Hearts and Hooves Day

Hearts and Hooves Day

Chapter 12: The E.V.A.N Incident II: Adrian Murphy and Nathan James: Rise and Fall of the Mustangs

After what seemed like 11 minutes wondering around Ponyville, I found Dean's house, which is a two-floor cottage with a palm tree in front of the lawn. I'm guessing this palm tree came straight out of Horseshoe Bay since it has the same qualities of Florida, from beaches to sparkling sea water to resorts. Even though I heard about Horseshoe Bay and never been there, I wonder if they have any theme parks that reminds me of Disney World or Universal Studios. There has to be and I know it!

I approached the door and knock on it. I stood there for a few minutes, thinking on what to say to Dean if he's in the right mood to talk. Hopefully, he won't go off on me for asking him about the other two stories I need to know. Then, I heard the sound of hoofsteps approaching from behind the door, instead of footsteps. Is there a pony inside Dean's home? I got my answer once the door finally opened. Standing before me was pale mulberry, Unicorn mare with a blue and light blue mane, magneta eyes, and a cutie mark of two dolphins. This has to be Dean's marefriend Sea Swirl.

“Oh, hello!” the Unicorn greeted. “May I help you?”

“Hi.” I replied. “Is Dean here?”

Sea Swirl blinked. “Oh, yes. Dean is here. Are you one of his friends?”

“Yes I am. I'm from the Earth Brothers group that he's part of. My name is Frank Archer, by the way.”

The mare tilted her head slightly to the left. “Frank Archer? Oh! Dean told me about his group and I met some of the members but not you. He told me that you're always busy working and playing video games all the time.”

“True but sometimes I am free to socialize with anyone or anypony when I'm not.” I told her after I shrugged a bit. “So...may I speak to Dean?”

“Sure, come on in.” The mare offered as she stepped aside from the door.

I nodded and let myself in. As I did, I got a good look at the interior of Dean's place, which is decorated with things that reminds him of Florida. His walls were littered with Miami Dolphins memorabilia, like a poster of former quarterback Dan Marino about to throw a touchdown pass with the background showcasing the city of Miami, an autographed framed jersey of former linebacker Bryan Cox, and a mini-helmet signed by Don Shula, Jimmy Johnson, and Zach Thomas. Aside from that, there were pictures of him at Daytona Beach with his family during his teens and a shelf with a row of sea shells that he must had collected during his time on Earth. Between his skyblue soft sofa and wooden dinning room table, there was a footlocker that had a Divers Supply logo and it was locked up by a combination lock. I'm going to take a wild guess and say that footlocker has Dean's scuba gear. More so, I believe that Princess Celestia brought it from Earth upon his request when he took residence here in Ponyville.

I stood by the couch as Sea Swirl excused herself to go up the stairs in front of me.

“Dean, my love!” She called. “You have a visitor!”

I stood patiently at the bottom of the steps as I heard the sound of a clanging noise upstairs. It sounded like a weight lifting bar being set down on a weight bench. Then, there was the sound of human footsteps approaching as I clutched my notebook tightly and waited for my Earth Brother to appear. As he did, he was wearing a white tanktop with black Nike shorts and black running shoes. He also had sweat coming down from his chest as it drenched his upper wear and had a small blue towel hanging around his neck. Dean took a long look at me and somehow, changed the expression on his face from normal to disgruntled. I knew for a moment that he did not want me here at all.

“What in Celestia's name are you doing here, Frank?” The 34th human questioned with an annoyed tone. “How did you get my address?”

“Richard wrote it for me.” I confessed.

“What?”

“I came here cause I want to ask you about the rest of the story about Adrian and Nathan. So if yo...”

“OH NO!” He exploded as he came down the stairs while throwing his towel down and having his fists balled up. “HELL NO! I'm not telling you the rest of the story! You can take that little detective book of yours and shove it up your ass!”

“Dean!” Sea Swirl said. “What is going on?”

Dean looks at Sea Swirl, still standing on top of the stairs. “Nothing, baby. Frank wants to be like the World's Greatest Detective and have all of us humans go back to Earth so we can kill ourselves!”

The mare gasps in horror and looks at me with an angered look. “FRANK! Why would you do that?!? Why would you send my lover away? HAVE YOU GONE MAD?!?”

I threw my right up in order to defend myself from any incoming assault. “Wait, wait, wait! That's not the case! I'm just trying to understand about the whole ordeal with the Royal Alicorns, the lockdowns, and the Human/Equine Law tha...”

“SHUT UP!” Dean yelled. “JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP! I don't want to discuss it! Get out of my house! RIGHT NOW!!!”

He grabs me by the shirt and drags me to the door as I argued and protested to be let go. “HEYHEYEYEY! DEAN, STOP MAN! STOPSTOP!”

