There wasn’t a lot of choice in the matter, was there? Everything happened so quickly. At the time, I didn’t care about politics or class warfare or… well, anything. I had Ammy and Trixie. Nothing else mattered. Oh, I might have harbored a tiny smidgen of concern regarding Celestia based on the nightmares Amethyst sometimes had, but I never thought any of that would affect me in any meaningful way.

I should have known better. Did I not believe Amethyst’s story? Had I not gone through Equestria’s horrendous adoption and foster care system? Every day I was living under somepony else’s roof, I witnessed what all those seemingly unimportant things really meant to the little ponies, the ones who weren’t rich or who didn’t work for nobility. The signs were all around me, and I never took the time to read them. In the end, it took a concert in Neighrobi to pull the blinders from around my eyes.

Granted, I didn’t get it just then. It took a little more time. That was the moment that started my gradual path to understanding. It’s kind of ironic, really.

Almost every day, I wish I could go back to that ignorance.

—Vinyl Scratch, Book of Shadows XLVIII

May 25, 1007

“In what year was the King Sombra defeated?”

“Celestial Year Eighteen.”

“Canterlot Castle was constructed in how many years?”

“Um… eleven? I think.”

Vinyl stood outside the barely opened door, peeking in with a lone eye. A light breeze blew through the hotel’s dimly lit hallway, but she repressed the urge to shiver. Instead, she focused on Trixie, who continued to rattle off questions from the notebook hovering before her. She seemed so firm and steady, having taken to the role of test-giver with a level of determination rarely seen. In a way, Vinyl felt proud of her for being so responsible about the whole thing.

Amethyst sat on the bed opposite Trixie, shifting from hoof to hoof with head low. The temptation to pat her head and offer encouragement nearly brought Vinyl to reveal herself, but she held out. After all, it had been Vinyl who initiated the rule that she couldn’t be present for tests, a necessity when Trixie caught her mouthing answers to the filly. Trixie and Amethyst both took the lessons far more seriously than she’d expected.

“Eighty-five out of one hundred.” Trixie beamed at the filly and showed her the grade in the notebook. “That’s much better than the last test.”

“Eighty-five?” Amethyst’s head rose, revealing a startled smile. “Really? I did that good?”

“Yep!” Trixie examined the questions once more, eyes shifting over the pages. “You’re doing better than I could have. Honestly, I don’t know how you remember any of this stuff. Trixie doesn’t need to learn history, anyway.”

“Do too.” Amethyst rolled her eyes. “Are you sure I got an eighty-five?”

“Hey, Vinyl’s the one who wrote the questions and answers,” Trixie replied defensively, tapping the top of the notebook. “I’m just going by the script.”

Vinyl retreated into the hallway, a grin splitting her face wide. An eighty-five. Amethyst really was improving a lot. If she could do that well in her worst subject, she’d go far. Vinyl sat and felt at her chest, from which she had a curious swelling sensation. Pride…

Was this how most parents felt about their foals when they were so successful?

Trixie’s voice floated through the crack in the door. “You remember the deal, right? Get an average score of ninety on all the tests and you get to help with my routine in the park tomorrow.”

“And Vinyl swore to try some of that bug sauce the zebras use in their meals.” Amethyst giggled like a mad filly. “You hear that, Vinyl? You’re gonna eat bug juice!”

The thought sent a wave of nausea through Vinyl, prompting her to stick out her tongue and fake a gag. Still, she chose to say nothing; why confirm the filly’s suspicion that she was listening in? Instead she crept away, walking backwards with a bemused smile. Having to eat crushed bug was a worthy punishment in return for Amethyst’s education. She could make the sacrifice… although she’d be endeavoring to make sure both ponies forgot that particular promise, if at all possible.

As she reached the door to her own room, something bumped into her flank. She flinched and turned to find that she’d backed into another pony, who dropped his keys in surprise. “Oop, sorry,” she whispered, eyes shifting to her sisters’ door.

“No problem.” The stallion turned to her with a warm smile. Something struck Vinyl as really odd about him, but in the dim lighting it took her a moment to realize what it was: the pony had stripes. This wouldn’t have been so odd in Neighrobi if it weren’t for the fact that he didn’t have the thin, tall build of a zebra.

Vinyl stepped back to get a better look at him. “I saw you in the hall earlier, didn’t I?”

“Probably.” He offered his hoof, which she bumped. “You’re Vinyl Scratch, aren’t you?”

“Yep.” Vinyl struck a little pose and smirked. “I see my reputation precedes me.”

He chuckled, brushing his mane from his eyes. “More so than mine, I’m afraid. I’m Cheeky.”

