“Hi, how are you? My name’s Mellow Yellow…no, too rehearsed.”
“Hi. Mellow Yellow…no, too dodgy.”
“Hello there, I’m Mellow Yellow, and you are…nope, too slow.”
“Howdy there, friend! Name’s Mellow Yellow! …Absolutely not, way too sitcom.”
“I don’t see the need to worry here. I think she already knows that well enough.” He tapped Ambrose’s muzzle in the mirror, taking a slow sip of coffee from the cup in his magic.
He sighed, looking away. “But I bet the majority of the other ponies here don’t. So I gotta make sure the first impression is the best impression I can make it.”
“And this is of great importance now because?”
“Because I won’t have Starlight to back me up this time, so I’m basically going in blind here. All on my own, a one-man mission.”
“Uh-huh, very heroic of you, Rambo.” He moved some of his mane behind his ears. It was being exceptionally uncooperative with him today; every time he tried to speak, his body’s frustration from high estrogen levels would boil over, lashing out towards the corners of his mouth and attempting to lump in his throat. Perhaps Stallone was right, things tend to go smoother with a bandana strapped around your head, and an M60 slung across your shoulder.
Stallone. Stallion. Ha-ha.
“Say, don’t those macho action dudes always have at least one sidekick? Where’s yours?”
“What’s that supposed to mean? You talking about Rainbow Dash?” He gave him a whatever shrug. “I think I’m the supporting cast in this one, Lou. I hardly even know this pony, but she sure as hell knows a lot about me. Luckily, it seems she hasn’t seen Mellow in a while, so it’ll be a fresh start. So like I said, first impressions.” He methodically moved his head in the mirror, getting a good sense of its complexion. Seeing how the jaws curved with each syllable. How the nose twitched with every flick of the tongue. “Until now, I’ve just been saying a name. I need to start saying my name.”
“Yeah, but…it’s not. You do know that, right?”
“Of course I do. Could you imagine if it was? That’d be ridiculous!”
“Eh, I don’t know. I think it’s kinda cute.” He joked as he nuzzled Ambrose’s neck. He scoffed and pushed him back with a wing. “It’s got a pretty nice ring to it. You gotta admit that at least.”
“Like the ringing in my ears right now?”
Louis chuckled as he went back on topic. “Well, why don’t you just be real about it?” He playfully swayed his hips in the mirror to a beat he’d crafted in his head, which was now bobbing in attempted sync. “No need to dress up a hello, just be…you.”
“Ah, the straightforward approach. I get it.” He giggled, waving to the cheery pony in the mirror. “Hi, my name’s Ambrose Sinclair, and I’m completely fucking insane. I was originally human but suddenly became a pegasus after taking these strange drugs and was thrown into your nearby woods after my house melted. But it’s ok, I heard you ponies are pretty cool, the moon told me!” He looked to Louis. “How’s that sound?”
He clapped his hooves. “Perfect man, aces all around.” Another sip. “If you overthink communication, it’s gonna come off as manufactured no matter what…I’m sure your moonlight mistress whispered something similar.”
“Actually, yeah, she kinda did.”
He lifted an eyebrow. Good grief, just what was going on in his head last night? “Huh…well hopefully me and her will cross paths someday on the highway of life.” He looked over to the clock on the wall, giving a sharp sting of urgency throughout his nervous system. “But we better get going now, lest we get caught up in the morning rush.”
Ambrose inhaled deeply, letting the fumes of confidence flourish through his body. “Alright, Lou, let’s do this!”
“Fuck yeah! Here we come, Ponyville!” He threw his hooves up triumphantly, knocking the cup out of the air.
“Yeah!”
“Yeah!”
“Yeah!”
“YEAH!”
“C’mon! Time is money, girl! Git!” He smacked Ambrose’s flank, causing him to rear with a loud and proud whinny and gallop out of his bedroom. Careening around the corner and rushing down the hall. Sounds of hooves skidding across the hardwood before a loud crash, accompanied by a wide array of silly sound effects suited for misery and mishaps.
