A change of plans, a trainride to Baltimare, and an experience Fluttershy will remember.
“You CAN’T cancel! You PROMISED!”
Rainbow Dash had hoped that bringing Scootaloo to Sugarcube Corner and treating her to a cupcake would soften the blow, but the tears in the eyes of her adopted little sister nearly brought the same to her. Nonetheless, the blue pegasus does her best to maintain a steely resolve as she explains her situation.
“Dering Do came to me just this morning; she needs me, and time is of the essence. I gotta be on the train to the Crystal Empire tomorrow morning.
“But the concert is tomorrow night only,” the foal pleads, “and you already got the tickets!”
“You don’t think I want to go? You have any idea how long that line was to get those tickets? How many bits I had to pony up? Believe me, this is hurting me as much as it’s hurting you … but you know I’m the Element of Loyalty: when The Call comes, I have to answer!”
Scootaloo wanted to protest longer, if only to vent her frustrations, but her heart no longer had it in her. She simply looks down at her half-eaten cupcake, processing the bad news. Rainbow Dash flutters over the table and gives her a warm hug.
“There’ll be other concerts,” Dash assures. “There’ll be other activities. I promise you, once I get back from this adventure, I’ll make the time. I may not be the Element of Honesty, but you have my word.”
At last, a faint smile emerges from the orange filly. She hugs Dash tightly in return, fighting back more tears.
“You know,” Dash says as they finally separate, “just because I can’t make the concert doesn’t mean you can’t. And it’d be a shame to let these tickets go to waste.”
“Really?” Scootaloo meekly replies? “You want me to go with somepony else?”
Rainbow Dash had thought long and hard during her flight from Cloudsdale. “As a matter of fact, I have the perfect pony in mind. Follow me.”
“ME???”
Fluttershy was surprised enough to greet Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo at her door. Now she was being asked to chaperone the little pegasus to a rock concert, of all things? “Why me? I mean, I’m sure Pinkie Pie would love to go to an event like this.”
“I’m sure she would,” Rainbow Dash explains, “and I’d take her in a heartbeat if it was the two of us … but I just don’t know that I can trust her watching over Scootaloo at an event like this. She’s not the most … ‘responsible’ pony around. But you’ve foalsat all the CMCs, and you did a great job of it. I can trust Scootaloo in your care.”
“I’m certainly touched by your faith, but what about Applejack or Rarity?”
“I don’t think it’d be fair to Apple Bloom to ask her sister to take Scootaloo and not her. Same thing with Sweetie Belle.”
“OK. And what about—“
“Twilight?” Rainbow Dash smiles as she answers, trying her best to hold in a laugh. “She’s awesome and all, but Twilight at a rock concert? The whole universe could explode if she ever attended a rock concert!” The smile on her face disappears quickly as Dash regains a solemn façade and pleads with Fluttershy. “Seriously, though, you’re the only one I trust to take Scootaloo, and I could really use your help.”
“Well, I mean I would have no trouble watching over Scootaloo … but couldn’t we just have a picnic in the park tomorrow? That would be so much more relaxing, don’t you think? And beside … what is this ‘Metallicolt’?”
Before Rainbow Dash can respond, Scootaloo fields the question with pure enthusiasm. “Metallicolt is only the coolest, most awesome musical group around! They got incredible guitar riffs, a pumping bass, flank-kickin’ drums, and the most super-awesome lead singer anypony’s ever heard, Hayfield! Once they start playing, you just wanna rock!” She proceeds to vigorously move her head back and forth, banging it on some imaginary wall. Fluttershy can only observe in stunned silence.
“Seriously, I’m gonna be so jealous of you two! So what d’ya say? Can I count on you?”
“Oh, I still don’t know. I mean, the crowd of ponies. Loud music. It all just seems … overwhelming.”
Rainbow Dash assumes a serious tone. “Look, I really didn’t want to go here, but … you remember when I saw those butterflies with you and you were supposed to watch the dragons with me in return? Remember how you backed out of that? You owe me one, Fluttershy.” She resumes a more cheerful look before continuing, “And hey, there won’t be any dragons at this concert.” At least, I hope not. If Fluttershy gets to meet a dragon Metallicolt fan, I’m gonna be super-jealous!
