The Ballad of Flash Sentry

by Z-blade Gracin

Chapter 2: Deep Drive

Solstice woke up with a mild migraine. He hadn’t slept well that night, as he kept thinking about what his father had said about him—that all he wanted was the best for him.

I’ve always wanted him to be proud of me. But how can I do what he wants me to do when I already know what he’ll say if I tell him what I want to do? I know him! He’ll never agree with my point of view—not in a million years!

He raised himself up and rubbed his eyes. He felt like a zombie-pony that had just woken up from the world of the dead. Suddenly, his eyes snapped all the way open. What time was it? He leaned towards the nightstand next to his bed and grabbed his small black alarm clock. His face instantly grew pale.

“Good Stallions!” he cried.

Every muscle in his body immediately sprang into action, causing his covers to fly in the air like a light sheet. Before they could float back down onto the bed, the yellowish-orange pony was out of bed and into the bathroom like a roadrunner.

“I’m gonna be late for my interview!”

After making himself look presentable and combing his messy blue hair, he bolted down the stairs and out the front door without even saying “good morning” to his parents who were sitting in the family room.

“I wonder where Solstice is going in such a hurry,” Golden said, returning to reading his newspaper.

Glitter looked up from her crocheting and looked towards the front door where Solstice had just left.

“He didn’t say anything to me last night. It’s strange that he would be in such a hurry on a Saturday. He usually has nothing pressing that he has to do on Saturdays. Although…”

She put a hoof to her chin in thought.

“He did mention something yesterday about a job that he had his eye on.”

Golden lowered his newspaper.

“Oh, is that so? Did he say what type of job it was, by chance?”

“He didn’t mention much about it,” she shook her head. “When I asked about it further, he just said that it had something to do with sales.”

Golden’s mouth curved into a pleased smile.

“Well, well! Looks like he has finally found a suitable job! Very good! What did we tell him—his hard work has paid off.”

He returned to his newspaper and added, “That would explain why he was in such a hurry just now. Though, I do wonder why he did not mention it during dinner last night.”

Glitter nodded, returning to her crocheting.

“I honestly wouldn’t know why, Darling.”

She looked up slightly at her husband, her expression hesitant.

“Solstice also wondered if you could allow him and Clap to go to the rock concert at the Baltimare Stadium this evening.”

The golden stallion lowered his newspaper again, this time his expression was one of surprise.

“You mean the one hosted by Deep Drive? Darling, you know my stance on this, especially when Solstice is concerned.”

“I know, but Solstice has finally been able to find a job and Clap has been doing so well in school lately. Please, Golden…reconsider?”

Golden sighed deeply, taking off his glasses and rubbing the top of his muzzle with his hoof. Finally, he put his glasses back on and replied with a pleasant smile, “All right, Darling. You win. They can go.”

Glitter smiled brightly and was even about to let out a cheer but immediately restrained herself.

“Thank you, Darling.”

Golden nodded.

“You are quite welcome, Dearest.”

With that, he returned to his paper and Glitter returned to her crocheting.

Every pony who knew Glitter would agree that she was exceptionally good at knitting and crocheting. She first started when she was a foal with her mother and grandmother in Cloudsdale where she grew up. She would spend many happy hours knitting quilts and sweaters as she talked with her mother and grandmother about things. Her Cutie Mark, which appeared around the time when she was knitting and crocheting with her family, was of a rainbow with its colors separated from each other and a silver needle and thread running through them. Apart from knitting and crocheting, she didn’t know what else it could have meant.

Unlike Glitter, however, Golden had no idea as to his Cutie Mark’s meaning. His Cutie Mark was of a flaming platinum crown with blue flames and what looked like a crimson cross standing erect behind it like a sentinel. He never knew what it meant and would often feel embarrassed by that. In fact, he would frequently hide it behind his long suit coat or his robe when he wasn’t in his suit. He never revealed it to anypony except Glitter, Solstice and Clap.

After several moments of silence, Glitter asked, “So, what’s in the paper today, Golden?”

Golden lowered the paper slightly as his eyes scanned it carefully.

“It appears that there is a royal wedding being held in Canterlot today.”

Glitter looked up with interest.

“Oh? Is there? I wonder whose it is.”

Golden looked closely at the column.

“It says, ‘Prince Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.’”

He turned to his wife.

“Do you know them, by chance?”

The light lavender pony thought for a moment.

“No…I can’t say I have.”

Her husband nodded and continued looking through the column.

“Oh, what do we have here!” he exclaimed, tilting his head slightly. “It seems that Princess Celestia herself will be attending the wedding today.”

Glitter smiled.

“That’s nice of her to attend gatherings like that. She does have many duties as a princess, after all.”

Golden’s smile turned sour as he let out a sarcastic chuckle.

“Funny…”

Glitter looked up, her eyebrow cocked.

“What is?”

He looked back at her, his eyes narrowed.

“…that they didn’t invite us!”

At that moment, his red irises began to glow brightly like hot, burning coals and the newspaper in front of him immediately caught fire. As his gaze narrowed further, the paper crumpled until it became a small ball of fire. Then, he whipped his head towards the left and the ball flew into the fireplace like a flaming comet, lighting the wood on top of it so that there was a warm, glowing fire in the hearth.

“The absolute nerve of those ponies to not even send us an invitation!” he spat. “They think that they are above us peasants simply because they happen to have a horn upon their foreheads!”

His nostrils flared like a bull ready to charge as his breaths became more audible and distinct. Glitter stood and walked over to him.

“Now, Darling,” she said calmly, putting a hoof on his shoulder, “there’s no need to be angry. I don’t mind.”

His breathing began to slow as his face loosened.

“You are right, My Dearest,” he sighed sadly as he hung his head. “I simply become so frustrated when those pompous ponies in Canterlot treat us as if we are below them when, in fact, we have become just as successful as they have been!”

Glitter smiled gently as she lovingly caressed his shoulder.

“I know. You want everypony to be treated fairly, especially when it comes to the social classes. I just wish that other ponies could see that.”

The golden pony sighed again as nodded.

“Yes…me too.”

After a moment’s silence, Glitter leaned closer to him.

“Don’t worry, Golden. I’m sure that Night Light and Velvet Sparkle had their reasons for not inviting us. And even if it was because we are ‘below them,’ as you said, a Canterlot wedding is not going to change the fact that we are still respectable ponies.”

Golden’s face brightened as he looked up at her.

“You know just the right words to say to make things better again,” he said as he wrapped his hoof in hers. “That is why I married you.”

He stood and tenderly kissed her on the cheek.

“I have to go to work, now. Some clients have scheduled to meet with me this morning.”