“Goddamnit Louis!” The accident shouted.
He didn’t respond, as he was busy on the floor, trying to keep his stomach from collapsing in on itself with laughter.
For reasons that were lost on him, and probably forever will, the house was becoming unbearably stuffy by the second. Every tick of the hand gripping tighter and tighter around his throat, till eventually, he would meet his own personal midnight. Maybe it had something to do with the body, but just standing in the bright sun alone put him at great ease. Crisp air curling around him blew a smile on his face.
At first, this whole new outlook on aviation scared him, like some out-of-touch settler's first glimpse at this weird thing called electricity. His senses were nearly overwhelmed into a slobbering fit of righteous panic. Was it witchcraft? A demon? What sick, twisted rituals did one have to cast to access such strange, fantastical powers over this mortal world? Blasphemy, all of it!
Now having had time to soak it in, it was all he ever wanted to do! The adrenaline pumping through his veins, dopamine levels shooting out into the stratosphere, it was one of the greatest feelings in his life! Even better than driving!
And incredibly addictive, too, as he started to move with impatient withdrawals as Louis led him out the door. Wings fluttering eagerly as gentle breezes wrapped themselves around their feathery figures. To go anywhere he wanted, any height, any speed he desired. Not to mention it was a pretty good workout too. Yes, absolutely, it was better than driving. This was the definitive way to travel.
“Mmm, what’s that smell? It’s pretty strong…pretty sweet…” Louis’s head slowly made its way to the ground as he spoke, a dopey grin on his face during it all.
“You mean the grass?”
“Heh heh, that’s right…the grass…” He eyed a particularly lively strand, suddenly finding it nibbling within his mouth. Sucking on its moisture.
“Seriously?” Ambrose asked with a smirk. “All this time I thought you were a fan of weeds.”
“Mmmhmm, yeah, man…mmm…” He mumbled with a mouthful as his eyes started to glaze over.
Ambrose shook his head. “You’re an idiot. Just remember to go trotting into town once you’re done troughing.” How could he let himself do something like that? I mean, sure, it smells delicious, but you gotta have standards here!
“Mmph, don’t worry, it’ll all be fine. I got everything locked down tight…if only I had the key.” A loud gulp as the mush went down his neck with a cartoonish bulge.
His hooves were starting to shift in place; he needed to get in the air soon, or else he was gonna go crazy! The sky was right there, literally hanging ready above him!
Incredibly addictive.
“I gotta go, don’t wanna be late for this weather work, whatever it is.”
“Well, I’m not holding you back, Mellow. You’re cleared for takeoff.” He lit his horn and motioned a hoof forward as if directing jet traffic.
“Thank you, my favorite flight attendant.” He wrapped his wing around Louis and pulled him tight into a hug. Louis was quite surprised by the gesture but accepted it happily. “Be careful, ok? Remember to keep an eye out.”
He pulled his wing closer. “Yeah, you too…wait. Keep an eye out for what?”
“For this!” He wrapped a hoof around his shoulder and the other onto his noggin. Giving him a noogie and scuffing his mane all over his face.
“Ack! What the hell?” he stumbled blindly till he fell back on his haunches.
“Ha ha! See ya later, Vanilla!” He unfurled his wings and flew off towards town. An immense feeling of relief washed over him, cooling his nerves of airborne anxieties.
Managing to get his mane in order, Louis caught a glimpse of a golden glint streaming across the vast sea of the sky. Like a ship making its way through the twists and turbulences of a troubled sea to take a word from Luna. Each cloud was its own obstacle, but he could tell Ambrose enjoyed every moment of being in higher elevation. And he enjoyed watching. If only he could find some way to get up there with her.
