//------------------------------// // 10 – Anger Rising // Story: Thicker Than Water // by Krickis //------------------------------// Chapter Ten Anger Rising ⠀ ⠀ Having time to go into town for lunch was always a great feeling. It almost made up for having to soundcheck first. Since soundchecks were performed in reverse order of performing, and Bitchette was the headlining band, they had to do theirs first out of the three bands on tour. They’d often have to get off the tour bus and perform a soundcheck without having enough time to so much as stretch. But the upside was that they were afforded more consecutive downtime. They had no reason to stick around for the other bands’ soundchecks, nor did they actually need to be there for their performances. That gave them a lot of time between their own soundcheck and performance. So as they usually did, the band went out for lunch. Fluttershy had stayed behind to take care of some sort of manager stuff, so it was just the four band members. They’d stopped at a sub shop and were just wrapping up. “So what do you all make of the Dazzlings?” Rainbow asked. It had been two weeks since the Dazzlings joined them on their tour, and there was something unsettling about it. “Those girls that have been tagging along?” Lemon Zest shrugged. “They haven’t really done a lot. I’ve seen Fluttershy talking to one of them a few times, but none of them have said a word to me.” “Yeah, it’s kind of weird.” Rainbow sucked on her soda, the telltale sign that she needed a refill sounding in the air. “Trust me, this isn’t like them.” “Yeah, Fluttershy told me the same thing.” Gilda wiped mayonnaise from her sub off her face. “Said I shouldn’t trust them. I said, you know, sometimes people change.” Rainbow winced. She knew why Gilda would say that, but it just wasn’t the same. “Not people like them.” “Yeah, she said that too.” Gilda sounded irritated. Was she really on the Dazzlings’ side? “I talked to one of them a few days ago,” Windfall said. He grabbed Rainbow’s cup and brought it up to the soda machine. He refilled both his own soda and hers, then brought them back to the table. Rainbow waited while he drank, but he didn’t seem like he was going to elaborate. “Yeah, and?” Windfall shrugged. “She seemed nice. The one with all the hair.” “Adagio?” Rainbow asked. “They kind of all have a lot of hair.” “I dunno. Looks kinda like a cheese poof.” “Yeah, that’s Adagio. She’s like their leader.” “Well, like I said, she seemed nice. Said she liked my guitar playing.” Rainbow frowned. That was just what was so unsettling about it – they didn’t seem to be doing much of anything. Where were the plots? Where was the deception? Whatever was going on behind the scenes, Rainbow liked it a lot less than if they were being openly hostile. “You’re overthinking it,” Lemon Zest said. “What do you mean?” Lemon Zest sighed. “Look, we can all see it, you know? You’re like, trying to find something that these girls are doing wrong.” “You don’t want them to be good,” Gilda said bitterly. “Dash, you’re doing the same shit again.” “I’m not!” “You are.” Gilda leaned on the table and held Rainbow’s glare. She didn’t look upset, not really. If anything, she looked tired. “I’m telling you straight up as your friend. We all are. Because this is the same thing you did with me, and I know you’ll beat yourself up over this in the end.” Rainbow folded her arms and leaned back in her chair. “I thought you were supposed to be on my side. What happened to breaking their faces in?” “If they step out of line, hell yeah.” Gilda drummed her fingers on the table. “But Dash? They haven’t. They even do good work, the rest of the road crew has good shit to say about them.” Rainbow wasn’t convinced that she was wrong, but she could easily see that she was outnumbered. “Whatever, just forget I asked.” Lemon Zest groaned and went limp leaning back in her chair. “Don’t be a drama queen. We’re not attacking you, we just want you to see that maybe you’re wrong.” “I said whatever, I’m fine.” As if it proved her point, Rainbow took her cup off the table and drank more of her soda. “Well, alright.” Windfall leaned forward and folded his hands on the table. “So I had something I wanted to bring up with y’all.” “What’s up?” Lemon Zest asked. Windfall took a deep breath. “I wanted to talk about me maybe stepping out into the spotlight a little more.” “What do you mean?” Rainbow asked. Windfall looked directly at Rainbow. “I want to play lead.” Rainbow blinked, unsure what to make of that statement. She was the lead guitarist, what was he talking about? It seemed that Windfall realized he hadn’t really made sense, because he shifted positions then elaborated. “Not like all the time or anything. Just, you know, sometimes.” Before Rainbow could work some words into sentences, Gilda spoke up. “Shit, you write songs, you should at least play lead