Glitter nodded and they both gave each other a “good-bye” hug.

“Good luck,” she told him.

As they parted, he smiled and replied, “With you by my side, I always have it.”

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

Solstice flew through the mansion’s outer courtyard and out the front gate in a flash. Upon reaching the outskirts of Baltimare at the bottom of the hill, he rocketed down the streets like a driver possessed with road rage. He could hear his heart pounding inside of him like a drum. Time was running out!

He hurtled down Main Street, turned a few more corners and flew down another street, barely missing the Red Lightning Records music store in his haste. Red Lightning Records was a fair-sized, red-bricked building with a large neon sign stretched across the top of the store’s entrance. The sign read in large yellow letters “Red Lightning Records” with a giant red lightning bolt placed diagonally behind them.

He quickly entered through the double glass doors and searched for Red Lightning, the owner of the store. Inside the store lay rows and rows of long shelves containing all sorts of music from classical to rock n’ roll. As he trotted towards the back of the store where the offices were located, his eyes caught sight of a familiar record album sitting on one of the shelves in the “Rock n’ Roll” section. He made a detour and looked closely at it. It was an album of his favorite rock band, Deep Drive. All of the members of the band were shown on its cover with “Deep Drive: Greatest Hits” placed across the top.

Deep Drive was one of the most famous rock bands in all of Equestria. Many of his peers listened to their songs many times over. Besides that, Solstice had a personal connection with this band—Deep Drive was the reason why he had become so fascinated with music and with the guitar in the first place. Deep Drive was also known for creating rock music appropriate for all ages.

The band itself was composited of five members: Stormcloud (the drummer), Windsurfer (the lead guitarist), Hurricane Rumble (the bass guitarist), Obsidian Rumble (the keyboardist and rhythm guitarist) and Fire Dancer (the singer and leader of the band). As far as Solstice had learned from other ponies talking about the band, Stormcloud (the buff, purple Earth pony with a jagged, yellow mane and tail) and Fire Dancer (the red unicorn with a bright orange mane that looked like fire dancing on top of his head) were both from Manehatten and were the ones who first thought about starting their own band. Afterwards, they went out and recruited the rest of the band members: Windsurfer (an aqua-colored pegasus with blue and cyan hair that was combed back like Solstice’s) from Fillydephia and the Rumble Brothers from Baltimare, Obsidian (a black Earth pony with short, spiked white hair and tail) and Hurricane (a greyish pegasus with longish black hair and a short tail). With the five of them, they performed throughout Equestria, becoming famous, especially among the younger generation.

“Well, hey there, Stallion!” a friendly voice exclaimed nearby. “Is there anythin’ I can do for ya?”

Startled, Solstice turned and saw a fire-brick red pegasus stallion with rich yellow hair that was spiked to one side as if it had been struck by lightning. He wore black shades on his eyes and had a bright, friendly grin on his face. Based on his Cutie Mark of three round black records with a small, bright-yellow lightning bolt in the center, Solstice suspected that this pegasus was Red Lightning, the boss of the music store.

“Are you Red Lightning?” he asked, nervousness beginning to tug at his throat.

“The one ‘n only!” the red stallion replied proudly with a sweeping bow of his head. “What can I do for ya today?”

Solstice swallowed and, then, cleared his throat. He straightened his posture as Clap had told him and said with as much courage and dignity as he could muster, “I’m here to apply for the job you had advertised in the paper a few days ago. I was wondering if that job position was still available.”

Afterwards, he stiffened.

Did I do that right?

There was a long pause from Red Lightning. Then, he asked, “What’s your name, Son?”

Solstice swallowed again.

“S—Solstice…Solstice Rocket, Sir.”

There was another moment’s pause. Then, the red pegasus suddenly gave Solstice a sound pound on the back that made the young stallion’s wings stand on-end and declared in a jolly, booming voice, “Well, welcome aboard, Kiddo!”

Solstice’s expression was one of pure shock. Did he just mean that he was hired—just like that?

“But—but I didn’t tell you about my job experience or—!”

Red Lightning patted the young stallion’s shoulder, cutting him short.

“I can see just by lookin’ at ya that you’ll be a fine employee for this outfit.”

He gave a shrug and added, “Okay, okay, maybe your name had somthin’ to do with it, too, but I can honestly tell that you’re a stallion of strong, moral character and a good work ethic. I like that!”

With that, he turned and started for the back of the store as he motioned for Solstice to follow him.

“Come with me, Solstice! I’ll get ya your uniform and show ya ‘round the place!”

Solstice followed Red Lightning to the manager’s office where he was given his uniform—a red shirt with Red Lightning’s Cutie Mark on the front and the words “Red Lightning’s Records” in bright yellow letters on the back, and a red baseball cap with the same letters across the front. He took them and followed the red pegasus as he showed him different sections of the store and gave him a few basic instructions about the job. Solstice was informed that he would be working as a type of custodian, as well as helping out any costumers who needed any assistance.

“Come back tomorrow morning when the store opens at eight so that you can get started on your job right away,” Red Lightning said as he shook Solstice’s hoof farewell.

Solstice nodded.

“I understand. I’ll be here on time. You can depend on me, Sir.”

Red Lightning smiled jovially.

“I knew I could count on ya, Solstice! See ya tomorrow!”

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

After secretly dropping off his uniform at the mansion (for he didn’t want any of his parents to discover anything about his new job), Solstice decided to take a little flight around Baltimare and see a few of the sights. He first flew over the Friendship Monument, a tall clock tower located in the central-western part of the city. It had six faces on each side, representing the six founders of Equestria; and whenever it chimed, it played a portion of a Hearts Warming Eve song. Next, he flew over the Baltimare Stadium, a large, rectangular stadium where many of Equestria’s famous sports events were held, including the baseball game that highlighted ‘Rapid-fire’ Easton’s career as a famous baseball player for the Baltimare Centaurs.

Solstice sighed as he beheld the stadium. It was also the place where the rock band, Deep Drive, was scheduled to perform that very evening. He had talked to his mother the day before about him and his brother going to that concert but she told him that she had to relay it to his father first before giving him permission. He highly doubted that his father would ever let them go to that concert. He knew how much his father wanted him to remain focused on his future rather than to become distracted by things that would make him lose that focus.

He next flew over the Baltimare coastline. The sea glistened like diamonds in the sunlight as boats of all kinds navigated the wide, blue waters. He could see sea-faring ponies leaning over the sides of the boats as they harvested fresh sea kelp that typically grew along the coastline. Among other things, Baltimare was famous for its sea kelp and often exported it to other Equestrian cities, including Canterlot and Manehatten.