Hmm…there’s that energy again. Where’s it coming from? He got back to his hooves and rubbed the spot where his skull had been scrubbed. “I’ll figure it out sooner or later. Right now, I gotta go market myself at the castle. Onward!”
The wings went into a semi autopilot state as he looked down at the scenery beneath him. Long winding trails were running deep into these jumbled patches of thatch and trees dotted amongst the walls of green. Watering holes sparkled with a crystal shine as the sun melted its way across their bodies at all the best angles. And the townsfolk, moving in and out like ants. Like traffic. Huddled up in one spot of social intrigue, trying to shoot their way around shortcuts. Standing. Sitting. Waiting.
Wasting.
Exactly…wasting away in their wait, as seconds slowly sucked the sand down their soul's hourglass. Those same ghastly hands he’d felt back in the house now gripping around these poor ponies in their self-induced stasis.
And here he was, flying high above them all. Like the high flying birds he’d see back home above the hustle and bustle of the human world. Is this how they saw it? A strange, alien abstract painting splattered with oils and dotted with green and brown acrylics?
Those ever seeing eyes in the sky?
Who apparently disagreed with his recent introspection, as they’d flicked the brush directly into his face, spraying him with sunlight. He held his hooves up and angled his wings back to reduce speed, just as he felt something poke him in the side.
“Here.” A familiar raspy voice said. He looked down at a pair of sunglasses from a cyan hoof. “Helps to have some protection when gazing upon my awesomeness.”
“Rainbow Dash? That you?” He quickly put them on, blinking as his eyes adjusted.
“Pssh, yeah! Who else would it be?” She flew by his side with a nudge and a cocky smile.
Maybe you could turn down the light show. Does your genetic code read ROYGBIV or something? “Nice to see you again, Dash.” He reciprocated the gesture. “And I see you’ve had your daily intake of humble pie as well.”
“Nah, I usually take that in a protein shake…or perhaps a cupcake on my cheat days.” They giggled. “But enough about me, what’re you doing?” He went to respond, but she instantly got right in his muzzle. “Oh! How was your tour? What’d you think of Ponyville?”
His ears folded in slight nervousness. “Well, it’s certainly full of…surprises, I’ll give it that.” He gave another pleasant face through the shades. “I was actually on the lookout for you. But I guess it wasn’t necessary…”
“Heh, looks like you’re o-and-two so far.”
“So it seems,” He felt a peculiar sting of annoyance from that comment. Sure she found him, but no need to brag about it. It wasn’t even that big of a deal, it wasn’t a competition. Besides, he could’ve found her easily if he had more time…she just got an early start. “I was coming to take you up on that offer about joining the weather team.”
“Knew you’d come around to that! Let’s fly and talk, I’ll show you where we're getting set up. If we pick up the pace, we’ll be able to get there just as their selecting teams!” She motioned her head forward and took the lead.
“So what exactly are these weather teams about, Dash?" He asked as he made his way by her side. "Are you guys a group of meteorologists studying weather patterns and such?” He was having difficulty pulling his attention away from the insistent flapping from the back of his earshot, those little points of fur twitching in frustration.
She glanced back to see that their wings were flapping out of order. She gave him a friendly smile and adjusted her own wings. “I wouldn’t exactly say we study the weather patterns, so much as we are the weather patterns.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means we can handle the castle, Vanilla. Starlight and I are gonna be working here all day. I appreciate you wanting to help, but there’s no need to have another set of hooves looking after it when they don’t need to.” He held up a hoof to speak. “And Spike can handle himself just fine.”
He sat for a moment, eyes blinking lazily. "...You sure he doesn't need any kind of supervision? I mean, not to be rude or anything, but he is a little...little." He cranked his neck down to his eye level.
He smirked at him, fangs showing a flare of mischievousness. "Heh, you're one to talk, Mr. Fun Size. You're even shorter than Twilight, and that's already pretty small." He poked him on the nose with a claw. It didn't prick him, but it sure left a mark on his pride.
