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Chapter 1: Everything Is PerfectSecond Chances II: Love and CourageBy Hero541Chapter 1: Everything Is PerfectJosh awoke slowly. He'd been having the weirdest dreams last night, and was surprised he'd even gotten to sleep at all. As he rolled over, he came face to face with a white unicorn mare whose shaggy blue mane fell all around her pillow. Her eyes were closed and her cream colored chest rose and fell with each silent breath. The human smiled at the beautiful sight.Slowly, he raised his hand and began to stroke the beautiful blue mane of the unicorn, causing her to stir in her sleep, a wide smile spreading across her face. Eventually, she inched forward and threw her forelegs around the human, holding him tightly. Josh knew she was playing around, so he began to plant small kisses all around her neck and chest."Josh… stop it… that tickles…" she moaned, giggling a little as he moved around her body.After a few minutes of this, the unicorn finally opened her eyes, her beautiful crimson-magenta eyes, and looked at her lover."Morning, beautiful." said Josh, laying and facing his mare, "You sleep well last night, Vinyl?""Mhm." she mumbled, moving in close and nuzzling his neck as he threw his arms around her, "No thanks to you.""It's hardly my fault you decided to get freaky last night." said Josh, causing Vinyl to giggle once more.Vinyl stopped nuzzling Josh and backed off, smiling widely at him. Slowly, they moved in and kissed each other lovingly. Even now, after almost a year, the action still made Josh's heart soar like nothing else."We've gotta get up, don't we?" asked Vinyl as they broke the kiss."Fraid so…" said Josh, still holding his marefriend close."Aww… I wanna stay in bed with you, baby." she silently whined, planting another small kiss on his lips."I'd love to stay in bed all day too." said Josh, caressing his marefriend's mane once more, "But, we've got a show in Canterlot in two days, and we'll have to head out today if we wanna get everything set up. I know for a fact you don't wanna miss that."Vinyl's eyes lit up at his words."Is that code for you saying we'll get to spend two days wandering around Canterlot while our crew sets up everything for us?" she asked, smirking at him."Interpret it however you want, babe." he said, returning her smirk.Vinyl smiled and kissed Josh once more, feeling sparks fly in her chest as their lips made contact. Slowly, she rose from the bed, hitting the floor and yawning wide. Josh watched from his laying position as she walked towards the bathroom, his head propped on an arm."You have got the best ass in all of Equestria, you know that?" he said, watching her swaying flank as she made her way across the room."You're not too bad yourself, you know." she replied over her shoulder, smiling coyly at her coltfriend."My ass can't even compare to yours, babe." he replied, rolling out of bed and standing up."If you say so." replied Vinyl, heading in the bathroom door, "Just try and keep an eye on the board tonight instead of my flank, okay?"Josh saluted to her, making her giggle once more. That giggle was one of the most beautiful sounds Josh got to hear now. He'd been in Equestria with Vinyl just two months short of a year now, and he couldn't be happier. Because of his show they'd done last year, their popularity as dubstep producers had spread quickly. After he'd returned to be with Vinyl, it wasn't long till more and more ponies from all over the kingdom began to come and ask them to perform at their venues.And perform they did, everywhere from Los Pegasus to Fillydelphia. Even Cloudsdale had asked them to come perform, but they'd turned it down because Josh didn't truly trust the structural soundness of clouds, even if Twilight had used her magic to enchant the producers and their equipment. As one could imagine, Josh and Vinyl were making pretty decent money, enough for them to be able to move Vinyl out of Octavia's house and Josh out of Rarity's boutique, and buy a nice house in Ponyville. Both of them missed the sight of their respective friends each morning, but they never had to worry about one of them questioning their occasional… late night activities, whatever those may be.Josh put on his robe and headed downstairs to begin making breakfast and to fetch the mail. As he stepped out the door and checked the mail slot, he saw it was empty. Dammit he thought Why hasn't Derpy delivered here yet? We're closer than anyone else on her goddamn route!As he finished his thought, a gray pegasus mare made her way towards him. When she landed, she was panting hard."Hard morning Derpy?" asked Josh, watching the pegasus place her wing in her mailbag and produce several letters."I… r-ran into the-the weather team on my… way." she said, handing the mail to Josh, "S-sorry about being… late."Josh smiled at the wall-eyed pegasus before him. He couldn't stay upset at her for something as minimal as this."Hold on, Derps. I'll go get you a glass of water real quick.""Thanks, Josh. I think I'll be alright though.""You sure?" asked Josh, trying his best to be friendly, "I can just go get one really quick. In fact, I think I have an extra water bottle from one of our shows last week I can give you.""Well…" said Derpy, placing a hoof on her chin in contemplation, "I really shouldn't… I'm only supposed to accept gifts on Hearth's Warming Eve.""They shouldn't trouble you for coming back with a little cheap water bottle." replied Josh, "I'll be right back. Just stay here for a second."Derpy nodded as Josh turned and headed back inside. He went straight for the kitchen and opened a cupboard. Grabbing a water bottle, he quickly filled it and took it outside to the mailmare."Here you go, Derps." he said, handing it to her and smiling, "Enjoy!""Thanks Josh." she said, placing the bottle in her bag, "I really appreciate this."Josh nodded as Derpy took off to continue her mail route. Making his way back into the kitchen, he saw Vinyl descending the stairs, a towel in her magical grip as she dried her hair."Derpy bring the mail?" she asked simply, her voice slightly muffled by the fabric of the towel."Yeah. I haven't opened it yet though. It looks like this one's from your mother." he said, holding up a postcard with a picture of Los Pegasus on it."What's she doing in Los Pegasus?" she asked, throwing her towel in a nearby hamper and grabbing the card, "She hates gambling.""Beats me." said Josh, pulling out a frying pan from underneath the stove, "I know they've got a helluva buffet there.""Speaking of a buffet, I'm starving." said Vinyl, walking over to the fridge and grabbing a box of eggs."Well, we'd better eat quick. Our train to Canterlot leaves earlier than normal this morning.""How early is early, if I might ask?""About… an hour from now."Josh and Vinyl wandered around the market square in Canterlot, the unicorn practically giddy as she walked around her home. Josh always knew how much Vinyl loved Canterlot, and he even relished any opportunity he got to visit that sparkling city. Even if their first trip there hadn't ended quite as he'd expected…"Ooh. Look over there, baby!" said Vinyl, rushing over to a small theme park nearby, "Do we have some time to play around here?""I don't see why we wouldn't." said Josh, eyeing the theme park, "But, I don't think I'll be able to do most of this.""Why?"Josh simply stared down at Vinyl, whom he stood about three feet taller than. She smiled sheepishly at his gaze, realizing her mistake. A noise like a squeaky toy being squeezed sounded."I've been in Equestria for almost a year," he began, looking all around for the source of the noise, "and I still have no idea what that goddamn noise is!""What noise, babe?"Josh said nothing, knowing there was no way he could begin to explain it to Vinyl."Don't worry about it." he said, making his way into the theme park, "C'mon. Let's just enjoy ourselves a little. You in?"Vinyl smiled wide and followed her coltfriend into the theme park, glad to be able to spend a day with him like this.Josh and Vinyl lay in bed that night, thinking back on all the fun they'd had that day. Josh had been right that he couldn't do most of the things that were in the park, but he still enjoyed watching her have a great time. Vinyl rode almost all the rides in the park throughout the day, all the while trying to convince the ride manager to allow Josh to come with her. All they had to do was look at the tall human once before they would burst out laughing at the idea of him trying to squeeze into the small car for the ride. It never bothered Josh however, mostly because he knew better than them that he had no chance of fitting.All the while they were there, ponies all over began to recognize them and ran up, asking for autographs and photos. Vinyl was beginning to get used to all the attention, though her magic still shook with excitement as she tried to sign whatever they asked her to. After they were done in the park, the two lovers made their way to Vinyl's favorite café in downtown Canterlot, where they had lunch and talked about the show in two days. There again, they were met with dozens of fans, all eager and excited to see their idols.Now, they lay in their bed in the castle suite, having capped off a wonderful day by passionately making love to one another. Vinyl laid her head on Josh's chest, her forelegs wrapped around her lover, her eyes closed as she listened to his soft heartbeat. Josh stroked her beautiful blue mane, occasionally massaging her ear and earning a soft moan of contentment from the unicorn."Baby, thank you for today." said Vinyl, raising her head and looking into Josh's blue eyes, "I've never had so much fun in all my life.""Anything for you, Vinyl." replied Josh, smiling at his marefriend, "I'm glad you had a good time.""I had an awesome time! Even if you couldn't ride those rides with me, it was still a lot of fun.""Hey, Vinyl." said Josh, sitting up a little, "Can I talk to you about something? It's kinda been bugging me.""What's wrong, Josh?" she asked, rising off his chest and looking at him with concern painting her face."Well…" said Josh, trying to find a good way to phrase what he wanted to say, "I know that we're… Well, we're pretty different.""Well, yeah. I knew that." she replied, raising an eyebrow in confusion, "What's the problem there?""The fact I'm a human and you're a pony… does that bother you, even a little?" he asked.Vinyl just stared at him, a blank look on his face. Wow thought Josh, internally facepalming, way to kill the mood, jackass."Where's this coming from?" asked Vinyl finally, breaking the silence after awhile."I've just been thinking about it today." he replied, scratching the back of his neck nervously, "At the theme park. I know you really wanted me to ride those rides with you, and you know I would have. I just… did that embarrass you at all?""Of course not." she said, smiling at him, "I should have known you couldn't have done a lot of that. I wasn't embarrassed, and it doesn't matter to me that you're a human at all. I'd love you no matter if you were human, pony, or even griffin."Josh smiled, glad he hadn't screwed anything up with his question. He grabbed Vinyl's neck and pulled her into himself, kissing her passionately. She smiled and pulled him closer, probing his mouth with her tongue and feeling herself melt into his embrace."I love you too, Vinyl." he said once they broke, pressing his forehead against hers just below her horn.Together, they lay in bed, relishing the feeling of their warm bodies pressed against each other. As they held one another, both thought how much they loved the other, and how nothing in all the world could make them happier than to be together. Slowly, they drifted off to sleep, still in each other's embrace and both still very much in love.
