Ash grimaced as Rosella and Blast slammed the door behind them, turning back to address Golden Record, “Sir, if I may, Killjoy only wrecked that guy’s camera because I hurt myself trying to shield myself from the flash, she’s been feeling overly guilty about what happened to me. I’m doing okay, but I feel Killjoy may be overcompensating a little bit. Not that I’m ungrateful, she’s been really good to me these last couple days!”
Golden Record put his hoof on his nose, his expression starting to soften, "Look kid, that may be the case but it was still stupid of her to do so. I don't blame you for not understanding how the presses can be when fed such information but she should've known better, ponies in our position don’t have the luxury of being able to lash out when things aren’t going our way."
The stallion turned back to Killjoy and put on a stern outlook, "Look, Killjoy, I'll book you in for some interviews but the concert going on tomorrow will still go ahead. Try to make up with Rosella before then or else the papers will put the pieces together themselves, even if they aren’t there. That mare can't hide how she feels if her life depended on it..." he finally finished, trotting to his large desk to fill out some forms.
Ash whispered to Killjoy while Record was distracted, "I think we should tell him about the plan…"
The mare looked unsure, whispering back, "Yeah, but I should probably check up on Rose first... she looked pretty mad..."
"Yeah on second thoughts your boss seemed pretty mad too... maybe wait until he's cooled off a bit, and maybe run it by the other band members first so you're not just shoving it on them through the manager."
The mare nodded and began trotting into the studio where the two sisters were, occupied with their respective instruments. The familiar clashes of the crash cymbals and the chugs from Rosella's downstrokes flooded Ash and Killjoy's ears.
"Hello again!"
Ash waved at the sisters, Rosella maintaining her eye contact with her guitar, not bothering to look at the two while Blast waved back cheerily as she drummed, not missing a beat.
"Rose... We need to talk." the pegasus said firmly, or as firm as she could as the booming waves of sound vibrated the room.
Ash sat down on another chair, his wing starting to ache again, rubbing the fractured area. He decided to stay out of whatever was going on between the band members, considering it a personal affair, he'd wait until he was called upon. Despite the pegasus' efforts, the unicorn did not look up from her guitar, "Rose, I know you don't want to see me right now but this is really important. The manager said the concert tomorrow is still going ahead."
The unicorns continued playing, but Rosella gritted her teeth, both in anger and trying to concentrate on practising, even as Killjoy tried to continue her apology.
"What I did yesterday was beyond stupid and I should have listened to you when I stage dived like that last time. I'm really sorry, but please don't be angry. You don't have to forgive me, but for the band's sake tomorrow?" the pegasus meekly asked, her ears lowering and eyes meeting the floor as she dragged her front hooves back and forth, waiting for Rosella’s response, who stopped playing and groaned in annoyance.
"For the band... yes... but I'm on a razor's edge with you Killjoy! I like you as a pony but you have to step up and be more mature, or this band is going to crash and burn!"
The pegasus nodded happily and pounced onto the unicorn into a hug which was reciprocated. "Can't believe you went and broke someone's arm, dumbass!" Rosella lectured playfully.
Killjoy giggled, "Well... it wasn't entirely bad, Ash got quite a lot of gems out of it!"
"Gems? Sweet Celestia, what happened yesterday?" Blast asked.
Killjoy looked back at Ash and rubbed the back of her head while laughing slightly, "Hehe, long story short, we went to Vele's place and crashed for the night and she gave Ash a buncha gems to snack on"
Ash took a large sapphire from his bag and crunched down on it, "Ain't never had some of these gems before, I’ve really been missing out! Mmmm, yummy... she also made some potion to help speed up my healing a bit, that was pretty sweet too."
Rosella's expression softened, "Doesn't seem too bad a day then", she said with a smile.
"I mean considering I got to meet you guys and got a pretty nice day out from it, I'd say the broken wing is almost worth it!"
A twinge of pain courses from his wrist as he says this, "Ow... oooh... definitely not entirely worth it... but still!"
Blast chuckled and trotted over to make sure Ash was okay, "If you say so, big guy, just be careful with that wing."
"Alright Kill, if we're still performing tomorrow, we better practice some more tonight" the unicorn with split ears reminded.
Ash got up from his chair, heading to the door, "I'm going to head back home now, rest up. If you want to meet up later then just message me, you have my number!"
"Okay then, we better get some practice in now, been kinda putting it off last couple days." Killjoy chuckled.
Blast cut in and levitated a CD of their latest album and a few band merch to Ash. "Oh and here, for all the trouble our lil Killjoy caused yesterday."
Ash couldn’t contain his excitement, "Oh boy, I've really been spoiled these last couple days, I could get used to this! I'll be at that cafe we were at yesterday for lunch later, if you're up for it Killjoy!"
Killjoy nodded happily, glancing at the twins "Can they come too?" she whispered, almost like a foal asking a parent for permission.
Ash's tail bounced up and down slightly, "Of course! I’ll get us a table for about 1!"
