Days have gone by quickly, yet slowly at the same time. It’s been 5 months since our vacation in Capriole Shores, and we’ve been keeping ourselves pretty occupied recently. We all took time off to enjoy both Nightmare Night and Hearth’s Warming Eve. The release of our new album is only two weeks away, and everypony’s really excited about it. We’ll be embarking on a three month tour soon, in support of our new album, and while we always enjoy touring, this one in particular is gonna be special- both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie are accompanying us on this tour!
That was the only downside I’ve ever known of touring- taking the leave of absence from our friends. Granted, it won’t be fun being away from everypony else, but to have Pinkie and Rainbow going with us will definitely take the edge off. Also, we finally got ourselves our own personal tour bus, which will be a lot easier than train travel all the time. We’re actually kicking the tour off by playing, for the third time in a row, the Post Winter Festival.
I still have yet to let Rainbow Dash know how I feel about her- I want to, rest assured. But keep in mind, I still have some social skill problems, I've never had a marefriend, and I've just gotta work up the right amount of courage to tell her. I'm planning to tell her some time or another, don't you worry! Until then, just having her here with me is all I need!
And of course, I’m looking forward to the Grand Galloping Gala. We’re all going to be attending together, as everypony now has somepony going with them. Of course, Rainbow Dash and I are going. I’ve mentioned that Pinkie Pie and Striker are going together, as are Virtuoso and Rarity. Twilight is going with a pony she met named Flash Sentry (whom she informed me can rock out pretty good!). Big Macintosh asked Fluttershy to go with him, and she happily agreed. Spike- bless the little guy- he was a bit downtrodden when he discovered that Virtuoso and Rarity were going. However, I introduced him to a friend of mine who recently moved to Ponyville- a girl dragon named Sonata, and they began hanging out more and more. Luckily, they’ll be going together, and it‘s seemed to help bring him back out of any dismay he may have had over Rarity. Lightning Shredder and Applejack have been spending a lot of time together recently, and they’re going.
We’ve still got some time before the Gala is here, but it’ll definitely be worth it. One thing is for sure- this upcoming Gala is destined to be one of the best nights for all of us!
*********************
I woke up today in a bit of a daze. The sun shone through my window along with a chill breeze. I could hear my bandmates bustling about and wondered what they were up to- then, I remembered. Today was Winter Wrap-Up!
Yes, winter had come and gone, and it was time for spring once again. Jeez, time had actually gone by quicker than I thought. I reached into my closet, sliding back all of my black pleather and denim vests that I would wear when I was performing on stage, and after scrolling through several casual items, I finally came across the blue vest I was looking for- being a Pegasus, I was part of the weather team, along with Virtuoso, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.
After getting into my vest, I hurried downstairs and grabbed a quick bite to eat. Soon, the rest of the group field in, each wearing their respective vest. As I mentioned, Virtuoso wore a blue best like me. Due to his immense strength, Lightning Shredder was part of the plant team and wore a green vest. Striker, with his swift movement, could catch any fast-moving creature with ease, and was wearing the tan vest of the animal team.
“Hey guys,” Lightning Shredder said as he opened the door, “Don’t forget we’re all meeting with everypony else for dinner at Sugarcube Corner tonight. See you then!”
He exited the house, soon followed by Striker, and then Virtuoso and myself.
“I’m gonna go meet up with Rainbow Dash.” I informed Virtuoso, locking the door, “I promised her that I’d work alongside her today.”
“No problem. Catch you in a few.” he said before trotting toward Town Square. I left the ground and headed to Rainbow’s house. Approaching the door, I knocked, but got no answer. Waiting a few seconds, I tried again, to no avail. I began wondering if she had already gone to Town Square, when I heard an approaching swish-like noise behind me. Before I knew what it was, I felt a force slam into my back, causing me to lose my balance. As I fell, I turned around grabbed for whatever I could reach for support, but ended up taking it down with me. I lost control and rolled for a few seconds, eventually slowing down and stopping. Looking up to see what had slammed into me, I saw that I was holding Rainbow Dash, who was looking down at me with a grin, and whom I realized had just tackled me from behind. She was biting her lip, trying to withhold a laugh, which she could not hold for very long.