It was too late. He threw me out and shuts the door in front of me. Dickhead. There had to be a way for me to have Dean finally spill it but what is it that he can't resist. As I remembered when I first met him, he did  told me at one point that he loves one thing besides Sea Swirl and scuba diving. The one item that he can't seem to live without out and thought Equestria does not have it until he resided: cigars. Dean loves Cuban cigars back on Earth but here in Equestria, he loves the South Amareican that everytime he gets paid from work, he at least buys an 8-pack. Time for me to head towards the Ponyville Tobacco store and buy some. Hopefully, this idea would work.

After spending 10 bits for an 8-pack, I returned to Dean's home. Before I knocked on the door, I checked my watch to see what time it is. According to my watch, I still have enough time to catch the train to Canterlot before 8pm. I proceed to knock on the door and waited for a response. In a moment, I heard human footsteps coming from behind, so I know who it is. Just hope he doesn't blow his top once he sees me in front of him.

The door opens and surprise, surprise; Dean wasn't happy. “I thought I told you to fuck off, Frank!”

“Look, Dean!” I said. “Can we just talk about this and we'll never speak of it, again? I promise you I won't bother you for the rest of the week if you ju...”

The hot headed guy attempts to shut the door but not before I grabbed the door handle with my right hand and try to push my way in with all of my might in my arm. “Ah! Urgh!...DEAN! STOP MAN! I BOUGHT YOU SOME CIGARS IF WE CAN TALK!!! YOU LOVE CIGARS, DON'T YOU?!?”

He stops struggling. “...Yeah, I do. Wha...you're trying to fucking bribe me?”

“NO!” I innocently replied. “It's not a bribe! It's more of an offer or a trade for you!”

I held up the 8-pack cigars by my left hand. “I bought these for you: South Amareican cigars. Your favorite, right? I always see you smoke one of these after our previous meetings and you're willing to do anyone or anypony a favor if they offer you one. If I give you them, would you call it a truce for now?”

Dean cautiously opens the door all the way but his attitude has not changed. He took a quick at the cigars and then back at me. After a few seconds of complete silence, he lowers his head, closes his eyes, and lets out a heavy sigh.

“God, you're pathetic.” Dean said as he shook his head. “Fine! Just come in, sit at the table, and give me my cigars.”

He opens the door for me and I entered once again, not before I gave him his prized possession. I went over to the wooden table and sat on the left, long side while Dean sat across from me while ripping off the plastic from the cigars.

Dean looks at me. “Want one?”

I shook my head. “Dude, I'm straight edge!”

He sucked his teeth a bit. “Fine! Suit your self.”

Before Dean could even spill another word, the sound of hooves coming down the steps came to my attention. I turned my head right and saw Dean's marefriend Sea Swirl making her presence known. The Unicorn looks at me and instead of smiling at me, she gives me another face of disgust.

“What the buck are you doing here?” She said with a tone of hatred.

“Honey,” Dean spoke. “Come have a seat with me.”

“Why?” What is this all about? WHY AREN'T YOU KICKING HIM OUT?!?”

“Babe, calm down. Frank wants to talk about the rest of the E.V.A.N. Incident and I need you to be here at my side to discuss it with him. Once we're done with that, we can kick him out and we'll take a shower together, alright?”

I cocked an eyebrow upon hearing those words coming out of Dean's mouth. Do I really need to hear what they're going to do when I leave? Should I imagine it? No offence but...ugh!

The sea loving mare let out a small snort from her muzzle. She shuts her eyes tight, lowers her head while shaking it in disgust, and finally sighs her anger out. “Fine, Dean! You better give me the best shower ever! Lets get it over with...but first...give me one of your cigars.”

Dean nods and pulls out another cigar from the pack. Sea Swirl comes to the table as her boyfriend handed her one and takes it with her mouth. Next, Dean reaches into his pocket and pulls out a lighter. He places the lighter in between his cigar and Sea Swirl's as the two love birds share the flame and began to blow some smoke from their own mouths. Dean took out his cigar and kisses Sea Swirl's muzzle, showing his love for her.

“Love ya, babe.” Dean complimented.

“Love you, too.” The mare responded with her cigar still in her mouth.

Dean puts his lighter away, puts the cigar back to his mouth, and looks back at me. “You ready?”

I took my composition book, set it on the table while opening up the last page I wrote, and I took out my pencil. “Yeah, I'm ready. So, right after Victor's death, what happened next?”

And so the story continues!

After the ponies and humans witness the ball of light implode that had the 90th human inside of it, Queen Faust has ordered the Royal Alicorn Society, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna to a private meeting before dismissing everyone at the con. As everypony and human waited, no one and no pony (except the royal guards who were inside the room with the R.A.S.) had any idea what the meeting could be about. However, thanks to a royal guard, who wanted to remain anonymous because of fear of termination, he was able to tell a few humans about the whole ordeal that went on behind closed doors.

