With Kara's coronation coming so soon, preparations had to be finalized very soon.
"A little more to the left, girls." said Tech, watching Teatra and Indira as they placed up the banners for the coronation.
Wrecker lifted some of the speakers for the musical acts while Qui-Gon and Shmi took care of helping set the stage.
"Be careful, Wrecker." Caroline said. "Those speakers can be damaged very easily."
Banjo and his siblings were tuning musical instruments for the musical acts. They were one of them. Just because they could play music from their horns didn't mean they didn't like to use instruments from time to time. But these were very special instruments. They were magical; all the horses had to do was think the melody in their head and play from the heart, and it didn't matter if they had hands or not because they magically unleashed the music within them as they played. Or in some cases, they would just use their horns' magic to play some of them.
"Yeehaw!" Pinto said, hearing the instruments sounding great. "This is gonna be the best concert we've ever done."
"We still gotta finish rehearsin', though." Maybelle pointed out, making sure her fiddle was in tune with her magic.
Members of the Council came to help with setting up too.
Fiesta gave some of the newer horses some dance lessons for the big day.
"Alright, cowponies, ready to rehearse?" Banjo said.
"Ya know it." Maybelle said.
And they got right to playing their song.
Pinto & Banjo:
Lady
Lady
Maybelle:
Boy, I'm not the kind of girl to go and fight for all your attention
Mmm, mmm
I'm not too afraid to call this off and go see what I've been missing
Mmm, mmm
Maybelle & Pinto:
Leave the dress at home 'cause it makes me too polite
No more waiting by the phone
Maybelle:
I'm stepping out tonight
'Cause I feel like a lady
Maybelle & Banjo:
Sippin' on a soda with my Levi's on
A lady
All:
Singin' to the music playin' all night long
Yeah, I'm feeling right, I'm living my life, I do what I like
Maybelle:
'Cause I feel like a lady, a lady
I want it, I get it
Mmm, mmm
I might look like I'm lonely, but I'm only loving every minute
Ooh, baby
Maybelle & Pinto:
Leave the heels at home, 'cause they never do me right
Going dancing on my own
Man, these hips don't lie
'Cause I feel like a lady
Sippin' on a soda with my Levi's on
A lady
All:
Singin' to the music playin' all night long
Yeah, I'm feeling right, I'm living my life, I do what I like
'Cause I feel like a lady, a lady
Feel like a lady, a lady, yeah
As the Cabello Caballos, as the three equine siblings did a sound check, Kara looked around as everyone was working hard to make this a perfect day.
"Your best friend is the crown princess of Equinaro, correct?" Kara asked Carousella.
"Yes, she is." Carousella said. "Why?"
"Did you ever get a glimpse of a coronation or how life was for her?"
Carousella thought back to her days in Equinaro. She remembered very well what it was like when her parents started official training as royal guards and moved their family into the castle. When they first moved in, Carousella got a little too curious and started wandering about until she got lost in the hallways, and she hid from the guards because she was afraid she'd get in trouble.
But then, she ran into another little filly who'd been roaming the halls. And that filly turned out to be Princess Fantasia having snuck away from her father while he was in a meeting with some dignitaries.
It turned out Fantasia just wanted to play, but she currently had no pony her age to play with. And when Carousella told her that she'd just moved in with her family, the two of them bonded and began to play together, and then from then on, their friendship only grew as they did too.
Even after Carousella was chosen for the Ride of Love, she and Fantasia never stopped being best friends.
"Yeah, being crown princess was not always an easy job." said Carousella. "When we were little, she used to look for any way she could to sneak away so we could play. And when I became a guard, we would often use the excuse that Fantasia was overseeing the training of the guards in our age group or that I was her escort when we wanted to get out of the castle."
"How did your parents feel about that?" Kara asked.
