//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: The Magic of Harmonies // by darksymphony //------------------------------// “I’m so excited! Are you excited? I’m so excited! Even more excited than that one time…” “Uh, yeah Pinkie Pie, Ah think we got the message.” Applejack said, though the look on her face suggested she was looking forward to the night just as much as her more vocal friend. “I mean, the Gala’s tomorrow! It’s going to be so much fun, and fun is the best! There’s going to be cake, and music, and dancing, and best of all we all get to perform! Well, I suppose I did perform last year, but nopony was in a party mood. And this year we all get to perform! Fun!” Twilight rolled her eyes, smiling at Pinkie Pie behaving…well, like Pinkie Pie. It was the evening before the Gala, and the group was having one last mini party in the library. Both bands would be using the morning to practice and make sure everything was perfect for the evening, meaning that this would be the last chance for them all to hang out before taking the carriage to Canterlot. “So, I’m guessing you’re all prepared and ready to rock and roll, so to speak?” Twilight asked. Rarity stifled a giggle at Twilight’s use of the phrase. Her bookish friend really had been reading far too many music magazines lately. “Yes, my dear, we’re as ready as we’ll ever be. I’m not sure if we’ll win, but I feel like we’ll put on a memorable show.” Twilight remembered their practice concert, recalling Rarity screaming into the microphone and threatening the audience with a ‘flank kicking.’ “Yes, I don’t doubt that for one second,” she replied. Truth be told, Twilight was more than a little impressed with her unicorn friend; not only had she been making a near constant stream of gowns and dresses for customers for the Gala, she had also written the song for her band, not to mention making the outfits for both bands as well. Looking over Rarity’s shoulder, Twilight spied spike yawning and blinking dazedly a few times. She took this as a hint and began to subtly wrap up the party. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Twilight lay in bed, the sounds of Spike’s quiet breathing the only sound cutting the silence. For all she’d decided to settle in for the night, now that she was in bed she didn’t really feel tired in the slightest. She sighed, guessing her nervous anticipation was the cause of her insomnia. Suddenly, the door to the bedroom opened, and Twilight could see the dim form of a pony walking across to the spare bed opposite her own. “Luna?” she whispered softly, as the alicorn in question pulled the sheets over herself. “Oh, sorry, Twilight. Did I disturb you?” Twilight shook her head, not that the gesture would be visible in the darkness. “No, I can’t sleep.” There was a soft giggle. “I don’t even know why I’ve come to bed, I don’t even really need to sleep and I certainly don’t feel tired.” Twilight smiled into the darkness. “Want to talk for a while?” the princess asked. “Sure.” “Excited about tomorrow?” “I can’t wait! Especially seeing the princess again, it’s been so long since we last talked and we have so much to talk about.” Luna nodded in agreement. “Yeah.” “And I can’t wait to get back to Canterlot! Seeing the palace again, and the gardens, Pony Joe’s donut shop…” Twilight sighed in happy anticipation. “And what about you, Luna? I’m sure you must be looking forward to getting back to your big room in the palace rather than having to share this tiny space with Spike and I.” Only silence greeted her statement. “Luna? What’s wrong?” A quiet mumble answered her. “Pardon?” “I don’t want to go back.” This simple statement hit Twilight like a hoof to the face. “But…you’re a princess! You belong in the palace, not stuck in some village library in the middle of nowhere!” “I might have been born a princess, but the last few months living as a normal pony have been the best of my life. If I went back, I’d go back to being the untouchable goddess, or the feared queen of the night or whatever. I’d rather stay here, with my friends, and keep living like this than return to that place. I’d rather be a happy normal pony than a lonely princess.” Suddenly Twilight understood everything. She’d been such a foal not to anticipate this; after all she’d felt exactly the same way in the distant past, wanting to stay with her friends in Ponyville rather than return to Canterlot. And in her case, she’d only known her pony friends for a single day; Luna had spent months with them, becoming a fundamental and vital part of the group. It was then Twilight realised; she didn’t want Luna to go back either. Quietly getting out of bed, she walked over to Luna and gently reached out into the darkness, her forehooves meeting the alicorn’s. “I swear I’ll do everything I can to ensure you can stay here. It wouldn’t be the same without you.” The alicorn sniffled, then beamed with a smile Twilight could barely make out in the darkness. All of a sudden, the unicorn found herself enveloped in a tight hug. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou…” the alicorn cried. “FOR PETE’S SAKE!” yelled an angry, tired voice from Spike’s basket. “Sorry,” Twilight and Luna whispered. As Twilight got back into bed, she smiled and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep. Everything would turn out all right in the end. