More Than Just The Music

by Renegade3299

True Friendship

“Thank you so much, Ponyville!” I shouted to the roaring crowd of ponies. “Marilyn Maneson is up next, don’t go anywhere!”

With a final riff of our guitars, we closed out our set for the show. After throwing our spare picks and drumsticks to the crowd, we went backstage.

It had been about a month since I rescued Rainbow Dash and our friends from the grasps of Tacis, and we had been living care-free ever since, without a worry in the world. Rainbow and I made our duet recording, which both of us kept locked safely away, as we both treasured it.

The two of us hung out almost daily, and we had bonded our friendship even more. Now, we were playing the day-long concert that everypony had been looking forward to for quite some time.

We had just finished our set, and were walking backstage. The other six were gathered in the room, as Celestia had promised to come to this festival and give us the answers we were looking for regarding our run-in with Tacis. Why she chose the concert, I had no idea, but I really didn’t care. As long as there was no threat, I really didn’t think much of this Tacis. I also told my bandmates, who were more than happy to keep it a secret- like me, they probably didn’t want to deal with the press harassing us about it.

We opened the door to find our six friends laughing, giggling, and shouting. Wondering what they were up to, we entered the room, closing the door behind us. We could hear Twilight saying something- rhyming, in fact. She was also holding up a video camera, one that she had just recently gotten.

“… And aint’ no other pony troll it down like me
I’m Twilight-licious!”

The six broke out in another fit of laughter.

“I‘ve got one, I’ve got one!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, jumping up and down in her seat. Twilight set the camera on her and said “Go for it, Pinkie!”

With a giggle, Pinkie began her rhyme.

“I’m the P- to the INKIE
To the P- to I- to E-
And while I’m at it, ponies
Won’t you please be friends with me?
I’m Pinkie-licious!”

After the howls of laughter subsided, Twilight focused on Fluttershy.

“Let’s hear one, Fluttershy!” she laughed.

Fluttershy looked at the camera nervously, and then quietly began murmuring

“I’m… the F-
To the L-U-T-T-E-R-S-H-Y
And the thought of ponies watching this
Makes me want to cry
I’m… Flutter-licious…”

Everypony stared at her with concern and worry for a few moments as she hung her head, squinting her eyes shut. Then, she looked up at us, a sly grin slowly forming on her face before giggling, which caused everypony, including us to laugh in delight.

This went on for everypony- from Applejack, to Rarity, to Rainbow Dash (who insisted on wearing her sunglasses during hers). And then, just as I had suspected, Twilight put the camera on me.

“Your turn, Shadow Chord!”

“Really, guys?” I asked with a grin.

Everypony urged me to do one,

“Go for it!”

“C’mon, Shadow!”

“Do it!”

Even Rainbow, who was sitting next to me, gave me a slight shove on the shoulder, urging me on. I sighed and thought for a moment, figuring out a rhyme. I should have done that earlier on while one of the other ponies were doing theirs- I knew I’d have to do one. So, I began:

“I’m the Shadow to the C-H-O-R-D
And there’s no other pony
Rocks it out like me
I’m Shadow-licious!”

The laughter ensued, and even my bandmates came up with their own little 'Pony-licious' rhyme. As we were all making small talk, Celestia finally arrived. After bowing in respect, she seated herself on the recliner, facing all of us.

“As I promised, I am here to give you the answers you seek. You, especially, Shadow Chord.” she stated.

“First of all, allow me to assure everypony that at the moment, there is no threat from Tacis. He has fled to an unknown region, and has surely heard of what happened at the fortress where you encountered him. Now that he knows about you, Shadow Chord, he will think twice about trying to conquer the world again.”

“But what exactly happened at that castle, Princess?” I asked her, “Or rather, what was that guitar of light? Why was it able to vanquish the minion? And there was this voice…”

“As you know, Tacis once wished to rule the world under a tyranny of absolute silence. Hundreds of ponies tried to defeat him, but nopony could- he was able to protect himself with a force field of silence, rendering any spell cast against him useless. Melodia, the one who defeated him, was not only a great warrior, but a talented musician. He was skilled in combat, magic and music. He soon discovered that music, combined with a bit of magic, could break the force fields. With his friend, who was a powerful wizard, they created a violin made of magic, containing it within a magical orb. Soon after this, Tacis attempted to take over Melodia’s fortress. When the moment arose, Melodia smashed the orb and got the violin. When he played, the music he played was actually a form of magic that destroyed the force field that protected the evil tyrant. This allowed the wizard to banish Tacis and his followed. They rendered the world safe from his reign.”