During said meeting, Queen Faust nearly blew a gasket at her daughters for bringing two humans to their world and almost murdering two innocent ponies. She went over on how Eric and Victor agreed to the Human/Equine Law before signing their own documents of being an Equestrian resident. Princess Luna said to her mother that none of this is her fault, nor is it Celestia. The moon princess recounted her time with Victor at the party on how she told him not to consume any alcoholic beverages in any way, shape, or form. More so, she at one point asked Celestia if she could bring Victor instead of her doing it. However, Celestia said no since it is her duty to bring humans to Equestria and that Luna is assigned to watch over the kingdom while she goes to Earth. The Queen then questioned Celestia about her motives on what she does right after a human comes to their world. She asked her about doing the same as her younger sister about making promises to said human if he had some sort of bad habit or problem that he had on Earth. Celestia's answer to her mother was rather an excuse than a reason: she pretty much brings them to Earth and resumes her job as ruler...and that's it!

This alone became the 1st problem that no Alicorn should face and that's neglecting their duties of watching over their territories, which is written in the Enchanted Scroll of Monarchs. The scroll read that if an Alicorn of royalty is irresponsible of keeping his or her land under control or monitoring their subjects' actions, the head of the R.A.S. (Queen Faust) will demote, and possibly, dethrone that Alicorn.  One of the Alicorns, Lord Artico, ruler of the southern cold regions of the planet, insist that a new term should be added to the Human/Equine Law, as to provide safety reasons for the ponies who are dating humans and having them underneath their roof. He considers that both Luna and Celestia should visit each – and every – human in Equestria every Friday and send a report to either Queen Faust or any member of the R.A.S around the globe on whether or not their's an issue. Upon hearing this, Faust somehow likes the idea but insist that her daughters should check the humans everyday and everynight and send a report on Saturday night instead of Friday. Celestia, on the other hand, argued for the fact that it will be stressful for her and Luna to travel around the land and check the remaining 88 humans at their residential cities in Equestria. More so, they would have a tough time on wrestling their time schedule when they have to bring the day and the night at their appropriate times and attend other meetings and events at Equestria. Luna nodded her head in agreement on Celestia's testimony. Faust argues back at her older daughter and warns her that she (Faust) decides on what's best for the ponies and she alone agrees on Lord Artico's suggestion. If she didn't like it, she would be force to be dethroned, along with Luna. The two Equestria rulers backed away in fear of being relived of their royal duties and with no given choice, had to accept the new proposition.

Back in the Convention Center, the humans and ponies awaited for the Royal Alicorn Society to return from their meeting. Within minutes, the group returns with the guards escorting them back to their seats. As they sat down, Queen Faust's horn glows gold and in a small magical gold explosion, presented the Human/Equine Law document. The attendees held their breath on what the queen had to say or why she brought up the 20 X 30 scrolled up document in front of them. The Queen went ahead and made a few announcements to everyone and everypony attending. She first brought the news that the Human/Equine had been revised by Celestia, Luna, and herself during the meeting. A new term has been added to the document in which, from now on, both Celestia and Luna will visit all humans living in Equestria during the day and night and that they would report their findings and discuss their behavior to the R.A.S. There was a mixbag of reactions among the humans who heard about this new rule. Some thought it was reasonable and understanding, others thought it was ridiculous for the fact that two Alicorns would be invading their privacy at anytime when it's least expected. The second announcement was that, due to Victor's violent act on an innocent mare, Equestria would be going under it's 2nd lockdown and that any requests about finding significant others, that are humans than stallions, had to be put on a stand still. The mares in the audience (the ones who have no mates nor someone to love that is) were a bit outrage that they wailed in protest. Faust uses her magic to grab a gavel from her desk and pounds the wooden surface many times to shut everypony up as she has more to say. Her final announcement is that the upcoming Nightmare Night Festival in Ponyville will go as planned but with her attending as Guest Host for the occasion. That was all the announcements and everypony and everyone were dismissed from the area.

With the 2nd lockdown in full affect and the royal sisters visiting humans everyday and night, things haven't  got any better. When October 4th came, right after visiting the last human on her “check list”, Princess Celestia received word from her secretary that for the past 18 hours, she's been receiving countless letters from other cities in Equestria that the single mares are in serious need of a mate. Some of those letters even stated that they are in heat and finding a single stallion anywhere around Equestira became more difficult than before. In a nutshell, they want this lockdown to be over and that more humans come to Equestria.

That night, Celestia couldn't stop thinking on what to do and it was giving her a headache. There are two problems that she had to solve but can't decide on which is better. 1st of all, she loves all of her subjects around the land and would do anything to help them out in their time of need. However, there's a ban on bringing humans until her mother gives her permission. 2nd of all, speaking of the ban, there is only way to uplift it but doing so will cost the enchanted alicorn a lot of money – and might bankrupt her. What more can she do?

