy and… professional. Like, I can’t even find time to sit down and chat with my aunts.” It hadn’t travelled around walls of the gigantic closet, but Vinyl could hear her whispers. He heard her cry out in a non-woeful plea that Vinyl knew too well.

“You’re lonely?” Vinyl stared at Cadance who nodded her head gently.

“But, it’s not all that bad. I learn to do everything myself, I guess. Washing, cooking, making my bed.”

“Don’t your servants help you?” Vinyl tilted his head aside.

“What servants? I’m not even technically blood related to Princess Celestia.” Cadance paused, and the closet got quiet for a minute as if someone had said the wrong thing. “OH SHIT. DON’T TELL ANY PONY, VINYL. IF NOT, IF WORD GETS OUT… MANY PONIES WILL BE IN DEEP, DEEP SHIT! PROMISE ME!” She shook Vinyl rather violently.

“Okay, okay! Calm down! Relax!” Vinyl cried out, but Cadance continued shaking him. “I swear I won’t tell any pony! Now will you please release me?”

This time around, Cadance stopped. Her breathe was heavy and she broke out in cold sweat which ruined some of her makeup.

No pony spoke for a while as they stared at each other. Vinyl, on one hand, was rather speechless. Not only did he probably just hear Equestria’s biggest secret, his had been stading right next to Cadance. Their noses were mere inches away. He could feel his warm breath and the upbeat pounding of her heart. He could smell all the makeup she had put on, as well as the perfume she always had on during class time.

Wow…

“Wow,” whispered Vinyl as he stared into her eyes. “You’re beautiful.”

Cadance blushed as red as Vinyl’s eyes and grinned. “Thanks.”

However, her smile quickly faded. Her eyes widened again before she broke away from Vinyl.

“Those eyes. I recognise it.”

What does she mean—oh shit. Vinyl hurried to a mirror and looked at himself. He had on his red changeling eyes, but much to his relief, he was still in his pony body.

“Shining Armor had on those eyes when he first asked me out. When we were on our first date. When we first kissed.” There was a slight pause before Cadance continued. “You’re in love. And you’re in love with me.”

- - - Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ - - -

The room went silent for a few seconds. Vinyl had dropped to the floor. His jaw hung low and his heart felt like it had just imploded on itself. His hooves shook and his breathe was shallow.

“Well? Say something, Vinyl!” He looked up to the rather confused-looking pony whose mouth matched his.

“You know, you said I was supposed to be myself. No pony else can tell me otherwise, right? Well… I can’t help myself. You’re amazing. You’re beautiful. You’re the world to me. I can’t think of possibly living without you.”

“But you can’t be in love with me!” Cadance yelled. “It doesn’t work! I don’t know how it works, but I know it just… doesn’t!”

“Cadance… listen to me… I don’t know what I’m feeling inside either. It’s like I don’t know who I am anymore.” Vinyl’s voice slowly dropped to a whisper. “But I know, I wouldn’t be right here if I wasn’t who I was.”

“Vinyl, I think you’re just confused.” Cadance calmed down a little, but her words still had a tinge of disbelief in them. “You… you can’t be in love.”

”Changelings can’t feel love. It’s our flaw, son.”

“Then how do you guys know who to marry and such?”

“… Most of us don’t get a choice. And those who do don’t live here no more.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re automatically matched based on our personalities, and we get married. That’s how I met your mother.”

“My parents said that we couldn’t feel love,” said Vinyl as he looked away. “It’s some sort of, disease? I think. Like, I don’t know if it’s love, or if it’s just the emotions inside of me toying with me heart. And right now, all I know is that if you suddenly disappeared, my heart would break.”

“Me too, Vinyl.” Cadance sighed as she sat down beside Vinyl. “You’re an amazing friend. You listen to our problems. You actually care for me. That I can tell. I can only imagine that the day you leave would be the like the last leaf on our budding tree of friendship. It just… disappears, and dies off, you know? But you can’t possibly love me… you can’t.”

