Warm Strings

by Kickback

Green

Shelly was cold again today.

Except she knew why this time. The pain had started to numb away at least.

It happened this morning. Another small pony came into the store today. Shelly was a little excited, it had been so long since she had last seen Cecelia and she had hoped to see the same magic that she had seen that day. It was a colt this time. his fur was a bright orange, barely contrasting against his yellow mane and crimson eyes. He scampered in, excitedly. Shelly cringed a bit, he almost knocked over Jack when he ran up to the guitar.

"Can I get this one, dad?!" He asked as a grown stallion, coloured in the same fiery hues followed him around the store. Shelly never thought she'd see somepony look even more tired than Treble but this pony was absolutely buggered.

"It's a little pricey, Bolt. Is there anything else you'd like?" The stallion tried to force a smile. He walked over to Shelly and something compelled her to try and back away. Alas, she remained motionless. "Howabout this lyre?"

"What's a lyre?" The colt asked. Shelly scowled at him.

The stallion motioned towards Shelly and the colt stared at her. She felt uneasy under his critical gaze. "I don't really like it.."

"I don't like you either." Shelly remarked, earning a low chuckle from Henry.

"Looks like you dodged a bullet there, huh?" The harp joked. Shelly just looked up at Henry, flatly. That is, for all but two seconds before she let out a giggle.

She stopped giggling when she felt herself being lifted in the air. What?

The stallion picked her up and waved his hoof along her strings. For a moment, she liked being able to shake the dust off of them and make a pretty little sound but it was short lived. This wasn't the magic that she had seen with Cecelia, this was...this was nothing, really. The stallion offered her to the colt, gesturing for him to play her. Shelly nearly gagged when the smaller pony took her in his hooves and instead of gliding over her strings, he plucked them like she was a bloody daffodil. Shelly winced. She really did not like this kid but much to her horror, after a few more plucks, a smile came to his face.

"This is actually pretty cool." Shelly suddenly felt drained. Making such abrupt and shaky sound wore her out and there was a slight tugging pain in her strings. Still, she couldn't help but smile a little, albeit a little sadly as the colt took her up to Treble Clef.

She looked towards all her friends. They were waving her off with hopeful expressions, trying to offer encouraging smiles. "I guess this is it, huh?" She laughed slightly.

"Good luck, Shelly." Henry said, not really hiding how sorrowful he was feeling.

"Rock on, Shelly!" Jack offered, eliciting a heartier laugh out of her.

"Le doy una semana." Emilio remarked. A quick "shut up" from Javier keeping him silent.

Shelly looked up at Treble as she was presented and being paid for by the other stallion. The was something in his eye, a look of uncertainty as he hesitantly took the money. As Shelly was carried out of the store, she gave one look inside, seeing Tina waving her off, smiling without a word.

It was bright outside.

Shelly was in awe, she hadn't a single memory of being outside. It was breath-taking, everything she had imagined and more. The warm sunlight on her frame, her strings soaking it all up, making her practically glow. Maybe this won't be so bad, she thought. Maybe this here colt that now owned her will practice and become quite the talented little muso. The more the sun beamed down on her, the more she hoped and the happier she felt.

Shelly was so lost in her own little world that she didn't even notice when the stallion left or rather when the colt left him with her in tow. She looked down at the lively bright grass and around at the pastel buildings, she'd only seen such luscious colours from behind glass. She didn't think she'd ever be tired of the outside world with just how beautiful it all was.

Shelly took in a deep breath, a smile coming to her face-

tWAnGgggGgg!

And nearly choked.

Her strings, one by one were being stretched far further than they ever should have been by a pair of clumsy orange hooves. Shelly spluttered as her body contorted in ways she had never felt. Just what the hay was this colt doing to her?!

He sat on his haunches with a massive stupid grin on his face as he practically tortured her. Again and again, she was forced to create noise after horrible noise. She was thankful she didn't have ear else she was sure they'd be bleeding.

The colt laughed childishly but to her, it was the most maniacal thing she'd ever heard. Here she was suffering more than ever and he was laughing?

The laughing stopped.

And Shelly screamed.

All the sounds were nothing compared to the kind of hot, splitting pain she felt right then and there. In the colt's eagerness to produce as many noises as possible, not caring it sounded good or not. He plucked one of her strings just a little too hard for it handle and with a resounded snap. Her seventh string broke. She only had six now. Shelly started to cry, staring at the flimsy piece nylon hanging uselessly off her bridge.

TWANG!

"AHH!!"

