//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: Solstice Rocket 
// Story: The Ballad of Flash Sentry 
// by Z-blade Gracin 
//------------------------------//

	Solstice Rocket took a deep breath of the fresh, cool night air as he sat on the porch steps of his family’s mansion nestled in the hills overlooking the city of Baltimare and strummed on his old, wooden guitar. It was slightly out of tune but he didn’t care—it was his. Besides, it was better than having no guitar at all. Ever since he was a foal, he had an undying passion for music, especially for the guitar. In fact, six years ago he wanted so much to learn how to play that he had made it himself—using wood that he had found lying around and musical strings that he had bartered from a fellow pony on the streets. He had been having fun learning how to play it ever since. 

Baltimare, located along the eastern coast of Equestria, was Solstice’s home city and the third most prosperous city in all of the land of Equestria (the two more prosperous cities being Manehatten and Canterlot—Equestria’s capital city). Apart from Manehatten, Canterlot and Baltimare, there were other cities like Fillydelphia (located north of Baltimare) and Las Pegasus (located on the southernmost part of Equestria). Solstice had never been to Las Pegasus, and he had only been to Manehatten and Fillydephia once or twice in his life. 

His family was now one of the wealthiest families in all of Equestria, thanks to his father’s business. He was proud of his father for his undying dedication in making the family business successful, especially considering that he and his family had been living on the streets until a few years ago when the business’s financial success suddenly and miraculously increased. 

Solstice brushed his ocean-blue hair back, tilted his head upwards and contemplated the next set of notes that he wanted to play. He had always wanted to create a song of his own, but it was taking him a while to figure it out. When he had finally found the right notes that he was looking for, he played them on his guitar, even adding a trill at the end. A second later, he heard a familiar voice exclaiming, “That sounds awesome, Bro!”

Solstice turned and saw a foal about half his size with a fur coat that was a slightly darker shade of orange than his own. He chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head and replied, “Oh, it’s nothing yet. It’s still a work-in-progress.”

The foal leaped in the air and exclaimed, “But you’re always so awesome with the guitar! I wish I could do that!”

Solstice patted his hoof onto his younger brother’s darker blue hair and smiled. 

“Well, there’s still time to learn, Clap,” he offered. “Wanna try?”

Clap Rocket’s eyes grew larger than an owl’s.

“Would I?!” he exclaimed with glee. 

He sat by his brother’s side as Solstice carefully handed his guitar to him.

“Now,” he instructed, guiding his brother’s right hoof onto the guitar’s neck, “the first thing about being a good guitarist is knowing your basic chords. Let’s start with a simple chord: A.” 

He guided his brother’s hoof so that he was holding down the third, fourth and fifth guitar strings. Afterwards, he told him to go ahead and strum the chord, making a clear, musical sound. 

“Very good, Clap!” he nodded. “Now, let’s try a D.”

He guided his brother’s hoof so that he was pressing down on the fourth, fifth and sixth strings and Clap gave the guitar another strum. This time, some of the notes in the chord sounded muffled and Solstice looked closely at his brother’s hoof on the guitar’s neck.

“Some of the notes aren’t sounding clear ‘cause you’re not holding down the strings hard enough,” Solstice observed.

Clap strained as he held down the strings in his right hoof and strummed again, the musical chord now sounding clearer than before. Clap grunted from the strain and the pressure on his hoof.

“Whew! This is tough!”

Solstice nodded in agreement. Playing a musical instrument definitely wasn’t as easy as most ponies would have believed. It took many hours of daily practice and dedication. With the guitar, it also required a couple of sore hooves along the way. But, despite the frustration and the pain, the end result was well worth it—he had the ability to play whatever song he wanted. Of course, he knew that playing music wasn’t for everypony. 

“Yeah, it is tough,” he concurred, “but it’s all worth it in the end. It just takes a lot of practice.”

Clap lowered his head and sighed as he handed the guitar back to his brother.

“I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know if I’ll ever be as good as you at it.”

Solstice put a hoof around Clap’s shoulders.

“You can, if you want to! And, even if you can’t, you still can do things better than I can!”

Clap looked up at him.

“Like what?”

“Well, for one thing, you’re very good at baseball. Your Cutie Mark even proves it!”

Clap looked at his flank with the image of a baseball and a baseball bat with a lightning bolt on it. He remembered when he first got it. A year ago, he wasn’t much of a baseball player. He would keep missing the ball, whether he was at bat or as a catcher. One day, there was a big baseball game between his school in Baltimare and a rival school in Fillydelphia. He had the opportunity to be part of the team but, because there were so many other foals in the team, he doubted that he would ever have the chance to play a big role in the actual game. Luckily, he got that chance halfway through the game and was able to play as a batter. He remembered that the first round was hard for him, as he was struck out in a matter of seconds. He remembered feeling like a failure, both to himself and to the team. When it was the rival team’s turn to bat, he was assigned to be a catcher in the outfield. He hated that position, as it was nowhere near the action. Finally, the game was at a tie and it was Baltimare’s turn to bat. As he sat watching his teammates step to bat, he gritted his teeth, hoping that they would win the game before it was his turn to bat. To his dismay, no pony did. Before long, it was his turn to bat. 

He remembered feeling a pit in his stomach as he trotted to the plate with his baseball bat in hoof. When he had reached it, he adjusted his baseball cap nervously and he readied himself for the first pitch. Swoosh! The ball whizzed towards him and he automatically took a hard swing. The next thing he heard was the sound of the ball hitting a baseball glove behind him. 

