//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Flurry Heart's Story: Fillie Jean // by AleximusPrime //------------------------------// “Come on, Sunburst!” Starlight shouted as she rushed to get in line. “The sooner we get in line, the better chance we have of getting a seat up front!” “It’s only a concert of about a hundred or so ponies, Starlight,” Sunburst told her. “I know, but don’t you wanna be as close as possible?” “It sure would be nice. I just hope we aren’t too close to any screaming fangirls.” “EEEEEEEH!” Pumpkin shouted right on cue. “Alright, Pumpkin. Calm down,” Spike told her. “Spike, how can we be calm?!” Flurry asked. “We’re about to see Night Shade! Everyone’s going to be screaming there!” “That’s right! This is the chance of a lifetime and we’re actually here for it!” Pumpkin added. “Hehe. Girls,” Spike laughed as he shook his head back and forth. They all got in line with other excited ponies, waiting to enter the concert stage that had been set up in a field bordering Ponyville. Since it was a small town, the wait would not be too long. It would only take about half an hour. As the sun began to set, the security guards finally unlatched some ropes and let the ponies start entering to give them their tickets. Starlight and Sunburst got past the checkpoint and went to buy some merchandise at the vendor before the concert would start. “Alright. One adult, two children…oh! Your highness!” said the ticket pony, just noticing Flurry. “You can call me Flurry, Sir,” she said, politely. “Oh. I mean Flurry, of course. Well if you want, I can just let you in free since you’re royalty.” “That’s okay, but you can let my bodyguard in for free in my place. My friend and I have no problem using our tickets. We’ve waited for this night ever since we became fans of Night Shade.” “Absolutely! Enjoy the concert!” Flurry and Pumpkin galloped in past the checkpoint. The staff gave Spike a nod and he followed the girls as they went to join Sunburst and Starlight at the vendor. Back inside the Crystal Palace, Trixie sat back in a chair with her legs on a table. She used her magic to bring over a small cassette player with a design pattern similar to her cape and hat. “Alright kids,” she told Pound, Stormy, Chip and Annie, “It’s just you and me tonight. Trixie’s had a long day and needs to wind down with a little Totrota and Fugue in D Minor if you don’t mind. You’re all little angels so don’t hold yourselves back. The castle is all yours, just behave and don’t run off.” “Thanks Trixie,” Annie said, politely as the others smiled. “We’ll be on our best behavior,” Chip added. Trixie turned on the player and started listening to her music. She closed her eyes and leaned back with her arms behind her head. She hummed along to the music and waved one hoof as if she was conducting. “Alright, she’s distracted. Whadaya say we go raid the kitchen and eat all the oat bites?” Stormy said, mischievously. “Stormy, the last time you did that, you got caught,” Pound told him. “Yeah, but not this time!” Stormy started to take off, but Chip grabbed his tail with his mouth. He got him to stop and spat his tail back out. “Stormy, let’s do something safer. How about we go watch Pound play Seapony Adventures on the Joy Box.” “Boooooring! Let’s go break some rules for once!” “Storm, I got an idea,” Pound said as he brought everyone in close to whisper to them. “How about we sneak out and go watch the Night Shade concert on one of the branches of the new clubhouse tree?” “Uh…I dunno, Pound. You think we’re allowed to be up there yet?” Chip asked, cautiously. “Sure we are! I know they’re still working on improving the inside, but we won’t do any harm if all we do is sit up there and watch.” “I’m down for it,” Annie chimed in. “I guess it couldn’t hurt. Trixie’s distracted but the town’s safe for us to be around at night anyway,” Chip said. “GUYS! I don’t wanna watch that concert! I hate Night Shade’s music!” Stormy whined. “Please Stormy? I’m gonna need you to fly me up there,” said Annie, making a sad face as her eyes grew large and cute. “UGH! For you, Annie.” “Alright, let’s do this!” Pound said. They all started to walk out the door, but Trixie teleported right in front of them. She stood there with a stern look on her face and removed her headphones. “You naughty little foals,” she said in a foreboding voice. “Tr-Trixie!” shouted Pound. “You thought you could get past the Great and Powerful Trixie just like that? Don’t you know Trixie has eyes in the back of her head?” “Wait, she’s got eyes in the back of her head?” asked Stormy. “AND EARS! I heard every word you said in the midst of my crescendo. So you wish to scamper off to see the concert from atop a totally-illegal vantage point, do you?” “Uh…yeah?” Annie said, nervously. Trixie stared menacingly at them for a few moments, until she finally smiled