“A few years later, the wizard was gazing into the future. He could only see a small bit, but he foresaw that Tacis may return. He spoke this over with Melodia, and even though they could not travel into the future, they devised a plan. They created another orb of magic- but this magic was made so it would take the form of whatever instrument Melodia’s descendant could play. He then spoke into the orb, telling the right one to play the instrument to defeat Tacis. The orb was kept safe by the Royal family for years, up until the time you used it, Shadow Chord.”

I sat there, bewildered at what I had heard. It seemed as though everypony else was just as amazed.

“So… you’re saying that the voice I heard was…”

“That was the voice of Melodia.” Celestia answered, “Your ancestor.”

“My ancestor???” I asked, nearly choking.

“The orb would only work for his descendant.” she explained. “And your lineage traces show that you are a direct descendant of Melodia.”

“What… what does this all mean, then?” I stammered.

“It means nothing more than the fact that you are the one who has the means to defeat Tacis, should he choose to strike again. Other than that, it simply means that you are a great musician, along with three other great musicians, who have thousands of ponies who enjoy the music you make.”

“But, let’s say that he does resurface.” I said, “There was only one orb, so how could I get back the guitar?”

“That is what the pick made of gold is for.” she answered, referring to the guitar pick on the necklace that appeared after I defeated the minion. “All you need to do is grasp it firmly and the guitar will appear in your hands again.”

“I see, Princess. Thank you.”

“Of course, Shadow. Now you have the answers you seek. And as I said before, there is no need to worry about Tacis; he has fled and shows no signs of returning. I want everypony here to go on with their lives as normal, and I will let you know if we have trouble from him again.”

Once she had finished, she bid us farewell and exited.

We had no problems forgetting about Tacis, since everypony had pretty much forgotten about the showdown at the castle already. We had only brought it up so the Princess could answer the questions left unanswered.

“Hey Rainbow, whaddya say you and I hit up the concession stands?” I asked her.

“Let’s go! I’m starving!” she answered.

We made our way out of the backstage area, around to the gigantic crowd of ponies. Music flowed from the stage where the band was playing, going through the audience. I beckoned Rainbow Dash to follow me as we made our way around the crowd, over to where the concessions stands were located, to the right of the stage. After signing a few autographs for ponies that were at the stands, I ordered some donuts and hay shakes for the two of us. We gazed at the stage from where we stood, consuming our donuts and shakes. Just as soon as we finished, I heard a familiar voice… one I wasn’t too pleased to hear.

“Hey there, handsome!”

‘Glamour Gem…’ I thought.

I turned around, and sure enough, here she came along with the two ponies she was usually with. I assured Rainbow Dash that I’d be quick about this.

“Shadow, you remember Diamond Tiara, and this is her friend, Silver Spoon.”

“Good evening, Silver Spoon.” I said. The young filly simply blushed and grinned, saying nothing.

I sighed and asked, “Are you enjoying tonight?”

“We sure are.” Glamour Gem answered and then spoke in a softer tone, “But you know, it would be a lot more enjoyable if you’d come along with us. I‘m sure you‘d love to hang out with a mare like me”

“I appreciate the offer, Glamour, but I’m hanging out with Rainbow Dash.”

“Her?” she asked aloud, tilting her head “You know, Shadow, she’s not really the kind of mare you should be hanging out with. She’s not fun, she’s not interesting... she’s just not worth being around.”

Rainbow must have heard that, because she looked back with an expression of irritation mixed with hurt. I’d had enough, now.

“Look here, Glamour.” I spoke firmly, “I try not to be this way with my fans, but what you said is uncalled for! Rainbow Dash is fun, she is interesting, and she’s definitely worth being around. You don’t even know her, yet all you do is belittle her, and I don’t have any time or patience for ponies like that! Now, we’re gonna go our own way, and I’d appreciate it if you left us alone.”

“You’ll see, Shadow Chord.” she said, still smiling at me and looking confident, “I’ll show you that I’m the mare you want to be around.”

She blew a kiss to me. I scoffed in disgust and turned around.

“Let’s go, Rainbow Dash.” I said, leading her away. “I know a place where we can go without her following.”

I led Rainbow Dash to one of the spotlight rigs about halfway between the stage and the back of the field. We made our way to a platform on the very top of the rig, where we could see the stage, the ponies below us, and if we looked to our left, we could also see all of Ponyville.

“This is an awesome view!” she said as we laid down on the top platform.

The stage was in intermission, waiting for the next band to set up and perform. I felt exhilarated, being able to just spend time with my best friend.

“I can’t believe her nerve.” Rainbow said after a moment or two of quiet.

“Don’t worry about Glamour Gem, Rainbow.” I assured her. “I told her that I didn’t have time for her any longer.”

“I know, but I get so frustrated when she puts me down. She never even got to know me, but all she does is make fun of me.”

“I know how you feel, Rainbow Dash.” I told her, “I went through the same thing when I was younger.”

