Of Bands and Battles

"Hey Bass, your A is a bit flat," Power called to his brother as they cooled down from their latest song.

"Hey Bass, your A is a bit flat," Bass mimicked sourly, turning the appropriate peg with his teeth to adjust the pitch.

"Sorry, I thought you might want to know that you sound like crap."

"Oh, buck you, you didn't even want me here."

"Well excuse me for worrying about my little brother!"

"For alicorns' sake, both of you shut up!" Wing Beat flew between the two unicorns and cuffed them with her wings.

"Sorry," Bass sighed. He tried his A string again and nodded at the now-correct pitch it produced. "Let's try it again."

Thunder ground his teeth. Those three had been snapping at each other since they walked in, and Thunder had just been doing his best to stay out of it lest he say something they'd all regret. "Alright," he forced himself to say calmly, "Wing?"

Wing Beat knocked her drumsticks together to set the time and they launched into the next song on their list.

The song sounded about as good as the rest of their practice had, which was to say that the correct notes were played at the correct times. Though there was nothing techinally wrong with their playing, all four could immediately tell that it wasn't right either. Whatever it was that made their music work—the heart, the intensity, the magic, whatever you wanted to call it— simply wasn't there.

After powering through an uncomfortable four minutes, Thunder finished the song with a long, drawn-out growl as the instruments faded out. He took a deep breath, more of a sigh, and turned to look back at the others. Bass was downcast, staring at the floor. Power was gritting his teeth in frustration, and Wing Beat glared angrily. Thunder felt a flash of anger as well, but he forced it down. He made himself remember that these were his closest friends, and that they were going through something he didn't understand. With a massive exertion of willpower, he managed to speak in a normal voice.

"Guys, I think we should call it a day."

"It hasn't even been an hour," Power Chord protested. "The Battle's in less than a week."

"It's obvious we aren't getting anything done here," Thunder replied.

"Because of me, right?" Bass snapped.

Thunder stomped angrily. "I didn't say that."

"But you're thinking it. Look, I know you guys weren't planning to tell me about the Battle. You don't think I can handle it."

"Bass, you had just tried to kill yourself," his brother said.

"Yeah, I bucked up, alright? I know! But we're a band, and you don't seem to think that I'm part of that band anymore."

"You need to putting words in our mouths," Wing told him. "Nopony thinks you shouldn't be in the band anymore."

"You've got a funny way of showing it. Really makes a stallion feel welcome, knowing that his friends don't want him playing in the Battle with them."

"Bass Groove, you need to bucking stop." Thunder thrust a hoof into Bass's face. "We were worried about you, and maybe we should have brought it up, but we didn't want you freaking out over the Battle when you had bigger problems. Now pull your bucking head out of your plot."

Bass stared at the hoof right under his muzzle. He gritted his teeth as his eyes teared up, then he turned abruptly and started walking away from the others. "Sorry," he muttered. "You're right."

"Bass!" Power Chord galloped over to his brother.

"Just... just leave me alone, alright? We'll get together tomorrow for practice."

Thunder sighed and ran a hoof through his tangled mane. He wasn't sure if he'd just made things better or worse. "What do you say we give it another day? Let's meet up the day after tomorrow, once everypony's cooled off."

He looked around and the others nodded with varying degrees of reluctance.

"It's only the first round of the Battle anyway," Power Chord reasoned. "We'll just be up against local bands, we're a horseshoe-in to win."

"Yeah, we don't need to practice every day between now and then," Wing agreed. "We'll meet up once or twice more, but we'll be alright."

Thunder nodded. "Sounds good. I'm gonna go see Berry. Take care of yourselves, alright?"

"Right. You too." Wing answered. Power simply nodded, and Bass did not respond at all.

Thunder left the studio and caught a cab for the train station. Within an hour he was on the train to Ponyville.

He had a very strange history with Ponyville. It was where he had spent the worst time of his life, and yet he had nothing but good memories of the place. His three bandmates had all been taken by a monster called Cacophony, and Thunder had wound up in Ponyville after a failed operation by the Royal Guard to subdue the creature. It turned out to be more than coincidence; Princess Celestia had a hoof in the entire thing, and she had made sure that he would find his way to Ponyville and the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, just in case her guards failed.

Thunder had been anything but easy to deal with back then. He'd been angry at himself and the world, prone to shouting at ponies who didn't deserve it and wanting nothing except to drink himself to oblivion. The six Bearers, as he'd heard them called, had helped him through those dark times with patience and understanding, even at his worst. Working together, they had managed to defeat Cacophony and bring back everyone the monster had taken, including Thunder's bandmates.

