11 - Friday Morning Clash
Sunrise, an alarm clock without a snooze button.
Swift kept his tender eyes shut while he rubbed off overnight crust. Even on a Friday morning, his usual routine had him already up and about, performing his weather leader duties. Then again, nothing about last night was ordinary; falling asleep on Blossom’s porch bench was a first. At least she had the courtesy of covering him with a thin blanket.
“Blossom?” he slurred, allowing his sight to adjust for daytime. “Where did you… eh?”
He pulled off a note taped to the wooden armrest. Flowery handwriting and stationery, classic Blossom. Based on his knowledge of cursive, she went off with Spike for some errands and she would understand if he took some time off today.
A slight breeze stole the letter but rather than chase after it, he tossed aside the blanket and moved his body just enough to get the bench in motion. Time off? I can’t do that. I’m part of this festival. I have to work with Rainbow. Rainbow?
Then, he saw her face materialize. He reached out for it, making it vanish with a poof but not before uttering one word.
Mistake. It cut into him deeper than the sharpest knife.
Shoot! How can I let this happen to me? He banged the back of head against the painted wood. I thought I was better than this! Why is Rainbow different?
Eyelids back down, he pondered over the many memories of the cyan mare. Some brought back the struggles they faced together but most worked on flipping his frown in the opposite direction. However, they all led back to the same point in time, the back of the caboose where one train horn derailed a moment that could’ve been but never was.
We were going to… did I really want to?
One exhale later, he saw Rainbow once more inches from his nose. Delirium, he thought, although he had to give credit to his imagination for conjuring her scintillating citrus scent. It was perfect, too perfect. One sniff later, he realized why.
“H–hey,” she spoke.
“Rainbow!” Swift scooted backwards to one corner of the bench and clutched his chest. “I… wha… you snuck up on me! What are you doing here?”
Hearing that was an opening to gloat but she lacked the urge. Whether that was due to the swirling emotions within or sleep deprivation, she couldn’t tell. “Rarity woke me up early. Said something about a surprise for both of us but it wouldn’t be ready for another hour or so. She insisted I go out and tell you myself but on my way to your place, I saw you out here.”
“Oh, that.” His pupils drifted right, “Um, I, Blossom and I, we talked about, stuff. B–boring stuff. Festival stuff. Must have, fallen asleep?”
“Are you okay?” She moved her head to within his sights. “You don’t sound so good.”
“No worries,” he answered, shifting his view to the patio floor. “I might’ve—” He faked a cough “—caught something sleeping out in the open. I’m sure it’ll pass.”
She didn’t buy it for a second. Her mastery of pretend sickness to get out of school is one of her lesser-known tricks in her arsenal. If she did question him, though, she feared having the tables turned by somehow exposing her own fib. Rarity did knock on her door early but she had been up half an hour prior. Crushes don’t last, she only had to wait. Those thoughts made it easy to fall asleep last night but the awareness that she still had to work with Swift for a few more days made for a rude awakening. Somehow, she had to survive these moments without any awkwardness.
“Anyways,” Swift added, “I should probably do my early weather rounds. Cya.”
Before she knew it, he had taken off and wandered toward the shoreline.
“Wait!” Rainbow gunned the throttle and quickly closed the gap. When he continued without acknowledgement, she clasped his foreleg and held it tight. Soon enough, they hovered a few feet above the waves, their focus squarely on each other.
“Sorry,” she finally exclaimed, clasping her hooves behind her back. “I just, um, I, let me help you.”
Four seconds afterwards, “Eh?”
Rainbow drifted around him, one eye toward the skies, “The weather. You got a feel for handling Ponyville weather. I’m here so, yeah. I’d like to see what you do. Always good to pick up stuff from other weather ponies, you know. Is that okay?”
Behind Rainbow, the sun crested over the distant Stallihorn Mountains and turned her into a shining goddess with long flowing hair. “Help me with–?” The longer he stared, the deeper the stabs in the chest. “I, um, gotcha. We can do that.”
She soon flew further away from the land, chasing after a pony that was physically there but otherwise in another world. Concern had her approach him but cowardice pulled her back in line behind him. Then, the ever-persistent question resurfaced and had her swallowing a hard lump.
C’mon! It’s just a silly crush! I just have to work through it, that’s all.
“Perfect! They’re here!”