“Nice to see you too, Rainbow.” I said playfully as she continued to laugh.
“You okay, Shadow?” she said as we got up and hugged.
“Just fine.” I responded. “Ready to go?”
She nodded and the two of us took flight heading to Town Square, where everypony was gathering. Soon, Mayor Mare and Twilight Sparkle made their way up to the podium as the crowd gave them their attention.
“Good morning, citizens of Ponyville!” Mayor Mare addressed, “Today is Winter Wrap-Up, and this year, we’re aiming to set a new record! It should be no trouble, as we have a lot more ponies helping out this year. Everypony in blue, please report to Rainbow Dash, the head of the weather team. Ponies in tan will report to Amethyst Star, leader of the animal team, and ponies in green, please go to Applejack, the leader of the plant team. Now, let’s make this Winter Wrap-Up one for the record books!”
With a cheer, everypony began filing to their discerned locations. I walked alongside Rainbow Dash, meeting up with Virtuoso as we awaited for the rest of our team to form. Once everypony had gathered, Rainbow Dash spoke up.
“All right, everypony. As you know, I have a few teams within the team. All Pegasi are responsible for clearing the skies, getting snow off of the roofs and trees, and guiding the birds that are returning from the south. Does every Pegasus know which part they’re assigned?”
We all nodded, and she continued,
“All the Earth Ponies are set to help cut the ice on the lakes. Pinkie, do you and your team have everything ready for that?”
“We’re all ready-jetty!” Pinkie piped up from somewhere in the crowd.
“All right, then we’re all ready to go. Let’s move out!”
With that being said, everypony went to where they needed to go. I lined up beside Rainbow Dash and Virtuoso, and we took the lead for the team of Pegasus that would be clearing the skies free of overcast clouds.
As everypony went to their designated area, Rainbow and I noticed something- Scootaloo was watching her two friends go off with their teams, a small look of despair on her face. I’d heard of Scootaloo (and saw it for myself a couple of times) having this problem with Winter Wrap-Up; her friends had ways that they were able to help their teams, but being a Pegasus and not able to fly yet, she felt out of place and unable to help. I couldn’t stand to see this. I looked at Rainbow, who gave me an approving nod, knowing already what I was going to ask. I went over to Scootaloo and knelt down.
“Climb up.” I told her, causing her face to brighten like the sun.
“Really?” she squealed.
“We could use your help.” I answered. “Now, hang on tight, though. This year’s gonna be fast.” Scootaloo obliged and wrapped her forelegs around shoulders, holding on with a firm grip.
Once in formation, we unfurled our wings and took to the skies. As we began approaching the clouds, we all began singing a familiar tune…
Winter Wrap-Up, Winter Wrap-Up!
I looked beside me, at Rainbow Dash, who smiled warmly at me. We began singing together, followed by the rest of our team.
Winter Wrap-Up, Winter Wrap-Up
Let’s finish our holiday cheer!
Winter Wrap-Up, Winter Wrap-Up
‘Cause tomorrow, spring is here!
I looked past Rainbow Dash, at Virtuoso, who was on her other side. He grinned and nodded at me. We had a plan to get everypony’s adrenaline rushing and to get us all flying fast, and we knew the perfect song. As everypony began joining in on the song, Virtuoso and I began mixing in another upbeat song from that had the same beat and tempo as the one we were singing now.
At first, Rainbow Dash looked at us puzzled, wondering why were belting out another tune, but we continued to sing. Shortly, she realized that the songs were harmonizing, and grinned widely.
The Pegasi that were following us began harmonizing as well, and we soon had everypony singing and jamming out to our own rock version of ‘Winter Wrap Up’, collaborating with our song. I realized now, that this was the first time since recording our CD a while back, that Rainbow and I were singing together. That alone made me feel ecstatic.
The music built up steadily, as did our heartbeats and excitement. Reaching the highest point in our route, the team paused looked down at the city of Ponyville below us. A couple of seconds passed before the energy built up and finally released and I gave a loud shout. As if on cue, and with a huge electric rush of adrenaline bolting through the entire team, we all dove down in formation at top speed and began clearing the skies while we sang our hearts out.