on them.” “What?” Rainbow turned to her, almost as surprised at her for siding with him as she was at Windfall himself. “I guess why not?” Lemon Zest asked. She grinned at Rainbow. “I mean, Rainbow’s already lead singer. I don’t think even her ego is big enough to need to play lead on every song too.” Rainbow cleared her throat. “You joined as the rhythm guitarist.” “Yeah, and I will be.” Windfall frowned. “I’m not trying to steal your thunder, just get some of my own.” “Dash, it’s not that big of a deal,” Gilda said. “I say he should go for it. Dude’s never going to compare to you and me on stage anyway, might as well throw him a bone.” That brought a good point to Rainbow’s mind. “Look, we all signed up for our parts.” Rainbow gestured to the other members in turn. “Gil’s bassist and Zest is drums. Neither of them ever get to take the forefront, it doesn’t mean they’re any less important.” Lemon Zest arched an eyebrow. “Dude, if I could grab my drum kit and drag it to the front of the stage to play a sick solo, I absolutely fuckin would. I’m cool with just being the drummer because I don’t have a choice. I love the drums, and that comes with the territory whether I like it or not.” Gilda shrugged. “And I spend every night trying to steal as much of your spotlight as I can.” “Why are you so against this?” Windfall asked. “Is it really that big of a deal?” “I don’t know, I just…” “Look, I’m a good guitarist.” Windfall was starting to sound more offended. “Other people see that. I’ve even gotten invitations to join other bands as lead guitarist.” “You what?” Rainbow scowled. “Who the fuck is trying to poach you?” Windfall shook his head in disbelief. “It doesn’t matter, I’m not joining them.” “That’s… actually kind of cool,” Lemon Zest said. “I mean, it was really lame of them to try and steal someone who’s already in a band, but it’s cool that they wanted you.” Rainbow narrowed her eyes. Windfall was playing dirty. Sure, he wouldn’t join them, but he brought this up right when they were talking about him being lead? He was using this as leverage. “Maybe you should just fucking join them.” Rainbow stood up, the chair legs scraping noisily against the floor behind her. “Get to be lead guitarist, since that’s what you’re after here.” Lemon Zest reared her head back. “Dash, what the hell?” “Be another fucking disappointment, just like Lightning Dust!” “Okay.” Gilda stood up as well. “You need to calm the hell down.” “No, I need to get the hell out of here.” Rainbow turned around and walked away, ignoring the way that everyone in the restaurant was staring at her. She especially ignored the way Windfall was staring at her. She pushed open the door and started walking through the cold. They were only a couple blocks from the venue, so there was no need to get a cab, even if it was tempting. The cold January air kind of sucked, but they were far south enough that there was no snow at least. What was going to happen now? Would Windfall really leave if he didn’t get to be the lead guitarist? If so, then fine. How hard could it be to find a replacement? Maybe next Lemon Zest would leave, and then Bitchette would be one of those bands where it was all about the lead singer and the band was just whoever was playing with her at the time. So what if Windfall left? And so what if even Fluttershy had threatened to leave her? Rainbow could do it all on her own, she didn’t need anyone, she’d be better off, she… she… She didn’t really believe that. Even as upset as she was, she didn’t really believe she’d be okay on her own. That’s not what this was about, this band was supposed to be about family. They were supposed to stick together, no matter what. They weren’t supposed to leave when things got a little rough. The angry thoughts burned in Rainbow enough to get her through the cold, but it was still a relief when she reached the concert venue. It was still a good half an hour before doors opened, but there were already people gathering around outside. Rainbow bypassed them by going to the back door. Even before she opened it, she could hear the sound of the opening band performing their soundcheck. She pushed the door open, increasing the volume and bringing a welcome relief of warm air. Since she had nothing better to do, she made her way to the stage to watch. It used to feel a bit strange watching a band perform with no audience, but it was something she’d long since gotten used to. There were a few roadies around, either watching or setting things up, but otherwise the venue was empty. She must have just caught the tail end of the soundcheck, because a few minutes later, they were wrapping up. There were a few comments from the band agreeing that everything was in order, then they all put aside their instruments to take a small break before the doors opened. The singer noticed Rainbow and walked over to her. He wore a