Manehattan, Equestria. The metropolitan city with many a busy hoof trotting and shouting all around. For most ponies, it was just every day life. But for some, it's an adventure.

One family, or in particular, one pegasus colt on his way to becoming a stallion, had no idea at the time, but his life was about to change forever.

Singer Case, a young pony with a head full of fantasies and dreams, had lived a relatively privileged life in the up town part of Manehattan. His parents had never had trouble making ends meet, and never lacked for anything. The young colt was blue, with a red mane and tail. His hair always stood up but was usually pretty well kept. His cutie mark was a microphone, and for good reason. He could literally do anything when he got behind a mic.

He grew up in a home in the suburban part of the city with his mother, Belle, a purple pegasus mare with a pink mane and tail, who's hairstyle was wavy and vibrant. Her cutie mark was a tambourine. She was a former musician herself so it was very easy to see where her son got his attributes from. She was very kind and always did anything to help either of her boys with anything they needed.

His dad was a blue earth pony stallion with a white mane and tail named Brief Case. His cutie mark was a briefcase, obviously and had known from a young age that he wanted to be in the law firm. He was one of the greatest lawyers in Manehattan, and almost always won his cases. He would usually come home and read his newspaper after work, but occasionally he'd make time to spend with his boys. Brief was a stern pony and often found himself at odds with Singer, not liking his loud music(or his choice in music), and found his career of choice to be a waste of time, but being married to his protective wife had made him see that Singer just wasn't going to go down the path that Brief thought he should take, and he just had to accept it. He did his best to get along with Singer and Singer did love and respect him as a parent and really, that's all that mattered.

Now Singer's brother, Brawn, was a piece of work. Older by a couple of years, the orange earth pony stallion was quite the athletic type with the ego and attitude to match. His mane and tail were both black and they were always greased with hair gel. His cutie mark was a dumb bell, because he had always liked body building and sports. Brawn liked to pick on Singer but only he could be the one to do it. Any pony else who tried to mess with him usually ended up answering to him.

The next member of Singer's family was actually an honorary member. His childhood best friend, Violet. She would come over to hang out with Singer almost every day and they had been best friends since they were both six years old. She was a little smaller in frame compared to other mares her age, but she wasn't weak at all. Her name was an indication of her appearance as she was a light purple pegasus mare with a violet colored mane and tail, both cut at medium length and always well kept. She hadn't ever found her cutie mark, even at her age, but she didn't seem to be bothered by it. She was usually decent or excellent at anything she tried so she never really cared for labels anyway.

One other thing you should know about this mare is that she had a crush on Singer. However she usually just played it cool, and kept it to herself. And one had to wonder if the feelings were mutual on his end as he'd never wanted to feel like Violet was like a sister figure as the notion just never set right with him.

Our story begins one day while Violet was over at their house. She had been down in the basement of the two story house that Singer lived in as he was practicing his singing and had his music turned up.

Singer had been toying with his own rendition of a song called 'Uptown Funk' and hamming it up with his performance, making Violet laugh at his antics.

"Singer, if you swing your hips any further, you're going to knock yourself out of sockets again and I'll have the unfortunate task of popping your joints back into place" Violet said while laughing. "And you always cry like a foal!"

"Yeah this kinda hurts" he admitted as he stopped dancing to the song and turned the volume on his music player way down, for he knew one or both of his folks would be on his case soon. "But the vocals were on point, right?" He had to focus on the priorities.

"Psh-aw! Always!", she complimented him with a smile, never to be condescending but always supportive.

"Singer Case always puts on a good show. Even if it hurts him." He said with a confident smile, and referred to himself in the third person.

He noticed that Violet had stopped to look at her notebook, and a mischievous grin adorned his face. Ever so slightly he sneaked closer to her and tried to get the drop on her to tackle her. He moved closer and closer until he had come upon her and lunged to get her, but she was already wise to his little plan and quickly used her martial arts training and grabbed him mid-air and pinned him down on the ground.

