MLP: The Magic of... Music?

by The Bricklayer

Part 9: Doubleback Again

Last time...

"So where are we anyway?" She asked. The Doctor was quick to correct her.

"Not where, but WHEN you mean! And as for the answer to that question..." The Doctor trailed off before he cried "Let's find out!" and opened the Tardis doors. Almost at once, the sound of soft guitar playing entered the room...

(Author's note, this takes place in the exact same timeframe as the last chapter)

"Okay, that was EPIC!" Rainbow exclaimed after the final chords of Stairway to Heaven had been strummed. Everypony else's ears were still ringing from the soloing and the high pitched lyrics "And as we wind on down the road..." They certainly hadn't expected for when the Doctor to take them to a live concert, for it to be that loud. Nor had they expected the tempo to change from soft strumming to just plain rock and roll.

"Ugh, I think my ears may never work properly again darlings..." Rarity muttered while Pinkie was still headbanging along, as if she hadn't realized the song was over. Nobody had the heart to tell her otherwise, and just let her be.

"Ah, Led Zeppelin, always bringing out the best of rock and roll wherever they go." The Doctor mused to himself as he worked the controls.

"I'm curious Doctor, what did those lyrics mean?" Celestia inquired, in her mind she thought they meant it was a song simply about a mare who was dying and going to the place where all were one. But some of the other lyrics, like the ones during the heavy guitar solo by the long maned human cast doubt on this.

"Well, to be honest..." Sunset began. "Nopony is really sure actually. There's been so many interpretations over the years that for all we know yours may very well be the truth." The bacon haired mare said with a shrug seemingly forgetting about where she was for the moment. But that didn't last long, and Sunset squealed as she ran off down a Tardis corridor. The Doctor sighed in exasperation. He supposed he should have been expecting that.

"I'll go after her, make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble." He muttered before giving everypony a serious look. "Nobody-Eh, sorry, nopony touch ANYTHING!"

But as soon as the Doctor had left, Pinkie was the first to ignore his instructions and began flipping dials and switches. She had a great memory, so she knew exactly how the Doctor controlled his machine. And soon, there came the distinct wheezing and groaning. The Doctor himself was groaning as he ran after Sunset. Ponies or humans, they never seemed to listen did they? "What, do I have some big sign over my head that read don't listen to a word I say?" He thought.

But in anycase, our favorite heroes of Equestria and it's two rulers were treated to another song, one that seemed to be starting out very slowly with plodding guitar strums. This however, turned out not to be the case soon enough...

The song soon picked up and Rainbow, Scootaloo along with Luna found themselves headbanging along with the pounding guitar strums which eventually changed back to a more slow tempo as the blond maned human sung about how happy he was before once again the guitar and other instruments picked up the tempo which seemed to switch back and forth throughout the song and all the while a man who seemed to serve no other purpose then to just jump around the stage did so in the background while the song thundered along until it's tempo slowed back down for the final concluding notes...

"Well... That was certainly interesting w-wasn't it?" Twilight stammered out, her feelings on the song quite mixed. On the one hand it, sounded good with the complex ever-changing tempo but underneath it the lyrics seemed to be confusing. In her mind, she felt a small prinpick of something, but ignored it. It was probably nothing.

"Hmm, that there song seemed almost bipolar in nature didn't it y'all?" Applejack mused. She'd heard of the condition, actually no it was more then that. A few years back when she was just a young filly, she had to watch as her grandfather came down with the condition (Even if she didn't understand it then) before he passed away, and as If to make matters worse her parents passed exactly the year after. Applebloom looked at her sister in concern.

"Something wrong sis?" She asked, but Applejack quickly shook her head no as she wiped away a tear while looking away from her sister. It wouldn't be a good thing for her sister to know about such things at such a young age.

"Yes... Yes it does." Twilight thought in response to Applejack's words as she put a hoof to her chin in thought. "At some points, the singer seemed happy but at other times he was insulting himself and the other person he sung about in the song."

"I...I..." Fluttershy tried to speak up, but couldn't find the courage to voice her theory.

"No, go on Darling. If you've got something to say dear say it." Rarity reassured while Pinkie chimed out "Yeah girl, spill it! Well, not literally but ya know what I mean right?"

"It... It seems to me that the m-man dancing about in the background is a v-visual representation of the disorder." Fluttershy said, and with this possible new representation of the imagery everypony swallowed hard.

