For the next few days, Ged's routine was the same. He'd go to work giving lessons in the back room of Bone Vox's record store and afterwards spend most of the afternoon on the phone with Jackpot. The two never seemed to run out of things to talk and laugh about. Jackpot's wit and dry sense of humor made Ged's heart tickle and he often laughed himself into a splitting headache.
Jackpot couldn't help but feel giddy about everything that was happening to her, having been left in a state of bliss since she went on the date with Ged. She spent all night talking with Ged on the phone and all morning just doing her own thing. She wrote a letter to Ged and sent it to him the old fashioned way, making the letter mean something instead of a simple phone call. The letter was an invitation to visit her place and spend the day with her.
Ged knocked on the door. He wasn't sure what to say about the other night. However, once Jackpot greeted him at the door with a soothing hug, he knew nothing needed to be said. "You really do have a beautiful place, Jackie." Oh no, he thought, should I have called her that? What if she's not into nicknames!?
Jackpot giggled cutely at Ged, liking the name he had given her. "Get in here you big dummy" She took Ged by the arm and almost pulled him inside
However, it was not before their lips met again. Afterwards, Ged followed Jackpot inside her lavish mansion. She and her hired help had done a lot in such a short period of time and it looked as if she'd lived there for years. The light danced off the diamond chandelier and gave way to white speckles on the marble floor on the foyer. "Wow," he gasped, "It's so beautiful! It's so... YOU!"
"Thank you Ged!" Jackpot told him before pecking him on the cheek. "I just had a Jacuzzi installed, I was thinking that the two of us could spend some time in it?"
"Baby, you ain't gotta tell me twice!" As the day wore on and their hooves became more and more like old prunes, Ged took a deep breath as he prepared to say the one word that he had thought of every time Jackpot came to mind. He could think of no better term to describe the mare he had connected with more in the past weeks than all the girls in his 27 years of life. "Um, Jackie, you and I have really had some wonderful times these past weeks. Would it... I mean, is it safe to say at this point... that is to call you... well, my GIRLFRIEND?"
Jackpot was flushed with a blush in her cheeks. She looked at Ged affectionately as she moved closer to him and leaned her head on his arm. She looked up at him. "I would love to be your girlfriend....boyfriend!" Jackpot romantically told him before kissing him again, giggling cutely next to him while she rested her head on his arm.
(Time skip) The members of Unstable waited with baited breath as they watched Crimson on the phone outside. Ged was hoof-and-hoof with Jackpot, Rockette was the same with Wild Awry, and Bone Vox, Strato, and Sticks huddled in tightly with their wives. "Ugh, can you tell what she's saying?" Rockette asked, already knowing the answer. With a thick glass window between them and the humming of Strato's Mareshall stack drowning out any trace of sound, the phone conversation continued for 15 minutes. Finally, Crimson nodded as she hung up the phone and entered the studio. "Well," said Ged, "what did the exec say?"
Crimson tried to look disappointed on purpose, getting the expectations of his friends. Suddenly, her expression changed as she had a large grin came across her face. "Congrats Everypony...it's happening"
"OH MY GOD!!!" The reaction was unanimous. Rockette had even broke into tears. "So, the album will be released and we're going on tour!? That's so awesome!!" "Thank you so much, Crim," said Sticks. "None of this would be possible without you." Sticks hugged his wife again before sitting back down. "So," said Ged, "when's it all going down?"
"Sooner then you think" Crimson laughed at the end, her voice happily echoing across the room. "Normally, I would have to go through tons of red tape and it's a nightmare to organise stuff like this. Luckily for you guys, I struck a deal with the producer. Instead of having to wait months for the album to come out, it's going to come out on Friday. And because of connections....." Crimson said before spinning a nearby globe. "I'm able to get you guys to play ANYWHERE in the world!"
"Well, you know where we're gonna have to start the tour, right?" The rest of the band nodded at Strato's rhetorical question. The answer was unanimous. "The Griffon's Nest in Flanksington!"
The Griffon's Nest, Flanksington The Tour was automatically kicked off at Flanksington, where Crimson worked her magic and managed to turn the tavern into something absolutely amazing. The stage and equipment were already set up, and the feeling was absolutely surreal inside the building. Crimson decided to act as Unstable's Manager for their tour, mostly because she knew the connections and because of her already awe-inspiring charisma. Jackpot came along as a VIP, eager to see her boyfriend light up the stage in a spectacular way. That, and being able to spend some time with the love of her life was always magical between them.
As the roadies were putting the final wires in place and the band sat in the green room going over the setlist, Wild Awry was as the bar with Jackpot. "Yeah, we've known Ged for years. He's a really sweet guy and I'm so glad for both of you. Crim said you were planning something special for him after the show too. What are y'all gonna do?"
"Well....I suppose it would be far too early to get married, but I'm thinking of doing the next best thing" Jackpot told Wild before the two girls went over their chat, with Jack going through extensive details. "I have something special for him, trust me." She cheerfully said
The lights went down as the cymbals crashed four times and the opening riff for "Sideswipe" began! Once a reflection, now it's gone Was a face, is now a scar So rip your nails out from my spine Run your hoof straight through my heart Behind the plies of your facade What a time to ache and cry All those atrocities combined With a sideswipe suicide... The crowd was electric. The show went on without a hitch; every note perfect, every lyric resonating in everypony's ears. This was the show Rockette had dreamed of since he was a colt.
The show went on to be an absolute success, with the atmosphere being absolutely electric. The ponies loved every single moment of the show, all the while Crim watched from backstage with a smile on her face. Everything was going really well, but the group still had a while to go. This was the start of a tour that would take them around the world. And because of Crimsons 'connections', each show would look spectacular. Jackpot was with Wild Awry, her eyes set on Unstable. Specifically, her attention was in Ged, almost hypnotically in a daze with everything going on. She wanted to ask him, although she didn't really muster up any of the courage. She didn't know why...perhaps there was something deep down that was forcing her to ask Ged. She has known her boyfriend for a while, loving each and every moment being with him. Usually, Ged would sometimes get embarrassed when he expresses his feelings for her. So...why couldn't she bring herself to do the same? More importantly, why was she so afraid of what she wanted to tell him?
