Chapter 6 – Duality of Awesome
"So, I will ask again, you wretched scumbags," said Ciara. "Are you going to comply or not?"
The Nightriders looked at each other and considered that they would not want anything bad happen to them, especially when they have to be ready for the night's concert. Feeling as if they had no other choice, they were about to accept the Pyre Squad's offer, when suddenly, the lights went out, followed by the stage lights being lit up. Everyone was wondering what was going on, and then three dragons dressed in classy-style clothing appeared. They were actually Draco, Cynder, and Darky, but neither the Nightriders nor the Pyre Squad were able to recognise them.
"Ladies and gentlemen," said Cynder exuberantly. "We are pleased to announce that the Pyre Squad will finally reach stardom with their latest song!"
"What, what is going on?" asked the Pyre Squad.
"You're going to hit it big as with your song, you'll bring the Obsidian Devourers back from the shadows!" exclaimed Draco. "Therefore, we shall present to you a little entertaining musical number to acknowledge and celebrate your victory!"
With that, Draco beckoned Bowser who was hiding in the curtain to play a music track, and they started singing and dancing, while the Pyre Squad watched impressively, feeling somewhat flattered, yet delighted that they were getting the praise they felt they deserve. As they continued their charade, Axl quietly snuck past them and slowly made his way to his bandmates, ready to free them from the ropes. Lonnie was the first one to notice Axl.
"Axl, my buddy!" he gasped. "Where have you been?"
"Shush, Lonnie," whispered Axl. "I'm getting you guys out of this mess."
"But what's with those two?" asked Iggy. "They're complimenting those goons."
"Relax, Iggy, they're only Draco and Cynder," said Axl. "They're distracting them to buy me the time I need to unbound you all so we can surprise them."
"Oh, sounds good," said Lucinda. "So, how are we going to do that?"
"Just wait until Cynder gives me the signal," said Axl as he continued unbounding each of his bandmates. "We're going to teach those guys a lesson they'll never forget."
Draco, Cynder, and Darky continued dancing to the music, keeping the Pyre Squad entertained and awed. Cynder looked ahead, hoping that Axl has freed every one of the Nightriders as she knew they couldn't hold them up any longer, and the music will end at any moment. Axl has unbound the last band member just in time.
"Wow, that was brilliant!" exclaimed the Pyre Squad as they applauded. "You truly know how to welcome the Obsidian Devourers!"
"It is a pleasure to show you our support," said Cynder. "Who are we to deny that the Obsidian Devourers are mighty and powerful?"
"Which is why you'll be getting a pleasant surprise in a matter of seconds," said Draco.
"Oh, a surprise!" smiled Scorcher. "I love the sound of that! Please bring it to us!"
"Are you sure?" asked Cynder. "Very well then, you asked for it, here it comes!"
Cynder let off a loud whistle, and with that, all of her teammates, including the now freed Nightriders popped out and surrounded the bewildered Pyre Squad.
"What, what's going on?" they asked. "How did you guys get out?"
"The jig is up, Pyre Squad!" declared the Nightriders. "It's all over for you!"
"Looks like you've fallen for our trap this time!" said Cynder as she, Draco, and Darky removed their disguises.
"Oh, crap," gulped Scorcher.
"This is not our day!" groaned Cronk.
"I should have known that it was you, punks," said Ciara, angrily. "You're all going to pay dearly for this!"
"I wouldn't talk if I were you," said Axl. "Look around you, we've got the three of you outnumbered, and there's no way you villains can win against all of us, especially with our new friends by our side!"
The Nightriders drew closer to the Pyre Squad, and in an instant, they jumped over them and tied the trio in the ropes. The Pyre Squad struggled to break free, but it was no good as they were bound together.
"Well, there goes our ticket to being stars," they moaned.
"You're going to be seeing stars alright," said Draco. "Bowser, will you do the honours?"
"With pleasure, Draco," said Bowser, grinning devilishly as he cracked his knuckles. The Pyre Squad gulped, knowing that they were in big trouble. Bowser advanced on the trio and delivered a swift, massive punch that sent them flying into the sky.
"Alright, we did it!" cheered the dragons and the Nightriders as they slapped each other hi-fives. "That was a team effort!"
"You have saved our concert, dragons," smiled Axl. "And for that, we are eternally grateful."
"It was nothing, really," said Cynder. "We've dealt with that troublesome trio plenty of times that they aren't a real problem for us."
Lonnie had an idea, and he whispered something to Axl, which he gladly approved of. "Hey, since you're here and got the privilege to meet us in person, there's something in our minds that we'd like to propose," he said. "Would you be interested in being part of the concert? We'll provide you with instruments and roles of your choice."
"Really?!" exclaimed Torden, happily. "Count us in! We'd love to perform with you guys!"