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ “Wow! You all look amazing!” Spike said, mouth agape as Twilight, Luna, Fluttershy and Applejack entered the boutique. Twilight giggled. “Thank you very much, Spike. You’re looking pretty sharp yourself.” The dragon frowned slightly. “I’d be looking even sharper with a moustache,” he said, eliciting another giggle from the unicorn. “Of course, how could I forget? Now, what would you like, sir?” “Hmm, how about something thin, but long and a bit curly?” Twilight’s horn glowed, and the requested facial hair materialised on the dragon’s face. He eyed himself in a mirror carefully, then turned and beamed at Twilight. “Perfect!” With that, the pair went to assist with the moving of the equipment. Luna had pulled some strings to get the group a stretch carriage that could take all eight of them, plus all their instruments, all in complete luxury. There were times it was useful to be royalty. With the last of the boxes containing Pinkie Pie’s drums carefully packed away, the seven ponies and dragon piled into the carriage, wondering at the opulent interior. Slumping onto a luxuriously deep sofa, Rainbow Dash gave a contented sigh. “Rainbow Dash! Sit properly, you ‘ll crease your dress! And after all the time I put into it you simply must look your absolute best!” Rainbow Dash sighed, but complied with the request. “Whoa, this is amazin’! I don’t know why you don’t always travel like this, if Ah had access to it Ah’d never use anythin’ else! You could pretty much live in here!” Luna smiled modestly. “Well, it’s certainly comfortable, but it’s slow. And finding parking spaces big enough is a nightmare.” When the laughter died down, Spike shut the door and, heading to the front of the carriage, leant out of the open window to tell the quartet of Royal Guards that they were ready to depart. The huge carriage smoothly moved off under the combined strength of the four, and began the long trip to Canterlot. “I’m so glad you get to join us for the journey this time, Spike,” Twilight said. She knew that the dragon had been a little sore over missing the pre-Gala banter the last time. “Yeah! And this time we really are all going to hang out, and we’re gonna perform for the Princess, and have an after party at Pony Joe’s…it’s going to be, like, the best night ever!” Twilight giggled, thinking back to their ‘best night ever’ the previous year. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The journey passed quickly, with the eight excitedly talking about the Gala. It seemed like no time whatsoever had elapsed as the carriage came to a standstill at the red carpet that marked the entrance to the palace. They filed out of the carriage and made their way to the main gate. Rarity was pleased to note that there were plenty of photographers snapping pictures of the attendees as they made their way in, making a mental note to order more fabric to deal with the inevitable surge of requests for dresses like the ones she and her friends were wearing. After handing their gold tickets in and being admitted to the Gala proper, the eight formed a quick huddle in the entrance hall. “Right girls. And Spike. Let’s make this a night to remember. Even if this is a competition, remember friendship comes first.” “It’ll be like one big party!” “Yes, I most definitely agree. Let’s have fun, everypony.” “This is gonna be so awesome!” “It’ll be like what I said we should do last year.” “Ah’m sure it’s gonna be just fine, Spike. We’ve learned our lesson.” “Um, I’ll be sure to do my best cheering for you all.” “With all my best friends here with me, how could this night not go well?” Twilight looked at each of her friends, smiling in agreement at all their statements. “Right, then let’s go and have the time of our lives!” “Epic party time!” “LET’S GO KICK SOME FLANK!” Glanced round, it was evident that even with the new, more relaxed attitude at the Gala it was still frowned upon to scream obscenities in the entrance hall for no reason. Rarity looked abashed. “Too much?” Seven heads nodded in unison. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ A short while later, the group made its way into grand ballroom. Last year there had been a small stage set up, where a small band had played gentle classical strains. In utter contrast, this year there was a large stage set up, a wall of amps present behind where the performers would be. A large frame, bristling with lights and special effects units framed the stage, and at the opposite side of the room a raised platform with seating for four had been erected, obviously for the judging panel. Already there were a fair few ponies milling around, either curious to see what was going on or reserving spaces in advance to ensure a good view of the action. Twilight noticed with a cringe that the large alicorn statue and columns that had been destroyed last year by the group had not yet been replaced. The two bands made their way backstage. A green room had been set up for the performers, and Twilight guessed from the number of ponies present that there were at least six other bands besides the two from Ponyville. A sheet showing the order of play was pinned to the wall; on inspecting it Twilight discovered that there were nine bands in the competition, with the Fashionista Militia on third and the Moonbeams performing next to last. Re-joining her friends by their instruments (which had been brought