and began to giggle. “Oh, who am I kidding? Come on, you little rascals! We’ll all go watch it!” “Phew! You scared us there for a minute, Trixie,” Chip said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Nah! Some rules are meant to be broken! Come on. Maybe we can catch a glimpse of what the others are doing.” As the concert was getting warmed up, ponies in the crowd were talking amongst each other. Flurry and Pumpkin were showing off some of their Night Shade gear they had. Flurry had bought a shirt with a picture of Night Shade on it while Pumpkin had a hat that said “Treacherous”. Off to the side, Starlight and Sunburst had bought new albums they were discussing. “So Flur, what song do you think he’s going to open with?” Pumpkin asked. “Hmmm. I’m guessing My Heart Can’t Stop Beating For You. That one’s pretty popular on the radio right now,” Flurry responded. “I’m gonna go with Instiller. I know it’s not Nightmare Night yet, but that song sounds perfect any time of the year!” “You know there hasn’t been a crowd this big at a concert since Rara was here years ago,” Spike told the girls as he was observing the crowd. “Oh, Countess Coloratura?” Pumpkin replied. “Mom and Dad told me they actually watched that concert with us! Sadly I don’t remember it since Pound and I were babies, but it’s good to know I was there. It’s so awesome how that was the time she turned on her crazy manager.” “Yeah, I’m sure Night Shade’s manager isn’t nearly that bad,” Flurry added. Suddenly, the lights over the bleachers and stage went down and ponies started cheering. “Oh! The concert’s starting!” Pumpkin squealed. Meanwhile by the tree, Pound carried Chip up to a branch while Stormy carried Annie. They set them down and then sat next to them. Trixie snuck onto one of the larger branches next to them and lay down on the branch while keeping her eyes on them. The announcer for the concert could finally be heard. “Fillies and gentlecolts, thank you for coming to the Annual Ponyville Young Artist’s Concert! We promised you a worthwhile event last year and we did not disappoint!” As the announcer spoke, some ponies dressed as royal trumpeters walked out and lined up on two sides of the stage. They were carrying long horns with flags hanging from them with a black and white graphic of Night Shade’s cutie mark. “What the hay? I thought this was a pop concert. Are they introducing Princess Twilight or something?” asked Stormy. “Shhh! Just watch, Storm. This is an awesome song,” Pound told him. “It better be,” Stormy said, crossing his arms. “Put your hooves together for the Prince of Pop himself, the one and only NIGHT SHAAAAAADE!!!” The trumpeters put up their horns and blew into them. The tune they were playing was instantly recognizable and the ponies in the crowd knew right away this was Instiller. This song started off with a royal trumpet procession followed by a creepy ambience building up and a monstrous voice. “BEWARE THE INSTILLER!” said the voice. Mist was released on stage. The trumpeters gave their trumpets to some staff ponies down by the edge of the stage and quickly tore off their uniforms and switched hats to reveal they were actually the backup dancers. Just as this happened, the music instantly took a different turn. It was the same tune the trumpets were playing but now with an R&B groove and some edgy rock. The silhouette of a pony standing with his arms spread out could be seen in the center of the stage behind the mist. Night Shade began to enter and could be seen more clearly now. He was wearing a white coat with a black button-up shirt and a white tie. He had on a white fedora and a sparkly glove over one of his hooves. This was the signature look seen in the music video for Instiller. His dancers all had on the same outfits but with reverse clothes and were all wearing special horseshoes on their hind legs. The audience erupted in applause. Night Shade started walking on all fours, trotting to the beat. He then moonwalked his way out onto the edge of the stage to the microphone. Once he got there, he spun around with grace, grabbed the microphone and began to sing. Woke up at 3 am Heard knocks on my door (on my door) Chills run right down my spine Footsteps on the floor (on the floor) I go to open up But there’s no one there (no one there) Just my imagination Why should I care (should I care) But then I turn around And the lights they start to flicker I start to realize something isn’t right Ooooh ooooh! I try to flip the switch But I’m only met with lightning And now I know what’s happening tonight It’s an Instiller No way to escape its clutches It’s a real killer Will you survive the night? It’s an Instiller Try not to let it take you Be brave and fight on till you get this right Instiller! The crowd sang along with Night Shade. Flurry and Pumpkin clapped their hooves to the beat as Spike