The excited mare nodded, her wings fluttering and tail flicking, her bandmates waving Ash goodbye, and they returned back to their instruments.
Ash signed out of the building and got on a bus to get back home. The bus was a bit crowded, with creatures constantly bumping into his wing, constantly having to chide them for being unthoughtful was going to get old quickly, but he managed to make it to his apartment in one piece. Looking around, he could admit it was a bit messy after a few days of not being there, so he had a bit of a clean in between putting ice packs on his wing to ease the pain. He sighed and decided to watch a bit of TV, wondering what Killjoy and her friends were up to.
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As hours of practice went by with each song sounding better than the last, the band decided to take a break.
"Oh crap, it's already half-twelve, let's get ready for lunch with Ash!" Killjoy exclaimed in shock, flicking her tail.
Rosella and Blast agreed and went to take quick showers. Killjoy went to her personal bathroom to take a quick bath and when the three were ready, the pegasus texted Ash they would be at the cafe soon. Before the three left, they made sure to put on their usual sunglasses disguises to give them at least a little privacy. Blast and Killjoy wore beanies as their unique ears would make them immediately recognisable to any paparazzi looking for a cheap scoop.
Ash felt his phone vibrate next to him, reading the message to see that it was Killjoy letting him know that she was coming for lunch. The wyvern quickly grabbed his backpack and crunched on a couple of emeralds to freshen his breath, putting a couple in his bag for after lunch. Soon enough after a brisk walk, he was standing outside the bistro, waiting for Killjoy and her friends.
As the band arrived, Ash looked down at Killjoy and couldn't help but stifle a laugh seeing the beanie barely fitting her large ears in, "HAHAHA, that beanie looks a bit ridiculous on you! Come on, we've got a booth this time, should be a bit more secluded from prying eyes."
Killjoy groaned in annoyance, "Urgh, I know, but the ears really make me stick out, I’ve had paparazzi recognise me just from the tufts, Blast too, it gets annoying, the beanies give us at least a little anonymity.”
The four settled down in the booth and began ordering their lunch. Ash looked at Killjoy after deciding what he wanted, "You guys okay with me ordering a meat dish? I know Killjoy was a bit squeamish about it, but I can always order something without meat and just get something later at home."
"Nah don't worry 'bout us. Killjoy just has a weak stomach is all" Blast joked.
The waiter came over, asking for their order. Ash spoke up, a wide grin on his face, "I'll have the quarter pounder beef burger, with the amethyst shards and the spiced tea for drink"
As Ash ordered, Killjoy couldn't help but hold in a gag. Blast elbowed the pegasus and chuckled, "Wait until after lunch to lose it"
The three ordered shortly after and settled down. Ash crunched down on an amethyst before taking a sip of his tea, light wisps of smoke pouring from his nostrils,
"They really kicked the spice to 11 in this tea, pony tongues would probably burn to a crisp on that!"
Rosella instinctively looked at Killjoy to refrain her from trying. The pegasus caught a glance and reluctantly retracted her curiosity, chuckling sheepishly.
Ash laughed after taking a bite from his burger, explaining further, "It did explicitly say on the menu that it wasn't for ponies. Heat is uh… well it’s kind of our whole thing. It's why they hire dragons at the smelting plant I work at, I can dip my hands in molten metal no problem,"
Rosella looked at Killjoy again but with a 'told you so' expression which was met by Killjoy pouting. As they continued eating, Killjoy remembered the proposal for the gig, "Oh yeah Rose, how do you feel about having a pop-up gig here?"
Rosella's ears flicked up slightly. After swallowing a mouthful of food she spoke up, "Here? This restaurant? It's a bit... low-key. We're usually selling out full stadiums, why here?"
"Most of that trip to Ponyville, all I could see was how unfairly a lot of ponies treated Ash, I never noticed it before because I didn’t know anyone on the receiving end. And it wasn’t just dragons being treated like shit. Have you ever noticed that other creatures are treated poorly too around here? Gryphons, hippogriffs, changelings, even with all these reforms that Princess Twilight has put in, ponies still aren’t willing to share what Equestria has to offer! It’s horrible! The least we can do is raise awareness of that issue, use our platform to give a leg up to other creatures that are not being given a fair chance." the mare replied hopefully.
Rosella looked unsure, "I mean... yeah, I get it, but we have to consider the band here, we're not exactly cheap to hire, and who knows what kind of backlash we'll get from the media? The more stuffy Canterlot papers already think we're too radical, that we’re poisoning the minds of the youth, and there's been pushback against Princess Twilight's reforms. I agree with you, but I'm just worried if this will do more harm than good..."
"I get that but I really believe that us doing this would outweigh what the presses think. C'mon Rose, remember when we went to our first concert?? Don't you remember that spark we both felt in that moment? We could be the spark for some of these creatures and I think that's more important than whatever other ponies think." Killjoy argued passionately, her stance confident.
Rosella took another thought, before turning to Killjoy and Ash, smiling, "You know what, I like the idea... what do you think Blast?"
