//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 - Love Song by the Pond // Story: The Beatle // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// At first when Ocellus introduced Pull and Dawn to Octavia, her music teacher thought that it was rather odd that she was being asked to teach these ancient ponies to play the guitar. If anything, the teacher was suspicious of her student’s claim that these two can create some of the greatest’s songs in history. However, despite their age, having to reteach them the basics wasn’t too difficult. At one point, while they did struggle, Dawn commented that it was like “Learning how to ride a bicycle again.” In between teaching the stallions the scales and arpeggios in different key signatures, Ocellus noticed that once they learned them, they start to improvise on them in which, she insisted that they should be recorded. They were experimenting with rhythm and melody that at first was abstract. However, as days went by, they were starting to form bits and pieces of the songs the Changeling recognized. About five days since they started, and during one of these improve moments, Dawn mused over an E Major scale that he plucked out seven familiar notes that he played over and over. Ocellus’s ears perked up. “Wait a minute… I think I know that… Can you play that again?” Dawn did, and she sang out the last few notes. “That’s ‘All My Loving!’” “Well I’m glad you know it,” he said, “Because I can’t figure out how to finish it.” “Let me try,” Pull said, taking a closer look at Dawn’s playing before he improvised himself. While he played, it helped jog the Changeling’s memory of the melody. Although bits and pieces of the lyrics were on the tip of her tongue, Dawn helped piece together the poem that went with it. Amazingly to her through their improvisation, they were able to recreate the song in about half-an-hour. Slowly, Ocellus, Dawn and Pull started to piece together some of the songs that the Changeling could remember. Starting with the love songs. Within a week and five days since they started, they pieced together the melodies and lyrics for: All My Loving, And I Love Her, Can’t Buy Me Love, Eight Days A Week, You Like Me Too Much, Yesterday, Manechelle, Girl, In My Life, Love You To, Martha My Dear, I Will, and Oh! Darling. From there, Ocellus turned to Octavia to help pen the notes and lyrics down on paper out of the recordings so that they would be in print. At one point after their group lesson after Dawn and Pull left, her teacher inquired her student: “Are you planning on playing all of these?” Ocellus nodded, “Eventually, yes. But right now, I’m just hoping to get as much of these songs preserved as possible.” “You do have to remember that you still have to play in that recital coming up.” She told her. “If you’re still doing that Yesterday song, I hope that you got it all memorized for Saturday.” “That reminds me, did you-” “Yes, it’s all written down. Although, given how hard you’ve been working, I think that I might give you a surprise.” Ocellus tilted her head. “What does that mean?” “Now I admit, when you brought those Gentlecolts in, I was skeptical at first. However… I can see that with every passing day, they have something in them. A gift of sorts. In fact, when I was transcribing the song Yesterday down, I realized that this simple song is much more… richer than I anticipated. And it’s not just that, but a few others so far. So, giving how hard working you three are, I figured that I might do something special for the recital. Before you go, I was hoping I could ask a favor from you.” “That being?” “Would it be of any bother to you if I moved your performance to the very last?” She asked. “I have a feeling that this would fit better as a final piece.” Ocellus nodded. “Sure thing. And don’t worry, I have the song memorized. If anything, I’m looking forward to it!” She smiled. After she bid her goodbye, Ocellus trotted up over to Dawn and Pull up ahead. “Hey! Wait!” She called out to them. “My recital is coming up this Saturday and I’m going to play Yesterday, do you wanna come?” “Oh…” Pull scratched the back of his head. “I’m afraid I can’t. You see, I’m expected to head home on Saturday so I think it would be unlikely for me to come to see it.” “And I’m going to introduce my latest work in a gallery that day too,” Dawn said, scratching his beard. “Of course… If I’m lucky, I think I could slip away for a minute to at least have a listen. But I’m afraid there are no guarantees in that.” Ocellus’s ears folded back as she turned to Pull, “But… aren’t you coming back? There’s still so much work that needs to be done.” “I said that I would try to help as much as I can,” he told her, “I didn’t agree to work for you. I mean… I still don’t see any point in sticking around to see our songs go nowhere.” “But it won’t this time. Everyone is going to lo-” “How would you know it’ll be different?” Pull questioned. “When we first did this back in the day, we hardly got noticed by anyone. We wasted years in trying to get somewhere, so what makes you think we’d get those songs off the ground?” “The first step is to get noticed first, that’s what this recital aims to archive is to spread the word that you two have written these incredible songs.” Pull shook his head. “Even so, I still have a job to do. Maybe… I’d come back one of these days, but right now, I need to get to work.” After he bid them goodbye, he trotted off. “I’d come,” Dawn said to her. “Of course, it might be a tight spot for me to get out of, but maybe I could try to step out to get to hear