Singer, fazed and amazed, found himself pinned on the ground, staring up at his friend and laughing with a small hint of pain.

She immediately expressed concern. "Singer, oh my gosh! Are you okay?!? I'm so sorry if I hurt you-"

"Relax Vi, I'm fine. I should have known not to try and get you like that. You've always had those cat-like reflexes."

Violet, relieved that she hadn't hurt him, then started to laugh. "Yeah! And don't forget it!"

They both laughed for a few seconds before they caught each other's gaze. Those next few moments were completely unexpected and for a few split seconds they both had kind of forgotten where they were and just stared into each other's eyes. Violet started to lean in with her eyes closed, but then….

BOOM! The door had slammed open and had done so so hard that it fell out of its door frame and onto the floor in front of it.

"Oops… my bad". Chuckled Brawn as he walked past the broken door and into the room where he spied the pair of friends in an odd position. "Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt your make out session."

Violet immediately gathered herself and got off Singer and let him get up. She tried to hide her embarrassment.

"Uh, no… we weren't kissing! What's the matter with you?!? We were just practicing a little karate is all…"

"Eh heh…" Brawn said, not really buying it. "Hey Shrimp. Mom wants to see you upstairs. She said it's important or something."

"Okay, I'll be right there" he replied, looking back at Violet and smiled at her as he started out the door.

Violet smiled back and followed the two brothers out and headed upstairs out of the basement to where the family had gathered in the living room.

When they had gotten up there, Singer immediately noticed that his mother was not her bright and cheerful self that she normally was. She was fidgety and nervous. Almost like she had seen a ghost. When she saw that the kids had joined them, she took a deep breath and prepared for what she was going to say.

"Okay guys, family meeting" she finally said with a sigh. "Probably the hardest family meeting of my life…"

"Yeah, so time to leave, Violet!" Brawn chimed in.

"Violet can stay. She's family too." The distraught mare interjected. Brawn rolled his eyes and snorted.

Singer had started to get upset by seeing his mother so distraught. He could see that whatever was bothering her had to do with whatever was in the envelope she had been holding in her wings.

"Mom, what's going on? Are you okay?" he asked, visibly concerned.

"I'm fine. At least physically, anyway… I don't know how to tell you this, but… you know the artist who goes by the name of 'Golden Record' right?"

"Yeah! He's only the coolest pony in Manehattan! His music is some of the greatest in the modern era!" Singer shouted, geeking out.

Belle only got quiet after her son's boisterous response.

"Sorry" he said, allowing her to continue. Mentally slapping himself for possibly adding to his mother's discomfort.

"Right… him… well he wants to see you, Singer. He wants you to meet him."

"Me?" Singer asked. "But why?"

"He's an old friend of sorts… and he's heard a lot about you. He has expressed interest in seeing you."

"Wow! I can't believe this!" He shouted excitedly, but noted his mother's strange demeanor. "So why are you acting like it's the worst thing in the world? Do you not want me to go?"

"Of course I do… it just brings back a lot of memories is all…" she sighed, calming down slightly. "Just promise me that no matter what, you will always view us the same way you always have."

"What's going on?" Violet inquired.

"Yeah, you're not making much sense, mom." Singer added.

"I can't… I can't talk about it. It's best if you hear it all from him."

Brief had been present in the room and he had visible signs of tension as well. Not so much for his sake but for the sake of his wife. He was just as unready for this day as she was because he knew it was going to force her to relive her past.

"He's promised that he will be the one to tell you everything." She concluded with that and gave Singer the invitation that she had just seen in the mail.

Singer was puzzled by this. What in the wide world of Equestria could this mean?

Later on, back in the basement, Singer had been pacing the floor thinking about things. Violet had grown tired of watching him pace.

"Singer, I get it. This is a lot to take in, but I really wish you'd stop. You're going to wear a hole in the floor."

"Sorry" he said halfheartedly. He kept on pacing because he couldn't quit thinking.