“I can only imagine how you felt.” she said. “Everypony put you down just because of your coat and mane. And you didn’t even have friends to come to your defense. That must have been torture.”

“Well, the past is past. Besides, that was what led to the name of our band.”

“It was?” she asked, a bit shocked.

“Yeah, I usually don’t tell this to a lot of ponies- but I was always called a ‘midnight-maned freak‘. And so when we named the band, I figured that what once put me down could help me rise up.”

“But to not have any friends… Glamour might try to put me down, but I at least have my friends who will defend me. I can’t even…” her voice trailed off, a hint of sorrow ringing faintly.

“Like I said, it’s past. What matters is that I have friends now.” I said, putting my hoof on top of where hers was resting. She had been looking at the stage, but she now looked over at me.

“And you, Rainbow.” I continued, “You’re practically my best friend.”

“Me? I… I…” she seemed to be at a loss for words.

“That’s right. I‘ll admit, we haven’t hung out much up until recently, but that was only because of us not living here in Ponyville. This past month has been so amazing, and it’s because I get to see you nearly every day. You’re like me- both of us like to go out and have a good time, wherever it might be, whatever we might do. And my bandmates are all good friends, but as you see, we usually have our own thing that we do whenever we aren’t practicing or performing. There’s no denying it, Rainbow Dash- you’ve become my best friend.”

She sighed and embraced me in a tight hug.

“I’m so lucky to have a friend like you.” she murmured.

“No, Rainbow.” I replied, placing my forelegs around her, “It’s me who’s the lucky one. Even after the band made it, everypony looked at me as if I were a god of some sort. You treat me like a true friend.”

“So do you.” she answered, breaking the embrace and facing me, “I mean, the other five are all good friends, yeah, but you’re the one who always takes time out to see me and hang out with me.”

She embraced me again, saying “And Shadow… thank you.”

“For what?” I wondered aloud.

“When Glamour Gem said those things about me… you defended me… you said I was interesting, said I was worth being around. Nopony has ever said something like that about me before.”

“You’re worth more than that, Rainbow Dash.” I said, “And even if nopony has ever said anything like it, I’m sure they’d say the same thing if they needed to.”

I held her close for a few more moments, taking in the moment. I’d meant every word that I had told her. She truly was my best friend, and I couldn’t have ever asked for better. My old life was far enough to nearly forget now. I was now living the life I’d hoped for when I was young. And it was thanks to my band, my friends- Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack… all of them. And of course, Rainbow Dash, the one I was embracing at the moment.

The next band, Linkin Ponies came on, and we gently broke apart to watch the concert together.

“So, how long until your next show?” Rainbow casually asked.

“Not for a while.” I answered. She seemed a bit puzzled to hear that. “We’ve been playing quite a few shows for the last few months. We’ve gonna be recording our next album soon, so we’re taking a break from touring.”

She chuckled asking “That mean we can hang out more often?”

“Need you even ask?”

I felt her lean her head against my shoulder, saying that she was looking forward to it. The two of us continued to watch the band, high above the crowd, under the stars, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way- together.

*******************************

When the concert was over with, the four of us went to the backstage, where everypony else was still hanging out.

“Where have you two been?” Twilight asked us.

“We went out to get some snacks, but Glamour Gem found us, so we hid on one of the spotlight rigs.” I said. I didn’t need to explain why, everypony knew how Glamour acted around me, and how she treated Rainbow Dash.

“Well,” Virtuoso said. “We’re in a celebrating mood tonight, since we’re finally taking a break from touring. Anypony up for a repeat of Nightmare Night?”

The six looked at Virtuoso confusedly until Double Platinum walked in with two tents, as he had back at the Nightmare Night Festival. The six ponies all voiced their positive response, so a couple of road crew ponies went out to set the tents up and make a campfire.

Double Platinum brought all of the treats that had not been purchased from the festival, along with the usual kegs of cider. That particular evening, however, the tents went unoccupied, as we all found ourselves staying up all night, celebrating and having the time of our lives.

Author's Note:

By the way, those rhymes (in case you haven't seen them) are from the "Pony-licious" videos, created by Black Gryph0n on Youtube. I altered Pinkie's and Fluttershy's a bit to fit in with Equestria a bit more. Check them out if you haven't seen them yet!

Comments

[Rainbow Song]

I am glad I was wrong about the sudden bad guy
theses chapters are getting better and better please keep up the good work

[Rainbow Song]

I am glad I was wrong about the sudden bad guy
theses chapters are getting better and better please keep up the good work

[Thunderbird]

That solo was awesome! Though I kinda wished you'd gone with this too instead:

Oh well, beggars can't be choosers I guess.

[Spinelli381]

It was getting good until you imported the whole "save the elements and make Shadow Void the hero" thing.