As soon as Satanik Pervertor, Tartarus and Discordia were all safely inside the backstage lounge, Flash Sentry closed the door behind them. He and his bandmates were all panting heavily, trying to catch their breaths, as well as being shocked from having the plug pulled on them in mid-song.
"What... was... that... all about?" Flash asked incredulously in between pants.
"I... don't know," Discordia heaved. "Something about... a fight... or something. "I was too... busy on the drums to... notice."
"I think you're right about the fight part," Pervertor perked up. "Actually, I think it worked well with the music."
"Yeah, why'd Celestia have to pull the plug on us?" Tartarus wondered. "Did she really think that was a good way to express her opinion of that song we did about her?"
"Err... well," Flash spoke up, "it did get kinda outta hand when Hest and Applejack really started going at it and-"
"FLASH SENTRY!"
The door suddenly burst open without warning, and in stormed Flash Sentry's parents, furious with Flash for lying to them about his band, not to mention the fact that he's involved with a band of this nature.
"Mom... Dad..." Flash gasps in a shocked tone indicating that he knows he's busted. "H-how did you find out about the gig?"
"We overheard you talking about it with Twilight," his dad hissed.
"And you LIED to us!" his mom roared. "How is it that you even got involved with this... this devil band in the first place?!"
"Uh, w-w-well," Flash stammered, "I just thought they'd be a fun band to play in, that's all. I-I didn't think any bad would come of it."
"What are you, nuts?" Flash's dad retorted. "A death metal band?! I thought I told you before, those kinds of bands are nothing but bad news!"
"And we don't you ever playing in this kind of band ever again!"replied Flash's mom.
"Uh, excuse me," Discordia broke in. "First of all, we're not death metal, we're black metal. There's a major difference, you know!"
"Second of all," Tartarus chipped in, "who are you to control what Flash does with his musical career?"
"His parents, that's who!" snapped Flash's mom.
"Figures," Pervertor scoffed. "For all we know, your clear overindulgence into every aspect of his life is probably what led him to us in the first place."
"Screw you guys!" shrieked Flash's mom. "You're not to have anything to do with this band ever again, Flash!"
This outburst proved to be the one that brought Flash's bandmates to the end of their collective nerve. "He's not out until we say so!" Discordia thundered as he stood over Flash's parents, with Pervertor and Tartarus flanking him on both sides. "Now make one more move, and see what happens...!"
Ultimately, this brought Flash's parents into submission... for the time being, anyway. There was no way they were going to be able to take on anyone as brawny as Flash's bandmates - especially Discordia, being the hulking giant that he was. So all they could do for now was back down and "discuss" the situation at home, where surely none of the others guys from Bronycorpse would interfere.
"We'll talk about this later, Flash," Flash's dad hisses. And just like that, Flash's parents both hurry out of the room as fast as they can.
"Jeez, guys, don't you think you were a little harsh?" Flash questioned his bandmates. "Those are my parents, you know."
"Be that as it may," replied Pervertor, "you're our brother-in-arms. Brothers-in-arms stick up for each other. They'll stand up for anyone picking on a comrade - even if it's they're own parents picking on them!"
"Uh, well, thanks, I guess," Flash shrugged sheepishly. "So then, why aren't we sticking up for Hest?"
"Sit your butts down!" Principal Celestia roared as she slammed Hest Endetarm and Applejack down onto the seats facing her own. They were in her office because they were the reason why Bronycorpse got the plug pulled on them - Hest had dumped fake animal entrails onto Applejack's younger sister, Applejack attacked Hest in retaliation, and it turned into an all-out slugfest on stage... while the band was still playing. Needless to say, Celestia was steaming, not only because she and Vice Principal Luna were forced to pull the plug as a result, but also because of the damage and injury that could've resulted.
"Now somebody explain to me what just took place!" Celestia raged. Both Applejack and Hest (a big, tough black metal guy indeed!) were too intimidated to answer. Celestia was about to rage some more, but before she could;
"Excuse me, Celestia?" Vice Principal Luna said as she stuck her head in through the door. "Uh, before you do anything drastic, these girls would like to, uh, testify on Applejack's behalf."
"Alright, let them in." And so Luna opened the door all the way, and in came Applejack's little sister Apple Bloom, accompanied by her best friends Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. She had been mostly cleaned from the fake blood and guts that Hest dumped on her while the band was playing their song "Nightmare Moon," but she was still very visibly shaken.
"That sicko," she moaned, pointing at Hest, "dumped blood and brains all over me! It was... disgustin'!
"It's true, ma'am," said Scootaloo. "Sweetie Belle and I were right next to her when he did it."
"Yeah, we took her into the little girl's room to get her cleaned up," added Sweetie Belle. "But, uh, it might take her awhile to recover..." She then glared at Hest. "And it's all his fault!"
"Be stills, my heart," Hest sarcastically smirked under his breath.
"Ah was jus' stickin' up for my lil' sister, that's all," Applejack explained. "I mean, surely you'd have done the same for Luna... right?"
And after giving it several seconds of thought, Celestia was suddenly robbed of the will to punish Applejack for any wrongdoing - indeed, she would've done the same for her own sister, and Apple Bloom was looking like she may have been traumatized by what happened at the concert. She could only imagine how she'd feel if Luna ended up in a similar predicament...
"You're absolutely right," Celestia conceded. "The School Board policy states I should suspend you immediately..." She paused, making Applejack scared out of her wits for an instant, "But I see no reason to punish familial bonds, so I won't." Applejack, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle all breathed much easier. They were clearly glad that they were off the hook.
"As for you," she growled, turning to Hest, "your antics at your show today were so reprehensible! I can handle the fake blood and guts and the Satan stuff, but using that to torture an innocent little girl is just unconscionable, especially with how real those entrails looked! Furthermore," she added as Hest just rolled his eyes at her, "with how out of control you got on the stage, you could've caused some real costly damage to the stage and sound gear and stuff, and you put own band in danger, as well! Now tell me just what you think of that, Hest Endetarm!"
"Oh, please," Hest scoffed. "My bands was nots in dangers - dey were stills playings through the wholes things. You're just mads because we playeds a songs about yous beins overthrown, dat's all."
"Don't give me that crap!" Celestia seethed. "You're suspended for all of next week! That should give you time to reconsider your band's image. Now get your ass outta here this instant, before I give you such a paddling with my old baseball bat! Do I make myself clear?!"
Hest dared not fight any longer. He simply hissed at Principal Celestia and then trudged out of her office in defeat. Some might suggest now that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't as evil and badass as he appeared and claimed to be...
"Now all you girls best be headed out," Celestia said to Applejack and the Crusaders. "You don't want to miss your bus, do you?"
"Uh... right," Applejack replied sheepishly. "Thanks for bein' so understandin', ma'am." And so, as Vice Principal Luna retreated to her own office to get some paperwork done, Applejack, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo all strode out of the office together and into the lobby, where Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity and Sunset Shimmer had all been waiting impatiently and nervously.
"So what happened?" Sunset urgently asked. "Oh, please don't tell me you're suspended!"
"Well Hest is," Applejack answered, "but Celestia let me off."
"Oh, thank goodness!" exclaimed Twilight Sparkle as everyone else nodded with her in agreement. "It's nice to see justice having been served for today."
"Yeah, like she told her," Sweetie Belle reiterated, "she was only sticking up for Apple Bloom. "God, that Hest is so scary! One look at him and I feel like he wants to crawl into my skull!" She startd to shiver uncontrollably at the thought.
"Don't worry, Sweetie Belle," assured Rarity as they all headed for the buses. "Hest won't be hurting anyone for awhile... I hope."