//------------------------------//
// Mystic Sound 
// Story: Joy Through Musical Interpretation 
// by geek 
//------------------------------//

	The hole infested appendages of the changeling tapped casually against the poorly maintained road of the Everfree. Had nopony even thought about trying to make it look presentable or easy to follow? He scoffed, probably off being scared of natural cycles of life to bother with it. Nonetheless, the curious and optimistic changeling had spent two solid days carefully traversing the Everfree in case he ever should come across it's fearless inhabitants. It was already eerie enough, distant howling and near sounds of an owl's "hoo" making Jaeger pause briefly. His ears twitched and rotated like a radar dish, his eyes blinking as if he just malfunctioned as an artificial being.

There was a small whistle-like chime weaving it's way into his ear drums, vibrating through his being and bringing a small smile to his muzzle before he shook his head and continued on his way. Dipping his head low and hunching slightly for stealth, Jaeger continued his trek for food as well as shelter. Surely love could be around here--

The whistling chime had once again broke the natural sounds of the forest and it brought his head up like a canine's. His eyes were wide and his ears were turning rapidly as a small frown smoothed across his muzzle rather than a smile. "Where is that blasted sound?!" Jaeger muttered angrily through bared teeth, his annoyance visible on his face.

It continued, as if it were part of the wind and it's slow and hypnotizing tune taunted his ears, desperate for an audience as the changeling found himself slowly and slowly following the sound. The entire relaxing but somewhat creepy sounds of the Everfree muting themselves as they couldn't combat the relaxed tone of this performance. Carefully weaving through thick foliage and densely populated trees, he reached a small clearing where he poked his head out in an investigation. Where had this sound come from, and why did it sound so beautiful?

Surveying the area like a sentry, the changeling blinked upon discovering an elderly earth pony, his face and portions of his body obscured by a long brown cape and hood, his wrinkly green wrists wrapped around a small tube with holes. He blew softly into a hidden piece he couldn't see, and saw the stallion maneuver his appendages across the thing, a new pitch coming from whatever he did that he did. The changeling crept out, transfixed on the sounds being produced before he found himself regrettably standing a hoof away from the sound maker, speaking softly. "What.. What was that?"

The elderly stallion chuckled light-heartedly, a weak voice escaping his muzzle, "It's music, my boy. The very essence of pony celebrations and art. 'Tis be the only thing an old coot like me lives for, nowadays."

"Music? What in Chrysalis's slim backside is that?!" Jaeger's curiosity spoke for him, and he no longer could control it.

"Music is the creation of using sounds in specific patterns and rhythms, or for random but harmonic sounds used for relaxation, entertainment or anything you could almost possibly imagine." The elderly stallion replied, lifting the thing to his muzzle and blowing a couple more notes, being halted by the changeling immediately. "C-Could I try it?"

"All you had to do was ask, my child."

The stallion shakily extended the piece of wood to Jaeger, who cautiously took it into his own hooves and stared at it expectantly. "Well? Why won't it play this 'music' you preach to me as if I am some blind follower?"

"Lift it to your lips, blow softly into that there," he pointed to the hole closest to the left end of the pipe-thing with the curved end, "and lay your hooves over the other holes and see what you can produce."

Sitting on his rump and staring at the mistake-- he meant driftwood thing as if it were some child that needed to be thrown off a cliff, he lifted the mitochondria to his muzzle and blew softly into it, holding his other hoof over a hole towards the middle. An ear piercing sound emitted from it, forcing him to stop playing immediately and recoil back, frightened by the instrument.

The stallion gave a small chuckle, and nodded, "That is to be expected from beginners. But do not fret, with practice comes--"

"Shut up. I'm about to rip the greatest flute solo you've ever seen."

"It's actually a recorder--"

A drum beat and some weird keyboard effect echoed through the area, and Jaeger found himself tapping a hoof to it in resonance with it.

The changeling stood on hind legs, lifting the fun tube to the skies and blowing a wicked solo over some random beat and effects.

Throughout the song, the elderly stallion slowly lowered his hood, revealing a long wispy goatee that stretched to his gut from sitting view, along with a bald head and wide eyes that were dripping tears from the sick solo.

Throughout the solo, the changeling began hastily bending down and straightening himself as if he were performing the greatest performance he ever performed in his life. His blue eyes expressed a range of emotions through the dank solo; sadness, anger, adrenaline, and finally, happiness as a single tear was shed down his left cheek. During the choruses the changeling had extended himself to as tall as he could go, shaking violently as his lungs burned from the pure shreddage being witnessed by the amateur old slob that groveled at his mighty hooves like a filthy peasant.

As soon as the end came, Jaeger performed a backflip during the ending note, landing perfectly on all fours as the recorder hung off his muzzle with a look of pure bliss on his face as he stared at the elderly stallion kissing his hooves. "Th-The prophet.. the prophecies.. the stories.. they weren't lies.."

"The Recorder Shredder has come.."