//------------------------------//
// Building The Lighted Stage 
// Story: Rush in Equestria 
// by RustyNails 
//------------------------------//

At Canterlot’s Satin Stadium a huge banner reading, RUSH -- The Most Amazing Music Ever! Tonight, One Night Only! hung over the arched entrance. 

Inside, the ponies were getting the stage ready. Applejack and Rainbow rolled out a giant carpet with the show’s “star pony” emblem over the stage. 

Twilight directed Shining Armor to place the dryers in position. Shining strained trying to hold the dryer in his magic.

“Come my way more. Little to the left…no my left. Okay, set it down.”

Shining let the dryer down with a thud, and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

“Wow, that thing weighs a ton.”
“Thanks for coming to help us set up Shining. Sorry it had to cut into your honeymoon.”
“No problem Twily, Equestria comes first. Though, I’m not sure about all this. I mean, a rock concert with creatures from another universe?”
“Sounded crazy to me too, but it’s what we gotta do. And trust me, this band is unbelievable. There are two more dryers.”

Shining deadpanned with a snort.

Sweetie Belle dusted Alex’s amplifiers with her tail singing and humming Limelight.
“Is that one your favorite?” Asked Applebloom.
“Sure is.”
“Hey, maybe by helping out in the show, we’ll get roadie cutie marks.” Said Scootaloo.
“Yeah!”
“What’s a…roadie?” asked Applebloom.
Suddenly a huge blue eye appeared on the screen, making the fillies yelp.
“Cutie Mark Crusaders!! I’m a priestess of the temples of Syrinx, and I’ve have assumed control!”
“Pinkie Pie!”
Pinkie laughed while goofing with one of the cameras.

Geddy and Alex came on stage.
“How’s everything going girls?”
“Great.” said Rainbow Dash. “We’re almost ready.”
“Looks fantastic.”
“What kind of stuff have we got for the show?” Alex asked.
“Everything!” said Pinkie. “Lots of Lights,” 
She pressed her hooves playfully on a large control board triggering every light on stage.
“Lasers,”
Lasers shot across the stage.
“And even flame throwers!”
She hit a button triggering a huge plume of flames to shoot out from the stage, right in front of Applebloom.
“Everything you need to rock and roll!”
Applebloom’s ear twitched.
“Amazing!” said Geddy. “How did you all do it?”
“Pinkie Pie did most of it.” Applejack added. “She got all the equipment, stage stuff, and lighting set up.”
“Pinkie Pie, How did you do all this in such little time?”
“Gary Lee Weinrib, when the fate of all ponykind rests on putting on the most awesome rock concert anypony has ever seen…” 

She stretched her neck up to Geddy’s eye level. 

“You…make…the…Time!!!”

“How big is this stadium exactly?” Alex asked
“It’s for polo and hoof ball games,” Rainbow answered. “it can hold 500,000 ponies.”
“500,000!!” Geddy gasped. “This’ll be the largest show of our whole career.”
“The princesses are coming too.”
“Princesses?”
“Celestia and Luna.” Twilight answered. “The rulers’ of Equestria. They’ll be sitting in that box up there.
“Woah,” Alex sweated a bit. “This’ll be our first time playing for royalty too. I hope we practiced enough.”

“Geddy, Alex, this is my brother, Shining Armor. He came to help us set-up.”
“Pleasure to meet you.”
Shining extended a hoof.
“I beg your pardons, but I’ve never shaken a…”
Twilight whispered in his ear.
“…hand before.”

Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike were setting up Neil’s drums, tightening the toms and cymbals, and rubbing down the finish until it shined. Rarity breathed onto a cymbal and polished it with a cloth until she could see her reflection.
“Aha! Perfect!”
Neil came up onto the stage.
“Hello ponies.”
“Neil!” said Applejack. “Where’ve ya’ll been?”
“I was rehearsing, and having a great chat with Big Macintosh.” 

~Neil did rolls and fills on his practice set with Big Mac sitting across from him.
“So from what your saying, the universe is just a field of apple baskets, and our course in life depends on which basket we get bucked into?
“Eeyup.”
“Wow, that’s an amazing perspective.”
“Eeyup.” ~

“Really?” said Rainbow surprised. “He hardly says anything.”
“Oh, if I know Big Mac,” Applejack replied. “and I’ve known him all my life, wind ‘im up and he’s a real chatterbox.”    
“Your drum set is all set darling.” Rarity. “We polished everything with my exquisite secret recipe polish. I use it to shine brass on my creations. Do you like it?”
Neil saw his reflection.
“I certainly do.” Neil grinned. “A drum set is ready when you see a good lookin guy in the cymbals.”
Spike jammed away at the drums pretending to play Tom Sawyer.
“We got a new drummer by the way.” Alex joked. “The dragon.”
“After all I’ve done for you the last four decades?” Neil pretended to tear up. “For shame.”    