Blast looked over with her mouth still full of her daisy sandwich "Mmm? Oh! Yeah, course I’m down!"
Rosella clapped her hooves together slightly, "We can do it then! We'll have to talk to Golden first obviously, he arranges all the concerts. But if he sees how we feel about this he'll probably cave regardless of how he feels."
Satisfied with the outcome, the four friends continued their meals, nattering about nothing in particular. Ash took a rather big bite from the burger, spraying a bit of the sauce onto Killjoy's muzzle, her being completely unaware. Ash stifled a laugh, looking at the pegasus. The mare noticed the wyvern stifling a laugh which made her look up in confusion, still chewing on her bite of bagel.
Ash continued to chuckle, "Sorry, a bit of the sauce from my burger just landed on your face, just under your right eye."
Blast giggled a little as well as the mare wiped off the sauce messily with her clean hoof, which caused her beanie to slip, her right ear perking out. Not noticing her ear poking out, the group continued to eat, unaware that someone saw.
The cafe suddenly reduced to whispers. Aware of the drop in noise, the friends stopped eating and looked around anxiously. Rosella’s eyes widened when she saw Killjoy’s unique ear poking out from under her hat, “Shit, Kill, your beanie slipped!”
"Crap-" the pegasus quickly scrambled to cover her ear but the damage was already done. "I'm sorry...", the mare meekly muttered as she shrank into her chair.
Rosella continued to eat her food, “Not your fault. Let them stare, we’re just eating lunch.”
Ash noticed one pony across the room giving him a dirty look. Almost involuntarily, he snorted, a small pair of flames emanating from his nostrils. The three didn't mind it, almost as if it was just another bodily function ponies had.
"Gotta admit, that’s pretty rad. If I could control my explosions like that, I wouldn’t stop, imagine the pyrotechnics at concerts!" Blast chimed in.
Killjoy continued with her plan for the concert, “So, we open for this concert, get some of our usual fans in, then we hit them with other species’ best acts from all over Manehattan! There’s loads of non-ponies in this city now, there’s gotta be many super talented creatures!”
Rosella looked up from her food, putting down her fork, “I’ve seen the figures, it’s still really difficult for non-ponies to break through in the music industry. It’s really tragic, I kind of enjoy gryphon music, but you don’t really see their records outside shops in gryphon neighbourhoods. We gotta float this idea by the boss though, it’s gonna be difficult to convince him.”
Soon enough, they paid their bills and were on their way back to the studio. Ash popped an emerald into his mouth to freshen his breath, continuing the conversation from before while doing so, “So, I guess it’s up to you guys to sell this to Mr. Record.”
"Well duh! If he says no then I won't perform tomorrow night!" Killjoy snapped. Rosella instinctively shot her a dirty look which prompted the pegasus to add, "Just kidding..."
Ash chuckled, swallowing his emerald, “We can tell him when we get back to your office. Well, you guys can, I gotta go soon, but I can hang around just to see if he accepts or not.”
Once they arrived, the manager trotted out his office, smiling at seeing his band being friendly with each other again, "Ah! There you girls are. Seeing that you're all together, I assume you've made up?"
Rosella and Killjoy nodded in affirmation.
"That's good, I just wanted to tell you all, you've got an interview in 30. You’re just gonna apologise for what happened at the concert the other day, you’re gonna clear the air about all this nonsense with the dragon."
Ash grunted angrily a little at just being referred to as ‘the dragon’, but contained his anger, slightly shoving Killjoy with his leg to move forward, Rosella speaking on his behalf, "Sorry sir, Killjoy just has something she's been meaning to talk to you about."
Killjoy gulped anxiously, despite knowing Golden Record for many years, she was still rather apprehensive around him, "Uhh... well… we just discussed something over lunch and we decided as a group that we should run it by you. We want to host a concert to help non-pony musicians! You know, we open for them, grab their attention, then we showcase all sorts of talented creatures! I know it might be a little risky because of what happened yesterday and a whole buncha other factors but we really believe in this!", the mare rambled passionately.
The manager looked sceptical, “Where exactly is this all coming from? Do you really feel that guilty about hurting that dragon? You won’t be able to solve all the problems that ponies and other species have with a single gig, you do know that right?”
Rosella stepped forward to vouch for Killjoy, "This isn't just Killjoy feeling guilty about hurting Ash, he does have a name in case you already forgot. You know she's wanted to do concerts in more non-pony areas for a while now. Remember when she wanted to do a concert in Griffonstone a few months back, but you shot her down saying it'd be too dangerous? If you won't let us perform outside of Equestria, at least let us do some good with our platform. You know non-pony artists have trouble in this industry. Out of the top twenty artists last month, only two of them were non-ponies. You know how many it was the month before that? One. It's a real problem. And it's not because of them being bad, they're not, it's just that the industry keeps them down."
The manager paused, seriously pondering, "If you've convinced even Rosella here then I'll consider it. But we will discuss this further... right now, get ready for that interview. Especially you, Killjoy, you better not screw the pooch again."