//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 - New Songs at a School Dance // Story: The Beatle // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// From the way back of the retirement community, Ocellus was plotting. It was no secret of how massive such an undertaking was. After all, she may very well be the last person in the world to know who The Beatles were, but she was still a student – and a young one at that. She had begun her musical training, and now she was tasked to bring the music of one of the most influential bands of all time back to public consciousness. The only question she had on her mind was how to do it? How would she, a young Changeling, bring their music back? Especially when she doesn’t have all the music? After speaking to her Headmare, Twilight did agree that this was indeed a monumental task but suggested that perhaps she should start off small. She recommended that first, she must at least try to master the songs she was given, and suggested to have her music teacher, Octavia to help her out. “If you could learn maybe four or so songs,” she told her, “then in a school dance, you could sing them. I could organize a dance to give you the excuse to shine.” Ocellus thought it was a good idea. So, for the next serval weeks right after school, Ocellus went straight to Octavia’s home to rehearse a few of these songs. If anything, her teacher was rather surprised that one of her students wanted to learn some forgotten songs from the ’60s, especially when she read a few of the sheet music that she wasn’t that impressed with it. However, Ocellus did change her mind when she sang Yesterday to her and said that she hoped she could help her developed the song with a string orchestra one day. It more or less sealed the deal. Not to say that her frequent visit to her music teacher didn’t go unnoticed. One night after practice, Ocellus walked into the student lounge, guitar on her back in which she was confronted by her friends playing cards. “Well,” Smolder said, folding her cards, “look who’s finally decided to grace her presence.” “Huh?” “Did you forget?” Gallus asked without looking up. “Tonight is game night and you promised you’d be here an hour ago.” Ocellus gasped, “Oh! Is it past seven already?” “So, where’ve you been off to?” Silverstream asked. “This past two weeks you’ve kept disappearing on us. What’s going on?” Blushing at realizing how neglectful she’s been, she set her guitar down. “I’m really sorry guys, I’ve got so caught up that I forgot.” “What Ocellus been doing?” Yona inquired. “You see, I wanted to keep this a surprise but… I’m gonna be playing for the school dance coming up.” Now, this caught her friend’s attention. “Really?” Sandbar asked. She nodded. “Yeah… It’s a long… complicated story, but to put it short, I’ve found some old songs and decided to sing them. I talked with Headmare Twilight and she said that she’d lend a hoof to give me a stage to do just that. Lately, I’ve been going to my music teacher more often to not just practice, but her roommate is helping me record some karaoke versions of what I’m gonna be playing so all I need to do is play my guitar and sing the melody.” “That sounds cool!” Silverstream said. “So, you’re committing these songs to memory?” “Well, yeah. That’s what I’ve been doing.” “Okay,” Smolder folded her arms, “if that’s true, you mind singing one?” Ocellus blinked. “What? Right here? Now?” “Why not? If you’re really are gonna be singing for the upcoming dance, I want to see if you could do it.” She told her that she could. So, picking up her guitar and sitting on her haunches, she strung a few cords. “Okay… This is an old song, written by Pull McCart and Dawn Lemon. It’s called, Please Please Me.” Taking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes and her friends were waiting for her to see what exactly she was practicing for. In her mind, she pictured a metronome so that she could be on the beat, and aloud, she counted. “One two three four, one two three and…” She began to play. It was a love song, one where she asked of her girl to please her as she did. A simple song with simple lyrics, and yet, she sang with much love as the song was. When her playing comes to an end, she heard the sound of applause from her friends. Opening her eyes, she spotted Smolder nodding. “Not bad.” She told her, “It’s okay as far as songs go, but still, it’s not bad.” “Kinda sounds old,” Sandbar pointed out, “where did you dig this up?” “It’s a long story, but for now,” she yawned. “I know that I’m supposed to hang out with you guys, but I’m feeling rather tired right now. I’d like to go to bed here.” Although she could sense their disappointment, they