Author's Note
Bloodlines was actually a band my brother was in with his friends in high school, but they never recorded anything. Found out a few weeks ago when I went with one of them to do some landscaping work. Makes me wonder what they would've sounded like if they'd actually gone through with it. Might've saved the world from the brink of nuclear war. Who knows.
Blood and Water
Scootaloo tuned her guitar down to drop b, stretching each string and re-tuning to lock them in place. Atmospheric and Apple Bloom did the same on bass and rhythm guitar respectively. Sweetie Belle checked the pitch of each drum to make sure they were relatively similar. Do to Harmonic's technical knowledge of each instrument, he was able to help them set up relatively quickly. The music started out as a 7 Angels 7 Plagues-esque blend of mathcore and metalcore, combining brutality and melody into a harsh wave of energetic noise.
"A WEAKENED SOUL, BROKEN DOWN BY THE GRIEF OF LIFE! I MADE LOVE WITH AN ANGEL! I STOLE HER KISS!"
Atmospheric whispered into her fiancé's microphone.
"Steal my kiss..."
"UNCERTAIN HOURS FORCE RELIANCE UPON MY FAITH! SPREAD YOUR WINGS! REVERSE MY COURSE! BEGIN AGAIN!"
Atmospheric took over on vocals, implementing a spoken word style.
"A contemplative introspection brought about by the need for something greater. We look back in time again and again, wondering what we could've done then, and what we should do now. Take heart. Trust in your gut. Your ultimate destiny is what you make it out to be. Join me in union so we may press forth...Take flight..."
"FEAR NO MORE THE DISINTEGRATION OF MORTAL FLESH! THE MIND EXISTS FAR BEYOND EXPIRATIVE RESTRICTIONS! FEEL THE FLAMES AND THE FLOW OF THE DIVINE CALL! WAIT FOR HER TOUCH! RISE TO HER WORLD AND SEIZE IT ALL!"
"Show me your love..."
Scootaloo wiped the sweat from her brow. It was one thing to be a passive listener of the genre. Making it yourself was a whole other beast.
"I think I have a pretty good idea what the song is about," she commented, "but there are a couple lines that confuse me. What did you mean by uncertain hours?"
"After Ian moved out, I felt kind of alone and lost in life," Harmonic explained, "I wasn't particularly close to anyone else in my family. I was an introverted shut-in that spent most of my time playing video games because I couldn't deal with feeling like life was meaningless. Suicide crossed my mind more and more as I got older. My mom and a couple close friends were the only people who knew, but as you've seen, sometimes a little faith pays off."
"It's still hard to believe angels are real, let alone how similar they are to regular people."
"You're tellin' me. I'm engaged to one and still can't believe it."
"Speaking of which, when are you two lovebirds gonna make us some nieces and nephews?"
"We'll get there. One thing at a time, kid."
"I don't have to put you in a home already, do I old man?"
"It's cool to joke about that kind of stuff here, but I'd use a bit more discretion. For a lot of older folks, it's a really painful prospect to think about."
Scootaloo tensed, realizing how offensive her comment came off.
"Sorry..."
"Don't sweat it. Live and learn."
"We should take a break," Apple Bloom suggested, "I wanna play Final Fantasy anyway."
Everyone agreed. They left the treehouse and headed back to the farm.
Shortly before dinner, the group decided to cover a 7 Angels 7 Plagues song. They re-tuned their instruments to drop d. Harmonic went into detail about the song's history.
"They wrote this for one of the guitarists' cousins I think. From the look of the lyrics, it actually lives up to the album's title, Jhazmyne's Lullaby. It sounds like an oxymoron, but I used to fall asleep to hardcore and metal all the time."
"I do that a lot, too," Apple Bloom acknowledged, "Guess metalheads are really just tired."
"Probably."
"Let's do this." Scootaloo encouraged.
Harmonic nodded. They began their last song for the day.
"TONIGHT WILL BE A LONG NIGHT! I FIGHT-"
"My sinking eyelids-"
"SO I CAN WATCH-"
"Her dreaming of the last safe place!"
"FEATHER FLOORS FOR BARE FEET!"
"Without even the first idea, she will be lost to me!"
"I BARELY BELIEVE I LET IT BE! I WILL HAVE TO SEE THAT SHE WILL BE LOST TO ME! I DIDN'T MEAN IT AS A LIE-"
"When I promised to be your contender!"
"AN AIR STREAM OF DOUBT CUT ME APART - EVERY FEATHER-"
"Blown away!"
"IT'S GOING TO BE HARD ON HER SOFT FEET!"
The song transitioned to an abrupt breakdown.
"I BARELY BELIEVE I LET IT BE!"
The drums stopped, pushing the song into a clean, atmospheric melody. Sweetie created tension using her cymbals, erupting into a fast, melancholic rhythm.