 
Chapter 2: ShowtimeSecond Chances II: Love and CourageBy Hero541Chapter 2: ShowtimeJosh wandered around the stage setup the next day, making sure everything was as it should be for their performance tomorrow. He walked over to the soundboard and began checking to make sure everything was still set up as it should be."Which one of you wired this?" he called, making everypony stop what they were doing."Uh… I d-did, sir." said a green unicorn mare with a black mane, raising her hoof hesitantly.All eyes fell on her as Josh stood to address the problem."Come on over here for a second." he said, smiling and gesturing for her to come closer, "I wanna show you something."The unicorn pressed her ears flat against her skull and walked over to Josh, mentally cringing at whatever mistake she could have made. As she approached, Josh saw she was pretty apprehensive, so he knelt down and spoke softly."What's your name?" he asked."E-Emerald." she stammered."Well, Emerald, you've done a pretty good job wiring the board here." he began, standing up and looking to the device, "But, you messed up a little.""What did I do wrong?" asked Emerald, jumping up on her hind legs and looking at the wires."This wire here is supposed to go in that port as opposed to the one you have it in." said Josh , pointing to each wire in question, "We don't need these ports for anything. They aren't hooked up to any of the equipment anyway.""Oh." said Emerald, blushing a little at her mistake, "Sorry.""It's not a big deal, Emerald." said Josh turning and smiling at her, "This is why I come in and check everything before the show, so we can fix mistakes like this."Emerald smiled back at Josh, relieved that he wasn't too upset. As she went to fixing the board, six ponies made their way up to see Josh."Joshie!" yelled the pink pony, running up and launching herself at the human.Before Josh had any time to react, she collided with him, sitting on her haunches atop of his chest as he hit the ground."Hey P-Pinkie Pie." said Josh, struggling to breathe from both the weight of the pony atop his chest as well as the impact from hitting the ground.Pinkie smiled down at Josh as the other five ponies made their way up the stage. A bright pink aura surrounded Pinkie and lifted her off Josh, placing her next to the other ponies."Thanks, Twilight." said Josh, rubbing the back of his head."How are you, darling?" asked the white unicorn, walking up and hugging her friend as he lay on the ground."Well enough." he said, returning her hug and standing up, "Just doing some last minute checks before it's time to rehearse for tomorrow.""When're you guys gonna do that?" asked a cyan pegasus with a long, rainbow colored mane."Whenever Vinyl gets here." he replied."Where is that mare, anyway?" asked an orange earth pony in a brown Stetson, Applejack."She's in the back taking a nap." said Josh, rolling his eyes a little, "She likes to be nice and rested before we start rehearsing.""Ah can hardly blame her." said the earth pony, "Ah've seen you two durin' your rehearsals. Ya'll can get into it and go pretty crazy. Wouldn't wanna be tired for that.""I suppose…" said Josh."What time should we show up tomorrow?" asked the yellow pegasus, Fluttershy."Probably around 7 or so." said Josh, "Just show the guys at the front your passes and they'll let you all back here so you can join us onstage.""I'm so excited! I should throw a party before the show! Then I can throw a party after the show! Maybe I'll just make the whole entire thing just one big huge fantastical crazy party!" shouted Pinkie, attracting attention from all around."Maybe we'd better leave that up to Josh and Vinyl." said the purple unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, "It is their show after all."Pinkie hung her head a little at Twilight's words. Josh laughed a little at her sudden change in expression."Tell you what, Pinks," he began, kneeling down and patting her on the head, "After the show, you can be in charge of the after-party. How's that sound?"Pinkie smiled wide, the squeaky noise sounding as she did so. Josh smiled back, ignoring the annoying sound that seemed to plague him everywhere he went."Ah thought ya'll had somepony else who planned that kinda stuff." whispered Applejack into Josh's ear as Pinkie began to ramble all about her plans to the gathered ponies."I think I can pull some strings for that." he whispered back, "After all, who am I to keep Pinkie from throwing a party?"Applejack chuckled a little as Vinyl walked out from backstage, yawning as she did so."You ready for rehearsal, baby?" she asked as she walked towards her coltfriend."Sure. Did you sleep well?" he asked, kneeling down and giving her a kiss."Well enough." she replied, smiling at him, "I'm ready to go crazy now though.""We'll just head out then." said Twilight, looking to the white unicorn examining the curtains, "Come on, Rarity.""I can't believe they're using a black curtain for this!" she exclaimed, looking at the fabric in disgust, "It totally doesn't match the overall color scheme."Everypony said their goodbyes and left Josh and Vinyl to rehearse for tomorrow."It's so awesome that we've got friends like them to come and support us." said Vinyl, taking her place at the board."Yeah." said Josh simply, grabbing his headphones and preparing to get to work, "You ready?"Vinyl smiled devilishly at him and nodded. Josh smiled back and pressed a few buttons, beginning the music and allowing the two producers to become lost in the hypnotic beat.Ponies in the crowd screamed and danced as Josh and Vinyl stood onstage, both rocking and moving to the beat they were making. Behind them, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Twilight were also all losing themselves in the music. Off to the side, Princess Celestia merely stood along with her sister, Princess Luna, both of them smiling at the crowd all enjoying the music.Josh felt wave after wave of ecstasy hit him as the beat flowed through his very soul, causing him to lose himself. Next to him, Vinyl had a wide smile on her face as she turned knobs and moved sliders, manipulating the music to her heart's content. Both of them were completely entranced at this point, feeling the drop come closer and closer as the song built up. Josh threw his hands up on the air, gesturing for more from the crowd. The bass drop came, and he threw his hands down in perfect time, feeling another wave of pleasure overtake his mind.The song ended and Josh looked to Vinyl. Both were smiling and drenched in sweat, both also thinking about how far they had come in less than a year. They embraced on the stage before Josh pulled over the microphone to address the still ecstatic crowd."Thank you, Canterlot!" he yelled, peering out and seeing a few ponies on the backs of others, all cheering and going crazy, "You guys have been absolutely incredible tonight. Thank you so much for allowing us to perform here tonight."Vinyl walked up next to Josh, moving her sunglasses so they were perched on her forehead just above her horn."And, of course, thank you to my lovely marefriend here, DJ Pon-3!" he said, making the crowd roar in response.Vinyl blushed a little, but still waved to the assembled ponies, making them erupt in ecstatic cheers once more. Josh looked out once more and waved as well, hearing the sound of cheers and stomping hooves all around. As he stood there, Vinyl at his side, the crowd began to chant, "Kiss her! Kiss her!" He looked to Vinyl, both of them smiling."We've gotta please the crowd." he said over the din as Vinyl jumped up on her hind legs and put her forelegs on his chest."Don't mind if I do." she replied, drawing him into a long, passionate kiss that made the crowd erupt once more.They broke apart after several seconds and waved once more before heading backstage."That was so awesome!" said Rainbow Dash, beaming at Josh and Vinyl as she floated up to them, a few glow rings around her neck and one in her hair."Ah've gotta say, that was pretty great." said Applejack, who had some glow sticks on her hooves and hat."Absolutely wonderful, darling. You both were." said Rarity, smiling and hugging both Josh and Vinyl."Where'd Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie go?" asked Twilight, looking all around for their friends.As they looked, somepony on the stage yelled, "STAGE DIVE! WHEEE!"Everypony and Josh all peered out to the crowd and saw the familiar forms of a yellow pegasus with a long pink mane and the premier party pony of Equestria floating along the top of the crowd. Pinkie was wearing her signature "Rave party dress" and had made a similar one for Fluttershy, except it was blue and pink instead. Josh and the others all laughed as they watched the two mares bob up and down in the crowd. The human felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around."Hello there, Josh." said Princess Celestia, smiling at Josh."Hey, Princess." said Josh, bowing a little to the alicorn, "What'd you think of the show?""That was a fantastic show!" she exclaimed, beaming at Josh, "You may have just made me a fan of this, what's it called, dubetep.""I'm flattered to hear you say that, Princess."The two stared at each other for awhile longer before Vinyl rushed up to Josh and jumped into his arms. Josh caught her and leaned in, giving her a kiss. She smiled at him as they broke apart, wrapping her forelegs around his neck and holding him close."You two can stay in the castle suite for another night, if you'd like." said Celestia, smiling at the two producers."I won't complain about that." said Josh, setting Vinyl back down on the ground.Celestia nodded and said goodbye to Josh and Vinyl, heading back to her castle. Human and unicorn looked back at each other, adrenaline still flowing through their veins from their recent performance."They're wanting us to go out and sign some more autographs, babe." said Vinyl, gesturing back to the stage."I think we can manage that." said Josh, smiling and making his way back towards the crowd.He thought all about the past year of his life. He'd given up everything he had back home, yet he couldn't possibly ask for anything to make him happier. Here, he was madly in love with someone, had friends who genuinely cared about him, and could still live out his passion as a producer. Nothing in the entire universe could be better. Everything was perfect, and he couldn't think of a single thing that could change that.
 
Chapter 3: Back In PonyvilleSecond Chances II: Love and CourageBy Hero541Chapter 3: Back In PonyvilleThe cleanup for the show in Canterlot had taken a little longer than he had hoped, but after two days, Josh had finally gotten everything back to Ponyville. He stood on the train station platform, watching as a few unicorns offloaded the sound equipment."Careful with that board." he said, pointing to the soundboard in a yellow unicorn stallion's magical grip, "It's already been banged into a wall once. I'd prefer we not have to have that happen again.""Couldn't we just teleport all this stuff back to your studio?" asked one mare who had just set down a mixer."Afraid I don't' trust teleportation, otherwise we would." said Josh simply, "Don't worry though. Applejack and Twilight are gonna drop by and help move all this stuff back. You're all off the hook once it's all out of the train."His words made them work a little faster, and in no time at all, every piece of equipment they used in the Canterlot show was on the train platform. Just as they finished, Applejack pulled up one of her larger apple carts, setting it next to the platform so Twilight could set it all in the back."Howdy, Josh." she said, waving to a few of the unicorns at they departed, "Is this everything we're takin' back to your place?""Yup." Josh peered around, "Where's Twilight?""Ah don't know." said Applejack, loosening herself from the cart and looking all around for the purple unicorn, "She was right behind me when Ah last checked."Almost on cue, Twilight ran up to the two of them, panting and sweating. She stopped just short of Josh and Applejack, collapsing to the ground."Sorry… I'm… late." she panted, peering up at Josh and Applejack from the ground."Where'd ya go?" asked Applejack, walking over to help Twilight up."I… forgot to… grab the… instruction manual… for the… equipment…" she replied, still struggling for air."You don't need that, Twi." said Josh, smiling at the unicorn sympathetically, "Vinyl and I are gonna get everything set up once we get back to the house. I just need you to help load and offload it all."Twilight just stared at Josh, her mouth agape. The human smiled sheepishly back at Twilight and shrugged."Speakin' of which, where's Vinyl anyway?" asked Applejack, breaking the now awkward silence that had settled."She's back at the house right now." he replied, "I got up earlier than here this morning, and I didn't want to disturb her. She'll help offload all this once we get it back to our house.""Works for me." said Applejack, "So, what're we movin' first?""Just get as much as you can in the back." replied Josh, walking over and grabbing his own controller and soundboard, "Twi, you okay to help out?"Twilight still had her mouth open in shock as Josh addressed her. Upon hearing his voice, she snapped back to reality, shaking her head."Oh. Yeah, I'm alright."Together, Josh and Twilight loaded everything in the back of the cart in only twenty minutes. Applejack hooked herself up to the cart once they were ready and together, the three friends made their way back across town towards Josh and Vinyl's home. Along the way, Josh talked about the next show they were supposed to do in Los Pegasus in two weeks."I've only been to Las Pegasus once." said Twilight, "My mom and dad took my brother and I there once when we were little.""We did a show there not too long ago." said Josh, thinking back to the event, "Vinyl ended up drinking a little too much before the show and got kinda drunk."Both Twilight and Applejack burst out laughing at that. They both knew full well how technical the job was that Josh and Vinyl did, and the idea of the unicorn trying to work a soundboard drunk was unbelievably hilarious to them."Surprisingly, she wasn't that bad." finished Josh, earning another loud roar of laughter from the two ponies."H-how did she use the board or mixer?" asked Twilight, wiping a tear from her eye."That's a mystery I have yet to solve." said Josh as his home came into view.Vinyl, who had heard the approaching cart, stood outside with Sweetie Belle, both of them smiling at Josh and the others as they approached."Hey there, sexy." she said, walking out to Josh and jumping up on her hind legs to give him a kiss."Hey sweetheart." said Josh, hugging Vinyl and feeling a tug on his pants leg, "And hello to you, my other sweetheart."Vinyl jumped down from her coltfriend and allowed him to bend down and pick up Sweetie Belle. She giggled loudly as Josh cradled her and tickled her little white belly. The cream colored unicorn mare smiled at the cute sight. Josh would make an unbelievable father she thought."What brings you around here, Sweets?" asked Josh, placing the little white filly back on the ground."I came over to see if you were here because I wanted to ask you something," she began, almost jumping up and down with excitement, "but Vinyl said you were at the train station getting all your stuff.""She was gonna go get you, but I told her she ought to wait for you here." finished Vinyl, making her way over to the cart to help offload its contents, "So, I helped her with her magic a little.""That's awesome! Can you show me what you learned so far?"Sweetie Belle nodded, then turned to a small rock nearby and closed her eyes in concentration. Her horn was enveloped in a jade colored aura as she focused on the rock. It took a little while, but eventually the rock was surrounded in the same aura and began to levitate a few inches off the ground."That's amazing, Sweets!" exclaimed Josh as Sweetie broke her concentration, "You're really making progress."Sweetie Belle beamed up at Josh, who knelt down and patted her head."So, Sweetie," said Vinyl, setting a speaker down nearby and turning to address the unicorn filly, "do you want to ask Joshie your question now?""Oh. Yeah!" she replied, remembering the original reason for her visit, "We're having show and tell tomorrow at school, and I was wondering if you'd wanna be what I bring in to show everypony!""Well, I don't know Sweets." said Josh, looking back to the cart full of equipment, "We've got a lot of stuff to do with all this."Sweetie suddenly changed her face to be the most adorable thing in all of Equestria. Her lower lip trembled in a pouty way and her eyes became huge. It was a look that Josh had failed to ignore the first time Apple Bloom had used it on him, and he still fell for its cuteness every time. He looked to Vinyl, who simply smiled back at him."I'd love to, Sweetie Belle." he finally said, unable to resist the little filly any longer, "I'll be there bright and early, just for you.""Yay!" said Sweetie, bouncing up and down around Josh like Pinkie Pie would have, "Thank you, Joshie!""Anything for you, Sweets." he said, chuckling a little as she encircled him once more."I'll see you tomorrow then." she called, bouncing off in the direction of Carousel Boutique and waving to Josh behind her."That's hardly fair." said Josh, walking over to help Vinyl and Twilight offload the cart."What's that?" asked Vinyl, picking up a mixer."She knows I can't resist that face. It's just too goddamn adorable.""I couldn't resist it either.""She used it on you?""Yup. Once she got here and I said you weren't here." she replied, setting the mixer down, "I couldn't fight that look, so I invited her in and helped her with her magic.""That's real sweet of you, baby." said Josh, placing his own controller down before walking over to Vinyl to hold her, "She's a fast learner. Just like you were."Vinyl blushed at that, remembering back to when Josh first started helping her become a successful producer. She remembered their first "date" they ever went on to the lake. She remembered the first time he helped her make her own solo mix, which also lead to their first kiss…"I guess I just rubbed off on her a little." she replied, a little short of breath at the memories flooding her mind.Josh smiled at her blush and leaned to kiss her once more."I love you so much, Vinyl." he said as they broke apart, "I don't know what I'd ever do without you anymore.""I love you too, Josh." she replied, nuzzling his neck as they held each other.After a few moments of standing there, Josh broke the silence."We'd probably better get this stuff back into the studio.""If you insist." Vinyl chuckled, jumping down from her coltfriend and grabbing several things in her magic to take inside.
