//------------------------------// // The Concert // Story: Of Night and Stone // by Kirb //------------------------------// Of Night and Stone By Kirb Chapter Eleven The Concert The local police station was abuzz with activity. Ponies were moving about, rustling through papers, and were very busy. When Elisa walked in, some of them greeted her as she passed them on her way to an office on the far side of the room. “Detective Maza, hello.” “How’s it going, Elisa?” “Big night tonight, Maza.” Elisa finally stopped and knocked on the door. “Come in,” a stallion called to her from inside. He was an earth pony with brown coat, purple eyes, and a gray mohawk mane and tail. His cutie mark was a two-toned silver shield. He wore a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, a black tie, and a black utility belt. He looked up at Elisa. “You’re late, Maza.” “I left my new apartment immediately at 8,” Elisa replied. “I knew I’d be on time.” The stallion sighed. “You know what’s happening tonight?” “I do, Chief. Dark Canter’s coming to town. A few of my friends are going to see them.” The chief nodded. “Mm-hmm. And we’re going to need as many officers as possible.” Elisa raised an eyebrow. “Why’s that? You planning on making a drug bust?” Chief groaned. “Drug bust? What? No!” He shook his head. “I can’t believe that’s actually common where you come from. No, we just don’t want any riots breaking out.” “Riots? I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. This is Dark Canter, and from what I can tell, they’re pretty tame by human standards. You’d be more likely to see a riot with Race Against the Machine, MULE, or Reinstein.” Now it was Chief’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “You know a lot about our music for someone who only arrived less than a month ago.” “Well, you know, I’ve done my research.” Chief shook his head. “Anyway, even so, we should keep guard just in case.” “Chief, if you’re thinking about sending me out, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” “And why is that, Maza?” “Back on my world, I was a detective, not a street cop. Besides, your stallions are perfectly capable of taking care of this.” “Well, if I may say so, we haven’t really had any need for a detective lately. And I think you would prove much more intimidating in case a riot or a fight does break out--after all, you’re taller than most of us.” “I appreciate the offer, Chief, but I just don’t think I’m qualified.” Elisa began to turn around. “Fine,” Chief said dismissively. “Your loss. But if you change your mind, you’d get to see the concert for free.” Elisa stopped in her tracks. “What was that?” … Maud slowly stuck her head through the doorway of Sugarcube Corner. She looked around to make sure nopony was watching, then she looked back at Brooklyn. “All clear.” Maud emerged from behind the door, and Brooklyn snuck out after her. Since wind didn’t blow nearly that low to the ground, the two of them had to sneak to the nearest tall building, which they could climb and then take off from. Unfortunately, sneaking is very hard when you’re a humanoid creature taller than everypony around you, and when at any minute you have the possibility of bumping into a concert-going pony. After hiding behind a nearby house, Maud and Brooklyn started sneaking to the next building, only to see a pony pass by wearing a shirt that read “DAЯK CANTEЯ.” Brooklyn quickly ducked behind a trash can; Maud just stood where she was. The pony looked at her briefly. “Dark Canter! Woo!” Maud shouted with a smile, trying to disguise herself as a hardcore fan. The other pony grinned. “Hell yeah!” After the pony went on his way, Maud turned back to the trash can. “All clear.” Brooklyn stood up and walked alongside Maud. “Good job.” “Thank you,” Maud replied, going back to her normal monotone. The pony and gargoyle rounded the corner when another pony caught them in his sight--a light yellow earth pony stallion with dark brown eyes and short black mane and tail, as well as a mustache. He wore a red baseball cap and a yellow tank top with red suspenders. He looked at Maud and Brooklyn and blinked a few times, then turned his head and raised a hoof to his mouth to call to somepony else. “Hey, man!” he called in a heavy accent that sounded Mexican. “Get over here! Come check this out!” Brooklyn’s eyes widened, and he looked at Maud. “What do we do?” he asked. Maud glanced back up at him, not saying a word. Brooklyn sighed. Okay, Brooklyn thought. If I have to knock some ponies unconscious, I will, but I don’t think I’ll be able to tell the clan about it without losing some dignity. About