Violet had had enough and flapped her wings and went after him and attempted to tackle him, but he flipped the tables on her and had managed to pull the same move on her that she had gotten him with earlier.

"You got me! You actually got me!" she said, visibly impressed.

Singer looked down and took in his small victory over his seemingly undefeatable friend. He cracked a smile at her as he continued to pin her down. "Thanks Vi, I needed that."

Violet giggled. "Don't get too cocky. Remember, I taught you everything you know."

"Noted" he said as he then helped her up onto her hooves.

"Listen, I know that this is a weird situation. And if you want, I can go with you."

"Would you?" Singer said with a hint of relief in his voice.

"Of course. I'd do anything for you, you know that. Hopefully you will get the answers that you need."

"Yeah, hopefully. Thank you Vi."

"You know you love me!" She said playfully with a wink.

"Yeah I do." He chuckled and gave her a hug. "So you want to talk about what happened earlier when you pinned me-"

"Goodnight Singer!" She said, going towards the door to leave. "See you tomorrow!"

Singer laughed and shook his head. "See you tomorrow, Violet."

To say Singer didn't get much sleep that night was an understatement, but a few drinks of coffee, and some apples in the morning woke him up to full capacity. He had been kind of halfway dreading this since he found out the night before that he was invited. He was excited to see his hero, and he wanted to know how Golden Record was connected to his family. But the anxiety from meeting his hero was starting to get to him. Luckily his level headed best friend Violet was with him, along with Brawn, who couldn't resist feeding his own curiosity.

"Hey Singer, whatever you do, don't sneeze before you meet him. He's a celebrity and it's going to look bad." Brawn said to Singer.

"Brawn! Why are you even here?" Violet inquired.

"Hey, I'm just as curious as you are. I wasn't around much when all this exciting stuff allegedly happened with Mom, Dad and this Record Guy. I want to know!" Brawn retorted.

Singer stood ahead of his two bickering guests, looking up at the tall stylish building with a sign that read "Golden Record Inc."

"Here goes nothing…" he said as he walked in with Brawn and Violet in tow. The two stopped their bickering and exchanged looks of wondering as they followed Singer into the fancy building.

Inside definitely had the outside beat with all the decorations, fancy furniture, and displays with all the awards that Golden Record and everypony in his record label had garnered since the company's inception over the years.

Singer, as well as Violet and Brawn had gazed over the spectacular interior all the way to the receptionist desk. Singer took a deep breath and got out his invitation.

"How can I help you, doll face?" said the receptionist pony asking Singer in an almost flirtatious way.

"Uh… right. I am Singer Case and I was invited by-"

"Aw so you're the boss's guest! Yes, he told me that you were coming."

"Yes, and I also brought with me a couple of friends-"

"Sorry sweetheart, the friends are going to have to stay out. His orders were made quite clear. He only wants to see you."

Singer paused and looked back at them.

"Go on, Singer. You can do it. You'll be fine!" Violet said encouragingly to him. She smiled and he smiled back at her, and that helped him get up the nerve to go.

He took a deep breath and got on the elevator and rode it all the way up to the top floor.

Once there, Singer walked down the corridor of the floor where he was directed by a maintenance pony to go into Golden Record's Office. He walked inside because the door had been left open for him and he took his gaze around the big room filled with more awards, pictures and pictures from the tenant's exploits.

Singer waited only a few minutes before the big boss Stallion himself appeared out of his office. This pegasus stallion had white fur with a golden blonde mane and tail. He had his mane in a ponytail and wore sunglasses on his forehead. Singer had also noticed that his cutie mark was very similar to his own, which was to be expected. He was clearly in his middle years, but not too old either. His busy gaze was shifted from his clipboard to the young colt standing before him. He wasn't much taller than Singer, if at all and he stood there studying him.

"Hello" said Singer who was both nervous and a little weirded out by Golden Record's silence.

"Singer, my boy. So great to finally meet you!"

"You know who I am?." In the moment he had forgotten that he was invited as a guest.

"Of course. You're your mother's son. A real chip off the old block!"