Gently, she lifted his chin up and smiled. “C’mon. Don’t be sad.”

“Help me, Cadance. Show me that I’m just a confused being in this world.” Vinyl locked her eyes onto Cadance. There was a brief moment of silence before Vinyl spoke again. “Don’t be scared.”

He closed his eyes and leaned forward. Slowly but surely, their lips touched. I love you, Cadance.

It felt like an eternity to Vinyl But truthfully, it had only lasted mere seconds before he pulled away. He stared at Cadance whose teary eyes completely wrecked her makeup, and felt that she was still beautiful.

Gently, he lifted Cadance’s chin up. “Don’t be sad.”

Instead, Cadance was stunned. She stared at Vinyl who looked like he was equally shocked. “I… I…” she tried to speak, but her words escaped her. Instead, tears flowed.

It had always been his dream to kiss her. But now that he’s got it, he hadn’t exactly thought it would be as … depressing as it is. He was supposed to be happy, but the only thing he could do was lament inside. Is it worth it? Lose a friend by chasing a dream?

His gaze wondered to her lips, and then down to his chest. It’s not worth losing what I always wanted.

On impulse, he jumped onto her and hugged her. “It’s alright, Cadance. I’m okay. I’ll still be your friend. You’re right. I’m just confused.” He released his grasp and shifted his hooves to her shoulders. “Like, you know how you two talk about a ‘spark’ whenever you guys kiss? I don’t feel it. I don’t feel it at all.” Am I doing the right thing now?

Vinyl hoped for a reply. Instead, silence was all he was given. “Cadance… say something.”

“Thank you. For being a friend of mine.” Wobbly, she took to her hooves. Vinyl followed suit, but kept his hooves on her. “Think you can leave me alone for a while? I need to think things out.”

If I were to be her friend, I’d help her out. And if she wants it, I’ll give it to her. “Okay.” Vinyl nodded as he walked out of the closet and into her room.

“Just wait here. I… I…” It was the last thing Vinyl heard before she closed the door. Vinyl heard the sound of a lock coming from the other side and sighed.

I should get some fresh air too. I needa think things straight. His eyes wandered to the backdoor of her room that led to the castle’s garden. “A walk in the park wouldn’t hurt,” thought Vinyl out-loud as he proceeded out of her room and onto the grassy soil.

Chapter 6: Sometimes, it's not exactly the best idea to fall asleep in the backyard.

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Don’t be sad.

Ironically, Vinyl felt a little more downcast than he expected. A lot more downcast rather.

Thank you. For being a friend of mine.

Vinyl hadn’t thought it would end up this way. “At least nothing bad happened, right?” murmured Vinyl as he strolled along the grassy paths in Cadance’s backyard. Flowers of all colors and sizes lined his path. Huge trees of different kinds sheltered him from the sun. There was a mini-fountain surrounded by tulips on his far right that released sprays of mist; it cooled the air down which helped Vinyl’s thoughts.

“… Why did I kiss her? Why didn’t I just deny it? Now I don’t think she’ll want to find out who I am inside. She’ll know I’m lying all this time,” said Vinyl absent-mindedly as he kicked a couple of pebbles aside. “Good friends don’t lie to one another.”

He kicked yet just another pebble, and gazed at the sunset.

Vinyl smiled. It reminded him of the times the three of them would hang out at the park after school.

Hey, let’s watch the sunset together, shall we?

His memories played itself in his head. He saw that they were at the park. It was one year ago, and he still remembered the exact date.

It was Vinyl’s birthday. Or at least the date he had to make up; changelings’ births weren’t really recognised, and their presences were merely for the purpose of procreation. It was as if the changelings’ race whole purpose was to breed and populate the earth.

He glanced briefly to his side. He saw the image of Cadance and Shining Amor. They had a tiny little birthday cake with the words ‘Happy Birthday, Vinyl!’ written in pink frosting.

He smacked his lips and licked the air as if he had just tasted it. He could still remember the cake; it was dark chocolate infused with strawberry, topped off with cherries and chocolate waffles. Vinyl didn’t really like cherries, but he made sure to finish off the milky goodness and the cake.