then, another pony showed up. Like his friend, he was an earth pony stallion, but had a turquoise coat and a scruffy black mane, tail and beard, longer than his friend’s. He was wearing a red headband, a pair of thin-rimmed glasses, and an indigo shirt. He was smoking what looked like a cigarette with no filter and twisted on the end. The smell was very different, too, kind of like the sweet smell of an oily herb. After stopping next to his friend, he asked, “What is it, man?” in a deep, gravelly tone. “Look at this, amigo!” the yellow pony said, and pointed at Brooklyn. “Isn’t that cool?” The turquoise stallion turned to face Brooklyn. “Oh wow, man! That’s, that’s pretty sick! Almost looks like one of those bat-pony things.” “I’d say more like a griffin,” the yellow pony replied. “Man, I never had any hallucinations like this before.” Up to this point, Brooklyn had been clenching his fists, prepared to knock them out; however, he began to realize that these two were not a threat. The turquoise stallion held up the joint. “Man, what’s in this stuff?” “The usual, man. Got it from that dude Acapulco Gold.” The yellow stallion grabbed the joint, held it up to his mouth, and took a long draw from it, then held it in his lungs and handed the joint back to the turquoise stallion, who then offered it to Brooklyn. “You want a toke, man?” he asked. Brooklyn was surprised that the two stallions were not only completely unfazed by his presence, but also offered him a hit from their joint. He blinked a few times at the smoking roll of paper, then shook his head dismissively. “No, thanks.” “What about you, sweetheart?” the yellow stallion asked Maud. “I’m already quite stoned, thank you,” Maud replied. Was that another rock pun? Brooklyn thought. “Hey, suit yourself man.” The yellow stallion now took the joint from his friend. “We don’t want to be late for the Dark Canter concert.” “Have fun!” Brooklyn said with a smile. “Thanks, man!” the yellow stallion said, turning around. “See two around, man,” the blue stallion said before taking a long drag on the joint and following his friend. “You too.” Brooklyn waved to them, then looked down at Maud. “What was that all about?” Maud shook her head. Brooklyn looked up at the building they were standing next to. “This should be tall enough to take off from.” He bent over and Maud grabbed onto him. The two of them had been dating for long enough that she knew what he wanted her to do. He then stuck his claws into the side of the building and began climbing. When they finally made it to the roof, Brooklyn took a running start before spreading his wings, and his feet left the ground. Brooklyn soared over the town, carrying Maud toward the sound of the roaring crowd and the lights of the Pavilion. While he glided, he had some time to think. So she means to confess her love to me today. And I know it for sure, since she was talking to her pet rock about it. Still a little weird that she’d do that… eh, better not judge her. I don’t want her to be more offended than she already will be when I say no. I will say no, right? He looked at Maud for a few seconds. Her lavender mane, usually flat, was now blowing in the wind as they flew, as was her dark teal dress. Her turquoise eyes beautifully reflected the moonlight, complemented by the lavender eyeshadow. She would be a breathtaking sight for most stallions, and was beginning to get to Brooklyn too. Well, I’m sure she’s attractive by pony standards. I think I’ll mention that when she tries to confess her love. Flatter her to ease the pain and heartbreak. But I definitely can’t become her boyfriend. Think about what the other gargoyles would say. Nope, just can’t happen. Brooklyn finally descended onto the rooftop of a building just behind the Pavilion. He could see a large crowd of ponies, perhaps 500 or so, seated, and many more standing. He could also make out two giant video screens on either side of the stage, so he and Maud would be able to watch those if they couldn’t see the stage well. As he landed, he heard a voice behind him. “Enjoying the show, Brooklyn?” He turned his head to see Elisa standing on the roof behind them, smirking. There was an open access hatch behind her. “Elisa!” Brooklyn interjected. “What are you doing here?” “Chief sent me as a security guard for the concert tonight,” Elisa explained, walking toward Brooklyn. “I highly doubt a fight or riot will start with a band like this, but hey, who am I to decline a free concert?” “Huh.” Brooklyn set Maud down on the roof. “Well, Maud and I are going to have a good time. Anything you want?” “Are you going to spy on us again?” Maud