“Strrrrike one!” the umpire bellowed. 

The tension was building. He had two more tries before he was out and his team would lose the game. He readied himself again for the next pitch. Swoosh! Again, the ball whizzed towards him and he again swung at it with his bat. Unfortunately, the next sound he heard was the ball hitting the catcher’s baseball glove behind him. 

"Strrrrike two!”

Large beads of sweat now started to trickle down his face and neck. He took off his cap and rubbed it across his face in an effort to dry his face. It all came down to this one hit. If he successfully batted the ball, his team would win and he would become the hero of the day. If he missed the ball, his team would lose and it all would be his fault. He knew that he couldn’t afford to miss this next hit. 

With a deep breath, he readied himself for the ball. A second later, however, panic overtook him and he found himself frozen with his bat on the ground. He couldn’t do this! He knew how much of an average hitter he was. If he went through with this, he would be responsible for his team’s loss! How could he face his teammates after that?

Then, he heard a familiar voice shout, “You can do it, Bro! I know you can!”

He looked towards the stands from whence the sound had come and saw Solstice standing higher than the other ponies in the crowd around him. He had his hoof in the air and a big smile on his face. 

“Your name’s Clap, for pony’s sake!” he added. “Knock that ball out of the ballpark like a thunderbolt! Show it who’s boss!”

As he listened to those words, Clap couldn’t help but smile. Solstice seemed to have just the right words to say. He started to feel empowered, even though he still a little nervous of failing. His brother believed in him and that was enough for him. 

His eyes narrowed with renewed concentration as he again readied himself for the incoming pitch with fixed determination. He closed his eyes. All he needed to do was believe in himself and concentrate. Swoosh…smack! There was a loud crack, as if lightning had struck the field, followed by a deafening sound of cheering. He remembered feeling a power in his hooves unlike anything he had ever felt before as he felt something hit his bat. He opened one eye and gasped in shock as he saw the ball soaring upwards and away from him. Not only did he hit the ball, but he also managed to hit it all the way to the other side of the ballpark! 

For a moment, he only stood and stared at the ball in the air. Then, he heard shouting from the spectating ponies for him to run…which he immediately and joyously did. As he galloped from First Base to Second Base to Third Base, a feeling of immense pride and excitement overwhelmed him. When he had reached Home Base, his teammates, his coach and his brother were already there to greet him like a conquering hero. They lifted him onto their shoulders and paraded him across the field in victory. It was then that his Cutie Mark—a baseball bat with a baseball and a thunderbolt in between them—appeared, because he had believed in himself and hit the ball like a clap of thunder. Now, one year later, that memory still inspired him to always have confidence in himself and in others. However, he knew that he couldn’t have all the credit. 

“But if you hadn’t reminded me to believe in myself,” he pointed out as he turned to his older brother, “I wouldn’t have knocked the ball out of the ballpark like that! You were a big part of it, too, Big Bro!”

Solstice grinned as he pointed a hoof at him.

“But it’s a fact that you can play baseball better than I ever can!”

Clap jumped as he exclaimed with pride, “You bet!”

His brother’s grin grew wider as he added, “And you know what else you’re good at better than me?”

The orange foal stopped as a look of uneasy suspense crossed his face. He had noticed his brother’s sly grin. 

“What?” he asked cautiously.

Solstice leaned closer towards him with a sly look on his face.

“You’re good at ‘playin’ it cool’ with the fillies.”

He gave him a wink and his little brother immediately retreated backwards with an unmistakable expression of disgust. 

“The fillies?! Are you crazy?! Yuck!”

His tongue flew out of his opened mouth like a lizard’s as his head quickly shook, making his tongue wag from side to side. 

“Fillies…are…weird! They do nothing but play with dolls, wear stupid, fancy outfits and sit around and giggle all day!”

He let out a loud groan and buried his face in his hooves. Solstice laughed as he put a hoof on his shoulder.

“I’m kidding! Seriously, though, you do have a way with other ponies. You know just what to say to them and you’re never afraid to speak your mind.” 

He sighed as he turned away and sadly looked up at the starry sky. 

“I wish I could be like that. But every time I try, I just end up saying the wrong thing or looking just…awkward.”

He shook his head, remembering all of the times when he had tried to impress a mare but ended up knocking into a wall or bumping into something. Other times, he would say something that he thought was cool at the time but it would later turn out that it actually wasn’t. Also, he lacked one other thing that many ponies his age already had. 

He looked at his flank where a Cutie Mark should have been.

“I don’t even have my Cutie Mark yet,” he added with another sigh. 

At that moment, he felt a hoof on his shoulder and turned to see his brother looking back at him.

“Don’t worry, Bro! You’ll get one soon! And when you get it, it’ll be the best! Trust me!”

Solstice smiled back.

“I sure hope so, Clap.” 

Clap grinned and bro-hoofed with him. At that moment, they heard a familiar voice calling from inside the mansion, “Master Solstice, Master Clap! Dinner is ready! Your father wants you to come inside!”

Clap groaned.

“Gee, I wonder what’s for dinner…? ‘Champignon Parmentier au Gratin’…‘Soupe a l’Oignon’?”

As he said this, his voice flawlessly changed into a French accent. Solstice struggled not to laugh. Not only was he good at speaking with other ponies, but he was also good at speaking all of the accents. 