"I'm not that short." She huffed.
"Yes you are."
"No, I'm not!"
"Oh yeah? What about those times I saw you giving speeches in the mirror on a stack of encyclopedias?"
"That was-uh..." Her face went slightly red and she cleared her throat. "Those are for practice, Spike. I need to make sure I'm prepared for when the princesses ever need me to give a speech. I need to look strong! Resilient! Somepony who's prepared to lead others to a better, brighter future, just like they always have!"
"...So you need to look tall?"
She gave a defeated sigh. "Yes, Spike. I need to look tall."
Louis sneaked in a hoof bump with his free hand. Is that what it’s called for dragons? "So what? You think you're some kinda big shot here?"
"Maybe not here, but certainly over in the Crystal Empire!" He puffed his chest out to appear macho, but he certainly wasn't no Stallone. "I'm a pretty big deal over there. I even got my own honorary title, Spike, The Brave and Glorious!"
He caught a glimpse of the comic books rolled underneath his arm. "Uh-huh, and I'm Vanilla Fudge, The Dazed and Confused."
Which he most certainly was, as he racked his brain for another excuse he could use in requesting to help. There had to be some kind of vague, random task he could cook up here.
Wait a minute...cook? Bake? Aha, baking!
"What if I help you with baking, like you said yesterday?"
"Hmmm, we aren't going to study anything involving baking, so I don't think that's on the table." Her eyes made their way to his flanks with an intrigued brow. "But there is a certain party pony who might take you up on your enthusiasm."
His legs suddenly had this quick, irritating shock run through them, as if he'd hit a nerve. "You mean...Pinkie?"
"Yeah! We spoke with her after your abrupt departure yesterday. She'd really like to talk to you again, on better terms this time." She laughed nervously, with Spike giving him an similar expression.
"You want me to talk to Pinkie Pie?"
"Well, you said you like to bake, right?" He nodded but his eyes were still fidgety. "Then she's the right pony to talk to. I don't think there's anypony else who gets as excited at the sweet science of sweets...heh heh."
"Booo..." He and Spike responded flatly, giving her a thumbs down. She rolled her eyes in return.
At this point, why not? After wasting away for 24 years in one immolating infestation, just to rip your guts out and start a new on this weird pony planet. Might as well put it in cruise control for a while and see where it takes you.
"I guess it's worth a shot."
"That's the spirit, now c'mon!"
Rainbow ushered him through a crowd of pegasi all bunched together in their own little bubbles of communication. Some looked bright eyed and fluffy feathers. Others looked like their alarm clock killed their dog.
Those that caught their attention however, would light up upon sight of Dash. Giving her a nice smile and an enthusiastic wave. Then they would spot him, and their emotions would become scrambled. Some would be confused, some surprised at his size compared to others of his gender, and some held on to their bright expressions. Not that he could really blame them; he was easily the biggest out of the bunch, seeing as most-if not all-shared the exact same body type. Not to mention hairstyles, guess taste only goes as far as the borders will allow it.
"Say, Dash," He whispered to her. "Are you the one in charge here? Awful lotta ponies looking at us...mostly me." Maybe it's because they were interested by someone new in town taking to their line of work. Or maybe it's because they'd never seen him before until this moment. The feeling was mutual.
"What? Oh, no I don't run this. My daily schedule's already stuffed as is, no way I could add Head of Ponyville's Weather Patrol to that list and manage it to the best of my abilities. We already have a bunch of ponies who are in charge of assembling jobs for the day."
Stuffed schedule? what else does she do here?
There was one pegasus who was a little preoccupied to pay them any mind. A slightly older stallion with a navy coat and a mane of wavy windswept washed out blue. To Ambrose, he could just have easily blended into the rest of the colorful mass. The only thing that stood out was the clipboard in his hoof, as the other was busy pointing at others, attempting to get a head count. When he finally did get a look at them, his silver eyes went wide. He casually reshuffled his papers, looked over to Rainbow, then back to his papers as his brow lifted in slight amusement before swiftly floating over.