I can’t even begin to describe how incredible it felt as we rocked out while we got rid of the clouds. The closest way I could describe it would be… imagine one being on their favorite roller coaster with an amazing rock song blaring while going at a greased lightning speed, the wind and music whipping all around. Multiply that by 10 and you might be close to how this felt. We went through dives, tops and turns, flips, zips, you name it. Heck, it felt like the team was its own version of the Wonderbolts. I looked over to my life and saw Rainbow rocking out. She glanced at me and returned the smile, then laughed. At first I wondered at what, but I laughed as well when I looked over my shoulder and saw Scootaloo bobbing her head furiously to the beat. It was obvious that she’d never experienced a thrill this big before. She was too adorable sometimes.
Below us, we saw the Earth ponies on our team joining in on the song, and they were even doing swift movements and aerial stunts in rhythm to the tune, as an ice-skating performer would do in a routine. It certainly was quite the experience for everypony, and before we knew it, the clouds were cleared away and the sun was able to begin melting the snow.
As the final cloud disappeared, everypony in our team knew that a new weather-clearing record had just been set. We finished the song with a bang as we landed back on the ground. Every one of us let a mighty cheer rise, as we were still under the adrenal rush. I could hear comments from different ponies, such as “That was so cool!”, “Heck yeah!”, “Winter Wrap-Up has never been this amazing!”
Rainbow Dash summed it up magnificently in one word: “Awesome!”
“Woo-hooooooo!!!!” Pinkie Pie cheered as she and the other ponies jumped off of the ice, which was now beginning to separate and melt.
Feeling immensely satisfied with the outcome, and still under the adrenaline, Virtuoso and I both drew our forelegs back and with all our might, threw them forward into a powerful hoof-bump. I then turned and faced Rainbow as she and Scootaloo jumped to hug me while all the ponies around us continued hoof-bumping, commenting and jumping in an ecstatic manner.
“We have GOT to do that again next Winter Wrap-Up!” a stallion in the group shouted.
After the small celebration, and as soon as Rainbow Dash had made sure that all the tasks were complete, we began trekking toward Town Square, noticing the other teams heading in the same direction. Mayor Mare stood at the podium with a beaming smile as the leaders of each team checked in with Twilight Sparkle, who noted and confirmed each tasks that had been completed. The entire population of Ponyville waited in silent anticipation as she reviewed all of the information on this year’s Winter Wrap-Up. Twilight approached the Mayor and then spoke in a hushed tone. Clearing her throat, Mayor Mare adjusted the microphone and addressed the waiting crowd.
“Citizens of Ponyville, I am pleased to announce that we officially have a new Winter Wrap-Up record break!”
After an enormous cheer from the ponies, she continued, “I’d like to personally thank Twilight Sparkle for keeping the event running pristinely, the leaders of each team for overseeing their teams so well. And I want to personally thank each and every pony who helped with Winter Wrap-Up today.”
Another round of applause rose before she spoke once more, “Now, this calls for a celebration. This year’s Post Winter Festival will have more things to do, more booths, more fun. Princess Celestia herself will be attending this year, and I am happy to announce that the festival will be moved… to go for two days!”
The crowd roared with enthusiasm before the Mayor bid us all a good evening and everypony began making their way home. But for us, the fun was only beginning. I joined Virtuoso, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo as we trotted over to Sugarcube Corner.
“That was so much fun!” Scootaloo exclaimed.
“You’re telling me!” Rainbow chimed in.
“Shadow Chord?” I heard Scootaloo ask, almost under her breath.
“What’s up, Scoot?”
“I um… I wanted to thank you.” she said shyly, “I’ve always wanted to help out with Winter Wrap-Up, but nopony’s ever let me. It was a lot of fun!”
“You were a really big help.” I told her, which only added to her joy. “I’ll definitely need your help again next Winter Wrap-Up.”
“You’ve got a deal!” she said.
The four of us turned the corner and found ourselves at Sugarcube Corner. As we entered, we saw Mr. and Mrs. Cake setting the table with enormous plates stacked with treats of all kinds. The rest of the gang was here as well.