The next morning, during breakfast with her sister Luna, Celestia sent an emergency letter to both her niece Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire and her student Princess Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville. The letter read that she wants to organize a private meeting in her throne room with no other pony present, except her guards though for protection. Within an hour, both princesses came to the castle via magic teleportation and met up with Luna and Celestia in the throne room. During the meeting, Celestia brought the letters she received last night from her secretary and she went over on how she can not make a proper decision in front of the princesses. The problem, though, is that Celestia fears that might she face dethronement, along with with her sister, if she stretches her mother's order of not bringing any humans to the single mares who are in need of it. Then, there's uplifting it by paying a price and she does not know if she can negotiate with her mother to at least lower it down to a suitable amount that will have her saving money. Curious and not knowing anything about this, Twilight Sparkle asked how much is it? What Celestia said next nearly caused all three princesses to have a heart attack, even myself when I'm writing down notes in my composition book.

“So how much was it?” I asked Dean, holding my breath for the unexpected answer.

“The price of  bringing the ban to a close...” He paused for a moment. He took another draw from his cigar and puffed out more smoke from his mouth. “...331,000,000,000 bits.”

"JEEZUS!" I said outloud in the same tone as Zandig from his CZW promo, right after I jumped out of my seat while my pencil flew out of my hand and right behind my chair

“Will you please keep your voice down?” Sea Swirl said, feeling annoyed as she puffed a smoke ring from her mouth. “There's no need for you to shout and be overreacted!”

“Oh...my bad, sorry.” I apologize as I reach down to the floor and picked up my pencil again. “So...uh...you were saying, Dean?”

“The four princesses went on for another two hours trying to decide on what to do,” Dean went on. “Until finally, Celestia came to a decision...”

As Dean stated, the princesses continued their private discussion. Cadance suggests to her auntie Celestia that she should pay the fee but Luna disagreed on that statement. The moon princess recounted that the amount of money that Celestia might give away to the queen will nearly make them bankrupt and there can't be anyway to negotiate a reasonable price. Twilight Sparkle, on the other hand – or hoof, agrees on Cadance but her suggestion is that Celestia and Luna bring the letters from all the mares around Equestria and try to compromise with their mother for an agreement of the pay. Otherwise, more and more single mares will be complaining about their heat and low self-esteem and; worst case scenario, turn against their ruler for not helping them.

Finally...Celestia made her decision. She dismisses Twilight and Cadance while her sister escorted her to an underground vault within the castle, where both royal sisters keep their money, treasure, and prized artifacts safely hidden. Celestia hopes that her mother will understand for not only will it save her money of what's left over, but will also help the mares around Equestria.

The Princess of the Sun and the Princess of the Moon traveled to the Northern Hemisphere. Their destination is Queen Faust's kingdom. Though, to all of us here in Equestria, from humans to ponies, no one nor nopony knows where that's located, except the R.A.S. And the Royal Family. As Celestia made her presence known to her mother, she and Luna presented the letters and tries her best to negotiate a deal about the ban and saving a sum portion of what's ever left of her money. After reading the letters, Faust, being generous that she is, decides to take the money and end the lockdown. Unfortunately, Faust told Celestia and Luna that stretching the rules of royalty and not paying the full amount, as it's written in the ESM, will result in one strike. If they get two more, both sisters will be dethroned permanently! However, for the fact that Celestia pleaded and was being honest on the situation that's happening in Equestria, she will let it slide and just give her a warning. Both sisters couldn't be anymore happier and made their way back home to Canterlot, not before saying a “thank you” to their mother.

Back in Canterlot, Princess Celestia informs her guards to spread the news to the press about the lockdown is ineffective and that they have the authority to bring humans to Equestria. Off the guards went as the sisters came up with another plan as they have 27 days to find two new humans before to take Eric and Victor's numbers, as they are dubbed as Surrogates. Plus, after they find those two new humans, their next step is to find forty-three new humans from the Earth before the second week of October as they have plans coming up like prepping up for the anticipated Nightmare Night Concert in Ponyville and hiring the best musicians around Equestria to entertain the guests.

From October 5th – October 8th , both Princesses did their royal duties of watching every single human in Equestria and bringing in the number of humans as they discussed. Of course, two of those humans became the next troublemakers that led to Equestria's 3rd and 4th  lockdowns and even gave both royal sisters their two strikes before termination. Their names are Adrian Murphy, the 102nd human of Equestria, and Nathan James, the 133rd.

Adrian Murphy's story all began when he lived his whole life in the motor city, aka Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 8, his father once took him to a KISS concert at the Joe Louis Arena. When Adrian went there, he felt as though he found his calling card as he listened to the powerful vocals of Paul Stanley and rocking to the powerful rhythm coming from Gene Simmons' axe guitar, Eric Singer's drum beats, and Tommy Thayer's guitar squeal. When the show was over, Adrian and his father were on they way back home when he told his dad this statement:

“Dad, after seeing KISS for the first time, and falling in love with their music, I decide on what I want to do when I grow up: I want to start my own band and be as popular as KISS is. I want to be rich, live in a mansion, win awards, create my own record studio; I want to do it all! This is the best night ever and thank you so much, dad! I love you.”

