Catching Up

The spring in Trance's step solidly confirmed his heart's happiness. He bounced through the streets of Ponyville without having the slightest clue as to where he was going to stop. He was so preoccupied with his delight that he no longer noticed that he had left with Vinyl's glasses. It wouldn't have mattered anyway; he loved how she just let him leave with them. To him that meant she trusted him, and that was more than he could have ever have asked for. And now he had a date with her! By Celestia's tiara he had a date with Vinyl Scratch!

"Hey, Trance!"

Pinkie Pie's shout was enough to rip the stallion from his reveries and land him back in reality. Finally taking in his surroundings, he found that Pinkie Pie was bouncing right beside him. "Hey, Pinkie Pie!"

"Where are you going?"

He stopped his bouncing. With a slightly embarrassed smile, he replied, "I really don't know. Somewhere, heheh."

"Hey, I'm going somewhere too! Wanna come with me?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, let's go Pinkie Pie!"

She squealed in delight and kept bouncing along to her previous destination. He followed behind, somewhat relieved he was no longer bouncing aimlessly through Ponyville. To his surprise she led him all the way to Sugarcube Corner. The giant building was very different since his last visit.

"Whoa, a lot's changed since I was last here", he said, taking a look around the sweets shop. It was way more spacious than he last remembered, and there were now display cases in the counters. "Hey, is the old hangout booth still here?"

"Does a parasprite gobble up everything in sight?" Pinkie Pie asked in return.

"It is!?" Trance didn't waste any more time. In a flash, he was in a full sprint, headed for the far corner of Sugarcube Corner. He couldn't believe it. After all these years, the old booth was still in Sugarcube Corner. He ran his hoof along the top of the table, where he, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Lyra had all etched their names. It wasn't the happiest they had ever made Mr. and Mrs. Cake, but since the Corner was like the group's second home, the couple decided to let it slide.

"Hey, Pinkie?"

"The usual?" She asked with a giggle.

"Read my mind."

"Oki Doki Loki!" He watched her zip to the back of the shop, just like she did back when she was only helping out in the kitchen.

Trance scooted into his place in the booth. So many memories swam back just by sitting in his old spot. He looked around at all of the changes the Cakes and Pinkie Pie had made to the place. He found it more peaceful with the new décor. One thing did strike him as odd though. "Why is it so dark in here?"

"That's because you're wearing sunglasses, silly!" Pinkie Pie had returned in record time. She couldn't wait to catch up with him!

"Huh?" Trance focused his eyes to Vinyl's glasses. He blushed hard upon seeing that he was still wearing them.

"Hey, you're turning red!" Pinkie Pie announced to the whole diner.

"Pinkie Pie!" he exclaimed. "Don't let the world know!"

"Oops", she said awkwardly, "Sorry!"

She sat opposite of him in her old spot and slid his favorite desert across the table to him. "There ya go! One super-sized Chocolate Mountain! On the house!"

He licked his lips. "Man, I haven't had one of these in years!"

That seemed to have touched a nerve with Pinkie Pie. Just as Trance was about obliterate his snack, he saw how upset she had become.

"Pinkie Pie?" He pushed the chocolate desert aside. "What's wrong?"

Meanwhile…

It wasn't long after Trance left when Bon Bon walked in. Vinyl didn't see her, nor did she hear the door open. She was too busy cleaning behind the sales counter.

Bon Bon trotted over. "Hey, Vinyl!"

"What's up, Bonny Bon?" Vinyl asked, setting her rag down.

"Nothing much, just came by to say hi."

"Is that all?" Vinyl asked sarcastically.

"Is it really that obvious?"

"How long have we been friends?"

"Okay, you got me", Bon Bon admitted, holding up her hooves.

Vinyl grinned victoriously.

"I was wondering if that new Shooting Star album is in", Bon Bon explained, "I figured I've waited long enough to ask."

Vinyl shook her head. "Sorry, Bon, but I still haven't seen it", she said before adding with a chuckle, "I'm starting to wonder if the delivery ponies got robbed."

"I've been waiting forever alrea—" Bon Bon started. She stopped after hearing the music playing throughout the store.

Vinyl would have to have been blind not to see Bon Bon's shocked expression. "You okay?"

It took the Earth Pony a second to get over her frozen state. Then, just as Vinyl was about to shake her back to reality, Bon Bon began to sway with the music. She shuffled lightly in tune to the song's beat. "Vinyl, this song is…is…"

"Amazing?" Vinyl had listened to Trance's other songs, and the one that was now playing had to be her favorite so far. Kid's got skill, she thought.

"Yeah…"

Bon Bon's dancing didn't last much longer. Trance's song slowly faded away, leaving the shop with interlude. "Vinyl, who is that song by?"

"Tr—uh…K3bord LIghtz", she said, almost forgetting to use Trance's stage name.