"Good morning to you, Rainbow Dash. Gotta admit, I'm surprised to see you come around this early in the day." He spoke in a relaxed, low tone of voice.
"I am?" She did a count in her head, tallying one hoof across the other. "Huh, how about that? Guess I can thank somepony for that one."
Ambrose waved at him with a forced smile. He looked him up and down, then back to another paper, most likely a roster. "Well now, don't think I've seen you flying these skies before. Name's Whippin' Winds, with two p's...who might you be?" He stuck out a hoof in the motion of a handshake.
He looked at it for a moment, then placing the bottom half of the hooves together and jerking his arm up and down. "Mellow Yellow...with four l's."
A shocked gasp caused him to duck away from the counter, as a huge wave of party related games, machinery and rolls upon rolls of streamers flew over his head and out the window. "Uhhh...Pinkie? You back there?"
She popped up from the countertop, he body in weird suppressed convulsions. "Hiya Vanilla! It's really super duper extra amazingly-" A pink hoof cracked her across the face with an loud smack. "I mean...it's good to see you again." She finished in a monotone voice.
"Right...yeah, good to see you too...Pinkie." He took a cautious step towards the counter. "Twilight said you wanted to see me again after what happened yesterday."
She nodded calmly, before her neck twitched at a near 90 degree angle. "Y-Yes, I'm sorry to hear you guys weren't feeling well after your night in the Everfree Forest. Sometimes you can find super spooky-ahem, dangerous things in there. Are you f-feeling better?"
I think the real question is are you? He gently placed his hooves on the counter, making no sudden movements. Blood running like molasses. He could see here pupils dancing in different dilations, and her cheeks were beginning to take on a painfully reddish hue. "I know that now, believe me. We're much better now that were back within the midst of...normal civilization. And thanks for making those cupcakes by the way, it was delicious! Mellow really enjoyed hers, too."
"YOU DID?" She shouted with excitement, a burst on confetti surrounding her.
"Gah!" He jumped and landed on his back. Honestly, how could something that pink spook like that?
She gasped again, this one of sheer horror at her own actions, as she rapidly picked all the confetti out of the air and threw it into a trash can. Then throwing said trash can out the window. "No! ...No, I'm sorry."
"It's ok, you just surprised me-"
"No it's not. I hated seeing you all in that state, even worse that I had a hoof in it. I told myself from now on, I need to show a little...r-r-restraint, to relax...slow down a bit." Her face was now of a deep purple, her eyes were about to pop out of head.
she's doing this to herself on purpose? All because of a stupid overreaction on his behalf? He couldn’t imagine how long she’d been thinking about that moment. And what Twilight said to her while he was busy hightailing it, did she scold her? Dig right down to who she was as a pony and shred it to pieces?
Fuck that.
"That's enough, Pinkie." She looked up at him. "You didn't do anything wrong last night, I had many more problems lying under the surface I needed to work out at the time, nothing you could've done about it." He had a moment of flashing frustration, but let it pass with an exhale. "I don't know what they told you last night, but you're gonna hear it straight from the pony's mouth now. I don't hate you, I'm not scared of you, heck I don't even think you’re all that overwhelming...maybe the whole coming out of my mane thing. But I've seen worse in my time. I'm sorry you took it all so personally without getting the truth. Everything's all groovy, Pinkie." He ended it with a smile. "That means you can breathe now."
She exhaled dramatically, all the fur on her going flat like a deflated balloon. "Whew! Thanks, Vanilla. To tell ya the truth, I don't think I would've lasted long like that. All that bottled up excitement would've just exploded right outta me!" As he expected at this point, she stuck a hoof in her mouth and blew, making her mane and tail all poofy again.