tapped his foot. Starlight and Sunburst were enjoying themselves just the same and sang along to the lyrics. Night Shade continued to dance and sing in perfect rhythm. He never missed a single beat or botched a single lyric. Screams of terror and anguish Ring in my ears (in my ears) Creatures march all around They feed off my fears (off my fears) Ghosts and spirits are floating All above me (above me) What do I do to stop them SOMEONE SAVE MEEEEEE! But I suddenly remember What momma once told me Whenever I’m alone and can’t see the light Yeah yeah yeah! She said don’t let em get to ya You know it’s smoke and mirrors Just sing this song and it’ll be alriiiiiight BE ALRIIIIIIGHT! It’s an Instiller I will escape its clutches It’s a real killer I will survive the night It’s an Instiller I will not let it take me I’ll keep on fighting till I get this right Instiller! Over at the tree, Chip, Annie and Pound bobbed their heads and swayed back and forth to the music. Stormy looked rather grumpy and still had his arms crossed, but then he realized his head was bobbing too. He grabbed his head to hold it still, but his hoof started tapping. He reached down and tried to get it to stop, but he lost his balance and fell into some leaves in the branch below before he could even open his wings. The angry little pegasus poked his head up and spat some leaves out of his mouth as the others giggled. Trixie lay back in the tree branch she was on with her hooves behind her head. She crossed her legs, which were both moving to the beat. Although pop music wasn’t her scene, she was also enjoying this concert. “Well I must say, I’m impressed!” she said. “Hope Glim and Sunny are having fun down there too.” After the second chorus, Night Shade utilized his special horseshoes by latching them into small bolts on the stage, allowing him to do an “anti-gravity lean” on two legs with the back-up dancers. The crowd cheered even louder. They then did other iconic dances that Night Shade was known for like the moonwalk and the zombie dance. As the bridge was finishing, Night Shade went back to his mic to finish the song. So when you’re scared and lonely Remember what I’ve taught ya Don’t let those wily demons get ya down No no no! Don’t let em get to ya You know it’s smoke and mirrors Just sing this song and it’ll be alriiiiiight It’s an Instiller I will escape its clutches It’s a real killer I will survive the night It’s an Instiller I will not let it take me I’ll keep on fighting till I get this right Instiller! Just as the song finished, he put one hoof up in the air, and fireworks were launched from behind the stage. Everyone clapped and stomped while girls in the crowd screamed as loud as they could. Night Shade smiled and nodded to everyone. The dancers all rested and looked back and forth to congratulate each other on a job well done with the first song. Everyone on the tree applauded softly so no one would hear them. “See, Stormy? That wasn’t so bad,” said Pound. “Eh, it was okay, I guess,” Stormy said, shaking more leaves off his head. “Kinda sounds like a rip-off of Pinkie Pie’s ‘Giggle at the Ghostly’ song.” “That was so awesome!” Flurry shouted down in the stands. “Someone pinch me! I must be dreaming!” Pumpkin joined in. Spike stood with his arms crossed and smiled as the girls bounced up and down with excitement. He then looked up to see a male unicorn walk on stage carrying five small pieces of paper with his magic. “Thank you, Ponyville!” shouted Night Shade before the audience screamed. “You guys are an awesome crowd! Now, before we continue, the manager has an important announcement to make.” Night Shade handed the microphone to the manager next to him and he spoke into it. “Thank you, Night Shade! Now for those of you in attendance, I hope you bought one of our hats because there’s something special for you under there! If you turn the hats over, you’ll see there’s a six-digit code printed on the inside. I did a random drawing of five codes earlier, and whoever has the right codes will get to do singing lessons with Night Shade for the rest of his time here in Ponyville!” The crowd cheered again and everyone who was wearing a hat from the vendor took theirs off to check the codes. “Alright, get ready. The first code is 111488. Again, that’s 111488.” A male pony raised his hand and started shouting. The security ponies let him walk out on stage. He walked up to Night Shade and shook his hand as the announcer did two more drawings with the codes 010283 and 021483. Pumpkin looked at her hat while listening to the drawings but he did not call hers yet. Her code was 082958. “I sure hope I get the drawing,” she said. “I wish I got one of those hats,” Flurry said. “I don’t usually wear caps cuz they don’t fit so well with my horn, but it’ll be great if you win anyway, Pumpkin.” “Thanks Flurry. I probably won’t