“Are you now?” Vinyl paused as she realized her mistake. “Oh, you mean that’s you name. Sorry.” Cocking her head, she considered what she’d just learned as she examined him. He was just a hair taller than she was, but with a lighter frame. Though his colors were muted by the lighting, she suspected him to be orange with a brown mane. His stripes, however, were black.

It clicked. “You’re Cheeky Grin, the oboist. You’re going to be performing tomorrow, right before I am.”

Cheeky Grin offered his namesake and gave a flamboyant bow. “That’d be me. I’m not as popular as you are these days, but I have my niche. Tell me, did you actually know of me before you got to Neighrobi, or only when you read who all would be performing there?”

Vinyl shifted from hoof to hoof, cheeks burning. “Uh, I knew who you were. Totally.” At his raised eyebrow, she sighed. “Okay, yeah, I’d never heard of ya until four days ago. Nopony said anything about you being… er…”

He laughed. “A half-breed? It’s okay to say it, it’s not considered derogatory here. And if it makes you feel any better,” he added with a smirk, “I had hardly heard of you before I got approached for the job.”

“A little, yeah.” Vinyl’s chuckle joined his. “Never saw you on the Bullion, so I guess you’re a local musician?”

“Yep.” He turned away, sweeping his keys off the floor. He stepped to the door opposite her own. “You wanna come in and chat? I’ve got some coffee brewing.”

Vinyl considered the prospect, imagining the recording equipment sitting in her room with its unfinished songs. A yawn invaded her concentration, reminding her that she probably wouldn’t be getting very far tonight without caffeine. Though not sure she could trust this guy, she figured herself more than capable of handling him if he turned out to be a creep. “Sure, why not?”

Cheeky’s room was identical to Vinyl’s, save that it had less of a mess and sported an oboe stand and case in the corner. He went directly to the coffee machine by the bathroom sink, leaving Vinyl to close the door and look around. Her eyes landed on some sheet music neatly stacked on the kitchen counter. She played the music in her head, automatically making small adjustments to match the tune with her style. It wasn’t a bad piece at all, though it seemed too slow for her tastes.

“You know it?” Cheeky asked from across the room.

“Haven’t heard Tchaikhoovsky in a long time,” she admitted, flipping to the next page. “I’m more of a Beecloven fan.”

He glanced from over his shoulder. “Pardon me for saying so, but I hardly imagined you to appreciate classical music.”

“I know, that’s not my image.” Vinyl sat and hummed a couple lines, then frowned and thought on how to ‘fix’ it into her style. “Most think ponies like me don’t appreciate the greats, but that’s not true at all. We study them just as much as any other musician.”

“Huh. Consider me impressed.” Cheeky turned to watch her for a moment as the coffee brewed. “I’d offer to play it for you, but it’s pretty late and the walls in this place are thin. Plus, I’m sharing a wall with your friends.”

“My sisters,” she corrected with a small smile, flipping another page. “I thought I’d let them tag along. Earns me the ‘best sister ever’ title, y’know?”

“Not really,” he said with a shrug. “No siblings.”

Silence filled the room, save for the occasional hum from Vinyl and the drip of the brewing coffee. After a while she glanced at a clock on the bedstand and saw it was past ten. The temptation to go remind Trixie and Amethyst of their schedule and the need for sleep arose, but then Vinyl recalled that she had no intention of going to bed anytime soon. She accepted a steaming mug from Cheeky and decided not to bother with the hypocrisy.

“So…” Vinyl cast around for some inspiration on what to say next. “You don’t speak in rhyme?”

“I was raised in Equestria,” he replied before blowing the steam from his coffee. “I didn’t have to learn to speak that way. Besides, you have to follow the Traditions of the Ancients.”

“Traditions of the Ancients?” Vinyl cocked her head. “You’re gonna have to explain that one to me.”

“It goes by many names.” Cheeky eyed the ceiling as if it might help with his recollection. “The dragons call it The Way of the Voice, the minotaur call it the Old Way. Even the diamond dogs have a term for it; ‘Good Steps,’ or something like that. It’s not a faith, per se, more like a philosophy. It’s taken extremely seriously here, and those who follow it among the zebra speak in rhyme, apparently in honor of the one that started the whole thing.”

“Huh. Sounds like a hassle to me.” Vinyl winced. “No offense?”

“None taken.” Cheeky waved a dismissive hoof and sipped his coffee. “I never thought the rhyming thing was all that big a deal.”

Yet again, a quiet fell between them, disturbed only by the occasional shift or gulp of caffeine. Eager to not let the silence drift into awkwardness, Vinyl tried to think of something to say. Her eyes fell on his stripes.

“From my dad’s side of the family,” he said before she could cast her gaze away. “I’m second generation in that regard.”