He had a feeling she wasn’t kidding. The last thing he wanted to see was cake-coated brain splattered all across Sugarcube Corner.
"Now that we have that situation all cleared up, how can I help you?"
He chuckled. "You know, I came in here because I was gonna ask you that question."
"Ok, ask!"
"But...you just said it."
"I know! But you said you wanted to ask it, so go ahead!" She smiled that smile that was stuck on her face by default at this point.
"Erm, ok. How can I help you?"
"As it would seem, I'm in dire need of a job, and Dash here's got sky high expectations of me with the weather patrol."
He nodded with a face that at least showed the veneer of delight. "Of course, we're always happy to see new feathers join the flock! Hope you're a good swimmer." He started to file through multiple papers on the clipboard, seriously how many papers can one clip hold? He found one that had the layout of an employment form, an extremely oversimplified one at that.
As was the rest of the vetting process, the sort of things a child would ask if they were meant to play the role of an employer. Hell, one of the questions asked was what was his favorite flavor of ice cream, who asks something like that? You must absolutely stupid to have that as one of your top priorities when signing on new workers! How are you even staying in fucking business that mindset?
...
...Sigh, it was vanilla fudge.
"Alright now, Mellow, most of the information checks out. But there is one more base I'd like to cover here." He flipped the form over to one of the last pages on the board. "What is your previous work experience with weather manufacturing and/or manipulation?"
That question was so practical it nearly knocked him out of the sky, like a rouge apple flung right into his stomach. "Oh, well...that..." He looked away, tugging at a non existent collar. "None."
He slowly looked up, hoof hovering in tension over many checkboxes. "What do you mean by...none?"
"I mean I've never worked with weather before." Never had to.
That caught Rainbow's attention, who flew over from the clouds she was doing laps around to listen in.
"Really? Nothing? What about shower cleanup?"
"No."
"Cloud formation?"
"Nope."
"Terrain analysis?"
"Nadda."
"Ok..." He reached over and grabbed a small cloud, balancing it on his hoof. "Have you ever touched one of these before?"
"Uh...does smoke count?"
A heavy stare. "Hardly." He flicked it away into a larger grouping, before making an X motion with the pen in his mouth.
"What?" Rainbow exclaimed, jumping in front of him with a befuddled look in her eyes. "What the-you-I-what do you mean you've never even moved a cloud before? You, a pegasus?" He shook his head sheepishly. "Then what were you doing the whole time in Colterado?"
"Construction." They both looked incredibly confused. "Y'know, like building things...I pick heavy objects up, I put heavy objects down. Then I use heavy objects to create even heavier objects, some so heavy they're planted in the ground."
"I understand the concept Mellow, thank you." He made a few scribbles. "I'm just a little surprised, that area is great for snow contractors. For today...I think I'll have you on cloud clean up and distribution, just got a new shipment this morning. Rainbow, could you please stick with her today and show her the ropes?"
"Aww yeah! Me and you, this is gonna be a cakewalk!" She wrapped a hoof around him.
He chuckled and put the clipboard under his arm. "Enjoy the easy while you can, girls. Word from our scouts say the Apple's farmland has gone all pear-shaped...again." He grumbled and rubbed the bridge of his muzzle, a routine he's clearly done more times than he'd like to admit. "And now they're gonna need a hoof in repairing the grounds for more crop to grow back. I swear to Celestia, this happens one more time without some great, ancient evil threating all of Equestria, that Granny Smith will be getting a word from me. And it won't be through the mail." He handed Rainbow a paper that resembled a schedule. "Happy flying to you both. It was nice meeting you, Mellow." Before flying off to another group.
He felt like telling him yeah genius, that's what happens when you put all your eggs in one basket, metaphorically speaking. Possibly even literal. Seeing as this farm carried everything for the town, from apples to corn, carrots and even...
"Wait...rocks?"
"Uh-huh!"
"You used to work on a rock farm?"
