Punk Love

by MyLittleGeneration

Concert

I managed to get myself out of the bed at the crack of the morning. I roll off the bed, and made my way downstairs to the kitchen. At the door was Adagio, up and ready at 9:00 AM. "Found another job to apply for,” she said as she noticed me. If I don’t score this one, there's another one in a town nearby called Horseport." She looked at me very seriously. "And remember, NO getting out of this household. And to keep that secure..." Adagio went at the base of the stairs. "SONATA!" she yelled. And out came Sonata from her bedroom. Weird, she fell asleep on the couch. Maybe she just went back up to her room.

Sonata came rushing down the stairs, and tripped on the last step. She planted on the floor, but raised her hand in the air and gave a thumbs-up to show she was OK. "Still functional!" she said. Adagio facepalmed, but continued.

"Sonata, I need you to keep a good eye on Aria for the day, since I'll be going out to get a possible job." she ordered. "And I'm counting on you."
Sonata got off the ground, and gave her a thumbs-up with a smile.

"Got it!" she said.

Adagio nodded, and headed out the door.

That just left me and Sonata in the house with a lot of time to kill. Getting past Sonata should be easy, as long as Adagio is out of the house for as long as I hope.

We spent most of the day watching TV. Meanwhile, Sonata was keeping an eye on me, making sure I don't just vanish out of the house and go to the concert. The concert was at 6:00, and I was planning to be there at 5:30. I looked at the clock; it was 3:30. Crap.

I decided to take my first smoke of the day. Though when I pulled it out, Sonata gave me a worried look.

"Uh, Aria? Are you sure you wanna keep doing that?"

I looked at her with the cigarette in my mouth. I tried not to look like I cared, but on the inside, I did. Ever since I got addicted to these things, they scared me, and they were hard to stop. I know it scared Sonata, too. She wanted me to stop so much, but I couldn't.

"I'm fine," I said. Sonata just took it, and continued watching the television. But trust me, I knew I wasn't fine. These things gave me relief, but they harmed me. I wanted to quit, I just didn’t know WHEN I would quit.

At 4:30, I decided to have a quick dinner. Meanwhile, I heard from the traffic news on television that interstates were getting packed and were moving slow. The slowest one was the one that Adagio took to go to the second job application, and I knew she’d be going to it because if she got the first job she'd be home all happy. Thankfully, she wasn't home, and even better, she was going to be late. That meant good news for me.

I got myself a hot pocket, and got it cooking in the microwave. Meanwhile, I went to my room, and made myself a bed dummy. Yes, I had done this before one time, and it worked perfectly. After shuffling with the bed, it was perfect. Totally can’t fail.

Once I finished my hot pocket, I realized that it was 5:10. I took a quick peek into the living room, only to find Sonata asleep on the couch. She was snoring. It’s time. I bolted out the door, sure that I could get there and back before Adagio got home.

It was a long walk to the place. As I walked up to the man who takes the tickets, Anthem stepped out of the shadows.

"It's alright, she's with me," he said. The man raised his eyebrow at Flare, but shrugged and let me walk past him.

"Glad to see you're here," Anthem said with a smile.

"Thanks for the backstage pass," I said.

"Eh, no problem," he said. "Just no dilly-dallying with our instruments and you'll be fine. Gotta say though, you're here pretty early."

"Well, I had to sneak out of my house when I had a chance. My sister told me to stay in because I was out last night."

He put his hands in his hoodie pockets. "You snuck out of your house to come over here?" At first I was worried about his question, but then he laughed. "Nice. I suppose I can say you're a rebel?"

"Yeah, that's how life has to be, I guess. I mean, when it comes to my sister, hell yeah I'm a rebel.”

"Eh, I had to do that stuff back then," Anthem said once we made backstage. He sat down on a big, black box. "Sometimes you gotta go against the rules, you know what I mean?"

"What did you do?" I asked.

