//------------------------------// // Chapter One Part Five // Story: Migraines // by SwiperTheFox //------------------------------// Raspberry went out the front door, and he found himself back on the now familiar Market Street. It seemed to be getting a bit dark, although the crowds appeared just as cheerful and busy as before. He turned to head down the street, but then his right front hoof bumped up against something. He glanced downward. Somehow, his backpack sat right there in the middle of the sideway. But I… I… I thought I lost it at the… No, I KNOW I left in that alley when I fell into the underground dragon-related thing. How the hell did it get… Raspberry surveyed the Market Street in all directions. He detected nothing out of the ordinary. He picked the backpack up with his right hoof. He eyed it from all directions. It looked fine, and it actually didn’t look at all different from when he walked out of his last final last August— knowing the Master’s Degree was his. Raspberry glanced back down, and he shuddered in surprise. That hat— the dark black Stetson hat covered in silver studs the cowpony had— rested in the middle of the sidewalk. Raspberry picked it up, twirled it in his hooves, and then put it on his head. He looked back over at the backpack, and the he threw it onto his right side. He took a few steps down the street. A gust of wind started up, which Raspberry paid no attention to. It began to build and build. Sellers started reaching around to hold their wares. The shoppers grabbed what they had and held it close. Ponies gathered away from the center of the street. Raspberry shut his eyes, and he heard the hat blow off. He opened his eyes, and he saw flying through the air. Yet it seemed to flutter back and forth rather than blow with the wind. Suddenly, it seemed to fly straight upwards. Raspberry sat down. He stayed sitting as the wind stopped and the crowds went back to their mingling. Well, that was some crazy… stuff going on… He started back to walking down the street. He noticed a very, very long line drawn on the ground leading straight forward. He followed it for a while, and then it ended with a giant arrowhead. Raspberry spotted ‘Knack’s Music Supplies’ about thirty feet ahead. He trotted over. Before opening the door, he noticed what seemed like another arrow. It curved around away from the storefront towards the side of the music supply building. Curious, Raspberry stepped over and glanced at the right wall of the building. ‘DON’T WORRY ABOUT CELESTIA (°u°) – RF’ read huge graffiti. Raspberry took a deep gulp and stumbled onto his back. The words were dripping this thick, crimson something or other. Raspberry hoped that it wasn’t blood. The smiley face was inside a circle that seemed to be carved into the wall by thousands and thousands of scrapings. It reminded him of a mental patient attacking the sides of his cell. “Well, thanks RF!” Raspberry screamed back sarcastically, trying to look tough but still panting profusely. He grabbed his backpack, and then he sped back to the front of the store. He rushed in. The room looked massive. Over to his right side sat a large stage with a full setup of drums, guitar, bass, and piano. He ogled the band’s guitar. Psychedelic-looking bright blue stripes stretched all across the simply gorgeous looking Gibson Flying V. Raspberry thought that it looked as if Dave Davies himself had flung the guitar into a wormhole during a Kinks’ gig and it had somehow shown up here. Directly in front of him, he saw row after row and column after column of instruments. He thought that he could find anything he could dream of from a harpsichord to a cowbell to a keytar. To his left, Raspberry saw layers and layers of cables upon the wall as well as lying on the floor, dwarfing a small booth in the middle. Raspberry stepped up to the booth and glanced around. He didn’t see anypony at the register, and the rest of the room looked deserted. He moved back, and he stepped on something that made a soft crunch. He glanced down and saw a note. It read: ‘Thanks for visiting! Will be back in ~10min! Feel free to try out the band’s instruments! (+w+)’ “Don’t mind if I do!” Raspberry said, and he walked over to the piano. He strained for a moment to get himself up onto the bench. How the hell do ponies sit like freaking humans all of the time? It’s not like we have the same bottoms, dammit. He reached out his right hoof, and he clanged three keys at once. He paused, and then he reached out with his left hoof. He smashed four keys. He banged back and forth for a few seconds. This sounds like a two-year-old… He glared at the end of his right hoof. He scrunched the corners of his hoof together. He then managed to plink one key at a time. Raspberry took a deep breath. It probably would help if I knew absolutely anything about playing or reading music. Oh, well. And how do ponies really