At exactly eight o’clock, Twilight craned her neck beyond the train station platform and observed an approaching train announcing its arrival. She took a few steps back and waited patiently alongside other would-be passengers and greeters as the eight-passenger car train squealed to a stop. Doors flung open and ponies filed out onto the platform, many of them with attire that screamed summer tourists. Twilight, however, trotted straight to an assemblage of those dressed in sharp black vests, white jackets and ties of muted shades. Besides them were lumpy zipped up bags large enough that most used them to lay out their outerwear and give themselves a small reprieve from the humidity.
A gray mare with a purple tie emerged from the group and greeted Twilight with a cordial hug.
“Punctual as always, Octavia,” Twilight chirped.
“A pleasure to be here,” she answered with a small bow. “Our conductor is quite gracious that you’ve given us this opportunity. This summer has been particularly slow for us and she was concerned whether we could even stay together through the fall.”
Twilight glanced at the gathered orchestra, “I’m happy to be of service. Your group was fantastic when I attended your last performance in Canterlot. So, where is your conductor?”
“Hay fever, I’m afraid,” she replied, patting her forehead with a handkerchief embroidered with her cutie mark. “She entrusted me to manage the orchestra but I must admit I’m rather apprehensive. I have started training to be a backup in case of emergency but this was such short notice. I don’t even have a basic program put together.”
“In that case, if there’s anything you need, just ask me. C’mon. I’ll lead you guys around town.”
Within the City Hall auditorium, Spike sat on one of the rear benches along with a few random observers. At the front stage to the side, Blitz and Applejack had their treats on a cart ready for sampling. Behind a wide desk, a five-pony committee would decide their fate and with Blossom among the group, this should’ve been an easy sell.
Then the competition arrived, one by one, bringing with them up to the front enough culinary cuisine to feed the entire Royal Guard. It was bad enough Applejack and Blitz had to go last but they also had to witness the members ravenously eat up the various presentations and the associated food. A pony such as Misty Honeydew had no chance swaying this group with a simple impassioned speech and one tray of honeydew-related treats compared to an entire fountain made of mango fruit and flowing with mango juice.
Once it was Applejack and Blitz’s turn, Spike stood on the bench and yelled words of encouragement. He caught a glimpse of Blossom’s faint smile before she rubbed the side of her head. It may have been just him but the redhead didn’t appear to hold high hopes. He did by crossing his fingers.
It didn’t work.
What should’ve been a combined effort came off as each one trying to market their own fruits. In less than two minutes, they began taking pot shots at each other. Their competitors howled their laughter and even Blossom’s steely glare did nothing to stop the hecklers or her friends from further embarrassing themselves.
“Enough! That’s enough,” said a red stallion seated in the middle chair, banging his gavel repeatedly. “I’ve heard all I needed to hear. You can get off the stage.”
“Hold on a minute, Ember Blaze,” Applejack pleaded, releasing the neck hold she had on Blitz. “You haven’t even—”
Again, another deafening strike to the sounding block echoed throughout the auditorium. “I don’t believe that will be necessary. If you two are this unprepared, I doubt the food would be any good anyways.”
Blossom rose from her seat, only to have a gavel pointed straight at her.
“Now before you throw a hissy fit, Miss Blossom, may I remind you that just because you’re the head of this festival doesn’t mean you have sole authority.”
“And you don’t have sole authority, either,” Blossom quipped. “Everypony else got a chance to present their food!”
“I actually agree with Ember,” the mare in between Blossom and Ember spoke as she snatched the mallet. “Besides, any more food and I’ll regret it tomorrow.”
A large orange stallion seated at the far end of the table burped. “I wouldn’t, Squeezy Syrup. I’d love another bite. Heck, let’s have another round!” He bellowed a deep laugh, earning him a harrumph from the blue hair mare seated next to him.
“Must you be such a pig, Mighty Mallet! We are supposed to be reputable ambassadors to our fair town, you know!”
“Geez! Do you have to be so uptight, Building Blocks?” He leaned backwards in his chair, “You too, Ember. Let these two finish up.”
“You see? Mallet agrees with me,” Blossom added.
“He always agrees with you,” Ember retorted.
“And what is that supposed to mean, Ember?”
Syrup facehoofed and shook her head as the other four quarreled with one another. To the two farm ponies, the five-pony committee morphed into a mirror image of themselves, minus a tall cowpony hat.
“Consarn it! We can’t keep doing this, especially if we look like that,” said Applejack, giving the squabbling committee a headshake. “If we want to win, we’ll have to somehow put our differences aside and… what in tarnation are you doing, Blitz?”
“What,” Blitz asked, holding up a slice of steaming hot pie. “I haven’t had breakfast yet and I’m desperate enough to eat something with apples in it!”