“You know what’s funny?” he said, regaining his breath. “A few years ago, we would’ve begged for a big house, fancy food and all the money we want. Now, we can’t stand it!”

He chuckled and added with a shrug, “Go figure!”

Clap sighed sadly.

“What I wouldn’t give for a hayburger right now….”

“Yeah, I know how you feel,” Solstice agreed with a sigh. 

Then, he smiled and added, running a hoof through his jet-blue hair, “But hey! It’s not so bad! At least we have food to eat, right?”

Clap shrugged with an understanding nod. They both remembered a time when they went to bed hungry, wondering where their next meal would come from. They remembered how it was like to live on the streets…to smell the dusty, suffocating scent of the alleyways, to hear the noisy clatter of ponies’ hooves and wagons from morning until evening, and to feel the constant irritation of unwashed, unkempt hair and fur. 

Though they didn’t remember much of it, their parents told them that they were not always poor. When Solstice was born, his father was a successful businesspony working in the downtown area. They owned a modest home and were very happy. However, shortly after Clap was born five years later, the family business suddenly went under, forcing them to live on the streets. For the next several years, the family struggled to make ends meet while their father tried to get the family business back up and running. 

Although life was hard for the Rocket family in those days, Solstice and Clap enjoyed many great memories. At first, Solstice was the only colt old enough in the family that would take odd jobs to help provide the necessary bits for the rest of the family. Then, when Clap was old enough, they both would work together, side by side. They fondly remembered when they used to work as newspaper colts for the city’s newspaper company, The Baltimare Daily. They would try to compete with each other to see which one of them could sell the most newspapers the fastest. This required a basic knowledge about advertising and how to adequately persuade other ponies, of which Solstice was basically average—enough to sell a sufficient amount of newspapers each day. Clap, however, could sell a newspaper as if it was candy, and would, consequently, always win their competition by a landslide. Solstice didn’t mind it, though. He already knew from the moment that Clap could talk that he was the better of the two when it came to charisma. Clap would always say that he wanted to become just like his big brother, but sometimes it was Solstice who wished that he could become just like his little brother, Clap. 

Their trip down memory lane was interrupted by the same familiar voice from the mansion calling again, louder this time, “Master Solstice! Master Clap! Come inside, please! You know how Master Golden feels about punctuality!”

Solstice turned to his brother.

“Yeah…we’d better be getting inside before we get in trouble,” he said sheepishly. 

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The inside of the Rocket family mansion was just as elegant as the outside. All of the walls were pristine white with a golden trim and were decorated with hand-crafted carvings of vines and flowers along the edges. On either side of the room lay a curved staircase that led to the second floor, a balcony with more rooms and hallways on either side. On the bottom of each staircase were two busts of famous ponies that flanked either side of the staircase railings. On the ceiling hung a large golden chandelier holding many candles that gave light to the spacious lobby below it. The floor was of solid white marble that was always cool to the touch. Also on either side of the lobby, lay archways leading into other rooms, such as the living room, the dining room, the family room and the lounge area.  

As Solstice and Clap entered the lobby, an old gray pony with white hair that barely covered his head and wearing a black suit with a silver bow-tie met them halfway. 

“There you are, Master Solstice and Master Clap!” he sighed in greeting, his voice carrying an unmistakable, dignified English accent. 

“Sorry for being late, Mr. Spot On,” Solstice said in reply as he bowed his head respectfully. “Where are Mom and Dad?”

The butler motioned towards an archway leading into the dining room and, then, motioned upstairs. 

“Master Golden is already in the dining room waiting for you, and Mistress Glitter is upstairs preparing for dinner.”

Clap rolled his eyes and muttered to Solstice, “Again? Mom would even ‘prepare’ for running from a Timberwolf, if one was chasing her!”

Solstice’s eyes widened as he let out a gasp and exclaimed, “Clap! That’s not very nice to say!”

Clap immediately had a defensive look on his face.

“Well, it’s true!” he contended. 

“Just because it’s true doesn’t mean you can just go ahead and say it,” Solstice explained. “It’s not the right thing to do. Remember what Mom said…?”

Clap sighed as he joined in unison with his brother as they quoted, “…‘there’s a time and a place for everything.’”

He rolled his eyes and finished in a monotone, “Yeah, I know….”

Then, he looked up at him with a wide grin and added, “But ya have to admit…it’s kinda funny ‘cause it’s true, right?”

Solstice froze. He didn’t want to but he had to admit that it was funny. Glitter Rocket was renowned in their family as the one who would always make herself look pretty for everything, even for breakfast. He didn’t know when or how she started becoming obsessed with her self-image but, in the end, it didn’t matter. She was still the best mother that he could ever ask for. She was kind and thoughtful. He remembered when he and his mother were out shopping shortly after they became wealthy a few years ago and passed a pony who looked as if he had seen better days—his fur was disheveled, his eyes were drooped and his clothes were very much worn. After a few seconds, his mother stopped and told him that they ought to go back and see if they could do anything to help that pony. He followed his mother and, after some time, they finally found the pony. Afterwards, he and Glitter talked for some time and she discovered that this pony had been going through some hard times and was currently looking for work. She subsequently gave him information for several places of work and even invited his wife to come to a sewing circle that she was holding that very weekend. When they had left, she turned to Solstice and said, “It’s a good thing that we went back to help him when we did, don’t you think?” 