let her go to her room so she could get some sleep. “You got to admit,” Silverstream said, “that was pretty good.” “Maybe,” Sandbar shrugged. “I still prefer The Who better. But I can hear that she has put a good deal of effort into that.” “Yona thinks we should go to dance.” Their Yak friend suggested. “Ocellus clearly worked hard on song, maybe Yona’s friends should go to cheer her on.” Gallus raised an eyebrow, “Is no creature gonna bring up the elephant in the room?” Off of them looked at him. “What are you talking about?” Smolder asked. “Maybe it’s because I don’t listen to music very often,” he observed, “but you ever noticed that whenever a male singer does a love song that it’s meant towards someone who’s female and vice-versa?” “Where are you going with this?” Sandbar questioned. “All I’m saying, that is no one questioning why Ocellus is singing a love song that’s clearly meant for someone who’s female?” Now the student lounge went quiet for a good solid minute. “Are you suggesting-?” Smolder asked but Gallus interrupted. “I’m not. For all I know, maybe she’s singing the original song word for word. But I’m just saying that it’s interesting for her to sing a love song to, as she puts it, ‘my girl.’” He turned back to his cards. “Food for thought.” Ocellus took in a deep breath. Guitar in her hooves, she peeked behind a column towards the stage where everything she needed was there. A simple raised stage with speakers, a few buttons for her to step on to play the songs, and a microphone. In front of it was the students and teachers chatting and waiting for someone to play. Slinking back out of sight, the Changeling took in some deep breaths to calm and steady herself. “You doing okay there, Ocellus?” She looked up at the Dragoness who just walked up to her. “I…” She took in a deep breath. “Yep. Just nerves is all.” Smolder raised an eyebrow. “You sure you’re up for this? It’s no secret to me that this is probably the first time you’re doing this in front of a crowd.” “I’ve noticed…” There was a pause between them. “You know you don’t have to.” She told her. “Twilight, as far as I know, has a backup with Spike so if you can’t go through with it, I get it.” “No.” Ocellus shook her head. “I have to do this.” “Why?” Her friend tilted her head. “Look, it’s not that I don’t think you’ll do well – heck, even I’ve noticed how much you’ve gotten better at playing that guitar – it’s just… I don’t want to have any of my friends be forced into doing something they don’t want to. Ya know?” She sighed, “Smolder… I can sense your concern for me. And I do get it. However, what I’m about to do… is bigger than me (as pretentious as that sounds). I don’t expect any of you to get it, but I do feel that these songs are important.” “Even though they’re kinda… old fashion?” her friend questioned. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, they’re not bad by any means. Just that it seems a little odd that you’re playing something that would easily fit a good fifty or so years ago.” Ocellus nodded. “Yeah… even I admit that these fit in a different time. But I’ve heard once that the thing about good music is that they will never, ever age. To tell you the truth, I don’t know if anyone out there will remember the tunes after I played, but I cannot at least try to give these songs a second chance.” Smolder hesitated for a moment, trying to think of what to say. However, she ended up putting a claw on her friend’s shoulder. “Then you know what? I’d say give it a shot. You’ve come this far and gotten this good, might as well give it a try.” “Thanks, Smolder.” She said, smiling. “Okay then,” the two of them turned to find Spike approaching. “It’s all set and ready to go, Ocellus. So before you do this, I’m gonna go up there and introduce you. And since you’re basically starting out as a one-mare band, do you want to go by a different name for tonight?” After thinking about it for a moment, Ocellus smiled up at him. “Could you call me, The Beatle?” “I… guess so?” Spike raised an eyebrow. “Why Beatle? That isn’t offensive to Changelings, is it?” She shrugged, “Not the last time I’ve checked.” “Okay…” “Oh! And before you go up, do you remember who wrote these songs?” He nodded, “Yeah. Never heard of them but I got their names right here,” he pointed at his head. Before he went to introduce her, he asked her if there was anything else and Ocellus told him to go ahead. Spike said before flying up to the mic on stage. “Good evening everycreature! Are you ready to get this party started!” The school cheered. “Tonight’s music is about to be performed by one of the students here at the School of Friendship! The first time she’s performing with songs by