"So you've heard me sing before, have you?"

"No but I would certainly like to. Your mom tells me you're quite the star when you get behind the microphone."

Singer was visibly puzzled. Something did not make sense here.

"If you have never heard me perform, why would you ask me here? How do you know how well I sing?"

"Because…." He paused for a second before clearing his throat and finishing his prolonging sentence… "you are my son…"

"Wait… wuuuut?" He was visibly confused, as Golden Record had expected him to be. "Uh, are you sure? My dad is Brief Case, you know. The lawyer on the billboard off Starswirl Avenue?"

"I'm your father, Singer. Your actual biological father."

Singer had heard it, but couldn't believe it. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped in disbelief. He quickly shook his head and snapped out of it.

"D-did you say my father? H-how can this be? How did I not know before?"

Golden Record sighed. This part of the meeting he wasn't looking forward to. He expected it nonetheless.

"It's actually really simple. Before you were born, your mother and I were married. But alas, our marriage just was not to be. I thought we could make it work, but my responsibilities were far too much. I decided, reluctantly, to end it all with your mother…unfortunately while she was pregnant with you…" a look of regret had been evident on his face. He turned and walked towards the window overlooking the area of the city. "Your mother was devastated. But she knew she couldn't count on me to come back, so she married Brief, much to my dismay. But I had no right to say anything at that point."

"How could you just do that?" Singer asked him.

"Trust me, it was a well thought out decision. Though, it was a hard one to make. The right decision was evidently made as everything has clearly gone well for you up to this point."

Singer took all this in and pondered on it for a few minutes. Record gave him time to process it.

"So why do you want to be in my life now?" He said. He didn't know how to feel at this moment. He wanted to be angry at his father, but how could he be? He only just found out that the dad he knew wasn't his real father and that his real father had left him. He decided in his head that he would let him say his piece.

"I never didn't want you in my life, son. That much, I promise you. Truth is, I wish we could have been a family. The three of us. But certain aspects of my life prevented that. Aspects that perhaps when you are older, I may reveal to you. But for now. I bring you here to ask you to be my heir."

Singer's jaw dropped. 'Just like that?' He had thought in his head.

"I… I…"

"Oh, and another thing. Singer Case isn't your biological birth name. Your real name is Stratus Crowe, Jr. Named after my real birth name. Your mother changed it under my instruction."

"This is… a lot. This is heavy…"

"I know. But it's the Celestia's honest truth." Record looked at his son, even more taken aback and literally shaking due to being overwhelmed.

"Son, I want you to eventually take this company to heights that not even I can. With my rigorous schedule, and other responsibilities, it's just too much. You belong here, Singer. Please consider."

"I don't know… I…"

"I won't throw you into this Willy Nilly. I will guide you until you need no more guidance. Besides, I know how anxious you are to get into a recording studio."

"I'm FREAKING DREAMING!" He shouted hysterically. "I'm dreaming! I wish I could pinch myself!"

"Calm down son" Record said with a chuckle.

"This is all very nice and a dream come true, but…"

"Singer, this is what I want for you. Please consider the benefits of this opportunity!"

"But you weren't there for me in my foalhood and now you all of a sudden thrust all this responsibility on me?!?" His thoughts and logic we're starting to return to him as his daze and novelty wore off.

Record turned to his table with cider on it and poured a couple of glasses for it.

"Son, please."

"Please don't call me that! Not yet, anyway."

"Are you accepting?"

"I-I don't know…

Record slid his drink over to him as background music began to play.

"Right here right now, I put the offer out

I don't want to chase you down but I know you see it

You run with me and I can cut you free

Free of the mystery and hurdles you'll find in

So trade that typical for something colorful

And if it's crazy, live a little crazy

Sure you could play it cool

King of conventional

Or you could risk it all and see…

Don't you wanna get away from the same old role you gotta play

Well I got what you need so come with me and take a ride!