"My mom told me it was nice that I was willing to take risks for a friend, and willingness to take risks was an important part of being a royal guard. But, Queen Reigna said that goofing around was a bad idea for Fantasia. Still, I had to do a little talking of my own and make it clear to her that Fantasia was a pony like me, and a kid. So, you want my advice? Remember when you're official crown princess that you're still a person. Your crown or armor doesn't define you. It's just a material symbol."
Kara smiled as she pet Carousella's mane and said, "How did we get so lucky to get such wise, sweet children in this family?"
"Good parenting?" Carousella smiled.
"Raised well, you were, young Carousella." Yoda said.
"King Orpheus has arrived!" Crescent said, bursting into the room. "He's right outside and said she needs to speak to Master Yoda."
"What did you tell him?" Kara asked.
"I told him I would come in and ask if I could let him in."
"Bring him in, Crescent." said Qui-Gon.
So, Crescent did just that.
Yoda walked up as King Orpheus stepped in. The brown pegasus and little green man bowed to one another.
"Master Yoda." said the king of Equinaro.
"King Orpheus. See me, you wanted to?" Yoda said.
"I did, Master Jedi. It is regarding the Ride of Love."
"Isn't that Queen Reigna's job?" Anakin asked.
"Generally, yes. However, my wife is currently on the verge of retrieving Master Yoda's horse." said Orpheus. "This equine is said to be a real challenge."
"Is this anything like when Comedia was pranking all of us?" Omega asked.
"I said I was sorry!" Comedia said. "I even got you guys some real caramel apples."
"No, this pony isn't a silly-corn like her." Orpheus shook his head. "This one's a bit of a..."
That was when the doors opened, and blue smoke filled the room. The room turned dark as lights filled the room like at a rock concert. And into the room stepped a new equine. One with very sparkling blue hoof polish. And in came the whole equine. A dark magenta alicorn with bright blue hair cut in a bob, her eyes hidden behind some dark sunglasses. She was decorated with what looked like a purple leather vest, glitter in her mane, and a big pink bow. And when she removed her sunglasses, her eyes looked to be decorated with glitter eyeshadow and mascara.
"I have arrived." said the new horse.
"She's Master Yoda's new horse?" whispered Hunter to Caroline.
"I'm as surprised as you." Caroline said. "Do you even know who that is?"
"Isn't that...?" Carousella started.
"Mistress Majestica?!" Peppermint exclaimed excitedly.
"Step aside. Big star coming through." said Majestica, not bothering to say excuse me as she passed through people. "My king."
"Who's Mistress Majestica?" Gabby whispered to her cousin.
Since Lamenta's father became a big star, the little girl had gotten exposed to a lot of other big time stars and gotten to know a lot of names over the years.
"She's apparently a big deal in Equinaro." Lamenta said. "She's mostly famous for J and K pop type music. I met her once. She's awful."
"One at a time," said Majestica. "I'm happy to sign autographs."
"We don't even know who you are." Anakin said.
"I do." Carmine whispered to his twin.
"You have never heard of Mistress-"
"Magenta?" said Remix, entering the room with Boba as they turned the lights back on.
"Ugh!" Majestica, or rather Magenta, groaned. "You ruined my entrance..." that was when she spotted the unicorn who looked rather unhappy to see her. "Remix?"
"Remix, you know Mistress Majestica?" said Peppermint.
"Know her?" said Remix, looking peeved. He angrily strode up and stood face to face with the pop star pony. "That mare... is my sister."
Everyone in the room gasped. They had no idea Remix had a sister, much less a famous one.
"Okay, how many of us have relatives none of us know about?" Gabby said.
"I thought you told me you were an only child." Boba said. He'd known Remix for three years, and he'd never once heard that he had a sister.
"Little brother, long time no see." said Magenta.
"Not long enough, unfortunately."
"Oh, is someone still jealous because he was rejected by Enchan-Tunes?" mocked Magenta.
"I didn't get rejected!" Remix said. "And you know it!"
"What are they talking about?" Omega said.