Fluttershy sighs. “Well … if it means that much to you and Scootaloo …”
“WOOHOO!!!” Scootaloo gives Fluttershy a big hug, her wings buzzing with anticipation. “Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you-thank-you-thank-you … I’ll be here tomorrow morning, so we can catch the noon-time train to Baltimare. Thanks again, Fluttershy! You’re awesome!” She quickly turns to Rainbow Dash and gives her one final big hug as well. “And thank you for the tickets! I’ll tell you everything about the concert when you get back!”
“Hey, don’t have too much fun without me,” Dash teases. “Thanks again, ‘Shy. I knew I could count on you. I gotta get ready to catch the morning train to the Crystal Empire; Dering Do’s gonna meet me on the train. I’ll talk to both of you when I get back.”
After a final goodbye, Rainbow Dash turns to the front door and streaks out of the cottage towards the sky. Scootaloo hops on her scooter and zips away, leaving the yellow pegasus to contemplate what she agreed to do.
Fluttershy had never seen so many ponies on the train; she was just grateful they had seats once their car reached ‘standing room only’ levels. She takes in the scene while Scootaloo looks out the window and watches the landscape blur by.
She couldn’t help but feel naked, as nearly everypony in the car had on a black shirt, most with a stylized ‘M’ emblazoned on it. Many were isolated, bobbing their heads up and down while listening to headphones. Others conversed in groups of two and three, having music-related debates.
Scootaloo suddenly turns to Fluttershy. “So, you ever been to Baltimare?” The elder pegasus, caught off-guard, turns to the foal, noting the exhilaration in her voice.
“Um, no I haven’t. I don’t usually visit big cities, except when I’m with my friends. I mean, Manehattan is a great place, but I could never visit a place like that on my own.”
“Well what about stadiums? The concert is taking place where the Baltimare Colts play. You ever been in a stadium before?”
“Once … and I’d rather not talk about it if that’s OK.” Fluttershy remembered her one trip to a big-city stadium, and greatly hoped never to have a similar experience again. Eager to change the topic of conversation, Fluttershy asks her own question. “So tell me how you know about this ‘Metallicolt’ group. Have you ever been to one of their shows before?”
“I wish. I’ve never been to any rock concert before!”
“But what about Countess Coloratura?” Fluttershy’s question causes a nearby pegasus, dark blue with a short, slightly spiky black mane, and clad in black like so many others, to turn to her and deliver a rebuke.
“Pah! You think the Countess is rock? Lady, you’re crazy!”
Fluttershy turns to the strange pegasus. “Oh,” she says meekly, “did I say something wrong?”
“Hey, Coloratura may be the most popular performer in Equestria today, but she’s no rock star.” He pauses for a moment. “Waitaminute. You’re not going to the Metallicolt concert, are you?”
“Well as a matter of fact … yes, I am going to …” Fluttershy’s reply is quickly met by loud, incessant laughter.
“You? At a Metallicolt concert? I gotta say lady, you don’t strike me as the type who’d come to a Metallicolt concert!”
“Well, I’m really going as a favor to a friend. You see, Rainbow Dash was going to take Scootaloo here, but—“
“Whoa,” the blue pegasus suddenly interrupts. “You know Rainbow Dash? Now that impresses me, lady!”
“You … know her?”
“Are you kidding? I was at the competition when she delivered that sonic rainboom, and I’m a big fan of the Wonderbolts. That friend of yours is a real badass!”
The final word out of the pegasus’ mouth causes Fluttershy to blush. “I’m sorry, I’m not really comfortable with terms like …”
“Now wait a minute!” Scootaloo, hearing the conversation, refuses to stay silent any longer. “Fluttershy’s every bit as badass as anypony I know. She once saved my life by staring down a chicken!”
Fluttershy quickly turns to Scootaloo. “Um, actually, it was a cockatrice, but …” Her words are barely audible to her foal companion, as the strange pegasus bursts out in more laughter.
“Yeah, whatever,” the pegasus finally states dismissively, having laughed himself out. “Too bad your ‘friend’ isn’t coming; she’d appreciate this concert a lot more than you will. What a waste.” He grumbles to himself one last time, then turns to a few others standing around and joins a separate conversation.
Fluttershy turns to the window and sighs. Scootaloo, feeling a sense of guilt, addresses her: “I’m sorry Rainbow Dash and I forced you to come.”