I'll take you to the other side

You could do like you do, or you could do like me

Stuck in a cage or you finally take the key

Oh man! Suddenly you're free to fly

I'll take you to the other side"

Singer took a drink and walked towards the door.

"Okay, Golden. You want to cut me in

Well I hate to tell you that it just won't happen

So thanks but no, I think I'm good to go

I quite enjoy the life you say I'm trapped in

And I admire you and all the things you do

You're on to something, really it's something

But I have a family and they're always there for me

So I'll have to leave this up to you

Don't you know that I'm okay

With this same old part I get to play

And I got all I need so I don't want to take the ride

Don't need to see the other side"

"Do you really want to throw this away

You know you could go on to regret it someday"

"If I get mixed up with you I face a world of unknowns

Mass confusion from the things I've been shown"

"But you'll finally live a little, find your dreams a little

Just let me give you the freedom to sing a little

And wake you up and cure your aching

Take down your walls, your stardom breaking

Now that's a deal that seems worth taking

But I guess I'll leave that up to you…"

Singer paused as both he and Record stood face to face. He had thought about what had transpired with his parents the night before. It's almost like his mother knew what was going to happen here, and she was more sad that he was going to be leaving the house than she had been fretting over her past. Singer came to the conclusion that perhaps this was what he was looking for.

"Think about it, So- Singer… we could make up for lost time, and you can do what you were BORN to do!"

Singer took a few more minutes to let every thought flow through his mind, and he came to the decision to take the plunge.

"Alright… I'll do it. This is what I was meant to do."

"Excellent!" Golden said with a huge smile. "Take whatever time you need to adjust to it all. And when you're ready to move in, you'll have your own suite here in the tower. In the meantime, go be with your mom. I'm sure she's going to want to see you after all of this. And she's always welcome to come and visit. Though I'm sure she probably won't want to see me."

"Thank you… I really hope that we can make this work."

"We will, Singer. Now go home. I have other meetings to attend to. We will see each other again, soon."

As Singer walked out, a brown unicorn stallion with a white mane, beard wearing a suit walked by going into Record's office. Something about the stallion startled Singer, but he didn't linger on it, even as said stallion's gaze slightly rested upon Singer as he made his retreat. As soon as the elevator door closed and Singer was out of sight, the stallion trotted into Record's office.

Singer made his way back downstairs to find Brawn and Violet bickering once again, which stopped when they saw him.

On their way back to Singer's house, not much has been said by the other two as Singer had told them everything that transpired. Brawn was of course shocked to learn that Singer was technically a step brother to him and not his real brother, but it wasn't a game changing revelation. He would still treat Singer with the same brotherly shove that he normally did.

Violet didn't have much to offer in terms of conversation, other than asking if he was okay and upon finding out about his new position, she asked if she could be an assistant to him. She didn't want to be away from him. Singer agreed and said he would talk to Record about it once he moved in. The thought of having to go through something like this alone didn't sit well with him, so Violet's offer was welcomed.

Once the trio reached the house, Violet had said her goodbyes and flew home. Singer and Brawn walked into the house, the latter going for his room and the former to the living room where his mother waited anxiously for him.

"Hi mom…" he said looking in her direction. He noticed that she was a lot calmer now, almost back to her normal self.

"I take it you took him up on his offer, then" she said with a half smile.

"Reluctantly at first, but… I just had a feeling that you were nudging me in that direction."

"You are so much like your father. You need this time with him. He can lead you into the field that you are meant for way better than me or Dad ever could."

"What does dad think about this?" Singer expressed his concern thinking of Brief at the mention of him.

"He's hesitant, about like you, but I helped him understand. This is going to be a bumpy change for us all. You should go talk to him."

"I will…" he said. "But are you going to be okay?"

"I'm going to be fine. I'm just not ready to let my baby go." She started to cry.

Singer hugged her tenderly. "It's okay, mom. You'll always be a big part of my life. I love you."

"I love you, too," she said. "And I'll be there tomorrow to see you off."

"Tomorrow? That's so little time!"