From his childhood to his middle school years, Adrian began to study and do research on how to start a band and how to write lyrics for a song that had a meaning and purpose. He read books, mostly autobiographies and historical, about some of the best rock and heavy bands from the early days to the present time. When his birthday came and Christmas approach, the only things he wanted were CDs of his favorite bands and a bass guitar that came with an amplifier. His parents were very fascinated in his interest that they went ahead and signed him up for a studio that offers music lessons, from singing to playing instruments.

During his 7th grade year, his cousin from Grand Rapids, Devin Weathers, Jr. aka DJ as his nickname, came to Detroit for a visit. His purpose of visiting Adrian was to tell him two important things he should know about. First, when he heard from family members about Adrian wanting to be in the music industry, Devin thought about joining, too. Like his cousin, Devin had dreams of being in a band and beoming popular among the public. Finally, his last bit of news to tell, he's going to be transported from his school in Grand Rapids to Adrian's. When asked “why”, DJ's response was to help his cousin out with his music and teach him the ropes. For you see, DJ's father was rock and roll enthusiast and that he traveled with a band, mostly college buddies, that hosted parties and weddings with good pay. During his childhood, DJ's father taught him on how to play drums and turntables and even went as far as to take a family trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, where he learned about some amazing bands and musicians like Queen, Steely Dan, Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Billy Joel, Velvet Underground; and so on and so on.

Years later, as they two proceeded to finish up their Senior year in high school, DJ and Adrian placed an ad on the school's bulletin board near the front office to any student in the school that's interested in starting a music band and that practice will begin from 5PM – 9PM everyday, everyweek, with three spots opened for three other musicians. The spots opened are two guitarists and keytarist, auditions will be held at Adrian's home, inside of his garage. Finally, the ad stated that anyone can respond via Adrian's Myspace page. Both of the boys thought it would work and waited for a response.

And they waited...

And they waited another week...

And two weeks go by...

Nothing!

Adrian, very eager to start his music career, told his cousin DJ that this ad was a waste of time wanted to take it down. For the past few weeks, he checked his Myspace profile and received no responses. He just didn't get it and thought maybe there was an error on the ad or maybe auditioning at a garage was rather creepy. It didn't take long for DJ to find out why as he told Adrian: everyone uses Facebook now! Duh! So the ad was taken down and revamped to include Adrian's new Facebook account.

Then, he finally got messages on the third week of November from three different guys...one of them, of course, was Nathan James, who happened to live in Grosse Point on E. Jefferson Ave, just about five minutes away from the school. All three messages from Nathan and the other two high schoolers are interested in trying out for Adrian's band and want in on the facts. The two cousins couldn't be any happier.

“...So I'm going to guess for the record,” I told Dean. “Nathan and Adrian became the two humans that came to Equestria at the same time, right?”

“Yeah,” Dean responded. “But...I DIDN'T GET TO THAT PART YET!!! Shut up and let me tell the rest of the story!”

“Okay, alright! I'm sorry. Go ahead!”

“...So, Adrian, DJ, Nathan, and the other two guys, named Phillip and Lenard; ended up getting together for their first tryout session in the garage...”

As Dean went on, Adrian and his band began their practice session throughout their Senior year before May, aka Graduation Month, hits. During this time, Adrian came up with the band's name: The Motor City Mustangs. They got the name from two things: Detroit is nicknamed the Motor City for its mass productions of cars and Mustangs for the fact that Adrian's first car was a 2011 white V6 that his parents bought for him and that his parents are Ford Mustang enthusiasts. During his previous time in high school, Adrian spent most of his time writing songs that dealt with the economy in Detroit, the crime, heartbreak, and finding love.

With everything prepared, the band was ready to perform for their first gig. And what better time when the month of April arrived for the high school's talent show on Saturday of the 4th week. MCM spent the remaining three weeks practicing their music all night after school, after work, and sometimes during the weekends when they don't have plans. Though, the only song they chose to perform, out of all the songs Adrian wrote, was “Heavy Rider”, an alternative rock song that describes the singer as a drifter who just entered town and decides to be rebellious against the laws within the town. In case of encore, they'll play the next song entitled “Velocity”, a thrash, punk song that talks about someone that wants to fly high and fast. Sounds like two good songs to entertain the crowd and all members had high hopes for it.

When the day came for talent show, held at the school's gymnasium, the Motor City Mustangs decided to perform last while letting the other contestants go before them. After the crowd witnessed a martial arts stand off, a reenactment of a movie scene with wooden acting (not that it was bad), a cliché magic trick, a comedian who only got a few good laughs from not-so-bad jokes, it was time for the Mustangs to perform. With Adrian Murphy on the mic, DJ at the drums, Nathan James as bass player, Phillip and Lenard as guitarists, the band began playing their song in front of students and attendees.