Since then, he had always held great respect for his mother and always strived to follow her example. 

He gave a shrug and admitted, “Well—maybe—yeah, that was kinda funny. But Mom’s still the best mom we could ever ask for.”

Clap immediately nodded. 

“Oh, yeah! The best! She positively rocks!”

Solstice smiled at that. Clap may have joked about their mother sometimes but he also knew how exceptional a mother Glitter Rocket was. He remembered when he was younger how he and Glitter would go to the city park and practice baseball for a few hours. Even recently, she still played baseball with him in the park every now and then. Clap was always impressed with his mother because of that. His father used to play ball with him but, ever since the family became wealthy, he had become too busy with work to do it anymore. 

Just then, an authoritative-sounding voice called from the dining room. It was their father. 

“Solstice? Clap? Is that you out there? Well, don’t just stand out there idling! Dinner is ready! Mr. Spot On…!”

The butler turned slightly over his shoulder. 

“Y-yes, Master Golden?”

“Where are those napkins that I told you to get?” the voice chided. “I don’t see any here!”

The butler swallowed and replied, “Y-yes, Master Golden! Right away, Sir!”

With that, he dashed towards the pantry to get more napkins. Solstice and Clap watched him go and sighed.

“Why is Dad so bossy today?” Clap asked.

Solstice’s eyebrow cocked in thought.

“Dad’s…just having one of those days, I guess,” he replied with a shrug. 

“Solstice! Clap!” their father called again. “Where are you? Are you still out there?”

They galloped into the dining room where a distinguished-looking stallion with golden fur and blue hair sat in a soft white chair at one end of a long, white rectangular table. Like the lobby, the dining room was also white with a smaller golden chandelier hanging above the table. The golden-furred stallion sitting at the table raised his gaze from the many-paged book that he was reading to look at his two sons. 

“You both are late,” he reprimanded in a low tone, his head lowered slightly so that his fiery red eyes peered over the top of his round, black-rimmed glasses. “You know my rules regarding punctuality. It is not polite to keep other ponies waiting.”

Golden Rocket was a wealthy and successful business pony who held great expectations for his sons. He would take the time throughout the day to teach them the ways of the world—business and time management, finance, promotion tactics, etc. Though Solstice and Clap found these lessons rather boring, to say the least, they recognized that these things would be important later on in their lives. 

Golden was strict but was also loving and caring when the situation warranted. Solstice remembered one time when he had accidently tripped over his guitar and broke the neck. When he went to his father for help, he was in a meeting with a few other businessponies. However, despite being busy, Golden excused himself for a few minutes and fixed his guitar. Solstice’s wooden guitar still had the thin layer of duct tape wrapped around the middle of the neck where he had broken it. If he could describe his father, he would have to borrow what his mother had said about him. 

“Your dad is like one of those candies,” he remembered her saying to him one time. “He’s hard on the outside but soft on the inside…and sweet all around.” 

By just looking at Golden Rocket, one could instantly assume that he was a prestigious businesspony. He was taller than most Earth ponies—slightly taller than Princess Luna. His hair and tail were stylized very similar to a zebra’s (hair combed forward and tail full and uniformed). He also had a thin blue mustache that made him look even more refined. Apart from his natural appearance, he also wore a long black suit coat that stretched all the way to his hindquarters, a dark gray vest underneath, a red tie that matched the color of his eyes, and black horseshoes that completed the overall look. If the weather was cold enough, he would also wear a long black trench coat that was the same length as his suit coat. With his overall appearance, he could stand out in any crowd of ponies. Sometimes, he appeared rather intimidating. 

“We’re sorry, Dad,” Solstice apologized as he bowed his head respectfully. 

The dad nodded approvingly and smiled slightly as he kept his stern demeanor. 

“Very well, then. I accept your apology, on the condition that you both will be more punctual in the future. Is that understood?”

His two sons nodded. 

“Yes, Sir.”

Then, there was the topic of dinner.  

“What’s for dinner, Dad?” Solstice asked. 

His father’s red-colored eyes peered at the long, white table before him laden with extravagant, delicious foods set ornamentally on various decorative dishes. 

“I would assume ‘Champignon Parmentier au Gratin’ and ‘Soupe a l’Oignon,’ by the looks of it,” he replied, returning to reading his thick, hard-backed book. 

Solstice saw Clap at the corner of his eye giving him a look that clearly suggested, “Told ya.”

At that moment, a female voice announced from behind them, “I’m here! So sorry I’m late, everypony!”

They all turned and saw a heliotrope-colored pegasus mare dressed in a fine white gown standing under the archway. Her cotton candy-colored hair was combed down in front so that it formed bangs across her forehead. The lower-half of her hair wrapped halfway around one side of her neck in an elegant fashion and the end was curled into several frills. Her tail was long and curled in a series of spirals much like a party streamer. She also wore pure white purls that gleamed in the light like tiny stars. She was Glitter Rocket, the mother of the household, and she indeed looked like perfection. 

“My, my! Darling!” Golden exclaimed as he stood and put his book away on one of the bookshelves nearby. “You look absolutely radiant tonight!”

The two sons nodded in agreement. The pinkish-purple pegasus blushed and smiled as she crossed her front hooves. 

“You really think so?”

“Trust us, Darling,” Golden replied with a bright smile, “you look positively divine!”

Solstice saw his mother blush a bit at that. Then, his father motioned towards the table.

“Now, let us sit down and eat.”