win, but we can still get his autograph and picture later!” “Yeah, thank goodness I’m royalty and Mom and Dad gave me a lot of cash for this.” “Alright,” said the manager “The fourth code is 082958. Again, that’s 082958.” Pumpkin looked again at her hat, unsure if she heard right. She read it over just to be sure. Her eyes opened wider and she smiled. “THAT’S ME!!! I GOT IT!!” she screamed “Oh my gosh! Pumpkin, you got it!!” Flurry responded. “Alright Pumpkin Cake!” Spike said, patting her on the back. Pumpkin rushed to the stage. The guards let her in and she walked up to Night Shade. She was a bit nervous but remained as confident as she could. Night Shade shook her hoof as she excitedly introduced herself. Back at the tree, Pound took to the skies to get a closer look. He saw Pumpkin walking out on stage. “That’s Pumpkin! THAT’S PUMPKIN! PUMP WON THE DRAWING!!” “Sweet mother of Twilight Sparkle! Are you serious?!” shouted Chip. “Aw, that’s awesome!” Annie joined in. Stormy looked surprised at hearing this but didn’t celebrate as much as the others. He was happy that Pumpkin won something but still didn’t care for Night Shade, so he nonchalantly clapped his hooves. “Alright, and now for the final drawing, everypony!” said the manager. “The final code is 062509. Again, 062509.” Everyone looked around, expecting someone to respond, but there was no answer. “Let me repeat: 062509. Anypony have 062509? Anypony?” The audience remained silent and no one spoke up. “062509? No one has it? Either someone’s not paying attention or they lost their hat cuz we sold out of our hats, so someone’s gotta have it.” “Come on everypony,” called Night Shade. “Anyone got 062509?” They waited a few more seconds and no one responded. Pumpkin looked at Flurry in the audience and then whispered something into Night Shade’s ear as the manager kept trying to find the winner. “Well, looks like we’ll have to go with just four winners, cuz I already did the drawing.” “Actually, one of our other winners has a friend of hers she’d like to invite on stage for the fifth spot if that’s okay with you,” said Night Shade. “Oh? Well then in that case, where is she, honey?” The manager handed the microphone to Pumpkin. “Thanks guys. I just wanted to see if my friend could join us. Flurry, get on up here, girl!” Pumpkin shouted. Flurry’s eyes opened wide and then she smiled. She looked back to Spike and he nodded and pushed her along. The guards bowed and parted for her immediately since she was royalty. Everyone in the crowd cheered loudly and started shouting her name. Most of them were from Ponyville and knew about Flurry’s important trip to learn about friendship for the summer. After what she did to help them against Cozy Glow and reforming Tirek, they couldn’t help but feel happy for her. Flurry flew up on stage and hugged Pumpkin tightly before getting to Night Shade. “PUMPKIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!” she said with delight. “I figured it was the best I could do for my pal!” Pumpkin replied. “Princess! It’s great to see you here!” said Night Shade, walking over to greet Flurry. “Night Shade! Pumpkin Cake and I are huge fans of yours! I’m so happy to be here!” Flurry said as she shook his hoof. “I can’t wait to have you both in my lessons for the next few days. I’ve been looking forward to awarding my fans like this!” Flurry looked out into the crowd, so happy for what had happened that night. She waved to Spike, Starlight and Sunburst as they waved back. She then looked further and saw someone flying above the new clubhouse tree in Ponyville with several others beneath him. It was the rest of her friends with Trixie. She pointed them out to Pumpkin and they both waved back. “Well it sure was worth coming out here to do this! Never thought I’d like pop music as much as I do now! Consider Trixie a fan of Night Shade too!” Trixie said, happily. “Same here! And that was so nice of Pumpkin to do for Flurry!” said Annie. “Boy are they gonna have a great time with those lessons. Not that Flurry really needs lessons anyway, but we just might hear Pumpkin singing a lot more from now on,” said Chip. “Come on, Stormy. You’ve gotta at least be happy for them,” Pound told Stormy. “I am happy for them,” Stormy said, smiling bashfully. “I just hope he’s nice to them is all.” Back at the stage, the five winners of the drawing walked back down with some pamphlets the manager gave them, which contained a special pass to get in for lessons the next day as well as autograph vouchers to use after the concert. As the dancers got ready for the next song, a dark zebra wearing sunglasses was seen behind the curtains, watching Night Shade interact with the five winners. He did not appear very amused with what he had seen. “Night Shade, you fool,” he said in a deep sinister accent. “I told you to stay away from the royals.”