When it came to a final decision from the judges, it was predictable that the Mustangs won 1st place. They are rewarded with a trophy for Best in Show and, to make things better, a photograph in the school's yearbook. What else? Right after the band members went to their separate homes, Adrian Murphy went home, along with DJ, to check out their Facebook accounts on their laptops. To their surprise, both of their facebook pages received 100+ Friend Requests from different people and countless messages about the talent show and that they all love their song “Heavy Rider.” Both cousins were very happy that DJ decided to create a Motor City Mustangs fanpage and invite their new friends to help support the band. Plus, as a bonus, Adrian told DJ to include a new ad for having the Mustangs perform at all types of parties: birthday, get togethers, midnight; etc.

With graduation coming up next week, Adrian wrote on the fanpage some bad news to the fans. Nathan James, the bassist for the Mustangs, decided to leave MCM as he received a scholarship for an acting school in Los Angeles, CA. It also stated that Nathan wanted to pursue a movie career than a music career and wants everyone to give him the best of luck. Responses from most of the fans had been mixed, with some ranging “good luck” to “who cares? Nathan is not that special”. Upon reading these messages, Adrian just shook his head and brush off from the comments and decide to move forward. Besides, he barely reached the tip of the iceberg of having his band become a world wide hit.

However, those chances soon fell rock bottom.

During the summer, with Phillip replacing Nathan's role, attending several parties with pay, and reaching 1,000 fans; the Motor City Mustangs caught a break on how to get in the music industry. One night, Lenard e-mailed DJ via MSN that he was listening to Detroit's local rock station, 101 WRIF, that a Battle of the Bands tournament would be held at the Joe Louis Arena during the 3rd week of July. The winning band would receive a contract from SCRATCH That! Records and would then start recording their songs within the next following week for their first album. No doubt that this put a smile on DJ's face and sent a text message to Adrian, who was too busy working the night shift at Dollar General. When Adrian came home later, he went on Facebook and announced that the Mustangs would be in the Battle of the Bands tournament and he alone was very excited.

On the second week of July, a fan of the Mustangs asked the band if they can perform at her backyard for a party, with a payment of $250 on a Saturday. Adrian Murphy replied by saying sure and they would be delighted to do a mini concert for her and the guests. When the day came, the Mustangs began to entertain the crowd and their fans throughout the night with their hits songs, including new ones written by DJ and Adrian. Everything was going well as some thought...until three random party guests ruined it by throwing beer bottles on the stage. As that happened, Adrian orders his band to stop playing and calls out the perpetrators who try to ruin the party. Out from the crowd came three somewhat gothic, looking guys. From what Dean described them to me, they were wearing black jumpsuits (similar to Slipknot's jumpsuits), black finger nail paint, and sporting devil locks. To my guess, they're like a carbon copy of the Misfits, without the cool factor in it. The three mysterious Misfist rip offs are the Sycho Sikcos from a different high school in Michigan. The three are named Gurney, Muerto, and the vocalists of the band, RIP. Adrian asked what the deal is and why they interrupted the performance. RIP tells them that his band, the Sikcos, had heard about the Mustangs being popular in Detroit and how many fans they have on Facebook, while the Sikcos only had 115 fans. The gothic, wannabe band leader then claim that the Mustangs were trying to steal the spotlight away from them and they demand it back. RIP then said that the Sikcos would be in the Battle of the Bands tournament, and more so, threatened that if the Mustangs win the contest and the contract deal with SCRATCH That! Records, there will be hell to pay. DJ gets off his drum set, grabs the microphone away from Adrian, and tells the rival band this following statement:

“You fuckers want a challenge? You'll get a fucking challenge! When we win that contract, our first song for our first album would be to diss your sorry asses for our ruining our gig and how much your high school sucks, the same high school that I left years ago. I left because you guys kept shoving down your fucking music down everyone's throats when I told you straight up that nobody wants it! We'll see you in the tournament, bitch!”

July came and it was time for the Battle of the Bands tournament at the Joe Louis Arena, with other bands from around the state of Michigan participating in the contest. The whole arena was filled with 3,000 people attending the contest, mostly from rock fans, friends, and family of the participating bands. The judges of the contest were the staff members and disc jockeys of 101 WRIF and a producer  from SCRATCH That! Records. As expected, the Motor City Mustangs went head to head with Sycho Sikcos in the finals to determine who would win the contract. Both bands battle one at a time performing two songs of their own choosing in order to impress the fans and the judges.

In the end, after an unpredictable tie that lead to a Sudden Death, there was only one winner that outlasted fourteen different bands and won by an unanimous decision: the Motor City Mustangs!

The arena erupted in thunderous applause and cheers from fans, family, and friends. Adrian, DJ, and the other two members began celebrating by hugging and high-fiving each other for a job well done. They are about one step closer of being famous around the nation, they can just feel it. The producer of SCRATCH That! Records walks onto the stage holding the bands prized possession – the contract – and was ready to give it to them when...

BANG!

The sound of a gun going off echoed throughout the arena! An explosion of screams and panic from the crowd fill up to the rafters! Innocent people and staff members ran to several different exits as police and security guards are alerted to enter the main stage.

“...There was blood on the stage.” Dean spoke softly and sadly as he began to feel guilty while telling the story. He finished his first cigar and lits another one to calm himself down. “Lenard and Phillip...ran off like cowards, leaving Adrian and his cousin behind.”

