//------------------------------// // The Discovery of Music // Story: Mythquestria // by Starlit Skies //------------------------------// Music is one of the most impactful creations of all time. Nothing else has inspired nations or caused epic works of literature to be penned so much as music has. Nowadays, there are many ways of creating music, such as with instruments, hitting objects, and with one’s voice. Although the exact date of when music was created is unknown, it has been around for centuries upon centuries as an integral part of Equestrian society Today, many schools teach music, either as a hobby for foals or as a career choice for the exceptionally talented. Many genres of music have been created over the years, such as classical, country, wub, and jazz. Even in the furthest reaches of the Equestria and the rest of the known world, music thrives in abundance, from the zebra tribes of Afriqua to the frozen tundra of the north. —Excerpt from An Introductory Guide to Music “While that would explain where the nightmare forces that took over Princess Luna came from, as well as explain why she was rather susceptible to them it still is curious. Not as obviously false as the phoenix myth, but still most likely wrong.” Twilight’s brow furrowed in thought. “Could Discord really be that powerful to have taken over Equestria and have left so many negative impacts that still affect us today?” She glanced down after turning the ancient page once more. “I just hope that not all of these will only be focused on Celestia and Luna. As much as I love the Princesses, there is only so much…” her voice trailed off upon reading the title of the next page. “The Discovery of Music. Hmm. I’ve never been that interested in music as opposed to being at least slightly interested in phoenixes and stars. Maybe the princess wanted others to read this!” Twilight perked up in the comfy armchair she had sunk into while reading. “I could go share this with Vinyl, Octavia, and Lyra! Last I heard, they were in Canterlot which makes it perfect.” The alicorn got up out of her chair and placed her saddlebags over her back with a quick levitation spell, sliding the book inside them. She headed out of the library, waving to Mrs. Dewey as she passed, and emerged into the bright sunlit courtyard of Canterlot palace. It was the middle of spring, so all sorts of greens were flowering from the ground and felt soft underhoof as Twilight walked across them towards the main exit gate to the palace. Nodding towards the pearly white unicorn guards keeping watch, Twilight continued in the direction of the one place in Canterlot that she spent little time in due to her studies: the arts area. Walking past the street artists spontaneously painting masterpieces and musicians strumming guitars with hooves and magic, she approached the main theater of Canterlot, which was currently bedecked with banners and streamers of electric blue, mint, and light grey. A large central banner entitled “Bass Battles” hung above the main eight glass doors. Opening the door with a swish of her magic, Twilight entered the room that seated over ten thousand ponies. Lyra looked up from where she was practicing on the stage-lit stage to see Twilight enter. “Hey Princess Twi, what brings you here?” “I came to show you, Vinyl, and Octavia something I think you might find interesting.” “Cool, they’re in the back.” Turning around from the stool she was sitting on, she yelled, “V! OCTY! TWI’S HERE AND SHE WANTS TO SEE YOU!” Twilight stepped back slightly, surprised at the volume that had just came from the mouth of the lyrist. But it served its purpose, as two ponies quickly trotted out from behind the curtain the served as the backdrop to the stage. “Hey Twi, how’s it going? Want to check on the prep for the concert tonight?” Vinyl asked, her usual trademark glasses not present on her person, which allowed her red eyes to sparkle in the lights that shined upon the stage. “Not quite. I was given a book by the Princess and I came across a chapter I thought might interest you.” “Excellent. What kind of book is it, if I may so inquire?” asked Octavia, her curiosity piqued. “A book of myths.” After saying this, Twilight lifted the book in question out of her bag and let it float in front of her, flipping it to the last page she had been on. “The one I wanted to show you is called The Discovery of Music.” “Sounds interesting. Did you say the Princess gave it to you? Does that make it automatically true or something?” “She said the myths had some truth to them Lyra, but I am not quite sure how much of that statement I believe. Now without further ado,” Twilight cleared her throat and looked down at the browned page. “Before the rule of Celestia, there was a filly by the name of Melody…” * * * Before the rule of Celestia, there was a filly by the name of Melody. The tribes had been united a few years earlier by the leaders (and their assistants) of the three races and each coexisted in the new land of Equestria, at peace with one another. The Heart of Harmony blazed over the united ponies and fostered creation among them. Melody lived on the streets, her parents lost to the hunger and strife soon after giving birth to her. She scavenged the wastes, one of the few of this time to do so. One day, she explored a cave that had been untouched by ponies since the creation of the world in search of something that might have been left behind that she could use, unknowing of the cave’s origins. She voyaged deeper and deeper into the bowels of the earth, her horn lighting the way in front of her until she came to an underground lake. Drinking her fill from the water’s edge, she noticed that the lake was fed by water dripping from the ceiling. The drops hit different patches of water and made sounds that Melody hadn’t heard before. She went over and listened to the pattern that they made upon the eroded rock. The falling water created the first type of music. Inspired, Melody ran to the surface as fast as she could. Returning to the surface of the earth, she rushed to her hideout on the streets where she had collected anything that she thought might be of use. Among her clutter were glasses of varying shapes, sizes, and colors: the only thing that she had left from her glassmaker parents. Turning them upside down, she dribbled water from another glass onto them, one drop at a time, in the pattern she remembered from the cavern. As the song floated out into the street, ponies stopped and listened to the melody weaving its way through the paths and town of Canterlot while a flash of light briefly illuminated a hideout as it christened a filly’s flank with a drop of water on a glass. Others were inspired by the filly’s creation, though it was unknown who created it. Some went out and created their own music, while others in the area were inspired to paint masterpieces. No one could ever figure out where the water song came from, but they knew that every day, an hour past noon, music would make its way through that part of the city. It became the place of art and song, eventually becoming the heart of the Canterlot art district. And so, another legend was born: The legend of the filly who discovered music.