big grin, which was usual of their interactions. His band was new to touring and they still looked up to the more successful headlining act, but they had always been pretty cool about it. “Hey, Rainbow,” he said. His name was Boltsinger, and he had bright orange skin and messy neon blue hair. In some ways he reminded Rainbow of Fluttershy, in that he was also too nice to be touring with a punk act. “Hey, Bolt. Everything going good?” “Yup! We just finished our soundcheck and we’re ready for the big night.” The ‘big night’ was, of course, just a routine show. But Rainbow liked that he was still so enthusiastic about every performance, so she didn’t say anything about that. Instead, something else caught her attention. “Hey, Bolt?” “Yeah?” “You have two guitarists in your band. That ever causing issues?” “Issues?” He cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?” “I don’t know.” Rainbow shrugged and kept her voice as casual as she could. The last thing she needed was for anyone to suspect there were issues in the band. “Butting egos, that sort of thing.” “Oh, not really.” Boltsinger looked over at his guitarists, both of whom were talking casually. “We’re lucky that everyone pretty much gets along in our band. We’re just like you guys that way.” “Yeah, of course.” Rainbow looked away. “So, uh, which ones the lead guitarist again?” “Depends on the song. We split it about fifty-fifty.” Splitting lead guitar duties, just like Windfall wanted. “Yeah, that’s pretty cool. Anyway, I’ll get out of your hair.” “You’re not in my way at all,” Boltsinger said with a warm smile. “Yeah, I just gotta… go check on something.” Rainbow waved and turned to leave. “Good luck tonight!” “Thanks, you too!” Rainbow didn’t have anywhere in particular in mind to go, but she did want some time to herself to think. She wound up waiting near the back door. What if Windfall actually took her seriously? Of course she didn’t want him to leave the band, she had just been angry. He knew that, right? He had to, they could work things out, they just needed to talk about it more. Talk about it… What the hell did that mean coming from the bitch who had just walked out on him trying to do just that? Rainbow held her face in her hands. What the hell was wrong with her? Did she really even care if Windfall took lead on some songs? Well, sort of. She liked being the one in the spotlight, there was no point in denying that. She lived for it. But that didn’t mean she had to have it all the time, right? God damn, she was already the lead singer, how much more did she need? It didn’t matter. Windfall wouldn’t leave the band, Rainbow wouldn’t have it. If that meant sharing the spotlight, then that’s what that meant. It’s not like he was asking for anything unreasonable. She wasn’t sure how long she waited by the door, but it was long enough for it to open. Windfall and the others came in, and they all stopped when they saw her. Unsurprisingly, all three of them looked upset with her. “Windfall, I wanted to talk to you,” Rainbow said meekly. “About, er, the lead guitar thing.” “Save it,” Windfall said, already walking away. “I don’t want to talk about it now.” Rainbow held out her hand, but he kept walking anyway. So she turned instead to Lemon Zest and Gilda. Gilda just groaned and went after Windfall. Lemon Zest waited though. “You know, he’s always been there for you. For all of us.” “I know.” “He’s not asking for much.” “I know…” “Just…” Lemon Zest shook her head and walked after the others. “Ugh!” Rainbow hung limp, staring at the floor and wondering, not for the first time, exactly what was wrong with her. She didn’t find an answer, but at least she knew what to do. She had fucked things up again, and there was no one who would help her fix it. No one, of course, except Fluttershy. All Rainbow had to do was find her. She first left the venue to check the tour bus, but it was empty. She went back in and checked the dressing room, where Boltsinger told her he’d seen her in the audience during the soundcheck. That was a little strange, since Fluttershy didn’t usually bother to sit and watch soundchecks, but maybe she had finished her manager work and gotten bored. With the soundcheck done and doors opening any time now, it was unlikely she was still there, but it wasn’t like Rainbow had any other leads. She walked through the venue, going around the stage to get to the audience area. Against the odds, Fluttershy was there, and surprisingly enough, she wasn’t alone. Fluttershy was sitting at the bar with Sonata, both of them sipping from plastic cups. Fluttershy was laughing at something Sonata said as Rainbow walked up. “Hey, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said, glancing at Sonata. What the hell was Fluttershy doing talking to a Dazzling anyway? “Can I talk to you for a minute?” “Of course.” Fluttershy turned to Rainbow