asked. Elisa chuckled. “Haha, not this time. Usually I might be required to ask ponies to leave who watch without tickets, but I’m making an exception for you two.” “Well, thanks.” Brooklyn smiled to his human friend. “Anything else?” “Other than that, I just want to wish both of you a great time and a good evening!” The lights near the stage dimmed, and the crowd below went crazy. Elisa looked at the stage. “I think it’s starting now. Enjoy the show, you two!” She turned around and went down the hatch, shutting the door behind her. Brooklyn and Maud sat on the edge of the roof. A lone pegasus stallion walked onto the stage, and the crowd roared once more. He was wearing a leather jacket and carried a red guitar with him. Brooklyn wondered to himself how the stallion could play guitar without fingers. The stallion walked to a keyboard, and began playing a soft series of notes on it. He then switched to guitar, using his wings for the task of playing the chords. He strummed a funky groove. At this point, two other stallions also walked on stage, one of them carrying a bass and another sitting down at the drums. Upon the sixth repetition of the funk chord progression, both members joined in. The crowd in the front rows immediately started dancing. The screens on either side of the singer lit up to show him walk to the microphone and start singing. “I got a fever, I got the flu I’m sick and tired, and I just don’t know what to do My life is falling apart I’m feeling down, I don’t know where to start.” Brooklyn began tapping his foot to the rhythm. “Hey, this is actually pretty cool! I see why you like them.” At this point, the chords turned minor. “Give me a sign, show me the way, Help me navigate through this world everyday.” But then the band resumed playing the funk progression from earlier. Behind them, a banner with a galaxy and the words “DAЯK CANTEЯ” lit up. “We’ll keep on flying through space, taking it at a fast pace I have been waiting too much; I need your love, I need your touch Can’t really get all I need, zooming through life at light speed And they’ll be asking for more, so I’ll just have to go.” “Yeah!” Brooklyn interjected, moving back to dance to the music. “I could get into this!” “Schizophrenia abounds Not talking anymore, just making little sounds So if you’ve been a little naughty, The gas will fill the room, feel it fill your body.” “Eh, the words are a little weird, but the point of funk is to dance, not to analyze the lyrics.” Brooklyn looked back at Maud, who was standing there, watching him with a blank stare. “What?” “Paranoia, go away Don’t want these feelings making my world dark and gray.” Brooklyn grinned. “You know what I think you need to do? Dance.” He mimicked dancing, but Maud just stared. “C’mon! You can dance if you want to.” “We’ll keep on flying through space, taking it at a fast pace I have been waiting too much; I need your love, I need your touch.” Maud continued staring. Brooklyn sighed. “Fine, we’ll do this the hard way.” With one swoop, he grabbed Maud under her forelegs and held her up. Then he resumed dancing, holding Maud in his claws to mimic the feeling of dancing with her. “Can’t really get all I need, zooming through life at light speed And they’ll be asking for more, so I’ll just have to go.” Though she continued staring blankly at him, he took note that she wasn’t making any efforts to escape his grasp. … Later into the night, the band was playing a harder rock song. The singer was headbanging while playing a three-chord guitar riff. The audience seemed to be going wild, many moshing and crowdsurfing. “You laugh and smile at everypony To hide your own insignificance You backhand-comp everypony you see, but nopony is gonna be As important to you as your own vain self!” Similarly, Brooklyn was also headbanging to the music. “This rocks! Almost reminds me of some of the grunge from back home!” Maud retained her blank expression, but this time she was also moving her head to the music. … Dark Canter was playing a slower song now. The lead singer had put away his guitar and was sitting at the keyboard. “Am I going too fast? Should I slow down for this part of the path? Should I keep control or should I let it go? Oh.” Brooklyn was currently sitting on the edge of the roof, exhausted from all the dancing and headbanging. Maud lay in his lap, looking at the stage. “My thoughts are never-ending I have to admit, this offer is tempting Will I give it a go or will I say no? Oh.” Brooklyn noticed that many of the ponies in the audience were waving lighters back and forth in the air. He also could have sworn he saw one couple making