in and carefully watched over by a small group of Royal Guardsmen,) Twilight informed them of the schedule. Unlike before the practice concert in Ponyville, Rarity didn’t show a trace of nerves as she carefully removed her cello from its case, plucking the strings and tweaking the pegs to perfect the instrument’s tuning, answering Twilight with resolute confidence. “Excellent. To quote another pony on the subject of our performance, ‘watch in awe.’” Twilight was once again reminded that this was a competition, though if she had her way it wasn’t going to be a walkover for anypony. Trusting the Guardsmen to look after their instruments, Twilight and the others made their way back to the main room, electing to watch as much of the other performers as possible and offer their support. Just because it was a competition didn’t mean they had to act unsporting, after all. The crowd had vastly increased in size, ponies chattering in eager anticipation of the show that was due to start in a couple of minutes. The lights in the large hall suddenly began to dim, and a voice boomed out, overpowering the din. “Fillies and gentlecolts, we at the Grand Galloping Gala are delighted to announce the start of the first annual Equestria Music Group Contest. Please give a big Canterlot welcome for tonight’s judges, three ponies who certainly know their music; Octavia, Vinyl Scratch and Lyra!” The audience burst into polite applause as the three ponies made their way to the platform, sitting at their seats. Octavia smiled warmly at the reception, whilst Vinyl Scratch grinned wildly and Lyra waved at the crowd, a huge grin plastered across her face. “And it gives me great pleasure to welcome our special guest and event organiser, our very own…Princess Celestia!” The tall alicorn gracefully sat down at her seat on the raised platform, flashing a gentle smile and giving an acknowledging wave to the riotous crowd before her. “Celly! Look over here!” Luna squealed excitedly, waving furiously. “Hold it, sugarcube, yer gonna put somepony’s eye out if yeh keep wavin’ like that.” Applejack said, supressing a laugh at the sight of the normally demure alicorn acting like a little filly. “Twi, tell her…oh, not you too…” Indeed, Twilight was bouncing up and down, screaming Princess Celestia’s name over and over. Applejack shook her head in despair at the two. As the crowd settled, the announcer introduced the first band, a jazz quartet from Manehatten. Four spotlights flicked on, highlighting the ponies on the stage. “Oh, what delightful outfits!” Rarity gushed. Rainbow Dash looked at her in distaste. “You think?” Rarity frowned in return. “Why of course! How could you not like them?” Rainbow Dash looked at the performers once more. “I hate socks.” Rarity gave a slightly annoyed look to her pegasus friend. “Well, just because you could never pull off the look doesn’t mean it looks bad on everypony else. Anyway, it looks like they’re starting.” The four musicians on the stage did indeed look ready to start. A brief glance and a nod between them later, they began their performance. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ As the second song of the night drew to a close, the crowd burst into applause once more, showing their appreciation for the band. “Wow, the standard really is high for this contest,” Twilight observed. “I don’t even like country music that much, but that was wonderful.” Applejack looked a little scandalised, but before she could open her mouth to retort the announcer’s voice boomed out once more. “An excellent performance there by Jemimah and the Haystalks! Now, over to the judges for the scores.” A set of spotlights beamed on, focussing on Octavia, Vinyl Scratch and Lyra as each held up a board. “Eight, eight and seven, giving Jemimah and the Haystalks a score of twenty three out of a possible thirty!” The audience cheered, as much for the celebrity judges as for the band on the stage. “Hmm, one less than the first band. Well, let’s see how the others get on! Knowing Rarity, it will be quite the show.” Twilight said, to her bandmates, eagerly watching the darkened stage for any sign of their friends as the event crew prepared for the coming performance. “Look! There’s Pinkie Pie!” Looking carefully into the dim light the pink pony could be seen carefully setting up her drums, making sure everything was just right for the performance. Apparently satisfied, she got off the stool and happily hopped off the stage. A second later, the lights on the judges faded, plunging the room into pitch black darkness. The silence that followed seemed to last for an eternity for Twilight and her three friends in the crowd. Then, a gentle note cut through the darkness. A spotlight slowly faded in, illuminating Rarity as she played a sad and mournful melody. Resplendent in her dark ensemble, her eyes were closed as she made the instrument sing. She was joined a few bars in, another light bringing Spike into frame as he added the synth line. Though unusual, there was no doubt that the combination of the classical cello and modern synthesizer resulted in a beautiful interweaving harmony. With a final descending scale, both musicians fell silent, remaining utterly motionless with their eyes closed. Then Rarity opened her eyes and flashed a devilish grin at the crowd as she touched her bow to the strings once more. All at once, sound exploded into