and took a sip from her drink. Rainbow frowned at Sonata, who was spinning around on her barstool. “Uh, in private?” “Oh, sure.” Fluttershy smiled at Sonata. “I’ll be back in a minute.” Sonata stopped herself from spinning and blinked a few times before beaming. “Okay, Shy!” Rainbow winced. Only Fluttershy’s close friends called her ‘Shy’. Why was Sonata using that nickname? She wouldn’t bother asking now though, she had more important matters at hand. Fluttershy stood up and followed Rainbow away from the bar. They stopped by the stage, where they’d be far enough away from Sonata to talk in relative private. “Is everything okay?” Fluttershy asked. “Yeah, it’s just…” Rainbow scratched at the back of her head. “No. I screwed up, Shy.” “What happened?” “Well, Windfall told us he wanted to play lead guitar.” “Really?” Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. “I always thought he was happy playing rhythm.” “Yeah, so did I.” Rainbow kicked at the ground and realized she wasn’t being fair to Windfall. “I mean, not on every song. Just sometimes.” “I guess that’s pretty reasonable.” Even Fluttershy agreed. Of course she did though, it was just Rainbow who couldn’t keep her ego in check for long enough to see things clearly. “Yeah, I kinda… blew up on him.” Fluttershy blinked. “Just because he wants to play lead sometimes?” “Yeah…” Fluttershy sighed. “Rainbow…” “I know! I screwed things up, I should have been more understanding, it’s just… he started talking about other bands wanting him to be their lead guitarist, and I started thinking about Lightning Dust, and I just…” Fluttershy put her hand on Rainbow’s shoulder. “You made a mistake.” “Yeah…” Rainbow managed to pick her head up enough to look Fluttershy in the eyes. “I need your help. He doesn’t want to talk to me now.” “Alright,” Fluttershy said. “I’ll talk to him. What do you want me to say?” “Tell him I’m sorry and I… I want to talk more about it. Without blowing up this time.” Fluttershy smiled and nodded. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate that.” Rainbow found a small smile of her own. “Thanks, Shy.” “Don’t mention it.” Fluttershy looked back to Sonata. “I’ll talk to him in a little bit, just as soon as I’m done talking with Sonata.” Rainbow wanted to insist Fluttershy should talk to him now, or at least to ask why the hell talking to Sonata took precedence. She didn’t, however. This whole mess was her fault, and Fluttershy was helping her resolve it. Rainbow couldn’t be pushy. So all she said was, “Yeah, okay.” Fluttershy smiled and walked back to Sonata, leaving Rainbow alone. Well, almost alone. “Nice one, bandleader.” Rainbow whipped around and saw Aria on the stage. She glared at her. “What was that?” “Just saying this is supposed to be your band and you’re not only letting someone move in on your turf, but you’re also delegating to her of all people to handle your shit.” “What the fuck are you even doing here?” Rainbow demanded. “Do you just hang around waiting to antagonize people?” “Uh, I work here?” Aria shook her head and quirked an eyebrow. “Remember? Part of our whole agreement?” Rainbow climbed onto the stage and picked herself up so she was face to face with Aria. “Yeah, well, how is this any of your business?” Aria shrugged. “It’s not. I was just here and couldn’t help but overhear your little ‘oh, please help me fix my screw up!’ ” Rainbow grabbed Aria by her shirt and pulled her closer. “Wanna run that by me again?” “Hey, back off!” Aria shoved Rainbow away from her. Rainbow stood in a fighting stance, but Aria just rolled her eyes. “Tch, geez, you must be really screwed up if a little thing like this is getting under your skin.” “Don’t think I won’t wipe that smug look off your face!” “Yeah, whatever.” Aria flipped her hair over her shoulder and spun around, so her back was to Rainbow. “Good luck with your little band drama.” Rainbow fixed her with a glare that was so severe she must have been able to feel it even as she walked away. Once she was gone, Rainbow shoved her hands in her pockets and turned back to look at Fluttershy. She seemed to be enjoying herself while talking to Sonata, which was almost as bad as listening to Aria trying to start shit. Fans started entering the venue, and Rainbow wasn’t in any mood to pretend things were cool just yet. She would have to in a few hours for the show, but until then, she might as well wait on the tour bus. Windfall and Aria were both somewhere in the venue, and Rainbow wanted to be somewhere they weren’t. The worst part was that Rainbow was no longer sure who she was angrier at – herself or everyone else. It didn’t matter. Aria’s words echoed in her head, and no matter who it was directed at, Rainbow was angry. She stepped out into the cold and pushed through it to get to the tour bus. At least if she was going to be angry, she could be angry all on her own.