 
Chapter 4: Show and TellSecond Chances II: Love and CourageBy Hero541Chapter 4: Show and TellJosh passed through Ponyville on his way to the schoolhouse and Sweetie Belle, being greeted by all kinds of ponies as he walked. Almost all the ponies in Ponyville knew him by now, and they were consistently friendly to him. Much like Vinyl, the fact he was a completely different species than all of them didn't seem to be an issue in the slightest. They always would wave to him, or stop and chat, always asking about how he and Vinyl were doing or about where their next tour stop was. Another plus was that they almost never asked for autographs, most of them already having one anyway.Josh passed by Sugarcube Corner and smelled the sweet scent of Pinkie Pie's breakfast cookies. Maybe she made a batch without coffee in them he thought, remembering back to when he first tried one of them. Caffeine didn't agree with his body at all, and his friends all learned that when he made the mistake of eating one of her cookies containing coffee. Pinkie had felt awful about giving him something that would hurt him like that, so she developed a special recipe that tasted the same, but it didn't have any coffee in it. Josh loved those cookies, and would stock up on them whenever he could.This was one of the reasons he'd left as early as he did. He made his way towards the confectionary shop and stepped inside, the bell ringing as he did so. Almost immediately, Pinkie Pie rushed out from the kitchen and stood at the counter, awaiting her first customer."Hello and welcome to… Oh. Hey Joshie!" she said, abandoning her usual shop greeting as soon as she saw the human."Morning, Pinks." he said, smiling at the ever exuberant pony behind the counter, "How're you doing?""I'm fantastic!" she began, bouncing in place, "When I got up this morning, I couldn't find Gummy, so I got really worried. Then, I remembered he likes to crawl under my bed, but when I checked he wasn't there…"Josh simply smiled down at Pinkie as she continued her rant about her toothless baby alligator. Occasionally, he'd throw in a nod of the head or a, "that's interesting" to at least keep up the illusion that he was still following what the pink pony was saying."… so, I ended up finding him in the kitchen, hidden in a mixing bowl behind a tin of oatmeal. Isn't that crazy?" she finished after about ten minutes."That's incredible, Pinkie." Josh said, trying to feign interest in the story."Oopsie. I got so into my story, I forgot to take your order!" she realized, taking out her pencil and notepad, "What can I get you, Joshie?""I'll have two of your breakfast cookies and a glass of milk." he said, pulling out his bag of bits, "And, could I get a box of those sent home as well? Vinyl's taken a liking to them too, and I wanna surprise her a little.""I can do that!" said Pinkie, opening up the cash register, "That'll be 14 bits please!"Josh handed over 14 little gold coins from his bag and watched as Pinkie ran into the back and returned with two cookies and a glass of milk on a platter. She laid it on the counter and smiled back at Josh, who thanked her and picked up the plate so he could go sit elsewhere and eat his breakfast."My, those look good." said a familiar voice next to the human as he took a seat at a nearby table in the shop.Josh looked and saw the Ponyville schoolteacher, Miss Cheerilee."Fancy meeting you here this morning." he said, standing back up before kneeling to give her a quick hug, "I was headed on my way to the schoolhouse today anyway.""Oh really? Why's that?" asked the mulberry mare."Sweets wants to show me off to all her friends for show and tell today." he replied, smiling at the thought of Sweetie Belle hopping up and down around him yesterday."Oh. I remember her mentioning that at some point." said Cheerilee, putting a hoof to her chin, "I'll bet she's very excited.""Like you wouldn't believe.""Well, I'm just here to grab my morning coffee." said Cheerilee, pointing towards the counter, "How about after I'm done here, you join me and we go to the schoolhouse together?""Works for me."With that, Cheerilee headed for the counter, paid for her coffee, and came back to sit with Josh. Together, the two sat and talked for awhile, Cheerilee about her coltfriend, Big Macintosh, and Josh about Vinyl."Have you and Vinyl thought about having a foal together?" asked Cheerilee, making Josh put his half-eaten cookie down and think."Well, it's crossed our minds before…" he trailed off, thinking about that conversation.Indeed, he and Vinyl had talked about maybe having a child together. Vinyl was all for it, and Josh was as well, so, they said together, what was stopping them? The answer to that question was simple and readily apparent: their jobs. They didn't want to have their child raised by a foalsitter while they were off to all corners of Equestria performing. However, they also couldn't have the foal travel with them everywhere, in case an emergency came up and they needed to be in Ponyville. Maybe some other time he thought."Well, Celestia knows I've tried to convince Big Mac." said Cheerilee, rolling her eyes."Really?" asked Josh through a mouthful of cookie, "What's holdin' you back?""He says that with our jobs, we'd have to get a full time foalsitter for the baby, and we'd hardly ever see it." she said, taking a sip of her coffee."That can be a bit of a problem." said Josh, Vinyl crossing his mind."Yes, it can." continued Cheerilee, her voice becoming stern, "However, that doesn't mean it has to be a constant roadblock."Josh simply nodded in agreement, finishing his cookie and milk as he did so."You all ready to go?" asked Cheerilee, taking one final swig of her coffee."Sure."Together, Josh and Cheerilee gave their empty containers to Pinkie and thanked the pink pony for the treats."No problem, guys!" she said, waving them off, "I'll deliver those cookies to your house right now, Joshie."Josh thanked her once more, then followed Cheerilee back out the door as Pinkie disappeared into the back. Together, Josh and Cheerilee made their way through town, talking about the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Cheerilee told Josh all about their talent show performance the year before, a story which, by the end of it, Josh could hardly breathe for laughing so hard."S-so they s-smashed the entire stage?" he asked, a mirthful tear falling from his eye."Yes. They did." Cheerilee said, frowning at the memory, "I thought they were going to kill themselves. Thank Celestia they didn't get hurt in all that. They certainly could have used you just then to help them with that.""I can only do so much, Cheery." he said, regaining his composure enough to talk once more, "You've gotta have the potential for me to be able to work with. I can tell you for a fact that the only one of them capable of performing onstage like that would be Sweets.""Oh well…" sighed Cheerilee.They talked for a little while longer till the schoolhouse came into view. A few foals were standing outside, awaiting Cheerilee. Josh saw Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom among the group and made his way towards them while Cheerilee opened up the school."Joshie!" they all squealed in excitement, running up and jumping on Josh, who had knelt down to greet them.He felt all three of them wrap their tiny hooves around his body, embracing him tightly. Josh smiled and returned their gesture."I'm so excited for my turn now!" said Sweetie Belle, jumping down from Josh and peering up at him with her beautiful, jade colored eyes."You're gonna do great, Sweets." he said, patting her head, "Now, I think you girls had better get inside so you're not late for class."All three nodded at him and made their way inside the schoolhouse. Josh jumped up, wiping some dust off his pants as he did so. Turning, he saw Cheerilee standing in the doorway smiling at him."There's a nice seat in the back for you to wait." she said, watching as he made his way towards the schoolhouse door."Thanks, Cheery." he said, making his way into the schoolhouse.As he walked in, he saw foals all around, playing, chatting, and just being kids in general. A few of them noticed him and waved to him or ran up to talk to him. They would always comment on how big he was compared to them, or how their parents always talked about he and Vinyl and how cute they were together. All the while, Josh would just smile down at them and respond if they ever asked him any questions. Even when he was back home, he always had a fondness for kids, a trait which paid off here in Equestria."Alright, class," said Cheerilee, taking her spot at the front of the room, "it's time to get started with show and tell. If you'll all take your seats, we can begin."Every foal rushed to their seat while Josh took a place at the back of the room. They all listened to Cheerilee explain how show and tell was going to work, a few of the kids occasionally looking back to Josh, who would smile and wave at them. After her explanation, Cheerilee chose the first student, and show and tell was underway.Josh sat in the back patiently, watching each foal come up and present whatever they had brought to show. Scootaloo had brought in her scooter, and explained how she did some tricks. Apple Bloom brought in a small Stetson hat she had been given by Applejack and talked about how she always wore it when she helped outside. Dinky Hooves, Derpy's ever-adorable unicorn daughter, brought in a mail badge she had gotten from her mother and talked about how her mom delivered the mail to everypony in Ponyville. After about an hour, Cheerilee called on Sweetie Belle, who hopped up from her chair excitedly."Come on, Joshie." she said, taking her place at the head of the room.Josh got up and made his way forward, all eyes following him as he approached the front. He stood next to his favorite little filly, smiling down at her as he did so."Okay, Sweetie Belle. Tell us about who you've brought in today." said Cheerilee, sitting behind her desk and smiling at the excited little unicorn."Everypony," she began, "this is my friend Josh."Every foal simply stared at Josh, who waved to the little crowd before him."Josh came here last year and lived with my sister, Rarity, for a little while." she continued.As she did so, a little pink pegasus filly in the back raised her hoof high in the air."Cotton Cloudy," said Cheerilee, taking notice of the foal, "we're supposed to save our questions for after the presentation."Cotton Cloudy lowered her hoof and blushed, a little pouty that she didn't get her question answered. Josh simply smiled at her and all the other foals, who were obviously holding back on asking their own questions."I'll answer any questions you might have after Sweetie Belle's done talking, okay?" he announced to the room, "Does that sound good?"Every foal nodded in agreement, to which Josh smiled down at Sweetie Belle and nodded, allowing her to continue. She talked all about how he'd taught Vinyl how to make music like him and how they'd put on a big concert last year. A huge smile spread across her face when she talked about how Josh had taken her up on the stage and let her dance around and have fun with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo while Josh and Vinyl performed. She finished by telling about how he'd left Equestria to return home, but had come back because he missed everypony."And that's everything about my friend, Joshie." she finished.Every foal cheered and clapped their hooves. Josh bent down and picked up Sweetie Belle, placing her on his back so her hind legs rested on his shoulders and her rump sat on his neck. She wrapped her forelegs around his head to stabilize herself, a wide smile on her face."Any questions?" she asked from her perch.Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, a torrent of questions burst from every foal. Everything from, "Can you play some music for us?" to, "Are you and Vinyl gonna get married?" was asked, and Josh stood there patiently, answering every question.After a few minutes, the questions began to die down, and Josh placed Sweetie Belle back on the ground."One more, then we'll have to move on." said Cheerilee, looking all around for any more raised hooves, "Diamond Tiara, what's your question for Josh?""Why are you here?" asked a little pink filly in front, who had a tiny diamond encrusted tiara perched on her purple and white mane."Well…" said Josh, thinking about how to answer that, "I'm here because I wanted to stay here.""My father says you don't belong here." said the little filly, glaring at Josh, "He says that Equestria is only supposed to be for ponies and other creatures that were here before."Josh was taken aback by the comments Diamond Tiara made. Nopony had ever had a problem with him before. At least, not any he could think of."Well, your father is entitled to his own opinions," he began, trying to quell the sudden anger he felt rising in his chest, "but I've never even met him. He doesn't really know me, so I hardly think he has the right to judge me outright.""He says he doesn't have to know you to know you don't belong here." she continued, pointing an emphatic hoof at Josh, "Your relationship with Vinyl Scratch is wrong! Only ponies should be together.""Diamond Tiara!" said Cheerilee, speaking up before Josh had the chance to, "That's quite enough! Josh is our guest, and you must…"Josh raised a hand, stopping Cheerilee mid-sentence."Perhaps, Diamond Tiara," he began, somehow managing to keep his voice level with the anger flooding him, "your father should be a big boy and come to me with these issues rather than spouting his hate speech for his own kid to repeat. That would be a nice alternative to what we're doing right now, wouldn't you agree?""How dare you!" shouted the filly, standing up and glaring daggers at Josh, "My father is one of the most respected ponies in this pathetic town! He's three times the stallion you'll ever be!"Josh was about to respond when Cheerilee spoke up once more."Diamond Tiara! That's enough." she said, rising from her desk and glaring at the filly, "For this, you will stay in for lunch and recess. I'll also be telling your father about your behavior and we'll have a conference to discuss this little issue."She looked to Josh, concern etched across her face."I-I'm so sorry about this, Josh." she began, "I'm sorry you have to deal with this. And here, of all places."Josh said nothing, instead looking down to Sweetie Belle. She stared back up at him, her little eyes beginning to water as he looked to her, a saddened expression painting her face at Diamond Tiara's words towards her friend. Josh's heart broke at her sad expression, and he bent down and hugged her. Every foal in the room was completely silent, save for Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, who had jumped up from their own seats and joined Josh and Sweetie Belle in the hug."Say whatever you want, Diamond Tiara." said Josh after awhile, releasing the three fillies and sending them back to their seats, "But, don't go around and spew your father's hate speech. Or, at least have the decency to not say it in front of my friends."Diamond Tiara looked as if she wanted to continue her tirade, but stopped herself. Josh turned to Cheerilee."That conference you're gonna have with her father. When are you gonna do that?""Probably some time later today." replied the teacher, "Why?""I think I have a few things I need to say to him myself." said Josh simply.Cheerilee nodded, then thanked Josh for coming in. Josh made his way out of the schoolhouse, still unable to believe that somepony here was bigoted towards him. Well he thought as he made his way back across town towards his home I guess it's not perfect anywhere.