He'd come a long way with the help of those six ponies and one other: Berry Punch, his not-quite-marefriend. They'd started as drinking buddies and had become something more, though they'd never made their relationship "official," whatever the buck that was supposed to mean. Right now he just wanted to spend time with someone who wouldn't make him want to kick something.

As the train left Manehattan and wound its way through the countryside, Thunder nosed open his saddlebags and pulled out a flask. He didn't remember what he'd put in there, but the comforting weight assured him that it was something. He unscrewed the cap and a quick sniff revealed what he was in for: whiskey. Not his favorite, but it would do. He took a long pull as he watched the world outside go by.

His body and thoughts relaxed by the fuzzy warmth of the liquor, Thunder turned his thoughts toward what was happening within My Metal Pony. His bandmates—his friends—were going through tough times, and he had no idea what to do about it. He tried to be a good friend, as Twilight and the others had been for him, but it didn't seem to be helping. The simple truth was that they were falling apart, as a band and as ponies.

He took another swig and rested his head against the window, lost in thought.

"Sir?" A hoof gently shook his shoulder. "Sir?"

"Mm. Wha?" Thunder peeled his face away from the window and blinked bleary eyes. At some point his brooding meditation had turned into a nap.

"Sir, this is your stop."

Thunder shook his head to knock his jumbled thoughts into order. "Right. Thanks." He slung his saddlebags over his back and trotted out of the train. The ride from Manehattan to Ponyville was not a short one, and the sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon to make way for Luna's moon.

Princess Luna was another one who had helped him during those bad times. She was the one who had taught him to be open and honest with his friends, to talk about what was bothering him so that they could work through it. That was what he had come to Ponyville to do.

Thunder passed through the market near the center of town, where most of the vendors were just beginning to pack up for the night. He waved to the few that he recognized from his last time here, but he didn't see any sign of Berry.

"Oof!" Thunder grunted as he was unexpectedly hit in the side by a yellow blur with a large pink ribbon on its head. "Hi, Apple Bloom."

"Well howdy, Thunder!" Applejack, one of the ponies who had helped defeat Cacophony, waved her Stetson to get his attention. "Ya shoulda told me you were comin' to town!"

"Hey Applejack," he trotted over and accepted a hug from his friend, "I didn't know I was coming myself. I just... I need to see Berry."

"Everythin' alright?" Applejack asked. Something in his tone worried her.

Thunder grunted. "Not really, no."

"Shoot, sorry ta hear that. Well, you know where to find her."

Thunder chuckled wryly. "Sure do. Thanks, AJ."

Thunder trotted off toward the bar that Berry ran. The mare was well-known for sampling her own wares, but she still ran a good business—especially considering that it was the only bar in this small town.

Thunder pushed the door open and stepped into the dimly lit room. Rather than being gloomy, the low lights provided a pleasant atmosphere, giving patrons the sense that this was a quiet place to relax and unwind from the day. He clopped a hoof on the bar.

"Maretini," he ordered, "with a kiss."

"Thunder!" Berry called, her face lighting up as she saw him. She laughed at his order. "Just a sec." The wine-colored mare poured the drink: gin and vermouth garnished with an olive. She set the glass down and tapped it with the vermouth bottle—the "kiss" Thunder had asked for—then set the bottle down and gave him the kiss he actually wanted.

"Do you even like maretinis?" Berry asked.

"Not really." Thunder picked up the drink and knocked it back quickly so he wouldn't have to taste the gin.

"What brings you to Ponyville?"

"Hey, do I need a reason to come visit?" Thunder evaded.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you," Berry said with a slight tilt to her head, "but isn't your band in a big competition soon? Shouldn't you be practicing?"

Thunder winced. "How'd you hear about that?"

"It's been all over the radio," Berry answered, "and it's all Vinyl's been talking about lately."

Of course. Vinyl Scratch, also known as DJ Pon3, was a Ponyville local. She couldn't enter the Battle herself since it wasn't her genre of music, but no doubt she was excited about it.

"Something wrong, hun?" Berry prodded him.

"Yeah," Thunder sighed. "Things aren't going so good with the band."

"Oh. That sucks." Berry glanced around the bar. It would be getting busy soon as ponies finished the day's work and filtered in, but for now it was almost empty. "What's the matter?"

"Everything," Thunder grumbled. He shook his head and tried again without the melodrama. "The others are still really messed up from when they were absorbed by Cacophony. They've all got issues, and it's starting to mess up the band as a whole. We don't work well together anymore."

