Big Debut

8/15/2017, Vanhoover Feedback from an amp slowly goes quiet. The five young adults in the small apartment living room sit in silence, after having just finished the last song of their setlist. The silence is only broken when the lead guitarist reaches up to clutch his mane with both hands. An exasperated growl rises up from his throat as he nearly rips two chunks of his hair out. The first word out of his mouth is quite loud.  "FUCK!" He then begins to pace back and forth in front of the rest of the band. They simply watch as he begins to rant. "We suck! We can't be the main act when we suck so bad!" He then throws his arms to his side. "AAAAAUHG! We're doomed! We have to cancel the show tonight!" A slap shocks the guitarist out of his despair. When he finally realizes what just happened, he notices the stone-cold face of his drummer girlfriend staring him down. "Roy. We are not canceling. I don't care how much you think we suck. We're fine. I didn't just finish exams I studied MONTHS for, just for your pussy ass to cancel the ONE THING I've been looking forward to." At this, the bassist speaks up. "Yeah. Besides, we already invited a ton of people to come see us play. If we flake, we're gonna look like assholes. Well. The four of us. Everybody already knows you're an asshole." At this, the lead guitarist turns to the bassist. "I didn't invite anyone! That was you guys! And stop calling me an asshole! Even if it's true, I still hate hearing it!" It's then that the supporting guitarist finally speaks. "Dude. You went around the city handing out fliers. We just invited close friends and family." The drummer nods. "Yeah. And if you don't want to be called an asshole, stop being one. Prick." Later that night, Luna's Palace Rock Club. Roy peeks out from behind a door to the crummy backstage area of the barely serviceable club. He's been waiting for Nar to come back from going to use the bathroom for around 2 minutes now, and the nerves are getting to be too much. He HAS to check how many people there are waiting. Sure enough, it's a full house tonight. Though, Roy can't tell if it was the word of mouth, fliers, or half-price beer that helped fill the club. Instantly, Roy's heart stops, and he slowly melts down onto a nearby folding chair. With what little strength he has, he lifts his hands to his head. "We can't do this. We're going to bomb." He barely catches his girlfriend roll her eyes, and Juno shrug. Ruby however, gives him a warm smile. "C'mon Roy. We'll be fine. Even if you suck, there's 4 more of us. We can make you sound good!" Man. Why'd she have to toy with him like that? And why did she like to do it so often? After another dread-filled minute, Nar finally re-emerges in the backstage room. Noticeably, he's carrying a bottle of soda he didn't have before he left. "Sorry guys. Some guy was taking forever in there." It's Ruby who responds first. "Ooooh. Where'd you get that?" Her right wing points to the bottle. "Oh yeah! Bartender recognized me, and gave me a soda for good luck." Nar then takes a few swigs of the soda before casually dropping the worst news Roy has heard all night. "Oh, and the other band pulled out. They had a falling out this morning, and don't exist anymore." Instantly, an immeasurable weight begins to crush Roy's heart. Now they'll be judged twice as hard. For a moment, he feels as though he might cry. "Hey." Asuka's voice causes Roy to snap back to attention. "Don't go pissing your pants before we've even gone on stage." She then leans in, and plants a soft kiss on his lips. "There. That help?" A shaky, but deep breath escapes Roy's mouth. "Yeah. Thanks." He then feels a light punch to his shoulder, followed by Nar pulling him to his feet. "Look alive sellout. We're on." Roy then looks tot he rest of the band. "Alright. Just as we've practiced." They all nod. Then, Roy, Asuka, Juno, and Nar head on-stage, with Nar giving Ruby a fist bump as she's left in the backstage room. If you had asked Amy what her favorite music was a few years ago, she might have said something like pop, EDM, or dance music. If you'd asked her what she'd thought about rock, she'd have told you it wasn't her thing. For the longest time, Amy never could get into rock. That changed when she started dating the bassist of a crummy grunge rock band with an even crummier name. A year ago, she'd not have been caught dead in a rock club, but tonight, she's at one with 6 of her closest friends. While the others are dressed in casual wear, Amy is wearing a hand-made t-shirt with a crummy logo, and the name "ATTACK ON MANGO " on the front. She's only ever been to one band practice that her boyfriend had invited her to, but it was enough to get her hooked. Now, she was their number one fan, and she sure as hell wasn't going to miss their first actual show. Her other friends weren't exactly fans, especially not like she was, but they were also, good friends, and wanted to support theirs during his first real show. Unfortunately for one random clubgoer, she was stood next to the main act's number one fan. At first, when she'd seen the mare wearing the "Attack on Mango" T-shirt, she'd though to ask about it, just out of curiosity. Little did she know it had opened Pandora's box, forcing her to listen to this mare as she spouted off about the band, and how much she loved them. Please, just bring them on already so she'd leave her alone already. "And did you know that my boyfriend is the-." The onslaught of blabber coming from Amy is silenced as a stallion walks onto the stage from the backstage area. He takes a moment to pull a card from his pocket before leaning into the microphone. His completely lack of enthusiasm was lost on Amy. "Alright. So. Tonight's band is uh..." He pauses to look down at the card. "Attack on Mangoes?" There's a small pause, which is quickly filled by a shrill, excited scream from the middle of the crowd. For a moment, Arthur watches as Amy screams her excitement to the packed club. Then, not wanting her to be embarrassed, he begins to cheer as well, and the rest of the friend group joins in. A few others join, but once Amy's screaming dies down, so do the cheers. Though, the silence doesn't last long. Only a few seconds later 4 of the band's members walk on-stage, and take up their positions on it. Once again, Amy is overcome with excitement, and another scream is unleashed. "I LOVE YOU NAR!" Through the excitement, Amy fails to notice that Ruby hasn't taken a position behind the keyboard. There's another small pause before a shout from Asuka pierces the air. "WE ARE ATTACK ON MANGO!"

