//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: I Wanna Rock // Story: Life of a Dragon: Die for Metal // by MoshKing //------------------------------// Celestia's Castle(evening) Celestia, Luna, and the Mane Six sat in the dining hall, eating their dinner in silence. None of them had even spoken a single word to each other since the previous night's events. Celestia and Luna were angry as ever, and were only keeping the Elements of Harmony around because of the emissaries from Dracovinia that would be arriving in Canterlot tomorrow night. The purpose of their visit were to discuss the possibility of opening new trade routed along the border of the two nations. In reality, there was only one emissary, which was Dracovinia's ambassador to Equestria, but Celestia's had been intending to introduce Spike to the ambassador's daughter, who happened to be the same age as Spike. Once Spike had run away, Celestia's ulterior motive had pretty much gone right out the window. Twilight finally spoke up: "Have you heard any news about Spike?" she asked her former teacher. Celestia glared at the lavender mare. "Spike is fine." she responded, "But he won't be back for a few days, and I will be sending the six of you back to Ponyville tomorrow morning. At this point I would rather tell the ambassador that we will have to reschedule for another time than have to be around the six of you for another day." "Princess, please..." Twilight pleaded, "I need to talk to Spike." Rainbow Dash spoke up: "What's his problem with us anyway? I mean, I can get why he would be pissed at Twilight and Rarity, because they've been sleeping around behind his back, but why the hell is he mad at me, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack!? We weren't the ones who betrayed his trust!" Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash with a mixture of sadness, irritation, and disappointment. "He has every right to tah be angry, Dash. The poor little fella has spent all these years having to put up with us treating 'im like he don't even exist. We may not have been as bad as Twilight and Rarity, but we're responsible for him bein' so miserable, too." "Well, he could have said something!" "He shouldn't have had to say anything! We're the ones that screwed up, not him!" Rarity jumped in: "And why, pray tell, are you including me in your argument?" she shot at Applejack and Dash, "I feel just as bad for what happened to Spike, but as far as I'm concerned, Twilight is the one who betrayed Spike's trust!" Twilight looked outraged. "What!? Your the one who came onto me!" "And you could have just as easily rejected me! And he's your brother, anyhow!" Rarity argued back. "And you're the one who he's been in love with ever since he and I first moved to Ponyville!" "Since when was the crush he had on me actual love!? Or do you not know the difference!? Perhaps you would be able to tell the two apart if you didn't spend so much time with your head buried in a book and had actually gone out and dated before!" "Maybe if you didn't spend so much time marveling at yourself in the mirror, you would have realized that what he felt for you wasn't some childish crush! Or that the only thing about you that appealed to stallions was your artificial looks!" "QUIET!!!!" The Mane Six looked over at the source of the yelling to see Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, who had said nothing during the argument, looking back at the four of them with anger etched on their faces. "We're all at fault for what happened to Spike." Pinkie Pie stated matter-of-factly. Her mane hung flat against her face, as it had since the night before. "None of us ever treated him the way he deserved." "That's right."Fluttershy added. "We all need to take responsibility, and we all need to try and make this right." The Mane Six all looked down at their plates at this statement. Each of them had taken the words of Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie into consideration, and had all come to the realization that they were right. They all had a part to play in making Spike so miserable. Therefore, they all had to try and find some way to make it up to Spike after everything they put him through. They owed him that much at least. "I wonder where he is." Rainbow Dash thought aloud. streets of Las Pegasus "Dude, where the fuck are you taking me?" Spike asked for the millionth time as his cousin pulled him through the streets of Las Pegasus. He had been asking the same question ever since Blueblood had given him instructions to drive to the ever-so-famous Las Pegasus Strip. They passed casino after brightly neon-colored casino as Blueblood continued to yank him towards whatever destination his equine cousin had in mind. Blueblood pulled Spike into what had to be the biggest hotel on the Strip. A giant neon sign hanging over the entrance flashed "Royale Hotel and Casino" in vibrant blue letters. Blueblood led Spike past the various slot machies and game tables, leading into a well sized ballroom that was big enough to hold a few hundred people, or at least a thousand, if you crammed them in tight enough. As soon as they arrived, people began to file in until there was barely enough room to fit anyone else in. Even the people who were only there to gamble had turned away from whatever game they were playing and brought their attention to the empty stage that stood at the front of the ballroom. The only things that was on the stage was a microphone, a set of drums, and a number of amps. Spike was about to lean over towards Blueblood and ask him why they were here when the lights around the stage and the ballroom darkened. Spike looked around to see that no one had reacted at all to the sudden loss of lighting. Blueblood leaned over to his cousin and whispered into his ear: "Just watch." Spike started to