The elder pegasus turns to face Scootaloo directly. “You have nothing to feel bad about. It was my decision to accompany you, and I have zero regrets about that. I’m sure once we get there that the concert will be simply … fine.”
“And I don’t care what anypony else thinks; I know you’re totally badass!” That word once again causes Fluttershy to cringe slightly.
“Now Scootaloo, I really don’t think you should be using language like that,” she quietly chides her young friend. “And besides, he’s absolutely right …” She turns again to the window. “I’m no … badflank.”
Content with the solitude that the passengers gave her and Scootaloo for the remainder of the trip, Fluttershy was relieved when the train finally pulled into Baltimare’s station in the late-afternoon. She urged the young pegasus to wait until the mass exodus of the passenger car was completed, so that they wouldn’t be separated during the mad dash off the train. Once the car was nearly empty, the two got up from their seats and walked outside.
It wasn’t hard to decide which way to go, as all they needed to do was follow the throng of black-clad ponies heading towards Baltimare Colts’ Stadium. She had wondered exactly what could keep pegasi from simply flying into the stadium without tickets, but from a distance she could see a large force-field, not unlike the one she experienced at Cadence’s and Shining Armor’s wedding, enveloping its exterior.
As they walked, Scootaloo’s wings buzzed away in anticipation of being inside. “Are you excited? I’m excited! This is gonna be awesome!” Fluttershy simply nodded and smiled as they walked.
“First concert?” The two turn around and eye a lime green earth pony, his forest-green mane spiked to resemble Lady Liberty’s crown in Manehattan.
“Um, yes it is,” Fluttershy replies in her usual, reticent manner.
“I’ve been to a dozen of these,” he cheerily states. “Seen a lot of acts. Green Hay, the Foal Fighters, Tantabus … but Metallicolt is still the best in my opinion! You two picked a great first rock act to take in!” He pauses for a moment. “Well, they were better before Mustang left the group, but still, they’re pretty awesome.”
“So, got any advice for a first-timer?” Scootaloo eagerly asks.
“Just be yourself and take it all in,” the pony replies. “And there’ll be a lot to take in, with the laser show and the pyrotechnics display.” He chuckles before continuing, “and if you want souvenirs, I hope you brought a lot of bits.”
Fluttershy blanches. “Oh my. Do they charge a lot for T-shirts and stuff?” Her question draws more laughter from the green pony, though this laughter, she perceives, is not aimed as a slight to the two of them.
“Well it’s not that big a deal. Besides, they usually fire off prize packages from a cannon before the show starts. Maybe you’ll get lucky and snag some swag!” By this point, he and the other two note that a gap has formed between themselves and the crowd ahead. “Oh, looks like we’re holdin’ ponies up. Enjoy the show, gals!” He nods one final time, then rushes ahead to join the lead pack. Scootaloo starts to pick up her pace, but Fluttershy bites her tail to hold her back.
“We’re moving at a good enough pace, and I don’t want to get separated. We can let others pass us.” As she speaks, dozens of unicorns and earth ponies push their way past them; above, other pegasi soar overhead towards the stadium. Scootaloo looks up at the latter, then dejectedly looks down at the ground as she walks.
“There’s no shame in walking,” Fluttershy reassures, aware of the foal’s inner anguish. “Besides, how many of those pegasi can say they were a part of the Equestrian Games?”
Scootaloo looks back up and forces a smile. “I know, but—“
“But nothing, Scootaloo. Never forget how …” Fluttershy pauses for a moment.
“Never forget how … badass you really are!”
The ‘B’ word catches Scootaloo off-guard, and she turns around with surprise in her eyes and renewed confidence in her heart. “You really think so?”
“Are you kidding? Everything that you and your Cutie Mark Crusaders went through to finally earn your cutie marks? And I don’t know anypony who can do the scooter tricks that you can do. You’re totally … bad …”
Fluttershy still recoils at the mere sound of the word, much less the idea that the word could come from her own voice. She’s spared from a second utterance, as Scootaloo gives her another hug; unicorns and earth ponies pass right on by, focused on getting to the stadium entrance.
“You know,” Scootaloo admits, after releasing her grip on Fluttershy, “if you really don’t want to do this, then we can always—“
“We’re going,” Fluttershy resolutely states, “and that’s that.”
