The Black Parade

by Quillian Inkheart

Chapter 2: This Is How I Disappear

"So, you wanna know how I met Defender? It's a weird story, really; he just showed up in Griffonstone one day - a freakin' Pony, strolling through the streets like he owned the whole town. I remember a bunch of other Griffons picking on him, but he just smirked at them, said a few words and the group was left absolutely speechless. I never did find out what he said.
Anyway, he walked straight to me, out of nowhere and said possibly the weirdest, most random thing thing I've ever heard; 'Your name's Galiana, right?' He said, 'I heard you lost your mother. I know how that feels. Come on. We're going to change the world.'
And that was it. Bam, he was walking away. I thought he was nuts. But I got curious and decided to follow him for a while. Eventually, that little Pony punk grew on me. And now, here I am; his bassist and his friend. You got a problem with that?"

-Galiana, Bassist for The Black Parade

---

Alessio sighed, looking into the mirror. He was alone - as per usual whenever he let his true form show - in his room. The accommodations for the band had improved drastically over the last four concerts. Now, when they came for a concert, rooms were put up, attached to the stage, for them to stay in. They weren't five-star, but they were personalized and rather roomy. That was what happened when fame came to find you. You moved up in the world.

With a flash of green fire, Alessio became someone new. He wasn't Alessio the Earth Pony anymore; that ship sailed the day he fled from Hollow Shades. In this form, he was a Unicorn that everypony called Defender. His hair was two-toned, streaked with yellow and black and his coat was a darker shade of yellow, almost more golden. His eyes were red, matching his false cutie mark; a bright red exclamation mark inside the outline of a black shield. Focusing, he pierced his right ear in several places, levitating the earrings and studs into place.

It had been years since he'd been home, to Equestria. Six, to be exact; Alessio was twenty-seven years old, and still so filled with regret. But he was home now, at least on the fringes of home.

There was a knock on his door and a voice spoke through it. "Thirty minutes, Defender."

Alessio rose, rolling his head on his neck, getting several light pops. He pulled on his coat, the uniform of his band, and trotted to the door. His public awaited.

Just outside, he was met my Brimstone and Blaise, his two guitarists. The two were a pair of dragon twins, much older than him but still young on the draconic aging scale. The pair always seemed to share actions, both leaning on the wall opposite his door, their arms crossed and identical expressions of boredom and impatience on their faces.

"About time, slowpoke." Brimstone whispered, trailing a claw over her uniform to straighten it.

"We were about to go in and drag you out." Blaise added, mimicking his sister's action instinctively.

Alessio chuckled and the twin's expressions melted into smirks. They were often rude, but Alessio couldn't ask for more loyal friends than the two dragons. Both bore the same scale coloration, red mixed with shades of black. They were lean, powerful dragons; dragons who abandoned their homeland in rage.

"Galiana was at it again." Blaise and Brimstone uncoiled their arms, walking on either side of Alessio. He was amazed at how they even walked in unison.

"She screamed another pony into a fit and stormed off." Brimstone shook her head. "What are we going to do with her?"

"Talk to her. She can't keep scaring our fans like this." Blaise joined in the head shaking a moment later.

Alessio sighed. Galiana was their band's bassist and was, inevitably, a Griffon. She had been the first member to join the Black Parade, a fact she lorded over the others every time anyone but Alessio tried to speak with her.

"Alright, but we don't have long before the concert. Go make sure Shadows has everything ready to go. We'll be relying on him to make this a big hit. I've heard tell these Trottingham ponies are real sticks-in-the-mud and we'll need something to knock their mane's right off their heads. And keep Sigurd from crushing any of the props this time, please." Alessio broke away from the two dragons, heading towards Galiana's prep-room. He knew exactly where it was, so it didn't prove difficult to find.

Alessio gave the door a quick knock. "Galiana, it's me. Can I come in?"

"Of course." Came the reply. Alessio opened the door and slipped inside.

Galiana was a proud Griffon, through and through. She kept her grey feathers nearly preened, her fur soft and her claws at just the right sharpness to play the guitar. She was vain, petty and not a little haughty, but in the eyes of many Griffons, she was absolutely beautiful. More than once, she had been asked to return to her homeland with a possible mate during their travels, but never once had she even considered it.

She sat in front of her mirror, tending to her wing feathers. "What's up, boss?"

Alessio shifted back to his normal form, leaving the earrings in place. Galiana was the only member of the band to know his true identity, his true race. Around her, he could truly be himself. "I heard you had a run-in with another fan."

"Yeah, well, us Griffons don't exactly have a very good reputation in Equestria." She trailed a feather through her beak, studying it speculatively. "He ran his mouth. So I told him exactly what I thought about his opinions. And then some." She looked over to him, smiling a little. "I'll never get used to seeing a Changeling have a conversation. I bet you're the first one to ever care enough to talk to your dinner."

Alessio frowned, moving further into her large dressing room. "Don't say things like that. You know I don't like it when anypony talks bad about my people."

"Good thing I ain't a pony then, huh?" Galiana turned back to her mirror, going over the same feather again. "But that's why I like you, Alessio. You understand, better than any pony will; you get that race doesn't define you."