"I know, but it's for the best. I know you're going to do great things."

"I'll make you proud." He proclaimed. His mother just responded with another hug. He felt a sense of comfort, now. Knowing that his mother fully supported him made this decision much easier, but he still slightly dreaded the adjustment period.

After talking with his mother, he walked into his dad's office where he was reading. He politely knocked his hoof on the open door frame.

"Come in, son." Brief said, waving him in. "I assume you want to talk about… well you know."

"You going to be alright?"

"You kidding? I'm going to enjoy my basement being quiet again!" He joked, but a serious facial expression adorned his face. "But for real, everything is going to be alright. I just want you to know that I am proud of the young stallion you've become. Don't forget from whence you came, my son…. I can still call you that, right?"

"Of course. You're my dad, no matter what. I'll always remember what you have taught me over the years. Nothing will ever replace what we have."

"Just listen to Record to the best of your ability. As weird as it is going to be coming from me, he is your father. He cares about you as much as I do. Give him a chance. Show him that you know how to be a stallion. I may not like the guy much, but that much he deserves."

"You're a good stallion, dad."

"Thanks son." He said, trying to fight his tears. He cleared his throat. "You better get some shut-eye. Big day tomorrow."

"Yeah… good night, Dad."

Brief dismissed him and turned his nose back to his book as Singer left his office. He glanced over that way once more before looking back down at a picture of him taking a very young Singer, Brawn and Violet to the zoo. He smiled at the memory, and cherished the words that he had just exchanged.

The next day, Singer had gotten all packed up and was standing outside the tower. His things were being brought in by some of Record's toughest employees. His mother, Brawn and Violet had all come to see him.

Belle hugged her son tightly, and he returned the hug. Brawn looked a little sad to see Singer leaving. He hadn't said anything before, but he gave Singer a brotherly hug, and told him to not be a wimp.

Record came down to meet them. He tried not to linger his glance at Belle, who in turn felt equally as awkward. It had been so many years. He pulled a clipboard from his wing and gave it to Violet.

"Singer has told me some great things about you, Miss Violet. I'm certain you'll make a great assistant."

Violet blushed. "Thank you, sir. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise" he said. "Just remember to have fun like the rest of us, and you'll do great."

Violet hugged her clipboard, turned her gaze over to Singer who looked at her thankfully. She nodded with a smile.

Record mustered some bravery and approached his ex wife. "You've exhibited a great amount of bravery and humility for allowing this to happen. I just want to-"

"I did it for him because it's best for him. Don't do anything that will make me regret trusting you." She said sternly.

"O-of course. Nothing but the best for our son. And if you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Strat, we've gotten along this far just fine. But… thanks. Thank you for wanting our son in your life."

"Been a while since anyone has called me that. I've missed it. And I just want you to know, I have wanted this for years. I just wish I could make things up to you, Belle."

"The past should lie in the past. Let's just do what we can to make his future the best it can be."

Record nodded in agreement. He turned to Violet and Singer, and motioned for them to join him inside.

"See you stink brains later" shouted Brawn mischievously. "Don't be doing any kissing on your time off."

Violet shot an angry and embarrassed look at Brawn and then back to Singer who was just laughing. "I won't miss you, Brawn!" She shouted back.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily!" He retorted.

Singer and Violet turned to each other as they walked behind Record going into the building. They were happy to be embarking on this journey together.

Both Belle and Brawn watched as they disappeared behind the closed doors. And thus the journey began.

Well, I am back everypony! I'm really excited to get into the meat of this story.

If you've read any of my previous iterations of Singer, then you may have a small idea about where this is going, but not the whole structure. I'm only recycling bits and pieces of the plot points from my previous versions, and will be playing with more characters as the story goes on.

You'll notice some changes in some of the characters from the previous versions as well. Some characters that I've used from the past that will be shown here will be different from the older versions, and hopefully that will lead to better over all storytelling.

But I'm looking to make this whole over arching story into 4-5 books long, so let's go on this journey together!