Sassy Saddles wasn't sure what happened. While stocking up on a few clothes, one of her employees ran over in a panic and stated that a pony with a suit and a stetson walked into the back without authorization. Sassy said that as much as she wanted to, she couldn't do anything about it now. The Canterlot Elite really hated to be disturbed. So they just continued working and let Rarity handle the payment. But it came as a complete surprise when Consort Steel walked out from behind. With nothing.

One of the mares in the gallery slowly lost their smile. She looked down at his empty hooves and asked, "Where are the bits?"

Consort motioned towards the doors and answered, "There are no bits, let's go."

"What do you mean no bits? This is our block, we need our bits!"

Consort shook his head and said, "Manehattan. This is Manehattan's client. We stay away from Manehattan."

"What? Ain't nopony more powerful than Canterlot!" She started to walk over towards the edge of the counter before Consort grabbed her by the tail.

"Pony, you're gonna get yourself hurt! Come on!"

"And what is this ruckus?" Purple Diamond casually walked out from behind the counter and leaned against it. "You don't rule here, pony. And neither do I. But what I say goes. You have three seconds to get out, Farm Hand or there's going to be a charge of over one hundred thousand bits from Manehattan coming straight to your parents home for all that stuff you broke on Hoofenstein's set you're still working to pay off. I'm sure my friend would be very happy to settle that deal by this point."

The mare grunted but turned and begrudgingly walked out of the building with everyone else, leaving Magenta with that grin on her face. She knew what she had to do. Once the door shut, Magenta turned her head to Rarity's open mouth expression of disbelief. "You're gonna catch flies."

Rarity stammered, "But... What... I thought you said you're not part of the Manehattan Elite!" MANEHATTAN ELITE?! The other mares in the room shifted their sights straight to "Purple Diamond".

She slowly shook her head and answered, "I never said that. What I said was, 'We're not a part of them like you think we are. We try to stay away from that stuff, but sometimes... You run into a roach every now and then. Nopony messes with me, and those that do... There are no chances for them. I wasn't expecting Canterlot scum to be in here. I needed to drop by for something else and this suit was for that, not them. Today was your lucky day."

Rarity peered down at Purple's smirking face with her own suspicious one. She asked slowly, "Then why are you here?"

Magenta glanced to the mares watching her and decided to speak in code. "I'm looking for talent. Ponies in the arts. I would ask some of my contacts here, but those definite colts and fillies would never talk about their underground work in front of a music shop."

"...arts?" Rarity repeated. Then smiled and assumed, "You're looking for musicians, aren't you darling? And you believe I'd know!" Magenta shrugged. "Well you're in luck. Magenta Streak is a very high influencer, even when she doesn't know it. Rumor has it there is an underground club in a few cities in Equestria where ponies can test their skills on the stage. Entirely funded through donations of local ponies."

"Is there an age range?"

"I heard Junior age of High School and up. Apple Bloom and Sweetie know more."

"Interesting." It sounded like somepony had developed a club in her honor. "Very interesting. I'll let my sister know, she's handling the Business-2-Consumer Pony Relations." Rarity obviously didn't get it. "Direct recruitment. Talking to them face to face. What are the clubs called?"

"Ah, they're called Magenta Stages. What brought all this on Darling? Last I heard, you still have a long way to go before you get those bits."

"Buck the bits," Magenta boldly stated. "My supervisor's supervisor wanted me to drop my number one source of income in exchange for a new sum. What they really want is for me to work solely through them. And they said if I don't, they'll 'fire' me."

"Well that is utterly insane!" Rarity preached. Then gestured with her hoof and asked, "So you are..."

"She gave us 'some time to think on it.' I already made up my mind. I spoke with my number one source and they would be happy to help me. But I need some good 'show and tell' to prove we can do this. Fine White's handling the talent, I'm handling the business. And according to you, there's a combination of an underground business with some talent. Correct?"

Rarity nodded and motioned behind her head. "A good place to start would be in, believe me, Ponyville. There's a new comedy club that was rented out by them that my sister and her girlfriend go to on friday nights."

"Good. I'll let my sister know. I have more business to handle. Nice seeing you again, Rarity." She patted the top of the counter and made her way out the door, leaving the others clueless. Those ponies were nowhere to be found. This was her place. First thing's first. Slip some sheets in through doors and get home. She trained her eyes on the castle in the distance and adjusted her suit. Then began to make her way downtown.

