//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: Triple X // by ElMikkino //------------------------------// I looked at Sly with a sense of wonder. I hadn't expected that from him. It's like there's a secret philosophical party inside him, just waiting to burst out! "Ha!" I yelled, slamming my hooves into the table. "Take that, Rarity! My collection's not 'uncouth', it's an 'acceptance of my carnival desires!'" Oh, she had called me "weird" when she found my collection of toys and Neighponese porn, but Sly showed her! Y'know, I always thought all the ponies on Soresaddle Street were like that Chineighse pony I always go to. He's a weird one, he is! Brooding and sad one moment, happy and bouncing off the walls the next! Me, I just bounce off the walls all the time. I don't really need that white stuff to do so, but it just feels-- Oh, what's that? You were expecting Sly to narrate? Oh, you meaniefaces... ------------------------------------------------ I slapped my head with a hoof as an uneasy feeling came over me, as if I was being watched. I turned around in my chair, and tried to find the spy, but nothing seemed out of place. I brushed it off though, and tried to get the errant thoughts about Pinkie's "collection" out of my mind. There was certainly no use in telling her that it's "carnal", not "carnival". Rarity studiously ignored Pinkie's outburst, and directed her attention to me. "That's certainly an...interesting way to look at things," she said as she sloshed the liquid in her mug around. "Actually," said Twilight. "I think it's a rather smart way to look at things. Now that I look back on it, I guess I have felt those 'desires' before, but I wasn't sure how to act on them. Maybe I'll visit your store later and--" Applejack slammed her mug into the table, her cheeks flushed red. "Twah! I think you know that you should stop talking about something when Ah start feeling awkward about it." "Oh...right," said Twilight, blushing. Pinkie Pie giggled a little at this. Suddenly, I remembered something. "Oh yeah, Pinkie, you said you had been on Soresaddle Street before?" "Yeah, I did! I'm there all the time!" said the pretty pink party pony. "But, why?" "I have a super duper nice friend there. He can be a little bit creepy sometimes, but he always has what I'm looking for!" "And what'd that be?" "Oh Sly," said Pinkie, waving my question away with a hoof. "I can't just tell you. That'd be way too blatant and strange! Think of the readers, Sly! It's much better to keep them guessing a little bit. Plus, it means more material for later chapters, which means more screentime for me, which means more PARTIES!" Pinkie lifted her hooves in the air and looked at me as she said her last word. A small cloud of confetti somehow erupted behind her, punctuated by a kazoo. Wait, what? And how the-- Rainbow Dash interrupted my thoughts. "Don't try to get a proper answer out of her; Pinkie's Pinkie." I lifted up a hoof to make an argument, but then decided against it. Maybe the Element of Laughter was all that she was cracked up to be. Or maybe she was just cracked up. I took another swig of cider, feeling the golden brew run down my throat. Wow, this stuff is good. Applejack caught me in my sudden state of euphoria. "Like the cider, Slah?" "Ahh, it's heavenly!" I said, looking up to the skies. Pinkie Pie and her eccentricities had been dispelled to the farthest reaches of my mind. Applejack gave me a warm smile, and looked around at how all her other friends were doing with their drinks. When she got to one particular pony, she suddenly looked perplexed. "What's wrong Fluttershah? Why aren't you drinking yer cider?" "Um...I did drink a little bit..." said Fluttershy, blushing. "And how was it?" asked Applejack. "It was...nice." Even with my short time with them, it hadn't taken me long to figure out that to Fluttershy, "nice" meant "mind-numbingly awful". "Do you ever drink?" I asked curiously. "No, not really," she responded. "I've heard of the effects it can have on some ponies, and I don't don't want to risk losing control." Her eyes shifted to Rainbow, then quickly away. "Ah, come on Fluttershy!" I said, raising my mug in the air. "Have a little fun! What's the worst that could happen?" "The last and really only time I ever drank anything was in my final year at flight school...some ponies I didn't know too well invited me to a party, and I tried a cup...but I don't remember any of the party after that." "Well," said Twilight. "What did the other guests say happened?" Fluttershy hung her head lower. "I never asked. All I remember was that when I woke up in my bed, I had a sore throat and a hoof cramp. I think I did something bad." "Fluttershy, you can't just assume that! That's not logical." "I guess it isn't...but what if--" Twilight groaned. "Don't say 'what if', Fluttershy! It isn't rational to think like that. Trust me, there's nothing to worry about." Twilight took a long drink of cider, a blush starting to appear on her face. "I never drank until I came to Ponyville and went for a drink with Rarity, but I was fine! I'm a great drunk, ain't I, Rarity?" Twilight elbowed Rarity in the