Twilight Gets a Puppy
By TDR
Dog show Stoppers, part 4
Rahs was not a happy thespian.
He wasn't sure how, but somehow he had been made one of the shows judges along with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. He didn't even recall the conversation that got him here. One moment he was ready to hide out at home to finish his new book, 'Tears of the Wolf's Moon'. So far it had been pretty good if a little sappy even for his taste, a surprising non canon sequel to 'Wolf of the Harvest Moon.' It was a different author as well, though the style was very similar. Though there was something familiar about it he couldn't place.
It was just as he was settling in when Cheerilee, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie showed up. Evidently one of the judges was sick and they needed another. Pinkie Pie recalled how Rahs was big into theater and the trio had come to ask him.
He recalled telling them no, and he remembered Fluttershy looking at him and then the next thing he knew he was seated at a table before the stage between Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.
He tried a last time to protest that with Spike performing he couldn't be a judge, though Cheerilee countered with the fact Spike was only operating the lights and music, he wasn't actually performing.
So for the last two hours he had been subjugated to the worst thing a theater buff could ever be put through.
Foal's amateur night.
He had sat through bad musical numbers, jugglers, attempted comedians, some odd pair of fillies trying to order the judges to let her and her friend win because she was important and they weren’t, and a pair of roller skaters that weren’t half bad.
The magic act had been amusing, though most of the town was still unhappy with Snips and Snails. That they were trying to imitate Trixie didn't sit well with him at all.
Fluttershy had given them high marks, though she did that with all of them. Neither Rahs, nor Pinkie Pie were as generous to the pair.
There were more dancing acts, dancing, a aerial display of sorts a few more singing ponies and one reenactment of the second act of Ham-let, where a colt puked all over the colt playing Laertes for about a minute and a half.
Granted that had at least been entertaining and had gotten the highest marks from Rahs.
Finally came the Cutie Mark Crusader performance, the thing he had been dreading all night.
Rahs had no idea what to make of it. While the lighting was on point, the costumes were weird and the volume was more than enough to make him glad Pinkie had spare ear plugs. The background was a riotous explosion of color and shapes with no decipherable theme. There was fire, fog, and smoke and Rahs was pretty sure it was only the fact that Spike had a fire extinguisher that made any of that possible.
The weirdest part about it was the vocals, mostly how deep Scootaloo could make her voice while still seeming to scream. The music was all guitar riffs and synthesizers and heavy bass. What few words he could make out sounded like variations of darkness, fire, violence, and blood. Though it might have been about cupcakes, Rahs really wasn't sure.
There was music in there some where he was sure of it. Pinkie, to his left, was bobbing her head in time to what he assumed was a drum beat and Fluttershy, to his right, had a hoof in the air and was bobbing her head so fast her pink hair was whipping back and forth.
Looking over the crowd he could see most were in shock and he briefly made eye contact with a cringing Applejack.
Fake bats and spiders fell out onto the stage as the train wreck continued.
Applebloom bounced around crashing into and breaking things seemingly on purpose and Sweetiebelle only joined the chorus occasionally as she seemed to be trying to direct Spike in moving the props and scenery.
At one point Sweetiebelle rushed across the stage with a clock prop tumbling across it after being tripped by Scootaloo, whatever she hit off stage sounded expensive.
Applebloom managed to get her hoof stuck in a tree prop and was dragging it across the stage as she struggled to get free.
The end of it was rather sudden as the fan finally came into play whipping dust and smoke across the stage and tipping backdrops. Spike rushed in trying to hold them up with Sweetiebelle assisting, though it wound up being a total loss as everything collapsed in on itself with a violent crash burying the Crusaders under the backdrops
Even after the music stopped every pony remained as they were, staring at the stage in confusion. Fluttershy and Pinkie had already started making their notes and Rahs was just bewildered as to what had even happened.
“Woof?” Rahs asked in general as Spike helped the girls out of the pile of debris on stage.
“Ehh, I prefer polka, but I can appreciate a good metal ballad from time to time.” Pinkie Pie offered.
“Oh no that wasn't just metal.” Fluttershy corrected.”It was a bit too extreme for that. The guitars were distorted and low tuned,the vocals were more deep growling, the drumming was very aggressive with a number of blast beat techniques, there were also number of time signature changes and chord progressions. Plus the lyrics were very much about the violence of nature and the order of things. It was certainly either black, or death metal.”
“Woof?” Rahs blinked in confusion.
“Well there was a lot more involved than just screaming. Scootaloo really has the voice for this sort of singing. She might need to temper it a little so as not to blow her voice out so young however.” Fluttershy responded. “It was quite good for an amateur performance.”
“So you think that was best in show?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“Well either that or that one act with the trained bunnies.” Fluttershy offered.” They were so cute....”
Rahs just whined.
Much later a very tired Moon Dog pushed open the door to the Golden Oaks Library and managed a few steps towards the couch before collapsing on the floor like an old rug.
Thankfully the bunnies had won best over all and they had quickly given the award for most complex performance to the CMC. Pinkie Pie was treating all of them to ice cream at Sugar cube corner and he was fairly certain Fluttershy was giving Scootaloo tips when he left.
His ears were still ringing and his sensibilities dashed and he really needed some quiet for a little while.
Still he felt he was forgetting something.
“DELIVERY!” shouted a gray furred pegasus as she shoved a large package through the open door on to of the prone Rahs getting a whimper from him and a yelp from the package.
“Oh sorry, Rahs I didn't see you there.” Derpy smiled.
The top of the box burst open and Twilight Sparkle erupted from it wearing an overly cartoony looking goat costume.
“Finally, I thought I'd never get to Saddle Arabia.” Twilight exclaimed before noticing Derpy at the door. “I mean... baa?”
Derpy blinked slowly and took a small step back shutting the door as she went, she'd get somepony to sign for it later.
“Bork.....” Rahs growled.
“Rahs what are you doing here …... I'm not in Saddle Arabia am I?”
Rahs offered a small golf clap for his sisters realization though remained as he was under the box.
“CRAAAAAAAP!! Why am I back at the library... quick I need you to mail me off again!!” Twilight panicked.
“Woof.” Rahs complained.
“Overreacting? I'm not overreacting you're under reacting.”
“Bark?”
“Rahs, Spike sent an entire pond to Princess Celestia.”Twilight explained slowly as if her brother had the IQ of a rock at that point.
“Woof.” Rahs shrugged.
“Yes, it does sound funny, which is the problem. “ Twilight winced.” It's absurd enough that she's going to think it was a prank and you remember what happened last time she thought I was trying to prank her?”
Rahs flattened his ears to his head as he thought back, before his eyes widened and a look of panic matching Twilight's crossed his features. He was quickly out from under the box and frantically trying to get in it.
“No, Bad Rahs, get out! This is my escape plan, go make your own.” Twilight trying to fight off her brother.