He turned right and headed back towards the mainland. As he flew over the hills and over the southern part of Baltimare, he looked down and saw the school where his brother attended. He was surprised to see foals hurriedly trotting out of the red-bricked schoolhouse below.

Strange…school usually doesn’t get out for another two hours. I wonder what’s up.

He glided downward to where he could land in front of the school grounds. As he did so, he saw Clap trotting out the front door of the building with a wide grin on his face and carrying a piece of paper in his hoof.

“Hey, Clap!” Solstice called out as he waved to him.

Clap noticed his brother, happily waved back and galloped to him.

“What’s with this grin on your face?” Solstice asked as he smiled at his brother’s brightened face.

The orange foal proudly showed him the paper in his hand. It was Clap’s math test with a big red A on the upper-right corner.

“This is your math test!” Solstice exclaimed, his grin growing wider. “You—you passed!”

Clap beamed as he declared with pride, “Yep! And not bad, if I do say so myself!”

“But—but is that it?” Solstice asked. “I mean, was school just about this math test or something?”

Clap nodded.

“Kinda. Ms. Rosebud said some stuff about ‘multipl-whatever’ before the test. After that, she said we could go home just as soon as we finished the test. It was easier than I thought!”

Solstice smiled brightly.

“This is great! I’m proud of you, Bro!”

He was about to give him a hug when Clap immediately brushed him away.

“Yeah, thanks,” he said quickly. “So, uh, what about you? Did you get that job?”

Though he thought that Clap’s reaction was rather odd, Solstice nodded with a wink.

“Sure did! Red Lightning said I can work for him first-thing tomorrow morning!”

Clap let out a loud whoop that made all the other foals and ponies stare at them for a second.

“That’s awesome, Bro!” he exclaimed. “I knew you could do it!”

Solstice grinned.

“Yep! You sure did!”

After a moment’s pause, he added with a motion of his head, “Hey! Let’s go home and tell Mom all about it!”

Clap emphatically nodded.

“Yeah! Let’s go!”

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

Solstice and Clap burst through the family mansion’s front doors with big, bright smiles on their faces. At that moment, Glitter Rocket came in from the family room, wondering who had just walked in.

“Hi, Solstice, Clap!” their mother greeted them warmly. “My! You two look like you’ve just won the baseball championship! What happened today?”

The two ponies grinned from ear to ear.

“Solstice got the job and I got an A on my math test!” Clap announced happily.

“That’s wonderful!” Glitter exclaimed cheerfully, clapping her hooves. “Congratulations, both of you! Where’s this job at, Solstice? What’s your job going to be?”

Solstice froze. What was he going to say?

“Um…I’d rather not tell you ‘til after a few days, just to make sure that everything’s set.”

His mother had a puzzled look on her face but quickly recovered.

“Okay, well, congratulations again to both of you! This is wonderful news!”

“Thanks, Mom,” Solstice replied. “Where’s Dad?”

“Dad’s in the study right now with a client,” she explained. “He’s going to be so happy to hear the news!”

She approached them.

“And, guess what…? He also said that you both could go see that Deep Drive concert this evening! Dad already bought the tickets.”

She lifted a wing to reveal a pouch. She opened it and took two red tickets from inside it.

“Here they are!” she announced, giving them the tickets.

Solstice and Clap stood wide-eyed as they beheld the tickets.

“We can go to the concert?!” Clap exclaimed. “Ah yeah!”

Glitter put a hoof to her mouth and let out a “shh” sound.

“Not so loud, Clap!” she told him softly. “Dad’s with a client!”

Clap stopped and said softer, “Oh! Sorry!”

Then, he let out a loud, whispered “ah yeah!” His brother and mother softly laughed in response. Afterwards, Solstice went upstairs to his room to get his saddlebag. As they waited, Clap and his mother talked.

“So,” his mother said with a motherly smile, “you got an A in Math today! Was it hard?”

Clap smiled with pride.

“Nah! I was sure I would ace it!”

Glitter smiled and gave her son a big, warm hug.

“I’m so proud of you, Clap!”

Clap blushed, embarrassed.

“Ah Mom…!”

At that moment, Solstice appeared from his room and trotted quickly down the stairs with his saddlebag strapped across his back.

“All right!” he announced. “I’m ready!”

Glitter gave both of her sons a “good-bye” hug.

“Okay,” she said, “have a good time at the concert!”

With that, she let them go and they happily trotted out the front door towards the Baltimare Stadium downtown.

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

Solstice chuckled excitedly to himself. He was actually going to see a live Deep Drive rock concert! He couldn’t believe it! His father was actually letting him go see it! He never thought that it would have ever been possible.

“Hey, Bro!” a distant voice called. “Earth to Solstice! Hello?”

Solstice shook his head, forcing his mind out of his daydream.

“Wha—what?”

Clap snickered. Solstice sighed.

“I’m sorry, what was that you said again?”

Clap’s snicker turned into a laugh.

“Was Dreamland nice this time of year?”

Solstice smirked.

“Yeah, yeah, very funny,” he said sarcastically. “Well, for your information, Deep Drive just happens to be my favorite band, okay?”

Clap nodded.

“Yeah, I know! You’ve told me that…”

His facial expression turned into one of exhaustion.

“…over…and over…and over…and over…and over…!”

“Okay, fine, I get it! Sheesh!”

Clap chuckled.

“Hey, what are you laughing at?” Solstice pointed out. “I saw your reaction when Mom gave us those tickets! You were just as excited as I was!”

“Yeah, but we both know who likes Deep Drive more….”

Solstice sighed.

“Touché.”

Ever since he heard their songs as a teen-colt, he had always dreamed of going to one of their live performances. However, due to his lack of bits or his father’s lack of approval, he couldn’t go. Now, he was finally going!

After navigating through the crowded downtown area, they finally reached the Baltimare Stadium. The stadium was home to the all-famous baseball team, the Baltimare Centaurs. Clap’s dream was to be part of that baseball team someday when he was old enough. His ultimate dream was to become a famous baseball player like “Rapid-fire” Easton. From what Clap had told him, “Rapid-fire” Easton grew up in Baltimare and, like Clap, always wanted to become a famous baseball player. In the end, he joined the Centaurs and set the record of hitting five home runs in one game, making him a living legend overnight. Clap idolized him just as much as Solstice idolized the band members of Deep Drive.

Solstice and Clap stared wide-eyed at the Baltimare Stadium that loomed before them. The stadium was huge! Solstice suspected that a full-grown dragon (maybe even two) could easily fit inside there, though he had to admit that he had never seen a dragon up-close before. He could only imagine how many ponies could fit inside. The thought simply staggered him.