With that, they took their places at the dinner table—Golden at one end, Glitter at the opposite end, and Solstice and Clap at either side of the table’s width. The food was actually made by Glitter Rocket herself. She insisted on it. She was taught how to cook by her mother in Cloudsdale. Ever since then, she always cooked for the family. Though Clap and Solstice did appreciate all of the hard work that their mother had done in preparing their meals, they were growing weary of the extravagantness of it all. They just wanted something simple, for a change. But they never dared to ask, probably due to not wanting to offend or upset her. After all, she took much time in preparing it. The least that they could do was show their gratitude by partaking. 

As the family sat down, Solstice noticed that Clap was reading a comic book. A feeling of dread for his brother came over him. He knew how their father had forbidden any kind of reading material at the dinner table. Clap was going to get in trouble.  

Sure enough, his fears were realized when he heard their father’s voice suddenly say, “Clap?”

Clap immediately froze with his comic book open in front of him. Solstice could see from the surprised look in his eyes that he had completely forgotten about that family rule. 

“What did we agree on about any kind of reading material at the dinner table?” his father chastised with a tone that suggested gentle sternness. 

Clap lowered his head, closed the book and placed it on the corner of the table. 

“Sorry, Dad,” he timidly said. 

Golden nodded and distinctly tapped on the table with his hoof. A second later, Mr. Spot On hurriedly came to his side. 

“Y-yes, Master Golden?” he inquired, giving a slight bow. 

Golden turned his gaze towards the butler. 

“Would you kindly take Clap’s comic book back upstairs to his room?” he requested. 

The elderly butler nodded and came to Clap’s side. He put his hoof on the comic book and slid it off the tabletop. Clap didn’t respond. Solstice, meanwhile, silently sighed in relief. He did not know why he always grew tense whenever his father gave correction. Was it his father’s fiery, deep-set eyes that made him intimidating or was it his authoritative-sounding voice? He had to agree that it may have been the combination of both. And yet, his father was actually the best in giving correction—he was neither too lenient nor too harsh in his delivery. 

“Did you bring the napkins like I asked, Spot On?” Golden further asked the aged pony. 

The butler stopped and turned.

“Y-yes, Sir,” he replied, motioning towards the table. “I placed them on the table for you, as requested.”

Golden smiled and nodded. 

“Thank you, Spot On. I shall let you know if I need any more of your assistance.”

The butler smiled back (in a relieved way, Solstice observed) and made his way upstairs to Clap’s room with the comic book. 

Weird….

“You seem a little on edge this evening, Dear,” Glitter observed as they began eating their dinner. “Is there anything wrong?” 

The golden stallion didn't look up.  

“They came by today again...” he replied in a terse tone, “Fancy Pants' little minions.” 

Glitter stopped for a moment.  

“Oh? And what did they want?”

He waved his hoof dismissively. 

“Oh, they merely kept bothering me to go and see Fancy Pants about something trivial. It is not important at the moment.”

Glitter looked down and replied, “All right then, Golden…if you insist.”

With that, she turned to Clap as the family continued with their dinner. 

“So, how was school today, Clap?” 

Clap groaned as he put his hooves onto his face. 

“One word…boring! And I have a math test tomorrow!”

Golden looked up in response. 

“And what is wrong with math? You have done rather well with that class, if I am not mistaken.”

Clap hesitated. 

“Well, yeah…”

“Then, you should have no problems with that, am I right?”

Clap sighed. 

“It’s gonna be on fractions.”

Golden nodded with an understanding “hmm.” Then, he added, “Not an area of study that is to your liking, is it?”

He places a hoof on the table and declared with a smile, “Well, do not fret! If you study and do your part, I know that you will do well!”

Glitter nodded in agreement. 

“That’s right, Clap! We know you’ll do all right!”

Clap looked up with a confident smile.

“You bet I will!”

“That’s the spirit!” Golden exclaimed, bro-hoofing with him. Solstice smiled at that. He wished that he could somehow capture that moment in a picture…if only he had a camera to capture it with. 

“So, Solstice,” his mother asked, turning to him, “how’s your job-searching going? Any good leads?” 

Solstice shook his head. 

“No, not yet,” he sighed in response. He had been searching for a good job for about a few months now but still had no success. 

“Well, keep trying, Solstice,” his mother reassured. “You’ll find one soon.”

Solstice nodded with a sad smile. 

“Right.”

“Remember what I taught you, Solstice,” Golden reminded him. “Persistence is key to finding a successful occupation. Also, do not forget the importance of a good résumé. Employers will take a special look at—”

He stopped and thought for a moment. 

“Come to think of it, I do not recall that I have ever asked you what your end-goal was regarding a future occupation….” 

Solstice hesitated for a minute. His father had given him counsel and help with business-related or everyday life things. He knew what his father would think about his answer. 

“I—I want to become…a rock star—at least, that’s what I’m thinking about right now.”

As he had expected, his father looked back at him with a blank expression and simply replied, “Oh.” 

After a period of silence, his father said with a caring sigh, “Solstice…you know my stance in this.”

Solstice looked down and didn’t reply. 

“Becoming a rock star will not help you become successful in life. I know it is a hard fact, but it is a fact, nevertheless. Business, law, construction, accounting—those are more practical career choices.” 

He paused as he saw Solstice still looking down sadly. 

“Understand, Solstice…” he said as he leaned towards Solstice and put a hoof on his shoulder, “all that I want is the best for you. Nothing else.” 