Shelly's eyes opened abruptly, she screamed again as the colt continued to abuse the rest of her strings as if what just happened was nothing to worry about. Shelly began to sob quietly to herself, there was really nothing she could do but let him just have his way with her. This...this wasn't the way it was meant to happen.

Another string broke.

Shelly's scream was muffled by her sobbing.

The colt scowled at her, Shelly looked up at him with hope, tears staining her eyes. "Piece of junk.." He spat.

Shelly held her head low for all but a moment before she gasped, feeling herself take flight. The colt nonchalantly tossed her into the air and walked off. Shelly grunted, her golden frame hitting the grassy earth with a dull thud. She watched the colt trot away without a care for a second but just turned away and cried to herself. It hurt so much, she tried to cradle herself, to hold her broken strings and hope that they'd pop back into place if she just tried hard enough but it was no use.

Shelly was just a lyre. She wasn't a living being to these ponies, she wasn't even an instrument. Not like what Cecelia had said all those months ago. She was just a...a tool and now...she really was a piece of junk...

Shelly's crying was interrupted when she felt something bump into her sound-chest. She looked up and saw a pair of golden eyes staring down at her in surprise peaking under a veil of pale blue and white. It was another pony. A mint green unicorn filly with a pair of saddlebags hanging by her sides. She looked around, Shelly figured she was searching as to where she had come from but when she apparently found nothing, she looked back down at Shelly, curiously.

The filly took Shelly in her hooves and frowned at seeing her broken strings. Shelly felt so ashamed at that. The pony gave a firm nod and placed her snugly in her saddlebag. Shelly's crossbar poked out just enough to see the world around her as the pony trotted along. It hadn't occurred to Shelly that she had stopped crying. She found herself peaking up at the little unicorn, staring at her mane, catching just a glimpse of her muzzle and bright eyes. The world around her that she had loved to see so much didn't seem anywhere near as fascinating as the pony. There was just something about her that comforted her, she wasn't sure what it was though.

Shelly was suddenly very aware of where she was. There was a click then the sound of a door swinging open accompanied by a familiar bell. She looked up and saw Tina the triangle looking down at her in surprise and horror, Shelly felt Tina's eyes on her broken strings and gave her a sad smile.

"Hey, Tina." She mumbled.

"Shelly! What happened?! Your strings..."

"It's...it's okay.."

"Excuse me?" The little pony spoke up, looking over at Treble as he was wiping down Clarice the clarinet of dust. The old stallion turned to the filly with a polite smile but reeled back when his eyes met Shelly's. The filly took her out of the bag and presented her to the stallion. "I found this and I wasn't really sure what to do with it and it's got a few broken strings, so I thought..." The filly trailed off, nervous.

Treble simply nodded with an understanding smile. He gestured to the grand golden harp, the filly finding an empty stand next to it. Henry was staring right at Shelly, his mouth agape in shock. Shelly couldn't meet his gaze, she didn't want him to see her like this. Not like this.

The little unicorn nodded with a smile and carried Shelly over to her spot. Shelly felt comforted by the old familiar sight and the pain seemed to numb away as she relaxed. Though, she couldn't but feel as though it was the pony that brought her that peace.

The pony lifted her into the rack and made sure she sat snugly into it. The filly took a step back and frowned at the broken strings once more. Shelly just watched her as a curious look befell her muzzle. In one slow movement, the pony ran her hoof along the five strings that connected her bridge and crossbar.

Shelly let out a light gasp in surprise. It was...it was nice.

The sound she had made, it was so simple but it was nice. Shelly wasn't even really thinking at that point, all she knew it that she wanted to make that sound again. Her wish was granted somewhat as the filly stroked her strings in the opposite direction, reversing the noise she had made before, hitting her bass string last.

The filly smiled down at Shelly, as if to say that she still sounded good despite losing her strings. That even though she was broken, she could still sound beautiful. She had brought her back home, surrounded by her friends that were all smiling at her. As if they knew something she didn't. Tears of a new kind welled up in Shelly's eyes, staring up at the unicorn. She didn't even know her name and yet she felt so connected to her right then and there. She took a deep breath, not noticing that the filly had turned and started to leave.

"Thank you..."

The unicorn stopped and turned her head back to Shelly, confused for all but a moment before her face softened. The she whispered, barely audible but Shelly could hear it. "You're welcome..."

Shelly gasped, her eyes darting up only to see the pony walking out the door.

"Well...welcome home, Shelly." Thomas said aloud, trying to mask whatever emotion he was feeling.

"Don't worry, the ol' stallion will have ya patched up in no time." Jack offered an encouraging grin.

"Glad to see you home, Shelly." Henry said.

"Yeah...home..."