Author's Note

Now that the world and characters are mostly established, the story can pick up a bit. To quote Applejack, "YEEHAW, PARTNER!"

Hallowed Earth to Catch her Breath

October 31st, All Hallows' Eve. Rainbow called Noah earlier than expected. Unsure what was waiting, he headed over with Nate. It was here they first met Rainbow's adoptive sister, Scootaloo. Instruments had been hooked up to extension chords inside. Once the introductions were out of the way, everything clicked into place.

"Hey, guys," Rainbow greeted, "I've got someone here I want you to meet. This is Scootaloo. We've been friends since she was a foal."

"Nice to meetcha," Scootaloo said, "Dash told me all about you. Crazy how it seems so long ago now."

"Tell me about it," Noah concurred, "Nice to meet you, too."

"I see what's going on here," Nathan recognized, "Y'all wanted to jam for the people - show 'em the real power of metal."

"Guilty as charged," Rainbow admitted, "I debated excluding the vocals so it wouldn't scare the kids. Can be kind of intense for a first listen."

"I assume you have a list in mind?"

"All my early stuff from '02 to '04. The first album I recorded was a demo called 'Hallowed Earth to Catch her Breath'. It was based on a daydream I used to fantasize about. The sound combined melo-death with screamo and metalcore to reflect the direction my life was headed at the time. In a sense, it kind of came full circle."

"So it's pretty personal then, huh?"

"It was also back when my mane was shorter. If I released it to the public now, the art would probably show off my evolution between then and now."

"We can read notation fairly well. Might need some help with keys and octaves, though."

"I gotcha covered. I wrote tabs to make it easier."

"Well, that's convenient."

"All I really have left to do is put out the candy. Trick-or-Treaters don't start coming this way 'til after five, so we've got some time."

"Guess we should get started. Drums are my best instrument, so I'll take those. Noah plays bass in his band."

"Show me what you got."

Around three 'o clock, Rainbow sent an announcement out to the neighborhood, letting everyone know their plans. She advised them to bring hearing protection to avoid any long-term damage. The group spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, watching TV, listening to music, and playing video games. When it was time to start, Rainbow connected several pedals to the guitar and bass amps. The goal was to extend the reverb and delay beyond their normal thresholds. After some tuning, they were ready to play. They decided to practice a bit more before the trick-or-treaters showed up. Rather than nixing the vocals altogether, Rainbow substituted screams for a spoken-word style, making use of her natural voice to avoid frightening onlookers.

"Take this heart. Spread these wings. Here I lay, left to dream of something real. These clouds pass by, whispering nothings of the unknown. Pray these angels one day fly, and guide your lonely soul to mine."

The party harmonized in perfect synchrony, echoing the sincerity of Rainbow's words. Nathan teared up, as though he could physically feel the pain she'd been forced to live through. Seven years of nearly constant isolation. Who could survive something so grueling - something so empty...?

"Holy shit..."

"Now you know why recordings were so few and far between," Rainbow explained, "I'd get too emotional and not wanna do anything for months on end."

"I tried to visit as often as I could," Scootaloo cut in, "but between studying and classes, I don't have as much time these days."

"I know the feeling." a familiar voice spoke. The others turned to face its origin.

"Twilight!? Spike!?"

Before them stood a purple Alicorn and her adolescent companion. Like Rainbow, they had undergone their own set of changes since their last encounter.

"Long time, no see."

"Too long."

Twilight approached her friend, wrapping her in a tight hug. Spike joined, followed by Scootaloo. The quartet soon broke away, facing each other in a long overdue display of acknowledgement.

"I brought you a surprise."

Twilight pulled a phone from her coat pocket.

"I asked everyone to record messages for you. You're the only one who stayed behind, after all."

"Everyone?"

Twilight clicked the play button. The first message was from Rarity. Her time overseas was proving to be fairly fruitful overall.

"Hello, Rainbow. Twilight asked me to send this to check up on you. Sweetie Belle and I are doing well. It's been a fabulous time, but I do so miss everyone back home. Perhaps when we return, we can meet up for coffee or tea. Ciao!"

Rainbow chuckled.

"Just like Rarity. Always straight down to business."

"Do you want to send something back?"

"Of course! No way I could leave her hangin'."

Twilight prepared to open her recording function when she noticed the stallions, locked in place by their instruments.

"Forgive me. I never did ask your names."

Rainbow responded on their behalf, summarizing the events which transpired in Twilight's absence.

"Oh, yeah! This is Noah and his older brother, Nathan. They went to school with us, but we didn't meet until a few days ago. Noah was visiting from out of town."