ribs, more than a little too hard. "Yes..." said Rarity through gritted teeth as she held a hoof to her side. "A perfect one..." Braeburn failed to pick up Rarity's sarcasm. "Yeah, I'm sure yer just being paranoid," he said, his face red from the cider. Fluttershy sighed. "I guess...um, bottoms up?" She looked at Rainbow, then squeezed her eyes shut as she took a big swig from her mug. I gave her a supportive smile. I was going to say something more, but Rarity, who had now recovered from Twilight's jab, had started off on a story about a celebrity she recently had to design a suit for, and I'm not sure why, but I found myself fascinated by it. ------------------------------------------ "Would ya look at that sunset!" said Applejack, a hoof pointed at the brilliant display of orange hues on the western horizon. "Beautiful. Just beautiful." I smiled, and appreciated the marvel myself. The bellies of the western clouds had purpled in the onrushing twilight, even as the sun coloured their heads with fire. One of them was positioned in such a way that crepuscular rays shone down right through it, illuminating the strange beauty of the Everfree Forest. A rainbow of colours sang forth among the trees. The rest of the group was also staring out into it, their eyes captivated by Celestia's marvel. Only after a good minute or two did somepony finally break the silence. "Band'll be here any minute now," said Applejack. "Wait, a band?" I asked. "Yeah. Don't tell me Ah didn't tell y'all about it!" We all shook our heads. Applejack looked appalled at herself. "Well, shucks. Guess Ah give mahself too much credit...anyways, the band'll be here soon." "But where will they play?" I asked. A band was nice and all, but really, I wasn't sure their presence was really needed. Looking around at the rest of the party, everypony who wasn't in the loop looked like they were all getting ready to go. No pony at all was wearing a frown on their face. The rest of the group gave me a strange look. Rainbow pointed a hoof behind me. "Really, Sly?" she deadpanned. I turned around and saw a medium-sized stage no more than five feet behind me. The band was now arriving, and was getting their instruments set up on it. I facehoofed. The band's bassist and drummer had their backs turned to us as they set up their instruments. Rainbow squinted at the stage, trying to get a better look at the two stallions. "Who are they?" She put a hoof on her chin, and eyed the band up and down. "I know I've seen them before..." "Heh, of course you've seen 'em before," said Applejack. "They're The--" Applejack was cut off by a loud gasp from Rainbow. "The Offspring!! Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh, omigosh, omigosh!" "The who?" I asked. Rainbow's eyes bugged out. "No Sly, not The Who! The Offspring! How could you confuse the two in the first place!? The Offspring are only the most underappreciated band of the last like, forever! Really, they make all these awesome songs, and they constantly go unnoticed or get upstaged by Green Day! Like seriously, what has Green Day made in the last like, five years!" I looked at Rainbow strangely, surprised at her sudden outburst. "Uh...okay," I said. Really, I had no idea who Green Day was. Or The Who for that matter. Green Day's kind of an androgynous name...I wonder if he's a stallion or a mare? A stallion then approached our table, and Rainbow let out a fangirl squeal. "Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh, omigosh, omigosh! It's Dexter Coltland!" The pony nodded politely at Rainbow, and started whispering something to Applejack. Rainbow Dash made a scowling face at that. I guess she wanted this Dexter guy to whisper in her ear. I'm really happy he didn't, though. My eardrums probably wouldn't survive another squeal like that. A grim expression then washed over Applejack's face. She sighed. "I'm sorry, everypony, but it looks like Dexter here won't be singing tonight." "What!? Why!?" yelled Rainbow Dash, scowling more than she was before. "It can't be helped," said Applejack. "Dexter here has a frog in his throat, and he says he can't sing for all the cider barrels in the whole of Equestria." Rainbow Dash groaned, followed by a slam of her hooves on the table. "Well, fuck! The Offspring isn't anything without Dexter! This concert's going to be lame..." She sighed. "Sorry for swearing, Flutters...wait, where'd she go?" We all stared at the vacant chair. Fluttershy was nowhere to be found. I didn't think any of us noticed when she left. "Aah! Fluttershy's a ghost!" screamed Pinkie before ducking behind her chair. "She's not a ghost, Pinkie," said Twilight. "She just...disappeared without a trace..." "Oh, this is all my fault! I should've been watching her more closely!" said Rarity, getting out of her chair. An aura of blue surrounded her horn, and a chaise lounge appeared out of nowhere. She threw herself onto it in the most ladylike manner possible, her eyes now also bursting with tears. "I started off with that whole stupid story about that gorgeous suit I had to design for that stupid Brad Coltt! I got so caught up in it, I failed to notice my darling Fluttershy