the room as the stage was bathed in light to reveal Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, both with looks of committed concentration as they played the true introduction to the song Rarity had penned. The crowd, who had been momentarily stunned by the sudden and aggressive change in tone, began to cheer loudly and nod their heads in time to the pounding beat. The song entered the verse, Rarity leaning to the microphone as she continued to play. For all the fact that they’d never heard it before, many of the ponies in the crowd were singing with her, caught up in the passionate energy of the song. Luna watched the four performers closely, marvelling at how well they worked together. Rarity, perfect master of multitasking as she played a complex off beat rhythm and sang simultaneously. Rainbow Dash, smiling with a tiny touch of cockiness as she launched into a display of furious sweep picking. Pinkie Pie, making the most of her double bass drums as she played a difficult cross rhythm. Spike, looking completely unfazed as he swiped his hand across the keys in a massive glissando, all the way from the wood end panel on the right hand edge right down to the bottom keys. All four were quite obviously very talented musicians in their own right, but that wasn’t what was causing the crowd to become so wild. They’d taken a genre of music that was considered quite inaccessible and made it appealing for everypony, but more importantly it was obvious to everyone in the room that they were having the time of their lives doing it. And their joy was proving incredibly infectious. In a mirror of the performance in Ponyville, Rainbow Dash strutted across the stage to the centre as the bridge came to a close, readying herself for the solo. However, Rarity was also walking to join her, playing as she carried the cello across the floor. As she reached her pegasus friend, the two faced each other and flew into the solo, both playing the same series of technical notes in perfect synchronisation. It almost appeared like the two ponies were trying to outdo each other as the pace of the playing increased to a near frantic degree, but neither made a single mistake as they shifted into a harmonized section. Rarity made her way back to the microphone as the solo drew to a close, reaching it just in time to begin singing the last chorus. Looking out at the sea of ponies in the dim glow reflected by the flashing stage lights, she was struck by the sight of hundreds of ponies, many with hooves in the air as they jumped up and down in time to the music. Singing the last line, she turned away from the stage to face her bandmates as they played the outro, ending with the same furious energy that had driven their whole song. As their final chord decayed away to nothingness, Rarity looked silently at her three companions. All were panting slightly with the exertion of their performance, but all wore the same huge grin that was present on her own face. There was no need for comments, an unspoken understanding passing between the four as they relived the glory of the song again in their heads. A brightening glow from behind her caught Rarity’s attention, and she turned back to face the front of the stage. The lights had been raised, and it revealed a spectacular scene; the entire room was packed with ponies, in Rarity’s eyes an endless ocean of faces. All had one thing in common; they were screaming at the tops of their voices and stamping their hooves, the sounds melding together into a colossal mass of sonic energy. Rarity was dumbfounded, vaguely aware of the announcer saying something as she dazedly scanned over the audience. Her eyes found a familiar yellow pegasus, jumping up and down animatedly and screaming as loud as she could, though even that wasn’t enough to cut through the overpowering roar. “Look! Our scores!” Rainbow Dash shouted excitedly. At the back of the room, three numbers were held up. Nine from Lyra. Eight from Octavia. And ten from Vinyl Scratch, giving the elated performers a smile and a nod of her electric blue maned head. “YES!” The four screamed in unison, meeting for a group hug as the lights dimmed around them once more, crew members coming on stage to prepare for the next performance. Back in the crowd, Fluttershy smiled at the other three happily. “Weren’t they good? I didn’t want their song to end, they looked like they were having so much fun.” Applejack nodded in agreement. “They sure put on a show an’ a half,” the earth pony said, “But this sure as hay ain’t over yet.” “Yes, Applejack, even if they do have the highest score I see no reason why we can’t beat them. Not to mention there’s still another fivebands that we know nothing about; any one of them could win.” “No.” The three ponies turned to look at Luna, who blushed slightly. “Sorry. But yes, I’ve got a feeling that this is going to end up between us and them. I’m not sure how, or why, but I just somehow know. Call it my Luna sense, if you like.” Twilight quickly looked back to the stage, realising that she’d had a similar instinct about the competition for a long time. The next band was ready, and the lights began to dim as Twilight spoke once more to her friends. “Well, let’s enjoy the music for the time being, but when the time comes, let’s go out and win this thing!” Three ponies looked back at her, steely determination written all over their faces.