While she moved, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number. She stopped at a stoplight and waited for chariots and more to cross. When the phone picked up she was greeted with, "Yo."

"It's Purple Diamond. We have a name of 'honor clubs' packed with potential talent. Called Magenta Stages." Magenta quickly crossed the street when the light changed. "A friend said a good place to start would be in Ponyville. Bloom and Belle go to a few. It's located at some new Comedy Club after hours."

"I'll stop by there tomorrow. I have somepony you may wanna check out. Name's Sunrise Miku. Small time, but no one that I know of makes sounds like these."

"YouHoof?"

"YouHoof."

"We'll check her out this evening. I enjoy talking like this. I just got to Canterlot and ran into some Elite here trying to shag Rarity because of her store's location. They won't be coming here anymore." Magenta stopped and locked eyes on the music store she was headed to across from her. It had a closed sign on it. The pony in charge was out. He practically lives on this side of town and there were only three restaurants. She knew where he was.

Magenta turned right and made her way down the street when Bright responded. "Be careful, Maggy."

"I am. Trust me, I have underground workers. I'll see you tonight. I heard mom's making burritos."

"She is, I can smell them. See you then."

Bright hung up, urging Magenta to pack her phone in her pocket. She had some papers to pass out.

Rarity was a little surprised when Babs showed up on her doorstep later that evening. Luna just raised the moon into the sky, urging all ponies into their nightlife. At first she thought she was coming from a party based off of what she had on her face. So she asked, "Hello, dear. How was the party?"

Babs stopped scuffing the ground and asked, "Party? What party?"

"That is why you're wearing makeup. Is it not?" Babs slowly shook her head with the thought of was it really that noticeable?

Rarity glanced left and right for anyone around. Then stepped aside to let her in. "Well come on in. Sweetie is helping Apple Bloom upstairs with something again."

Once Babs was inside and Rarity was heading back to whatever she was doing, Babs had to ask. "Are you not concerned about them havin' sex?"

Rarity took a seat on one side of the kitchen table that had some scrolls strewn about. "No, should I be? As long as there's no risk of pregnancy, I am alright with it." Babs was about to respond before some moaning upstairs cut her off. Some very loud moaning. Rarity and Babs both glanced to the ceiling.

"Whew... Mmm, Lavender is my favorite... No Sweetie, there is no other, calm down."

Rarity and Babs blushed but went right back to what they were doing before. While she was getting comfortable standing, Rarity asked, "Did you need something, darling? I believe Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are a little... Busy at the moment."

"Well, I just needed to... Talk to somepony about something."

Rarity pointed to the seat across from her and ordered, "Well have seat, I'd be happy to listen. Come have a seat and tell me what is going on." Babs nodded and quickly walked over to the other side of the table. "Would you like some water or anything?"

Babs shook her head and answered, "No thank you."

"Alright, so tell me everything." Rarity slid the scroll to the side she was working on and focused on Babs in front of her. The bigger cities had all the nicer things while towns like Ponyville get one sixth of the barrel. It didn't matter much, Ponyville had always used scrolls.

Babs cleared her throat and started fidgeting and twiddling with her hooves. "Well, there's a... I have a uhhh..." Rarity blinked. And made a motion to continue. Babs took a deep breath and quickly stated on the exhale, "I may have a crush on somepony."

"Oh! Is that all, dear?" Rarity giggled and waved her hoof in Babs' direction. "Oh excuse me, but I thought it was bigger than that."

"It's on Scootaloo."

Rarity's chuckle turned into silence. She stared at Babs with a blank mind for a few seconds. "So... The makeup?"

Babs scuffed her face and whispered, nervously, "Er... I-It was supposed to get her attention."

"Ah yes, I know the game. So... You really like Scootaloo. You girls are growing up. Way too fast for even my tastes. Going through hormones and instincts and—"

"Ooohhh, Sweetie! What are you doin' to me?"

Rarity and Babs glanced up before continuing with their conversation, no matter how awkward things were getting. "I remember you being a little filly from Appleloosa and growing up in Manehattan. Now you live by yourself in Manehattan getting crushes on very expensive ponies. Let alone one of your friends. So tell me, when did this start?"

Ignoring the sounds of climax upstairs, Babs explained, "Shortly after we went to her mansion. That night, Magenta couldn't sleep because she was worried about the YouHoof interview the next day. So I decided to keep her company and appease her in the observatory. The observatory was the area of the mansion made of glass. The way the moon and stars bounced off her eyes were captivating. We talked for awhile longer and I learned a few things about her I never would have guessed. She's really beautiful in the moonlight, and... I guess I sort of fell into her hooves right then."