“Why you yellow belly! You talk like that about apples again, you’ll be—”
“Oh, sweet Celestia!” He licked off leftover crumbs off his lips. “Totally gnarly grub!”
Applejack grabbed her own piece, keeping a suspicious eye over him. “If you’re lying to me—”
She took a bite, then two more. Finally, she swallowed it all and licked every drop of whipped cream from her lips. “Mmmmm! Boy howdy! I can’t believe I’m saying this but that was hoof-licking good! Even the pineapple!” Then she heard somepony gulping down juice. “Now what are you doing?”
“Ahhhhh!” Blitz put down an empty cup. “Oh, yeah! That drink is sweeeeeeeet! I want some more!”
“Stop,” Spike bellowed as he hustled down the aisle. He stopped in front of them and gasped for air. “Whew! I’m glad you’re enjoying the food but–” He inhaled deep—“save some for the committee! Something tells me they’re going to love it!”
“What makes you say that,” Applejack asked before sampling some of the juice. “Ooooh. That’s hits the spot.”
“You two certainly love it and believe me, that’s saying a lot. I mean, two bitter rivals enjoying something that has both fruits as main ingredients? C’mon!”
Applejack chuckled. “Huh. Well, what do you know? You may have a point there, Spike. If you don’t mind, Blitz, I want to give this another go. That is, if we can just get these ponies to stop arguing for a second.”
“Time for some of that Blitz charm! Leave it to me,” Blitz said, flashing a grin. “Follow my lead, AJ.”
He then waltzed to the conference table and leaned against it, drawing the committee’s attention with a clap. “Yo! What’s with all this fighting? Ah, don’t answer that! I bet you thought we were ripping each other just now but I’m gonna let you in this super big secret. You see, that was just part of the show. Let me give you the four-one-one.”
Blitz motioned Applejack to distribute plates to all their guests.
“There was a time when AJ and I were, like, totally not connecting. Why would we? Two different families, two different fruits. Tell me if any of these ponies can get along together,” he remarked, signaling to their scowling competitors. “Noooooo way! We were like them once. I’m telling you, AJ at one point was calling me a, um, pork belly!”
Applejack juggled a plate. “Y–yellow belly. Heh heh. It was yellow belly.”
“Well, that all changed when we said, ‘Hey, why fight about which fruit’s the best and instead go for a super combo?’ That’s why we got together and worked mad in the kitchen, yo!”
Spike crossed his arms. I did most of the work, you know.
“Sure, you can have just one vendor at the entrance but here, you can have a two-for-one deal!” He put on red-tinted sunglasses. “Twice the fruit, twice the gnarly! The best from Juicy Fruit Fields and—”
She acknowledged his nod. “Sweet Apple Acres! Yep! Just take one bite of our grub and—” AJ flinched as Blitz placed his muscular hoof around her “—you’ll see why this is your winning combination. Let’s show Brayside Beach cooperation, not competition. Two families, one booth. Delicious treats to—”
Satisfied moaning halted the cowpony’s speech. The slices of pies were now just crumbs on the plate, the pitcher of juice had only fruit pulp left at the bottom and none of the provided toothpicks remained unused.
Ember Quench grabbed the mallet and after glancing at the others around him, delivered a striking verdict. “I have to admit you had all of us fooled for a minute there, you two. The prime spot is yours. Everypony else, we’ll determine stall positions after we walk off all this food.”
The committee members began filing out of the auditorium. As Blossom walked by the winning pair, her lips moved but had no accompanying sound.
“Congrats,” Spike shouted, having said what the redhead couldn’t out in the open. “Wow! That was one nifty selling job!”
“Woo wee,” Applejack uttered as she fanned herself. “That shipment of apples I’ve got coming from Ponyville’s not going to waste after all.”
Blitz hoof pumped right at the miffed ponies sitting behind him. “Blitz yeah! Back on top!”
“You’re not a bad salespony, Blitz. Maybe there’s something good in you after all,” Applejack complimented with a small smile. “Can I ask just one small favor, though?”
“Anything from the Blitzmeister!”
“Take your hoof off me right now or I’ll take it off for ya!”
Just a peek at those beady eyes and he already imagined what he would look like wearing a peg leg. “Yo! Okay! Okay! I’m off ya! Can’t blame a pony for trying.”
Then, they all heard another congratulatory remark but from one of their competitors, the mare that couldn’t make do with honeydews but found a reason to smile anyways. “My goodness! I thought you looked familiar the first time I saw you. Applejack, correct? You may not remember me but we met at the Equestria Rodeo Competition.”