He sighed. "Well, my parents were Christian. VERY Christian." He cracked his neck slightly, then continued. "When I got into punk, that was the life-changer right there. Christian and punk don't mix very well. My parents started trying to 'change me into my true self', but I just went against it. They hurt me, too, but I don't really wanna talk about that."
"No," I said. "You don't have to. Must've been harsh."

"They hated me," he continued. "Just cause I got into a genre of music that is apparently 'demonic'. Please, metal is worse, but I guess they see this as a devilish display. They tried to stop me from going to parties and hanging out with friends, but I got out by using the bed dummy trick. I got out into the night, and got wild. I didn't drink, smoke, or do drugs, but I did get hyped from energy drinks and stuff. Anyways, when they found out, it just led to fights. First shouting, then hurting."

He took off his hoodie to show his black shirt, then pulled back his left sleeve to reveal a scar. It wasn't bad, but still... "

This was from the last fight with my father. He hit me, I dared to punch back, and he threw a giant plate at me, the bastard. It got me good, and that just made me hit the breaking point." He was breathing very heavily at this point, and he ran his hand through his greasy hair.

I didn't wanna keep this going because of the state he was in, but I asked, "What did you do?"

"Nothing," he said. "I just ran out of the house, got in my car, and drove off. I told my friends I lived somewhere else, and I disconnected from my family, and that's that. School ended soon after, and then we kinda did our thing with the band."

This was pretty haunting to hear. It must've been so hard to have this happen to him. "I'm so sorry to hear. Sorry to have asked."

He got up and looked at me. "Nah, it's alright. It's just, life sucked being a fan of punk in a very religious family, and it all just happened so suddenly. It still haunts me. Leaving my family was a painkiller, but also a bullet. Life with the gang is totally awesome, but it gets to me, having no family. Again, painkiller and bullet. It’s an odd feeling."

I gave him a little smile to cheer him up. "Well, I'm just glad you're alright now. Cause you are, right?"

He turned and looked at me, holding his black guitar. He cracked a smile back."Yeah, suppose,” he said. "And you know what, I'm kinda glad you're here, Aria. Kinda wanted that to get off my chest and whatever." Then, he came close to me, giving me a stare. "But hear me out: can you PLEASE not tell ANYONE else about this? I can only tell them, whenever I want. Can I trust you?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I said. "Yeah, you can trust me. You're secret's safe with me." He then stood there with his fist aiming at my arm. Why not? I gave him a fist bump, and we both laughed.

Then, the gang started coming in. "Holla!" Wolf said. He howled loudly, holding his guitar in the air. "Glad to see you're he- Agh!" He then tripped on a wire and fell, but got himself back up. He gave a small smile, then said, "Still alive!" I couldn't help but giggle.

Tres and Sid walked in the room. "Brotha!" Tres said, grabbing Anthem and giving him a noogie. "Aw, you son-of-a-gun, Flare! Ready to light it up?"

Sid held his bass high in the air. He cracked a grin. "Yeah, I'm getting a little bored, ol' chap." he said.

Anthem pushed Tres away, and dusted off his shirt. "Brothers, brothers, calm down. We'll be playing..." Anthem looked at his silver watch. "Soon. But in the meanwhile, let's make sure that we got everything under control."

Tres laughed. "You're telling me. This concert is gonna kill the crowd. Let's hope they have life insurance!"

Wolf walked over. "Yeah, brotha! As long as we don't botch it, we'll do great. But I have to say, I'm kinda scared."

Anthem put his hand on the husky man's shoulder. "Don't get all tightened up about it, Wolf." he said. "We're all pretty scared. This is our first time we're playing live together. We're all in the same position here."

As we kept talking to pass the time before the concert, I was getting a little worried about coming home and being caught by Adagio. But this was worth it. Hanging out with the newest and hottest, punk band in Canterlot--what more could a girl ask for?

You could hear the crowd going wild, just waiting for Next Generation to make their debut. Wolf took a peek through the curtains, only to see a hustling crowd that was cheering ever so loudly. He looked back at Anthem. "I think it's time." he said.