"Oh, Remix and I go way back." Magenta said.
Ten years ago...
It was a very special day on a big show called Encan-Tunes, the biggest music festival in all of Enchantra. At the beginning of each season, twenty-five amazing acts auditioned, but only three would make it to the final round, and only one would leave with the Golden Note trophy.
A then fifteen-year-old Magenta and six-year-old Remix stood by together on the stage with the other contestant who'd made it to the final round.
"And now, here is the moment we've all been waiting for." said the host. "Two beautiful and talented young equines stand before me, but we only have one trophy to give."
The two ponies stood excitedly, little Remix's tail wagging like a happy puppy's as the twinkle in his eyes shined.
"The winner of the Golden Note and a big-time record deal is..."
The two ponies waited with great anticipation.
"MAGENTA MAREHEART!"
The crowd cheered and Magenta jumped for joy. Remix on the other hand, burst into tears and ran off crying.
But then the flashback popped.
Present day...
"HOLD ON!" Remix said. "That's not what happened at all! What happened was-"
"It's my understanding I've been matched with a rider worthy of my presence." Magenta said.
Magenta looked around at all the people, but thought of all sorts of reasons why none of them made the cut.
"Ah, King Qui-Gon. Surely, someone of your stature-"
Qui-Gon interrupted.
"I was not matched with you."
"Then perhaps one of your sons-"
"We both have horses already." Carmine said, Harmony stepping beside him, and Sapphire by Anakin.
"Princess Kara-"
"Nuh-uh." Kara shook her head and pointed down to someone next to her.
Magenta looked down and started to laugh.
"That little guy? You can't be serious!"
"Oh, it's serious, Sis." Remix said. He then sang, "The Equinary has never been wrong."
"Pfft. Whatever. I didn't need a rider before, I don't need one now." said Magenta, starting to leave. "I'm out of here."
"Finally, you say something right." Remix said.
Magenta headed out the door, much to King Orpheus' objections.
"Mmm..." Yoda started to think, not showing he was offended. "An attitude, she has."
"More than you'll ever know." Remix snorted.
"I'm so sorry about that." Orpheus said. "My wife and I will talk to her."
"Master Yoda got matched with her?" Anakin said.
"Comedia, if this is one of your jokes, it really isn't funny this time!" Remix said.
"I'm technically royalty, but even I'm not powerful enough to pull off a prank of that level." Comedia said. "Plus, if I knew she was your sister and you didn't like each other, I wouldn't try it anyway. I'm humorous and sometimes crazy, but not stupid."
Boba looked at Remix again and asked why he never told him he had a sister. But Remix said nothing and just walked away in tears.
Gabby looked at Carousella and said, "Do you know what happened between Remix and Magenta?"
Carousella shook her head. "I didn't even know he had a sister until last year when he walked in on me listening to Mistress Majestica's music."
"But Crescent's older than Remix. Wouldn't he have told you?"
"Remix made me keep it secret from anyone else." Crescent said. "Part of the Bro Code."
"You're not even bros." Lamenta said.
"No, but we are cousins."
"Well, do you know why Remix and his sister hate each other so much?" Gabby asked.
"All I know is that after the Enchant-Tunes finale, Remix wouldn't speak to anyone for a long time. And then all he said was that as far as anyone else knows, including my little sister, Magenta Mareheart didn't exist. I've tried asking Uncle Serenado and even my mom and dad about it. None of them would say anything."
Meanwhile, Boba ran after Remix and tried to figure out how to help.
Boba found Remix laying in his bed with his headphones on.
Remix tended to zone out to his music and fall asleep whenever he was upset. This time was no exception. The upset unicorn lay his head on his pillow, his eyes closed, pop music playing in his headphones.
Boba carefully patted Remix by his shoulder. Remix jumped a bit as he was woken up. He looked to see his rider and took off his headphones.
"Is she gone?" Remix asked.