Fluttershy finally understood why everypony was in such a hurry to get to the entrance.
She and Scootaloo were still two blocks away from the entrance when all movement ground to a halt. She could see in the distance the multitude of unicorns and earth ponies walking through the entrance gates two-at-a-time, with an elevated third entrance for pegasi to enter one-at-a-time. With their constant, slow rate of progress, she found herself and her foal friend at the back of the pack.
So much for getting any prizes from the cannon, she thought to herself, attempting to block out the possibility that they might miss the beginning of the concert. It proved a futile attempt, as Scootaloo grows restless and groans.
“Awww, come on! What’s taking this line so long?”
“I guess Metallicolt is as popular as you and Rainbow Dash made them out to be,” Fluttershy coolly responds. “Don’t worry, I’m sure they won’t start until everypony is in the stands.”
Scootaloo eyes a clock above the entrance gate. “They’re scheduled to start in 30 minutes! We’ll never make it in time!”
“Patience, Scootaloo.” Fluttershy considered Dash’s comment as to why she was the best choice to accompany the foal; the thought of Pinkie Pie waiting in line for such a length of time was simply incomprehensible, and she shuddered slightly at the thought of what the pink earth pony would do to speed things along.
Thirty minutes turned to twenty, then ten, but Fluttershy’s patience proved sage; the line steadily, if slowly, moves along as more and more ponies were admitted. A handful of pegasi try to fly through the barrier, but end up with a face full of force field; down below, the unicorns and earth ponies still in line get a laugh at the futile attempts of the would-be gate-crashers. Fluttershy didn’t think that spectacle all that funny or kind, but did not wish to say anything that would cause attention to be drawn to herself and Scootaloo; she holds her tongue as they edge closer to the gate.
With two minutes to go and darkness setting in, the two finally arrive at the gate. The ticket-taker eyes the twosome, wondering why two pegasi chose to wait in the ground-based lines, but simply checks the tickets for authenticity and instructs them to where they could find their spots in the stands. Once through the gate, the two race past the storefronts of eateries and souvenir shops and head right for the stairways up to the inner bowel of the stadium. Fortune smiles upon them, as they soon discover that their spots are located near the first stairway they come across; they rush up the stairs, only to find that they have to cross over a dozen ponies to get to their indicated locations.
“Excuse me … um, pardon me … I beg your pardon …” Fluttershy meekly excuses herself as she crosses over one pony after another, with Scootaloo following close by. She can hear a couple grumbles about how pegasi should be able to just fly over to their spots, but she pays them no heed. Scootaloo hears the grumbles too, but is too focused on getting to her spot to wallow in more self-pity.
Fluttershy glances out at the hoofball field once she finally gets to her proper spot. She eyes a quartet of ponies, all clad in plain black tees and focused on tuning their instruments as part of their final preparations. She takes in the spectacle: towering speakers on either side of the group, and the drums set up on a raised platform. She notes that her own view of the group is remarkable. Rainbow Dash must’ve bought the best seats available.
Before another thought can enter her mind, the lights suddenly switch off, leaving the audience in total darkness. The murmuring of the masses gives way to a roar of enthusiasm as a single bass starts echoing throughout the stadium. The bass is quickly assisted by a drum beat and guitar riff, as laser images begin to fill the sky. Fluttershy looks to either side, and all around her ponies are headbanging to the beat and the riffs. She turns to Scootaloo and smiles as even the foal is caught up in the experience.
As the beat and the riffs grow in volume and intensity, she starts to regret leaving earmuffs behind. The noise grows, and a small, throbbing pain begins to emanate in her head. She holds her forehooves to her ears to little avail as the lead-in to the first song reaches a crescendo. Seconds later, she hears Hayfield’s vocals for the first time.
Say your prayers, it’s the goal,
Don’t forget my foal,
To include everysooooooul!
This must be that ‘Enter Sandmare’ song Scootaloo told me about, Fluttershy thinks to herself. Then she remembers her saying that this is one of their quieter songs. Quieter? She holds her forehooves even more tightly to her ears as Hayfield continues.