“Oh.” Feeling strangely anxious, Vinyl stared into her mug. “So… you were born in Equestria?”

“Yep.”

“Why move to Neighrobi?”

“That’s the big question, I suppose.” Cheeky turned his gaze to a nearby window, from which the half-full moon could be seen over the buildings. The shadow of Nightmare Moon was partially visible, seeming to peek out from the darkness like a shy filly. Vinyl approached the window and took in the view, which was fairly nice for a cityscape.

It seemed like forever since the question had been asked, but Cheeky finally spoke again. “I didn’t like Equestria much. My grandfather went there for opportunity, but all I saw was misery.” He scowled at his reflection in the window. “My mother kept using dye to hide my stripes. It was never pretty when anypony saw them.”

Vinyl glanced at him, feeling no small amount of sympathy. “How bad was it?”

“Could have been worse.” He shrugged. “Got beat a few times, once spent a few nights in jail over something I didn’t do. At least I had it better than…” He glanced away and mumbled something. Vinyl made no attempt to press him on the matter.

After a couple seconds, he turned back to the window. “Sorry, old wounds and all that. You seem a lot more tolerant than the average unicorn, though. If that’s not too forward?”

“Nope.” Vinyl closed her eyes and thought of her foalhood and the things that she’d seen throughout the foster system. “I had a pretty tough time of it myself. I know there’s this whole stigma about interbreeding.” Her thoughts went to Amethyst and her parents, leading to an involuntary shiver. “I haven’t experienced it firsthoof, but I have an idea what it’s like to be blamed for your heritage.”

Cheeky nodded, his expression hard. “If only the ponies knew just how many half-breeds there are out there. There’d be anarchy… or something. For all its success, Equestria is a cruel place.”

“It is indeed.” Vinyl stared up at the moon, questioning how things could be so bad.

“Well, at least it’s been good to you, right?” Cheeky’s smile came back with an ease that startled. “You get to be a rising star thanks to the dupes.”

“Dupes? I happen to like my fans, thank you very much.”

“Like them?” Cheeky leaned forward, his eyelids lowered in a peering gaze. “Granted, they pay, but think about who they really are, Vinyl. Pegasi with their heads in the clouds, unicorns acting all high and mighty, both looking down on the earth ponies. Let’s not even consider what the three think of outsiders. They’re all mean, selfish and conceited. They let themselves be that way.”

Vinyl raised an eyebrow, lips set in a thin line. “Is that how you see me?”

“No, you’re different.” There was no hurry or guilt in his response, just a direct argument. “If you were anything like them, you wouldn’t have accepted my invitation to chat. You probably would have spit in my face.”

“Hmm.” Vinyl set a hoof to her chest. “If I can be different, why can’t any number of the ponies in Equestria? Just because you only experienced the bad doesn’t mean that’s all there is.”

“No, just a majority.”

She sighed and shook her head. “Is that why you left Equestria? To get away from the bad?”

“Pretty much.” He left the window to pour himself another cup of coffee. “Although, if I’m wholly honest about it, my style of music also gets more appreciation here. Equestria might be the land of the successful, but it’s not the only place to make a career.”

Vinyl waited, her eyes set on the cityscape but her mind focused on the events of her life. The more she thought about it, the more she disliked it. She remembered how the foster system left her bereft of a family for most of her life; how Trixie was so often ridiculed and bullied for her weaknesses; how Amethyst’s parents died; how she herself had no parents. Equestria really could be a cruel place.

But it wasn’t all bad. She had her sisters, and they had her. She had her career and enough common sense to manage herself, so none of them would ever want for anything. She closed her eyes and saw Trixie standing over Amethyst, helping her with her studies despite having no interest in doing so. They were so different, Trixie and Ammy, but so close. It brought a smile to her lips.

Cheeky was at her side once more. “I’m sorry,” he whispered over his freshly steaming mug. “I invite you in here, and all I do is complain about things. Not much of a host, am I?”

“It’s alright. We all have something to say.” Vinyl blinked, not exactly sure what she meant by that. Cheeky offered no response, though, so she let it go.

They sat quietly for a time, just watching the city and basking in the dark. Eventually Vinyl’s coffee ran out and she had to get a refill. Only half a mug this time, lest her bladder protest in the middle of the night.

As she settled back down by the window, Cheeky spoke. “So what do you have to say?”

Vinyl blinked, studying him from over her mug. “Me?”

He nodded, gaze still set on the moon. “If we all have something to say, what’s your something?”

She blew the steam from her mug, buying time to consider the question. “I never thought about it. I’ve never really had anything important to say. If you put me on the spot and forced it out of me, I’d probably say something about being there for my sisters.”