Applejack smacked her forehead as punishment for poor memory. This same mare struggled finding any buyers for her melon slices but Applejack not only bought a bag but also struck up a pleasant conversation. Alas, she ran out of time to take even one bite before she returned to competition. “Well, I’ll be! My deepest apologies! I guess this summer heat’s gone to both our heads. A pleasure to see you again!”
“Same. I’ll have to admit that was quite a presentation. Very effective.”
“Aw, shucks. I can’t exactly take all the credit.”
Blitz saw this as his opening to execute his charm offensive toward Misty. She would have to pay attention to him now.
Instead, a blaring alarm beat him to the punch. Lights around the auditorium flashed followed by Ember Quench coming back inside with a megaphone.
“Fire drill! Use the designated emergency exit routes!”
Good old-fashioned cloud busting, the perfect distraction for pegasi with befuddling thoughts in their heads.
Brayside clouds were a different beast than the Ponyville equivalent and despite Rainbow’s trademark pending ten-second guarantee, she needed forty minutes and a few of Swift’s teammates to clobber an incoming storm front into oblivion. Another one was further out but that’s where being the friend of the weather leader became a benefit.
Swift ordered his team to finish the job while he returned toward the center of town along with Rainbow. Flying side by side. With nothing but ocean beneath them. Just the two of them.
More work sounded like a better proposition.
“Yesterday was great, wasn’t it?” Rainbow stuttered as the Trotwalk came into view.
His flight path bobbled. “Eh? Yeah. Yeah, it was.”
She hoped he had more to say. The sound of rushing wind was unkind to her ears. “I don’t say this enough but you’re, um, an awesome—” She dragged the word out of her mouth “—friend.”
High praise never tasted so bitter and yet, he had to put on the face that said it was sweet chocolate. “Thanks. Y–you too.”
The exchange loosened her tongue enough to start blabbing about, something. Within Swift’s head, her words washed away in a violent sea of contradictory emotions where he, as the overmatched captain, fought to keep his boat afloat. So much was he fighting the waters that Rainbow’s eventual poke on him didn’t register for three seconds.
“Eh?”
There was Rainbow standing by a door leading into a small warehouse at a dock. How he managed to land here without realizing it eluded him. “You don’t look so good, Swift.” She pressed on his forehead, “Maybe you should see a doc about this.”
He was running warm but not because of illness. “Um, I’m, there’s nothing, I’m good.”
Rainbow wanted to say ‘okay’ but it came out in a low hush. What am I doing? Don’t touch him! Off! Off! Darnit!
“Well, there you are,” Rarity chirped, sticking her head through the now-open door. “What a wonderful surprise. You’re actually just in time.”
Rarity led them into a large room where a few ponies worked their sewing machines while others gathered rolls of fabric for cutting on tables. Small windows close to the high ceiling provided the light while overhead fans kept the temperature a notch above comfortable. Racks of finished clothes covered the back end of the room.
“I couldn’t help myself. I found some old designs lying around here and I just had to work on a few on the aside,” Rarity explained as they walked through the rows of wardrobe. She briefly levitated a two-tone garb, “Nothing too complicated for the festival workers, really. I’m sure Blossom will love the simple flower pattern and how breathable this shirt is, perfect for this balmy weather. I even have a dress somewhere for the mares if they want something more, flowy. I’ll have separate attire for the band and I’ll be taking care of that this afternoon once I get all the measurements I need and figure out a general direction.”
“Was this supposed to the surprise,” Rainbow grumbled. “Because it’s a pretty lame one if it is.”
Rarity had a haughty laugh as she put back the clothes and reached for a nearby door handle. “Of course not, dearie. This is regarding your suits. I just finished them.”
Past the doorway was a much smaller room albeit with one large window that allowed sunlight to brighten the drawn designs on the wall. The wastebasket overflowed with rejects while Fluttershy cleaned up all the paper scraps and glitter from the office desk turned into a makeshift design table.
“I’m almost afraid to look under here,” Rainbow noted, poking a piece of cloth draped over two mannequins. “You do realize we’ll be doing a lot of moves in the air. The last thing we need is a wardrobe malfunction in front of a big audience. You know how embarrassing that would be?”
“Well, yes, of course. That would reflect poorly on me,” Rarity said as she shoved a few more concept drawings into the trash. “I will admit I didn’t quite take freedom of motion under consideration on the first few attempts but I made up for it. Behold my latest pieced designed exclusively for only the best pegasi in Equestria!”
Rainbow gulped, picturing a frilly pink outfit with bows and ribbons. Instead, it was exactly what a Wonderbolt might wear if they had an alternate uniform: a white spandex suit with large blue thunderbolts on both sides. When the light hit the perfect amount of glitter scattered across the uniform, she pranced in place and squealed.