All around them were ponies of all kinds—some were from Baltimare while others were from the surrounding areas like Fillydelphia and Manehatten. They followed the large crowd of eager ponies to the entrance of the stadium. At the entrance were two buff security guards wearing black sunglasses standing guard on either side. Meanwhile, a third guard checked for tickets as ponies were passing through one by one. As Solstice and Clap were nearing the entrance, Clap turned to his brother.

“You’ve got the tickets, right?”

Solstice nodded and looked into his saddlebag.

“Yep! They’re right—!”

His eyes widened in terror as he fanatically looked back at Clap.

“They’re—they’re gone! I—I don’t know where they went!”

Clap’s eyes also widened in horror.

“They’re gone?! W-what do you mean they’re gone?!”

Solstice looked around frantically.

“I don’t know! They—they were right in here when we left the mansion—!”

He looked up as a thought came to him.

“Somepony must’ve stolen them!”

Clap’s eyes furrowed.

“Well, that somepony’s gonna get it!”

Solstice shook his head.

“No, Clap! There’s nothing we can do about that now.”

Suddenly, a voice interrupted him.

“Hey, you! Get going, will ya? The line’s movin’!”

It was one of the ponies behind them…and he had a big, mean scowl on his face. Solstice timidly muttered his apologies and he and Clap approached the guards at the entrance.

“What do we do now?” Clap whispered.

Solstice shrugged with uncertainty in his voice.

“Maybe, they’ll be nice and let us in just this once…?”

He sighed.

Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.

“Tickets, please,” the third guard said, his hoof stretched towards Solstice and Clap.

For a moment, Solstice only stared back at the guard.

“Um….”

“Is there a problem, stallion?” the second guard asked, his sunglass-covered eyes locked onto the orange-yellowish pegasus.

“Well…there is, actually. Um, see, we've kinda…lost our tickets.”

The other ponies behind them let out a loud groan.

“That’s not my problem, stallion,” the second guard replied, his expression as hard as a rock. “If you don’t have your tickets, we can’t let you in. It’s as simple as that.”

He waved towards them in a shooing motion and added, “Now, stand aside and let the other ponies behind you come through.”

With a sad sigh, Solstice stepped out of the line, allowing the other ponies to pass through the checkpoint. Clap followed him.

“Bro, there must be something we can do!”

Solstice shook his head.

“No, Clap. They’re right. We don’t have our tickets—we can’t get in. It’s as simple as that.”

He let out a deep sigh.

“It’s my fault, anyway. I lost them. I was such a careless mule that I didn’t even notice they were gone!”

Clap looked up at him with pleading eyes.

“Don’t say that, Bro! You’re not careless! We’ll find a way, you’ll see! Maybe, we can sneak in and—”

Solstice put a hoof on his brother’s shoulder, interrupting him.

“No, Bro. Let’s just…go. We’ll find something else fun to do.”

Clap looked back towards the stadium entrance.

“But—but the Deep Drive concert. You’ve always wanted to see them play!”

Solstice managed a smile.

“There’ll be other concerts, don’t worry.”

He put his hoof around his brother.

“Come on. Let’s go get some ice cream down the street. Whatdaya say?”

Clap’s eyes brightened.

“Really?! Sweet!”

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

They had trotted around the stadium to where the ice cream shop was located just across the street. They could hear the crowds in the stadium already cheering loudly, eagerly anticipating the moment when Deep Drive would appear onstage. Solstice tried to tune out the noise. Hearing the cheering crowds only made it worse for him, knowing that he wasn’t there cheering with them. Nevertheless, he knew that he did the right thing in convincing Clap not to sneak into the stadium. He had lost the tickets and it wasn’t right to see the concert without them. It wasn’t honest. Sure, his father had already paid for them, but he felt in his heart that Clap’s idea wasn’t the right thing to do. There would always be next time…he hoped.

When they had arrived at the street, they saw that it was lined with parked carriages with no occupants in them. No pony was in sight and all was clear to cross. The two brothers were about to cross the street when they heard voices nearby. They sounded desperate and anxious. Something was wrong.

“Clap,” he motioned with his head to where the voices were coming from, “let’s go see what’s up.”

Clap nodded and followed him back towards the stadium. As they neared the voices, they found themselves before a tall, steel fence. They followed the fence until they saw what look like the entrance. It was open. They went inside and saw several trailers parked in two orderly lines before them. On the side where the fence was connected to the stadium’s wall, there was a giant archway that led into a tunnel that led to the inside of the stadium itself.

The voices that they heard were from five stallions, each with different colored, spiky hair and wearing black vests and sunglasses. Solstice froze before the entrance of the trailer complex. He recognized those stallions immediately. They were the members of the Deep Drive rock band!

“Can ya move it a’tall, Buddy?” the red unicorn asked the aqua-blue pegasus lying on the ground and clenching his right hoof.

The injured pony looked up and winced in pain.

“I don’t think so, Fire!”

“This is really bad!” the black pony with short white hair exclaimed, shaking his head. “He needs both his hooves to play the guitar!”

The red unicorn with fiery orange hair (Fire Dancer) nodded.

“Yeah, I know, Obsidian! But we can’t just go out there without a soloist!”

He turned again to the aqua-blue pony lying on the ground.

“Are ya sure you can’t move it, Windsurfer?” he repeated.

Windsurfer shook his head rapidly.

“I’m very sure, Fire! I can’t move it an inch! I—I think it’s broken!”

At this, the buff purple stallion with yellow jagged hair let out a loud groan as he threw his hooves in the air.

“Oh, that’s just great! Just great—now, what? Without a soloist, our songs will be…! I don’t even wanna think about it!”

The other band members nodded in agreement.

“Now, now,” Fire Dancer said, “let’s not get carried away! Let’s just put our heads together and think of somethin’!”

“If only there was somepony that could fill in for me…!” Windsurfer grunted as a light gray pegasus (Hurricane Rumble) came and began wrapping his injured hoof with gauze and a splint.

“Yeah, but who?” Fire Dancer exclaimed in frustration, placing a hoof on his glistening forehead. “There’s no pony in this group besides Windsurfer that can play the guitar as good as he can!”

As the band members were talking, Solstice and Clap hid behind one of the nearby trailers and listened. As he realized what was going on, Solstice looked down sadly. He wished that he could help but what could he do? He could play the guitar but he doubted that he could play it that well.

I wish I could help. I really do! But…I’m not a famous guitarist! They probably wouldn’t listen to me, even if I offered my help. I mean, why should they? Why should they have to listen to an ordinary blank-flank like me dreaming about becoming a rock star? And what about Dad? No, it—it just won’t work! They’ll just have to figure it all out without me.