Solstice nodded. 

“I know.”

He clearly knew that his father wanted only what was best for him. Ever since the family had become wealthy, Golden was always teaching him something about business, about managing time and bits, and such. Although he felt that he could budget his bits and understand and appreciate businessponies for all that they did, he still didn’t see himself as any businesspony—or becoming one, for that matter—by any means. He honestly saw himself as a rock star, playing his guitar and becoming famous. However, he knew that no matter how much he tried to convince his father, Golden would never approve of that decision. Still, he had to admit that he did understand where his father was coming from—regarding his point of view. After all, Golden Rocket had earned his way to the ‘top of the corporate ladder,’ so to speak. He understood the value hard work and how to manage one’s time and bits. He understood the secrets of how to ultimately become successful in life. 

“Start your career-searching endeavors with jobs that will help build yourself as a candidate for the future career that you desire,” he had said when Solstice first set out to find a job. “Experience is the key to achieving and ultimately becoming successful in your desired profession. If you don’t have enough experience in that particular career, no employer in it will take you seriously.” 

And yet, he knew that he could never be like his father, no matter how much he tried. After all, his father was a wealthy and successful businesspony—everypony respected him! By contrast, Solstice was an odd pony who did not have many career options, or so he himself had concluded. Oh, he knew very well the odds of becoming successful as a musician or a songwriter was…not very good. Still, he wanted to try…at least try. If only his father would let him do so. 

He sighed. Of course, Golden would never approve of that in the end. So, he had usually kept his dreams and plans a secret from him. 

“I’ll try my best to apply what you’ve taught me, Dad,” he replied. 

His father smiled and nodded in approval. 

“Do not worry. If you are persistent, I am confident that you will succeed.”

Solstice managed a smile back. 

Yes, but…it’s different with me.

“Thanks, Dad.”

*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

After the family finished their dinner, Solstice and Clap were allowed to be excused to do whatever they wanted to do before retiring to bed. Clap went to his room (no doubt to finish reading his comic book) while Solstice decided to play his guitar outside for a few more minutes. He liked playing his guitar in the night air; for it was cool and refreshing and helped him feel more relaxed. However, after several minutes of thoughtfully strumming his guitar and receiving no added inspiration for his song, he decided to give up and go inside the mansion. 

The family mansion had a total of eight bedrooms, each one colored with various shades of white and stylized much like the Victorian era—complete with hand-crafted golden carvings of Alicorns (Pegasi with unicorn horns) and foliage. Golden and Glitter Rocket’s room was a large room located on the far southeast corner of the mansion. Their bed was a queen-sized bed that had cream-colored bedding with fringes on the edges. On either side of the bed stood a white and gold nightstand with a small white shaded lamp on top, and on the walls above each nightstand hung a small, decorative, oval mirror. On the other side of the room lay a small, round, white glass-topped coffee table with two white soft-cushioned chairs, all set before a cozy-looking fireplace. Above the fireplace hung a beautifully-knitted fiery-red scarf that Glitter gave to Golden when they first dated. It was flanked on either side by two vases filled with cream-colored roses. The bedroom itself also had two large windows—one next to the bed and the other next to the fireplace on the other side of the room. These two windows revealed a commanding view of the city of Baltimare, along with its coast and the hills surrounding it. On the ceiling hung a sliver chandelier that was as large as the one hanging in the dining room with glass ornamentations hanging from it like frozen droplets. 

Like his parents’ room, Solstice’s room was also colored with various shades of white and had a nightstand next to his twin-sized bed, which looked similar to his parents’ bed except his bedding was ocean-blue in color.  However, unlike his parents’ room, there was no fireplace at one corner of the room or a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Instead, his ceiling was made out of regular plaster mixed with a glow-in-the-dark substance that glowed in the nighttime, causing it to produce a starry effect, as if he was lying outside and looking up at the stars at night. He also had a desk and chair, a closet and a bookshelf, all of which were made out of fine oak wood. Apart from his furniture, Solstice had a record player set on his desk where he would play music from popular artists, including Deep Drive (his favorite rock band). The only window in the room revealed the view of the city, along with the mansion’s outer courtyard below. 

Clap’s room was stylized similarly to Solstice’s except it didn’t have a record player or a ceiling that had a glow-in-the-dark effect. Instead, his room had a miniature hoop for soft basketball (not a real basketball), a built-in set for practicing softball (so that he wouldn’t accidentally break anything in his room with a real baseball) and a rack built into the wall to store his various baseball bats. He also had a desk, a bookshelf, a closet and a nightstand next to his bed. His bed was designed similar to Solstice’s, except it was slightly smaller and the bedding was dark green in color. Also like Solstice’s room, Clap’s room had only one window. However, unlike Solstice’s room, his window did not have much of a view. Clap always felt that he had gotten the "short-end of the stick" when it came to the view from his window; for instead of the city or the hills surrounding it or even the outer courtyard in front of the mansion, his only window in his room held the “grand-old view” of...a tree. Yes, a tree—more like a tree trunk blocking almost anything else from view. 

Mr. Spot On’s room, which looked rather plain but elegant, was located on the first floor in the northern part of the mansion. The other four rooms were guest rooms—two located upstairs and two located downstairs. As for other servants besides Spot On, they came at certain hours of the day to clean and to tidy-up the place. They were paid, of course—Golden Rocket made sure of that. 

