Monday midday.

Blueblood, Moonshine, and I had a great time together after winning the competition. We hanged out until the sunrise, doing trick-or-treat while receiving lots of sweets for it, and generally had fun.

Well, it was fun. Now, when I wake up, it's not. I have never experienced a hangover but I think I know the feeling now... My head hurts so much, especially my horn! Ugh, I think I overexerted myself somehow. Perhaps I shouldn't have used so much magic yesterday — changing colors, playing organ... Ugh, it seems the spells took a lot from me. Well, the same feeling as the day after first time in gym. You wake up and feel like you're burning in hell. That's the right feeling.

Ugh, I think I need some cold water splashed over my head... I feel like total crap right now. And I don't even know how color-altering spells took so much from me! Well, I did teleport twice already, and nothing but a short headache (and vomiting once) happened. Like, teleportation in itself should be far harder than what I did!

Actually, how teleportation works? Am I dissembled into electrons, protons, and neutrons, moved at a great speed towards the destination, and then reassembled? It takes a lot of damn energy to break atoms into the smaller pieces. I doubt I have enough mana to do that.

Oh fucking hell, my head hurts more when I try to come up with a scientific explanation. Fuck science, it's not the time for reasoning! I need some cold water, now!

I slowly got up from the bed, trying not to move too fast. I don't want my head to hurt more than it already does.

Alright... Getting up was hard.

Ugh, fuck! Walking, too...

I would just lie down for a bit, but I feel that I need to relieve myself... Which is rather unfortunate. I must do a trip to the bathroom which now seems like it's thousands of kilometers away.

Come on, I can do this! I am certain an alicorn can do this!

Step forward. Another. And another...

I'm tired already.

...

*sigh* Why does the world has to be so cruel to me today? It has damn colorful, cheerful ponies! There shouldn't be pain in this world!

...

Expectations are always ruined by reality.

Now, I need to move. Move, dammit! My legs are made of flesh and bone, not of fucking... rubber!

***

It took me forever to get to the bathroom, and by the time I did this my body was screaming for release. Ugh, I hate morning like this...

Alright, now I need to get into the shower. Surely the water will help me...

I got into the bathtub and turned the shower knob, making the water flow. Ohhh, I feel so much better!

Actually, it will be even better if I just take off the necklace. I haven't seen my wings in quite a while...

I carefully removed the necklace, and wings return. And oh damn they feel sore! Ugh, it's like... It's like I've been using them as a pillow. I can barely move them, they are limp. So fucking stupid me! I can't just throw away a part of my body!

Now I need to wait until my wings regain sensitivity.

...

Getting better slowly. I used my magic to unfold the wings... And now I feel even better. Ohh....

...

I better turn off the water. The sound's hurting my ears and head. I can just lie in the bathtub, relaxing... Or maybe turn on the faucet and let it fill the bath. Yeah, its sound is less annoying.

And here I go. Excellent! Now, I can just relax and think about things.

So... Now I have four hundred bits. Four. Hundred. That is a fucking lot! I can buy mini-orchestra with it. Well, not really, since I can play guitar, keys, drums, maybe some related instrument... And a trombone. It's not a bad instrument, but I don't think it goes well with metal music. Well, not counting symphonic metal.

Still, I need a set of drums and a synthesizer to make the list of instruments complete. The question is, where do I store all the stuff? The guitar takes some place. I store it under the bed, but no drum kit can be stored there. Synthesizer, maybe, but my bed isn't that big to store everything underneath it. Besides, there's only this room and bathroom. I don't want Moonshine to feel like I don't give her room, too. I should remember that this apartment is a place for both of us, not one of us.

So, where do I store them? I don't have my own room, and I doubt I'll be able to pay a rent. Also, bands often start in garages... Since there are no cars in Equestria, and I've seen just a few carriages that had obviously rich people on them, there's no garages to start a band in. Hey, I uncovered the mystery of absence of rock and metal! There're no garages!

Anyway, it seems that I'll be buying only a synthesizer. I'll find a place to store it. And the rest of the money that'll remain I will save for later.

Alright, here's that musical instruments store. It still has that seventy five percent discount for those who can already play the instrument they want to buy.

Well, let's see.. There are six models of synthesizers. From the small size of three octaves to the full size of seven. The prices are from one hundred and ten to six hundred. Since I can have a discount, I am able to buy any of those.