“Hmm.” He offered a wan smile. “They’re important to you.”

“More than anything,” she admitted with a smile of her own. “I wasn’t going to go on this tour at all. They wanted to go, though.”

His smile broadened. “And I guess your parents had to come along as well?”

She huffed a weak laugh. “What parents?”

Cheeky’s eyes widened and his pupils shrank, followed immediately by a healthy smattering of stammered apologies. She waited patiently for the noise to burn out before adding, “Don’t worry about it. When you’ve spent all your life without parents, the fact doesn’t really bother you anymore.”

“But still, I feel like a jerk for bringing it up.” He hesitated before adding, “How’d they die?”

Another small laugh escaped Vinyl. “I don’t even know if they’re dead. Same goes for Trixie. We don’t actually know who our parents are. And before you ask, yes, we do know who Amethyst’s parents are, and they are most certainly dead.” Her amusement faded when the memory of her kid sister’s nightmares came to mind. It was a minor distraction, though; Ammy hadn’t suffered from one of those in ages.

“Uh-huh.” Cheeky cocked his head as he considered her. “So… you aren’t really sisters?”

“Nope. Legally, I’m Amethyst’s mom and Trixie’s guardian. We feel like sisters, though, so that’s what we call ourselves.”

Cheeky’s smile came back, this time full of warmth. “Sounds like you did them a lot of good.”

Vinyl’s chest swelled at the statement and lips pulled back in a grin. “Yeah… I like to think so.”

His smile broadened and he set a hoof to her shoulder. “Well, if you don’t mind my saying so, it’s an honor to be sharing a stage with somepony like you. It’s good to know that there are still some good ponies in Equestria.”

“Thanks.” Vinyl wallowed in pride for a while. It was quite the pleasant sensation. It was also inspirational, and Vinyl began tapping her hoof. She turned from the window, her eyes going to the sheet music on the bed. “Hey, can I borrow that?”

“Borrow what?” Cheeky turned and looked where she pointed. “Oh, that? Sure, I was just keeping it for inspiration. Just give it back before the concerts are done next week, alright?”

“You bet.” Vinyl took the music in her magical aura, flipping through the pages with a peering gaze. Excitement began to bubble within her. “This is gonna be awesome for my next album! I’ve gotta get to work on this while the juices are still flowing through my brain, you know?”

Cheeky laughed, setting a fetlock over his lips to keep from being too loud. “Glad to know I can inspire! You’ll let me have dibs on a copy when it’s done, right?”

“Of course.” Vinyl punched his shoulder and pranced to the door. “Thanks for this, Cheeky, and the coffee. See you at the concert tomorrow?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Who here thinks they know how to party?”

Vinyl leaned over her DJ booth and aimed her ears forward in time to hear the excited shouts of the audience. She scowled and shook her head. “You call that a scream? I want to hear it!”

The crowd stomped and shouted with enough force to shake the stage, the chaos amplified by the flashing lights and shifting colors of the outdoor theater. It was so noisy that she thought the zebras in the city several miles away probably heard it.

“That’s more like it!” She flicked a few switches and prepped the next track. “I wanna see every pony on that dance floor, you hear me? Get out there and make some noise!”

All in all, Vinyl really liked this batch of soldiers. They were far better than the prudes in Prance. As the next song blasted over the speakers and the audience got into the music, she leaned back and observed the scene with a satisfied smile. Neighrobi was starting to be one of her favorite stops on this little tour. The soldiers welcomed her warmly, were reacting great to the music, and knew how to get into the groove. She glanced over to spot PP and his wife standing behind stage left and threw them an encouraging wave.

PP hoof-pumped with a broad grin. On the other hoof, his wife – a mustard-yellow unicorn with a fiery red mane – maintained a haughty scowl. It had been established long ago that Vinyl’s music wasn’t among the mare’s preferences, and Vinyl had to wonder why she was there at all. Shouldn’t she be off enjoying tea with the more ‘elite’ ponies? Then again, there was no way that one would be rubbing shoulders with zebras, so her options had probably been limited.

Vinyl let her head bob to the music and watched as the mass of ponies moved to the beat. It was interesting seeing so many colors on the dance floor; without their enchanted armor to make their coats uniformly white, soldiers looked about as regular as any other pony. The crowd consisted mostly of earth ponies, although Vinyl noted a few wings every here and there. No unicorns today, curiously.

“Looks like you’re a hit,” somepony shouted into her ear. Vinyl turned to find Cheeky Grin standing beside her, once again sporting his namesake.

Eyebrows raised, Vinyl leaned close to his ear. “What are you doing out here, dude?”