 
Chapter 5: A Nice Little ChatSecond Chances II: Love and CourageBy Hero541Chapter 5: A Nice Little ChatJosh and Vinyl sat in the now empty classroom with Cheerilee. Vinyl was almost as angry as Josh had been about what Diamond Tiara had said about Josh. When he told her about the conference Cheerilee would hold to talk to Diamond Tiara's father, she insisted on showing up herself. She had claimed it would be to keep Josh level if things got heated, but the human had a feeling he'd be the one who had to keep her off both the filly and her father in that kind of scenario."Where is he?" asked Cheerilee, looking to the clock on the wall, "He's usually more poignant than this.""He'll come." said Josh, looking to the door, "I insulted him. If he has any kind of pride, he'll show up."As soon as the words left the human's mouth, the door opened and Diamond Tiara sauntered in. Behind her was a brown stallion with a black slicked back mane. Around his neck was a collar from a business suit complete with a red tie that had a dollar sign on it. He wore a stern look as he entered the schoolhouse."Filthy Rich," said Cheerilee, standing to greet the stallion, "I'm glad you could make it. Please, take a seat."Filthy Rich sat on his haunches in front of Cheerilee's desk, his daughter next to him. Cheerilee returned to her seat and looked towards Josh and Vinyl nearby before speaking."Mr. Rich," she began, placing her hooves together in front of her on her desk, "We had a bit of an... issue with Diamond Tiara today.""What exactly happened?" he asked, peering down at his daughter, "I only got her side of the story.""One of our students brought Josh here in for her show and tell project." said Cheerilee, gesturing to Josh, "Everything was going fairly well till I called on your daughter to ask her question. She then proceeded to mention how you've been saying that Josh doesn't deserve to be here and be in a relationship with Vinyl Scratch.""Well, I apologize for any sort of disturbance she ma have caused in your class, Miss Cheerilee." he said, scowling at his daughter, "I should watch what I say around her a little more. It's a well known fact that children can be quite... easily influenced.""Well, I appreciate your apology," said the teacher, glancing uneasily towards Josh once more, "however, I must admit, I'm sort of disturbed that you would say such things around her. Is that what you really feel about Josh?"Filthy said nothing to that, instead looking to Josh, who glared back at him."I'm afraid that is how I feel." he replied simply, looking back to Cheerilee."What did I ever do to you?" asked Josh finally, unable to remain quiet anymore."Not a thing." said Filthy, looking back to the human, "However, I am entitled to my own opinions.""That may be true," said Josh, standing up and walking over to the stallion, "but you barely even know me! How can you say that I don't belong here?""Equestria was founded by ponies, for ponies." said Filthy, standing as well and glaring up at Josh, "Any other creatures that happen to be here are simply a coincidence.""You worthless bigot!" shouted Vinyl from her seat, jumping up and standing next to her coltfriend, "Just because Josh isn't a pony, you think he doesn't have the right to be happy?""I never said that." he replied, glancing at the enraged unicorn, "He's more than entitled to happiness. In his own world, where he can't taint the purity of ours.""So that's it." said Josh, continuing to glare at Filthy as anger rose up in his chest, "You think I'm some kind of pockmark here?""I know for a fact that the princess chose you for some kind of divine experiment she concocted." replied Filthy, "To take somepony whose life was so far down the tubes and see if the 'magic of friendship' could change them.""How could you possibly know that?" asked Josh, now worried about what this stallion might know."I have powerful connections even in the royal court." he replied, smirking at Josh, "They overheard the princesses talking about bringing somepony from another world here for their test." he looked to Vinyl, "Do you have any idea of the things he did before he came here, my dear?""Of course I do!" she spat, venom coating her words, "Josh told me everything. How could I judge him for something he did before he met me that he hasn't done since?""If I recall, didn't he just up and abandon you one day?"Vinyl was taken aback, remembering the day Josh left Equestria and her in tears. She remembered the feeling of hopelessness she'd had as she cried that entire day, thinking she was never going to see the one thing she loved more than anything in the world."He came back, didn't he?" she shot back, "He loved me too much to stay gone for long.""That may be true," said Filthy, pacing back and forth in front of Josh and Vinyl now, "but how long till he tires of you once again and he decides to leave once more?""How dare you!" shouted Josh, advancing on the stallion, "I love Vinyl more than anything! Who're you to say that I'd ever leave her again?"Josh stood over the stallion now, glaring down at him. Though Josh was three feet taller than him and probably outweighed him by about 50 pounds, Filthy didn't flinch at his sudden movement towards him. Instead, he smirked back up at the human."You may be able to intimidate everpony else here with your size," he said, glaring into Josh's eyes, "but don't plan on me being one of those whose scared of you.""You ought to be." said Josh simply."If you say so.""Filthy," said Cheerilee, drawing the attention of both Josh and the stallion, "I would appreciate it if you not say such things around Diamond Tiara again. If she hears it, more than likely, she will repeat it here.""I'm most sorry for that, Miss Cheerilee." he said once more, "I'll make sure to watch myself more closely.""What about us?" said Josh, watching as Filthy turned to leave, "You're not gonna apologize to us for spreading hate speech about me?"Filthy turned back to Josh, another smirk on his face."I'm sorry you were so smitten with this place that you decided to pretend you're one of us and stick around here."Vinyl prepared to launch herself at Filthy, rage consuming her every thought. Josh grabbed her as she began her advance, however, holding her back."Lemme go, Josh!" she shouted, trying to wriggle her way out of his grasp without hurting him, "This jackass needs to be taught a lesson!""Vinyl, baby," said Josh, struggling to contain his enraged marefriend, "calm down. It's not gonna do us any good to attack him.""How can you just stand there and do nothing?!" shouted Vinyl, her voice beginning to shake as tears formed in her eyes."Because it's not worth it." replied Josh, finally letting her go as Filthy made his way out the door with Diamond Tiara in tow.Vinyl turned back to look at Josh, tears in her eyes. Josh held out his arms wide, inviting her to come into their comforting grasp. She shook her head and turned back to the door, rushing out as she began to cry. Josh felt his heart sink."Are you gonna be alright, Josh?" asked Cheerilee finally as Josh got up from the floor."Eventually." he replied, preparing to follow Vinyl out the door, "But, I don't know about Vinyl.""I'm so sorry, Josh." said the teacher, stepping out from behind her desk and approaching the human, "You deserve better than to have to deal with all this.""I know." he said, heading out the door.He had to get home soon. Vinyl would undoubtedly be upset a him for his seeming lack of care for what Filthy said to them, and he needed to be there to comfort her. That, and he had a show to prepare for in two weeks.