“But...who was shot?” I asked with concerned.

Dean sighs. “It was...Devin...or DJ. Shot right in the spinal cord at a precise aim.”

“...My god.” I quielty replied as I shook my head in disbelief. “That's...tha...that's terrible!”

Sea Swirl, who happened to be sitting and listening to the story, nods. “Adrian never had a chance to save him. The shooter...happened to be...the leader of that rival band.”

“The Sikcos!” I chimed in. “It was RIP that did it! Correct?”

“Yeah.” Dean responded. “He hid a CZ 75 in one of his bandmates guitar case and he was planning to use it in case his band didn't win the tournament. Adrian remained on the stage protecting DJ from another bullet from RIP, but thankfully the police came and ordered RIP to drop his weapon. RIP refused and tries to fire back, only for the cops to have no choice but to defend themselves and shot RIP in the chest.”

“Did he die?”

“Nope. He lived...and was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors were able to save him...though...the Detroit PD had to slap the cuffs on him once he gets out.”

“What about Adrian and DJ? What happened to the Mustangs?”

“DJ was hospitalized and then the doctor broke the news to the remaining Mustangs...”

As the story goes, DJ was transported via ambulance to Detroit Receiving Hospital: Jones Natasha, where doctors worked fast to save him. In the waiting room, the remaining members of the Mustangs, DJ's family and friends, and the fans of the Mustangs awaited word from doctors as to know what condition DJ is in. Midnight came, with most of the fans leaving but the family and band remained in the room. Finally, a male doctor comes in and breaks the news to them, some good news and bad news, that is. The good news: DJ would live. However, there was some bad news...and one that somehow led the Motor City Mustangs to their downfall: the bullet from RIP's gun shattered both DJ's L1 and L2 vertebrates, thus leaving him paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life.

The family members and friends were relieved but not really happy about the outcome. Sure, DJ would live but he can't walk no more. He'll be in a wheelchair forever and would now need some assistance to get around the house. Not only that, the Motor City Mustangs had now lost another member...and more so, their strongest link of the group. With a final plea, Adrian asked the doctor if he could see his cousin before leaving, in which the doctor allowed. Adrian goes inside the room to see DJ and ask if he's okay. DJ responded that he'll be fine but he won't be checking out of the hospital anytime soon. He also said to Adrian that since he won't be playing the drums anymore, he tells him one last request, a request that is more devastating than losing two band members and one that he would regret: disband MCM.

Adrian looked at his cousin, feeling puzzled. He asked DJ to repeat his statement again. He said, once again, said to disband the Mustangs because without him, the group won't be as popular as they were if they had replacements, in his opinion. Instead, their fans will turn on them and would leave en masses if that somehow happened.

Normally, it would be understandable as to announce a break up and they would still have their fans that would somehow still listen to their music, even if they were not on top of the world yet.

Adrian, however, said no because this was his dream to be in the music industry. He believed that he can find some new members and that their fans can still support them. He was not about to quit just yet and he thinks that the Mustangs would go on without him. Besides, the Mustangs have a contract with SCRATCH That! Records and even with him being paralyze, he can just have a front row seat.

What Adrian does not know, however, is that the contract states that the winning band must start recording their first album in THREE DAYS without delays!

After everyone left the hospital, Adrian went straight home until received a phone call from Lenard. Lenard asked on what DJ's condition is and what the Mustangs should do. Adrian replied to Lenard on what DJ told him and about a break up. However, instead of a break up, he insists that the band continues as they can find replacements for both Nathan and DJ. Lenard disagreed with that idea and said that the contract expires in three days and they have no time to find new members. He believed that it was a stupid idea to begin with and that no one in Detroit can match the same rhythmic style as DJ's drums and Nathan's bass. Finally, he would go on and said that a Facebook announcement of a disbandment sounds better.

Adrian didn't want to hear any of this and asked if Lenard could do drums. Lenard says no because he has no experience, neither does Phillip. Then, Adrian gets another call on his phone on another line. It was Phillip and he answers. On the other line, Phillip breaks the bads news: he wants to leave the band because with two guys gone, the Motor City Mustangs are useless and there's no point of going forward.

If Adrian's anger at the hospital wasn't bad enough, it just got worse. The MCM vocalists blew a gasket, tells Phillip to go fuck himself, and hangs up. He goes back to Lenard on the 1st line and tells him that Phillip is out. However, there was no answer. Lenard just hung up and never said anything. Putting his phone away, Adrian decides to just go to bed and forget about what just happened. Hoping this stuff would be resolved tomorrow.

It doesn't!

The next morning, Adrian checked the Mustangs' fan page on Facebook. He was going to post a message to his fans about DJ's condition and what he wants to do with the group. However, before he even had a chance to write that, there were two brand new posts on the page by Lenard and Phillip. What he read really got him nuclear. Lenard and Phillip both posted that they are leaving the Mustangs, while Phillip ratted out on Adrian by calling him a “selfish, egotistical bastard” and Lenard adding that DJ was “the true leader of the Mustangs” and that Adrian was a “sorry ass punk that stole DJ's spotlight”.

