//------------------------------// // Magical Music Mare // Story: Siege of Canterlot // by Peachy Moon //------------------------------//         PON-3!! PON-3!! PON-3!!         The crowd danced and screamed her name as her beats blasted out from the speakers. The white unicorn laughs throwing her hooves in the air and egging the crowded to go harder. They were putty in her hooves as she spun. The light show going on around her was muted only by her glasses. Throwing her head back her electric blue mane wild as she jumped caught in the energy of the concert.         Her world calmed slightly as a pair of slender grey legs wrapped around her from behind. The posh mare smiled nuzzling into her marefriends mane inhaling her scent as she snuggled into the safety of the DJ. Vinyl smirked as she kept working on the set. She had everything she ever wanted in that moment. The love of her life was with her, the crowds loved her, and she was at the peak of her career. It was also all a lie. She felt Octavia’s hooves dig into her stomach as the mare’s grip tighten trying to keep the DJ to herself. She saw the crowds eyes turn to envy and hate. She stumbled back into the grey cellist’s grip as the music cut off. She tried to fight as the earth pony slammed her to the ground pinning her down and leaning her muzzle in. ____         Vinyl sat up in bed panting and gasping for breath. Her magenta eyes were watering as the bright noon sun shone from a nearby window. Pulling the covers from her body she moved to slide off the bed. She was stopped as a gentle hoof touched her own.         “Where do you think you’re off to?” An upper class voice asked from beside her on the bed. Vinyl turned meeting the gentle purple gaze of her fiancee. The earth pony’s eyes widen when she meets Vinyl’s eyes. “What’s wrong Vinyl?” She asks sitting up and pulling her love into a hug.         “A nightmare babe. It’s nothing..” Vinyl responds trying not to shiver as she snuggled into the warm and inviting grey coat. She could still feel the dream Octy’s legs pinning her to the ground. “Just nerves for today I guess.” She says chuckling slightly. “Imagine that DJ-PON-3 with cold feet” She jokes snuggling further into her lover.         “You act as though we’re having a white wedding Vinyl. Thanks to your antics we are not allowed within 500 feet of any sort of temple!” Octavia says her eyes twinkling playfully.         “Hey wasn’t my fault...that priest totally looked like a stallion” Vinyl says grinning from ear to ear and feeling a bit of her cockiness return. “Imma go grab a shower Octy…” She says pressing her muzzle to Octavia’s in a loving kiss before pulling away and trotting happily to the bathroom.                  “I’ll be here when you return Vinyl” She heard Octavia call after her. _____         Vinyl smiles down at the white earth pony filly bundled in her forelegs. She smiles nuzzling her daughters head happily and glancing at her wife. The mare smiles back as she lay in the hospital bed recovering from the labor. Vinyl laughs as the filly stares at her with her mother’s eyes. Pride swelled in the DJ’s heart from the sight of a life she helped make.         “Best thing I ever made!” She declares nuzzling her daughter. She kissed the little filly’s head again and grins looking to Octavia “She’s so cute Octy! I love you both so much!” She grins moving to stand closer to Octavia.         “What do you want to name her?” Octavia asks kissing her wife gently. She groans slightly still weak from the birth.         “I don’t know Octy. Got something in mind?” Vinyl asks grinning at her wife. She saw Octavia's mouth open _____         “Glissando Scratch!” Octavia’s voice called out as her teenaged daughter galloped out the front door.         “Iloveyoumomsbebacklater!” The young mare called over her shoulder not stopping. The only thing that kept her furious mother from following her was the gentle magical glow holding her in the door.         “Let ‘er go babe. She’ll be fine” Vinyl says smiling, though a part of her had no idea what was going on. It felt like she’d just been in the delivery room with her newborn daughter. She shook her head to clear that feeling and smiled pulling her furious wife into a hug. “Come on Octy like you didn’t do stupid stuff when you were her age.” She asks smiling.         “I did no such thing!” Octavia snaps back pulling from her wife. “She’s off with the farm colt again I just know it!” She says fuming.         “Come on babe Lil’ Mac isn’t that bad!” Vinyl responds getting annoyed by the way her wife was acting.         “We’ve lived in Ponyville for years now babe, Why don’t you like the Apples? Their amazing ponies, and if not for AJ and her friends we’d be up the creek!” The former DJ says moving slowly over to her wife.         “Its not that Vi. I just dreamed she would make it big and be somepony!” She says looking to her wife sadly. “We were both huge in music, Glissando can be huge too but she wants to run off and play on the farm!” She says pleading with her wife to understand.         “We all follow our hearts Oc….” Vinyl says before stopping stumbling back at a pain in her chest. She slumps to the floor as the sky outside the window turned black thunder and rain coming from nowhere. She shook her head and looked around the room realizing that he wife was the only thing in focus. Everything else just didn’t look real. Vinyl closes her eyes and whimpered. “The heart you could never give me Octy..” She whispers to herself as memories flood back.         