“Good evening!” Mrs. Cake greeted. “Dinner will be ready shortly. You’ve all worked very hard today, and I’m sure you’re all famished.”
“Eeyup!” Big Mac answered with a grin.
Pinkie hopped into the room through the back doors.
“Hi, Shadow! Hi Rainbow!” she piped in delight. “Hi Virtuoso! Hi Scootaloo!”
We all returned the greeting.
“That was the best Winter Wrap-Up ever!!” Pinkie squealed, “And that song was so neat!”
“Song?” Twilight asked in curiosity.
“Oh yeah!” Rainbow explained, “Thanks to Shadow Chord and Virtuoso here, our entire team was singing a totally awesome rock version of Winter Wrap-Up! The adrenaline was unbelievably high!”
“That sounds mighty fun, y’all!” Applejack commented.
The final plates were now set and the Cakes told us all to dig in. Everypony took their seats. Rainbow Dash sat to my right, and Scootaloo to my left. She was pretty appreciative of letting her help out. Big Mac pulled a seat out for Fluttershy.
“Thank you, Big Mac.” Fluttershy commented with a grin as he seated himself next to her.
Virtuoso, in his gentle colt style, did the same for Rarity.
“Thanks so much, darling.” she said.
Once we were all seated, we began helping ourselves. The Cakes were right- the hard day’s work had left us all with an appetite for destruction. It was many hours before everypony finally bid each other goodnight and returned to our homes, weary but satisfied with this year’s Winter Wrap-Up.
******ONE MONTH LATER******
Hearing the roar of our fans never got tiring. We enjoyed every minute of being on stage, of playing music for the crowds of ponies that were there to see us. They defined us, not only as a band, but as ponies as well.
“You ponies are amazing!” I shouted into my microphone.
A month had passed since Winter Wrap-Up, and we were playing our set at the Post Winter Festival. As usual, our friends looked on with pride from behind the stage as we played our hearts out. We’d been playing for over an hour, and were just beginning our encore.
“This next song is a song you all know and love. It’s the-”
CRASH!!!!!
I nearly jumped out of my skin as I was startled by a loud crashing sound coming from behind me. A hush fell over the enormous crowd as I turned to see what was going on. What happened, I was unsure, but I saw the drumset in shambles. Virtuoso was already running over to the mess- and that’s when I saw why. Both Striker and Lightning Shredder were sprawled out on the stage floor. Lightning was holding his right foreleg and gnashing his teeth- Striker was unconscious.
“What in the hay just happened!?” I exclaimed in a bit of panic. I looked up, and was a bit relieved to see that our friends were there for us- I could read Twilight’s lips saying “Get a medic!”
Virtuoso answered my question, “Lightning Shredder tripped over a loose cable and he fell right into the drumset. They both landed pretty hard.”
Within seconds, a group of medics rushed onto the stage, while a security pony grabbed a microphone and addressed the crowd, letting them know that the situation was under control. The medics quickly cleared away the mess and got our two fallen bandmates to clear spot. Both Virtuoso and I breathed a sigh of relief when Striker regained consciousness, albeit in pain. After about ten minutes of checking, the head medic spoke.
“It looks like Striker has a dislocated shoulder and a pulled muscle. Lightning Shredder is suffering a sprained foreleg and twisted hoof. We need to get them to the hospital quickly.”
Without second thought, Virtuoso and I followed as they were put on stretchers and escorted backstage.
“Shadow Chord, Virutoso…” Lightning Shredder wheezed, “Don’t let the fans down. Don’t call off the show!”
“He’s right, you guys.” Striker agreed. “You’ve gotta be there for them!”
“But how?” I asked in shock, “We can’t play without you guys!”
“Shadow, I know you and Rainbow Dash jam on the guitar together all the time.“ Lightning said. “I know that she can play at least five of our songs- that’s enough to finish the encore!”
“All right,” Virtuoso answered, “But we don’t have anypony to play the drums, so we can’t really-”
“No!” Striker interjected. “I’ve been giving Pinkie Pie drum lessons for a while now. She can do it!”
“Can she play enough for the encore?” I asked, astonished.