With a blast of sound, the band begins the show. (https://youtu.be/cXmRaOspAcE?si=Uaqj7ZuAPsyAqgO4&t=2)

Another wave of excitement overcomes Amy, but thankfully, she's not alone in her cheers this time. Despite the generally bored attitude that permeated the club before, many of the crowd are now cheering, bobbing their heads, and some are even dancing. To her left, she can just barely hear her other friends talking amongst themselves.

"So. What do you think? Do they suck?"

"Actually, I'm kinda' digging this. I thought Nar was being serious when he said they were terrible."

"Oh trust me, he was 100% serious. I guess he just really thinks they aren't that good."

"Yeah, but the dummer's doing a lot to carry the sound. The backup guitarist is playing better than the lead."

"Okay. Maybe they suck a little."

Though it goes unnoticed by the crowd, the bassist on stage gives a subtle nod tot he backstage area, and a second later, a pegasus casually strolls across the stage, and behind the keyboard conveniently placed next to the backstage area. For a few moments, mild confusion comes over the crowd as this mare simply stands behind the keyboard, bobbing along to the song.

Then she starts going to town, and everyone goes wild.

Amy couldn't possibly get any more excited. If she did, she might very well pass out. Thankfully, one of her friends happens to notice how hard she's gripping the railing in front of her, and slowly begins to guide her towards a chair so she doesn't just up and collapse. The rest of the show is a blur, but Amy enjoys every second of it. Up until it ends that is.

After the show, as most of the crowd is clearing out, Amy and her friends spot the band's bassist as he makes his way over to them. He gives a wave before coming to a stop in front of the group. "So? What did you guys think? Did we rock, or suck?"

"Not bad, honestly. You guys have an album yet?"

"Not yet, but we're working on one! I'll get you guys copies when we release it!"

"Not my kind of music, but you guys sound good for a group of nobodies from Ponyville."

"C'mon man, that's kind of harsh."

Then, it gets to Amy.

"Best band EVER!" Followed by a sudden attack hug.

During the hug, Arthur speaks up.

"So. Nar. Think I could get your keyboardist's number?"

Then, another cuts in. "Dibs."

"Yeah dude. How come you didn't tell us your keyboardist was hot? Is she single?"

At this, Nar begins to chuckle. "She's probably a bit too much for you guys. She takes the whole 'alt rock chick' thing to another level."

"So, does she break hearts or-" Arthur is cut off by a punch to his shoulder by another friend.

"Lay off it already guys. She's not even looking for a relationship anyway."

And with that, the curtains close on Attack on Mango's first real show, leaving many people to consider if they're actually fans, or just didn't have anything better to listen to.