So, let's start with the big one. The keys seem just the right size, as synthesizers tend to have them sometimes wider than needed. There's a glowing crystal-looking battery thingie at the bottom of the synthesizer. There's a pitch and volume shifting wheels to the left of the keys, and there are various buttons on what I call a dashboard. Let's see... There're lots of options: piano, grand piano 1, grand piano 2, pad 1, pad 2, pipe organ, organ 2, lead 1, lead 2... and a lot of other options. There are also buttons and switches for the effects: reverb, delay, chorus, and so on. Well, it seems it's a good model to consider buying.

Time to try out the sound. The first synthesizer I've ever bought when I was a human sounded like total crap. I don't need that happening again.

I turned on the synthesizer and pressed the first key. The sound seems good so far... The note lasts as long as if I played a real piano. The sound itself is very realistic, too.

Let's check the effects... Reverb works just fine. Delay, too...

...

Yeah, each effect works perfectly.

I think I should check all other options, and then consider buying this synthesizer.

Some time later.

I bought that synthesizer for just a hundred and fifty bits. This is perfect for me! It can also split into two rows of keys, the second one is placed higher and more to the back of the synthesizer, leaving enough room for hooves to play.

I would tip my hat if I had one. They made the synth absolutely perfect! I could only dream of one back on the Earth.

Also, I played a few melodies to prove I can play. I was praised for not playing the basic melodies that every single music school teaches on the first day. So, I was one of the foals that could really play the instrument, not just one simple tune.

Alright, now I need to carry it to the apartment. The synthesizer is rather huge, it's longer than me. Thankfully, I have my magic. Even if my horn is still aching a bit, I still can carry stuff around.

Yeah, telekinesis is super neat. You know, like the Force in Star Wars universe. When I was a kid, I wanted to be like jedi. Now, well... it seems my dream came true! And I'm not just able to move stuff around but also do many spells that exceed the usableness of the Force. But one thing is different — while I remember Yoda saying that "size matters not", I am sure it does here. I can feel the weight of the synthesizer as I could feel the weight of any other thing I moved.

Well, time to go home.

***

Whew, I carried the synth to the apartment. And I think my horn's aching more than it did before. It's no surprise — the synthesizer is quite heavy... I think it's about three kilograms. Well, it's not that heavy but with my horn being in pain, it is. Hey, some time ago, I lifted a pony in the air! Now, I feel like I can barely lift this thing, ugh...

And, to my surprise, Moonshine isn't here. She was when I woke up... I guess she has some things to do.

Anyway, time to unpack and set the synth. I need some practice, after all.

...

Alright, here I go. The synthesizer is set and ready to be used. I'll store the box somewhere, as it has instruction in it. It might come in handy. Though, I know pretty well how to handle a synthesizer. I'm not going to use it to smash stuff, after all.

Okay, time to practice.

A few hours have passed rather quickly. I played some simple melodies and songs, and I guess that's it for today. I haven't lost my touch yet, even without my fingers. Well, I played the pipe organ a few times already, but I didn't practice much. And, as all people know, practice makes perfect.

So... Lemme think about a band. As I've already thought, I have to choices: Powerwolf and Ghost. If I'm going to create a cover band (I'll be doing covers, after all), I need to make everything as close to the original as possible. Though, the choice's still here, I can't run from it. I cannot assemble two bands at once. And even if I have to wait at least eight years, I should be ready by then. I hate waiting, but I cannot go against my biology.

Alright, the choice... Powerwolf is a powerful band with epic songs, though most of them won't tell ponies anything. To present such a band as Powerwolf, I need ponies to understand what is sung about. There are many names in the songs that are unknown to ponies, and even more situations I doubt they are ready for.

As difficult as it is, I think I cannot take Powerwolf as the first metal band to introduce to this world.

So, the choice is Ghost. It is not as aggressive in sound as Powerwolf, but more sinister and, I suppose, calmer. It gives a sense that you belong to a cult... And I don't know what ponies think about cults. I know that religion is more or less absent here... Alright, maybe Ghost will be difficult to present in a right way.

I suppose I should study history and social stuff to determine whether I'l be hated for introducing such a band or not. Perhaps I'll be able to find something to back up Powerwolf, and then pick it as my choice... Yeah, everything is pretty difficult.

There are those books I've brought earlier: history book and a book about religion. I think I should read them carefully to find what I need. I don't need thing to turn for the worse if I don't take into account stuff that matters. You know, it can end poorly for me.

So, time to get some reading done.

The history's... something. Those Dark Ages that the ponydom had was maybe even bloodier than our Medieval. Slavery, racism, female discrimination... Ah, that sweet scent of wrong things.