He turned to sneak out of the compound, assuming that Clap would take notice and follow him out. However, just as Fire Dancer exclaimed “there’s no pony in this group besides Windsurfer that can play the guitar as good as he can,” Clap’s voice pierced the air like a trumpet.

“My brother, Solstice, can help!”

Solstice froze mid-step as his wings puffed out and his heart felt as if it would stop at any second.

Now, why did he have to go and do that for—?!

He slowly turned and saw that Clap had jumped out from his hiding place and was waving towards the band members as if he was trying to call for a taxi. Solstice slammed his hoof onto his forehead and let out an embarrassing groan.

“Hey, yo!” Stormcloud exclaimed as he noticed the foal. “Who the hay are ya?”

“My name’s Clap Rocket,” the foal replied with confidence, “and my big brother’s the best guitarist in Baltimare, probably in all of Equestria!”

Solstice felt as if he was ready to blow like a volcano. What was Clap trying to do?

“Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa, wait!” Obsidian exclaimed as he took off his sunglasses from his widened, amber-colored eyes. “He’s that good?”

Solstice felt as if he wanted to scream. Clap knew that he wasn’t that good…did he?

Clap smiled proudly as he uttered, “Of course!”

That was it. He spread his wings and launched himself to his brother’s side. When he had reached Clap’s side, he exclaimed under his breath, “Clap…aren’t ya exaggerating just a little bit?”

Before Clap could answer, Stormcloud exclaimed, “Hey! This must be Solstice! Ooo, I like the look—yellow-orange with blue. Matches our band pretty well, don’t ya think?”

Fire Dancer adjusted his sunglasses.

“Yeah, I know he looks good but how good is he? That’s the question.”

“I tell ya, he’s that good!” Clap insisted, despite Solstice’s expressions of absolute protest.

Solstice only rolled his eyes in frustration.

“Well,” Fire said with a sigh, “since we don’t have that much time anyway, there’s only one way to find out.”

He turned towards Solstice.

“Pick a guitar and show us what you can do, Kid.”

Solstice stood in indecision. On the one hand, he had always dreamt of performing with a well-known band, especially Deep Drive. On the other hand, he didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of the stallions that he had idolized since he was a foal. And there was the issue with his father. What could he do?

“I…” he replied sadly, lowering his head. “I can’t.”

The other ponies’ stood in shock.

“But—but why?” Clap exclaimed, his eyes looking up at his brother with a shocked and confused expression.

“Because—! I don’t think I’m that good enough!”

“That’s not true, Solstice!” Clap chastised sternly. “You are that good!”

“No, Clap! I’m—!”

He sighed and regained his composure.

“Okay, let’s just suppose I’m that good…. What about Dad? We promised him that we would only watch the concert. We didn’t say one of us would actually perform in it! When he finds out, he’s gonna be so mad—!”

Clap’s eyebrow cocked.

“Who says Dad has to know?”

Solstice’s expression turned dead serious.

“Now, Clap…lying to parents isn’t the right thing to do. You know that.”

“But not helping somepony else when they need it most is not the right thing to do, either!” his brother countered with an equal amount of seriousness.

Solstice stopped. He didn’t want to admit it but Clap had a good point. Not helping Deep Drive wasn’t the right thing to do either. Before long, he found himself fighting against his own self.

“Agh, Clap! How did you get to be so smart?” he exclaimed.

Clap chuckled at that.

After a moment more, he finally sighed.

“Fine…I’ll do it. They need my help and I’m the only one that can do it, it looks like.”

Clap hopped with glee.

“Awesome!”

Fire smiled.

“Perfect! Then, let’s see what you can do!”

He motioned towards Obsidian and the black stallion came and handed Solstice a purple electric guitar. Solstice put the guitar strap across his chest and back and balanced himself on his hind legs. When he had checked to see if it was properly tuned and prepared himself, he looked towards Fire Dancer. Fire nodded, giving him permission to begin playing. He began with strumming a few simple cords. Then, he let loose with a series of complicated chord progressions and flourishes. When he had finished, Clap and the band members stared at him with their mouths dropped and their eyes as wide as an owl’s. In fact, Hurricane Rumble was so surprised by Solstice’s guitar solo that he accidentally tightened the bandages that were wrapped around Windsurfer’s hoof too tightly. Windsurfer let out a cry of pain and looked directly at the oblivious gray pegasus next to him.

“Hey, watch the hoof, Dude!” he scolded with a scowl.

Hurricane realized what he had done and immediately fixed his mistake.

“Oh! Sorry, Buddy. Here, uh, let me fix that for ya….”

Windsurfer just shook his head and let out a frustrated grunt.

Fire took his black sunglasses off, revealing his widened orange eyes.

“That…was…so…awesome!” he exclaimed with a hoof in the air. The other band members concurred with their own exclamations of praise. Solstice bowed humbly with a blush.

“Thanks, Mr. Fire Dancer.”

At that moment, Fire looked at his watch and let out a startled gasp.

“Oh, Stallions! We don’t have much time left, do we.”

He turned to Solstice and added, “Kid, can you perform with us onstage?”

Solstice’s heart raced. Him on stage…in front of all those ponies sitting in the gigantic stadium?

“Uh….”

Before he could answer, Clap answered for him.

“He says ‘yes.’”

Solstice breathed out a soft chuckle.

Thanks, Clap.

“All righty!” Fire declared with a grin. “The music’s inside my trailer on the desk.”

He motioned with his head towards the red and orange trailer to his left.

“Look through it and meet us at the stadium’s backstage just over there. Rock yourself out, Kid!”

He motioned towards the large tunnel leading to the stadium’s interior.

“Okay!” Solstice nodded excitedly. Although he felt nervous, he couldn’t wait.

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

After he had studied the music that was placed on Fire Dancer’s desk and had practiced it as best he could on his borrowed guitar, he headed for the stadium’s backstage area, which was the tunnel area leading into the stadium’s interior. In the tunnel, he could hear the overpowering sound of ponies’ voices from the stadium like waves crashing in the ocean. It made the butterflies in his stomach start fluttering faster.

“All righty, listen up, everypony!” Fire Dancer announced, beckoning Solstice, Clap and the other band members to gather around him. “We all have our parts down, right?”

The members nodded with Solstice nodding with a hint of hesitation.

“Very good! And Solstice…”

Solstice looked up as Fire Dancer’s gaze turned to him.

“…you okay there, Kid? Ya look like you’re preparin’ to jump off a cliff or somethin’!”

The other band members chuckled in response. After a moment’s hesitation, Solstice replied with a nod, “I’m—I’m fine, thanks.”

“Ya sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure!”