Even more startling, there were a number of replies from fans agreeing with Lenard's post and more so, unlike the fanpage of the Mustangs. Worse, Adrian Murphy's Facebook page received more than 1,000 hate messages from his now ex-fans, telling him to die, calling him homoslurs, and saying that DJ is better than him.

Could it get any worse? Indeed! At around 2pm, Adrian Murphy went back to work at Dollar General, ignoring the events that happened yesterday and this morning. Then, his cell phone goes off. He checks the phone ID and the caller is coming from SCRATCH That! Records. The ex-Mustang informs his manager that he's going to the bathroom to answer the phone. As he answered, the caller turns out to be the producer, the same one who was at the Battle of the Bands tournament. The producer asks Adrian on what is the current status of his group. The young man responded by telling him that his cousin is still in the hospital and his remaining bandmates departed due to personal reasons. He even went as far as to say that he wants to get new bandmates and reform the Motor City Mustangs. The producer, on the other hand, informs him that's not acceptable and that the contract will expire in two days if MCM is not back together. He even tells Adrian that if he doesn't get Phillip and Lenard back to at least keep the band alive, then he loses the contract and hangs up the phone.

Now what? Those two words came to Adrian Murphy's mind once the call ended. He desperately sends both Lenard and Phillip a text message of him apologizing and that he wants them back. When work was over and after arriving home, he did receive a text message from Phillip and it read “Can you fucking die, already?”. Ten minutes later, Lenard sends a message saying “Do I even know you anymore? I guess not!”. The ex-Mustang began to sweat.

Two days later, the final blow happened: one a day off from work, Adrian Murphy gets a letter in the mail from SCRATCH That! Records and it read:

Thank you for your hard work and achievement on the Battle of the Bands Tournament. Unfortunately, at this time, we hereby apologize to inform you that your contract is invalid. We wish you the best of luck in the future.

SCRATCH That! Records

Adrian Murphy couldn't believe it! His dream of being famous were shattered in front of him. Bass player goes to Hollywood, cousin is paralyzed, fans lose interest, and two guitarists leave him in the dust. There's nothing left to do and nothing that can ever fix it. He tore the letter in pieces as he starts bawling and breaks his musical CDs that he collected in his past. Plus, the bass guitar with an amplifier that his parents gave to him end up being smashed into pieces. Finally, the outraged human took his laptop and smashes it on the ground, destroying the screen and hard drive.

With his home a total mess, with broken plastic, paper, metal, and glass everywhere; Adrian decides to just end it all. He goes to the kitchen and pulls out a small sharp knife from the drawer. He then proceeds to go to the bathroom and fill the tub up with water. Still clothed, he gets in and waits for the water to fill up to his chest. When the happened, Adrian slowly, and carefully aims the knife near his wrist...and closes his eyes!

*POOF!*

A magical ball of light erupted inside the bathroom. It startled Adrian Murphy so much that he drops the knife in the tub. He looks to his left and thought he was imagining things. Standing by his tub was Princess Celestia, smiling at him. Quickly, Adrian grabs the knife, in order to defend himself from this creature but the noble Princess prevents him from doing so with her magic. Celestia tells Adrian why she's here and that she wants to help him by bringing him to Equestria where he can start a new life.

As before like Eric Harper and Victor Edgington, Adrian Murphy accepts the offer and goes through the same exact procedures like the other humans.

Two weeks later, in Hollywood, CA, Nathan James, ex-member of the Mustangs, gets a close encounter with Princess Luna and she offers him a second chance to live in Equestria. What led to Nathan Jame's downfall? Long story short, as Dean told me, Nathan did not go to acting school. He completely lied about it to the Motor City Mustangs and “secretly” wanted out of the band. When Nathan James left the band, he did infact go to Hollywood, CA and stayed with a relative who owns a bar. His real motive is to audition for movies for a lot of major movie studios around the Hollywood area.

After searching through Craigslist and even going to appointments for interviews at studios, nothing happened. He even went as far to send a resume that made on online and send it to every movie studio office and awaited responses. Unfortunately, the responses he received were extremely negative and that none of the studios were interested in him. Worse, his relative will not allow him to work at the bar due to underage and nothing can be done.

Nathan James thought he made a big mistake and blames himself for leaving the Motor City Mustangs. With no money and no hope for a career, Nathan decides to take his own life by jumping 19 stories from his relative's apartment. Without having a second thought rush through, he leaps...only to be saved by Princess Luna.

Nathan is then accepted into Equestria and resides in Las Pegasus, near AppleWood. Hopefully, he can somehow get a chance to be in a movie. What he does not know, however, is that his former bandmate, Adrian Murphy, is also living in Equestria in Manephis, the city of music.

Though, what both of them don't know, their time in Equestria will not last that long.