”Happy birthday to you, dear Vinyl. Happy birthday to you!

“Wooo.” Vinyl exhaled deeply and sighed. Those were just memories, and he knew deeply how much he craved for more of that.

His smile slowly died off as he slumped to the ground and returned to reality. Everything’s gonna be ruined, and it’s all my fault.

Vinyl wasn’t crying, but he felt every urge to; something inside of him told him those tears would be wasted at a time like this.

I should be happy, he told himself. I shouldn’t be crying. She’s found who she loves.

One body part by one, he morphed back into his changeling self. And if I loved her, I’d let her go.

The evening breeze ran briefly against his mane. The birds chirped softly as the leaves swayed. Even the fountain seemed to stop splashing so much water against its concrete body.

It felt surreally peaceful to Vinyl as he closed his eyes. It had been a long day for Vinyl, and a long night to come. After all, prom was still on, and it didn’t care about any pony’s feelings. It just had to present itself.

Unknowingly, Vinyl, the changeling, had presented himself to the second last person he ever wanted to show.

- - - Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ - - -

Fack. He could feel some pony standing behind him, but he froze. Whoever was behind him had just found out about his deepest secret.

“Go away. Your species ain’t welcome here.” Its menacing tone clearly surprised him; most ponies would have ran away, but there was one foolish—or brave—enough to face it.

With one swift motion, Vinyl took off. And he would have gotten away too, if it weren’t for a beam of magic that restricted his wings.

“You are not running away. I’ll make sure you go back terrified.” There was a malicious tone behind it that Vinyl would have been proud of if he had been playing as the villain in a story.

Except that this wasn’t make-believe. It was as real as it would get. And right now, he was stuck in a situation where he wasn’t prepared for.

“Let me go!” Vinyl shrieked and turned to look at his captive, and his heart nearly gave way. Dressed in black robes was a white stallion who he recognised anywhere.

“Shining! It’s me! Vinyl!” Vinyl called out but Shining Armor just stood resolute, staring at what he had believed was a threat.

“Nice try, demon.” With its sinister undertone came another beam of magic. This time, it threw Vinyl off the grass and into the water fountain. “I knew I saw something lurking about. You aren’t fooling me, changeling. Whatever you’re planning, I’m stopping it right now.”

With the mist splashing about, Vinyl saw a figure advancing towards him. And it wasn’t that he hadn’t recognised Shining. Instead, he hadn’t known what to do in situations like these. He had never really fathomed that they would find out; he made sure of that, carefully watching his surroundings before he decided to drop his disguise.

Except for this time.

“Shining!” Vinyl cowered and he backed up against the fountain. “You got to trust me! It’s me, Vinyl! Here, let me change back!”

Vinyl promptly shifted his eyes over to his horn. With all intent, he focused on his pony body, concentrating on the only thing he could ever do in his life.

It could have been settled, but when Vinyl opened his eyes again, he stared into the reflection of the water beside him. He was shocked; his red eyes remained, his wings sprouted generously and his frown had found itself on his face. Nothing had changed for the better, and everything had turned for the worse.

He was smacked by the hooves of Shining Armor as he attempted to flee. He had never felt so betrayed in his life before, but it wasn’t Shining Armor’s fault. He’s just confused, right? With every bashing came a painful reminder of his old life.

”Nobody likes you, Vinyl. Nobody’s gonna save you.”

“I’ll make sure you don’t ever come back to school again.”

“You’re a worthless excuse of a changeling soul.”

Since coming to Canterlot, his life had flipped. He wasn’t bullied. Ponies tried their best to understand and tolerate him. Some even accepted him, like Shining Armor and Cadance.

However, parts of his old life had resurfaced. One thing for sure, he was still a victim of circumstance.

Why… can’t… I… change… back?

With resolution, Shining Armor kicked him in his face, causing a gash to appear.

Why… can’t… he… see… me?

Tears flowed down his bruised face as Shining Armor backed off, much to his surprise.