“I’ll take it that you like it, Rainbow?”
She glomped Rarity and jumped, “Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
Before Swift could get in a word, Rainbow had him in a tight squeeze.
“Can you believe this, Swift? It’ll almost be like we’re Wonderbolts! No. Better than Wonderbolts! I’m so pumped up for this! Aren’t you?”
He could’ve done with something less flashy but that opinion fell by the wayside. The way she lit up right in front of him, he was helpless in stopping the painful pitter-patter coming from his chest. “Y–yeah.”
Oh, no. This is bad! This is really bad!
Spike arrived at the festival site and watched the orchestra file onto the front stage to begin fine-tuning their instruments. Already, the ponies working in the immediate area gave them curious glances. Any minute now, Blossom would arrive with her assembled rock band along with Applejack and Blitz.
Any minute now, the fuse will be lit.
He ran over to Twilight, who was going over some sheet music.
“Well, there you are, Spike!” Twilight patted him on the head. “I presume everything went well at the meeting?”
“Oh, yeah. That’s fine.” He glanced at the orchestra. “That’s another story!”
Twilight rubbed her temple, “Everything will work out, Spike. How many times do I have to say that?”
“But what’s Blossom going to say when she gets here?”
“Not a thing,” she reassured him. “We’ll beat her to the punch with some music, something that will knock her socks off! Well, if she did wear socks. Octavia?” She waved one sheet in the air, “Do you think you can start with this one for practice?”
Octavia went over with a sprightly step. “Yes. I believe I should be able to–” Her smile inverted. “T–this one? Oh, dear. I’m certain we haven’t practiced this one yet. It’s rather difficult but we’ll try to do our best.”
Twilight raised her head, “I’m sure you will. Oh, I can’t wait! Just one minute of listening to a full-fledged orchestra and Blossom will certainly say—”
“What in Equestria is going on here?” Blossom stormed up the stairs leading to the stage, shaking like a volcano ready to erupt. Those that had followed her stopped after the last step, cautious to stay outside the potential blast zone. “Did you do what I think you’ve done, Twilight?” she snarled, wings in full flare.
The unicorn stood her ground, confident that she could handle a hot-tempered pony. Everfree Forest creature or Nightmare Moon, she was not. “A full-fledged orchestra,” she answered. “Just what this festival needs.”
“No! No! No!” Her hoof stomp left a crack on the wooden surface. “Look behind you! That’s what we need. Tell the orchestra they’re welcome to watch the festival from the stands.”
Twilight craned her neck around Blossom. Vinyl Scratch, Hipster Amps and a ragtag of ponies she didn’t know received a discerning headshake from the vein-popping orchestra fan. “All I see is something that won’t wow anypony. This is exactly why—”
“I honestly don’t care what your opinion is, Twilight! The committee gave me the final call on this and I’m saying that we’re having a rock band! End of discussion!”
“What?” Twilight pressed right against the redhead’s snout. “I am not just going to stand here and allow you to use poor judgment and ruin this festival! You clearly don’t have the experience to handle something as important as this!”
Blossom growled. “Whoop de doo! I helped change the season by using checklists that could’ve been together by a kindergartener! I’m so impressed!”
“Hey! Don’t you take that tone with me! Do you realize that I’m Princess Celestia’s student! I have multiple years of—”
“Well, that explains a lot! Celestia doesn’t even know what’s she’s doing half the time, just like you!”
Twilight leaned back and gasped. “Nopony and I mean absolutely nopony insults the Princess! You take that back immediately!”
“No!” Pointing outward, “Get off the stage! You’re done here!”
“I’m not going anywhere! You don’t tell me what to do!”
“I’m warning you!” She poked the unicorn, “Don’t test my patience!”
Twilight rolled her eyes, “Like you even had any to begin with!”
As the two mares continued with their shouting match, Spike prodded on Blitz’s trembling hoof.
“Oh, this is bad, isn’t it?” the dragon remarked.
“Super bad,” the stallion answered. “I’ve seen Blossom mad but this is a totally new level!”
Applejack scoffed at both of them. “C’mon, now. Just gotta let it play out. Nothing else to… whoa, nelly!”
She pushed both the stallion and the dragon away from a blast of purple magic. Another zap travelled skywards and a third struck dead center onto a swinging surfboard, leaving a slight burn mark. Twilight jumped off the stage, avoiding a downward chop before aiming her horn and firing at the descending redhead. Ponies all around hid behind what they could find and kept an eye at the fight between a powerful magic user and the best – and likely only – surfboard wielder in Equestria.