The throbbing in her head reaches its apex … but slowly, Fluttershy adapts to the feeling. As the song gets into an instrumental interlude, she relaxes her forehooves and looks on. The laser show displays all sorts of images … demons, dragons, even a brief image of Discord … and the band plays on.
Exxxxxxxxiiiiiiiiiiit liiiiiiiiiiiiiiight,
Ennnnnnnnterrrrrrrrr niiiiiiiiiiiiight,
Graaaaaaaaaaaain of saaaaaaaaaaand …
We’re off to Never-Never Land!!!
The first song soon comes to an end, and a roar from the crowd that could fend off windigos envelops the stadium. Fluttershy turns to see her little companion cheering and hollering with the masses, and a warm feeling grows inside her. The thunderous stomping and cheering dies down after a few moments, and the band crank outs another song.
Thirty minutes in, and neither the band nor the crowd shows any sign of letting up. The music is loud and heart-pounding, driving the stadium into a frenzy with each passing song.
This is all so incredible, Fluttershy admits to herself as she scans the audience and takes in the atmosphere, all while the throbbing in her head plateaus at a level of near-tolerance. She had never been exposed to this type of music at any point in her life. Not as a filly in Cloudsdale, nor during all her time in Ponyville. The only music she’d ever been exposed to was benign, cheerful, serene. Now she was taking in lyrics dealing with war, pain, even death … and she thought back to the trials she’d endured throughout her life. The bullying she suffered as a foal, her first encounter with Nightmare Moon, staring down dragons and cockatrices, dealing with Discord, fighting off changelings … the music playing brought back images of all these events. And then she thought how she overcame all these events and how far she’s come, and was growing an appreciation for this genre of music.
She dared not try headbanging, though. Not with her mane.
As her mind wanders, she notices lights coming up all around the stadium as the cheering reaches a new level.
“Fluttershy, look!”
Her gaze follows Scootaloo’s forehoof as the latter points to the band. “The prize cannon? I thought they already did that.”
Hayfield addresses the crowd, his voice echoing through the speakers. “Thank you stallions and mares for coming out tonight! We got something extra special for one of you fine ponies: we’ve been saving this prize for last. ARE YOU READY???”
Another roar of anticipation from the crowd signals Hayfield to point the cannon and light the fuse. Moments later, an orb explodes from the cannon.
“IT’S COMING RIGHT AT US!!!” Scootaloo’s shrill exclamation is lost on Fluttershy, whose instincts take over before she can think. She floats up several feet into the air and double-somersaults, catching the orb with her tail and spinning it 360 degrees before winging it straight back at the band. With sharpshooter precision, the orb flies straight back into the cannon and smashes into the back of the barrel; the force of the shot splinters the barrel into several pieces as the cannon falls apart.
The wild cheering quickly gives way to cries of surprise, then murmurs of shock and confusion. Hayfield and his bandmates inspect the remains of the cannon, and the leader quickly turns back to the audience.
“WHO DID THAT???” Upon sensing the tone of anger in his voice, the crowd goes eerily silent.
Scootaloo turns to Fluttershy and whispers “What was that???”
“I don’t know,” she pleads, panic in her voice. “I guess it was all that buckball I was playing. I saw a ball coming at me and I reacted. I didn’t mean to …”
“SHE done it!” a unicorn directly behind her quickly declares as he points out the yellow pegasus. The noise level creeps back up as the crowd anticipates the fate of the pony who just wrecked the prize cannon.
“BRING HER DOWN HERE!”
Too scared to move a muscle, Fluttershy helplessly looks on as Hayfield’s command causes several ponies to suddenly grab her, hoist her above their heads, and mosh-pit her down the rows and directly to the stage, all while Scootaloo’s cries of “NO!” fall upon deaf ears. Fluttershy finds herself directly in front of a tower of speakers, face-to-face with the band’s frontpony.
Hayfield takes a long look at the pony who destroyed the band’s prize cannon. “Well I’ll be,” he says quietly to himself.
I am so, so, sorry for breaking your cannon, Hayfield, Fluttershy wants to explain, but she remains petrified with fear as the frontpony again turns to the crowd.
“Has anypony here ever seen anything like that before?” His voice echoes through the muted stadium, and murmurs of ‘no’ and ‘never in my life’ trickle back towards the stage.
“I have never seen any shot like that before … that was the most incredible feat I’ve ever seen! GIVE IT UP TO HER, EVERYPONY!!!”