Pull McCart and Dawn Lemon, give a round of applause for… The Beatle!” Ocellus breathed in deeply. “Wish me luck.” Smolder patted her shoulder. “You really believe in these songs?” She asked and the Changeling nodded. “You’ll do good. Now go out and knock ‘em out. Literally, if you have to!” This got a nervous chuckle out of her as she opened up her wings and flew over to the stage. Standing in front of the microphone with spotlights on her and before the eyes of a good chunk of the school, she steadied herself. Waiting for her to do something and that if she did something wrong, then all those hours and days practicing saving those songs would have gone to waste. ‘Goddesses, is this what it was like for them?’ She wondered, clearing her throat, she spoke into the microphone. “H-Hi everyone. How are all of you d-doing?” There was a polite applause, if not muted. “Okay, let’s get started, shall we?” She asked, strumming her guitar once. “How about we start this off on a f-fun note? This first one is called ‘S-She Loves You.’” Despite the awkwardness, she looked upon the waiting crowd and spotted her friends near the back. She saw Sandbar and Yona waving at her. Silverstream and Smolder smiling, giving her the thumbs up while Gallus leaned back with a cocked eyebrow. Taking in a deep breath, she looked down at the buttons at her hooves and pressed the first one on her left. With the speakers started to play drums, she began to sing with a joyful voice. What came out of her mouth started relaxed at first, a love song that tells the audience that the crush does love them back. Before she was even finished, her confidence grew when she saw students at first nodding, tapping their hooves to the beat before starting to sway side to side. She saw a sea of smiles, that despite how old fashion the song may sound, the students there were beginning to fall in love with it. Even among her friends in the back, they started to dance before she reached the final chorus. Maybe, these songs did have a second chance after all. Outside of the school, a tired stallion with a briefcase dragged his tried hooves across the ground. It was late and given how tired he was, he reasoned that it’s best to find some local inn to retire for the night. After all, it’s not best to go door to door to try to pitch a sell at this hour. Given how exhausted the train ride to Ponyville was, he wouldn’t pay any attention to the school he was passing by if it weren’t for something that caught his ear. He paused, his ears perked up as, apart from the crying applause, there was a familiar sound. Too familiar. It was the sound of a drum set, a bass, two guitars, and one voice singing above it. Turning his head towards the school to where there was a dance going on through the open doors, the sale’s pony approached it as a passionate, joyful song projected out into the night. He came into the light, a blue stallion with a messy dark blue mane and a face full of wrinkles. Through the front doors of the school, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing and hearing. It was not just the Changeling on stage, nor the students who were dancing to the tune. Nor was it because of how old fashion the song was given its style. What shocked him, however, was the song itself. It was a song that was from long ago. A song he knew. A song, he co-wrote. “That… That’s me song…” he muttered; jaw dropped. “That’s me bloody song…” He watched as Ocellus played her heart out on stage, singing into the mic. Every lyric, every note, down to the key change in tone and rhythm was familiar. Even though he hadn’t sung it in years, he knew the song as a father would recognize their own child. Especially when she sang into the microphone "I wanna hold your hoof!" On stage, Ocellus finished up playing the song with a happy shout of, “Thank you everycreature! Goodnight!” Much to the roaring applause as she exited flying off to where her friend was at. “That was amazing!” Sandbar said. “I didn’t know you had that in you!” “That was so scary,” Ocellus said with a smile on her face, “but so exciting, I mean, wow! What a rush!” “What did I tell ya?” Smolder told her. “You did good up there.” While the Changeling was being given compliments from her friends, she failed to notice the old sale’s pony entering into the hall and going towards her. She wasn’t calmed down from her rush on stage until she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked over. She froze. “Young lady,” the stallion said, “where did you learn that song?” Her jaw dropped. “P-Pull McCart!?” He leaned in closer, a frown on his face. “I asked you a question.” He said in a serious tone, “Where, did you learn to play that song?”