“What kind of songs are you going to play?” Rainbow inquired.
“Way too many.” Geddy laughed tuning his bass up. “We’re doing an extra special set of many favorites.”
“The whole second set is ones haven’t played in a while.” Neil added.
“And were going to finish it off with a big epic of four songs that define our musical friendship the best.” Said Alex excitedly. “It’s sure to give that change-ma-thing something she won’t forget.”
“This is gonna be So Awesome!!!” Rainbow squeed. “Are you gonna do that airfield song you played before?”
“You bet!” Said Geddy.
“Well we’re very fortunate we found the three of you.” Said Rarity. “You should have seen some of the other bands we found. There was this one band, Kiss. They looked hideous.”
“Oh we know Kiss,” Alex responded. “We used to open for them. They were awesome.”
“You did?”
“Sure did. Back when we all had hair like Fluttershy.”
“But you’re such a nice bunch of boys, why would you open for a band like them?”
“Simple. We were young, green, and none too bright.”

“Okay boys,” said Twilight. “Time for a sound check.”
“Sound Check!!” screeched Pinkie. “What sound are you checking for? A tiny pin dropping?! Or the crash of a cymbal?!”

She then darted to the opposite end of the arena.

“OR THE SOUND OF AN ECHOooooooooooooo!!!!!!”
“No Pinkie,” said Twilight. “A sound check is where they play a song to set the amps, monitors, and microphones so they sound good for the show.”
“Oooohhhh.”

Twilight levitated the guys’ three pairs of ear pieces.
“Here, use these ear microphones to talk to us backstage, that way we’re in constant contact throughout the show.”

She teleported down to the soundboard out in the seats, and placed a headphone to her ear.

“Geddy, give me some bass.”
Geddy played some notes on the bass.
“And the synths.”
He played a few synth notes and chords.
“Alex, some guitar.”
Alex played a few chords and runs on his guitar.
“And some drums.”
Neil played a few fills on the drums.
“Alright Rush, give me a tune.”

The band played a long medley of songs including Limelight, New World Man, Scars, Stick It Out, and Digital Man. Twilight set the faders and knobs to their proper places.

“Excellent!”

She teleported back to the stage.

“Well, the levels are set, the stage is ready, I’d say were set to fly. We’ve got a couple hours before the show.”
“Great, more time to rehearse.” Said Neil. “I want to make sure I play my absolute best for the princesses.”
“Hey Neil! How about a drum off.” Pinkie slyly challenged.
“You think you can out drum me Pinkie Pie?”

Pinkie squinted her eyes, bending the aspect ratio.

“Oh I bet I could, I’m perfectly capable of doing many impossible things all at the same time.”
“You’re on my little pony.”

“Hey Geddy,” said Rainbow. “Tell us about the game.”
“Game? What game?”
“That game you’ve got so much stuff about. In that room in your house.”
“Oh, baseball. Sure, what do you want to know?”
“Absolutely everything.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later, Alex and Geddy were in the main dressing room. Alex practiced on his acoustic guitar, while Geddy explained baseball to Rainbow and Applejack.
“And so, if a player slides into base, he can shave seconds off his time, and that can make all the difference between safe and out.”
“Awesome!” Rainbow squeed.
“Sounds like an amazing game.” Applejack added.
“It is amazing.”
“We saw all the teams that play it on your wall.”
“There are so many, and there were also many great players. I’ve got balls signed by many of them. One of the best was Babe Ruth, often regarded as the greatest baseball player who ever lived.”
“Oh, once we get rid of that cloud, I’m gonna start a team for Ponyville! The Ponyville Rainbooms!”
“Rainbooms?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.
“Can’t you let a girl dream?”

Neil came in twirling his drumsticks.
“How’d the drum off go?” Applejack asked.    
“Great! I won, but Pinkie Pie was great too.”
Pinkie came in out of breath.    
“I don’t know how Neil does it.”
“Are the bolts and hinges loose enough?” Geddy joked to Neil.
“Oh yeah,” Neil rubbed his elbows. “Extra oiled to for royalty.”
“Just don’t forget your head again.” Said Alex. “What’s a professor without his head?”
“Not a very bright one.” Neil laughed.