As Solstice put his guitar back in his room on top of his bed, he decided to go see what Clap was doing. He went to his brother’s room and found the door halfway open. He peeked around the corner of the door to see what his brother was doing. Clap was sitting on his bed with his comic book opened in front of him, completely immersed in what he was reading. 

“Can I come in?” Solstice asked after knocking.

Clap looked up and nodded.

“Sure thing, Bro!”

Then, with a more sophisticated flare, he added after clearing his throat, “Oh, excuse me. Welcome to my humble abode.”

All throughout the walls in his room hung posters of famous sports idols, including a few posters of “Rapid-fire” Easton, a famous baseball player who first began his career in Baltimare. He was also Clap’s idol. 

Solstice chuckled as he stepped into the room. 

“Oh, you’re rockin’ those accents, aren’t ya, Clap!”

Clap gave a wink and replied, “Hey, I aim to please!”

Solstice approached his bedside and looked at the opened comic book lying in front of the orange foal.

“What’s this you’re reading?”

The young foal looked back at the comic book.

“It’s the new Flash Sentry comic. It’s so cool!”

Solstice nodded with an impressed expression. He used to read those comics but eventually grew out of them. He remembered how he used to read the first Flash Sentry comic series when he was just a foal and how fascinated he was with it. After the family had to live on the streets, he would borrow them from a friend every time the newest one was released. However, after the family business began to become successful again and he started attending school, he couldn’t find the time to read any more of them. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t read any of the comics in four years. 

“They’re still releasing new ones?” he commented, surprised that the series was still going. 

“Yep!” Clap nodded.

Solstice leaned a little to see the comic. The comic showed a deep-red pegasus stallion dressed in a flashy blue superhero suit with equally flashy yellow lightning bolts on the edges of his hooves and on his chest. What made him even more iconic was his yellowish hair, which even looked like a big lightning bolt penetrating out from the back of his head all the way down his neck in a zig-zag-like pattern. His yellowish tail also looked like a lightning bolt as much as his hair did. On his hindquarters was his Cutie Mark—a blue shield with a yellow lightning bolt in the front. 

Solstice nodded. This comic superhero was exactly like the one he had seen when he had first read the comic as a foal. 

The comic strip that Clap was reading showed Flash Sentry fighting several masked stallions who were threatening to steal from a unicorn couple, who were both dressed very elegantly and formally. Flash had a look of pure confidence on his face as he stared at the attacking masked stallions. 

“You won’t hurt these ponies while I’m around!” the bubble over the superhero exclaimed. 

The next series of scenes showed Flash Sentry fighting against the masked ponies until they were all finally tied to a nearby lamppost. The hero turned to the two frightened unicorns.

“You two okay?” the bubble above him read. 

“Yes…thanks to you, Flash Sentry,” the bubble over the male unicorn replied. “Those ruffians were about to rob us of all our bits and jewelry! Thank you, Sir! We shall never forget you!”

Flash waved his hoof.

“No need to thank me. I’m just glad you’re safe.”

He crouched in preparation for launching himself to the sky.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, there are other ponies that need savin’.”

With that, the comic showed him launching into the air, creating a blue and yellow trail in the night sky. 

Solstice nodded approvingly. 

“Just like those good-old Flash Sentry comics I used to read! They haven’t changed a bit.”

“Aren’t they great?” Clap exclaimed. “I’ve read ten of them just this week!”

Solstice’s eyebrows rose.

“Ten? You’re just burning right through those, aren’t ya! What happens when you run out of them to read?”

Clap’s eyes beamed.

“Then, I’ll just have to survive ‘till the next one comes out!”

Solstice let out a laugh.

“You’re funny, Clap!”

Clap shrugged. 

“You saw how good they are. Could you blame me?”

Solstice smiled.

“You know, I believe I’d be the same way if I was still into all that myself.”

He sighed as his expression turned sad.

“Which reminds me…I’ve got that job interview tomorrow.”

Clap cocked his eyebrow.

“Really? You’ve never mentioned anything about that before. What’s the job?”

“Selling music records in Red Lightning’s Records,” he replied with a shrug. 

Clap’s eyes widened.

“You mean, the most popular music store in Baltimare?! And you didn’t tell me this before?!”

He threw his hooves in the air and let out a whoop.

“That’s totally awesome, Bro—!”

He was cut short by his brother suddenly putting a hoof to his mouth and making a “shh” sound. 

“Not so loud, Buddy!” he whispered. “If Dad were to find out, he’d make me quit the job before I even got started!”

Clap nodded understandingly as Solstice removed his hoof from his mouth. 

“Oh, yeah, right,” he apologized. “Sorry, Bro.” 

He smiled and added, “Cool, though—that you got the job, I mean.”

His brother looked back at him with a slight grin. 

“Well, I haven’t got the job yet, Clap,” he pointed out. “I still have to pass that interview with Red Lightning first.”

“You mean, the boss of the music store?” Clap asked.

Solstice nodded.

“Yep, and I’ve heard that he’s pretty ‘particular’ with whom he wants to work for him.”

He took a deep breath as he rubbed his hooves together nervously. 

“To tell you the truth, Clap…I’m…I’m pretty nervous about this. I mean, what if I blow this? What if I say the wrong thing? What if—?”

“Whoa, easy there, Bro!” Clap interrupted, putting a hoof out. “Don’t gallop too far ahead! Leave all that for tomorrow morning!”