"For now." Boba said.
Remix groaned and was about to put his headphones back on, when Boba swiped them.
"Hey!"
"Remix," said Boba, looking serious. "Why would you keep it secret from everyone that you have a sister?"
"Because Magenta hasn't been my sister for ten years."
"Because she's a big star and is always away?"
"No! Because she abandoned me and humiliated me in front of the entire Enchan-Tunes audience."
"How?"
"I don't like talking about it."
"So, you're just gonna let everyone think Magenta's version of the story is true?"
Remix was silent at that.
Anakin and Carmine sat with their sister Kara for a while, unable to believe how much Remix and Magenta seemed to hate each other. He and Carmine only knew they had a big sister for a few months, but neither of them could imagine being in a fight with each other the way Remix and Magenta were.
"I wonder why they never made up." Anakin said.
"I've seen this kind of thing before." Carmine said. "Sadly, some stars let all the fame and fortune get to their head. They're seduced by the juice of the superstar life. One minute, you're that humble small-town kid with nothing or very little. Then one day, you hit it big and at first, you're glad that you can provide your family with the things they always wanted, but then publicists and producers start telling you that you have to start putting your career above everything else, including your family. You get this thing called Fame Fever."
"How did it never happen to you?" Kara asked.
"I always had Caroline and Lamenta by my side to remind me who I was earning the money for. And, I always this." Carmine said, motioning to his locket. "This locket was always an important part of my past, during a time I had very little. Back when I had only Dad once a year and Grandma the rest of the year, and only their love to keep me going. In other words, I never forgot where I came from."
"You said you knew who she is." said Anakin. "Did you ever work with her?"
"Almost." Carmine said. "But I quit on her because she had the worst attitude I'd ever seen. And she made my little lamb cry."
"She got upset with me when I just said hi to her and showed her my sheep." Lamenta said. "And then she asked me if when I go to sleep I count myself. Does my hair make me look like a sheep?"
"Lamenta, you know it doesn't." Carmine said.
"Then why is my nickname Lamb, again?"
"Because lambs are a symbol of purity, innocence, and in some cultures, hope. And, you, my lamb, are a beacon of innocent sweetness and hope." Carmine said, taking his daughter into his lap. "When you were born, I had a second reason to work harder to achieve my own dreams. So, while your love of your toy sheep and the first three letters in your name were part of why I nicknamed you Lamb, the main reason was that you were the innocent being your mother and I both had a duty to protect and raise. And you were one of the main things that saved me from catching Fame Fever."
"Well, Magenta caught Fame Fever long before she even was famous." Remix said, walking in. "Lamenta, you can make other people see the truth, right?"
"Sure, I can." Lamenta said.
"Good. Come here. That is, if your dad doesn't mind me borrowing you for a moment."
"What's this about?" Carmine asked.
"The truth. Magenta told you I got rejected by Enchan-Tunes all those years ago, and while it's true that we did go on that show, I didn't get rejected at all."
Boba took out his tablet and said, "I looked through some old footage of past seasons of Enchan-Tunes and looked what I found."
Boba showed everyone his tablet and it showed a younger Remix and less bedazzled Magenta on stage singing a song and dancing together.
Magenta:
Just getting started
We about to go up
Calling all boss chicks around the world
This is your moment
Own it, sister, woman up!
The world is your oyster
And we are the pearls
Magenta & Remix:
We on! We on! We on!
We on! We on! We on!
We on! We on! We on!
Magenta:
But hold up just a second
I'm about to go awf
Yeah
Yeah
We started at the bottom
Now we're rising to the top
Remix:
Now you've got her going
And she's never gonna stop
Magenta:
It pays to have a beastie
That goes this hard
If you want receipts,
Here's my business card
Both:
Dear Pearls
Get out of your shells
It's your world
We've got to cheer each other on
Magenta:
Until queendom come
And then, Boba skipped to the part where Remix and Magenta stood together with two other contestants awaiting the final announcement.