"You were there!? I'm surprised we never noticed, though I suppose in hindsight, everyone was lost in their own cliques."

"Noah used to watch my games after school. Nathan graduated after freshman year, so he was only around for a while."

"I see. Well, it's nice to meet you now. Better late than never, right?"

"Dash told us what you've been up to," Nathan replied, "Guess you were the brains of the operation, eh?"

"You could say that."

"She always had to remind me to slow down," Rainbow admitted with a hint of embarrassment, "I would always get overzealous between games and practice. Without her, I would've keeled over from dehydration."

"The reason I came is because I was worried. You sounded worn out the last few times we talked. I didn't know if something was happening. You never said anything, so I didn't know what to think."

"To be honest, I was in kind of a dark place for a while. Tank died while you were gone, and I lost interest in the sports stuff. Been trying to get back into it recently."

"I thought so."

"Huh?"

"I suspected something like that might happen. Between us, you always seemed the most aimless. You never really thought ahead. You were always stuck in the present moment, never worried or anxious about anything. When we graduated, it hit you all at once. I never said anything because I didn't know what to do. It's one thing to read up on psychology. It's another to see someone suffer with your own eyes."

"I came out from it stronger, so it wasn't a total loss. Just had to pick up what pieces I could and move on, ya know?"

"I can tell. You sound much better, and I suspect we have you two to thank for that, so...Thank you."

"No problem," Nathan stated, "She's a good kid. Just needed a push is all."

"You're only four years older, pal." Rainbow teased. Nathan stuck his tongue out in defiance. Rainbow responded in kind. Twilight chuckled.

"By the way," Spike interjected, "we heard you guys play. Sounded pretty sick."

"Tone probably sounded familiar. I was listening to a lot of metalcore when I wrote it, especially Broken by Silence."

"Surprised you haven't killed you ears yet."

"I was careful."

"Apparently."

"We're only staying overnight," Twilight mentioned, "We're staying with everyone for a night each. After that, we're heading back home 'til Christmas. Mind if we stick around for your show? I'll record a video and send it to the others in place of a voice message."

"How'd you know?"

Twilight pointed toward her ears, hinting she'd seen others wearing earplugs prior to their arrival.

"All right. You're on."

Trick-or-treaters began arriving just before dark. Rainbow's was the last house most of them went to before heading home, which made their performance all the more impactful. Most of the songs mixed clean tones with distortion, keeping them melodic enough for the kids and heavy enough for everyone else. Each trick-or-treater was given two pieces and a front row seat. Between songs, the group took photos with the audience, setting aside time to show appreciation for everyone who attended. Needless to say, it was a resounding success. At the end of the show, Rainbow gave a heartfelt speech about the impact the town on her.

"All right, guys. We know it's been a long night, and everyone's ready to pack it in. We're grateful you all came to see us, even though this type of music might not be your thing. Your support means a lot to us, and we're happy we could be here to show y'all a good time. A lot of you might remember me from my days as the star player at school. To tell you the truth, I lost faith in my abilities for a while, and I fell out of love with most of what I knew, but now I'm back, and I intend to make it all worth the wait, so hang tight, get ready, and get ready to see what we do next. We love you guys."

Applause erupted. Many in the younger crowd had never seen Rainbow in action before. They would soon enough.

The group helped Rainbow pack her instruments, following her back inside. While Spike, Twilight, and Nathan settled in for the evening, Rainbow spoke with Noah in the kitchen near the living room.

"You were awesome out there. Your technique rips."

"Thanks, but I was just following you and Scootaloo. Sounds a lot better when everyone's playing."

"That's what it's all about, right? Jamming - having fun. It's the most alive I've felt in...Well, ever."

"I'm glad. I can tell you've gotten a lot of your fight back."

"Thanks to you and Nathan."

"Guess it all worked out then, huh?"

"Yeah."

Rainbow veered away with a pensive gaze, as though she was nervous to speak.

"Listen...I was wondering if...Maybe when you're free, you'd like to grab dinner sometime...?"

Noah's face turned red. He grew flustered, unsure of what to say. He wanted to say yes, but the word eluded him. He cleared his throat in an attempt to regain his composure.

"Um...Sure...I mean yes! Of course!"

"I'm not really good with picking restaurants, but does seven Friday sound good?"

"Yeah. I'll make the reservations."

"Thanks. you're a life-saver."

Rainbow drew closer, pecking Noah's cheek.

"In more ways than one."

Rainbow left to make sure the others were comfortable. Noah stood frozen, holding his face as his heart raced in perpetuity. Nathan saw everything, heading in for the kill.

"So...Still don't think she's into you?"

"Shut it."