Cold sweat, dry mouth, racing heart, trembling hooves. Vinyl was breathing heavily. The roar of the crowd was so loud that it reached the backstage bathroom. They were calling her name, they had been doing so for over five minutes.

Glasses, teeth, mane, glasses, teeth, mane, Vinyl kept repeating to herself as she looked at the mirror. The popular face of DJ Pon3 looked back, oozing confidence from every pore. Techno shades hid the fear in her eyes, messy electric blue mane masked the indecisiveness, headphones chased the voices of doubt away.

The bathroom door opened without a knock. A grey earth pony with a bowtie entered and unapologetically looked at Vinyl.

"House is packed," she said in a thick Trottingham accent. "How are you doing, love?"

Vinyl continued staring forward, as if the mirror would miraculously give her strength.

"Hey, don't space out!" the earth pony scolded. "You've been through this. You'll be fine."

Fine. A funny thing to say. Vinyl was always fine, more than fine — DJ Princess, Techno Prodigy, the Coolest Tease of the music world, and dozens other names the press had given her. On stage, she was all that and more. Offstage, only three ponies knew what she was, and all of them were here tonight.

"Yes, of course," the DJ replied, her accent sharp — the epitome of High Canterlot speech. "I'll be fine."

* * *

The metronome ticked mercilessly. Vinyl was certain its only purpose was to bring suffering. Levitating her baton, the white unicorn glanced at her tutors. Both mares had known considerable fame in their life, both probably cost a small fortune to hire.

"When you are ready, young miss," Perfect Tact said, her voice capable of turning tea to ice. Beside her, Flawless nodded.

Vinyl really hated them addressing her in this fashion. It lacked any warmth whatsoever, an excuse to treat her as a foal. She had hoped that at least today they would show an ounce of emotion. Nonetheless, it was expected of her to behave accordingly. The baton flicked twice, then began moving rhythmically in the air. Vinyl started with a three beat pattern, holding it for a steady ten minutes. Not a word from her tutors. Only to be expected — their role was merely to correct mistakes. Other tutors were responsible for the actual teaching.

The metronome ticked on. Increase the tempo, slow the tempo, introduce a new instrument. Always the same exercise. No music, of course, such base things were beneath her. Vinyl would never be allowed anything as degrading. Directing, along with fencing and poetry, were merely things a pony of her stature had to be good at, but never actually do in public. If she were very lucky, next time her parents took her to a concert, they might allow her to point out the mistakes the conductor made.

"Beat four, young miss," Perfect Tact said sternly.

Vinyl reacted on instinct. It wasn't like she could be surprised. Years of practice had allowed her to know what her tutors would want before they did. The baton changed movement accordingly. A single tsk sounded. That was good. Last time there had been three. At least this way she knew her mother would be pleased, provided she managed to come home this week.

The lesson ended with a few comments that might as well be compliments or criticism. Vinyl had long stopped trying to make sense of their words. Nodding politely, she wished both her tutors a wonderful day, then watched as her valet escorted them out of the room.

"Well," she sighed, putting the baton box in its place, "looks like this would be another of those birthdays."

"Hush, miss Scratch!" The strict voice of her governess sounded nearby. "Such attitude does not become you!"

"My parents aren't coming home again, are they?" Vinyl didn't even bother looking.

"Her Grace has a most important diplomatic mission to see to. Although unfortunate, it is perfectly understandable."

There always was a reason. At times Vinyl wondered why they even bothered coming up with excuses.

"They have, of course, sent you a wonderful gift, young miss." The governess approached. "A rather..."

"Yes, I am sure it's enchanting." The white unicorn waved a hoof. "Please inform the kitchen not to prepare lunch today. I'll be going out."

"But, you haven't seen your gifts yet!" The governess protested. "And your cousin has most graciously accepted you visit him..."

"I am quite confident he has already forgotten." Vinyl levitated her vest on. "And please don't send any guards to keep an eye on me this time."

"If that is your desire, miss Scratch," the mare sighed audibly. Having been her governess for the last seven years allowed her that privilege. "Her Grace will be most displeased."

Vinyl didn't say anything, instead trotted out of the room. The governess was right, of course. Her mother would be absolutely furious at some point. Then again, it might be an improvement from the usual boredom Vinyl was forced to experience.

A host of servants greeted Vinyl as she walked along the corridor. The unicorn barely took any notice. Today she could afford to a be a bit casual, rebellious even. This is my eighteenth birthday, for Stars' sake! I might well behave in whatever fashion I choose! Why, I might even...

Magicking the door open, she trotted outside. She couldn't be described as a rebellious pony by any stretch of the imagination, but today she had her mind set on proving a point. If her parents couldn't care to be with her on her eighteenth birthday, then they wouldn't care what she did. And just to be sure they would feel disrespected, she was going to visit the most dangerous, unbecoming, ill-reputable place she could think of — Donut Joe's!

Trotting to the city centre felt refreshing. No teleportation, no carriage, no escort. For once Vinyl could enjoy the wind in her mane without fear of getting a hair out of place. The ground was a tad dirty for her taste, but bearable. For a moment she considered whether to pass by her cousin's or not. They didn't like each other particularly, but at least talked on occasion. Upon further reflection, though, she decided against it. Her cousin had the uncanny ability to ruin everypony's day.