“Hey Neil,” said Twilight. “Rarity told me about all your books. Thought I’d bring you some of my favorite titles.”
Twilight levitated a large stack of books.
“This one’s an all time fave!”
“Life and Times of Marori the Maneless?”
“Feel bad for the guy.” Alex commented. “Spending all your life with no hair.”
“I've have you know gentlemen," Twilight rebutted, "though he had no mane, Marori was a great philosopher of magic, even inspring my personal hero, Star Swirl the Bearded.”
“Imagine the songs that come out of that stack.” said Geddy.
"Say, Twilight." said Neil. "I was curious to know a bit more about your cutie marks."
"Oh, well there's nothing much to them. They're just symbols that represent what makes everypony unique."
"I get that part of it, and that's wonderful thing. But what I was curious about was what if a pony gets a cutie mark representing his talent, then feels like he/she might want a different purpose."
"I don't quite understand, what would that have to do with a cutie mark?"
"Well, would having a symbol on your body in anyway inhibit your course in life?"
"Come again?"
"You're destiny or freewill."
Twilight couldn't comprehend what the drummer was asking.
"Well, I don't see how that would happen as a cutie mark doesn't come until you realize your purpose, but I've never thought of it like that."

“Hey Spike, what about your joke?” said Alex.
“Yeah, let’s hear it.”
“Okay, there…”

Fluttershy and Rarity burst into the room with a cart carrying two steaming pots.

“Here’s your soup boys.” Said Rarity. “Tomato and chives, and mushroom, garlic, potato. Fresh and steaming hot!”
“Darn it!!!” Spike complained.
“Oh perfect!”
The three men all took bowls and spooned out the soup.
“I hope you like it.” Said Fluttershy meekly. “I made it myself.”
“Delicious. Thank you Fluttershy.”
The yellow pegasus blushed.
“Aren’t you all going to have any?”
“Oh I don’t think….”
“Come on girls, have soup with us.”


The ponies and band all sat around the room with bowls of soup. Alex was keeping everyone laughing with jokes.
"And so, he gets home to his wife. She asks. 'What's the extra money from?' and he answers 'That's for what he left in my pants.'
The whole group burst out laughing.
“I’ve got a mushroom caught in my teeth.” Rainbow fussed.
“Those are great to sleep on.” Geddy joked.
"So are cake beds!" said Pinkie. "I sleep on one every night."

“It’s funny.” said Applejack. “Never thought of a rock band being such a pleasant group of folks. So many even here in Equestria have problems or are into...ya know, naughty stuff.”
“Yeah,” Geddy replied. “We’ve always kind of been a band that did things differently.”
“And the lyrics to your songs.” Twilight added. “How do you write them?”
“I’m the mind behind that.” said Neil. “I’ve written all the lyrics to our songs.”
“The lyrics we heard were all about interesting stuff; stories, metaphors, and big thinking.”
Neil blushed. 
“That’s what happens when you’re a big thinker. You should have seen the first song I wrote lyrics for?”
“Beneath Between & Behind, still a mouthful to sing.” said Geddy.

“Um Neil,” said Fluttershy. “I just wanted to say...I really love the words to Limelight.”
“Thank-you Fluttershy.”
“It kind of spoke to me on a deeper level somehow.”
“How so?”
“I got thrust into a modelling career not long ago. Suddenly my face was all over Ponyville, and it was awful. Everywhere I went, ponies wanted something from me.”
Neil smiled and stroked Fluttershy’s mane.
“I know that feeling all too well Fluttershy. Total strangers who want a part of you. I’m naturally a shy person, and I have real trouble dealing with fans. Limelight was expressing that feeling to the outside world.”
“Oh, it’s so nice to know somepony, or somebody who understands that feeling.”

“So boys,” Rarity started. “Tell us about yourselves.”
“Yeah.” Pinkie added excitedly. “Tell us a soup story.”
“Okay,” Alex smiled. “There once was a bowl of hot tomato soup, that was gulped down and never seen again. The end.”
Pinkie goofily teared up.
"That poor bowl of soup."
“But really,” Twilight continued. “Tell us your story. The book we found only gave us so much. We, well especially me, want to know, how do three human beings stay together for so many years.”
“Well,” Alex started. “Geddy and I lived in the same suburb in Toronto, and we met in Junior High School…”
“What’s a suburb?” asked Applebloom.

The three guys told the mares and fillies their story of their entire career. The ponies listened, laughed, and shed a few tears.

“So that’s the story of Rush.” Said Geddy. “We’ve been through a lot, the three of us: doubts about our directions, trying many different things, even some personal tragedies, we stuck together through all of it.” 
“Amazing.” Said Rainbow.

Twilight was writing down notes in a notebook.
“Twilight, what are you doing?” Rainbow whispered.
“Taking down notes. I figured since the princess wants me to study friendship, I might as well research friendships of other-dimensional beings too.”

