//------------------------------// // Chapter One - Springfest // Story: Cruising // by Rose Quill //------------------------------// Shake your tail ‘cause we’re here to have a party tonight! Shake your tail! Shake your tail! Shake your tail ‘cause we’re here to have a party tonight! Shake your tail! Shake your tail! I hit the G chord hard, leading us into the added chorus verse, Rainbow launching into her solo with gusto. We had all ponied up as we played our hearts out. This was an old favorite and had helped the Rainbooms get some of the recognition we had. Now we were opening for an actual professional band at the school fair the day before Spring Break officially began. This time tomorrow we would all be on a boat heading south for the Grand Caymanes. Shake your tail! Shake your tail! We switched, Rarity taking the lead. She played complex runs on her keytar, the classical training she had showing through as she added in snippets from Romance and Classical works that any piano aficionado would recognize. We ramped up to another repetition of the chorus, this time just playing softly. We stayed silent vocally, tilting our mic’s out towards the crowd, the whole of Canterlot High singing the words back to us. I glanced over at Twilight, standing by Fluttershy and urging the crowd to clap. She gave me a wink and I smiled back. Rainbow caught my eye and on her cue, we all sang along with the crowd one last repeat and ended the song with a strong finish. We all stepped forward and bowed, smiling as we slowly de-ponified. This is the way to end your senior year, no doubt, I thought. We cleared the stage and the headlining act came on after their techs redid amps, mics, and the drum kit. Then the five girls from the band walked out, gathering around the central mic. “I just want to thank the Rainbooms for warming you guys up, and they are totally right,” the lead singer said. “We’re going to have a party tonight!” They took their positions and the drummer starting clicking her sticks together, shaking her purple hair out from her face. Then the wall of sound hit us. I stared, slack-jawed at the pitch perfect opening chorus and the driving lead was crisp and quick. Then the drummer growled, and the song turned up the edge. Dash looked up at the stage, an awed look on her face. “I think I’m in love,” she said. Twilight edged close to me and whispered into my ear. Ok, she kind of had to shout to be heard, but you get the idea. “Where did Celestia find these girls?” I shrugged, turning to cheer as the guitarist launched into the first solo of the set. “It's official: I’m in love,” Dash said. They were good, the lead vocalist singing an overarching melody that echoed the opening lyrics while the drummer and keyboardist sang counterpoint underneath it. The bassist was loving it, grooving off to one side and the guitarist was dancing as well as one could with cords around your feet. It looks like you’re not going to give up, am I right? (Look it’s sparkling) I’ll drag out my one chance just to take a gamble but I can’t let it end like this! As they hit the last note of the first song, I was cheering just as loudly as the rest of the crowd. We sat around a table at one of the few diners still open after the show, excitedly chatting about our night and upcoming trip. “This was a great show, guys!” Pinkie said, slurping the dregs of her chocolate malt through her straw. She still had confetti in her hair from her hitting her party cannon at the start of the show. “We totally nailed it tonight!” Rainbow said, pumping her fist. “Best way to open for a kick-ass band like that, too!” Fluttershy leaned forward. “Did anyone happen to get their name?” Silence fell on the table. We all looked at Twilight, who was scraping some leftover ice cream out of her malt glass. She studiously ignored our looks, until I reached over and poked her nose, causing her to scrunch it up adorably. “We know you heard us, Twi,” I teased. “You probably know not just the band name but the name of all the players.” “Doll Box, I think,” she whispered. “And I only caught the drummer’s name.” “Well, whatever the band is called,” Rarity drawled. “They surely give us a benchmark to shoot for if we continue to play after High School.” We all assented to that statement. We all wanted to keep playing and we had all written songs in the last year that had made their way into our repertoire. Fluttershy, surprisingly, had been the most prolific. Applejack finished her shake and leaned back in her chair, twirling her hat around on one finger. “Now enough ‘bout that for now,” she said. “Now, we all agree on us takin’ Twilight’s pa and brother on their offer to let us use the family van t’get to the dock in Manehatten tomorrow?” I looked around and saw no disagreements. Night Light had volunteered the van as it was more efficient than all of us piling into multiple vehicles to make the cruise ship before cast off. Shining Armor had volunteered to drive since the parking fees for the week we’d be gone were a little high. “And we’re all packed, right?” Rainbow said, with a sidelong glance at Rarity. “Whatever are you looking at me for?” the fashionista asked. “One bag, Rarity,” Applejack said. “You agreed.” “Pish-posh, Darling,” she said, waving a manicured hand. “I was packed yesterday.” I saw Twilight yawning and I felt the pull of sleep too. “It’s going to be an early morning, girls, and I have someone to get home and to bed.” I slid out of the booth seat Twilight and I had occupied and we said our goodbyes. As I made our way to the Sparkle house, I glanced at her. “You are packed, right?” She nodded. “I even went through my checklist five times before you picked me up for the show.” I smiled at that. “Only five times?” I asked. “Today,” she replied, leaning back in the seat with a smile. “I decided to take it easy this time.”