“I’ll give you one last chance. Tell me why you’re here, and I’ll hand you over to the authorities instead of beating you to a pulp, and then handing you over.” Shining Armor flicked his horn and took a stance against Vinyl, who at this point had bruises all over. Blood seeped through a few cuts here and there, and a painful pulse lingered in his head.

There was a chance. Vinyl saw it. He could have explained who he really was. Why he was here in the first place. He could suffer less inside and pour his biggest worries to someone he trusted. There was this chance he might have believed him too. Things might change, but it wouldn’t change much anyways. They’d still be friends.

Instead, he had chosen to sing.

“This is the start. The start of a brand new life,” sang Vinyl, choking over a few syllables here and there. He stared at Shining Armor, who clearly had recognised this song; his jaw hung loose and his eyes widened.

There are many ways to explain, but here’s the best, Shining.

“We come from different walks of life to show what we are made of.” Vinyl continued singing. “Together we will stand, together—”

“Hand in hand.”

Vinyl was astonished. Never had he thought Shining Armor would have remembered this song. Neither had he thought he would sing it.

With his mind racing and heart pounding, Vinyl dared to sing even more confidently than before. “A million tries won’t break us down, we’ll make it as…”

“Friends.” The duo voiced in unison. At the last note, Shining Armor dived towards Vinyl.

- - - Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ-Ɵ - - -

Vinyl braced for impact as Shining Armor charged. Maybe he doesn’t believe me. Maybe that’s why he’s choking me really, really hard. Maybe his tears mean that—Wait a minute, tears?

He glanced over at Shining Armor who had his hooves over him. He was crying over his shoulders and was mumbling.

“Hmm?" whispered Vinyl as he placed his hooves around him. “Don’t be sad. I knew this day would come.”

“I’m so sorry, Vinyl,” said Shining Armor as he glanced down at Vinyl’s eyes. “I should have believed you the moment you said it.”

“It’s okay.” That was all Vinyl had said before he pulled him closer. “I don’t blame you.”

The two of them lay still in the backyard as the sunset graced them. The birds had stopped chirping and the crickets had begun singing. The leaves rustled and the grass whistled in the cool evening breeze.

Eventually, Shining Armor broke the silence. “Hey Vinyl, I don’t deserve you—”

“Nonsense! I owe you a lot. You, and Cadance, had changed my life. Before I came over to Canterlot, life was miserable for me.” And Vinyl began narrating his life story. He told him about how and what changelings were. He told him who his parents were, and how they were the only one who had genuinely tried to stick by him. He told him about when he was first diagnosed with Bi-eraflucta, and how the other foals would constantly tease him to the point he felt bullied. He told him everything, except the moment he had with Cadance a while ago. He figured he could leave that part out.

“And that’s all to me, I guess,” said Vinyl as he sat upright against a tree and rubbed against his temple. “Urgh, this headache.”

“Ehh, oops. Sorry about that.” Shining Armor proceeded to sit down beside him. “I shouldn’t have jumped into conclusions. I’ve read somewhere that changelings are evil and they just want to suck our love out.”

“Half of that’s kinda true, actually.” Vinyl grimaced. “It’s kinda how we retain our powers to change. Without it, we’re stuck like this forever.”

“Hmm, what if you have too much of it? Do you guys like, explode out of love?” Shining Armor grinned.

“There can never be too much love,” said Vinyl as he playfully shoved Shining Armor. And for the first time in a while, they smiled. They even let lose a few chuckles.

“So wait, normally, changelings can turn into any pony they want? But you’ve got Bi-whatever that is, so you can’t… That sucks,” remarked Shining Armor as he watched Vinyl turned into his pony form.

"Yeah, I know.” Vinyl sighed as he stared into the sunset. “Anyways, why are you dressed in robes?”

Vinyl hadn’t noticed, but Shining Armor’s eyes beamed widely at Vinyl. “That’s it! Help me out—”

“Vinyl… Vinyl!” The two ponies easily recognised that voice.