“Stop it, Twilight,” Applejack bellowed from the edge of the stage. “You’re—” She ducked another blast but a corner of her Stetson suffered burn damage. She retreated to behind a support beam. “Blitz! Spike! We gotta do something!”
“I’m ain’t going anywhere near that,” Blitz blubbered. “You know how much that surfboard hurts when it lands on your head?”
“How could it hurt? It’s just wood, isn’t it,” the cowering dragon asked.
Before the stallion could answer, Blossom chopped down on a fleeing Twilight. While the unicorn dodged the attack, the long bench the redhead hit split into two pieces. Twilight reloaded her magic and went for a steal. Instantly, the surfboard flashed a light and sent Twilight tumbling backwards through the sand. Blossom ran after her, teeth clench when the unicorn suddenly disappeared into thin air.
“Something tells me that ain’t no ordinary surfboard,” Applejack stuttered.
“Widge does something to them,” Blitz added as he noticed Twilight reappearing right behind Blossom. Before the unicorn could grab the board, the redhead swung at her position, forcing teleportation to a safer distance. “And Blossi’s a master of using it!”
“We can’t let this go on!” Applejack rushed out of her hiding spot but a few stray magic blasts forced a hasty retreat. “There’s gotta be a way to stop this!”
“I hear that, girl.” Hipster stood behind the three and adjusted her orange glasses. “Hey, Vinyl? You thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Same groove as you are,” she answered with a grin. “We totally need a battle theme for this! Something like—” Vinyl hummed a little tune that quickly drew some subtle glaring. “Kidding! Kidding! What this calls for is some sweet jams, you know, to cool the mood.”
Spike shook his head. “But that’s the whole problem! Blossom loves you two but Twilight wants the orchestra! We can’t make them both happy, can’t we?”
Octavia approached the assembled and politely coughed. “I just wanted to come over and apologize. I wasn’t aware that our mere presence would cause such a disagreement. If you wish, we can return to Canterlot and allow—”
“You ain’t going anywhere,” Vinyl chimed, wrapping a foreleg around her neck. “You see? We’re gonna need your for this, um—”
“Octavia.”
Vinyl raspberried. “Nah. You’re Tavi.”
“But that’s not my—”
“Tavi, just follow our lead.” Hipster handed over Vinyl some sheet music. “Improv what you gotta improv.”
Octavia looked between the two smiling mares, “Uh, w–what are we… we’re mixing rock and orchestra, together? Has that even been done before?”
Hipster winked, “Not in this scale, girl, but we’ll jam through it.”
“Are you sure this will work,” Spike asked the three musicians. “It’s not like we have the time to practice!”
“Give us sixty seconds. Just sit back and enjoy the show,” Vinyl answered.
The timeline sounded impossible and yet, Hipster and Vinyl finished equipment setup in less than twenty seconds. After that, it was a chaotic shuffling of ponies and back and forth instructions while off in the distance, the two fighting mares entered a small tent. A few rips in the fabric later, Blossom exited one the holes, using her surfboard as a shield against Twilight’s magical barrage.
The deadline passed and much to Spike’s panic, there was no music. Octavia stood erect over her orchestra, sweat collecting in a puddle by her hooves. With Vinyl’s urging, Octavia raised a shaky stick to her fidgeting orchestra.
“Hit it,” Hipster shouted.
What came next was sounds rarely heard playing at the same time: drums, electric guitars, cymbals, cellos, trumpets, violins and record scratching from the grooving DJ. For the first few seconds, the loudspeakers pumped out a racket drawing confusion from most ponies within earshot. Hipster had her mike on the ready but all she could do is jig on center stage to the oddball rhythm until the many notes drew closer in harmony. Soon, a nervous crowd began to assemble near the front and with some encouragement, they stomped their hooves to the improving beat.
Welcome, to the party
Invites, for everybody
Smile and move your hips to the jam
Tonight, we’re getting started
Worries, to the wayside
Raise those hooves and let it all come out
Amp it up!
The music spiked in intensity and with it, the watchers hollered their support of combining electric riffs with classical strings. By the trained ear, mistakes were aplenty but the musicians did their duty of not only entertaining their audience but also stop Blossom from yanking on Twilight’s hair. They watched dumbfounded at the collaboration on stage, giving Blitz and Applejack the opening to sneak in behind them and grab on them with the gentlest touch. After all, who knew whether a two-minute song would quell their respective tempers.
Just give in and jam!