“Ask them first.” He pointed, directing Vinyl towards a couple stallions who had somehow managed to climb on the stage and were doing something disastrous that they probably thought constituted dancing. She couldn’t help but laugh at the sight as the ponies below cheered them on.

“Some ponies have no shame.” She turned back to Cheeky with a grin of her own. “So whaddaya think of my art?”

“It’s…” He rubbed his ears with a glance at the vibrating speakers. “Loud.”

“That’s the way it’s gotta be.” Vinyl turned and grabbed the microphone. “Do you ponies like it loud?” The query was met with a collective scream of approval so great it startled one of the stage dancers into falling off. Vinyl turned to Cheeky with a smirk. “See?”

Cheeky slowly pulled his hooves from his ears and shook his head. “Wow.” He sat and gazed at the crowd. After a few seconds he leaned closer. “Are your sisters here?”

She raised an eyebrow, suddenly curious. “Yeah, they’re backstage. What are you doing up here again?”

He nodded, expression grim. “You’re gonna have to stop the music after this song. Somepony important has an announcement to make.”

“What?”

He grimaced and shouted directly into her ear. “I said, somepony important wants to say something!”

She leaned back and rubbed her ear with a grimace. “Geez, I heard you the first time, dude! It was a reaction.”

“Oh.” He glanced away with a blush.

Vinyl reached under the DJ Booth for the performance book she’d been keeping, taking a moment to note how much more of the song was left before flipping it open. “There’s nopony listed as coming on during my act.”

“There is now.” Cheeky nodded stage left. Vinyl glanced that way to see that a zebra now stood close to PP and his wife. Some words were exchanged, and Vinyl could have sworn she saw her producer’s face go white. When he caught her looking, he offered only a nod.

Vinyl leaned back towards Cheeky. “Something big’s happening, isn’t it?”

“We’ll find out in a few seconds.” His firm tone defied his words, though, and Vinyl suspected he knew exactly what was coming. Gritting her teeth, she raised her hoof above the kill switch and waited for the song to end. Her eyes shifted over the crowd, but she could see nothing amiss.

The last note faded, and Vinyl hit the button. The static of the speakers faded to a glaring silence and the flashing lights flicked off. The soldiers below all came to a steady pause, shuffling around in confusion and looking up to the stage for answers. Vinyl had none to offer, her eyes shifting to Cheeky. His face might have been made of stone for all she could get from it.

Just as she was about to ask a question, there came shouts from outside the theatre. Vinyl turned in time to see hooded figures burst from the trees and shrubs surrounding the place, all of them wielding weapons of some kind. The startled soldiers turned to face the aggressors and Vinyl braced, heart leaping into her throat, but no attack came.

“What the buck’s going on?” she hissed to Cheeky, wide eyes panning the scene. The soldiers were too tightly packed to form any sort of defensive formation that she could see, but the hooded figures forming a tight line around them simply stood by, weapons aimed at the crowd. Though their cloaks kept their identities well hidden, it was clear by the hooves holding the spears, swords and other tools that they were zebras.

A collective gasp filled the audience, and Vinyl turned in time to see a tall, muscular zebra step out from stage right. Despite a slight limp, he sported a physique that would make bodybuilders weep with envy, and though he had a friendly smile, there was a force behind his blue eyes that defied the expression. He walked right up to Vinyl, who could only stare and feel small.

He paused before her, and when he spoke his voice was like molten honey. “I pray my apology will suffice. I must ask for that device.”

Before she could even consider the statement, Vinyl grabbed the microphone in her magic and offered it to him. He reached up to grab it, and her eyes only grew bigger; instead of a hoof, he sported an artificial limb that appeared to be made of solid iron extending from just below the knee. The device sported four talon-like fingers that grasped the microphone with a firm but uneven grip, causing the it to tilt at an angle.

“My thanks to you, sure and true.” His eyes softened and he gave her a nod. “You are not part of the plot we hatch, so please be at ease, Miss Vinyl Scratch.”

She watched him walk towards center stage with her mic, then slowly leaned back towards Cheeky. “Who is that?”

“Tune Grief,” he whispered in a tone of awe. “Leader of the Jioni Barabara.”

Vinyl’s eyes crossed as she tried to take in the name. “The what now?”

“Good evening, soldiers all, you who answer the musician’s call.” Tune Grief strode across the stage like he owned it, a smug smile on his lips. “I hope you do not much lament the end of tonight’s entertainment. I suppose by your group reaction that I need no introduction, but know I am Tune Grief, and I come to fix your foul belief.”

The lone soldier still standing on the stage shifted to an aggressive pose and charged. “The leader of the rebels! You’re coming—” His words were interrupted by an explosive crunch, his charge met by a head-butt so strong it dropped him like a bag of flour. Vinyl could only gape at the sight of a soldier taken down with such ease.