 
Chapter 6: Guilty Consciences (Clean)Second Chances II: Love and CourageBy Hero541Chapter 6: Guilty ConsciencesJosh stood in the production studio, his headphones to one ear as he began to manipulate the music. Vinyl was still upset with him for not doing anything to Filthy for what he said. She avoided him once he got home, choosing to lock herself in the bedroom and take a nap. Josh knew her well enough by now to know that nothing he said or did right now would help her feel any better. He simply told her that he loved her and then headed to the studio to begin getting the set list ready for the show in Los Pegasus.He worked with a little less vigor than normal, his mind distracted by thoughts of his angry marefriend upstairs in the bedroom. What was I supposed to do? he thought, trying and failing to focus on the music Punch him in the face and accomplish nothing? Josh was never the one to be violent with anyone, even back home. He knew better than any that violence accomplished nothing except to make someone seem like a jackass."Goddamn." he finally said, unable to continue and turning off all the equipment, "I can't do this right now."Slowly, he made his way back up the stairs and onto the main floor. Maybe Vinyl's feeling better he thought, praying that he was right. Unfortunately, his prayers were in vain. The house was still as silent and uneasy as it had been before he headed down into the studio. Sighing with a mix of exhaustion and exasperation, he sat in his chair next to the fireplace and buried his face in his hands.As he sat there, a knock came from the front door."It's open." called Josh simply, not lifting his head from his hands.A second later, the door opened and a gray mare wearing a pink bowtie around her neck walked in, nudging the door shut as she entered the home."Good evening, Josh." she said, trying to sound cheerful and bouncy, "How're you?"Josh simply looked up at her, his face completely blank. The smile the mare was wearing vanished at his gaze."I heard about what happened from Cheery." she said, jumping up on the nearby couch and laying down so her head was close to his chair, "Vinyl's still upset?""Just a little." said Josh, sitting back and sighing, "What would you have done, Tavi?"The mare put a hoof to her chin in contemplation."Probably the same as you." replied Octavia.Josh said nothing once more. At least someone around here's on my side."What was Vinyl expecting you to do? Just lash out and hit him or something?" she asked, breaking the silence that had fallen."I guess." replied Josh, thinking back to Vinyl preparing to rush Filthy and do God-knows-what, "That's certainly what she aimed to do at the time.""Cheery told me you held her back.""I had to! She was gonna tear him to shreds!"Octavia shrank a little as Josh raised his voice slightly. Josh immediately took notice of this and calmed himself down."I'm not gonna let her get arrested because she beat the living shit out of some guy." he said, Octavia returning to her normal state, "Even if he is biased towards me, that's no reason for me to just let her loose on him. And it's certainly no reason for me to take him down myself.""I'm proud of you, Josh." said the gray cellist, placing a hoof on his hand, "However, I'm not sure how you can still be so cool about this.""I've had many a person in my life tell me how much they hate me." he said, thinking back to his life at home, "If I just punched everyone who I had a disagreement with, there'd be a lot of people on earth who have a black eye or a broken nose right now.""Maybe you ought to let me take him on." joked the mare, causing Josh to chuckle as the memory of his first encounter with Octavia came to his mind.He had upset Vinyl by upstaging her at her own show, and then received a visit from a very upset Octavia the next morning. She had rushed right into Rarity's home, shot down the stairs to her dining room, and punched Josh right in the jaw."Maybe." replied Josh, smiling a little at Octavia."I never did apologize for that first time we met…" she trailed off, her ears flattening against her skull."You have no reason to be sorry." said Josh, "You were defending your friend. I can't say I'd have done the same, but that doesn't mean you were in the wrong.""I'm still sorry at least." she said, staring at Josh with her beautiful violet eyes."I accept your apology, Tavi."Octavia smiled at the human, who returned her look. The gray mare's smile faltered though as her eyes were drawn to the top of the stairs behind Josh. Josh noticed her gaze and turned to see what she was looking at. Vinyl was slowly making her way down the stairs, her crimson-magenta eyes red and puffy. She cautiously made her way into the living room, her ears pressed flat against her head."Hello, Vinyl dear." said Octavia, smiling sweetly at her friend as she approached.Vinyl simply looked to her, a sad expression painting her face. Octavia took that as her cue to leave and allow Josh and Vinyl to talk."I'll see you later, Josh." she said, crawling down from the couch and heading for the door."See ya, Tavi." he said as she exited the house.The house became filled with an uneasy silence, neither Josh nor Vinyl looking at each other. The pony made her way to the couch where Octavia had once been and lay down the same way the gray mare had, though she avoided looking at her coltfriend. They simply sat there, both trying their best to phrase what they wanted to say next."I'm sorry." they both said at the same time, breaking the long silent streak that had taken hold."You first." said Vinyl, peering at Josh from behind her blue mane."No, you first." he replied.Again, silence fell hard. They merely glanced at each other cautiously, till both noticed the other's glance and they locked eyes for the first time in hours."I'm sorry, Vinyl." said Josh finally, staring deep into his marefriend's eyes and placing a hand on her hoof as it rested on the arm of the couch, "I should have done something about Filthy. If not for me, then at least for you."Vinyl's eyes began to tear up once more as she looked at Josh. Guilt covered her face as she watched him."No. You were fine." she said, placing her other hoof over his hand, "You were doing the right thing by not knocking him out and holding me back from doing the same. Hurting him right in front of his kid would have hardly been the right thing to do in this case."The two lovers simply stared at each other awhile longer, glad they were at least speaking to one another again."J-Josh," said Vinyl, her voice shaking as she addressed him, "y-you still love me, r-right?""Baby, of course." he said, rising from his chair and kneeling in front of Vinyl on the couch, "Why would you think I don't love you anymore?""I… I don't know." she said, looking away from him for a second, "I just know you value that nopony here judges you like that. I just was so worried that if…"Josh placed his hand on her chin and pulled her head so she was looking him in the eyes. He smiled sweetly at her, causing her to do the same."Vinyl," he began, staring into her eyes, "one guy being a jackass isn't ever going to make me leave you. I don't care what Filthy Rich may think of me. Nothing he says or does could ever make me stop loving you."Vinyl smiled wider at his words. Slowly, she reached out a hoof and caressed his cheek lovingly."I love you so much, Josh." she said, her eyes beginning to tear up once again, "I was just so worried I'd lose you. I don't ever wanna be without you again."Josh placed his hands on her cheeks, leaned in, and passionately kissed Vinyl, probing her mouth with his tongue and feeling her melt into him. She wrapped her hooves around his neck and kissed him back. They soon broke, smiling at each other lovingly."You'll never have to worry about that, baby." he said, placing his forehead against her own.Vinyl smiled at him, holding him as close as she possibly could. Josh returned to kissing her, this time more vigorously. She eagerly returned his affection, feeling herself become aroused as his hand travelled to her flank. All she wanted was to be close to him, and what better a time than now, when they were so happy to be around each other once more?Josh and Vinyl made love more passionately than they ever had before. Both relished the feeling of closeness they were experiencing throughout the entire act.Josh lay down behind his marefriend, his body and mind exhausted from the day's events. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, never wanting to let her go. Together, they lay there, feeling the love between them grow one thousandfold."I love you, Joshie." said Vinyl, drifting off to sleep in his warm embrace.Josh smiled and gave her one last sweet little kiss on her neck before he felt himself being overtaken by the force of sleep. They both fell into their own peaceful dreams, huge smiles on their faces at knowing they had each other. As far as they were concerned, that was all they needed right now.
 
Chapter 7: Las Pegasus, Here We ComeSecond Chances II: Love and CourageBy Hero541Chapter 7: Las Pegasus, Here We ComeLife for Josh and Vinyl returned to normal pretty quickly. They almost immediately made the transition back into production, getting their setlist ready for the next show. Over the course of the next two weeks, Octavia or one of their other friends would stop by and see how they were doing, all of them glad that the situation with Filthy Rich didn't tear apart the two lovers. As was before, neither Josh or Vinyl saw or heard anything about the bigoted stallion, a fact they both rejoiced in.Josh and Vinyl were now on a train, headed for Los Pegasus and their next show. Vinyl lay her head on her coltfriend's chest, sleeping peacefully as he stroked her mane. The human peered out the window, trying and failing to not think about Filthy Rich and the things he said to Josh and Vinyl."I'm sorry you were so smitten with this place that you decided to pretend you're one of us and stick around here."Those words haunted Josh for some reason. I'm hardly pretending to be anyone he thought as he watched the scenery speed past his train car Why is he the only one who has a problem with me? Vinyl stirred in her sleep a little, readjusting her head on Josh's chest. The human peered down at the beautiful unicorn. She knew he wasn't pretending to be anything.After several hours, they arrived in Los Pegasus and found their crew awaiting them there."You the guys who're supposed to move all our stuff to the pavilion?" asked Josh as he stepped off the train, Vinyl close behind him."Yes sir!" said the leader, an orange unicorn mare, "We'll take all your equipment to the stage and get it set up for you so you two can relax till the show.""Good." said Vinyl, smiling and yawning, "I think we could use a day or two to ourselves.""Just make sure you get it set up properly." said Josh, watching as several unicorns made their way onto the train to offload their equipment, "I'll come by the day before and inspect everything. I don't wanna have to lecture anybody on how to wire the speakers."The unicorn mare saluted before heading off to help her peers. Josh turned to Vinyl, who smiled up at him with tired eyes."You get a good rest?" he asked, smirking at her as she yawned once more."We've been so busy the last few days." she replied, "Sleep is hard to come by when you're producing as much as we are.""You wanna go find a hotel so you can relax for a bit?""We can…"Josh smiled at his tired marefriend. She's unbelievably cute when she's tired like that he thought, watching as her head dipped and she began to nod off. She caught herself just in time, jerking her head back up before it began to sink again. Josh looked around and saw a nice hotel nearby they could stay at for a little while."Come here, sleepyhead." he said, kneeling down and grabbing her under her forelegs before hoisting her up and holding her close.She wrapped her forelegs around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder as he placed his hands under her rump and made his way to the hotel. Vinyl wasn't too heavy, though she also was no Sweetie Belle, which made it a little awkward to hold her as he walked. However, he had no trouble carrying her to the hotel and getting a room for her to stay in. The concierge at the desk, a gray pegasus stallion, smiled at him as he walked in."Welcome to the Equestria Grand Hotel." he whispered upon seeing the tall human carrying a sleeping unicorn, "I'll just get you a room key."The stallion stepped back and took a key from the rack before handing it to a bellhop nearby."If you want to upgrade at any point, just let me know when she's awake." he said before resuming his duties.Josh nodded and thanked the stallion before following the bellhop back to he and Vinyl's room. As they entered, Josh placed his sleeping marefriend onto the bed, pulling back the covers so they covered her sleeping form."Thank you, baby…" she mumbled before turning over and resuming her sleep.Josh smiled before turning back to the bellhop and giving her a nice tip. The bellhop thanked him and returned back to the front desk to await further command."Sleep tight, my sweet little pony." Josh whispered, kissing her on the top of her head before turning and heading back out the door.He went to the front desk and paid for four nights in the hotel. The concierge thanked him and asked if there was anything else they could to for him."Actually, I kinda left our luggage at the train station…" he said, wincing a little at the sudden realization."Not to worry, sir." said the clerk, waving his hoof dismissively, "They won't just throw out your things there. As long as you give us the name your tags are under on the bags, we can send somepony out to go get them and take them to your room for you."Josh felt relief wash over him as he gave the concierge the name and watched a few bellhop's leave to go get the bags."And, make sure their careful when they go in." he said, making for the door, "Vinyl's still asleep in the room.""I'll make sure they don't make a sound, sir." the concierge said, smiling at Josh.Josh nodded, then made for the door. He wanted to go and see the pavilion they'd be playing at in a few days. Maybe after that, he'd hit up a bar and get a drink or something. Just so long as he got back to Vinyl at some point...Vinyl awoke in the hotel room, still drowsy from her four and a half hour nap she'd just taken. As she looked around, Josh was nowhere to be found. She grimaced a little, hoping he'd have stuck around. What's he gonna do while I'm asleep though? she mused as she rose from the bed and stretched Just sit there and watch me? Looking to her left, she saw all their luggage set neatly next to the bed.She made her way out to the lobby of the hotel and looked around. Its walls were adorned with all sorts of beautiful art and photographs, and Vinyl couldn't help but notice a poster behind a glass case. As she approached it, she smiled as she recognized it as one of their tour posters. After she finished admiring the poster, she walked up to the front desk and the concierge behind it."Excuse me," she said, gaining his attention, "but did you happen to see a tall guy on two legs come through here recently?""Actually, he left about four hours ago." replied the concierge, turning to face Vinyl, "Said something about maybe getting a drink."It's not like Josh to be gone this long she thought. Vinyl thanked the concierge before heading back to her room. She wondered what happened to make Josh stay out so long, praying that everything was alright. As she entered her room, a bellhop rushed in behind her, panting heavily."M-Miss… Scratch…" he said through frantic breaths, "You… have a message… in the front lobby…"Vinyl rushed to the front lobby, hoping that whatever it could be, it wasn't anything bad involving her coltfriend. As she entered, the concierge called her over and handed her a message."This arrived a few minutes ago." he said, before turning back to his work.Vinyl unrolled the message. It was in Josh's handwriting. She slowly began to read.Vinyl,I kinda need your help. It's nothing too big, but I sort of dorped the ball here. Don't panic or be too upset with me, but I may have lost all our money to get home. Just come to the Casino del Caballo and help me out. If there's anyone who I need right now, it's you. I love you.JoshVinyl dropped the letter and let out an exasperated sigh."I warned him about gambling last time we were here." she said, making her way out the door and heading to the Casino del Caballo.