Hipster raised her mike over her head and took in the raucous applause with a grin. “How about that, pones? You loved that beat, didn’t you? Well, that was just a sneak preview of what’s coming tomorrow night! Just need the green light from the two way way out there in the back. So, what’s the call?”
If over fifty ponies turning in Twilight and Blossom’s direction wasn’t embarrassing enough, their own friends forced them into a close face to face. After a brief silence, both spoke at the same time.
“One at a time,” Spike urged, squeezing in between the two. “Twilight. You first. What do you think?”
The unicorn twirled her hair, “I must say mixing the bands makes for a rather original and enjoyable combination.”
Spike nodded at Blossom. “About that orchestra?”
“I guess if they can excite the crowd like that,” she mused, rubbing the back of her neck.
“Is that a yes, then?
Blossom turned to the awaiting masses, a smile creeping in her face. “Play on, then.”
After the crowd applauded their decision, Twilight and Blossom once more looked at one another, this time by resigned choice. An apology seemed a natural conclusion except pride kept their mouths shut.
“Ladies, let’s just shake on it, shall we?” Spike finally spoke. “Mistakes were made on both sides and you both, um, vented your frustrations in a less than productive way. We now have a solution so there’s no need to argue anymore. Let’s just leave it at that, okay?”
The two mares started to plead their case but got a face full of dragon palm.
“Oh, no! I don’t want to hear it! Blossom? You could’ve been a little more open minded on Twilight’s ideas instead of dismissing them so quickly.”
Twilight held her nose high and harrumphed.
“Eh, eh, eh,” he retorted, wagging a finger. “You were too pushy from the moment you got here, Twilight. Helping other ponies doesn’t mean taking over.” Spike placed his hands on hips. “That being said, I think you’re both great at what you do. You both might have had a rough start but if two completely different bands can work together as one so quickly, I’m sure you can too.”
Blossom patted the dragon’s head. “Twilight? I’ll have to admit two things to you. An orchestra isn’t such a bad idea and you sure have a wonderful assistant.”
“I certainly do,” the unicorn replied. “Blossom, it was wrong of me to impose the orchestra on you like this. I hope I can still be part of this festival and if I have any big ideas again, I’ll run them past you first.”
“I can’t promise I’ll accept,” she shook Twilight’s hoof, “but I’ll keep my ears open.”
“Great! Now, about that comment about Princess Celestia—”
“Let’s just agree to disagree about that,” the redhead said in a lower tone. “I’ll give you this much, though. She must have taught you some really powerful magic.” Blossom pulled out her surfboard, its pink colors faded and the surface riddle with cracks. “After you snatched my surfboard away with your magic the last time, I decided to switch it out with my top of the line model. Didn’t hold out like I thought it would. I’ll need to ask Widget for an upgrade.”
Twilight chuckled. “Well, hopefully, you won’t need to test your surfboard out like that again.”
Applejack removed her hat and fanned herself, “I’ll say. Good gravy, you two was something else, causing a big scene like that.”
“I thought it was just a disagreement,” Blossom remarked coolly.
“Disagreement?”
“In Blossom’s book, that’s all that was,” Blitz quipped before reeling at a surfboard floating over his head.
Eventually, she delivered the lightest of taps. “All right. It was more than that but that’s all water under the Trotwalk. Let’s put it behind us and—” Her brow suddenly lowered, her ears twitching at an all familiar sound. One turn around and she had a reason to uncap her temper.
“Seagulls,” Twilight uttered with a serious expression. “Hey, Blossom? I have a suggestion. Instead of fighting each other, how about we take those birds on, together?”
Blossom flicked her hair. “I’d say you’re qualified for such a task. Considered and approved! Charge!”
Two headstrong mares galloped right at the approaching flock, a pair of wings flared and a horn teeming with magic. They had the rousing support of those around them, having been witness to their individual strengths. Maybe now, Brayside Beach could turn the table on these troubling birds.
Thirty seconds later, ponies once again fled to any shelter they could find.
Blossom’s board had snapped in two while Twilight had trouble establishing a target lock. Either these seagulls had a high magic resistance or had magic of their own, a pest enhancement ability that made Parasprites seem tame. Both mares retreated to below the stage and could only watch as the birds dropped an aerial bombardment of unmentionable filth that splattered onto hours of hard work.
Blossom slammed the sand. “Seagulls, seagulls, seagulls! If we don’t have an answer to them soon, they’ll chase everypony away!”
“I wish I had one for you,” Twilight bemoaned. “Who knows if these are just small scale attacks too?”