"L-Let's see if we can get something a little happier huh?" Scootaloo whispered sadly before she turned to everypony else to ask a question that was practically tempting fate. "Anypony got a suggestion for what kind of song?"

Pretty much everypony began shouting suggestions but it eventually came down to this little scene between Rainbow and Applejack.

"Rock!" Rainbow shouted while Applejack retorted "No, Ah want to hear some more country!"

"ROCK!"

COUNTRY!"

"ROCK!"

"COUNTRY!"

"ROCK!"

"COUNTRY ROCK!" They both finally shouted in unison, before they stared at each other in disbelief as they'd actually agreed on something neither wanted. Everypony else stared at the two's younger sisters, but both Scootaloo and Applebloom shook their heads. They didn't want to get in the middle of this. Rarity just sighed in disgust before speaking.

"Oh for Celestia's sake..." Rarity muttered before she gave them a harsh look. "Will you two quite your arguing before I have Pinkie change the type of concert to drum and bass?"

Both Applejack and Rainbow looked positively horrorstruck at that possibility (While Pinkie actually looked pleased) as Scootaloo facehoofed and just gestured to Pinkie to change to another concert. The first thing they heard with this new one was the sound of a synth note playing causing both Applejack and Rainbow to faint dead away at the possibility that Rarity had carried out her threat after all. But they needn't have worried, as then came the guitar.

From the first few opening synth notes and the appearance of the man facing a symbol of the star, all three princesses felt a distinct chill run down their spines and it only increased as the guitars thundered through various notes before a squealing solo played before it went back to a series of powerful strums that the crowd only seemed to egg on with the song finally ending with a few soft guitar plucks. But just when they thought it was all over, the guitars picked up AGAIN and a high pitched voice began to sing about priests who controlled every facet of every life.

"By us..." Luna whispered. "I... I know it's just a song b-but..." Luna trailed off as she couldn't continue anymore. This was something she had a strong suspicion Nightmare Moon would have done had she come to power and controlled every bit of every life, but her dark half was defeated and for that she thanked the Elements of Harmony. Celestia put a comforting wing around her sister, who was trying to hide her tears.

"I understand, but it's not going to happen, not while I'm around sister. If Nightmare Moon shall ever return, I and your friends shall be around to stop it." Celestia said in reassurance as Twilight nodded (Feeling another mental pinprick which was quickly dismissed.) and Luna gave her sister a thankful look as she wiped away her tears. It was then the Doctor and Sunset returned.

"So, what'd I miss?" He asked cheerfully, looking around the room and blinking at the unconscious Rainbow and Applejack.

"Timeing, Doctor. Timing." Twilight deadpanned as the CMC facehoofed collectively. The Doctor then walked over to the two knocked out ponies and held out some smelling salts and added with a grin "Banned on so many planets you wouldn't believe how hard this was to find!"

As soon as the salts were used, both ponies doubled over and ran around the room before collapsing in unison.

"So...uh, was that supposed to happen?" Celestia asked nervously.

"Yep, but that was just the reaction! They should be waking up shortly." The Doctor replied smirking before sure enough the twosome awoke groaning and rubbing their heads in pain from when they'd hit the control room floor. It was even as this happened Pinkie played another song and Applejack perked up at once at it's country sound while giving Rainbow a victorious smirk with the mare being only able to growl back at the farm pony.

Once again, this song set off moral debates in everypony's heads. This man, he talked about killing a person just to "Watch him die" but on the other hoof he seemed to be feeling rather sorry for himself as the song went on. Should they forgive this man, if it ever really happened or would letting him rot behind bars be the better option?

Sweetie Belle's next comment summed up everypony's thoughts perfectly.

"Doctor... Give us something a bit less sad and a bit more fun... please." She pleaded, and the Doctor never could ignore a crying child, it went against everything he stood for. With a manic grin, he began flipping switches and dials one final time as he laughed.

"Fun, you say? I'll give you fun! Now, straight from the heart of the south... it's WIDESPREAD PANIC!" The Time Lord cried, faking a announcer's tone of speaking when introducing a band as the song began to play...

Suddenly as Superstition finished, before anyone could take in the song completely the Tardis's Cloister Bell began to bong very loudly over and over and the Doctor gained a urgent, no a terrified look on his face as it rang. Seeing this, Twilight began to grow increasingly nervous, her Alicorn instincts alerting her that something bad was afoot. Then, she felt what she'd been feeling inklings of this whole trip. Someponies unknown but with dangerous power had breached her Library and tripped her security systems. Spike could be in danger! Now she was terrified beyond measure.