hold and operate this stuff this anyway, geez! He pinked one of the high keys over and over again like a metronome. After a minute or so, he stopped. Well, I’m bored… boooored… Then, he reached down and opened up his backpack. He saw some folders, some bottles of aspirin, and some loose papers. He muttered ‘a-ha’ and then pulled out his iPod. It appeared totally unmolested by the universe to universe travel. He flipped the case open and nudged the top. The screen lit up perfectly. He tapped the click-wheel with his right hoof to no avail. He scrunched the ends of his hooves, and then he managed to rotate around to click play. He concentrated for a moment, and then the earbuds slid right into his ears. “Oh yeah, ‘play Sheer Heart Attack’— excellent,” he said, and he bobbed his head back and forth in tune with the song. “Oooh… Here I stand. Here I stand. Look around, around, around, around, arounnnnnnnd…” He seemed immediately to slip into this other state of consciousness. He closed his eyes, and spun around. He plinked one of the highest piano keys again and again in tune to the song. The playing sounded, somehow, better. It seemed almost as if Brian May was right there playing the riff on the keys beside him. Raspberry opened his eyes back up, and he saw all of the keys covered with a purple aura. A bunch of keys plinked on their own. “Oh,yes! Yes! YES” He yelled. “I like where this is going!” He hurled himself off of the stool. He threw his left hoof out into the air, and the Flying V zoomed into his hooves. He grabbed it— both the guitar and his hooves bathed in a glowing purple aura. Raspberry closed his eyes once again. “Your matches still light up the sky! And many a tear lives on in my eye!” He sang. He slammed his right hoof down and the Gibson rewarded him with a loud purr. “Oh, down in the city— just Hoople and meeeeeeeeee…” He flung himself into the air, kicking both of his bottom hooves furiously. He landed in a split and he whipped the Gibson forward like a striking ax. He pounded out the chords. He sprang back on his feet and thrust the guitar above him. He smashed his hooves on it again and again, beating the strings like a jackhammer. He bounced backward and spun himself like a small tornado— flinging through chords every second. He hopped up and down, let out a scream, and shoved the guitar down in the front of him. He tapped the strings furiously, yelling louder and louder with each riff. “Go! Go! GO! LITTLE QUEENIE!” he screamed at the top of his lungs, “STROKE IT, BRIAN!” He pogoed as fast as he could, and he felt the chords flowing through him. The track started to tune out. Raspberry hurled the guitar straight up. He made a huge backflip, eyes still shut. Raspberry plopped onto the drummer’s stool, and he flipped his front hoofs to his sides. The drum sticks flew two his hooves. He yelled, “Go for it, ROGER!” Raspberry hammered the sticks onto the tom-tom drums right in front him. He smashed the cymbals, and he then pounded the tom-toms as well as the kick drum in a blind fury. He jumped on top of the stool and fluttered the cymbals repeatedly. He twisted to the left, and then he slammed again and again into the snare drum while battering the left cymbal. His hooves seemed to bend and curl about as if they were made of rubber. With his eyes still shut, Raspberry threw himself forward and kicked the cymbals off the stairs. He bounced about on the pedal to the kick drum and beat the snare drum with both hooves. He reached over and banged the tom-toms as well. He suddenly twisted to the right. Raspberry let out a guttural scream as he rammed the tom-toms over and over again. He went harder and harder, feeling as if he just had to break the sticks any second now. He bucked the kick drum, flinging it down off of the stage. With his eyes still shut, he smattered the sticks across the symbols. He flipped his hooves over, discarding the sticks like used napkins. Raspberry then raised all of his hooves into the air in a victory stance, and he let out a satisfying yell. Raspberry heard a cough. He then opened his eyes. He saw about two dozen or so horses crowding the storefront in front of the stage. They all started directly at Raspberry with blank faces. Raspberry stepped down off of the stage, and halted at the end of the piano. A very small blue filly with budding bluish-white wings stepped right in front of him. She reached out her front hooves and began to clap. A chorus of clapping, hoots, and cheers began. The ponies rushed towards them. Raspberry could barely make out what any one of them said, but he regurgitated polite ‘yes’, ‘thank you’, ‘great’, and ‘nice to meet you too’ comments. He noticed his backpack being poked and probed, and he immediately grabbed it and held it close. Raspberry suddenly felt a pair of huge gray hooves seizing him, and Raspberry let out an ‘eep’. “Yes, yes, yes, of course,” said a