A wave of thunderous hoof-stomping causes a minor earthquake in the stadium, as the throng of concert-goers show their approval at what they just saw. Fluttershy breathes a slight sigh of relief as Hayfield re-addresses the crowd.
“I need to take a break from the set for a moment, and share a little something from my personal life.” The crowd noise dies down as he continues. “One month in between albums while me and the colts were on hiatus, I happened to be in Canterlot for a while. This was a couple years ago, and many of you might remember a particular event that happened at the time … the royal wedding. And for all of you who remember, that was also when the Changeling Attack took place.”
Gasps and murmuring crop up in various patches of the stadium as Hayfield continues his recollection. “I was in an eatery when the dome broke and those rotten bugs flew all around the streets. I was lucky; I was indoors, and all the activity was taking place outside. And as I looked out the window, I saw a group of six ponies galloping towards the castle … and a horde of those locusts took them on in hoof-to-hoof combat. Six ponies versus an army … and those six prevailed!”
Quiet whispering gives way to dead silence throughout the stadium. “I never saw exactly what happened next,” Hayfield admits. “All I remember is some aura passing through the walls, some force that blew those bugs straight outta the city. Whether it was those six ponies I saw or Celestia or somepony else, I can’t say. But those six ponies have always stuck in my mind …”
Hayfield turns to look Fluttershy in the eyes. “… and we’re honored tonight to be in the presence of one of those six.”
He covers the mike with his hoof and quickly addresses the yellow pegasus. “Sorry, I never did get your name.”
“Oh … um … it’s … Fluttershy,” she replies timidly.
Hayfield abruptly turns back to the crowd. “Give it up for a true Equestrian badass, Fluttershy!!!” A spotlight shines on the paralyzed pony as another roar emanates from the stands. Below her hooves and down her back, she can feel the stadium rumble.
The percussive wave passes over the stadium for a full minute, and Fluttershy takes the whole scene in. She had been in the spotlight before, and did not care for those moments … and perhaps her experience playing buckball against Appleoosa helped prepare her … but this moment felt different. This wasn’t about her being somepony she wasn’t; this was a celebration … in a small way, a validation … of everything she’s endured and triumphed against.
What about Scootaloo??? Fluttershy looks towards the stands, and can see the orange foal clopping her hooves together as she … hovers … over her spot on the bench, her wings flapping with the speed that would rival the swiftest of hummingbirds. Even from this distance, Fluttershy can feel the pure euphoria her companion showed for her own recognition.
As the cheers and stomping eventually die down, Fluttershy processes all that happened: relieved that she wouldn’t be punished for breaking the prize cannon, shocked that she’d be praised for her act, and utterly speechless for the praise heaped upon her and her friends. An internal warmth permeates her body, and she smiles broadly for all to see …
“Let’s get back to the music: Master of Ponies, everyone!”
Fluttershy abruptly turns to the speakers directly behind her as her pupils become pinpricks …
A blue blur barrels through the door of Fluttershy’s cottage as Rainbow Dash smashes into a back wall and crumples to the ground. Moments later, she shakes off the effects of her entrance and gets on her hooves. She eyes Fluttershy reading on the couch and turns to her.
“I got back as soon as I could. Scootaloo already told me all about her experience; I never saw her so ecstatic before, and …” She pauses upon noticing for the first time that Fluttershy is clad in a black T-shirt with a stylized ‘M’ on it. She also notices a pile of records near the base of the couch.
“Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh, it’s true! Scoots said you guys got the royal treatment last night, but I had to see it for myself. So did you really get a stomping ovation from a crowd of thousands? Did Hayfield really see all of us fighting the Changelings at the wedding? That is so super-duper-amazingly-awesome!!!”
Dash can barely control herself from bouncing in place Pinkie-style, but she notices that Fluttershy is not sharing in the enthusiasm; the latter merely smiles as she continues to read silently.
“Oh come on,” Dash insists to her friend, “you can’t tell me you’re not all pumped up over last night! That had to be the most incredible night of your life! Don’t you have anything to say about all of it?”
Fluttershy finally looks up from her book. She then turns back to the book, closing it before resting it on an end table. She turns to Rainbow Dash and utters a simple, quiet response:
“What?”
