As much as Ocellus wanted to stay home, she had to keep moving. The next day, with Starlight fully rested, they teleported back to Equestria and on a train to their next destination. Heading eastward, they were carried across a valley of mountains and forests, turned left at the White Tail Woods, north into Ponyville before their train turned southwards to their next stop: Appleloosa.
Starlight didn’t do much besides resting and checking up to see what Ocellus was up to. The young Changeling sat by herself next to a pile of books and several sheets of paper, writing. It was clear that the student still had homework to catch up on whenever she’s not performing or practicing a new song.
While Starlight was still awake, her thoughts would turn to Ocellus. As hard-working as she is with both school and having a music career, she began to wonder about what she would have to face in the future. Sure, the Changeling would say that she’s doing fine now, but Starlight could see where this would be going for her by the time final exams come around.
So, after they began to head towards Appaloosa, she went over to Ocellus and asked her how she was doing.
“I’m doing alright,” she said, “I finished the research and now I think I’m about halfway done with the essay for Twilight’s class.”
“Okay, is that the only thing you needed to do this week?”
“No, I still need to prepare myself for the test for Rarity’s class in a couple of weeks, then I need to write up a joke for Pinkie’s class when we get back. Oh! And I need to get ready to take care of the class pet in Fluttershy’s. Then there’s-”
“Alright,” Starlight held a hoof, “I get the picture. You have a lot of stuff on your plate.”
“I know, and that’s just for the school.” Ocellus brushed the fin on her head back. “There’s also the matter for composing music and recording them. And the future events I’m planning for. Honestly, there’s so much that needs to be done that it’s not funny.”
“Yeah, I know that feeling.”
Ocellus raised an eyebrow. “You do?”
She nodded and sat down next across from her. “One of the biggest mistakes I made is that I thought I could make my office accessible to everyone at all times. Little did I know that by doing so it left no room for me or my friends. Eventually, it got so bad that I almost lost a student and nearly got turned into stone.” Ocellus looked at her weirdly. “Long story, but the point is that I’ve learned that it’s okay to establish limits for what you can do and should do. Now tell me, with all this Beatle stuff, do you absolutely have to do it?”
Ocellus put her essay down. “It’s… complicated. The contract we signed said that we needed to submit at least two new songs a week. Heck, the only way I was able to go on tour is because we submitted four.”
“Sure, but then again, you and those composers can crank out these songs so fast, that I think you’d still have time to at least give you a big enough break to do everything else.”
“I’ve heard this before.” She sighed, “And none are wrong. Everyone I know is worried if I can handle what I’m being thrown at. As much as I do think that this music is extremely important, I don’t want to burn myself out either. At the same time, I have juggle between being a student to the school, being there for my friends, and… being a Beatle. And it’s not that I’m too prideful enough to not ask for help when I need it. Starlight, I already do realize that I need lots of help and I accept it from wherever I can get it.”
“Huh…” Starlight blinked, “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“But I’m being honest with you, Starlight. From the start, I realized how massive this is. If I did all of this alone, I’m guaranteed to get crushed underneath the weight. That’s why I need all the help I can get. It’s why I asked Pull and Dawn to pieces these songs together. And why recently I need my friends to help create something big for the school.”
Starlight nodded. “Sounds to me that you already know what you’re doing. Still, if you do need my help for anything, at least you know where my office is.” She winked.
“So…” Ocellus looked out of the window. “How long do you think it’ll be to Appaloosa?”
“I’d say that we have a good couple of hours away.”
“Good, still enough time to finish this essay.” She turned back to her paper and began writing where she left off.
When the train finally arrived at Appaloosa, the first thing they noticed was all the tents. Before they pulled up to the station, they saw camps of fans that were waiting for Ocellus. Instantly, Starlight pulled down the blinds.
“What did you do that for?” Ocellus asked.
“Something tells me that right now, the very last thing we would want on our hooves is a riot. If anypony out there saw you, they might try to tip the train over.”
There was no way to counter that logic.
When the train slowed down to the station, the doors to the station itself didn’t open. However, on the other side of the carriage, it did, and three stallions stepped on. One was the sheriff, and the other two were deputies. Immediately, the sheriff, who had a thick mustache and a silver star on his vest went up to Ocellus.
“Ma’am,” He told her, “ya need to come with us.”
“What?” Starlight questioned. “What’s going on?”
“Are you Starlight Glimmer?” She nodded, “We’re the police for Appaloosa, and we’re here to escort you and Ocellus to the concert safely. So please grab your things and come with us now.”
“What’s going-”
“Ah’ll explain on the way, but fer now, let’s go.”
Not wanting to waste time, Starlight and Ocellus grab their things, the equipment, and instruments before they were hurried into a steel carriage. It was the kind that was bolted together, had tinny slits for windows and a few lamps to light the inside. Both mares were in surprise as this was the sort of thing to carry extremely dangerous criminals in. Once they got everything in, the heavy door was closed and locked before they started moving.
“What’s going on?” Ocellus asked the sheriff who as across from them.
“Ya have ta trust me when Ah say that we’re doin’ this fer yer own safety.”
“Huh?”
“Have ya seen the crowd outside?” They nodded. “Appaloosa has never seen such a frenzy sort before, not even fer a buckball game. We’d figure that by the time you arrive, it’ll be complete chaos and someone is gonna get hurt. You especially. So drivin’ you around in this tank is done out for yer protection.”
“Okay,” Starlight peered throughout the windows. “So where are we going?”
“To the only place that could hold a good chunk of these ponies – Appaloosa Stadium. And given the crowd, we’ll have to enter differently.”