What I learned is that ponies didn't like each other much. It's obvious by the events that led to the foundation of Equestria — their countries that existed before that were frozen by the blizzard that the hatred caused, forcing everypony to move south. There, they fought again, causing another blizzard. Realizing the cause, they decided to work together to forget the hate. Although, it took many years for it to disappear. And I'm telling the short story, not counting some rulers that tried to bring one race domination (pony Hitler, basically), some devious plots that tried to drive ponies away from each-other and so on.

There were many cults that exploited the feelings. Before Equestria was created, there were many gods that were believed to bring eternal summer to the land so no other race will be needed to sustain it. Mainly, earth ponies believed that — they saw themselves as hard workers, and they considered others lazy.

There also were some alicorns involved in creating cults of personality. While the mechanisms behind the ascension to alicornhood are still unknown, those who became alicorns were either worshipped as gods or murdered as abominations no one accepted. Yeah, not much fun here.

When the pony races united (they're called tribes, but whatever), alicorns became less common somewhat. Maybe it's not that, no one knows how many alicorns was there before Equestria was founded. However, it is fairly certain that there was only one alicorn before Celestia and Luna, and another one after them. That first "Equestrian" alicorn created a cult in his name. He made others follow rules to gain his blessing that was believed to be able to help greatly. His name was forgotten through time, however, and the only evidence of his long rule was what little Celestia and Luna had to say. They were but fillies back then.

Also, there was that Discord guy, who is, apparently, more a god than anyone else. He's the spirit of chaos. He ruled for some time, during which he destroyed most of the written history. After his defeat by Celestia and Luna, the sun and moon couldn't be controlled by unicorns anymore, only alicorns could do it. Celestia discovered her talent as the sun controller, and Luna discovered hers. They can control both, though, but there's a big difference. If Celestia controls the moon and the night, it doesn't look as beautifully composed as Luna's, and the other way around.

I don't know how can they affect stars... Oh well, magic.

So, it was a rather brief history lesson. I don't like certain facts much as they play little role and cannot really be reliable due to Discord's influence, but that's all I have.

Let's conclude — both bands I've chosen have religious symbolism in one form or another. Ghost is more like a cult... A cult I can present as one of many cults ponies had through the centuries. If made right, it will be seen as entertainment, not as a real thing. I don't want to be crucified, after all. Or banished to the moon, turned to stone, or whatever else may happen to me if I fuck up.

I looked out the window and saw that the evening's already come. Time sure flies fast... And Moonshine's still away somewhere. Maybe she's visiting her deceased grandfather's house or visiting her parents. I don't know if I should worry or not... She's my friend but she doesn't have to report any of her movements to me.

I think I'm overthinking things. I never tell Moonshine where I go and she doesn't seem to be as worried as me when she's gone.

Yeah, this whole thing is stupid.

...

Alright, what do I do now? Hm... Oh, I need a place to exercise my wings! And since only Luna knows about my wings, I need to ask her about them. The question is, how? She's very busy at the castle and I can't just barge in and say "Hey Luna, I need your help here!". That'll be completely rude.

Well, I can send her a letter. Though, I don't know the exact address and I don't know how long it takes for a letter to arrive. Yeah, a bad option.

Hm... Since she can go into dreams of others, I may just go to sleep and wait for her. Uh, but she may have problems helping others with their dreams...

Ugh, I hate such situations! Why don't ponies have internet or telephones? I could've just send a message to Luna and she'd receive it instantly, and the problem would be solved. Crap... Well, only I have a smartphone. If only she had one, too... Actually, the next time I see her I maybe allow her to see my smartphone to see if it can be reengineered with existing technology. Hey, owning a smartphone makes me rather special, but I'm already special enough being an alicorn. It'd be better for ponies to have their own smartphones. They're really useful, after all.

...

I can hear the door opening. Must be Moonshine, right?

I looked there and saw her. She had a happy expression on her face, that is one noticeable thing I saw first.

"Uh, Flame?" she addressed me, her expression turning a bit shy. "Um... would you like to go to, um, a party? My friends and I are having one tonight and I thought that, uh, I should invite you, too." her face reddened a bit. "So... what do you think?"

That was completely out of the blue, truth be told. Actually, a night party doesn't seem so bad. Well, especially if it has some spicy stuff... I love spicy stuff! Uh, and get to know other peo- ponies. That's also not too bad.

"What do I need to bring?" I asked.

"Uh, I... I think you needn't anything. You can, um, pick a guitar if you want... You do great with it." Moonshine replied.

"Okay, and when do we go?"

"Right now."

Well... let's see where it goes. I just hope I won't get into any awkward situations there. Knowing my luck with that kind of things, I certainly will.