Striker quickly informed me of six songs she could play. Four of them were songs that Rainbow knew as well. Four out of five could work…
“Don’t let them down!” Lightning repeated firmly as they were escorted away. Virtuoso and I looked at one another for a minute of silence.
“Well?” I asked him. He sighed and nodded.
“I guess if they can truly do it, there’s no harm in going on. We’d better go let them know first.”
We quickly made our way to where the six awaited the report. Pinkie was the first to speak.
“Is my honey-bunny gonna be okay?”
“He’ll be all right. A dislocated shoulder and a stretched muscle. He’ll recover in no time.” Virtuoso assured.
“Same for Lightning,” I added. “Sprained his wrist and twisted his hoof. Unfortunately, they clearly can’t continue the show. But, they want us to continue.”
The six looked at us with blank expressions.
“Rainbow,” I told her, “You and I have played several of our songs quite a bit, and you know them by heart. I need you to come onstage and take Lightning Shredder’s spot tonight.”
“You got it!” Rainbow said with a grin, ready to help us out.
“And Pinkie,” I said to the pink pony, “Striker says that you can play the drums for us?”
“Easy-peazy, pudding in the freezy!” she confirmed with a wide smile.
“All right then, here’s the songs we’ll do for the encore.”
I quickly went over a list of four songs that both of them could play, and then sent a group of maintenance ponies to set the stage back up properly, telling them to be sure and secure any loose cables, or anything loose for that matter. I quickly gave Rainbow Dash the guitar, and Pinkie the drumsticks. While they reset the stage, Virtuoso and I returned to the stage. I got to my mic and addressed the crowd.
“All right, listen up. You ponies are very, very important to us. If it weren’t for you, we would not be up here right now. What happened, was that Lightning Shredder tripped on a loose cable, which caused him to fall onto the drums. Both Lightning Shredder and Striker have injuries, and they cannot continue playing. As they were being taken to the hospital, they both told us not to let you down, that the show must go on. So that’s what we’re going to do for you all, and we’re glad to have two very dear friends of ours to help us out here. First, allow me to introduce who will be playing guitar- Ponyville’s own, Rainbow Dash!”
The crowd cheered as Rainbow jogged out onstage, the guitar strapped over her shoulder and ready to go.
“And on the drums, Ms. Pinkie Pie!”
Pinkie came out and approached the drumset, twirling the drumsticks in her hooves.
“All right, Ponyville, let’s dedicate the rest of this show not only to Striker and Lightning Shredder, but to these two great ponies who are here to pull us through! I want to hear you all raise your voices and sing! This is More Than Just The Music!”
As we began playing our number one hit, both Virtuoso and I were extremely impressed. Both Rainbow and Pinkie were doing a terrific job- it sounded just like Lightning and Striker. I grinned at Pinkie Pie, who was clearly having a blast as she pounded away on the drums. Rainbow and I then smiled at one another as we approached our microphones and sang the chorus together.
After the song was finished, the crowd cheered wildly, clearly as impressed as we were. We played the other three songs and then closed out the show.
“Thank you, Ponyville! We’ll see you soon on our upcoming tour. Before we go, I want everypony to give it up for Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash!”
I turned around at the two ponies, encouraging them to raise their hooves to the cheering crowd, which they gladly obliged to.
“Thank you again, and we’ll see you soon! Goodnight!”
After the closing riff, we went backstage, where the other four waited. They quickly approached us as we exchanged hugs and compliments, feeling victorious and savoring the moment that we were caught up in.
“You all did such a great job!” Twilight commended.
“We couldn’t have done it without Dash and Pinkie here!” Virtuoso laughed.
“You two were very good out there!” Fluttershy told the two beaming ponies.
“I couldn’t tell the difference in the sound!” Applejack added.
“You know what, Virtuoso?” I said, “I think, that since they’re coming with us, they can help us out- they can stand as our instrument techs, and if something like this happens again, they can do what they did tonight!”
“Good thinking, man!” he agreed.
“Well, we’d best be on our way to the hospital.” Rarity said. “I’m sure they’ll be happy to see us.”
We all exited the backstage area and made our way to Ponyville Hospital, eager to tell our bandmates of the awesome show we’d just wrapped up, and of our new plans for the upcoming tour across Equestria.