"And the winners of this season's finale of Enchant-Tunes, the Golden Note trophy, and a big-time record deal are..."
Everyone waited in anticipation.
"MAGENTA AND REMIX MAREHEART!"
The two young equines were both so excited and hugged each other as confetti fell down. And when they were presented with the trophy, Remix held it up and Magenta lifted her little brother up on her back as they shared the victory.
"Wow..." said Anakin. "It looks like you were close."
"We used to be." Remix said. "But this footage doesn't show what happened afterward."
So, Lamenta worked her magic and found the truth.
Ten years ago...
"I'm so proud of both of you," said Serenado, nuzzling his children.
The two siblings placed their trophy next to a framed family photo so they could all enjoy it.
"Your mother would be so proud."
"I know she would." said Magenta, looking at a picture of her mother.
"We're gonna be big stars!" Remix said.
"That we are." Magenta said.
And a few days later, Magenta and Remix headed to the studio to begin working with their new producers. Remix was so excited to work with his big sister on writing new songs and making music together. He'd practiced his break dancing every day for hours.
"Here are out new stars." said the producer, who was a minotaur, an intimidating magical creature.
Magenta shook hoof to hand with the producer and walked into the recording studio with her little brother.
At first, things went pretty well. The two of them sang together and had a lot of fun. And they wrote some lyrics for great new songs with each other. But then one day, Remix came later to the studio because he was joining his cousin Crescent in junior royal guard training. And when he got in, the producers told him to leave.
But as he was being escorted out, Remix saw Magenta singing a solo.
Remix waited for Magenta to come home, and he demanded answers.
"The producers wanted to try having me sing a solo this time." said Magenta. "I thought you knew."
"No one told me about it!" Remix said.
Magenta ruffled Remix's hair and said, "Hey, it's just the music business, Little Brother. You'll get your chance later."
But... things did not get better after that.
Magenta started recording more solo songs at the studio while Remix was forced to just sit and watch, or sometimes he wasn't invited at all. Then, Magenta started spending less time at home and more time trying out different hairstyles, makeup, and outfits, and performing concerts at different venues.
Over time, Magenta stopped spending time with her family and more time doing concerts. And then one day, she was offered a contract to do an on the road tour. But Serenado said that Magenta was too young to make that decision on her own and that she'd lost sight of what was truly important.
But Magenta didn't listen to her father. When he said he wouldn't approve for her to go, she snuck out in the middle of the night and went on her own. No explanation. No goodbye. She just took all her stuff and left. She even took the trophy she and Remix won together, and just left their family photo on the floor, broken.
Remix was devastated that day.
He and Serenado tried to contact Magenta, but she wouldn't answer.
Remix felt so betrayed, so humiliated, and so angry too. His sister abandoned him for a solo career in music. That was supposed to be them together! And instead, Magenta went behind his back and didn't give a lick about how this affected him.
Present Day...
"After that," said Remix. "I began doing my music on my own and never let anyone see that they could stop me from doing what I loved. Music was my favorite thing to do because it was supposed to bring people together, and I was going to make sure that no music did the same thing to anypony else that it did to me and my sister."
"We had no idea." Gabby said, caressing Remix's muzzle.
"Why would you?" Remix said. "Magenta forgot her family existed... I decided to do the same with her. So, it's been just me and Dad for as long as I can remember. But somehow that stupid Equinary brought her right back."
"That stupid Equinary is the reason we met, remember?" Boba pointed out.
"I know. But you picked me. It didn't pick for you. And I don't see how her being matched with the Grand master of the Jedi is supposed to help either of them. But that doesn't matter anymore. She's not going to do anything for anyone unless she thinks they're good enough to even stand in her presence, much less hear her perform."
Featured Songs:
1. "Like a Lady" by Lady A
2. "About to Go Awf" by Aria Brooks & Rueby Wood