 
Chapter 8: The Art of Messing UpSecond Chances II: Love and CourageBy Hero541Chapter 8: The Art of Messing UpJosh had made his way to a nearby bar not too far from the pavilion they would be performing at, and was now sipping on a gin and tonic and talking to some other ponies in the bar. Almost as soon as he'd walked into the building, ponies rushed up to him and asked for photos and autographs. Josh happily obliged, signing anything he was handed and posing for a few photos here and there. When he was finally able to approach the bar, ponies began to buy him drinks and talk to him about the show in a few days."I always love being on that stage and seeing people going as crazy as me and enjoying themselves." he told a tan colored mare with a curly pink and blue mane, "It at least tells me I'm doing my job right."The mare simply nodded and looked to her friend, a teal colored unicorn who was staring intently at Josh with a dreamy look on her face. Josh looked at his watch and gasped as he realized what time it was."Excuse me, ladies." he said, standing and preparing to leave, "I've gotta be going now. My marefriend's back at the hotel, and I wanna make sure I get back there to be with her for a while.""We'll see you at your show tomorrow, Xploshun." said the tan mare, winking at Josh."Thanks again for the drinks." he said, smiling and returning her wink, "What were your names again?""I'm Bon Bon." said the tan mare, gesturing to herself, then to her unicorn friend, "And this is Lyra.""Well, Lyra and Bon Bon," said Josh, bowing a little and causing them both to giggle, "I bid you both adieus. Have a nice evening."Lyra and Bon Bon waved to him as he turned to leave. Josh had only been gone for an hour or so, but he still wanted to make sure he was there to be with Vinyl when she got up. He stepped outside, seeing the warm Equestrian sun beam down on him. He began to make his way through the rather large city that was Las Pegasus. It wasn't much unlike the city of Las Vegas he knew of back home.Casino's and restaurants lined the streets all down the main thoroughfare, their lights twinkling a little even in the daylight. Josh had never even been inside a casino in his life, not even when he'd made a stop in Vegas on his tour. He wasn't much for gambling. To him, one could simply pull a dollar out of their pocket and light it on fire and achieve the same effect as gambling. However, deep down, he had always wanted to try the slot machines…Josh passed by a rather small casino with a giant sign that read "Casino del Caballo". As he peered up at the sign, a blue stallion rushed out, his saddlebags filled with bits and a huge smile on his face. Josh watched as the stallion made his way down the street before he turned back to the casino. I really shouldn't… he thought, biting his lip I need to get back to Vinyl. He looked to his watch once more, then back at the casino, wondering whether or not it would be worth it…"Fuck it. I've got time."He made his way into the casino and looked around. It was much larger inside than it appeared to be outside. Josh saw mares and stallions of all kinds sitting or standing at tables all around, most thoroughly enjoying themselves, or at least they appeared to be doing so. Every now and then, a casino employee would walk past, most of the time carrying a tray laden with drinks or food of some kind. Unsure of what to do, Josh simply stood there for awhile, watching the ponies on the main floor as they continued to gamble."Can I help you sir?" asked a voice nearby which made Josh jump a little.He turned to see a bright pink mare with a straight green mane and tail wearing a red and white vest smiling up at him as he stood there."Uh…" he stalled, looking between the mare and the other ponies in the main hall, "I'm not so sure what I'm doing here.""This is your first time in our lovely establishment?" she asked, her eyes beginning to twinkle a little."It's kinda my first time at any sort of casino…" said Josh, scratching the back of his head nervously."Well, not to worry." said the mare, turning and beginning to gesture all around the casino with her hoof, "We here at Casino del Caballo are more than willing to help you have a good time. What kind of games interest you exactly?""I've always kinda wanted to use the slot machines…" he said, glancing around once more."An excellent choice!" said the mare, heading off towards the floor, "Those are some of my favorites as well. Our slot machines are located over here. Feel free to use them to your little-er… large heart's content."Josh followed the mare, passing by all sorts of tables and other setups on the floor. Eventually, he saw the familiar cabinets of a few slot machines, and the pink mare stopped and looked back at him, smiling once more."Here you are, sir." she said, gesturing to the machines, "If you need anything at all, don't be afraid to ask one of our staff, or come and get me and I'll assist you in any way I can.""Thanks." said Josh simply, beginning to make his way towards the machines, "What was your name?""Oh! Silly me, I almost forgot." said the pink mare, facehoofing a little, "My name is Lilac. I'll be around if you need anything. Have a nice time!"Josh thanked Lilac as she walked away. He turned back to the bright machine, almost being blinded by its bright lights all around. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his bag of bits, grabbing one out and preparing to gamble for the first time. He slid the little gold coin into the machine's coin slot and pulled the arm, making the barrels inside begin to spin around. They spun for what seemed like an eternity, before finally settling on their final marks.Three in a row. Josh smiled wide as bits began to pour out of the machine below his legs. That wasn't so bad he thought, scooping up a few of the gold coins and pocketing them That was actually kinda fun! I wonder if I can do that again?"So, from there you lost 2,000 bits?" asked Vinyl, glaring at Josh as he stood in the entryway and talked to his marefriend."Pretty much…" he said, feeling himself shrink a little as she glared at him, "I figured I could win all of it back at some point, but I just kept losing more and more. It wasn't till I reached in my pocket and realized I didn't have anymore bits that I had to send a message to you.""Why'd you get me out here?" she asked, her voice beginning to rise a little from her anger at Josh's stupidity, "You know I don't gamble!""I just need you to help me out." he said, falling on his knees and taking a pleading position, "I've got nothing left to use. We've gotta get back our money somehow.""Aren't we here to get paid?" asked Vinyl, raising an eyebrow, "Our shows aren't free you know.""Babe, we don't get the money for another week after the show!" exclaimed Josh, "We can't afford to stay here another week! This place is expensive.""I told you to get us roundtrip tickets for the train!" said Vinyl, pointing her hoof at Josh and scowling heavily, "That way we could leave as soon as the show was done!""I thought we might wanna stay for another day or two after." said Josh meekly, beginning to lose all hope.Vinyl sighed and facehoofed. She glared at Josh from behind her hoof, unable to believe her coltfriend's stupidity. She wasn't a gambler, but she knew that the worst thing that could happen to somepony when they gambled for the first time was to win big. It built a false sense of confidence, and the casino would feed off that confidence like hungry timberwolves till they got every bit of money they could from the victim."I don't know what you think I'll be able to do here." she finally said, lowering her hoof so she could glare at Josh once more, "What do you expect? That I can just use my charm and good looks to get the money back? This is a casino. They exist to simply take all your money and then laugh at you when you lose it all. They're not gonna take any pity on us, especially not when they know what we do for a living."Josh's head hung low, shame painting his every feature. He couldn't believe he'd allowed himself to do something this stupid. Now, here he was, groveling at his marefriend's hooves, praying that she could help him. At this point, it all seemed so hopeless."I'm… more sorry than you'll ever know." he finally said, gathering the courage to look at Vinyl once more, "I can't believe I let myself get caught up in something like this…"Vinyl's look softened a little at Josh's words. She knew he was normally better than that, and that he'd just allowed his curiosity to get the better of him. Plus, she did recall the last time they were in Las Pegasus and she got drunk right before the show…"Do you have anything left?" she asked, trying her best to sound more comforting.Josh reached into his pocket and pulled out a single bit. Vinyl grabbed it in her magic and made her way over to a roulette table. As she walked up, the manager of the table began to call out for bets."And, my beautiful friend," he said, addressing Vinyl as she approached, the bit in her magic, "What'll your bet be?""I'll take…" said Vinyl, peering up at the board showing the last few rolls, "33 black please.""You know, the odds of hitting that right now aren't too good." said the manager, raising an eyebrow as Vinyl presented the coin to him, "You sure you wanna place that?""What's the payout?" she asked."About 2,000 bits.""I'll take it then." said Vinyl, floating the coin closer to the stallion.He shrugged and grabbed the coin in his teeth before spinning the wheel and throwing the ball into the riding slot. Josh walked up and stood behind Vinyl, both of them watching the ball roll with bated breath. After what seemed like forever, the ball began to slow and settle in a pocket."Looks like… 33 black!" called the manager.Josh and Vinyl jumped for joy, the human grabbing his marefriend and spinning around, making her back legs flail about. The manager smiled at them both and congratulated the two, handing over two colored chips."You sure you don't wanna double up on that?" he asked, gesturing back to the table, "You've got quite the luck over here."Vinyl looked between the chips and the table, contemplating his words. However, before she had the chance to lay down another bet, Josh reached under her belly and hoisted her up on his shoulder, carrying her away from the table. Thank God she's lucky he thought as they approached the payout counter Otherwise we'd have been pretty well fucked.
 
Chapter 9: Foalsitting and FlowersSecond Chances II: Love and CourageBy Hero541Chapter 9: Foalsitting and FlowersJosh and Vinyl's show in Las Pegasus had gone very well, considering they'd almost completely lost all their money at that casino. Vinyl forgave Josh fairly quickly after that fiasco, saying that it truly was hard to resist the temptation to gamble sometimes. She did also say, however, that if he ever did anything like that again, she'd make him sleep on the couch for a year. Josh happily agreed to those terms, simply glad that she wasn't too horribly upset by what had happened.A week after the show, Josh simply sat in the house, a book in his hands. He didn't really have much to do today. They didn't have a show for awhile now, and Vinyl was away at Octavia's house for the day. The human didn't normally like to read, but Rainbow Dash had managed to talk him into starting up the Daring Do series, saying that it was one of the greatest stories ever. Josh agreed, asking her which one was the best to start with, to which she took him to the library and tried to convince Twilight to allow him to check out every single book in the series.As Josh was finishing a particular passage in which Daring Do escapes the clutches of the evil Ahuizotl once more, he heard a knock at the door."It's open." he called, not taking his eyes off the book.The door soon opened and an excited little voice called his name."Joshie!"Josh looked over his book and saw a little white unicorn filly run inside the house. A wide smile came across his face as Sweetie Belle rushed up to him, jumping up onto his lap."Hey there, Sweets!" he said excitedly, setting the book on the table next to his chair and hugging the tiny unicorn, "How's my favorite little filly today?""I'm really good!" she said, giggling as Josh tickled her warm, white belly.Josh was so distracted with playing with Sweetie Belle on his lap, that he never saw Rarity even enter the room. She didn't mind though, as she stood there, a huge smile on her face as the tall human cradled her sister in his arms."Hello, darling." she finally said after awhile, causing Josh to finally take notice of her."Hey there, Rares." he said, placing Sweetie back on his lap, "How're you?""I'm quite well, actually." said Rarity, making her way over to the nearby couch and taking a seat, "Just rather tired is all.""You been getting a lot of orders and stuff?" asked Josh, stroking Sweetie Belle's mane."Like you wouldn't believe." said the white mare, rather dramatically, "But, it always gets like this when the Gala comes around.""Is that really coming up so soon?" inquired Josh, trying to think back to when he'd last heard about it."It's still quite a ways away." said Rarity, mentally checking the date herself, "However, most ponies like to get their requests for gowns and other things like that in very early.""Hmm." grunted Josh, "So, what can I do for you two lovely mares today?"Rarity blushed a little at his compliment, turning away so as to not show the bright red bleeding through her white coat."Yes, well…" she said, clearing her throat, "I have to head out to Canterlot today. I need to get some more of my special fabrics for some particular orders. And, since Sweetie Belle here doesn't have school today, I was wondering if you'd like to foalsit her for a day. I'd go to our parents, but they're not in town today, and everypony else has been busy so far who I've asked."Josh looked down to Sweetie Belle, who looked back up at him, her eyes shining with excitement."Well, I don't know…" he teased, smiling at the little filly and running a hand across her back, "What do you think Sweets? Would you wanna spend a day with me?"Sweetie Belle nearly started jumping up and down on his lap in excitement."Of course I would!" she said excitedly, eliciting a huge smile from both Josh and Rarity, "Why wouldn't I ever wanna spend a day with you?""Well, that settles it then." said Josh, cradling Sweetie once more in his arms and standing up, "I guess you'll be stuck with me today."Sweetie giggled loudly as Josh began to play with her some more, lifting her up from under her tiny forelegs and lightly tossing her into the air. Rarity almost told Josh to not do that to the little filly, afraid that he might drop her. However, she quickly stopped herself when she saw how much fun the two were having."I guess I'll be off then." she said, turning and making her way towards the door, "Have a good day you two. And behave yourselves!""Bye, Rarity!" called Sweetie as Josh placed her back on the ground."So," said Josh, looking all around for some king of idea as to what to do with Sweetie Belle, "what do you wanna do first, Sweets?"Sweetie Belle placed a little marshmallow hoof to her chin, contemplating her next move. She opened her mouth to suggest something, but was quickly cut off as a loud rumble came from her little stomach. She smiled sheepishly at Josh, the usual squeaky noise sounding."Maybe we ought to get you some lunch first." he suggested, smiling and making his way to the door, "Come on. We'll go to Sugarcube Corner."Sweetie Belle happily took her place next to Josh as he exited the house, making for the confectionary. As they made their way, Sweetie Belle began talking all about some of the things she'd been doing with the Cutie Mark Crusaders."So," she continued, taking a breath after explaining some new plan the three had concocted, "we were wondering if you'd teach us how to make music like you some time."Josh stifled a laugh at her words. He truly loved the CMC, their playful nature and curious minds always intrigued him. However, he knew they could be pretty overzealous from time to time. More than once, he'd seen the disaster that had occurred from one of their failed attempts at a scheme, most of which ended in property damage of some kind. He loved the fact that they had taken a liking to his music, but he also valued the fact that his equipment was still functioning at this moment in time."Maybe…" he said, hesitating a little as he thought about what three fillies could possibly do to his and Vinyl's setup, "I'll think about it."Sweetie Belle beamed at his words, continuing to trot alongside her favorite human. After awhile of more walking, the sweets shop known as Sugarcube Corner came into view."Come on, Joshie!" called Sweetie, rushing towards the establishment."You head on inside, Sweets." he replied, noticing a nearby flower stall, "Tell Pinkie that I'll be in shortly. I've got something to do real quick."Sweetie nodded, making her way to Sugarcube Corner as Josh turned and headed for the flower stall. As he approached, a tan colored mare with a long, straight, bright red mane and tail popped up and smiled at him."Afternoon, Roseluck." he said warmly, beginning to examine all the flowers at her beautiful stall."Hey there, Josh." she said, continuing to smile at him, "Can I get you anything today?""I'm looking to have a really big bouquet made for mine and Vinyl's first anniversary." he said, looking to the mare, "You think you can help me out there?""Of course!" replied Roseluck excitedly, "What all are you looking for exactly?""Well, her favorite flowers are roses…" said Josh, thinking about what would be best to put into the bouquet, "How many different colors of roses do you have?""As many as you could imagine." said Roseluck, beaming at Josh."Then I'll take one of each." he replied, pulling out a sack of bits to pay the mare."Don't worry about paying me right now." said Roseluck, waving her hoof upon seeing his money, "I still haven't even gotten all the flowers cut or anything like that. Once I have it ready for you, you can pay me."Josh smiled as Roseluck winked at him."Thanks for this." he said."Anything for you and Vinyl." replied Roseluck, continuing to smile at Josh, "I almost wish I could have a special somepony like you…""I'm not all that special.""Obviously you are." said Roseluck, busying herself with some nearby flower pots, "Otherwise, why else would she be with you?""Good point.""Oh! I almost forgot." said the mare, facehoofing a little, "When would you like this delivered?"Josh thought for a second, knowing that he and Vinyl would be on the road again by the time their actual anniversary came around."How about… two weeks from now?" he said, causing Roseluck to nod and pull out a pencil and pad to write down the information."I'm assuming you'll probably want a card to go along with it too?" she said through the pencil in her mouth."Sure." said Josh, watching her write something else down."What do you want it to say?""Uh…" Josh said, wondering what would be best to put on the card."Joshie!"He looked behind him and saw both Pinkie and Sweetie Belle standing at the entrance to Sugarcube Corner."Tell you what, Roseluck," he said, turning and making for the sweets shop, "I'll send you a message with Spike or somebody like that."Roseluck merely nodded, placing her pencil away once more and waving to Josh as he made for Sugarcube Corner."Have a good day, Josh!" she called as he made his way.Josh simply turned back for a second and waved to her, before continuing towards Sweetie and Pinkie Pie. He knew that he and Vinyl's anniversary was a ways off, but he was more than willing to give her a gift like that early. Besides, Vinyl didn't always have the best memory. And what better way to jog it than with a huge bouquet of her favorite flowers?