"'scuse me, love," a pony addressed Vinyl out of the blue. "Happen to know where One Horse Alley is?"

Vinyl blinked. Thus was the first time she had been addressed so casually. It felt weird and slightly uncomfortable. To make things even more awkward, the one who addressed her was an earth pony. Vinyl had hardly any conversations with such. The only exceptions were foreign dignitaries her mother would invite to the manor.

"You alright, love?" the pony asked. Her accent was most peculiar. "You're staring."

"My sincere apologies." Vinyl quickly looked away. Way to humiliate herself in public. "Unfortunately, I am unfamiliar with the location in question—" She paused. That certainly wasn't helpful. Actually it was outright rude. She could at least make an effort to help. "Do you happen to know of any landmark I could use as reference?"

"You sure talk funny, love," the earth pony chuckled. "I’m trying to find The Crucible — best blooming pub west of the stadium."

"The stadium," Vinyl repeated. She had never heard of the Crucible, but the stadium she could work with. Concentrating, the unicorn brought an aetherial map of Canterlot in existence. "We are here." A bright red dot appeared near the centre of the map. "The stadium is all the way here." Another glowing dot emerged. "I gather the place you are seeking is somewhere in this area."

"Chicken and rice magic, there." The earth pony whistled, impressed. "Thanks, love," she said, nodding briefly before rushing away.

Vinyl blinked. What had just happened? Canterlot was home to all sorts, but this experience was confusing to say the least. Maybe going out wasn't such a good idea, after all, she considered. Maybe she should return to the manor? If she did, however, she wouldn't have the satisfaction of breaking the news to her parents... when they decided to actually show up.

The journey to Donut Joe's passed without further incident. A few colts complimented her mane in passing. They were promptly ignored. The doughnut establishment itself was well beneath the standards Vinyl was used to. The floor was literally covered with crumbs and sprinkles. Wet patches indicated hasty attempts at cleaning up, resulting in questionable outcomes. Vinyl felt herself want to levitate to the nearest table.

No! If it's good enough for Celestia, it's good enough for me! Walking boldly she made her way through then entire room, taking a seat at the very end of the counter. There! That wasn't so difficult.

"Always glad to see a new face," the unicorn at the cash register said, far too casually for Vinyl's linking. "I'm Joe. What can I get you?"

The question was sudden, lacking the most basic of manners. A crude comment, followed by a sloppy introduction, ending in rudeness. The only saving grace was that this behaviour was likely the result of poor upbringing rather than anything else.

"Whatever Princess Celestia usually has," Vinyl said, and instantly regretted it. Her left forehoof covered her mouth in the hopes nopony had noticed her faux pas.

"Well, that's a request I don't hear everyday," Joe laughed. "Maybe start with double chocolate?"

Feeling too ashamed to form an answer, Vinyl nodded. Thank the stars the place was almost empty. Everything will be alright, she kept repeating to herself. Nopony here knows you. Besides, it isn't an unreasonable request. There probably are hundreds of ponies that want to copy the Princess. Straightening up, the white unicorn looked around. There weren't many customers. From what she had heard while eavesdropping on the servants, the place was supposed to be packed. Apparently they were wrong or had exaggerated quite a bit.

"Here you go." A plate holding a single doughnut levitated onto the counter. "Let me know when you want to go on."

Vinyl stared at the thing before her. 'When?' That certainly was presumptuous of him. Both the desert and the plate it was served on were crude, the absolute antithesis of refined. Back home, the servants wouldn't be caught eating something as unbecoming as this.

Breaking off a small piece with her magic, Vinyl dared a bite. The taste was overwhelming! A rush of blood went to her head, making her dizzy.

"Water!" She managed to utter, hooves firmly gripping the edge of the counter. A glass promptly levitated towards her. Forgetting her manners, Vinyl grabbed it with her forehooves, draining it in a single gulp. That felt tremendously better.

"You alright, miss?" Joe asked. "You don't have any food allergies, do you?"

"No, no allergies," Vinyl replied, her pulse still quickened by the experience. "I'm just not used to this much sweetness. Could I have another glass of water, please?"

"Sure thing." The glass floated away, then returned full to the brim. "You should have told me this was your first time."

"No need for alarm," the unicorn said once she had halved her glass. "I was merely caught by surprise."

It was a lie, of course, but one thing Vinyl was good at was passing everything for the truth. It was the first thing her parents had taught her. In Canterlot there were two kinds of truth — internal and external. Internal truth was what a pony knew to be true, external — what she wanted others to believe it to be.

"Thank you kindly for the dessert." A double moon bit levitated on the counter. "My apologies that I shan't be able to finish it."

"Think nothing of it." Joe pushed the bit piece back without a second thought. "This one is on the house."

"A token of appreciation for your kindness, then." Vinyl pushed it back towards him. ‘A proper lady should never touch money with her own hooves’, all her books on etiquette insisted. Well, not anymore! Today she could do whatever she wanted!

"Tell me, do you happen to know of any interesting night clubs?" Her lips formed a rebellious smile.