Chapter One

Sapphire smiled as the music and lights faded, holding her pose in front of the ecstatic crowd. It had been a sensational concert tonight, the Trottingham Ice Arena packed to capacity, fans from all over Equestria enjoying her voice, swaying, screaming and dancing in time with her.

Taking a bow, the pony of pop trotted off stage to the minder waiting for her. Due to the size of the event, external contractors had been drafted in as security for the event, and so the first stallion she met was a rather large unicorn, who guided her to her room back stage, past a blockade in a corridor holding her fans back. Sapphire stopped to sign a few autographs, and then followed the bodyguard to the large room with her name on the door.

Sat alone for a few minutes whilst her limo was made ready, Sapphire checked once more that her PA had packed the beautiful dresses she had picked up from a town somewhere near Canterlot, from an incredibly talented designer. With the knowledge that all of her possessions had been removed, Sapphire opened the door to a mass of rabid fans, all trying to get as close as possible to their idol.

There was a scream as three huge figures waded through the mass of ponies. The first was the unicorn she had been escorted by previously, next to him a towering white pegasus, not dissimilar to one of Princess Celestia’s Royal Guards.

“Barrier, get the crowd control going, Plate and I will take Ms Shores to her limousine,” said the gravelly voice of the final bodyguard. Sapphire looked at him with slight shock as she realised that he wasn’t a pony, but a gryphon, tall and dark-furred, white feathers from his neck upwards. The unicorn nodded, and his horn began to glow with a pale blue light; forming a barrier between Sapphire and the crowd, expanding to give space for her to get out safely.

The gryphon took her by the shoulder, putting a wing over her and guiding her, the white pegasus following behind. As she approached the end of the corridor, Sapphire realised that the barrier hadn’t been holding her away from them, but them away from her, the ponies held against the wall. Barrier saluted as Sapphire glanced back, a gesture that the gryphon returned.

Turning a corner, Sapphire gasped as a single figure leaped out of the shadows, a switchblade taped to his hoof, launching himself at her. He appeared to stop in mid-air, an orange and claw-tipped hand wrapped around his foreleg, another around his neck. The gryphon twisted his grip, forcing the pony’s leg out of it’s socket with a crunch as he forced the earth pony to the ground.

“Plate Mail, hold this idiot down, I’ll get her out,” he snarled. The pegasus promptly knelt on the attacker, “Bloody fans, they’re insane.”

Alone with the half-lion, half-eagle predator, Sapphire began to panic. She saw her limo pull up outside the doors ahead and galloped, not noticing a different symbol on the door.

Darting ahead of her, the remaining bodyguard opened the door and allowed her to get in, sliding in next to her and barking an order to the driver. As the limo began moving, Sapphire became aware of another pair of ponies sat across from her, a scarlet eyed unicorn staring at her over a pair of purple-lensed circular glasses.

“V... Vinyl?” she said, looking at the well-known, notorious DJ.

“Hey Sapph, how’s it going? I’ve been hoping to catch you some time, about the article you wanted to write for NME?”

“F... fans,” Sapphire panted, breathing quickly. The gryphon beside her was digging around in an ice-bucket, and eventually pulled out a bottle of sarsaparilla and removed the cap with his beak.

“Drink this, it’ll take the edge off the comedown of that adrenaline rush you’ve just had.” he said, calmly, slipping a straw into the neck of the bottle and holding it close enough for her to reach. Sapphire sipped, allowing the sugary drink to help her calm down, the bubbles easing down her throat.

“Damn, you really don’t look good this time, what happened?” Vinyl asks, nudging the light brown earth-stallion next to her, who produces a notebook and flicks a pencil from behind his ear into his mouth, ready to write, “Oh, this is Jotter, the editor for NME.”

The stallion glanced at her, and then laid the pencil down carefully,

“Nice to meet you, Sapphire. I’ve read a great deal about you, kinda nice to meet such an important figure in music.”

“Thanks, I’m sorry I’m not exactly together right now,” Sapphire replied, before turning to her companion, “I didn’t get your name, but thank you for stopping that stallion back there, the one with the knife.”

Vinyl’s eyebrow raised at the mention of the knife, and she nudged Jotter again, who stopped writing.

“Call me Cam, and I'm just doing what I’m paid for, Ms Shores.” he says, still maintaining a professional and calm exterior, eyes glancing out of the window of the limo every now and then, checking to see if they had reached their destination.

Sapphire smiled and turned back to Vinyl, who had used her magic to mix, shake and pour herself a martini from the collection of other bottles in the ice bucket.

“So, Vinyl, what did you have planned for me?”