Shining Armor gasped and grabbed Vinyl by the shoulders. “I got to go! Do me favour. Bring Cadance to prom.”

‘”Wait, what?!” Vinyl was stunned. Am I hearing it correctly?

With his heart pounding wildly, Shining Armor took off. “Take my place!” yelled Shining Armor from across the garden. “I got a secret too! I can’t dance!”

“Hey, Shining! Who are you talking to?” said Cadance as she lightly pecked his cheeks. “And have you seen Vinyl?”

“Oh, umm… just give me a minute.” Vinyl quickly dashed towards the fountain and stared at his reflection. There was no single doubt that Vinyl had lavishly smooth blue hair that he had always wanted. His eyes were equally blue, and his body muscles were toned.

Vinyl gasped. “I… I’m actually Shining!” screamed Vinyl happily before he restrained himself from exploding from joy even further. Okay, okay, I get it. I’m now Shining Armor, coltfriend of Cadance. I have to bring her to prom. Okay. That’s what I have to do now. No pressure. I just gotta be who he is, and it’ll be all good.

He took a deep breath and strutted calmly towards Cadance. “Hey, dear. Shall we go? You look beautiful tonight.” He wrapped his hooves around Cadance and nudged against her redden cheeks.

“O… okay—Wait, where’s Vinyl?” asked Cadance.

“She’s uh… gone home. Said she wasn’t feeling well.”

“Oh no, that’s… probably my fault.” Cadance sighed as she stared at her bedroom. “Something happened back there. She… kissed me. Then afterwards, I told her I wanted some time to think but she went for a walk.”

“Oh.” That was all Vinyl could mutter as he recollected his memories, and giggled. Well, this is slightly awkward, but so much fun! Man, I wonder if I can now change to other ponies too!

“Huh? Why are you laughing?”

“Oh, nothing. I just think it’s kinda cute.” Vinyl chuckled as he walked Cadance towards the garden exit. “We should probably go, we don’t want to be late.”

Cadance rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right. This is our night, anyways.” She nuzzled his cheek and walked hoof in hoof beside him.

“I just wish she hadn’t had those feelings for me,” said Cadance as she frowned. “It complicates things.”

“C’mon, don’t be sad,” said Vinyl as he swung the main gate open and gestured for Cadance to go first.

“Huh, that’s funny,” said Cadance as she stared at him. “Vinyl said that to me too.”

Vinyl’s heart skipped a beat. “Oh? He did?” Vinyl chuckled nervously as he scratched his head and looked away.

“Yeah… you’re catching onto her lingo. Someone’s been spending way too much time with her,” teased Cadance as she stepped out of the gate. “I’m just kidding. I’m not jealous. Why should I be jealous? The three of us are best friends, right? Right? Right?!”

Vinyl sighed in relief. Phew. “Uhh… yes?

She eyed him suspiciously as he walked out of the gate and latched it. “Good. Now let’s go to prom.”

There was something in Cadance’s words that seemed a little too ominous for Vinyl. Reminder: If this is what Shining goes through, never, NEVER date Cadance for real.

“Hey, you coming?” Her tone had returned back to its sweet, demure voice, which threw Vinyl off.

Okay, I’m doing it for Shining. I’m doing it for him. This night won’t be that bad, right?

“Yeah, I’m coming,” shouted Vinyl as he chased after Cadance.

I should be fine. After all, I’m gonna dance with Cadance.

Right?

The Changeling Within

by IceQB

Prologue: Oh you better start explaining, Shining Armor.

Chapter 1: Well, I'm Vinyl Scratch. I'm new to Canterlot High. And I just made friends.

Chapter 2: Well, I'm in a mess. Prom is in a few months but I guess I'm going single.

Chapter 3: Every pony, meet Sabertooth and Emera. They're awesome and I love them to bits.

Chapter 4: I will banish any pony who says the L-word. Grr!

Chapter 5: The face of my face is a face I'd face in a face.

Chapter 6: Sometimes, it's not exactly the best idea to fall asleep in the backyard.