Berry nodded slowly. "I know what you mean. I was only in there for a couple of days before you all saved me, and it gave me nightmares for weeks. To have been stuck there for over a month..." she shook her head.

"You got counseling for it," Thunder said. He'd been unsure about it, but Berry had made the decision herself. "Did it help?"

"Yes, it helped a lot," Berry answered. "They've actually set up a clinic in Canterlot for Cacophony's victims. I'm surprised you haven't heard about it."

"We're pretty hard to get ahold of sometimes," Thunder mumbled, remembering the lengths the Battle's sponsors had to go to just to make sure My Metal Pony knew they were invited. "If they sent us anything, we might have missed it."

"Mm." Berry nodded again. "For what it's worth, I really think they should at least check it out."

"Canterlot, huh?" Thunder mused. "That's where it all ended." The caves beneath Canterlot were where the chaos spirit called Cacophony had made its home, and where the Bearers of Harmony had defeated it.

"And how are you doing?" Berry broke into his silence. "Aside from the stuff with the band, I mean. You're not having nightmares or anything of your own, are you?"

"Nah," Thunder shook his head, "Cacophony never got me, remember? I went through a bunch of manure when it got the others, but my friends helped me through it."

"That's the problem, isn't it?" Berry said. "Princess Twilight and the others got you through your bad times, and you're trying to do the same for your friends now."

"I..." Thunder chewed on that for a moment. "Yeah, I guess that's it. I don't really know how to be a good friend. Alicorns know I haven't had much practice at it."

"Thunder Growl, you are a great friend," Berry scolded him, "and I won't hear a word against that."

Thunder snorted. "No. Twilight and the others always know just what to say, or what to do. Me? I just yelled at Bass right after he tried to kill himself."

"He did what?" Berry gasped. "Oh my stars, is he okay?"

"He's alive, if that's what you mean. Doctor says he's got nerve damage, or muscle damage, or something. His leg might not fully heal."

Berry's eyes filled up. Thunder bit back a sigh; he'd forgotten how prone Ponyville folk were to tears.

"Hey," he reached a hoof across and laid it on Berry's, "come on, I just said he's alive. Don't cry."

"Sorry." Berry took a moment to master herself. "Well, right now it's my turn to be a good friend." She leaned across the bar. "I think I know just how to cheer you up," she said, her voice husky.

Thunder's eyes dilated and he licked his lips unconsciously. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Without breaking eye contact, Berry pulled a bottle of apple brandy from under the bar and set it between them. Thunder looked from the mare to the bottle and laughed. "Yeah, that'll work too."

"S'like I was sayin'," Thunder slurred to the stallion next to him, making some sort of point about a story that was a tangent to another story which had branched off from whatever they'd originally been talking about, "a good friend always knows how to make a pony feel better, an' that Berry's a good friend."

"Well, it's not hard making ponies feel better when you run a bar," the stallion answered with a guffaw.

"I'll drink ta that!" Thunder sloppily poured a bit more cider into his mouth.

"Alright, bucks and fillies, last call," Berry's voice carried through the bar.

"Ah, buck." Thunder wondered if he could down what was left of this drink in time to order another before the bar closed. He considered the state of his thoughts and his stomach and decided against it. Instead he slapped another hooffull of bits on the bar as a tip and used the time to make one last trip to the bathroom.

A few minutes later Thunder, feeling significantly more comfortable, returned to the bar to down the last couple mouthfuls of his cider. Only he and a couple of other patrons remained, Berry had closed the bar, and was currently cleaning up for the night.

Thunder finished his last drink and gave a huge yawn. It was getting late, and the alcohol was making him tired. He must have dozed off for a minute, because he was surprised to feel warm, comforting hooves wrapped around him.

"Come here, you," Berry said quietly, pulling him in for a deep kiss.

Thunder sighed and nuzzled into her shoulder, drawing strength from her nearness.

"I take it you're staying in Ponyville tonight?" Berry said.

"I'm sure not goin' anywhere like this," Thunder slurred, proving the truth of his words as he tried to stand and stumbled.

"Good," Berry purred. "Just give me a few minutes to finish up here and you can stay with me."

"Thanks," Thunder said, and meant it. He waited around for the short time it took Berry to finish cleaning and putting everything away.

When she was ready, Berry walked past him toward the door. She flicked his nose suggestively with her tail. "Coming?"

Thunder gave a low chuckle. "Probably."