"JHAZMYNE NEEDS HER SLEEP JUST AS BADLY, AS BADLY AS ME! YOU HAVE TO SEE THAT SHE WILL BE LOST TO ME! JHAZMYNE NEEDS TO SLEEP - NEEDS TO SLEEP!!!"
Atmospheric took over for the remainder of the song. An open chord rang out across the clubhouse.
"I know you'll make it...I know you'll make it...I KNOW YOU'LL MAKE IT! BE STRONG! I LOVE YOU!"
Atmospheric exhaled heavily in exasperation. She'd put all her energy into the last three screams. Harmonic smirked.
"It's one of her favorites. The message resonates a lot."
"Is she gonna be okay?" Sweetie asked with concern.
"Angels are a lot tougher than us regular folk. She just needs to rest for a bit. Plus it's kinda hot: summer time, ya know?"
"Tends to happen in the south." Apple Bloom affirmed cheekily.
"You guys should head home before it gets dark. We'll meet up tomorrow and write some new stuff."
"You got it."
Inside, Sweetie, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom continued their research into the world of metallic hardcore. Apparently 7 Angels' style was inspired by an evolving sect of progressive, experimental hardcore bands that wanted a heavier edge. It started with bands like Unbroken and Hand over Fist before shifting towards metal-oriented projects like State Craft, Cave In, Zao, and Eighteen Visions. After 7 Angels, Unearth, and As I Lay Dying emerged, the genre branched off into more melodic variations. As a consequence, it lost much of its original passion in favor of popularity. The third wave was the last to push the envelope creatively and lyrically before the fourth spawned a seemingly endless array of copycats.
"Music really does suck now." Scootaloo stated bluntly.
"Eeyup." Apple Bloom replied.
Author's Note
Video a friend of mine shared a while back.
Megilloth
Before the group began writing, they decided to try something a bit darker, experimenting by covering a Mortification song. Atmospheric, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom tuned their instruments to c sharp, the prevalent tuning on Mortification's album Scrolls of the Megilloth.
"As they gather at the funeral wake to speak of good times gone by, the deceased soul learns some more! Revealed reality: the flames of unrest! 'Maybe he's in his next life' sobs ma as tears roll, unknowing the eternal destination as he awaits the judgment throne! 'He's at rest now' the hired celebrant proclaims! He tickles all the ears while sin is exposed by the heavenly host! Silence falls over the crowd as the casket lowers into the ground: kneeling in the heavenlines, confessing the forsaken lord of his life! 'How can God allow this' cries sister in lament, but God had other plans, and revealed what this has meant! You gather what you cast into this straying earth life! While man has his will, the son paid the price! Back on Earth, men make their claims, playing 'where do they go' games while up in heave, the creator cries as people listen to each other's lies!"
After the song ended, Harmonic and Atmospheric engaged the girls in a serious conversation.
"Is your dad really all fire and brimstone like the books say?" Scootaloo inquired fearfully.
"No way," Atmospheric dispelled, "He's kind and wise. My brothers revere him as the pinnacle of paternal instinct."
"That's right! You said Lucifer was your brother!"
"I have three: Lucifer, Michael, and Azazel."
"It's like a little angel cluster."
"What sets us apart is that we were created from God's own blood. We are the originals."
"Not gonna lie, that's pretty epic."
"There is no reason to fear the unknown. Just like an RPG, exploring and gaining experience is what will ultimately make you stronger."
"All of us can die at any time for any reason," Harmonic cut in, "Knowing this is what opens the door to ultimate freedom. You learn to live and die by your own convictions. Even the strongest evil can't hold a candle to the power of will."
"We live in an uncertain age of fear and despair. Approaching these hours with your own sense of right and wrong will help you find peace regardless of the outcome."
Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle listened intently. They realized what was being taught. They were learning how to face mortality with dignity and courage.
Author's Note
Moving On
"YOU DON'T, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BREAK ME! I SWEAR, NEXT TIME I'LL LET YOU KNOW! YOU WON'T, YOU WON'T GET TO BREAK ME! I SWEAR, NEXT TIME, I'M LETTING GO!"
The group finished their cover of Unearth. They took a break to regroup and begin writing more original material.
"Hey, Harmonic," Scootaloo asked, "You seemed really sad during that last song. Is everything okay?"
"Guess I couldn't hide it for very long."
"What?"
"The truth is, life wasn't very kind to me for a long time. My family was splintered and eventually broke apart altogether. I didn't have any friends to hang around until Atmospheric came along. For a long time, I was left to stew in my own misery. I thought about suicide almost every day. Talking about it made me seem like I was looking for attention, so I just shut up and hoped I would pass quietly in my sleep or something along those lines. I had no love for this world until we found each other. Those feelings still try to eat away at me every now and then, but I'm fighting back now."
"I wondered why I got a weird vibe around you."
"There's so much hurt in this world it's impossible to shrug off. The best we can do is endure and do what we can to recover."
"Don't give up on us, old man. We got your back like you got ours."
"You know it."
Harmonic and Scootaloo bumped their hooves together in solidarity.