Alessio tasted her love for him. It wasn't the first time he'd sensed that emotion from her. He'd even had the courage to approach her about it once, but that conversation ended in little more than embarrassment and anger. Galiana was not candid with her feelings and she had been less than pleased to learn that Alessio could sense them.

"Well, don't blow up at the fans, alright? We're here to prove them wrong about us, not make them angrier." He snapped back into his Unicorn form, smirking. "Besides, not all ponies are like that one. Some of us think Griffons are pretty awesome."

Galiana sucked in a breath, accidentally swallowing part of her feather. She coughed, thumping her chest, giving Alessio a glare, promising a beating if he said a word. Alessio just grinned at her, before turning. "We're almost ready to go on. Just waiting on you, I imagine. As always."

"I wouldn't expect any of you to understand the trials of beauty." She flicked her tail at him, but laughed. "I'll be out in a second. Thanks for the pep-talk, Alessio."

Alessio shut the door behind him gently, trotting to the stage. The curtain was still dropped, but the bustle of the crowd deafened most conversation. Alessio had to note most conversation, as very little could silence Sigurd.

"Move drums more to left!" The Yak's voice was like thunder. Alessio had grown accustomed to it, but the stage-ponies they had hired to help looked like they were about to keel over. "No, more to other left!"

Brimstone and Blaise were already there, making the final preparations. Cradling their guitars and fixing wires, the two dragons both nodded politely to Alessio as he arrived, returning to their work immediately. "Sigurd," Alessio stopped beside the Yak, looking at the nervous ponies that were moving the drum set. "Need a hand?"

"Ponies no seem to understand aesthetics!" Sigurd groaned, shaking his head. "Is like talking to children!"

"Calm down, Sigurd. You two," Alessio addressed the two stage-ponies. "Go take a breather. I got this."

Relieved to be away from the demanding Yak, the two stage ponies quickly scampered off. With a flick of magic, Alessio aligned Sigurd's drum set perfectly with the speakers behind them. What many didn't know about Sigurd was that the Yak had an obsession with symmetry. If you knew that, however...

"Perfect! Defender does it again!" Sigurd turned, giving him a bone-breaking hug. Alessio coughed, teleporting quickly out of the vice-grip.

"It's nothing, Sigurd. You ready?" Alessio grinned, the Yak returning the look. Sigurd had possibly been the strangest encounter Alessio had ever had, and would ever have. He was a member of a far-eastern tribe, not at all connected to Yakyakistan. When he heard of other Yaks, Sigurd had been shocked. His people believed themselves to be the only Yaks in the world.

"This Yak born ready, Defender!" He moved behind his drum set, just as Galiana walked onto the stage, her guitar slung around her neck and held in one claw.

"Are we all set?" She asked, eyes scanning her bandmates critically.

"Aside from you, yes." Brimstone chuckled, motioning to Galiana's amp, not far from their own.

"We hooked up the basics for you, so all you had to do is plug it in." Blaise added.

"We know how much you hate this kind of prep work." Brimstone finished, the two smiling. Galiana nodded and chuckled, walking over to hook her guitar up to the amp. Alessio watched from his place beside Sigurd, adoring his band.

"Alright!" The frantic voice of Flickering Shadows - the band's special effects coordinator - came from up above, drawing all the attention to there. "Everything is all set, guys! We're waiting on you." Flickering Shadows was a Bat Pony Alessio had met on his return trip to Equestria. The newest member of the band, Flickering Shadows tended to be the heel of most of the other member's jokes, but Alessio found his presence more comforting than any of the other members, combined. The Bat Pony made him think of calmer, happier days.

"Lets rock this little town, guys." Alessio turned and levitated the microphone to his side, standing in front of the rest of his band.

Flickering Shadows darted down, giving everything a quick once-over before darting above the stage, pressing the first button of many. With a loud cheer and a blaring sound from three guitars, the curtains rose.

"We are the Black Parade! Are you ready for us, Trottingham!?"

The crowd erupted into impassioned cheers. Alessio closed his eyes, feeling the thrill and adoration and excitement pour in from the crowd. He took in a breath, drawing in the essence of their love for the band, just a taste.

It was enough to make him remember why he did what he did.

Comments

[HB_DS2013]

A changeling with a tolerant attitude towards other species? I'm in.

[Quillian Inkheart]

7255821
Glad to have you aboard! We have t-shirts. I wish.

-Inkheart

[HB_DS2013]

7255828 I would be surprised if Black Parade wasn't a metal band. I would be peeved if Black Parade's sound was pop. Now that I think about it, ponies have a strong affinity towards ear-pleasing genres... if that makes sense. I would also love to buy a Black Parade t-shirt, but I don't have the money for it.

[Quillian Inkheart]

7255831
Haha! Actually, they're Punk Rock. The whole story is based loosely off the song of the same name by My Chemical Romance, and shares a similar artistic style to them, both in outfits and music.

-Inkheart

[Chapter 13]

I approve.

~ Chapter: 13

[Quillian Inkheart]

7255922
I'm glad you do.

-Inkheart

[Quillian Inkheart]

7256733
Eh, overly long synopsis are a weakness of mine. However, if you didn't read the story because the synopsis was too long, then you really missed out; and not for a very good reason either. I hope you still read, regardless of what you thought of my synopsis.

-Inkheart