voice, and Raspberry found himself cradled on the floor beside a tall slate-gray colt wearing a shiny black vest. The colt’s long, flowing mane rubbed up against Raspberry’s side. The colt had a unicorn horn that seemed oddly short as well as oddly dark for the rest of his body. Raspberry spotted the colts’ cutie mark, a solid black musical note. “I…” Raspberry began. “Yes, I’m glad that you all have become MORE THAN acquainted with the newest member of the Knack family,” the colt said, “A Mister…” The colt glanced at Raspberry. “Raspberry Star,” Raspberry meekly replied. “Raspberry Star!” the colt declared, and then he pulled them together close, “And I’m VERY glad to report that you will be seeing Raspberry much more in the very near future… Along with, of course, the rest of The Attractions!” The crowd cheered. The ponies began splitting up. Around a third of them flowed out the door back to Market Street, but the others spread out across the store. Several horses marveled at the band instruments that Raspberry had tossed around the ground. The gray colt tapped Raspberry’s side affectionately, and then he pointed at a side door beside the register. The colt made a loud whistle, and two mares stepped out of the door. The mares immediately began assisting customers. “I assume you are… Mr. Knack,” Raspberry muttered. “Right you are!” replied the colt. They both headed through the side door. They were now in a blank looking corridor. To Raspberry’s right, a huge staircase stretched upwards. He spotted a sign saying ‘Rooms’. To his left, he saw two doors marked ‘Exit’. “So, wha—” Raspberry began. “Oh, for Pete’s sake, they can still hear every word we say here,” Knack said, and he began heading upstairs. Raspberry followed. Knack hurled open the first door of the second floor, and they went in. It looked like a simple enough room, with the same utilitarian amenities Raspberry would expect from a Super 8. Knack plopped himself onto the bed and opened the top drawer of the nearby dresser. “Okay, now that we’re alone,” said Raspberry, standing in the middle of the room. “That we are my new friend,” Knack said, and he flipped through various papers in the drawer, “That we are…” Knack flew a pen into his mouth using his magic, and then he spread four papers onto the bed. “I would appreciate it if you let me ask you a few questions,” Raspberry said, and he stepped closer. “I’m in a very, VERY good mood right now,” Knack replied. He clutched two more papers in his hooves, and he held an eraser in one corner of his mouth as well as the pen in another corner. “You’ve given me more customers in the past hour than I’ve had in the past week combined. So, I’d REALLY appreciate if you let me do the talking and let me keep things going smoothly. Okay?” “Okay,” Raspberry said, and he sat at the opposite corner of the bed. “Now then,” Knack said. He dropped the pen and eraser out of his mouth. “I just KNOW that you don’t have a single bit on you. Not one.” Raspberry nodded, and he saw Knack develop a smug look of satisfaction. “Because obviously you’re here from out of town,” Knack said, putting the final touches on the papers in front of him, “And obviously you’re here for important non-musical reasons. And you certainly look hungry. Among other things. Many things. No, don’t worry, I just have that power to read ponies.” “Right,” Raspberry responded, rubbing his mane with his right hoof. “So, I’m going to be extremely reasonable and extremely quick and extremely precise about this,” said Knack, and he pushed a paper in front of Raspberry, “So first, let me welcome you to Coltsville.” Knack made an imaginary rainbow with his front hooves. “Visit the red-light district ASAP. And second, you can stay in this specific room with the full continental breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the next month.” Raspberry’s eyes lit up, and he replied, “Right, right.” “Third,” Knack continued, “You’re going to be on the standard salary position for Knack’s Music Supplies. And seriously, don’t worry about the assigned duties. It’s all just a paper standard. It’s all formalities. I’m not going to waste your time and, more importantly, MY time by sticking you in front of a register. No, my friend, you’re going to be performing— with— The Attractions!” Knack jiggled his front hooves in excitement. “I don’t know about… that…” Raspberry responded. “Forth, you’ll be getting the standard ‘creative working’ stipend once a week. I know it’s a little weird,” Knack went on, “For you, coming from another city. But that’s just how we do in Coltsville. You get X-number of bits per month rather than per song, per book, per poem… whatever…” “Oh,” muttered Raspberry. Knack scratched his head. He said, “I’m pretty sure it’s a holdover from how the dragons did things, from way back at our founding. So, whatever… It works pretty well. With me, I just like to pay