your song and back again.” “Thank you, Dawn,” Ocellus said. “But if for some reason I can’t be there, at least you know why.” The young Changeling thanked him again before they said their farewells and parted. “…. And I think that should cover everything.” Ocellus said, looking up from her Algebra book. There was a collective sigh of relief from her friends now that their time for the study group was mercifully finished. “Finally,” Gallus sighed, “now we got that out of the way, how about we do something fun? Anycreature got any ideas?” “I vote we go swimming,” Silverstream said, raising a claw. “I haven’t been to the pond in a while.” “Eh,” Smolder shrugged, “I got nothing better to do.” “Maybe Ocellus bring guitar,” Yona suggested. The Changeling tilted her head. “For what?” “To play, of course.” She said. “Did Changeling learn new song?” “Actually… I’ve been working on a few.” “Yeah?” Sandbar asked. “Is that what you’ve been doing the last few weeks?” She swayed in thought. “You know what? I’ll tell you all later. For now, I wouldn’t mind cooling off somewhere.” So, after exiting the library, putting their books and papers away, the six friends walked out of the school and towards a nearby pond. Despite not all of them know how to swim, they chose this particular spot as it was a place where all of them could stand in and still have their necks and heads be above the waterline. Yona the Yak was the first to belly flop into the shallow clear water, sending tidal waves that enormous ripples around the small shores of the pond. Ocellus put her guitar down by a tree and the rest of the friends followed after. Silverstream and Ocellus temporarily transformed into sea ponies, easily circling their friends and splashing them every so often. Eventually, they flopped on shore to dry off in the sun. It was here that Sandbar turned over to Ocellus, “So, how about those songs?” “Huh?” “C’mon, the songs you’ve been working on for the past few weeks. You said you were going to talk about it.” “Oh yeah! I almost forgot.” She sat up. “Well, at least there’s some good news. Do you guys remember that old stallion that wanted to talk to me right after the dance?” “What was that about?” Gallus inquired. “You were gone for pretty much the rest of the night. Where did you go anyway?” “Well, as it turns out, that was Pull McCart, one of the ponies that wrote the songs I’ve been playing.” “Really?” Silverstream asked. “What did he say?” “Well, to make a long story short, he was surprised that I was singing his songs because they didn’t do well when he sang them years ago. But after we talked about it, we eventually found out that the other songwriter lives right here in Ponyville. Dawn Lemon. And I was able to convince them both to help me piece together some of their songs with my music teacher transcribing their songs on paper.” “Yeah?” Smolder raised an eyebrow. “And how many songs have you been able to come up with?” “Well… Including the one that I’m going to sing at my recital… Thirteen so far.” All of her friend’s heads snapped their attention towards her, wide eyes. “What?” “Thirteen!” Sandbar rolled over onto his belly in the sand. “That’s enough to fill an album.” “Why so many?” Yona asked. Ocellus shrugged. “I guess coming together, we’re able to piece together some great stuff.” Smolder raised an eyebrow. “Play us one.” “Huh?” “Right now, play us a song that you’ve been working on with some old guys. I wanna hear what you’ve been up to.” Her other friends agreed. “Well… okay,” Ocellus went up over to fetch her guitar underneath the tree. “Let’s see…” She sat down near them on the sand, pondering for a moment. “How about this one? It’s called, All My Loving.” At first, she plucked a few ascending notes in a slow, but moderate pace. Tranquil in sound, like the pond next to them. Then she began to sing. It was a farewell song to her special someone, to bid for them a last kiss because tomorrow she will missing them. To reassure them that she’ll write home every day while away to send all her love. While her friends listened to this simply haunting song, it captivated them in the tune as time went on, their friend did pick up the pace a little while added more cords to make the sound richer, almost symphonic in tone. There was a liveliness to the song that sounded something very modern and yet, somehow old at the same time. As they listened, it was as if there was love in it in every single note. One that wasn’t faking it, but for them, this love song sounded genuine. As if she was pouring her heart into her guitar and her voice. And yet, it was short. It was as if as soon as she started, it was over. “That was so pretty!” Silverstream said. “No Yak song,” Yona commented, shrugging, “But nice.” “Honestly,” Sandbar said, “I’d rather listen to something like that then whatever pop song there is on the radio now.” “So,” Ocellus smiled, “I take it you all liked it?” “I have to agree with Sandbar on this one.” Smolder said, “Compared to something like Sapphire Shores, or Coloratura, or even Songbird has on the radio on loop, that song there, is breath of fresh air.” “It’s… good.” Gallus said. “Maybe not the absolute best song I’ve ever heard you sing, but it’s fine by me. Still, I kinda preferred that one song you did when you were at the hospital.” “You mean Yesterday?” Ocellus asked. “That’s the one.” He nodded. “There’s just… something about it that’s captivating.” “Maybe you guys should come to my recital on Saturday,” she suggested. “I’m actually going to be playing Yesterday there. You guys wanna come?” “Oh! Oh!” Silverstream