She looks at Octavia and walks over pulling her wife into a kiss tears staining her cheeks. “I have to go..” She whispers “Vinyl...y...you're not making sense! Look outside! Its bad enough that Glissando is out there I don’t need to lose my wife too!” She screams at Vinyl trying to hold the mare to her. “You're not Octavia..” Vinyl responds pulling away from Octavia pushing the mare back with her magic. She pulls the front door open and looks back at the grey mare. “I love you with all my heart Octy…..” She says before stepping into the storm. _____         Vinyl’s eyes pulled open and she gasped choking on the green glop she was suspended in. She thrashed around starting to panic as she took in the scene around her. The orchestra she’d come to perform with were all cocooned like her. Her eyes settle on the grey cellist not five feet from her prison. She turned seeing her tables and a shattered record on the ground near it. The black shelled changelings all seemed focus on something outside the windows. Reaching out with her magic she grabbed the shattered vinyl. She sent it spinning slicing open her prison. She spilled out onto the ground coughing and gagging. Looking up to meet to the gaze of the now surprised changelings. She lets out a feral growls as she slice the nearest two’s throats with her improvised knife. “You soulless bastards” She says her voice barely above a whisper. She grits her teeth holding back the tears at the pain they’d put her through. She’d given up her dream because it was nothing but a lie. They’d forced her to live a lie! She charged forward and soon there was simply a panting DJ stained with green on her white coat.   She worked to let the others out of their cocoons helping them to their feet before looking out the window. She saw the city spread out around the palace concert hall. A storm raged in the sky and she saw black specks still fighting with golden. “Vinyl? What’s going on? W..what do you do?” Came Octavia’s gentle voice from behind her. Vinyl felt her heart break all over again seeing the mare. She wanted to hold her tight and tell her it would be okay. She pulled the mare into a gentle hug and sighed. “We play” She answers looking to the musicians around her. “We play so that those motherbuckers don’t win! We play so that those ponies out there able to fight have music to keep em going!” Vinyl says feeling an anger burning in her soul. “B..but..how will they know?” Octavia asked pulling back and looking into her old roommates eyes. A good friend, that was all Vinyl was to the cellist. “Come on Octy! You know me I’m DJ PON-3! I’m everyone’s favorite magical music mare!” Vinyl says tapping her horn and galloping over to her tables. “Get your instruments! Tune them and get ready to play!” She shouts to the others in the room. They all moved following her instructions out of a mix of panic and understanding. “Vinyl…” Octavia said sitting where Vinyl had left her. “I didn’t know you had that kind of power.” She says her eyes narrow and voice careful. Vinyl had to wince at the knowing tone.         “Octy…” Vinyl started to respond before letting her ears flatten “I..its gonna be dangerous but I know I can do it. You guys just gotta help it all. Focus feel the music and open yourselves up.” Vinyl says finally not meeting the other mare’s eyes.         “I know what happens to unicorns that push too hard. T...this isn’t because I...I can’t be your marefriend is it?” The cellist asks blinking away the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. “No it can’t be. The Vinyl Scratch I know wouldn’t be that weak!” She shouted at her friend. “Naw Octy! I’m not doing this because you're straight. I get it really I do. I just..th...do you remember what it was like in those cocoons?” She asks finally meeting Octavia’s gaze.           “I know it felt warm and safe, but no. I don’t” She responded wiping her eyes. Her friends voice was so hurt.         “I do, and I’m going to make them pay for doing shit like that to ponies. I’m not a fighter Tavi. I’m a DJ...I feel the music and I know what I can do. Come on don’t you trust me?” She asks forcing her cocky grin onto her face.         “I really shouldn’t Vinyl, but yes I suppose I do trust you” She says smirking slightly herself. She stands and moves to her cello sitting with the other musicians who were tuning and warming up. She watched as Vinyl moves taking things from her tables and the boxes around her. She smiles slightly and moves into her warm up drill. _____         “Okay you all gotta open up to me on this. Just Relax and focus on the music. This’ll tingle a bit but It won’t hurt none.” Vinyl says now standing before the orchestra. She’d retrieved her trademark shades and her cocky grin was back in full swing. Her horn glowed as each musician relaxed playing a simple piece together. Vinyl’s grin grew as she worked her magic. Several minutes later they were ready for the show as the mad DJ kept referring to their performance.  The unicorn smiles summoning up her magic and letting it wash over the stallions and mares before her. They all felt her direction in their heads. Their hooves moving to play the music they felt. The slow build up to the victory suite of Equestria. Only one of them noticed as the DJ began to float before them her body awash in her own magical power. The cellist gasped watching as her friend worked. She heard it as their music began pouring from the nearby radio’s and speakers in the city. “Play Octy, I love you. Just play don’t worry bout a thing babe” Vinyl says looking into her love’s eyes one last time before sinking into the music herself. Octavia cried freely as she dove into the music. She prayed for the return of her friend even as she knew that Vinyl was gone from the world.         As the music reached triumphant peak the windows of the hall blew out in a flash of light and sound. The orchestra played harder focused on their craft. They were one mind, one purpose. _____         All across Equestria radios, and speakers blared to life. Their normal workings overridden as a voice called out over them         “What up Equestria! This is DJ PON-3 and the Royal Canterlot Orchestra bringing you Victory in all its glory!” A scratchy mare's voice called out before fading. The music that followed was remembered as one of the greatest performances in the history of the country. The music swelled the hearts of everypony that heard it while striking terror into the hearts of those that would harm Equestra. Every corner of Equestria heard the song, everypony that listened that day could all remember that the cello sounded so sad throughout though. The day ended with everyones hearts heavy from the news of the DJ that had brought them such wonders. _____ Even as the music and lights bathed the city in hope one little filly was running her eyes and ears only focused on the grey form racing towards the ground. “MOMMA!”