ask him what he was supposed to watch, when he heard what sounded like a guitar being strummed. (A/N: Listen to this while reading. I do not own this song. It is property of the band Stone Sour) Then a voice began to emanate from the stage: No one's laughing now No one's laughing now I'm sullen and sated And you can't put a price on me I won't share this disarray I won't pull these hands away I need to be chosen And my God, don't pray for me! So scatter all my ashes when I'm dead And shatter every legend in my head If only the committed will survive Is anybody here still left alive? This is mine! The lights came back on to show five stallions standing on stage. The one holding the microphone had dark brown fur and slicked back white hair. He wore a black polo shirt and a pair of regular fit blue jeans and black sneakers. His face was adorned by a pair of shades that hid his eyes. He was flanked by three men. The one on the left closest to him had orange fur, no hair, and a deep red beard that ran the length of the stallion's chest. The one next to him had yellow fur and an orange Mohawk that had to be six inches high. Both were dressed similarly to Blublood and were playing simple, black electric guitars. The one on the lead singer's right had bright red fur, similar to that of Applejack's brother, Big Mac, and jet black hair that hung down over his face and cascaded down his shoulders and back. He wore a black muscle shirt, dark skinny jeans, and a pair of motorcycle boots. He played a white bass guitar. The drummer who was positioned behind the singer had white fur, but neither hair nor a beard. He wore a simple black T-shirt and a pair of cargo shorts and black skate shoes. He smiled maniacally as he pounded on his drums. Spike was mesmerized by the sight in front of him. He watched as the lead singer yelled out the lyrics while the guitarists and drummer played out an intricate pattern of notes on their own respective instruments. It was like nothing Spike had ever seen before. He watched as the guitarist with orange fur began playing out a solo on his guitar; practically hypnotized by the sound and sight of the guitarist's fingers moving rapidly up and down the neck of the guitar as he played out each note incredibly fast. Blueblood and the crowd yelled and cheered as the song continued while Spike stood stock still. Even as the song ended, Spike was still rooted to the same spot that he had been standing in since the beginning of the song. Even as the band played through the entire set, he had yet to move. two hours later "Wow." was all Spike could say as he and Blueblood made their way to their hotel room. After the concert had ended, Spike and Blueblood had decided to spend the night at the hotel. It wasn't until now that Spike had finally spoken since the beginning of the band's performance. Blueblood laughed. "So I guess that you liked the show?", he asked Spike, elbowing him gently as the elevator that they currently occupied made its way to the top floor. Thanks to the fact that Blueblood was royalty, they were given access to the penthouse suite, complements of the hotel. "That was fucking amazing!" Spike replied, "I should've gone to one of those a long time ago!" They made their way from the elevator and into the penthouse suite that they would be occupying for the night. The suite itself contained a living room, a full-sized kitchen, two bedrooms, each with their own bathrooms, and a large balcony that allowed the occupants to look out and gaze at the amazing view of the Las Pegasus Strip that was before them. "Well..." Blueblood yawned and stretched out his arms. "I'm going to bed. 'Night, Spike." "Goodnight." Spike replied. He knew that Blueblood must be exhausted, even if it was only 10:00, because he had spent most of the previous night searching for him after he had run from his mother's castle. Blueblood went to one of the bedrooms while Spike sat down on the living room couch and turned on the TV. As he sat there, watching TV, he began to replay the events from earlier that night. Being at that concert had been absolutely amazing. But as he continued to think about how great getting to see a real heavy metal concert was, he began to imagine what it would be like to be the one up on stage, entertaining thousands of people, hearing the cheer for you and scream your name. Suddenly, a thought popped into his head. Something that would start a chain of events that would change his life in ways that he would never predict: I want to start my own band. I want to bring that same feeling of amazement and awe to others. I wanna rock. The next morning Blueblood rubbed his eyes as he awoke from his peaceful slumber. He yawned and stretched as he sat up in bed. His eyes drifted towards the alarm clock that sat on the nightstand to see that it read 1:00 pm. Normally, Blueblood would've been somewhat distressed at the fact hat he had slept in so late, but considering how he spent the previous night looking around for Spike, he believed that had earned those few extra hours in bed. When he left the bedroom and went into the living room, he was met by the sight of Spike siting at the dining room table, furiously scribbling something down on a piece of paper. Every few seconds, Spike would look up, tap the pencil he was using on his chin, as though he were in deep thought, and would then go back to writing whatever it was he was writing. There was a small stack of similar papers that sat on the table next to Spike, all with similar markings to the one that Spike was writing on, but Blueblood couldn't make out what was on the paper from where he stood. Blueblood greeted his cousin, "Mornin', Spike. How'd you sleep?" Spike replied, not looking up from his place at the table, "I didn't. I've been up all night watching videos of other bands and listening to their