"Doctor?" She asked in a panic. "What is it? What's wrong?"

The Last of the Time Lords looked back at her with the most serious expression she'd ever seen on his muzzle.

"Something's wrong... Something back in Equestria! Hold on!" The Doctor cried as he threw the start up switch to the warp sequence and the Tardis began to shake and groan as it breached the barriers of the universes once more...

Author's Note:

Okay, as I've just come out of multiple discussions involving the Muslim religion and on if it's all like ISIS which ended up with me getting a headache, this being published was needed as a Catharsis Factor.

Now, on to the chapter itself. Okay, anyone see what I did there with the title? (If you're a movie buff you should figure it out quickly enough.) Anyways, this chapter definitely was more light hearted (Even if it wasn't as enough as I would have liked.) then the previous one as I put in some gags but at the end Twilight and the Doctor both realize something is wrong at once. Notice how I put a cover of Superstition by a band called Widespread Panic this right before it happens? That's called foreshadowing people. Anyways, speaking of the live acts I tried to put in some that came from good or legendary shows just so you could get the best of the best quality wise.

(See below)

Trivia Time, I almost put this in as the Rush song as it would have been nice to see the ponies figure out what it's a metaphor for and the song's meaning and message but I chose 2112 simply because of it's opening section which is some of the hardest progressive rock I have ever heard.

Comments

[Black_Knight]

Okay, anyone see what I did there with the title?

I kinda expect my suggestion of Fairies Wear Boots to appear since except of Ozzy excess of profanities the song doesn't seem cringe worthy for the ponies. Though maybe is interpretation of I Don't Wanna Stop during the 2009 Blizzcon would have been better.

Just for notice, the Johnny Cash song is block for my country.

[The Bricklayer]

7360462 Hmm, maybe you could find a version which isn't somewhere on YouTube... Also, sorry for not putting in your suggestion but I already head the songs picked out for this chapter long beforehand.

[The Bricklayer]

Hmm, just asking here but what is with the bad luck about country music? Twice now I've had people tell me a video for a country music song is blocked in their country...

[Black_Knight]

7360498

It's ok, not all of them are block on youtube. It's just there is a tendency for official ones to block. Though in all sincerity I find it really stupid to block a song in certain countries, especially when they were not for several years ago. I can just understand the reason for it in the Middle East or China, but I'm in freaking Europe, what is the problem? For me it just come out as publishers being dicks.

[The Bricklayer]

7360529 Maybe Europe just really hates country music. (I know a lot of people do, heck even I don't like most country bands with a few rare exceptions like VanZant and the Charlie Daniels Band and of course Johnny Cash.)

[Black_Knight]

7360655

I don't think it's the reason.

Anyway same here. Country isn't my favourite genre, but I don't mind listening it time to time. Heck I do like listening to classic music and that does surprise those who know that I'm more into Metal.

[A random person]

When sweetie bell asked for a fun song, you should've brought them here.

Or to one of Kygo's live concerts with the song called Firestone playing.

Or the song called United We Dance by Vicetone.

[A random person]

Also the song called Beautiful Day by a band called U2 is good.

[Xuncu]

Ah, whoops, a little late fer this one:
[youtube=BdAXIj5QViw]

[Xuncu]

Oh, and one for I guess the final chapter:
[youtube=4f8rjxFUglc]

(My suggestion: Skullfuck that fourth wall! Readers, and characters/Alternate Interpretation Mane 6es from other fics sing, too!)

[Ghrathryn]

Ya know, if the ponies want an idea of how much music can mean to people, maybe they should visit the BBC Proms, particularly the last night. 300K attendees and 1400 performers over the course of it. There's something to be said about seeing a large town to small city's worth of people attending a live event and singing one of the recognised national songs, and that's without the people watching.

Still say this would strike a cord with Celestia:

Though maybe this as part of Twilight:

And Luna, well, there's one I'm trying to remember, I know a bit of th elyrics, but can't find the thing. Skillet's Monster would probably work though.

[The Bricklayer]

Okay, can I just ask is anyone enjoying the songs and bands that I personally pick for chapters (Like for example Widespread Panic or Rush), not just the ones you guys suggest?