“I just don’t understand these critters,” Applejack said with a shaking head. “We’re not growing crops here or anything. Why fly all the way here just to annoy us?”
“Yeah!” Blitz shook a hoof at them, “It’s not like we go to their place and bug them! They wouldn’t like that, would they?”
Blossom and Twilight scooted right up to his face. “What did you say?”
The stallion swallowed his fright. With two mares of war together, he had no chance of escape with one miscue. “Did I say something wrong? Um, Blossom? No! I’m sorry! I—”
He cowered for a strike but instead, the redhead went right to his heart with a tight hug.
“Oh, you’re such a wonderful lug, Blitz! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
“What,” Twilight asked, raising a curious eyebrow. “I don’t follow.”
Blossom giggled. “I think our friend here may be onto something. Twilight? Would you mind taking the lead in our seagull troubles while I help finishing with the festival preparations here?”
Twilight took one peek at the birds. “Do go on.”
“Oh, bugger!”
Attempt number twelve to fire off the prototype cannon ended up with a small fire spreading through the inside wiring.
Pinkie squirted extinguisher into the access panel opening until she emptied the red canister. “Clear!”
“So much for that idea.” Widget pulled out charred components. “Next blueprint!” The unicorn then levitated one rolled up blue sheet out of many in a canister and placed it across a rolling white board. With a marker, she scribbled on it for a few seconds before she stopped. “How do I stop the overheating here? Hmmm.”
“Somepony is losty-wosty! Can I help?”
“Sure!” Widget tossed her the marker and watched Pinkie draw what looked like a crude cat all over the diagram.
“Oy!” She traced her lines, “I like that! You know your way around this stuff, don’t you, Pinkie?”
“You could say I taught myself, thanks to your prototype,” she said, twirling the marker. “Once I learned how that worked, I built lots of other fun stuff!”
“And they all work?”
Pinkie giggled. “They do, until they don’t. When you’re a party pony like me, you put a lot of mileage on your stuff. Your cannon’s the most reliable thing I have.”
“Now that’s a shocker. Then I must have done something right with it after all.” Widget rubbed her muzzle, “If I can just figure out how to make this work.”
“Ladies,” an arriving Twilight chirped. “Looks like you’ve working hard. How’s the schedule looking for our fireworks show?”
Widget firmed her posture. “A few small scale tests tonight and we can do the full install tomorrow. Whether we can get the Fireworks Super Cannon running by then, I’m gunning to get it done!”
“Good. There’s been a few changes to the plan. I’ve written those down for you here.”
Pinkie grabbed onto Twilight’s parchment and opened it. “Oooooh!”
Widget’s eyes sparkled with stars, “I get to build more stuff?”
“Absolutely,” Twilight answered with a nod. “And we need those items by tonight. Think you can do it?”
Widget nudged Pinkie, “With her help, we can do anything!”
“Sounds good! Just one last thing. About Blossom’s surfboard,” Twilight dropped the splintered pieces onto the floor. “She needs a replacement, Widget. However, just out of curiosity—”
“—you were trying to dissect it, trying to figure out its special properties but couldn’t come up with any answers?”
“How did you know that?” She glanced at a whistling Pinkie. “Never mind. So, what makes it so special?”
Widget grinned. “Top secret.”
On record, I had a rough draft of this chapter before the episode Slice of Life. I decided not to change anything, though.
Stats
Page generated in 0.05 seconds
Total duration
1,117 users online
1,771,046 hits today, 1,996,409 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Oh, do I love musical genre mixes And who better to prove that then Octavia and Vinyl.
6705464 I was going to reference that although it's not quite the sound I'm going for here. It's difficult to describe but try throwing in Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Apocalyptica together with a bit of upbeat pop.
On a related note, if Vinyl had her way with the fight music:
6706393 Ooooh man, that fight scene is so cheesy xD I love it.
Awesome job on this chapter also! :D hehehee, twas greatness!
6705464 Thank You So Much For This! It just made my day. In fact, I just might have to say i love you for that! lol.... too creepy?
6707389 'Little bit, yeah.
6707594 sry...
So, one by the one the storylines are wrapped up...
It's kinda' sad that we are nearly at the end of this journey. But I'm very excited about how you will finish it. Continue being awesome, Outlaw!
6709322 Definitely closer to the end than the beginning. I didn't think I'd ever make it this far!
Was I the only one who when they heard of the Orchestra and band joining thought of 2Cellos?
While both Twilight and Blossom made wrong decisions I think Blossom is a bit more at fault because she can't control her emotions and gets angry far too quickly. She really needs to work on that.