out. This made him think about Maud, and how he was going to deal with his current situation with her. “So take it or leave it But you might regret it If you don’t take this offer while you can I’m giving you one chance I want to know in advance ’Cause things will never be the same again.” These lyrics really relate to my present situation, Brooklyn thought to himself. At least, I think they do. I definitely have only one chance here, and I can give it a go, or, more likely, say no. Whether I take this offer or don’t, things will never be the same again. He sighed. Though the concert was close to finishing, he still had a long rest of the night ahead of him. … “That was a really great concert, Maud!” Brooklyn said. The gargoyle and pony were now sitting on the park bench where they usually sat. Maud was kicking the ground with her hind hooves. “Yeah.” Maud’s voice trailed off. Brooklyn looked around in silence. This is it… “Brookl--” “Maud, I--” Both of them stopped after beginning at the same time. “What were you going to say?” Maud asked. “Well, I was just going to ask you.” Brooklyn cleared his throat. “A while ago, when you said you liked me a lot, well, did you mean as a friend? Or in a romantic way?” Maud hesitated. She blinked a few times, then asked, “What do you think?” Brooklyn sighed. “Serves me right for expecting a direct response.” “Brooklyn,” Maud began, “listen. I have been meaning to tell you this, but…” “What, that you’re attracted to me?” Brooklyn looked away from Maud. “I already knew. I heard you talking about it with your pet rock.” “Boulder,” Maud corrected. She moved closer to Brooklyn on the bench. “You think I’m strange because I like rocks.” “No!” Brooklyn shouted, turning to Maud. But then he quickly made his voice quiet again. “I mean, no.” Maud paused, blinking her beautiful eyelashes a few times, then continued. “Brooklyn, I was supposed to go back to the farm a few days ago. I have been postponing my departure for one reason.” “And I understand that,” Brooklyn quickly followed up. “And you gave a good effort, I was unsure until today. And we can continue to be really close friends. But…” He shook his head. “No. Maud, I just can’t get into you that way. You’re an amazing pony, and I’m sure other ponies find you attractive, but… well, think of what my clan would say. Or other ponies. Plus, what about Angela?” “Angela?” Maud moved even closer to him, so close that their heads were inches apart. “You said she was with that other gargoyle, Broadway. Even if she leaves him, she may not accept you. I will.” Brooklyn could swear that he could feel her breath as she spoke. But he frowned and shook his head, standing up from the bench. “Ugh, no! Look, Maud. I enjoy your company, I really do. I like talking to you, and spending time with you, and do I even need to mention that tonight’s concert was kickass? But I can’t. It would be too awkward, with you being a pony and me a gargoyle. How would relations even work? Just… no.” He turned around and began to walk away, but then Maud said one more thing. “Brooklyn, you sound like somepony trying to convince himself of something he doesn’t believe.” Brooklyn stopped in his tracks, then turned back around. The lonely pony stared back at him, and while she didn’t show any sign of emotion, something seemed really sad about the way she talked and looked. Part of him wanted to just turn around, hug the pony tightly, and apologize profusely. But he knew better. “Good night, Maud.” He grabbed onto a tree and climbed up. Maud watched him as he left. Well, I did it, he thought. It’s done. Utterly. Finally. Done. With a leap, he took off and flew into the night. He didn’t know where to go, except that he wanted to get as far away as possible from the mare he had left sitting on the bench. … Maud saw the winged silhouette disappear into the clouds. She looked down and reached into her pocket to pull out her pet rock. “Well, I tried,” she began. “You were right, Boulder. He is out of my league. I was so foolish to try and go after him.” She sighed. “I guess I’ll go back to the rock farm now, I’m sure Marble and Limestone miss me.” She put the pebble back into her pocket and stood up to walk away; however, she didn’t get far before she found her entire body was lifted off the ground. She tried to move her hooves, but was caught by a magical aura. A pale gray unicorn stallion with thin-rimmed spectacles caught her sights. He was walking straight toward her, and his horn was lit up with a magical glow. He was clearly the one holding her captive with his magic, but why? “Come with me,” he commanded, his voice icy and sinister.