Fire nodded.

“‘Kay. Listen, if there’s anythin’ ya need, just let any of us know.”

The others nodded as well.

Solstice felt a sense of honor come over him. All of the members of his favorite band were asking him if he needed anything! He felt as if he could fly to the moon and back with no problem whatsoever.

“Thanks, guys,” he said with a slight bow. “I really appreciate it.”

Hurricane grinned back.

“Anytime!”

Then, a thought came to Solstice.

“Wait—actually, there is something.”

Fire nodded.

“‘Kay, what is it?”

“Could you not say my name when you introduce the band? I’d really appreciate it.”

Fire Dancer looked at the young stallion curiously.

“Why’s that…if ya don’t mind me askin’?” he inquired.

Solstice shrugged.

“I…I have my reasons,” was all he said. It was because he didn’t want his father to find out from somepony else watching from the stands.

Then, he added, “I insist.”

Fire’s eyes widened with surprise.

“Okay, then! Whatever your reason, we’ll have it your way—no sayin’ your name onstage.”

Solstice bowed with his head.

“Thank you, Mr. Fire Dancer.”

Just then, a plumb brown unicorn stallion came from inside the stadium and announced, “Deep Drive, you have one minute!”

Afterwards, the unicorn disappeared back into the stadium from whence he had come. By this time, Solstice noticed that the ponies’ voices from the stadium had risen into a loud cheer as instrumental versions of Deep Drive’s music began playing on the loudspeakers and an announcer declaring loudly, “And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…!”

His heart began pounding more rapidly as he felt anxiety rise up inside of him.

“All righty!” Fire breathed as he put a hoof on every member’s shoulder. “This is it! Are you all ready to do this?”

“Wait!” Windsurfer exclaimed.

He limped over to Solstice and handed him a red electric guitar.

“Give your purple one back to Obsidian and take this one,” he told him. “It’ll bring you good luck!”

Solstice looked back at him with a puzzled expression. He didn’t see why this was such a big deal but he obeyed anyway.

“Okay…” he replied as he took the red guitar and handed the purple one back to Obsidian.

“Uh, Windsurfer,” Obsidian said, his head cocked, “I can just play the spare guitar and Solstice can play mine. It’s really no big deal. The red one’s yours—your very own!”

Windsurfer looked at each of his comrades.

“Guys, it’s ‘cause of my hoof that I can’t be with you all out there today. But, even though I can’t be out there, I want Solstice to play my guitar…so that it’ll be as if I was still out there with all of ya, havin’ fun.”

There was a sound of sniffling from Stormcloud.

“Guys…” he exclaimed, pointing towards the aqua-colored pegasus, “Windsurfer’s awesome!”

He trotted to Windsurfer and added as he extended his hoof, “Bro-hoof, Buddy!”

Windsurfer smiled and bro-hoofed with his good hoof. It wasn’t long before the other members of the band came and bro-hoofed with him as well. Then, they gathered and grouped together in a group-hug, sniffing from the tears in their eyes. As they did so, Clap leaned towards Solstice and whispered with a grin on his face, “Gee, I thought this was a colt band.”

Solstice fought the urge to giggle. He knew what his brother was implying. He turned to Clap and let out a soft “shh” sound, ending the conversation.

Outside in the stadium’s interior, the cheering from the spectators grew louder.

“Okay!” Fire Dancer declared. “This is it! You all ready to do this?”

Obsidian raised his hoof holding his purple electric guitar in the air.

“Let’s shake that stadium with the powa’ of rock n’ roll!”

There was a shout of “all right!” as the band members, including Windsurfer, put their hooves together. At that moment, Hurricane turned to Solstice and Clap.

“Hey, you two!” he called, motioning for them to come. “Come join the circle! Wouldn’t want ya gettin’ left out, right?”

Solstice and Clap looked at each other. Then, they smiled and nodded as they came and joined the circle of hooves.

“On the count of three,” they heard Stormcloud whisper to them, “we yell ‘Deep Drive’. It’s sorta tradition that we do this before ev’ry concert.”

Solstice grinned from ear to ear. This was, without a doubt, one of the best days of his life.

Fire looked around at each of his comrades.

“Ready?” he said with a twinkle in his eye.

Then, with a “one, two, three,” they all raised their hooves in unison as they shouted, “Deep Drive!”

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

The crowds of ponies sitting in the stands stood and roared as Solstice Rocket and almost all of the members of Deep Drive charged into the stadium like conquering heroes. They galloped or flew across the open, green field until they reached a large platform that was designed to look like an open stage situated in the exact center of the stadium’s interior. Bright colorful lights shone onto the stage from light fixtures positioned on all of its four corners and microphones stood on stands at each of the band members’ positions. There was also a drum set situated in the back portion of the makeshift stage.

As Fire Dancer set hoof onto the stage and reached one of the microphone stands, he unhooked the microphone from its stand with his unicorn magic and exclaimed into it, “Hello, Baltimare!”

The crowds of ponies standing in the stands roared louder. Fire Dancer grinned from ear to ear as he looked at the pony-filled stands around him.

“All righty!” he further exclaimed, his voice echoing throughout the huge stadium. “Now, who’s ready for some good old-fashioned rock n’ roll tonight?”

The crowds cheered vigorously in response.

“Okay, then!”

He placed the microphone back into the stand as the other band members took their places on the stage. Solstice tried to keep his nerves calm as the deafening cheers from the stands threatened to break them completely. Finally, the cheers gradually died down.

“But, first of all, let me do a little intro for the guys with me here tonight for all ya who are here for the first time, shall we?” the red unicorn said into the microphone as he turned to the other band members. Each time he introduced each band member, he motioned to them with his hoof as he held the microphone in front of him using his unicorn magic.

“Firstly, I’m Fire Dancer, lead-singer and ‘top-dog’ of this joy-ride.”

Just then, Hurricane’s voice exclaimed, “More like ‘top-clown’!”

The crowds roared with laughter as Fire Dancer rolled his eyes and sighed into the microphone.

“And that light gray pegasus you just heard is Hurricane Rumble, who plays bass. He’s what we in the band like to call a ‘colt of heart’…both figuratively and literally.”

The crowds laughed again and Fire Dancer grinned as Hurricane’s voice let out a “hey!” The red unicorn then turned to the next member of the group.

“His brother here, Obsidian Rumble, (he motioned to the black pony with the purple electric guitar) is our rhythm guitarist and keyboardist. We also like to call him our ‘pony from the hood’ ‘cause of his ability to rap and to beat-box. Take it away, Bro!”

