//------------------------------// // Mission: Singer = Accomplished // Story: Random Acts Of Chaos // by Gritty Metal //------------------------------// Gritty was on the way to Sweet Apple Acres after his conversation with Twilight Sparkle. He had never really thought about Ponyville as a place of artistic innovation, especially not as a town full of singers, but he had to find the right one. Twilight had told him to maybe ask Big McIntosh first before asking anyone else and that was also the plan as he headed towards the apple farm. As he reached the farm just as Big Mac came out of the barn. "Hey, Mac," Gritty said. "Could I talk to you for a moment?" The red stallion looked at Gritty and gave him his standard "Eeyup" for an answer. "What about, Gritty? And, please make it quick, ah still have to harvest some of 'em apples." Gritty explained the situation with the band and how they still needed a singer. He also wanted to hear Big Mac sing a little something, so that he could make up his mind straight away. "Well, yah know ah'm a rather busy pony, but ah guess ah could make it work in some shape or form," Big Mac answered. Gritty looked at him with a shimmer of hope in his eyes. "So, you're saying you could join? That's epic. I just honestly need to know your singing voice to judge if you're suitable... Sorry, but I really don't like not knowing what I get." He looked at Big Mac with his big pony eyes. Mac knew what he was going to do; he was going to sing one of his own original songs. He thought for a second and then decided which one song of his entire library of lyrics he should sing and started to sing: For some reason Things they all went down the drain Don't know how or why Just know that it happened to me Honestly speaking It always felt so true, But now that we are standing here Everything has changed Gritty's eyes widened at the experience of such a voice, so close to the one of his own idol. A smile started to grow on his face as he listened to Mac's amazing voice. His singing voice was very different from his speaking voice and somehow reminded Gritty of someone else's voice. It was almost like the voices of both Matt Dusk and James Trottfield had fused together into one singing voice. It was spectacular. "Wow, you blow me away, Mac! I never knew this slumbered inside of you! Just... wow." Gritty was very proud of his findings and of the completion of his band's line up. "You're in! By the way, we meet at the abandoned factory in about two-and-a-half hours for our fist rehearsal. I count on you to be there." Mac nodded, "Ah'll do my best, Gritty. Eeyup, ah will. And ah'll also bring some apples and some snacks if yah want meh to." Gritty nodded at his question camouflaged as an affirmative sentence and congratulated Mac to his spot in the band before saying his goodbyes and going back home to get his guitar and amplifier to the abandoned factory too. On his way back to the factory Gritty met Rainbow Dash who was excited to hear the news on the band. She was just on her way to his house for their weekly guitar session as the two met. "So, Gritty, how's the organisation of the band going?" She couldn't help but have a little bit of excitement in her voice as she asked. And the outcome was much better than she had thought. "Everything is sorted out, Rainbow." he said as he smiled at her with a look of genuine self-righteousness on his face; something amazing must have happened that day. Rainbow Dash gave him a confused look. She didn't quite understand, "What exactly do you mean with 'everything's sorted out'? You managed to find three more people to play in the band with us and a rehearsal room?" She couldn't believe what she had heard. Gritty had a reputation as one of the most unorganized ponies in Ponyville, so every word he had said to her today came as a total and utter surprise. "Yeah, that's precisely what I mean. I arranged everything; The only thing that still misses is my own gear," Gritty said happily with a good deal of pride. He had spent a lot of time and also resources on the band already and was filled with pride and self-esteem for actually getting past the first few days of utter fascination for something. Rainbow Dash knocked on his shoulder with her hoof playfully and smiled, "Hey, I never knew you could actually keep your promises." She was very happy about Gritty trying to get out of his shell of unacceptability and unreliability and actually got stuff done for once. "You know, it's hard to forget about seeing you at flight school... You once made a complete fool of yourself because you never did stuff..." she laughed. Gritty had to smile awkwardly as a blush painted his cheeks red. How did she still remember that? It has been years since that happened. But he took the criticism disguised as a joke and said, "Well, that was the old me... I've learned that being a part of a community, be it only a band, is a job that has its obligations." After he had finished his sentence he also started laughing but soon caught himself again. "Would you like to see the rehearsal room? If, so, just let me get the guitar and the amp and meet me here in 10 minutes, ok?" Rainbow Dash nodded at the proposal, "I hope it's awesome." She looked after Gritty as he walked into his house and got the guitar and the rest of his gear, including an old microphone with a stand. "Oh, you really do have everything under control, I see," she said calmly as he walked out of his house with all the gear stuffed into his saddle bags. She smiled as they walked towards the old industrial district where the old factory was, and soon reached the enormous abandoned factory. "This, my dear Rainbow, is our rehearsal room," Gritty exclaimed as they were standing right in front of the large iron cast doors that Gritty had the only key for. He searched his saddle bags for the key and eventually found it. He put it on the vast lock on the door that was held up by large iron chains and turned it, causing the lock to drop to the ground. He opened the door and revealed the humongous factory hall to his and Rainbows eyes. "How's that for a rehearsal room?" Rainbow dashed into the factory, looking at it from all angles and directions. "It's amazing! It really is the kind of room I'd chill out in..." She came down through a cone of light coming from one of the windows at the top of the hall and Gritty couldn't help but stare at her. To him she looked like an illuminated angel descending from the heavens. He blushed at the thought as his jaw dropped as she landed on the factory floor. He shook his head violently to get that picture out of his mind, but the image stuck. "Care if I show you your first own guitar?" Rainbow Dash couldn't believe her ears, "Did you just say 'My first own guitar'? Show! It! To! Me!" She was unusually excited for her new instrument, or at least so it seemed. Gritty walked her over to the amplifier next to the guitar stand with her own new guitar. "Here it is. A Bird of Prey; The most awesome looking guitar I could find at the instrument retailer's shop." He saw a smile spread over Rainbow Dash's face. "It's really awesome! I really like it," she said looking at him. She was not surprised by the style of the guitar, because she knew that Gritty knew her well enough to know that she didn't want a pure standard guitar. "I don't even know what to say right now... I'm... extremely surprised by you, Gritty." Her smile grew even wider when Pinkie Pie and Big Mac walked in through the door along with Applejack.