 
Chapter 10: Houston...Second Chances II: Love and CourageBy Hero541Chapter 10: Houston…Josh and Sweetie Belle sat in Sugarcube Corner, their lunch now finished and listening to Pinkie Pie talk. He knew Rarity would kill him for it later, but he'd decided to spoil the little filly and get her a nice big ice cream cone. She sat there, ice cream all over her muzzle and a huge smile on her face. Pinkie was ranting on about a recent trip she'd taken to the spa with Fluttershy in Rarity's absence."So, then, they asked me why I'd eaten the mud mask they'd put on my face." she said, rolling her eyes a little, "I told them that it smelled a lot like the cake batter we use here at the shop.""I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess it didn't taste like cake batter though." said Josh, noticing that the filly had finished her ice cream and grabbing some napkins from nearby to attempt to clean the remnants off Sweetie Belle's face."It didn't." said Pinkie simply, a dreamy expression crossing her face, "But, I just used my imagination to make it taste like cake batter! It was delicious!"Sweetie Belle, who had begun to squirm as Josh attempted to clean her face, stopped her movements and just stared blankly at the pink party pony. Josh himself had also stopped what he was doing and did the same towards Pinkie who had a huge smile on her pink face."I'd love to live in your head for about ten minutes, Pinks." he said, continuing his previous efforts to clean the filly."I have a lot of fun." replied Pinkie, beaming at Josh and Sweetie Belle once more."I'll bet."Mrs. Cake came trotting out of the back of the store, a tray of cupcakes balanced on her tail. She smiled at Josh and Sweetie as they came into her field of vision."Can I get you anything else?" she asked, holding back a chuckle as Josh continued to attempt to clean Sweetie Belle's muzzle."I think we're good… For God's sake, Sweets!" he said, struggling to contain the squirming filly, "I've gotta clean off your face! If your sister comes back and sees you with ice cream all over, she's gonna murder me."Sweetie continued to shift and squirm as Josh tried to clean her off still. The human was becoming more and more frustrated with the filly, but he knew how to make her cooperate."If I don't clean off your face, we can't go to the park and play." he said.Sweetie turned to him, her eyes wide and fearful. Josh smiled as she suddenly stopped squirming and allowed him to finish cleaning her off."… There!" he said, leaning back and examining her once again pure white muzzle, "All clean. That wasn't so hard, was it?"Sweetie shook her head and jumped down from her chair, turning to look back at Josh."Can we go to the park now?" she asked excitedly, beginning to jump up and down."Sure thing." said Josh, rising and making for the door, "Thanks for the food, guys. It was really great!""No problem, deary." said Mrs. Cake, waving to the two as they exited the shop, "Have a great day!""See you later, Joshie!" exclaimed Pinkie, waving ecstatically at Josh as he headed out the door.As Josh and Sweetie made their way through town, ponies here and there would wave to them, all smiling warmly. Josh returned each gesture with one of his own, always happy to see a few smiling faces wherever he went. In no time at all, he and Sweetie had arrived at the school playground where a few other foals were playing with their parents or siblings. Josh even saw Derpy Hooves and her absolutely adorable daughter, Dinky, playing tag nearby."Come on, Joshie!" called Sweetie Belle, rushing onto the swings and waiting for a push, "I wanna swing first."Josh happily complied, taking his place behind the little filly on the swing. He began to push her, sending her higher and higher with each small shove. Soon, she was giggling loudly as she ascended to the highest point possible on the tiny swing set. After a few minutes of this, Sweetie jumped down from the swings and headed towards the slide. She slid down a few times, Josh waiting at the bottom to catch her each time and raising her high into the air every time she returned to his embrace.After that, they headed to the field and joined Derpy and Dinky's game of tag. Both fillies giggled uncontrollably every time Josh would chase after them. The human himself was having an unbelievably fun time playing around with these two little ponies. He'd not felt this free since he was a kid their ages. However, he soon got tired and walked over to the nearby bench that Derpy had begun to occupy once Josh had arrived."These kids will wear you out pretty quick, huh?" asked the wall-eyed pegasus, watching as her daughter and Sweetie Belle continued to play around some more."Yeah…" said Josh, panting a little as he did the same as the pegasus, "They certainly do make life… a lot better though.""Every day with my little muffin is always a blessing." replied the gray mare, a huge smile on her face, "And I'm sure you think the same about little Sweetie Belle there.""I love Sweets like she was my own." said Josh, a wide smile spreading across his face as he heard the filly giggle loudly once more."Are you gonna have one of your own?" asked Derpy, turning to look at Josh with her good eye."We've… thought about it.""Well, I'm sure you'd make an excellent father." said Derpy, her smile now directed at Josh, "If you're so great at making Sweetie Belle there happy, I could only imagine how well a child of your own would be taken care of."Josh said nothing to this, instead choosing to look to Derpy and return her smile. As he did so, he felt a slight tug on his pant leg and looked down."Excuse me, sir…" said a little tan and brown speckled colt, "I saw you and Sweetie Belle and Dinky playing over here…""Hey there, Pip." said Josh, reaching down and ruffling the little colt's mane a little, "Yeah, we were playing over here. You wanna play with them too?"Pipsqueak just nodded, looking to the ground more than at Josh. The human smiled and stood up before reaching down and picking up the colt much like he would Sweetie Belle."Sure," he replied, smiling down at Pip in his arms, "you're more than welcome to play with us as much as you want."Pip smiled wide as Josh placed the colt up on his back, allowing his back legs to dangle over the human's shoulders. Josh waved back to Derpy and made his way over to Dinky and Sweetie. Together, the three ponies and human played some more, each one having an unbelievable amount of fun. Josh laughed and enjoyed himself immensely with the three young ponies. He had just gotten on his hands and knees and allowed them to climb on his back when he heard a voice call across the park."Pipsqueak!" called a pink mare, rushing over to Josh and the three ponies. Her bright green mane fluttered wildly behind her and she looked panicked as she approached the human and his companions."Hey there, Rose Blossom." said Josh, smiling widely as the mare reached them.Rose Blossom didn't reply to Josh, instead looking to her colt with panic in her eyes."It's time to go, Pip." she said, reaching up to Josh's back and grabbing her son by the scruff of his neck with her teeth."But mom!" he protested as she set him back on the ground, "We were having so much fun!"Rose Blossom turned Pip around and pushed his little rump along."I know you were having fun." she replied sternly, glancing back over her shoulder at Josh, "However, there's no need to associate with somepony like that."Josh was taken aback by Rose Blossom's words. What the hell was that for? he thought, setting Sweetie and Dinky back on the ground. He rose and followed after the mare, a mixture of confusion and anger overtaking his mind."Rose Blossom," he called, catching up to her and Pip, "why can't Pip stay and play with us for awhile longer?"At first, Rose Blossom ignored him, continuing to make her way through the park at a more frantic pace. Josh, now annoyed with the mare's actions, had to fight the urge to yell at her."What did I ever do to you?" he asked, anger beginning to seep into his words.Rose Blossom stopped her movements and turned to face the human, peering up into his face."It's not what you've done," she said, beginning to glare at the human, "it's what you're going to do. I don't want my little Pip to get hurt by you."Josh had nothing to say to that. He simply stood and stared at Rose Blossom as she made her way out of the park. His mouth hung slightly agape, unable to believe what he'd just heard. How could she think I'd ever hurt Pip? he mused, her words echoing through his head."J-Joshie?" asked a small voice behind him.Josh's trance was broken and he turned to see Sweetie Belle standing behind him, her ears flat against her skull as he peered down at her."W-why did she say you were gonna hurt P-Pip?" she stammered, slowly inching forward, a look of fear and sadness overtaking her face.Josh knelt down in front of Sweetie Belle, laying as close to the ground as he possibly could to seem less intimidating. He reached out a hand towards the filly, who looked at it cautiously. When Josh noticed this, his heart almost broke. Please don't let Sweets be scared of me again he thought, feeling a wave of sadness overtake him."Sweetie…" he said softly, laying down on the grass in front of her and peering up into her watery jade eyes, "I… I don't know why she said that…""Y-you're not gonna hurt me, are you?"At those words, the dam burst, and Josh began to cry. His favorite little filly, the one thing besides Vinyl that he loved most, was afraid he'd hurt her. He felt his heart shatter as she continued to stare at him and lay his head on the grass, unable to look at Sweetie Belle's beautiful face. As he did so, he felt her tiny hooves wrap around his arm and squeeze tightly."D-don't cry, Joshie." said the filly through her own tears, "I-I didn't m-mean to make you s-sad. P-please don't cry…"Josh looked up to her and saw her bury her little face in his shoulder. Slowly, he scooped up the tiny pony and began to rock her gently as she cried with him."Sweetie Belle," said Josh, staring through his blurry vision to the little filly in his arms, "I love you so much. I'd never hurt you."Sweetie wiped her beautiful eyes with a little marshmallow hoof and looked up to Josh once more."I l-love you too." she replied, reaching up and wrapping her forelegs around his neck.Josh allowed her to cry into his own shoulder for a few minutes. Rose Blossom was long gone by now, and so were Derpy and Dinky. As Josh sat there, holding Sweetie close and rubbing her little white back, he began to wonder what had come over Rose Blossom to make her act like that. She'd always been so loving towards him, even helping him set up some dates for he and Vinyl. What makes her think I'm dangerous all of a sudden? he thought, feeling a nagging thought in the back of his head as to who might be responsible for this.