The crowds cheered and Obsidian did a little beat-boxing routine for them, which made the crowds cheer even louder in approval. Even Solstice applauded at his performance. Fire Dancer came and bro-hoofed with Obsidian as he said to him, “They love ya, Buddy.” Obsidian nodded as he grinned back.

“And that strong-looking stallion standin’ yonder is Stormcloud,” Fire Dancer pointed to Stormcloud at the drum set. “You could probably guess from the name what he’s good at, huh?”

The crowd cheered loudly and Stormcloud raised his drumming sticks in the air and grinned brightly in response.

“And, lastly,” the red unicorn continued, “we’ve got Windsurfer, our lead guitarist. Sadly…”

His cheerful demeanor changed into one of seriousness and disappointment.

“…he broke his hoof and he can’t play for you all tonight.”

The audience let out a sad groan that could even tug at an ogre’s heartstrings.

“Yeah, I know,” Fire Dancer nodded, “but Windsurfer’s hoof needs to heal up first. Ya know. But…”

He turned to Solstice, who was making sure that his guitar was perfectly tuned, and nodded towards him.

“…this kind stallion here’s offered to fill in for him. Oh, don’t worry! This he’s all right! I can’t say his name, though, ‘cause he’s kindly told me not to. Must be one of those ‘quiet hero’ types or somethin’. At any rate, he’s feelin’ pretty nervous standing up here with us tonight, so give this great guy a round of encouragement, won’t ya?”

He started clapping his hooves and the rest of the ponies in the Stadium except for Solstice joined in, even shouting out cheers of encouragement. Solstice only smiled and looked down in quiet humility. Afterwards, Fire Dancer turned to the audience before him and raised his head with his microphone towards the night sky above.

“And now, without any further ado…let’s get this party starteeeedddd!”

The crowds of ponies stood and let out a loud, deafening roar. When the cheering finally died down, the band members prepared their instruments.

“This first song’s one of the all-time classics,” Fire Dancer said into the microphone. “It’s called ‘Whirlin’ like a Hurricane.’ As a matter of fact, Hurricane Rumble pretty much wrote this song, didn’t ya, Hurricane?”

Hurricane gave a proud salute to the stands and the crowds roared their approval. “Whirlin’ like a Hurricane” was one of the few songs in their repertoire that didn’t have any lyrics. It was all instrumental. This would seem boring to us, but Deep Drive’s instrumental songs were as unique as their regular songs—and the lead guitarist had something to do with it. It was in these songs that the lead guitarist shined the most. “Whirlin’ like a Hurricane” was a song that had the lead guitarist play a short intro. Then, the rhythm guitarist joined in, followed by the keyboardist and, lastly, the drummer. All throughout the song, it was the lead guitarist who led the rest of the band instead of the lead singer. It was a song that all depended on the lead guitarist’s performance. Solstice knew this the moment that he reviewed the music sheet for it in Fire Dancer’s trailer.

By now, Solstice’s hooves were quivering. He didn’t want to ruin this moment for the band. If he did, he wouldn’t forgive himself. He turned towards the tunnel where Clap and Windsurfer were watching from the sidelines. He saw Clap’s face showing a bright smile in an effort to cheer him on. He tried to smile, too, but his nervousness was beginning to become overwhelming.

“Hey, Solstice!” he heard Obsidian’s voice call from nearby.

He turned to the black pony.

“Ya look nervous, Kid! It’s okay. I get nervous, too. Hey, wanna know what I do when I’m nervous?”

Solstice only stared back at him, awaiting his response.

“You go to your happy place. No, I don’t mean that you zone out or anythin’ like that. When I get so nervous that I just can’t stand it, I’d imagine all the ponies in the stands fade away and I’m in my room practicing my guitar. When I do that, I’m more chill and relaxed. Try it—whatever suits ya!”

Solstice nodded and closed his eyes as he tried to steady his breath. He imagined that all of the sounds from the crowds in the stands faded away and he was back on his family mansion’s porch happily playing his wooden guitar. The only difference was that he was playing on a red electric guitar and that he was playing a different song—one that he had just practiced repeatedly in Fire Dancer’s trailer.

“You ready, Solstice?” he heard Fire Dancer’s voice ask.

The orange-yellow pegasus slowly opened his eyes and looked towards the voice’s source. The red unicorn’s fiery-orange eyes looked back over the top of his sunglasses, patiently awaiting his response. After a moment, Solstice took a deep breath and nodded. Fire nodded back with a grin and said, “All righty, Solstice! Whenever you’re ready.”

Solstice put his left hoof on the guitar’s neck and raised his right hoof, ready to play the first notes to start the song. He felt nervousness threaten to overtake him and stopped for a moment. He closed his eyes again and tried to picture in his mind’s eye the Baltimare landscape from the mansion porch—the cool breeze brushing against his fur and the distant sounds of the city before him. He felt peaceful again.

And that’s when he heard it—the first several notes from his guitar, loud and clear. The sound echoed throughout the hushed stadium like a thunderclap. After the echo had died, the crowds in the stands let out a loud cheer. Even the members of the band were clapping and cheering, thoroughly impressed with his performance. Then, when he played again, Obsidian began playing along and Fire Dancer played the keyboard (he only played the simple chords, as he had limited knowledge about playing it). Then, with a drum flourish by Stormcloud, the band altogether played their song. When Solstice played the last note in the song, the crowds cheered again and the band members bowed in appreciation and prepared for the next song.

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

“So…Clap, was it?” Windsurfer asked the orange foal by his side as they both were watching Deep Drive performing onstage.

Clap turned to the aqua-blue pegasus.

“Yep!” he replied with a grin. “And you’re…Windsurfer, the guitar soloist in the band, right?”

Windsurfer nodded and motioned towards the stage in the stadium.

“That’s right. Your brother, Solstice, is quite the guitarist himself, isn’t he!”

Clap stood proudly.

“Oh, yeah! He’s the best!”

“I couldn’t help but notice he doesn’t have a Cutie Mark. Do ya know why?”

Clap shook his head.

“No. And that’s what’s weird! He’s so good at playing the guitar, too!”

Windsurfer breathed out a chuckle.

“That’s what’s funny about Cutie Marks, I suppose…they don’t just appear when you want them to.”

Clap sighed.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Hey, don’t ya worry! Your brother will get his Cutie Mark one day, you’ll see. It just takes time. Hay! It happened to me!”

Clap looked up at him.

“You mean you didn’t have a Cutie Mark either?”

“Yep! And, Stallions, was it embarrassing!”

He let out a laugh and then sighed.

“But I eventually got it…”

He looked at his flank, which bore an image of a red electric guitar with visible gusts of wind swirling around it like ocean waves.