Tune Grief turned to the crowd, not even phased by the interruption. “You stand for the glory of Celestia, and strive to protect Equestria? Never have I seen so many fools led astray with charismatic tools! Today you shall know what Celestia dare not show, the crimes that she commits and those who fall victim to her wits.”

Vinyl rubbed her head, ignoring whatever he was saying in favor of clearing the haze in her head. She turned to Cheeky, who was listening to the speech with a gaze of outright rapture. “For a giant lump of stud, he sure talks a lot. What’s he prattling on about?”

Cheeky shifted out of his trance and gave her a glower. “Only an extension of what we discussed yesterday. He’s trying to explain our philosophy and avoid bloodshed, because that’s the kind of hero he is.”

“Hero?” Vinyl glanced towards the rebel leader, a sinking feeling in her stomach. “He’s got all those ponies at spearpoint, and you think he’s a hero? Might I add that I’m stuck in this mess.” Her eyes went wide. “Wait… What about Trixie and Ammy?”

“Don’t worry about them,” Cheeky said as his focus went back to Tune Grief. “They’re in no danger.”

“And how do you know that?” She started to stand, but stiffened like a statue as something sharp pressed against her side. “Ch-Cheeky?”

“Please, Vinyl,” he hissed, “just stay still and wait it out. We don’t like civilians being caught in the middle of our war.”

Slowly, heart hammering in her chest, Vinyl sat back down. Her body remained rigid, and the blade didn’t shift from her side. She stared at the rebel leader, not taking in his words in any capacity. “Was I part of this plan all along?”

“No, we just chose today because you had the highest turnout. Plus, no unicorns to fight.” Cheeky twisted the blade, which brought a small sting to her side. “Now be quiet, I’m trying to listen.”

Despite herself, Vinyl trained her ears towards Tune Grief.

“…years of misery, how can the source be mystery? I beg you all to open your eyes and see through the sun’s lies! Celestia seeks only to pain and hurt, and sees you all as filthy dirt. It can be hard to see through your indoctrination, but…”

Giving up on understanding his speech, Vinyl instead turned her thoughts to Amethyst and Trixie. If they were behaving, then they were still backstage. Her eyes shifted to PP, who remained beyond the stage left curtain with a fearful look in his eye. His wife appeared about ready to faint. Vinyl and her producer shared a fretful gaze that lingered for several long seconds.

At last she broke the contact, turning her eyes to Cheeky. “If anything happens to my sisters…”

“It won’t,” he whispered.

She grimaced at him. “And what about reinforcements? You don’t think somepony is going to warn the base right now?”

“It’ll take them an hour to get there and back. We’ll be long gone by then.”

Lips pursed, Vinyl eyed the audience. Not a single one of them appeared at all swayed by whatever rhetoric Tune Grief was spouting. Ominous gazes cast about, both at the rebels surrounding them and their leader on the stage. There was a hushed urgency about them that brought a chill down Vinyl's spine. At that moment, the full implications of her situation became terribly clear.

“H-hey,” she whispered, “what are the chances of this turning violent?”

Cheeky sighed, but it wasn’t of annoyance. “Pretty good.”

“Uh-huh.” She shifted slightly, trying to take the edge off of whatever was pressed against her. “And, uh, what’s the plan to make sure I’m not killed in the process?” She winced as some of the soldiers started shouting insults at the rebels. An almost visible tension filled the air, growing more sinister with every passing second.

“Don’t run,” Cheeky whispered. “If you do, our boys might think you’re the enemy. Just stay and wait it out.”

Vinyl already knew that following his advice would be impossible. If fighting did break out, her only priority would be to get to her sisters and ensure their safety. She silently cursed PP for telling her about this job, and herself for agreeing to it. Granted, she’d never expected in a million lifetimes that she’d be caught in the middle of some rebel movement.

Heart pounding, ears perked towards the crowd, Vinyl surveyed the situation. She had a feeling that Cheeky was honest in his desire not to harm her, but she still had a blade of some sort pressed against her ribs. Dealing with that would be her first priority when the fighting started… and judging by the way the soldiers were starting to drown out Tune Grief’s words with their outrage, that would be soon.

Just as she began to think about potential ways to disarm Cheeky, Vinyl saw the crowd surge in all directions. Tune Grief shouted pleas for calm, but his efforts were fruitless; the soldiers had heard enough. Even unarmed, they came at the surrounding rebels in a stampede. Soldiers smashed into armed zebras, a wave upon a wall, and Vinyl could already see that the wall wasn’t strong enough. Within seconds the zebras were being pushed back, their circle cracking under the weight of their attackers.