"Yup! Allll the way back when I was a filly. My sisters and I would chip away at our families land, searching long and hard for the best-est, most precious-est minerals!" She started to crawl around on the floor, pretending to sniff like a dog. She found on the cupcakes nearly thrown out with the trash, using it as a visual example. "After we got the day's stock, we'd sell it for many, many different purposes. Some ponies used them to decorate their gardens, some used them to biiiiig construction projects!"
His legs felt like jelly, the brown spots of his fur began to melt all over the floor, leaving him naked in his paler colors. No, she must be exaggerating, just like with nearly everything else she does...just a joke! A goof! No way she had actually...
It took him a while, but he finally got his jaw under control to speak semi-coherently.
"You...You worked in a mine as child labor?"
"Not a mine, a rock farm, silly! Huge difference!"
Yeah, I'm sure that' what they told you to feel better about your shit situation. "And when exactly did you start working on this...rock farm?"
A hoof to her chin in thought. "Hmmm, probably around seven, maybe six. Why?"
He felt like he was going to throw up. Who the fuck does that to children? And in the 21st goddamn century no less? Fucking scum-sucking barbarians, that's who! Those pigs should be round up and ground into pork!
"Pigs, where? I don't see any. Oink-oink little piggies, wherever you are!"
He shoved both hooves in his mouth. "Shit! I mean...no. There's no pigs here, Pinkie."
"Awww, and I got my standby mud bucket out for nothing." She shoved it back in her mane. "...Also, what's por-"
"It's nothing! Nothing." He shook his head back into focus. "Just got distracted, I'm sorry you had to go through all that."
She waved a dismissive hoof. "Looking back on it now, it was really no big deal. Sure, it might've been hard work no doubt, but I still use many of the lessons I learned back then even today with baking. In a way, it all helped shape me into the mare I am today, and I wouldn't wanna be anypony else!" She jumped in the air with yet another blast of confetti.
Seriously, where does she keep all that? "Huh, guess there's always a sliver lining if you look hard enough. Rock on, Pinkie."
"What about you, Vanilla? Did you do anything with rocks before coming to Ponyville?"
"Well..."
The feedback shredded through his eardrums as he violently shook the guitar in front of his amp, endlessly repeating out a high mournful screech all across the open field. The rosewood of the fretboard flaked away with every fingering. Many knobs had been replaced into a mishmash of brand pieces to clash with the broken tailpiece. The headstock had been decapitated so many times, its spine now ran thick with the sludge of Gorilla Glue. Bruised, bashed, beheaded. And yet, it still made its presence known to the crowd without question.
Like the sticker said below the bridge made clear, it was The Judge after all.
He quickly turned around and manhandled the microphone. "Whew! Alright!" He raked back his hair, mixed with sweat and saliva. "How we doing out there?" A muted response as his voice rang out with slight reverb. "I said, how we doing out there? C'mon now, don't be shy!"
A proper response this time around.
"That's what I like to hear, man! Yeah!" He clapped his hands over his head a few times. "This is a community effort, y'know? Wouldn't make no sense for us to be up here if you're not having a good time!" He looked over to the bass, who moved his hand from the tuning pegs with a thumbs up. He nodded in return.
"Now listen! Here's the deal!" He ran a finger down the neck, a high pitched note signaling the crowds attention. "I've got some very...very important information to tell all you lovely motherfuckers..." He adjusted the strap across his bare chest and leaned into the mic. "...I'm gonna sing another song." A few giggles from the crowd. "Oh yes...I'm gonna sing a song. A sing-ey song and I hope you all sing along...or don't, y'know? I mean, it's your choice...dick." More laughs.
"This little ditty is entitled...The Dream."
And on that word, a lighting fast drum fill cracked through air like pistol fire, blasting through to give passageway for the ravenous riffs and thundering bass to rip their way through the near blown out speakers.
YEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-
"Yeah, I've had some experience with rock before."