“So tell us about yourselves girls.” Said Alex.
“Oh,” Rarity blushed. “What would you like to know?”
“Oh you know,” Neil coyly responded. “How did all of you come to be?”
Applejack started.
“Well, uh for the longest time, we knew of each other but weren’t much in the way of friends.”
“We were all kind of doing our own thing.” Rainbow continued. “I was dreaming of being a Wonderbolt.”
“I was working the apple farm.”
“I was building my fashion career.”
“I was taking care of animals at my cottage.”
“And I plan every party that’s waiting to be planned.”
“And the three of us were searching for our cutie marks…” said Sweetie Belle.
“Separately.” Scootaloo added.
“And then one day,” Applejack continued. “Twilight and Spike came to town. She was sent here by the Princess to learn about friendship. She kind of brought us all together. And through many awkward, humorous, and sometimes hair-raising adventures, we’all discovered that we had lots in common with each other.”
“Plus the help of my sonic rainboom.” Rainbow Dash brashly grinned.
“Of course.” Said Applejack dryly. ”None of us could forget that.” 
“And we’ve been together ever since.” Said Fluttershy. “When you think back on it, it’s hard to imagine us not being together.”
“Wow, you’re an amazing group of ponies.” Said Alex.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Okay it’s 45 minutes to showtime.” said Twilight. “Everypony group up.” 
The Mane Six, Spike, the CMC, and Rush grouped up in a circle.
“This show is our only chance to destroy the Grey Crystal. So we all have to do our parts the absolute best we can. Geddy, Alex, Neil, are you guys ready to play?”
“You bet Twi.”
“Let’s go over every pony’s job. Applejack, your Geddy’s tech. You supply him with his basses.”
“Got it.”
“Rainbow Dash, you’re Alex’s tech, help him with his guitars.”
“Ahh yeah!”
“Rarity and Spike, you’re helping Neil.”
Spike’s eyes lit up.
“You mean I get to work with...Rarity?”
Rarity’s hair and coat sparkled in the breeze.
“Spike…”
Suddenly he was back into reality.
“What?”
“You know what your job is right?”
“Yeah, help Rarity help Neil with his laundry...I mean drums.”
“Pinkie and Fluttershy, you’re on lights, lasers, and stage effects.”
“Yes Maam!” Pinkie saluted.
“Got it.” said Fluttershy.
“Cutie Mark Crusaders, you’re selling merchandise, and assisting your sisters.”
The three of them clocked hooves.
“I’m going to coordinate the show.”
“Who do we have running the sound?” Geddy asked.
“The best in Equestria, Vinyl Scratch.”
“Sounds like we’re ready to roll.” said Alex.
Applejack looked out the window at the dark cloud hanging above the city.
“Yeah, that cloud’s lookin pretty menacing.”

“Oh, and boys,” Rarity jumped in as she pulled out a box. “I almost forgot, I took the liberty of putting together some things I’m sure you’ll absolutely love.”
Alex rubbed his hands excitedly.
“What could that be?”

Rarity presented three caped sequined robes.
“Costumes!!!”
The guys’ excitement quickly became dread.
“Costumes?”
“Now come on boys, you simply must try these on.”
Rarity dragged the three of them behind a dressing drape. Later, the guys faced a mirror dressed in Rarity’s sequin robes.
“Now they may be a bit snug. I had to retrofit my dress molds to work for two legged creatures like yourselves. Don’t you love it?!! You look super dashing!”
The guys cringed at the robes.
“We look super stupid.” Geddy complained.
“It’s the kimonos back from the dead.” Neil joked.
“Okay, maybe these sequin robes aren’t your style. But I’ve got lots of others.”
“Rarity hold…”

But the fashionista unicorn already had them behind the drape. She dressed the band in many different outfits: 

Lumberjacks in red flannel shirts,
“No.”
Trendy black turtlenecks,
“No way!”
Skin tight red and white spandex.
“Unh uhh”,
Sgt. Pepper uniforms,
“Definitely not!”

“Rarity,” said Geddy. “We appreciate your efforts, but seriously these costumes aren’t working for us. Do you have anything a little more plain?”
“And not quite as…showy.” Neil added in.

“Well, just for an idea I did develop these clothes.”
“Perfect!!”

The guys proudly put on the plain clothes: Geddy in a white t-shirt, jeans, and light maroon vest, Alex in a dark blue button-down with leather pants, Neil in just a black shirt and tights.

“Boys, I’m positively puzzled.” Rarity scratched her mane. “These clothes are almost no different to your regular clothes. You must have an image to present to Equestria.”
“Not us.” Said Neil. “We tried many different looks but found that we didn’t need one.”
“But surely, every band has an image, don’t they?”
“Rarity, sweetheart, trust us on this,” said Alex. “We don’t need costumes.”
Rarity reluctantly agreed.
“Well if you insist. Though, I think you’d look rather divine in the sequined robes.”