 
Chapter 11: Root of the ProblemSecond Chances II: Love and CourageBy Hero541Chapter 11: Root of the ProblemJosh, Sweetie Belle, Vinyl, and Rarity all sat in Josh and Vinyl's home, the filly asleep curled up on the human's lap. After the incident in the park with Rose Blossom, neither Josh nor Sweetie had any urge to continue to play. Instead, they returned to Josh's home, where both instead sulked for awhile. They weren't upset at each other, however. The two were just so depressed by what had happened that day.Vinyl sat on the nearby sofa along with Rarity, her eyes locked on Sweetie's sleeping form, watching the tiny white body rise and fall with each breath. When she arrived home and heard about what happened from Josh, she had become extremely upset. She had known Rose Blossom for years, and the mare was always unbelievably welcoming of Josh. To think that she could change so suddenly, without a single bit of warning, it was insane.Rarity, upon returning from Canterlot after a long day of buying supplies, immediately went to Josh and Vinyl's home to grab Sweetie Belle. However, when she arrived at the house and found out about what had happened, she decided to stay there for a bit and help console her sister. It blew her mind that Rose Blossom would act like that as well. However, that was completely eclipsed by the mere thought that anypony would act like that towards Josh. Never in all her years in Ponyville had she eve heard of somepony being so bigoted.All four ponies sat in a rather uncomfortable silence, all knowing what they wanted to say, but none wanting to say it. Josh looked to his marefriend on the couch, her sad eyes peering into his own."Are we gonna talk about all this or not?" she asked, a slight twinge of annoyance in her voice, "We can't just let it sit here and fester."Josh nodded. Slowly and carefully, he scooped Sweetie Belle up in his arms and took her into the nearby guest bedroom, laying her down on the bed and giving her a small kiss on the forehead before exiting and shutting the door. He made his way back into the living room and took his place in his chair once more, still silent as ever."Can I just start by asking what the fuck Rose Blossom's problem is?" asked Vinyl, jumping down from the couch and pacing about, her voice beginning to rise a little."If I knew, I'd be more than happy to tell you, Vinyl." said Josh simply, watching his marefriend pace."Darling," said Rarity, her ears pressed against her head and hesitation filling her voice, "I must admit, I'm wondering the same thing myself. What in all of Equestria could make somepony like that be so afraid of you so suddenly?""Again, if I knew, I'd tell you."Nopony said anything for a little while after that, all of them simply continuing to stew over their own thoughts."What're the odds that this has something to do with Filthy Rich?" asked Vinyl finally after what seemed like an eternity of silence.Josh thought about that possibility. He hadn't heard anything about the bigoted stallion in quite awhile, a fact he'd reveled in."Filthy Rich?" asked Rarity, cocking her head to the side in confusion, "Certainly he's not an instigator in all this? I know he can be fairly opinionated, but he's never been one to simply speak his mind about something like that.""Didn't Octavia or Sweetie Belle ever tell you about what happened at the school after Diamond Tiara insulted Josh?" asked Vinyl, raising an eyebrow to the indigo-maned unicorn.Rarity shook her head, looking confusedly between Josh and Vinyl."I had noticed that Sweetie seemed rather down when she came home from school one day," she said, "but she never mentioned anything that had happened."Josh and Vinyl glanced at each other, silently debating who would tell the story. Eventually, Josh started it off by telling about what happened at the schoolhouse during show and tell. After that, Vinyl explained what happened at the conference Cheerilee had held, how Filthy had openly insulted them both and Josh held her back from attacking the stallion. As she listened, Rarity's expression changed from that of shock and confusion, to one of indignation at Filthy's words."How can somepony be so bigoted to another?" she finally said as Vinyl finished her explanation, "He doesn't even know you!""He doesn't have to know me to not like me, Rares." said Josh, looking to the white unicorn, "Racism isn't based off who you know.""That's not any excuse!" Rarity almost shouted, putting a hoof to her mouth as soon as she finished speaking.Josh looked to the spare bedroom as an eerie silence fell, listening for the sound of Sweetie Belle waking up. Thankfully, that sound never came."Again, he doesn't need any excuse." said Josh, easing up once more."He also doesn't have to be like that!" said Vinyl, trying her best to keep her voice in check, "You've not done anything to him at all!""I'm sure he's well aware of that, and he doesn't give a shit." said Josh simply, not moving from his chair."What I want to know is why he's so bold all of a sudden." said Rarity, standing and joining Vinyl in her pacing, "You say he claims to know all about your past life away from here. If he's known about it for as long as it seems he has, then why would he sit on it for so long?"Josh thought about that for a second. It did indeed seem rather sudden that Filthy would go and begin to spread his knowledge of Josh's past life to everypony in Ponyville. Why hadn't the stallion gone out and did this sooner? Josh could think of no reason why, instead choosing to believe that the incident with Diamond Tiara had spurred him to become more bold."That doesn't matter." said Vinyl, stopping her pacing and glancing between Josh and Rarity, "What's important is that we stop his little rampage before he corrupts anypony else here. I'm not gonna have any more speaking against my coltfriend."Josh looked to Vinyl and smiled a little inwardly. She's so cute when she gets upset like that he thought I'm so lucky to have someone like her there for me in all this. As Josh was about to reply to her statement, a knock sounded from the door. Josh raised an eyebrow in confusion, knowing that they'd already received the mail that day. Perhaps Derpy had forgotten a letter or two."I'll get it, dear." said Rarity, striding over and opening the door wide. As she glanced around, she noticed the only thing out of place: a bright green flyer plastered against the wall. Removing it, she made her way back into the house, beginning to read it as she entered."What is it, Rarity?" asked Vinyl, moving over to the other mare and glancing over the paper with her.Neither pony said a thing as they read. The only indication of any kind they gave was the shifting of their expressions, from confused to angry. Josh noticed this and rose quickly to see the flyer. As he made his way over to the two mares, Vinyl's eyes began to fill with angry tears and she turned away, not wanting to continue staring at the paper. Josh reached out and grabbed the flyer, glancing it over.Dear Follow Equestrians,For some time now, we've had a creature in our midst who claims to be harmless and friendly. This creature lives among us, attempting to blend into our society, even going so far as to claim to be in love with one of us. We have simply accepted the fact that this creature is here, some of us even embracing it and taking it in with open forelegs.I know the truth of this monstrosity, however, and I'm willing to share my knowledge with all of you. If you come to City Hall tomorrow, I'll be more than willing to spread what I know to all of you. Together, we can keep Equestria safe, should this creature ever decide to turn on us. Always remember my friends, this is a land made by ponies, for ponies, and I intend to keep it that way.Sincerely, your trusted friend,Filthy RichJosh finished reading and looked to both Vinyl and Rarity. The two mares simply stared at him, both with watery and angry eyes. Looking at them, Josh just wished everything could go back to normal, back to the way it had been before all this shit had happened. However, he knew full well that there was no way that could happen now."I guess we're headed to city hall tomorrow." he said, placing the flyer down and heading into the guest bedroom to check on Sweetie Belle, leaving Rarity and Vinyl to simply stare at one another.
 
Chapter 12: Fanning the FlamesSecond Chances II: Love and CourageBy Hero541Chapter 12: Fanning the FlamesRarity, Vinyl, Fluttershy, and Josh all made their way into the town hall, the three ponies extremely hesitant as the human trailed in behind them. Josh knew it couldn't be a good idea to be here, especially considering what he figured this must all be about. The flyer didn't mention him at all, a fact which helped him a little as a few ponies waved to him and said hello. However, he knew it would only be a matter of time that they would stop being so friendly to him."Girls," he said, drawing the attention of the three ponies he was with, "we need to talk for a second."Josh made his way over to a rather secluded corner, the three mares following him. As he reached a place where he found they were unable to be overheard, he knelt down to address the ponies."I want your word that no matter what he says or does up there, you won't lash out at him or anything." he said, looking between the three of them.Fluttershy and Rarity nodded, while Vinyl simply sat on her haunches and crossed her forelegs in protest."I can't promise you that." she said, frowning heavily."Vinyl," said Josh, reaching out to his marefriend, "I just want to make sure we don't do anything we'll regret.""What'll I regret more?" she asked, backing away from his embrace, "Just sitting there and allowing him to turn everypony against you, or clocking him in his fucking jaw and taking him down?""The first option keeps you out of trouble." said Josh, gently grabbing her chin and turning her head so she could look in his eyes, "I don't care if anybody here doesn't like me. Filthy can turn all of Equestria against me for all I care. But, as long as I have you and our friends, that's all I need."Vinyl just gave him a blank stare, unable to respond to him. Tears began to well up in her eyes, and she moved in closer to him, allowing him to wrap his arms around her beautiful, cream colored body. She laid her head on his shoulder and softly cried, the human gently rubbing her back."I love you so much, Josh." she said from her position on his shoulder, tears flowing from her eyes and landing on his shirt, "I don't wanna ever lose you because of this…""I promise, Vinyl," said Josh, pulling away a little and placing his hands on her face, smiling sweetly at her, "that's the last thing you have to worry about."She placed her hoof on his left hand, moving in close again to receive a kiss from her lover. Fluttershy and Rarity's eyes were beginning to glaze over a little at the loving sight. As the four stood there, the lights in the area dimmed and everypony took a seat. Josh and the three ponies remained where they were, not wanting to attract too much attention when things would undoubtedly get heated.Several pegasi from above positioned two spotlights on a podium in the center of the stage. As they did so, Filthy Rich walked out from behind a curtain and trotted across the stage, taking his place behind the podium and smiling at the gathered crowd."Friends, neighbors, all of you gathered here today, lend me your ears for awhile." he began, walking from behind the podium and pacing back and forth, "I'm here today to address a problem in our fair town of Ponyville. It is a rather large problem, both figuratively and literally, and one that I feel must be dealt with. A creature has come into our midst that threatens the purity and peacefulness of our society. Many of you, I'm sure, can see this creature making its way throughout the day. You probably take some time out of your day to greet this creature, to make it feel at home here.""I'm here to tell you that friendliness like that towards this creature is wrong." continued Filthy, stomping a hoof on the ground, "We shouldn't welcome it here. It is a threat to us all, though it claims to be here in the name of peace. We allow our children to associate with it, without a second thought as to what would happen if it decided it didn't want to be so friendly anymore."Josh could feel Vinyl squirming and shifting as she sat next to him. He could tell she was really holding back just running up to the stage and attacking Filthy Rich as he talked. The human reached out his hand and grabbed her hoof, causing her to look up at him with angry tears in her eyes. Josh smiled sweetly at her, reaching his other hand out and wiping a tear from her eye."I'm sure you're all wondering to yourselves, 'What has this creature done that's so bad, Filthy? If it's peaceful now, wouldn't it stay that way?' I'm here to tell you, friends, exactly why this creature could be harmful."Filthy cleared his throat and peered out to the crowd. Everypony gathered was eagerly awaiting his next words. Even Fluttershy and Rarity, who both knew Josh's secrets and about his past, found themselves drawn to Filthy as he spoke. The cocky stallion smirked from the reaction he was getting as he continued."This creature is a liar, a cheater, even a philanderer. It gladly stepped on those below it without a single thought, and took great joy in achieving its own goals for self-gratification."Josh listened to Filthy ramble on about all the things he'd done, how he'd been addicted to drugs, how he always abandoned those who he got close to. With each word, memories of the past he'd attempted to suppress came shooting through his own mind once more. Images of crying girls, dejected faces of those he'd stepped over on his way to the top. Every scene that played out caused him great sadness and pain, most of all the image of Vinyl's tear stained face when he'd left Equestria the first time…"So, you see," said Filthy, finishing his listing of wrongs, "this creature may claim to be genuine and sincere, but it's all a ruse. If it has hurt others before, whose to say it wouldn't do the same here, or even that it already hasn't?"Several ponies looked to each other, fear on their face. Filthy simply smiled even wider at their fearful reactions."I'm sure that by now, you're all wondering exactly what this creature is that I'm talking about." he said, focusing the attention back on himself, "Well, as I've said before, you more than likely have met him. Hell, you may even be friends with him."Vinyl right now was shaking violently, both from the force of her anger at Filthy's words and the fact that she was crying once more. Josh had all but given up trying to console her and was now just preparing to contain her should she decide to rush onto the stage and assault Filthy Rich. Fluttershy and Rarity kept their eyes on Josh, watching his reaction carefully."This creature is not a griffon, or a dragon, or anything like that." continued Filthy, his pacing resuming, "It's not even from our world. We don't know where it's from, but that's hardly relevant. This creature, for all of you who've been wondering, is none other than the human, Josh Daniels!"At those words, almost every pony in the room let out a huge gasp of surprise. Soon afterwards, they began to talk amongst themselves, some saying that it couldn't be true, while others said they never did trust the human. Vinyl was now almost sobbing with anger as Filthy continued his rant."I can assure you all that what I've said here today is very true." said Filthy, "The human you all claim to love and trust so much is playing you all for fools! You've taken him in and accepted him without question, without the truth. And now that you know the truth, I say we band together against him! For the protection and purity of our race, for the safety of our children, we must force him out of Ponyville!"At that, the crowd burst out, cheering and stomping their hooves. They all seemed to forget that the human was still sitting behind them, his heart dropping as he listened to their cheering voices. Rarity and Fluttershy looked to Josh once more, unable to believe their ears and eyes as they saw the crowd gather against their friend. Josh placed his arm around Vinyl, pulling her in close and allowing her to continue to cry on his lap as Filthy took a bow and walked off the stage, having just completely turned the entirety of Ponyville against the human.
 
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