Anthem looked at his watch. He nodded. "Indeed." He then turned to me. "So, about your V.I.P. seat," he said. He grabbed a polished steel chair, cleared a spot over to the side of the stage, and set it up so I could watch. Pretty odd, but I was happy to take it. "Alrighty," he said with a smile. "I hope you enjoy the show."

"I think I will," I said.

Anthem headed back to the gang with his guitar. A minute later, they showed up on the stage. The curtains opened, Anthem held his guitar in the air, and they started to play.

The concert blared loudly. The music, the crowd, everything roared inside the building. These guys were simply amazing. I cheered along, seeing the amazing band. As security guards kept the crowd controlled, the band couldn’t help but smile and tease the crowd a bit. This was gonna be great.

Tres started being a show-off with the drumsticks. A cool show-off. He flipped his sticks while playing, juggled them when he had a break in a song, and just had fun with himself. I could tell by the joyful look on his face. Wolf howled, played the guitar behind his head, and even surfed the crowd. Sid moved all around the place, played his bass solo in 'Grudge Greg' like a legend, and even played on top of the big speaker!

And Anthem, well, he did the best job ever. He sung, he strummed, he entertained the crowd with his style. He kinda did a crazy dance, started off songs with the best phrases to kick up the crowd, and also surfed the crowd, too. Before he played their new song, he brought out a t-shirt gun, and shot out streamers and confetti. I couldn't help but giggle at how funny this was. Sorta cute.

But anyways, about their new song, 'Tomorrow Nite'. It started out with the drums, being struck hard and loudly, pumping up the crowd. Lights flashed around, but then the guitar came in. It played like in a metal-punkish fashion, and it sounded like a party was just happening. Anthem's voice rang through the building, with Sid's bass alongside. It felt so upbeat and so great to listen to this. In the middle, Anthem played a sick guitar solo while Tres struck a snare really fast. The echo of the solo rang in my ears during the end of the song, which was one of the greatest conclusions to a song I've ever heard. A neat, little guitar solo, with inclusion of Sid’s sweet bass. Meanwhile in the background, Tres lightly plays with his drums. With both Wolf and Anthem playing their guitars together, it sounded epic. Overall, 'Tomorrow Nite' was fantastic.

What wasn't fantastic, though, was that I had to leave as soon as the concert ended. Anthem told the crowd 'good night', and came backstage with the band. I was gonna go quickly, since Adagio might get back SOON, but I had to tell the guys how awesome they were.
I saw the whole gang in the back celebrating. Wolf was on Sid's back, Anthem was rubbing Tres’ little mohawk, and Tres was patting his shoulder in return.

"We did it!" Wolf said, now off of Sid's back and taking a breath. "I can't believe we actually did it!"

"Told ya, Smokey," Sid said.

Anthem turned around and noticed me. "Oh, hey, Aria! What did you think of the concert?"

"Awesome! I just wanted to tell you how amazing you guys did!"

They chuckled. "Well, glad you enjoyed it," Anthem said. "Knew you were gonna like it."

I looked at the clock on the wall.

"Well, thanks for getting me into this concert, guys," I said. "Seriously, I appreciate it. I gotta go now, but where are you guys gonna play next?"

Anthem answered, "Well, here's the news: we're not moving an inch!" I raised my eyebrow at what he was saying. "The owner came up to us right after the show and gave us like seven days to play at this joint. It might just be me, but that is awesome! We don't have to go hunting for joints, and the crowd here is simply amazing!”

"That's awesome!" I told him. "Well, I guess you'll be here in Canterlot for a while longer, then. Maybe I can catch ya tomorrow?"

"Probably," he said. He waved at me, and I waved back as I made my way out.

As I got out of the building, I ran. Ran straight to the place where Adagio could be if I was too slow. Home.

Time flew by as I ran, but soon, there it was. Adagio's car wasn't there, so she wasn't home yet. Hopefully.

My room was on the second floor, and I could sneak in through the window if I climbed the tree right next to it. Once I got to the top, I put my foot on the ledge, carefully shuffled my way to the window, opened it, and slid into my room.