“…as I was performin’ for the very first time with Deep Drive back in Fillydelphia. Don’t know why it took so long. But, I tell ya, it was well worth the wait!”

Clap nodded.

“I guess you’re right.”

“Is your brother thinkin’ about being a guitarist? Just thought I’d ask.”

“Oh yeah! He’s thinking about being a rock star someday.”

Windsurfer put a hoof on his chin as his expression turned thoughtful.

“Is that right…?”

As the band onstage finished their song and the crowds started cheering louder than ever, Clap turned to Windsurfer again.

“Windsurfer…” he said, his voice pleading, “my brother’s the best brother I could ever ask for! It…it would mean a lot to him if he could be a part of your band.”

Windsurfer smiled as he turned to the foal.

“Don’t ya worry there, Clap!” he replied in an optimistic tone as he put a hoof on Clap’s shoulder to reassure him. “I’m sure that me and the boys can figure somethin’ out.”

Clap smiled in response.

“Thanks, Sir. I really appreciate it.”

Windsurfer nodded, a realization coming to him.

“You care a lot about him, don’t ya.”

Clap’s expression grew serious as he turned towards the stadium interior where his brother was performing.

“Yeah. He’s my hero. He always does the right thing, no matter what. I…I just hope that one day I can be like that, too.”

Windsurfer followed the foal’s gaze and sighed with a far-off look in his eye.

“Yeah. So do all of us, I’d imagine.”

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

The band performed several more songs that were Deep Drive’s greatest hits. Solstice never felt so alive as he played. The cheering of the crowds, the beat of the music—all of it fueled the fire within him. He wished that this moment would never end. When the last note was played in the last song, the crowds of ponies stood as they cheered and applauded loudly. Solstice and the members of Deep Drive gave one last bow and waved to them as they trotted off the stage and headed to the tunnel where Clap Rocket and Windsurfer were waiting.

“That was awesome, Bro!” Clap exclaimed with a bounce and a hoof in the air. “I never doubted you for a second!”

Windsurfer nodded with an impressed look on his face.

“I have to admit, that was pretty cool! You were almost as good as I would be out there!”

Solstice’s face beamed. A compliment like that coming from Windsurfer was indeed a great honor.

“Th-thank you, Mr. Windsurfer!” he exclaimed with a respectful bow.

He carefully placed the red guitar into his hooves and handed it back to the experienced soloist.

“Here’s your guitar back.”

Windsurfer looked back at the guitar for a moment and, then, he smiled.

“Fire, it seems that this stallion’s thinkin’ about being a rock star.”

Solstice’s eyes widened. How did he know—?

“Who told ya this?” Fire asked.

“His brother here, Clap, told me.” Windsurfer replied, motioning towards the foal next to him.

Solstice grinned slightly and gave a slight shrug.

Figures he would.

At that moment, Fire turned to him with a look of pleasurable surprise.

“A rock star, eh?” he exclaimed. “Well, how ‘bout it, Kid? We could really use somepony like you. Hay, we can make all your dreams come true right now! All ya have to do is say the magic words!”

Solstice’s face brightened. Was this actually happening? Did they just invite him to be a part of their band? He wanted to say ‘yes,’ so badly but…what about Clap…and his mother and father…? He couldn’t leave them. Not yet. Besides, he knew that his father would never approve of this anyway.

“Thanks, guys,” he replied with a bittersweet smile, “but…I can’t.”

The band members’ expressions turned downcast.

“Wh-what do ya mean you can’t?” Stormcloud exclaimed with a confused expression. “Kid, you were simply smashing out there!”

“If it’s your dad you’re worried about,” Fire said, “may I give some…advice?”

Solstice nodded and Fire continued.

“You’re old enough to make your own decisions. Your dad may have right intentions, but he’s not you. You know what ya want and you know what would make ya happy.”

“I know that,” Solstice replied, “but I must say ‘no’. My dad and I may not see eye-to-eye in some things but…he’s still my dad. He deserves respect. It—it’s the right thing to do, after all.

Fire nodded as he smiled sadly.

“Okay, Kid. I understand. But if ya need anythin’, just let us know. We’ll be tourin’ ‘round Equestria durin’ the year anyway. Tickets are on the house for you guys if ya thinkin’ about seein’ one of our concerts again, by the way.”

He gave a wink as he said this. Clap’s eyes widened as they sparkled.

“Free tickets to Deep Drive concerts from now on?!”

He leaped in the air and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Best day ever!”

The others laughed at that.

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

After Solstice and Clap waved Fire Dancer and the other band members “good-bye,” they made their way towards the street. By now, ponies crowded the sidewalks and streets, rushing to get back to their homes. The two brothers nearly lost each other in the crowds several times before the crowds finally began to disperse. When there were only a handful of ponies left trotting up and down the street, Solstice finally noticed an ice cream shop nearby and turned to his brother.

“Say,” he pointed out with a smile as he motioned with his head towards the shop, “that reminds me. I still haven’t bought any ice cream for you, yet. How ‘bout it?”

Clap looked back up at him and grinned widely.

“I say, let’s do it!”

They entered the shop and ordered two ice cream cones, one for each of them. They decided to eat inside and found a table to sit at. After a few minutes of silence as they ate their ice cream, Solstice sighed.

“Clap,” he said, “I just wanna say…thanks…for today.”

Clap turned to him with a puzzled expression.

“Huh?”

Solstice took a lick of his ice cream before its residue could drip onto the table.

“I mean, you told me last night how I helped you to believe in yourself when you won your first baseball game. Well, today, you helped me do the same thing—you helped me believe in myself, that I could play as good as the rest of the band. I—I couldn’t’ve done it without you, Bro. Thank you.”

With that, he continued eating his ice cream. However, it wasn’t long before he felt hooves around him and looked to his side. He saw Clap with a big smile on his face as he was giving him a big hug.

“Love ya, Big Bro!” he exclaimed happily.

Solstice smiled and hugged him back.

“Love you too, Little Bro.”

After a few moments, Clap seemed to snap out of it and immediately retreated with an embarrassed look on his face.

“I mean, uh, your cool to…Big Bro,” he said awkwardly. “Real cool…yeah.”

Solstice rolled his eyes.

“Oh, come on, Clap!” he exclaimed with a sigh. “It’s cool to hug your brother and say ‘love ya’ once in a while, too, ya know!”

Clap shrugged.

“Well, yeah, but…I—I still need to keep my cool, okay?”

Solstice let out a chuckle and replied with another sigh, “Okay, fine. Bro-hoof?”

Clap nodded with a grin.

“You bet!”

With that, they bro-hoofed and finished their ice cream.

Comments

[Godslittleprincess]

Oh, my heart!