per week and not per month. Things go more efficiently. Now, I know it’s the Equestrian minimum wage for an ordinary musician, and you are FAR from an ordinary pony my friend— it’s plainly obvious!” “Oh, you got that right!” Raspberry replied, breaking into a smile. DAMN STRAIGHT! “Yes, sure,” Knack said, “But two things. First, this is for the next month. I guarantee after The Attractions slams through some gigs, this is hiking up. Big time. We’ll renegotiate. And second, I am giving you room and board ENTIRELY FOR FREE.” “Well…” Raspberry began. “All signs point to yes,” Knack said, and he used his magic to push the pen and the paper towards Raspberry, “So sign it. Yes. Sign it. Do it. Don’t make me get on my hooves.” Raspberry took a deep breath. He tried to pick up the pen with his right hoof, but it slid right off of him. “Fine!” Knack hollered, and he stepped down onto the floor with all of his hooves, “I’m on my hooves. I’m begging you. I’m too old to kiss you, but I’m doing it inside. So please. Please. P-p-p-p-p-please?” “But I…” Raspberry began. “PRETTY PLEASE!” squealed Knack. “Look! Wait just one second!” Raspberry yelled, and he saw Knack look up at him with Bambi eyes, “Look, sir, I’m very glad to have you welcome me here and let you use your equipment and offer all of this… I’m very glad. Very glad.” Oh, God, what should I say? “Very… glad. Glad. Yes, glad.” “Right,” Knack replied. “But sir, Knack,” Raspberry said, “I don’t how long I’ll be staying in Coltsville. I mean, I don’t know how long I’ll be in Equestria. It could be just a matter of days. Hopefully, it’s just hours.” “Raspberry…” Knack whimpered. “Just… just give me two weeks, okay?” asked Raspberry. “That’s not nearly long enough,” Knack protested. “Two weeks is… is… an utterly ludicrous amount of time and I shouldn’t even be saying it,” Raspberry said, “But I’m trying to be reasonable here too. Okay? I’ll sign on for two weeks, and then I’ll try to roll with you and make future changes as time goes by.” “Well, I guess…” Knack began. “And another thing, no severance penalties. Nothing. I can walk away and leave you just as I came here,” Raspberry said, moving in face to face with Knack. “But, come on now,” Knack said, shrugging his hooves. “That’s just not—” “I step out into a wormhole, you never see me again, then it’s like we’ve never met,” Raspberry said. “What are the odds of that happening?” asked Knack. “APPARENTLY,” Raspberry remarked, “A lot higher than you’d think.” “Okay, okay, okay, okay,” repeated Knack, writing and erasing all over the document. “Everything I just said is true, and it still applies. But it’s two weeks. And it’s possible for either of us to break the contract and just totally walk away at any moment with one day’s full notice. That would restore the status quo.” “Okay,” Raspberry said. He concentrated, and he managed to pick up the pen. He glanced all over the paper. The pony language seemed readable, but it left a weird feeling inside him. The writing style looked like a letter written to the cops by an escaped mental patient. Raspberry made a big ‘R.S.’ at the end of the paper, and immediately Knack grabbed the pen and made a ‘K.T.’ “There’s nothing in there that we haven’t said? No souls being stolen or anything?” asked Raspberry, still holding onto the paper. Knack shook his head. Raspberry tapped his head with his left hoof, and then asked, “What about a witness?” Knack walked over to the door and stuck his head out, shouting “Dawn? Dawn? Dawn! DAWN! DAWNNNNNNNNNN!” They heard a “WHAAAAAAAAAAAT!” flowing back upwards. “Get up here!” screamed Knack, and he stepped back into the middle of the room. In just a few seconds, a pretty looking young filly stepped through the door. She had a long, flowing dark purple mane with frizzy black streaks going through it. Raspberry thought that complemented her long purple body— coated in whitish-purple spots from head to hoof— very well. She wore a simple white shirt and black glasses of the Buddy Holly style. Raspberry’s eyes traced up her nice, slender hooves towards her cutie mark— a image of the moon atop a set of dark reddish-purple roses. “So, what?” she asked. She had a quiet and cold voice, but somehow it also smooth and soothing to Raspberry. He felt his heart fluttering a bit as she walked beside Knack. “Dawn, listen to me,” Knack said, “Whatever blasted thing Raspberry claims I told him is what I actually told him. Period. You got that?” “Of course,” Dawn replied. “Now, write a M.D. on the paper,” said Knack, and she complied. Knack smiled, and then he looked back at the two of them. He yelled, “Allons-y!” “That means ‘let’s go’ not ‘goodbye’, you moron,” she whispered as Knack sped down the stairs. Dawn then turned around to be face to face with Raspberry. “H-h-h-hi,” he said, “I’m Raspberry Star.” She is… wow, just wow… “Midnight Dawn,” she replied, and they shook hooves.