flew in the air, “I have an idea, why not we tell the school that so they could come too!” Ocellus blinked, “The school?” “I mean, why not?” Sandbar asked. “You were a hit at the school dance, and if they hear that you’re going to be playing a new song – I’d be shocked if no one came.” “Maybe…” Smolder rubbed her chin. “Maybe we could try to organize a concert for you. After all, if you already have been making thirteen new songs, as well as those songs you did at the dance, that should be more than enough for at least one concert. Maybe we can start selling tickets and stuff like that.” “Yeah!” Gallus snapped his talons. “I can probably make some posters out there for the school, or maybe the whole town!” He wrapped an arm around his friend. “I can see it now, ‘Friday Night at the School of Friendship’s Theater, The Newest Musical Sensation – The Beagle!” “Beatle,” Ocellus corrected him. “The Beatle!” He grinned, “If your songs are as good as what we’ve heard, I think we can be able to make a fortune before we graduate!” “Guys! What a minute,” Ocellus stepped back. “Look… before I say anything… I do appreciate what you’re doing here that, yes, I do want these songs to be as widely known as possible. However… if we’re seriously going to do this, then there are two things that I need you guys to promise me.” “Sure thing,” Sandbar said, “What is it?” “First, and most importantly, if you’re going to make posters and such, then you have to make it clear to everyone that the songs I’m going to be singing, that they’re not mine. I didn’t write them. They’re from Pull McCart and Dawn Lemon.” “So, say that you’re doing covers of songs?” Gallus asked and she nodded. He shrugged. “Fine by me, but what’s the other thing?” “That I will not be making a single bit” – Gallus was about to interrupt by she finished – “instead, whatever we do make, a good chunk will have to go the creators of the songs, as well as to two other surviving band members whose songs I’m singing for them. This is something I promised them, and if you can’t uphold that promise, we’re not doing this.” “Why?” Yona questioned. “Ocellus should have fair share too.” The Changeling put her guitar down and walked up to her. “Yona, do you know why I’m doing this in the first place?” Yona blinked but didn’t reply. “I’m doing this because just trying to sing these songs to as many creatures out there as possible so that they won’t be forgotten. These songs, I believe, have the power to change things the better. Maybe not in a huge way, but I think they’re important. So much so, that money has nothing to do with it. Preserving this stuff has more value to me than platinum.” “Still…” Smolder scratched the back of her head. “It just doesn’t sound fair for you.” “I don’t need money; I can take care of myself guys.” She said, “So, change of subject, does anyone want to hear another song?” “Well, that’s interesting,” Gallus commented. “Huh?” Smolder turned to him. At this point of the day, the students were on their way back to their dorm rooms. The two of them were following the rest of them but were at a distance where they were out of earshot. “What is?” “I know she keeps insisting that what she’s singing are covers,” he pointed out, “but did you notice something?” The dragoness raised an eyebrow, “What are you talking about?” “They were all love songs.” “So what? Nearly every song out there is about love.” “Yeah, but did you noticed that in all of them, she is singing her heart out to a female? I mean, typically, most songs where girls sing them tend to be focused more on males? Are we starting to connect the dots here?” “What? Are you saying that…?” She looked between him and the Changeling up ahead. “She’s a lesbian or something?” “Hey, I’m not saying that she is,” he shrugged, “I just find it interesting is all.” “And why would you care?” “Well… think about it. Let’s suppose that she might swing that way for a moment. Just remember that back at the pond, whenever she was singing those love sings, she sounds like she’s singing her heart out. Like she’s serenading or something.” Smolder raised an eyebrow. “Yeah…? And?” “Now here’s the million-bit question: Who is she singing it to?” The dragoness was about to reply, but her mouth hangs open for a moment, closing, and blinked. “But… that can’t be. She’s doesn’t have a crush on one of us… right?” “But what if she was, who would it be?” Gallus asked. “It’s certainly wouldn’t be me or Sandbar. So that narrows down to Yona, Silverstream, and you.” Smolder shook her head. “I don’t think Yona would count as she’s pretty much dating Sandbar. And I doubt it would be Silverstream either.” Gallus raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? And why not?” She waved a claw, “Let’s just say that I happen to know that Silverstream isn’t into girls. So that only leaves…” Her eyes widen. Her friend smiled smugly while Smolder stopped, looking over to Ocellus walking away. “Is there something you wanna share with the class?” Gallus inquired. The dragoness shook her head. “C’mon? Me? That’s just ridiculous!” “Is it? Is it really?” Gallus smirked. “If Ocellus is singing love songs where who she’s singing to is a lady; logically, out of all of us, it most likely would be you.” “Now hold on a second, just because we’re good friends, and we study together, and we tell each other’s secrets, and we trust each other, and we study together, and have our rooms right next door it doesn’t mean she’s…” Her eyes widened. “Oh Goddesses…” “Hey, I’m not saying that she is,” Gallus said, walking past her, “just… food for thought.”