Chapter 3: Bribes and Books

The pen is mightier than the sword,

though both ruin a perfectly good shirt.

~Abby Hill

The trio stepped in before Noctia could say anything, and the sat down on the couch, Vinyl with headphones on, bobbing her head up and down. Octavia frowned at the beat it was blasting out, you could practicly feel the sound waves in the air. Turning to look at Noctia, who was standing in front of them on the hearth rug, she cleared her throat.

"As, I said before, we need a favor. A big one. Shell Song?" the gray mare turned to Shell Song, who was looking at her hooves shyly.

"Um...well...we need some magical effects for a show we're gonna put on. Vinyl is going to turn me into a...a...DJ." Here she gulped. "DJ S-H-Three-Double one--"

Vinyl inturrupted her, the headphones now around her neck. "It's DJ SH311 S0NG, don't say the numbers." she wrote down the way it was spelt on a piece of paper.

Noctia read the paper a few times, decoding it, then looked back up. "Why can't you just do it Vinyl?" she asked confused.

"Because I'm gonna manage the Keytair!" At this she pulled out a picture of a guitar with a keyboard set into it. She grinned and Octavia rolled her eyes.

"And I'll be doing the violin. We need Shelly here to sing for us. She's been a project of ours for a while. So thats why you get the honours of using your crazy ice magic to create a sparkly star effect." she pointed toward Noctia's cutie mark, three stars connected by ice strands with smaller stars around it.

Noctia nodded. It couldn't be too hard...her previous thought came back to her. "As long as I get a favour from you, Miss Song." the nervous pony looked up.

"M-me? I don't think I'll be very good for anything..." she trailed off.

"Are you kidding? I need you to get me some place, if you're up to the challenge." Noctia dared.

Shell Song looked up at Noctia semi-awed. "Wh-what?"

"Fly me over the stars."

Reactions and Reasons

Chapter 4: Reactions and Reasons

If it is to be,

it is up to me.

Proverb

The reactions, as assumed, were very, very, mixed. Shell Song and Octavia gasped, while Shell Song eyes widened and she ducked behind a pillow trembling, and the DJ lowered her sunglasses to show her fiery red eyes. Noctia smirked slightly, they were surprised.

"Excuse me?"

Noctia turned her full attention to the blue mare.

The mare shuddered under her green gaze, but continued, stronger.

"I belive we will have some arrangements to make then." she grinned.

Octavia glanced at Shell Song, as if to say Are you serious?! and Vinyl cheered. "Thats my girl!" she rooted for Shell.

But Noctia only nodded solemly. "Then to the mayor first?" she shared the pegasai's seriousness.

Octavia and the DJ seemed confused for a moment. They shared looks that said Why so serious? and Is there something we're missing?. Noctia and the blue mare held gaze for along time, as if they had a deep link, or understanding, that was deaf to all ears but theirs.

The blue-maned DJ shattered the thin and ice cold silence. "Whats the matter?"

Noctia spoke for the wavy-maned pegasus. "We may or may not return."

"Oh." said Octavia simply, but it seemed to make the room colder, as if it too understood now.

"Shall we head to the mayor now, or go tomorrow?" she gestured toward the darkening sky, with one bright star shining happily.

With a glance toward the sky, she spoke. "Tomorrow."

The trio that had seemed like invaders before simply dipped their heads and got up.

"Tomorrow."

And they left Noctia with her chilling thoughts.