//------------------------------// // Songs for a Rainy Day // Story: Sweet Apple Darkness // by MellowSoul //------------------------------// Apple Bloom stared out her window as droplets of precipitation pelted against the glass. Winona slept softly next to her as the room was pervaded by sludgy guitars and tortured screams. The weather was just right for metal, and Apple Bloom's first selection was an obvious one. Inside the gears of her stereo, Zao's Funeral of God rotated in progression, tearing through each song with brutal, controlled precision. The filly reached over, petting her dog in a warm display of affection. "I feel ya, 'nona. Just that kinda day ain't it?" The girl sat in silence, waiting minute after minute for each song to end. When the last riff stopped, she rose to her hooves, ruffling her Possessed shirt and swaying the cross around her neck. She trotted downstairs into the kitchen. Because of the rain, no one could work, meaning the rest of the family had slept in. It was the perfect opportunity for some peace and quiet - or at least, what passed for it in the farm pony's world. Her thoughts were captivated by two subjects - food and television. In that regard, she wasn't much different from other children. Even Diamond couldn't resist the occasional Totino's roll or Twizzler. Apple Bloom looked around, checking for anything she could munch on. She found a bag of Doritos and a bottle of Mountain Dew on top of the refrigerator. "What is this? Fuckin' CoD land?" She decided against the treats, figuring they must've been her brother's. She opened the fridge door. There were fixings for sandwiches, cereal, and of course, lots of Apple products. "This family eats apples like crack. I swear." The filly sucked in her cheek, coming to a quick if less than ideal decision. "What the hay. Ain't had cereal in a while." She reached into the cupboard, pulling out a box of Applejacks. She promptly slammed it against her face. Apple Bloom decided on a quote, unquote "scary" movie over breakfast. Given the title was Freddy vs. Jason, she viewed it more as a comedy, but it had a good soundtrack. At least the crew knew how to pick music. She found herself laughing at certain points because of how ridiculous the death effects were. It was cartoonishly bad. Still, that didn't stop her from putting her bowl down to rock out to the music. By the end, she was jamming so hard she got whiplash. Big Mac came into the room as the credits rolled on-screen. "Havin' fun?" he questioned jovially. "Hell yeah! This movie's crazy!" The stallion wrapped a foreleg around his sister for a noogie. "Lemme go, ya ass!" "Nope." The pair burst out in a fit of laughter. Once they calmed down, they discussed their plans for the day. "Saw your stuff on the fridge. You gonna start CoD 4 today?" "Yup." "I'll probably call Sweetie and Scoots for a round of BioShock. It's pretty fun." "Wanna trade when we're done?" "Sure. How are Granny and AJ doin'?" "Granny'll be down soon. AJ ain't feelin' too well. Must've picked up somethin' outside." "I told ya them gotdang Apples wasn't no good." "All right, all right. It's just a summer flu. Probably spreadin' around right now. It ain't nothin' to worry about." "Says you." "Well, I'm older, so I know thangs." "You a clairvoyant? Got some demons in ya?" "Where in tarnation do you kids pick up this stuff?" "The internet. It's a scary place." "Tell me about it. Should probably stay offline until you're older." Big Mac did a double take, realizing what he'd just said. "On second thought, don't go there ever." "I'm with ya, brother. Should we make her some soup or somethin'?" "Later. Better to let her rest right now." "I gotcha. I'm gonna head back upstairs. I'll see ya for lunch." "All right. Just try to keep the volume down today." "I will." The filly booted up her computer, typing in her credentials for Skype. She selected a custom chat she'd made specifically for the crusaders. "You guys wanna vid chat?" Scootaloo was the first to reply. "Nothin' better to do." Sweetie Belle followed suit, informing them of her sister's situation. "Same here. Rarity was gonna deliver some dresses today, but had to postpone 'cause of the rain." Apple Bloom replied quickly, firing up BioShock as she originally intended. "Who's turn is it to pick the music?" "Mine." Sweetie responded. "Oh, great," Scootaloo huffed, "We get to listen to Beyoncé for the billionth time this week." "Hey, her music's good! Besides, I have some other stuff you might actually like." "This, I gotta hear." Scootaloo initiated the call, eager to see what her friends had in store. "So? What ya got?" "It's an album called 'The Fall of Ideals' by All That Remains." "I know those guys," Apple Bloom revealed, "Good band." "It's kinda heavy like the stuff you guys are into, but it's got more normal singing." "Is it auto-tuned?" Scootaloo asked warily. "I don't think so." "Huh. Might actually be good, then. Let it rip." "Just one second..." Sweetie selected the record from her playlist. Scootaloo was surprised to learn it matched her description to a t. "Hey! It's actually not bad!" "Figured you'd like it." "Ya know," Apple Bloom interjected, "we're kinda like that meme with the Slayer and Anthrax guys." "Love that meme," Scootaloo exclaimed, "I'm the Slayer guy. You're Anthrax." "That's 'cause YOU need to take a fuckin' chill pill." "I can't help it. Crazy runs in my veins." "You're both nuts." Sweetie pointed out. "Oh, yeah." Apple Bloom remembered. "You gobble 'em..." Scootaloo uttered. "What was that?" Sweetie perked. "Nothing!" Apple Bloom tuned out the squabble, opting to focus on her game. When it was Scootaloo's turn to pick the music, Sweetie rolled her eyes. "Why am I even friends with you people?" "'cause we're dead inside and need a sounding board for our collective existential dread." "Aren't we ten?" Scootaloo shrugged. "Things've changed since Cheerilee's day." "True." Apple Bloom heard a knock at her door. "Lunchtime!" Big Mac called out. "Comin'!" "That Big Mac?" Scootaloo asked. "Yeah. I'll be back in a minute. It's rainin' cats and dogs right now." "Tell him to send nudes!" "Yeah, yeah." Apple Bloom left the room. There was no point in muting the microphone. She'd be back soon anyway, provided the power didn't give out. Even if it did, they had a generator to keep 'em goin' for a few hours. She strolled down the stairs for lunch.