"They're good!"

"He", Vinyl corrected.

"He's good", Bon Bon said in a daze. She quickly recovered and said, "Please tell me you have a tape!"

"Oh, sorry, Bon", Vinyl apologized, "I only have one, and it was a present from him."

"Oh, please please please let me borrow it!" Bon Bon begged.

Vinyl didn't exactly like the idea of parting with the tape she got from Trance. She scratched the back of her head. "Umm…"

Bon Bon widened her eyes as far as they would go. She even poked her lip out a bit.

"Ugh, fine", Vinyl huffed. "But only under one condition."

"What's that?"

"He has to let me let you borrow it. I mean, he did give it to me."

"Okay, so how long will that take?"

"I'll tell you later after one."

"Okay, I'll be back by then. I hafta go tell Lyra!" Forgetting to ask Vinyl about her absent shades and new hat, she tore off for the exit.

Vinyl turned as Bon Bon shot out of the shop. That pony, she said with a shake of her head. Vinyl knew very well that half of Ponyville would soon know about the great new music playing in her shop. She shook off anymore thoughts of it. She knew it was useless to dwell on things outside of the day's work.

Trance never thought he would see the day Pinkie Pie's smile would disappear. It just seemed so unnatural, almost like the sign of the apocalypse. Fortunately, he always knew how to cheer her up. He scooted out of his side of the booth and in beside her. He put his hooves around her and pulled her into a big hug. And, just like old times, he moved his hoof down to her most sensitive tickle spot and let her have it.

"Heeheehee!" she giggled, "Trancy stop it!"

"Then smile", Trance laughed.

"I am I am! Hahahaha!" Pinkie Pie laughed in between breaths.

Ignoring her obvious expression, Trance said, "Nope, I don't think you are!"

Pinkie Pie smiled as wide as she could. She knew it was in vain, though; Trance wouldn't stop until HE got tired. Fortunately for her, the stares they were getting were enough to deter his interest level. A light pink blush settled on his cheeks from slight embarrassment.

"That's what I'm talking about, Pinkie", Trance said as Pinkie Pie gave a sigh through her smile.

"Phew! You're the best tickler around!" Pinkie straightened up.

"I still got it." Trance left her side of the booth for his and once again glanced at his Chocolate Mountain. Knowing that it would be unfair, he centered it on the table.

Instantly, Pinkie Pie knew what he was thinking. "One", she counted.

"Two", Trance continued.

"Three!" They shouted together.

Needless to say, the giant bowl of ice cream didn't stand a chance. The carnage was over almost as soon as it started, which was probably a Ponyville record. Maybe even on an Equestrian scale. Record breaking wasn't even remotely on either of their minds, though; just the taste was.

"I miss doing that!" Trance shouted with a burp.

"Me too." Pinkie Pie licked a large glob of sticky ice cream from her mouth and cheeks.

"Hey, maybe we can get Rainbow and Lyra together later and hang out just like old times!" It would make Trance so happy if the four of them got together for an evening in Sugarcube Corner.

"Yeah! I'll go get them right now!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

Trance watched her dash out of Sugarcube Corner. He wondered what he was going to do now that the ball of energy was gone. It wasn't time to go meet up with Vinyl yet, which gave him about a couple hours to kill. He was about to get up when the empty bowl levitated from his table and into the kitchen. He looked around and saw a blue unicorn bussing the tables. Hey, that's that colt who carried Pinkie Pie home last night…

Curiosity hit, causing Trance to stand up and walk up to the unicorn. He was too busy to notice him at first, but then he turned around to head back into the kitchen. Trance was standing closer than he intended and was now nose to nose with him.

Strings flinched at Trance's sudden appearance. "Ummm…can I help you?"

Trance didn't say anything right off. He was trying to pick a question from the few hundred that were swimming around in his head. He chose one that, in his opinion, was sort of ridiculous. "You new in Ponyville?"

Strings frowned in confusion. "Yeah, kinda. Why?"

"Just never seen ya around…"

"Hey, if you wanna talk or something", Strings said, "my shift ends in two hours. We're kinda busy today, so I can't really talk."

Trance nodded, and then apologized for the interruption. He was now really frustrated with himself. "You new in Ponyville?" Trance mocked himself on the outside of Sugarcube Corner. "How about, 'Hey, I saw you with Pinkie Pie, who are you?' or something like that?" He planted a hoof to his forehead. "Way to go Trance. Way. To. Go."

The Earth Pony decided to quell his frustration by walking back to Vinyl's shop. He wasn't exactly sure where it was, but he had a pretty good idea. A lot might have changed since Trance was last in Ponyville, but he still basically knew it like the back of his hoof. "I might even run into a couple of my…" Trance began. Hey, that was a great idea! "I'll go see my friends!" he yelled right into the face of a random—and now terrified—mare. She recoiled and backed away slowly from the crazy colt. Trance barely noticed as he turned to take off. He only got about three steps to his destination before crashing right into a second mare.