"You have a crush on Scootaloo?!" Babs and Rarity jumped out of shock and looked towards the fridge Apple Bloom was silently going through for water. But stopped when she heard the story and faced her cousin with a wide grin.

Babs stuttered, "W-Well, I uhhh—"

"Hey, Sweetie! Babs has a crush on Magenta!"

Babs and Rarity facehoofed before thunder rumbled down the stairs. Sweetie slid in on the other side of Babs and gestured for more info by circling her hoof in her direction. Babs deadpanned, "What more do you need, Apple Bloom told the entirety of Ponyville."

Apple Bloom tossed Sweetie a water bottle across the table then approached Babs with a grin. Completely ignoring Rarity's look of disapproval of her manners. "So... What are you going to do about it?" Apple Bloom asked.

Babs shrugged and gazed at the table sadly, sighing. "I don't know. Scootaloo's like a hardcore celebrity who makes thousands a week, and I'm just a small time pony who works at a fast food restaurant and lives in West Manehattan."

Sweetie shrugged and made hoof signs with facial expressions read by Apple Bloom, "'So? Apple Bloom's a farmer who gets dirty everyday, and I'm a... I have no goals right now.'"

Rarity smiled and clarified, "Sweetie and Apple Bloom are complete opposites, yet managed to make things work."

"Yeah, but Scoots doesn't even know I exist."

Apple Bloom laughed and asked, "Doesn't know you exist? She calls you her 'Manehattan friend who follows her'. Trust me, she knows you're around. She gave you exclusive access to her mansion. Hey, if it makes you feel better, why not talk to Bright?"

"But I like Magenta," Babs deadpanned. "Why would I talk to Bright?"

"For advice. Nopony knows Magenta better than her sister."

Rarity jabbed at Babs and added, "And tomorrow is a great time to do it. Bright Snow is coming to town tomorrow. A little birdie told me they're quitting Starfire and are looking to start their own label. But need talent. So they're checking out the Magenta Stages, starting in Ponyville."

Apple Bloom gasped and whispered, "Seriously? They're really quittin' Starfire?"

Rarity nodded and said, "Scootaloo sort of... Dropped by my shop this evening for information on Canterlot talent. I told her the best place to start would be the Magenta Stages. Apparently Bright is handling all the talent and Magenta all the business. So... When did you start liking mares?" Rarity meant to leave out the part about Scootaloo going bad-flank and kicking somepony out of her shop.

Apple Bloom leaned into Babs' space and drawled, "Oh yeah. You were all weirded out when Sweetie and I started datin' years ago."

Babs rolled her eyes and dropped her face onto the table. "I don't like 'mares', I like Magenta. There's a difference."

"Uh huh, sure. Tell you what, we'll talk to Bright tomorrow and see what she says about this. It shouldn't hurt Magenta, but it's better to get a closer second opinion. How's that friendship mission goin'?"

"Not sure." Babs sat back up and said, "I'll visit Magenta tomorrow and see how I can get her to make friends. But like she said, it's hard to make new friends when you're a celebrity. I'm still trying to get over the fact that Scootaloo's rich and famous. I can't even afford to walk in East Manehattan, and Scootaloo is living in the biggest mansion there. And owns it."

Sweetie laid her hoof on Babs' and nodded solemnly. She knew the feeling. Apple Bloom scoffed and replied, "Eh, I'm not all about the big life, I enjoy farmin'. But I may have an idea on how to get Magenta some friends besides us."

Babs glanced away and muttered, "No matter how long that will last."

"Don't ruin this. In the entertainment business, everypony is just that: Business. Nopony's in it for friends, they're in it for bits. But if you find lonely ponies just like that who are lookin' for friends and can make music and bits, then you're in luck. All you have to do is fine those ponies."

Babs sighed and asked, "Yeah, but how? We're not just talkin' about any pony here. We're talking about..." She leaned in and whispered, "Magenta Streak."

Sweetie made a sign behind Babs' back asking, "'Scared Magenta's gonna hear about your crush?' Ow! Sweetie said that!"

Babs whipped around and popped Sweetie's head. Then explained, "We can't just talk about our friend like that."

Rarity waved her hoof and interrupted, "Girls, girls!" They stopped discussing and focused on Rarity, who was beginning to become overwhelmed with all of this "Babs has a crazy crush" madness. She took a deep breath and stated, "One step at a time. Just meet with Bright Snow tomorrow evening at that little club you hang out at and talk to her about it, okay?"