music." Blueblood blinked. "Wait, wait, wait..." he started, "You've been up all night researching heavy metal?" Spike got up from his seat and walked over to his cousin. Once Blueblood got a clear view of his cousin, he noticed that Spike's appearance had changed yet again. For starters, Spike's hair was still just past shoulder length, but it was trimmed. He had combed it and parted it neatly to the right, taking away the appearance that made Spike look like a drug dealer. His ratty clothes from the day before were nowhere to be seen. In their place, Spike wore a black denim vest over a plain black T-shirt, a pair of black jeans, and a brand new pair of chucks. He wore a spiked wristband on his left wrist and a plain black one on his right. What really caught Blueblood's eye was the belt buckle that Spike wore on his waist. It looked like the head of some kind of demonic beast that you would find pictures of in some horror fantasy novel. It was made out of pure silver and had tusks that curved upwards and extended almost up to the head's eyes. Its eyes were blank, with no irises or pupils. Its mouth was filled with jagged teeth that looked like they could tear through any organism it chose if such a beast were to exist. As Blueblood looked at the belt buckle, he couldn't help but feel like the thing was staring right back at him. Blueblood knew that it was a ridiculous idea, but he could almost swear that it felt like those empty, white eyes were staring not just at him, but through him; Observing every move he made. Blueblood pushed these thoughts out of his head and tried to shake the feeling that staring at the belt buckle for too long left him with. "What's all this?" he asked Spike, "Where did you get the clothes? And when did you cut your hair?" Spike grinned and answered his questions. "While you were asleep, I decided that I should perhaps try a change in wardrobe and getting my hair cut. When I got my hair cut from this little barber shop about 10 minutes away from here, I decided to get myself some new clothes from the shop right across the street." He began to laugh. "You should've seen the look on that barber's face when he saw that apparently there are dragons with hair on their head instead of spikes." Blueblood chuckled, "I'm starting to wish that I had been there." "Anyway," Spike continued, "I was up all night because that concert made me realize what I wanted to do with my life." Spike walked over to the balcony and stared out to the streets below. "I've spent my whole life being Twilight's assistant, and I never really thought about the possibility of there being anything else out there for me. I thought that all I would ever be is just the little dragon that followed Princess Twilight Sparkle around; Constantly being pushed to the side and left behind to do all the menial crap that Twilight wouldn't do herself while she and Rarity played around with my emotions." "But last night, when you took me to that concert, it felt like something awoke in me. That's then that I decided that I want to form my own band. I want to perform songs that make people scream and cheer and bang their heads to the music. I want to show people that I'm more than just Twilight Sparkle's assistant." Spike turned to face his cousin. "I want to rock." Blueblood looked at his cousin incredulously, then a grin spread across his face. "Well, if you need a guitarist, you've got one right here. If your gonna go out there and rock, then I'm gonna be right there, rocking with you." Spike grinned back. "That's what I thought." he said. Back in Ponyville, each of the Mane Six had gone their separate ways. They all needed to recuperate emotionally after the fiasco at Celestia's castle. There were no words to describe the guilt they felt. None of them said a word to each other as they each made their way towards each of their respective homes. When Twilight reached the library, she simply stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She stood on the landing, looking at her surroundings. The library hadn't been there for very long. They had only rebuilt it a few years ago after the original building was destroyed in Tirek's attack on Ponyville. It had actually been Spike's idea to rebuild the library. Ever since then, they only used the palace that had sprung up out of the ground after TIrek's defeat for use during official business that required the involvement of the Elements of Harmony. As Twilight looked around. Memories of all the good times she had with the Mane Six and Spike began to come back to her. She came to realize how very few of those memories actually had Spike in them. Usually it would be her and her friends having fun, while Spike would be cleaning the library or making snacks for them or out running errands for her. That couldn't be right. Right? Surely they had to have done some things together. Like me reading while he would grab books for me. Okay, bad example. But still, there had to be something. He was her friend after all, right? She certainly treated him like a... Cook... Maid... Book fetcher... Practice dummy for her spells... Garbageman... She slowly came to realize that she had never even bothered to treat him like a friend. She sank down to her knees. "Oh no...", she whispered, "I'm no better than Rarity. The only difference is that he was in love with her and she used him for a pincushion. I never gave him the respect or attention that he deserved." She put her hands to her face and sobbed. She hated herself with a passion. How could she do such a thing to her own assistant. To her own brother. For Faust's sake, she'd kn own him since he was born! She had been his caretaker for almost all of his childhood. They saw each other almost every day, yet she treated him like a pile of dog shit that she just stepped in. I'm so sorry, Spike. she thought.