The other dragons, including Bowser, Darky, and Charonus, agreed to join in as well.
"Perfect!" smiled Axl. "Oh, yeah, and if you have smartphones, we got something for you that we all know you'll enjoy."
The Nightriders borrowed the dragons' phones and installed a bunch of their apps, including their most popular one, Jam with the Nightriders, much to the delight of Draco and Lily.
"Here you are, Draco," said Lonnie as he gave back the Charizard's phone. "Two of our best includes one where you can listen to all of our hits anytime anywhere, and our ever popular one where you can jam along with us. All you need is a mugshot of yourself saved in your gallery to be able to use it."
"Gee, thanks, Lonnie!" smiled Draco. "I really appreciate this, and I sure am having a good time getting to know you, Axl, and the rest of the Nightriders."
"Alright, everyone," began Axl. "Are you ready for tonight?"
"Yes, we all are!" everyone replied.
"Totally awesome," smiled Axl. "Let's rock!"
And so, that night, the concert had come. A crowd of people gathered waiting anxiously for the Nightriders to begin their performance. Jimmy Lionheart and Hero were among the crowd, including Tails and Blaze, who also knew that Cynder and her friends have agreed to perform with the Nightriders. Blaze was very pleased, and was looking forward to seeing her top student and all of her friends, including Bowser, Darky, and Charonus, performing on stage. While she waited, she checked the clock on her smartphone, expecting the Daring Dragon Dynamos to arrive before the concert could start.
"How much longer?" asked Tails.
"They should be here any minute now," said Blaze. "Starfire told me they were here on the island, so it shouldn't take them any longer to arrive."
"We're here, Blaze!" called Starfire, and in an instant, she, Zippy, and Salem appeared and they took their seats next to Blaze, which she saw to it they were reserved for them.
"You made it just in time," said Blaze. "The concert will be starting shortly."
"And you're going to be in for a treat," said Tails. "This one is going to be rather special."
"What's so special about the concert?" asked Starfire.
"Cynder's group, including Bowser, Darky, and a new friend of theirs, will be performing," said Blaze. "They've just been made as special guests for the concert after saving the Nightriders from the Pyre Squad."
"Draco's gonna be playing?" asked Zippy and Salem. "That's so sweet!"
"Excuse me for asking," said Starfire. "But who are the Nightriders?"
"They're the star band of the concert," said Tails. "And Draco, Cynder, and their friends are accompanying them for tonight."
"This is so exciting!" exclaimed Zippy.
"Quiet now," said Blaze. "The concert is starting."
Sure enough, the audience started to cheer and applaud when Axl appeared on the stage. He tapped on the microphone a couple of times to make sure that it was working. The audience quieted down as they anticipated his speech.
"Thank you all for coming," he began. "Welcome to our concert where we're concluding our tour across the United States. This one is going to be very special tonight, for you see, we have some guests who will be performing along with us for the night. They are a group of dragons who got together some months ago last year, and recently they've been travelling around Hawaii where they've successfully completed their Island Challenge, and they've impressed us greatly that we took it upon ourselves to allow them to be the guests of honour for this concert. We hope that you will welcome them and enjoy this spectacular concert. Our repertoire will include a mixture of our personal favourite hits from other bands as well as our own. So, without further ado, let's get the show on the road!"
The audience applauded as Axl entered behind the curtain, and then they cheered when the curtains opened revealing the performers. There was Axl at the centre accompanied by the rest of the Nightriders set in their respected positions, and there were also the dragons, with Cynder being at the front with Axl, taking the vocal role, with Draco and Darky on electric keyboards, Jakkin on an acoustic guitar, Percival and Charonus on bass guitars, Torden and Bowser on electric guitars, and finally, Lily on her own drum kit to be a second drummer to Lonnie. Luckily for Cynder's group, they were able to practice the songs early on before the concert, and they picked up their parts in no time.
Axl looked behind to make sure everyone in the band was ready. When they nodded at him, he smiled, and he turned back to the audience.
"Our first song in our programme will be 'Welcome to the Jungle' by Guns n Roses," he announced. "Sit back and enjoy the show!"
With that, the band started playing the first song, and the crowd went wild. Some were even headbanging to the music. Tails, Blaze, and the Daring Dragon Dynamos watched impressively as their friends jammed away with the band. While they were performing, Cynder looked back at Draco, and they winked at each other, sensing each other's feelings and thoughts that the day and night was the best time of their lives indeed.
To Be Continued…
Boy, oh boy this has been a really fun story to write! I really hope you enjoyed the ending, and with the Island Challenge completed aside from performing at the Nightriders' concert, our heroes have one more goal to accomplish, but that will be for the next story! Take care and rock on!
Oh yes, and the Jam with the Nightriders app was inspired by Zootopia's Gazelle, if you haven't guessed. I love that movie.