They both hit the ground pretty hard, sending Vinyl's glasses flying right off Trance's nose. In a panic, he jumped up to catch them. To his horror he missed. He hit the ground once again and rolled over for a last attempt to catch the shades before they shattered on the hard ground. He didn't have to. Thankfully the yellow Pegasus he bumped into had caught them in her gentle hooves.

"Don't worry", said Fluttershy softly, "I caught them."

"Fluttershy!" Trance cheered. He jumped up to give her a really big hug.

The mare seized up. "E-excuse me", she squeaked, "Do I know you?"

Trance let her go and took a step back. "Fluttershy it's me! Trance!"

"Trance?" Fluttershy gave him a close look. "Trance Jammer?"

"Yeah!"

"Wow, you look so different…" Fluttershy gave him back Vinyl's shades. "I'm sorry…I didn't know it was you…"

"Glad you haven't changed." Trance smiled widely. He was just having the best of luck, bumping into everypony he knew. "Good old Flutters!"

She blushed, "No pony has called me that in a long time…"

"I was the only one!" Trance laughed.

"I know", she said softly. "I never forgot about you."

"Hey, let's get back to the cottage so we can catch up!"

Fluttershy nodded. She turned, "It's so good to see you again, Trance."

"I know right! I miss you guys so much!" He followed her through the crowded streets of Ponyville.

"We missed you too." Fluttershy replied.

"How're things going?"

"Fine." Fluttershy looked away to gaze idly at anything but him.

"Fluttershy?"

"Why did you leave us?" she asked calmly, still refusing to face him.

There was a cold chill in her voice that left Trance with a shiver. "It wasn't like I wanted to…"

"Why didn't you write?" The coldness in her voice dropped a few degrees with that question.

Trance sighed. "It's complicated, but believe me, I really wanted to. I even tried." He rounded the mare's flank to hopefully get back into her line of sight, a plan she stomped into the ground by gazing at a few birds flying back in the opposite direction. It was heartbreaking to have her ignore him like that, whether or not he deserved it. Trance felt he had betrayed her, as well as everypony else he knew all those years ago. He sighed. "Fluttershy…please…"

His change of tone was the only reason the mare turned. When her eyes fell on him, she beheld an almost crying colt. He removed Vinyl's glasses to reveal that he wasn't faking. Guilt was the next thing to fall, overwhelming Fluttershy so much that she was forced to put her hooves around him in a gentle Fluttershy hug. Despite a few ponies sending stares in their direction, they could feel the ice from the last few freezing moments melt away. Only when she let him go did the Pegasus realize what she did. A blush rose to her cheeks and nose, fueled mostly by the big, goofy grin that Trance was known for.

"Are we still going to the cottage?" he asked.

She nodded, and they were continuing off. Along the way, a few small conversations ensued, some about what it was life was like for them nowadays, some about family, and even some about their pets. Of course, Fluttershy took that part over with her endless list of furry, feathered, and scaled friends. They happened upon her cottage a few minutes later, where a yellow Earth Pony was busy watering the flowers near the porch.

"Whoa…" Trance let his eyes wander over the many changes of the in-tree home. "Renovation, much?"

Fluttershy laughed quietly. "It has grown a few feet since you were last here."

"A few?" he exhaled incredulously, "It even grew an attic!" He followed the trunk back down to the Earth Pony working with the foliage. "And a butler?"

The Pegasus giggled. "No, that's Daylight."

Feeling their conversation on him, he turned around. With a friendly, the yellow pony approached them, namely Trance Jammer. For some reason, the shorter Earth Pony felt a bit intimidated. "Hey, Fluttershy, who's your friend?"

"Oh, um, Daylight, this is Trance Jammer, an old friend from my foalhood. Trance, this is Daylight, my…coltfriend", she introduced with a heavily red face.

"Nice to meet you." Trance put his hoof out for Daylight to shake, and, to his relief the taller pony shook it.

"Pleasure's mine", replied Day happily.

Fluttershy then took the two inside, and the second Trance was over the threshold, he had the oddest feeling he was forgetting something…

A subtle cliffhanger of bad things to come, or a cliffhanger depicting a comedic start for the next chapter?

I'm getting chapters out at an even rate now! Woohoo! You know what this calls for? A PARTY!

Trivia:

Back when they were all young, Fluttershy had a crush on Trance, which is the reason for her out-of-character-but-understandable-subzero conversation with the colt.

Trance's portable DJ/Keyboard booth was packed up and sent back to where he lived. Derpy Hooves and a small moving crew helped get it on its way while Vinyl and Bon Bon were having their conversation.