Good news: I made it home. Bad news: Someone was waiting.

"Aria," Sonata said. I slowly turned to face her as I closed my window. How I didn't notice her on my bed, I have no idea. "Sis, you can't just break the rules. Adagio told me to make sure you didn’t leave, and I said that she could trust me. But here, right now, you just came through the window!" She raised her eyebrow, and rested her head on her hand. "You've been at the concert, I suppose?"

I nodded in defeat. I sat in the chair that was against the wall. "Yes," I admitted. "I snuck out while you were sleeping. I suppose my bed dummy didn't work?"
Sonata pointed at all the junk thrown on the floor in front of the bed.

"Well, surprised on that one," I said.

"Listen, I hate to break it to you, sis," Sonata said. "I'm afraid I have to tell Adagi-"

I jumped over and put my hand on her mouth. "Wait," I said. "Y-you don't have to. We can keep it a secret. I'll be in my bed, you'll be downstairs, and when Adagio makes it home, she'll ask if I followed orders. You just simply say the word, 'yes.' We can do that, right?"

I took my hand off her mouth, and she sighed. "I dunno, Aria. As much as I love ya like a sister, I'm afraid of Adagio. Like, what if she notices that I lied to her? It won't be you getting the slap in the face. She's mean, and I don't wanna take a risk here."

I took her hand, held it, and looked into her eyes. "Please, Sonata? For me?"

Sonata looked down, but then looked back at me. She nodded. "Alright, Aria," she said. “I’ll keep it between us.” With that, she got up and went downstairs. I tucked myself in my bed, and slept a while.

I woke up when Adagio came in the house, slamming the door. Adagio told Sonata that she didn't get either job, and that she was really upset. But what I listened for was this following question.

"So, Sonata," said Adagio. "Did Aria stay in the house the whole day today?"

It only took a second until Sonata said, "Yep."

I sighed with relief.

But Adagio didn't end there. "You sure?" she asked, just to make sure Sonata wasn't lying. Come on, sis...

"Yep. Kept a good eagle eye on her," Sonata answered. "She seems bummed out, though."

Adagio chuckled. "Good. I'm glad." I felt anger boiling in me when I heard that. But from there, it was just lights out. Everyone went to bed, and it was a mission success. I’d put a lot on the line, but I’d made it home and through another night.

Author's Note:

Hope you enjoyed!

Comments

[Sapphire the Gem]

Way to go Aria! I can't believe she got away with it.

[MyLittleGeneration]

6126110 I honestly liked writing this chapter!

[Deathclaw2014]

Greasy black hair? I thought he was a gender swap.

[MyLittleGeneration]

6126668 SHOOT! My bad... I got Billie Joe in my head a little too much...

[Awesomo3000]

Yeah, Adagio's DEFINITELY gonna find out sooner or later.

[r63lover]

I liked this chapter but don't offence Christianity as a religion that makes you sit home and pray all day long Christianity made a lot of people free so..

[Pegasisters]

>>MyLittleGeneration: I love all your stories. They are totally awesome. Just tell me, are you gonna continue with Double Rainbow? Cause that ones my favorite.

[MyLittleGeneration]

6137118 Yeah, totally!

[MyLittleGeneration]

6136256 Sorry if I possibly offended people like that, but I know many Christians are free and stuff. It's just that, Tenacious D got in my mind, and I kinda took the beginning in here, like cause Jack's parents were very religious and whatever.

[Pegasisters]

6137614 Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!!! You replied to me. It's just that I'm new, I just signed up yesterday actually. I'm making a story on Rainbow Dash and her sad past. Hopefully you'll be interested in reading it. But anyway I'm a huge fan. I hope you are successful in all your stories. I will be posting comments on all your stories from now on. After months of not being able to. Anyway, great job and I hope you continue.

[Pegasisters]

6137619 Oh and thanks for liking my story and following me. Seriously, I strongly appreciate it.