As they had to stop every few steps due to Nuddly photographing practically everything the time simply flew and they headed back to the landing site. Nearby there was a viewing post, not very fancy but looking very sturdy and as the anticipation grew Moonbeam started to regret she didn't actually read the leaflet, as she was unsure if she liked surprises. Melody greeted them in front of it and led them inside. Blasting Boom was already there, wearing steel protectors covered in partially stripped blue paint on her knees and shoulders.
"Hiya!" she said cheerfully, "come on and find a good spot, everyone is here so the show is going to start in just a minute."
"Where's Joy?" asked Moonbeam with a touch of concern in her voice as Jelly Joy was nowhere to be seen.
"She's just connecting wires—oh, here she is," said Boom.
"Hello!" greeted the pony in question through her clenched teeth which she used to drag some cords. Moonbeam wanted to ask what's the show about but felt right now it would be a silly question.
I'll just wait and see in just a... Oh, who am I kidding? she thought and looked around. Finding a leaflet stack she took one the very moment Joy finally attached the wires to a large console.
"All set!" Jelly Joy shouted, putting on her blue hard hat and diverting Moonbeam's attention from the leaflet again.
Oh, probably lights... but it's not dark yet, thought Moon.
Blasting Boom looked at the majestic pearly tower.
"Shame, really," she muttered, making Moon's bewilderment grow manifold. "Everypony knows why we are here. This is a very delicate operation. It requires proper conditions. They won't be properer anymore, so let's do this!" she said, putting her blue steel hard hat on and flying away.
Moon observed her flight closely. She started encircling the building and gaining speed and then slammed against it, making it shake. She backed away and kicked it again and again.
Moonbeam's jaw dropped in surprise. At the same time Nuddly was far too overexcited, shooting photo after photo, Melody stomped her hoof in sync with each hit and Scarlet in turn closed her eyes every time there was a blast sound. Fortunately the distance to the tower was long enough to make the sound arrive a fair bit after each punch, so she didn't miss anything.
After several hits the building still looked mostly untouched, but Blasting Boom was determined to prove that name suits her well. She rose to an incredible altitude, disappearing in the clouds, then dived down at a tremendous speed, causing a shock cone to form just the moment she struck through the pearly tower's roof. At the same time Jelly Joy was concentrated on a stopwatch and pressed consecutive buttons on her control panel at precise intervals, causing an explosion after explosion in perfect sync with Blasting Boom piercing through floors. Finally a dust covered pegasus flew out of the tower's front door followed by a large gray cloud. Joy pressed the last button there was, causing a series of small explosions at the base, making the building completely disintegrate. It promptly collapsed with a mighty roar and then vanished in a neat pile of rubble, revealing the Sun slowly setting behind.
Scarlet Mane and Melody stomped her hooves on the ground in delight and admiration for the show while Nuddly Plum screamed unintelligibly and squeezed a pneumatic shutter release of her camera repeatedly, making happy and a bit goofy face with a wide grin and enormous eyes. Moonbeam clutched her head with her hooves and started to drool, stutter and look around nervously, then anticlimactically fainted.
#
Moonbeam woke up with a paper cup on her horn and cold water on her face.
"Oh hey, you're awake," she heard Jelly Joy's voice as she took the cup off, "are you alright?"
"Maybe you should rest a bit," said Scarlet as Moon got up.
"Am I going bonkers? One too many building collapsed for today," she replied.
"It was a scheduled demolition after all," Nuddly said, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, I was afraid you got hurt—you didn't, right? Great! Well, take care now," said Joy, "I have to go catch the ferry back to Maretown now," she added and waved goodbye. "I'll finally get to do a glider jump!" she yelled happily from some distance and disappeared behind yet another skyscrapper.
Moonbeam sat on the floor.
"I'm not in the mood to fly the... Moongleam again anytime soon," she said gloomly.
"Well, of course not, you should relax now, not strain yourself further," said Scarlet Mane sympathetically.
"C'mon boys!" Blasting Boom called, "let's move the machine onto a ferry car, chop-chop!"
"Sure boss," Buzz and Chase said in unison. Chase then picked up Buzz and put him down at the top of a large yellow crane.
"Should be easy to couple with the rest of the ferry when you'll want to go home," said Boom.
"Thank you Boom, that's very nice of you," said Moon appreciatively.
"It'll get dark in an hour or so, I really advise you to check out the city after dusk. See ya!" added Boom and flew away.
#
Not many pegasi moved around the city at late evening hours and with all airways almost empty there wasn't much noise from ponies greeting each other or simply swishing and whishing as they fly. Moonbeam's, Nuddly Plum's and Melody's hooves were click-click-clacking more than audibly on the pavement. They all together with Scarlet Mane silently agreed that Blasting Boom was right. Turned off at day, seamlessly embedded into the corners of the buildings, long neon tubes illuminated the streets and skies with various colors. The paintings on the walls, charged by the sunlight and neon tubes, emitted fluorescent light, same as many posters glued to them.
It appeared that Nuddly couldn't be more pleased but then she saw one of a slim earth pony of rather cold colors - tropical blue coat, mane of regal and midnight shades and deep cerulean eyes. The name on the poster didn't tell Scarlet much, but the cutie mark on the mare's haunch, an upside down violin clef and a bass clef intertwined to form a heart, told her everything. She knew that her friend liked music a lot and was often seen and heard with Melody, who was now reading the poster carefully to check whether her contribution of providing instruments is listed. She grinned widely when she found it to be true.
"Eventide Note is performing here right now!" Nuddly said with excitement and squealed.
"Let's go and listen," said Moon and they walked towards Deaf Punk Club, the place mentioned on the poster. At least most of them did, as Nuddly Plum was jumping around instead, consequently bumping with a muffled clang into a ink black coated and mahogany brown maned city guard in a matte silver armor.
"Watch it miss," he said, staring at her with his light gray eyes, "you could hurt yourself."
She giggled.
"Sorry offic—oh!" she said and cut off as she noticed an enormous wall painting of a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane behind him, ignoring him completely.
He shrugged, nodded at the other ponies and tried to walk away but he quickly stopped, hearing a loud shriek of hers.
"Meep!"
"Who's that?" asked Moon, making Nuddly snicker.
"Everypony knows who, you have to get out more," she said.
"Um..." let out Scarlet, while nervously drilling in the pavement with her hoof.
"Frankly, I don't know either," said the guard. Melody shrugged as well.
Nuddly soundly sighed. "I'll tell you later, now stand there," she said as pointed under the wall.
"Are you—" started the guard, stopping immediately as she pushed him there. He stared at her with irritation but somewhat feeling powerless to do anything about the situation. She took her camera off her back and with a swift motion set up the tripod and laid the pneumatic cord on the ground for the shutter release.
"I'll have to ask you not to—" the guard began again as Nuddly Plum squeezed herself in between Moonbeam and Scarlet Mane on one side and Melody with the guard on the other.
"Cheese!" she said through her clenched shiny white teeth and stepped on the trigger, engulfing everypony in the bright light from her flash lamp.