had gone astray! What if she's inebriated? Completely smashed, maybe! I bet all the stallions are hitting on her left and right, and she doesn't have any idea what to do! That poor, sweet, innocent child! Of all the things that could happen, this is THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!!" What a drama queen. Though, I had to admit, I was pretty worried about Fluttershy, too. That sweet little angel wouldn't be able to handle one stallion when she's sober, but when drunk? What would happen then? Pinkie Pie shared my fears...sort of. "What if she exploded! And then exploded again!" A dreadful silence descended upon the group for a few seconds, each one of us trying not to think of all the horrible things a stallion could do to Fluttershy. But our thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a voice directly behind me. "Sorry to disappoint you, Pinkie, but the only thing exploding tonight will be your eardrums!" I turned around, only to get blasted in the face with what Rainbow Dash would call a "wicked guitar shred." The player of the guitar stunned me more, though. Easily standing on two legs, with her wings splayed and her mane disheveled was none other than Fluttershy. She was wearing heavy amounts of eyeliner, as well, and had had the time to dye her bangs black. A guitar was strapped around her neck, and a microphone was standing beside her. Behind her, the rest of the band was cowering in fear. "Helloooooooo Apples, guests, and assorted shitbags!" shouted Fluttershy into the microphone. Everypony who hadn't been looking at her before was doing so now. "I'm Fluttershy, they're The Offspring, and tonight, we're here to FUCKING ROCK YOUR WORLD!" Dead silence fell over the crowd. The bassist turned to the drummer with a disturbed look on his face. "Oh Celestia," he said. "We are so fucked." At that, the crowd erupted into terrified screams. "Okay, how many drinks did she have?" I yelled to Applejack over the din. "Ah don't know. Ah thought we were all out when Ah grabbed ma last, though, and she hadn't started on her first yet!" "And what's your cider's alcohol level?" "About 3%!" "Yeah, this makes perfect sense." "Ooh, nice lampshade hanging, Sly," commented Pinkie Pie. I turned to look at Fluttershy again, and saw that she had an annoyed look on her face. Suddenly, her eyes grew to the size of saucers, and I felt something piercing my heart. A wave of silence washed over the audience. Everypony now had their eyes glued to the stage, mostly in fear. Fluttershy grinned maliciously at us, like a cat staring at a particularly excitable mouse. The band's drummer tapped out a beat with his sticks nervously, but before the song started, the pony-who-I'm-not-sure-could-still-be-called-Fluttershy gave him a stern look, causing him to tap out the beat slightly faster. The song began. "Show me how to lie, you're getting better all the time," sang Fluttershy. "And turning all against the one is an art that's hard to teach," The drum boomed in the back. "Another clever word sets off an unsuspecting herd, "And as you step back in the line, a mob jumps to their feet," The fallen angel sang like hell. "Now dance, fucker, dance, yeah, he never had a chance, "And nopony even knew, it was really only you," This was awesome. "And now you steal away," The crowd had been stunned into silence. "Take him out today," Pinkie Pie let out a whoop. "Nice work, you did," A few smiles showed in the crowd. "You're gonna go far, kid." "You rock, Fluttershy!" screamed Rainbow Dash. As the guitar strummed, the crowd erupted into cheers. "With a thousand lies and a good disguise, "Hit 'em right between the eyes, hit 'em right between the eyes, "When you walk away, nothing more to say, "See the lightning in your eyes, see 'em running, for their lives!" Panting, Fluttershy struck a pose, eliciting more cheers from the crowd. "Slowly outta line, and drifting closer in your sights," A bass joined the ensemble. "So play it out, I'm wide awake, it's a scene about me," At "me," Fluttershy cocked a hip seductively. "There's something in your way, and now somepony's gonna pay," "You're awesome, 'Shy!" screamed RD. "And if you can't get what you want, well, it's all because of me," With a hoof, 'Shy motioned for RD to come onstage. "Now dance, fucker, dance, yeah, I never had a chance," Fluttershy bent her head over the mike and strummed fiercely, her wings rising to full extension. "And nopony even knew, it was really only you," "And now you'll lead the way," Rainbow made her way onstage. "Show the light of day," Grinning, Fluttershy threw Rainbow a spare mike. "Nice work you did," Fluttershy nodded at Dash and lowered her wings. "You're gonna go far, kid," She pointed at Dash and flared her wings sharply. "Trust deceived!" belted out Rainbow, on cue. "With a thousand lies and a good disguise, "Hit 'em right between the eyes, hit 'em right between the eyes, "When you walk away, nothing more to say, "See the lightning in your eyes, see 'em running, for their liiiiiiiiiii-iiiiiiiiiiives!" Fluttershy panted heavily, and her wings sagged, but she still was able to strum her guitar like it was a naughty