The mansion was quiet by the time Magenta stepped inside. But it was always quiet in the foyer. If you wanted to get your mind off of something, the foyer was the place to do it. There was so much noise in the rest of the world outside those doors. As well as deeper inside the mansion. But right here in the center, there was nothing but silence. Magenta sighed and took off her stetson, making a mental note to take it back to the penthouse tomorrow morning. Then made her way towards the staircase. Along the way, she could smell the burritos. Her mother's fancy cooking. It was always good. Something with apples and cinnamon. Mmm, mmm, good... An idea for a new song.

Magenta stuffed that in her head for later and focused on the living room she walked into. Yep, there mom was. Over the stove making some grub with her back turned. Magenta smiled and greeted, "Hey, mom."

Kind Goldhoof looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Hey, sweetheart!" She greeted. Quite loudly too. "How was your day?"

"It was okay." Magenta walked into the living room and hung her hat up on a rack in the corner. "How was yours?"

"It was great, dear! Thank you for asking. I'm making Cinnamon Apple Burritos tonight, your favorite."

Magenta grinned and made her way for the stairwell. "Sweet! Thanks, mom!" She quickly climbed the stairs onto the third floor, destination for her bedroom. She didn't hear Bright moving around down the hall. That meant she was in one place. Magenta sighed and rolled her eyes. She loved to play this game for some reason. But Magenta had to admit, it was fun. She pushed her door open and stepped into her dimly lit room. The moon's light was casting onto all the stuff on the floor reminding her to pick it up before tomorrow evening. Jeez, when did she become so Messy?

Magenta pushed that thought aside and walked through the threshold that was her room. "Hey, Bright. Get out from behind the door, you could have gotten hurt."

Magenta, without turning heard the door to her room shut and the sigh of Bright. "How do you do that?

"Because whenever you sneak into my room, everything else gets all quiet." Magenta reached down and picked up a sheet of paper. Then smirked over her shoulder at her sister. "It's like every single thing is watching you. Even tha hallway lamp. Good evening, Brightlight."

"Good evening, Maggy." Bright nuzzled her ear and then made her way for the stairs leading up to Magenta's office. "What happened out there?"

Magenta sighed and turned around to follow her. By the time she reached the floor, Bright was already leaning back in her own chair with her feet kicked up on the railing. Smirking at Magenta. She knew exactly what was going on. But Magenta decided to appease her. She jumped into her office chair and answered, "I was heading to Rarity's little Canterlot shop I heard about when I happened to run into some Canterlot Elite who were using my promotion as a way to get Rarity to pay more. They won't be going there anymore. If they do, they'll be in some trouble. Deep bit trouble. Now who is Sunrise Miku?" Magenta sat down and booted up the computer while Bright explained.

"You know, for a mare that lost her memory, you sure have a good one. Sunrise Miku is actually a pony named Summer Wind. Sixteen years old, has some pigtails and is pretty much a loner."

Magenta nodded and logged into her computer. "Okay, stalker. Now what sets her apart, what makes her special? What type of music does she make?"

"Dubstep and Riddim. Her tracks don't get that many views on YouHoof because she's just starting out and some ponies don't get her sounds. She's from some other nation and has a native tongue that isn't Ponish. And she uses words in that language in her tracks."

"...interesting. What's her channel name?"

"Kotori." Magenta typed that in and waited for the results. Her channel art was interesting to say the most, and was the catcher in her eye when it all finally loaded. She didn't have a mask and pretty much showed herself off. Magenta hummed and muttered, "She's obviously confident in her work if this art is anything to go by. Now let's see if her smile is backed up by her hooves." Magenta scrolled down and clicked on the best track that appealed to her most. She waited for it to load up and listened a little with Bright. The speakers setup around the room began to bump and eventually Magenta began to bounce her head of medium length Magenta hair. That was actually pretty good. Then again, this track was one of her older pieces from around three years ago.

Bright motioned towards the computer with a smile and suggested, "Listen to Deshi. That's a real headbanger and one of her newer tracks that I believe came out earlier this month."

Magenta repeated silently, "Deshi?" Then moved the cursor onto the cover art of the song Bright pointed to. Then pressed play. This was bound to be interesting.

Just a little something to progress the story. The next chapter will have some great content and a purpose to it, I swear.🤗