Seeing that his efforts were for naught, Tune Grief reared back his head and let out a call so loud it pierced Vinyl’s ears. A moment later, even more zebras joined the circle, speartips gleaming as they answered their leader’s call. Others burst out from behind the curtain, meeting the soldiers as they clambered onto the stage. Tune Grief joined the soldiers head on well before his allies could enter the fray, falling upon the ponies like a hurricane of muscle.

“Crap!” Cheeky stood, his head turning to take in the commotion. “This is going a lot faster than planned!”

Caught between gazing at the mayhem and blood, Vinyl almost missed her chance. She kicked backwards with her foreleg and jumped sideways, both knocking Cheeky’s blade from her side and escaping his presence. She didn’t waste any time trying to finish him off, instead turning to charge for the curtain. “Ammy, Trixie! Where are you?”

She was immediately met by two zebras that burst from behind the curtain. They came at her with spears aimed for her chest. Vinyl considered trying to talk, but the idea was cast away the instant it came to mind; all these zebras knew was that she was a pony, and that made her the enemy. Acting on pure instinct, she dodged one spear, then knocked the other one up and over her shoulder with a foreleg. She aimed quickly and shot a beam right in the face of the first zebra, who fell back with a shout.

Burning pain ran through her foreleg as her other opponent retracted his spear, the sharp edge of the back of the weapon's tip cutting into her flesh. He immediately tried to stab, but Vinyl’s leg was still up and she dropped it on top of the wood, sending the blade into the floor. The motion had been accidental, but Vinyl didn’t wait to count her lucky stars; she aimed for his face and unleashed a blast of directed sound out of her horn so loud it made his head rattle.

The first zebra was recovering, but Vinyl had no interest in continuing the fight; she shoved between them and darted behind the curtain before either could stop her.

“Trixie! Amethyst!” She galloped along the curtain, eyes moving frantically over the backstage area. There were no zebras left; presumably they were all outside fighting. “Come on, girls, where are you?!”

“Vinyl!”

She slid to a stop, her head whipping around. What she saw sent a lance through her heart and rooted her to the spot.

PP lay sprawled on his back, blood pooling around a gaping wound in his neck. His face was covered by his blue mane, his body still. Leaning over him was his wife, who sobbed uncontrollably as blood seeped into her dress. “H-help him. Please, Vinyl, help!”

“I… I…” Vinyl could only gape. She wanted to say something, to do something, to react in any meaningful way, but words and actions failed her. Blood pounded in her skull and the chaotic noise of combat swelled over her mind like a flood. “Polished…”

“Help.” His wife sat back to gaze at Vinyl, and when she did Vinyl felt her heart sink even lower; the blood seeping into her dress wasn’t coming from PP. There was a hole in her chest, from which crimson blossomed out like a morbid flower. “V-Vinyl, help us…”

The mare collapsed backwards. It seemed so slow, too slow to be natural. Vinyl watched as she hit the floor, the sound muted amongst the fighting. She just lay there, still breathing, eyes glazing over as her perfect dress gradually changed colors.

Something brushed past Vinyl, knocking her sideways. She looked up and realized that it was zebras. They were retreating.

The sight of their movement snapped Vinyl’s mind back into place and she jerked into motion. “Amethyst!”

She got two steps in before something slammed into her side. Her head smacked the wall so hard that her vision swam. “H-hey, stop…” Her voice seemed so frail all of a sudden. She reached up and felt blood on the side of her head. “T-Trixie… Ammy…”

The floor rose up to meet her. She lay there, the world still spinning as countless hooves darted past, first striped, then colorful. The shouting became indecipherable, her thoughts drifted.

“M-must… find…”

The world faded.

Vinyl woke with a start and found herself gazing upon a ugly yellow ceiling. She lay there for a moment, not comprehending the sight. It took a few seconds just to remember to breathe. As soon as she did, the memories came rushing back in a flood and she was sitting up—

—only to crash back down. She groaned and rubbed her head, her hooves touching upon what could only be bandages. Her skull throbbed, but at least the pain made it clear that she was alive.

“Hey, Vinyl.”

Cracking one eye open, Vinyl struggled through the pain and turned her head to her left. There was Trixie, just rising from a straw mattress on the floor in a corner. Despite the pain, Vinyl grinned at the sight. “You made it out.”

“Yeah.” Trixie sat next to the bed and set a hoof on Vinyl’s shoulder. “Bad headache?”

Vinyl started to nod, but stopped herself as the fire in her brain grew more intense. “Y-yeah.”

“Doctor said that was likely. You’ll have to stay in bed for a day or two and lay off the magic, but it’ll go away.” Trixie rested her chin on the bed, and though her eyes were aimed away the worry in them was apparent. “You had me scared when I found you backstage.”