Solstice took a deep breath and sighed. 

“Yeah…you’re right. I keep doing that, don’t I?” 

“You just have to focus on the moment, that’s all,” Clap explained. 

“Do you really think I can do it?” 

Clap gave a wink. 

“Well, there’s one way to find out! Let’s see what you’ve got!”

Solstice took a deep breath. 

“I’m—I’m here for the job that you had advertised in the paper and…I was wondering if that job was…um, still available.”

Clap sat on his bed and grimaced. Solstice looked absolutely timid as he said those words, as if he was unsure of himself. He wasn't an expert, but he knew for certain that no employer would take him seriously if he introduced himself like that. 

“That…was terrible,” Clap said bluntly, motioning at his brother’s performance. 

Solstice let out a huff.

“Gee, well, thanks a lot, Clap!”

Clap hopped off his bed. 

“What you need is some confidence!” he declared. “Repeat after me….”

He cleared his throat, straightened and puffed out his chest with confidence in his eyes. 

“My name’s Solstice Rocket,” he declared, his voice deep and manly. “I can spin a record faster than pizza—!”

He paused and shook his head as his eyebrows furrowed. 

“No, wait, that’s terrible! Hold on, let me try again.”

Solstice couldn’t help but burst out a chuckle or two. Clap cleared his throat again and was about to try again when his brother interrupted him.  

“Clap, it’s fine. I’ll try again.”

Clap stopped and turned to Solstice. 

“Okay, then!” he exclaimed with a smile as he climbed onto his bed again. “Let’s hear it!”

Solstice straightened his posture, cleared his throat and spoke more clearly and less timidly. 

“My name’s Solstice Rocket. I saw the job position that you advertised in the paper and I was wondering if it was still available.” 

Clap gave a shrug with his head. Though what he had said could have been better phrased, his delivery was much better than last time—more confident and bold in its delivery. 

“Very good, Bro,” he said with a nod. “That was better, much better! But it could be even better….”

Solstice sighed and gave a slight chuckle. 

“Since when did you suddenly become the expert in this stuff, Clap?”

Clap shrugged. 

“Don’t know. I guess I’ve just watched Dad a lot. I guess I’ve had the habit of…‘eavesdropping’ on your little talks with Dad, too.” 

He grinned and added, “Probably that’s how I’ve gotten to be so smart, huh?”

Solstice also grinned as he rubbed the top of his brother’s head. 

“Maybe…or probably ‘cause you’re just plain smart!”

They both laughed at that. 

*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

Before retiring to bed, Solstice thought about going downstairs to get a glass of cool water. As he was walking down the stairs to the lobby, however, he stopped when he heard his parents talking about Clap. He leaned against the railing of the stairs to better hear what they were saying. 

“Clap shows potential,” his father was saying. “He has some rough edges but he has the charisma and the drive to win. He shows much promise.”

“He certainly does,” his mother agreed. “What about Solstice?”

Solstice perked his ears up to better listen. 

“Solstice…?” his father replied with a hesitant sigh. “To be truthful, he—he worries me.”

Solstice took a step back. He made his father worried? Whatever did he do to make him so worried about him like this? 

“What do you mean, Dearest?” he heard his mother ask.

There was another sigh from Golden. 

“Solstice also shows much promise,” he explained, “but I believe that he somehow…resents me.”

Solstice’s eyes snapped open as he let out a soft gasp in shock. 

He thinks that I resent him? But—but I don’t!

“Golden—!” Glitter softly breathed out in shock. “How can you say that? Solstice looks up to you more than anypony else! To him, you are his idol!”

Solstice heard his father breathe sadly. 

“I know. I know. But no matter what, I can still see how much he is different from me. He knows it as well. I know he does! I…I can understand why he would resent me—he and I do not have that much in common, especially when it comes to our opinions regarding which path he ought to take in life. He prefers to become a rock star and live his dream while I want him to become more practically-minded like me.” 

He sighed again, this time more heavily. 

“I fear that we will never see eye to eye in anything! I fear that I am…a terrible father!”

Solstice peeked around the corner of the wall that was blocking his vision in order to better see what was happening in the living room. As he did so, he saw his father sitting on one of the white sofas with his head hung and his face buried in his hooves. His mother came by his side and put a hoof on one of his drooped shoulders. 

“No, Golden,” she was saying in her soft, gentle voice, “you’re not a terrible father! You and Solstice are just…different, that’s all. And even so, he still very much looks up to you! I can see that in his eyes!” 

“How can you be sure of that?” Golden breathed out through his hooves. “How can you be sure that he is not merely acting so that he does not offend me?” 

Glitter stepped back and looked directly at her husband. 

“You know how genuine Solstice is. You know how much he wants to make you proud of him.”

Golden nodded and lifted his head. 

“Yes, I know that, My Dear. I only—I wish—!”

He took off his glasses and rubbed the area between his eyes. As he did so, Solstice noticed that there were a few tears rolling down his face. 

“I just want him to know that I just want what is best for him—to have a better life than I had when I was his age.” 

His mouth quivered as he hung his head and closed his eyes tightly. Glitter came and wrapped her hooves around him to comfort him. Solstice sighed and hung his head. 

Dad…I understand! I really do! I just—I just don’t think I could ever be good at something like what you do.

He stepped back towards the stairs. He decided that it would be best if he went directly to bed and didn’t disturb them and climbed the stairs back to his room.