filly. She glanced sidelong at Rainbow, who decided now was the time for an impromptu aerial trick. She rose up and did a quick loop-de-loop. Unfortunately, she was tipsy enough that she messed up the trajectory, and it looked like she would ram right into the strumming Fluttershy. A quick swerve, and she instead knocked over the mike. The next few lines would start any second now. Rainbow was quickly back on her feet, though, and with the mike in hoof, and a quick nod from Fluttershy, the lyrics continued. "Now dance, fucker, dance, he never had a chance," Luckily, it seemed Rainbow knew the song by heart. "And nopony even knew, it was really only you." Rainbow's gravelly voice gave a completely different feel to the song. "So dance, fucker, dance, I never had a chance," Fluttershy quickly put the spare mike into her stand. "It was really only you," Fluttershy was just in time, strumming a few chords. Rainbow motioned for 'Shy to sing again. "With a thousand lies and a good disguise, "Hit 'em right between the eyes, hit 'em right between the eyes, "When you walk away, nothing more to say, "See the lightning in your eyes, see 'em running, for their lives! "Clever alibis, Lord of the Flies, "Hit 'em right between the eyes, hit 'em right between the eyes, "When you walk away, nothing more to say, "See the lightning in your eyes, see 'em running, for their lives!" Fluttershy strummed her final few chords, bringing the song to its end. The crowd erupted into cheers. Fluttershy crouched onto the ground, exhausted from her performance. Rainbow Dash bowed again and again. Once again, she's back on top of the world. The other band members also took a few bows. They wiped their brows, and their nervous looks dissipated, relieved that they weren't under the glare of Mistress Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash, finished receiving her adoration, stuck out a hoof to Fluttershy, who gracefully accepted her help. I would never have expected the party to end like this. Strange what a single cup of cider can do to a mare. Applejack, Dexter, and the rest of the group were equally amazed at the performance. Even Rarity, who had been covering her ears against the sonic barrage, eventually warmed up to the music, and was now cheering as loudly as anypony in the crowd. Awesomeness and friendship conquered all musical tastes, it seemed. Twilight, as you would expect, was jotting down a plethora of notes with a summoned parchment and quill. Braeburn had been rendered speechless, and Pinkie Pie for once couldn't think of what to say. All she could do was watch the couple of ponies walk down the steps at the side of the stage. As amazed as we were now, though, what came next was even more breathtaking. On the steps, Rainbow turned to Fluttershy. Fluttershy flashed Rainbow one of the seductive smiles she'd been showing most of the song. And then suddenly, they locked lips. Well...wasn't expecting that. ---------------------------------------------------- Author's Note Another chapter in the books. Or fanfics, really. This was kind of an experimental chapter for me, just trying out a few things, like the song and Pinkie Pie stealing the perspective. These won't become normal things, definitely, but I like how both turned out. I really hope that I made everything the right speed, but it still read well. If you didn't put on the song in the first place, I really suggest you do, it's awesome. From the beginning of writing Chapter 6, I knew the Reunion would have a song in it, but I really had no idea what the song would be. Early considerations included Rockstar by Nickelback (too much mentioning of cars and planes) and My Name Is by Eminem (a bit too vulgar, and I hate listening to clean versions of anything). In the end I chose this song because 1. It's awesome, 2. It contains the right amount of profanity, so people are surprised at it coming out of Fluttershy's mouth, and 3. There was already a pony music video for it. I didn't make it, definitely. The song is You're Gonna Go Far, Kid by The Offspring, though you should've already figured that out. If anyone was gonna hate on me in the comments about RD's view on Green Day, then let me say that I have no problem at all with Green Day. RD just loves The Offspring, and figures that because of that, she has to hate their rival. She was basically talking shit. I couldn't actually make someone point that out, though, as no other pony I think would have any knowledge of Green Day. I'm well aware that Green Day's made something since American Idiot. Though, I did kind of get that from real life, as five years ago, when I was in Grade 5, there was this group of girls who had a crush on Billie Joe, and they swooned about Green Day a lot, but in Grade 6, I switched schools, and no one cared about Green Day there. Random asides aside, I have to thank NorsePony and Smash King24 for prereading again. I'm really happy for them to be on the team. Someone has also started doing a reading of Triple X on YouTube, and it looks like it's off to a promising start. I wonder what he'll do when he sees this chapter, though, with the song and all? Anyways, see ya guys soon.