Vinyl pursed her lips and stared at the ceiling. “Next to PP, right?” Silence was her only answer. She didn’t mind; she wasn’t sure what to say either, other than a feeble, “Sorry I worried you.”

The quiet lingered for some time. Vinyl had a lot of questions, but wasn’t sure if now was the right time. Her skull still throbbed after all, which made just talking an unpleasant experience. She attention shifted; she couldn't focus well. A new topic shifted unbidden in her head.

“Where’s Amethyst?”

She stared at the ceiling, waiting for an answer. She became aware of a fan by her bed, its blades turning lazily in the wind of an open window. Now that she looked, Vinyl realized she must be in a hospital room. Her eyes drifted to the cracked plaster and dull colors. It hardly looked like a modern place. Perhaps they weren’t in Neighrobi proper?

Her eyes shifted to her sister. “Trixie? Where’s Ammy?”

Trixie closed her eyes. Her breath came in a slow, controlled manner and her expression was hard.

“Trixie?”

With one last, long breath, Trixie answered. “The rebels took her.”

“Oh.” Vinyl stared at the ceiling again, letting the concept wash over her. It was like dread and anger and loss and terror combined in a single, slow wave. She didn’t know why she was so calm about it. She wanted to scream, but… but just couldn’t. “W-why?”

“A hostage.” Trixie set a hoof to Vinyl’s shoulder once more. “They needed hostages to escape. They severely underestimated the strength of the Royal Guard, even unarmed.”

“A hostage.” Vinyl’s lips worked soundlessly as the concept ground its way into her consciousness. “My Little Sparkler, a hostage to those animals? I… I…” A tear fell down her cheek. She made no attempt to hide it.

“You just rest up.” Trixie leaned over to nuzzle her shoulder. “I’ll take care of everything, okay? Just rest.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” Vinyl tried to sit up, but the agony coursed through her skull once more and knocked her back down. “I can’t just lay here.”

“You don’t have a choice.” Trixie’s smile was frail. “Even without the doc’s orders, you can’t move. I’ll deal with it, I promise.”

Vinyl wanted to shake her head, to scream a denial, to insist that she come along. She couldn’t do any of those things, because deep down she knew that Trixie was right. There was just too much pain. “What’s being done for Ammy?”

“We’re going to look for her,” Trixie declared, standing tall and resolute. “We’ll find those rebel bastards, and then I’m personally getting her back.”

“No.” Vinyl stared up at Trixie with wide eyes. “Trix, you’re not a soldier. You can’t go hunting for Ammy like that.”

“Yes, I can.”

Vinyl raised a bandaged hoof, but it was pushed back down by Trixie’s magic. “You don’t understand, Vinyl. I owe everything I have to that filly. To you too, but without her I wouldn’t have met you. We’re family. I have to do my part.”

Another tear streaked down Vinyl’s face as she stared upon her sister, love and pride and fear mixing chaotically within her. “B-but Trix… you are family. I don’t want to risk losing both of you.”

Trixie’s smile grew warm, and she bent down to nuzzle Vinyl’s cheek. The contact sent a wave of pain through Vinyl’s head, but she tolerated it.

“You underestimate me. After all, who am I?” She stood tall and grinned. “I’m the Great and Powerful Trixie. A few pitiful rebels won’t slow me down.”

At that moment, Vinyl knew she couldn’t stop her. The realization was like a vice on her heart, and she shook her head in spite of the agony. “Don’t go. Please…”

“You need to rest.” Trixie turned away. “Don’t worry, Vinyl. Trixie has this under control. When next you wake up, Ammy will be right here with you. I guarantee it.”

“No.” Vinyl made a third attempt to sit up, and for a third time she failed. She raised her hoof for Trixie as she walked away. “Don’t go.”

Trixie paused at the doorway. She didn’t look back.

“I love you, Vinyl. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”

“Don’t go. Don’t go. Don’t go…”

Vinyl repeated the line even after Trixie had left. She kept saying it, over and over again. It was the last thing she heard before unconsciousness retook her.

Author's Notes:

So the problem finally arises. This will be resolved quickly, but the aftereffects? Not so much. Also, Tune Grief's dialogue reminds me of why I stopped writing poetry years ago.

This chapter reminds me of the unusual nature of Vinyl's part in this story, and the story itself. Each member of the Order got involved in his or her own unique way, and in many ways they had nothing to do with one another up to that point. Out of all the characters, this is the most apparent for Vinyl because she had the most normal life of all of them. Despite having been in Equestria's shitty adoption system, it can safely be said that she had the easiest life by far.

This is one reason why I chose to get to Vinyl so early; her story just isn't like what we'll see with the others.