“So… like a backdoor?”
The sheriff shook his head. “There’s an entrance that goes underground. Mainly used for storage reasons, but in this case, it’s the safest way ta get there without her getting maimed.” He pointed at Ocellus. “Side’s, given the crowd, as soon as you finish, ya need to get back on that train.”
“Because you know it’s going to take a while to go down to the Hippogriff Kingdom?”
He shook his head. “So that we can have our town back. Not that we mind visitors, but we’re bein’ overwhelmed. The plan fer now is simple. Get you in; you play; get out.”
“…. Noted.” Ocellus nodded.
The carriage bobbed and jerked for some time as the three of them fell into silence. Starlight and Ocellus waited, looked up at the moving lights through the thin slits and wondered where they were. They felt the steel carriage made some turns here and there until, suddenly, the lights from the outside went out. Everything was tilting one way like going down a ramp and the echoes of hooves were heard. Then came another sound that Ocellus was too familiar with – the chanting of fans in the distance.
“We want the Beatle! We want the Beatle! We want the Beatle!”
It repeated continuously, even before the carriage stopped.
When it did, the door was unlocked, and it swung open to a bunch of other ponies with lanterns who sprang into action. Ocellus and Starlight got off and watched as they took hold of some of the equipment and carried them up a flight of stairs to a trap door above. It was a fury of activity as one of them asked which instrument she was going to carry on stage while another wanted to touch her up with makeup.
It went by so fast that she lost track of where Starlight went. But before she knew it, she stood there halfway up the stairs with her acoustic guitar as she heard someone announcing her. She can hear the roars and screams of the audience that were dying to hear her sing.
“…. So, without further ado,” a voice over the loudspeakers said, “here she is, bringing her unique talent to golden Appaloosa, the one and only – The Beatle!”
Ocellus felt someone nudging her up towards the trap door. As if to say ‘Go on! That’s your cue!’
‘Why do I get the impression that they don’t want me here?’ She thought, climbing the remaining steps and out into the open air. All around, blazing down on her were stadium lights that were so bright that it nearly blinded her to her audience in the stands. But as soon as she stepped on the stage in the middle of the stadium, there were screams in every direction to let her know how full this place was. Looking down, she noticed that between her and the swarm of shrieking ponies was a wall of barbed wire that she assumed was meant to keep them out while she performs. Ocellus also noticed that there were flashes of cameras that went off in every direction that, even in the darkness of the stands they sparkled like stars.
Even down at the very front, there was a fan who flashed in her face. She could barely see a blond unicorn who was light green and had an owl for a cutie mark and a camera in his aura. She blinked. Didn’t she see him before?
No matter, she has a show to do so she went up to the microphone.
“Hey everyone, are you all ready to make some noise?” The deafening, ear-shattering wail answered her. “That’s great because all of you are in luck tonight because I have some new songs for you that have never been heard until now. You want to hear them?” Same response to where she had to put a hoof in her ear to make it stop ringing. “So to start with, let’s start with a song that,” she smirked, “Your Mother Should Know.”
Stepping on a button, the sound that came out of the speakers with its slow drum and guitar sounded like a country ballad. However, when Ocellus began to sing, she sang in a vibrato of old Applewood glamor singing. A soft-shoe sort of dance that, while it caught her audience off guard, they still cheer at.
At the same time, with all the flashing in her eyes, Ocellus closed them and just focused on what she was singing. Even though she doubted that anyone heard a word she was saying, she did as hard as she could to stay on tempo, rhythm and hit the right notes. If anything, just like the concert at the Windmill in Ponyville, she could barely hear what she was paying or saying. Her hears could almost hear the drumbeat to keep her on time with this short song.
‘It’s kinda strange that they’re cheering a song they’ve never heard before even though they could barely hear it.’ She thought.
When Ocellus got to the other love songs that were on her record, somehow the audience had gotten louder. So loud that in between songs, she wondered how far out these unnatural screams could be heard. She wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if meanwhile in Saddle Arabia, the ponies there are screaming back to keep it down, they’re trying to sleep.
Even before she reached the final song, a thought was forming in her head. Not because of the hysterical nature of her audience that she was singing to, but insight. Ocellus remembered that before all of this started, back when the world remembered who The Beatles were, she recalled how Sandbar mentioned that ponies have wondered for decades why the band broke up. What drove them to separate even though they were successful. However, after spending a few times at these concerts, Ocellus understood a good portion as to why it happened.
As much as she felt that she was bringing back something culturally important, having to do this, night after night to fans who rarely quieted down to let her sing felt degrading. Minute after minute of fans being so excited to see her that they couldn’t bother to listen to her and do nothing but scream – she almost wanted to break down a cry. She almost came close to ending the show right there and there because she felt that despite her best efforts, she wasn’t being heard.
Still, she continued. Must continue. Regardless if they heard her or not, in order to bring the music of The Beatles back, the show must go on.
Near the end of the show, Ocellus felt tired. Her hindlegs screaming for at least a moment to sit down; while the front felt cramped up in trying to play all the right notes. And of course, the audience was still screaming their heads off.
“Okay everycreature,” she said into the microphone, “I did promise you all two new songs, so I saved the best for last. It’s a simple song, but I think it has enough character for all of you to like it. It’s called, Get Back.”
Pushing on a button, the speakers build up the sound of a galloping sneer-drum and a ricochet rhythm of a guitar. Then at its climax, Ocellus sang with a passionate voice that she yelled into the mic, raising her voice over the insane mob. She never screamed but kept it loud enough that surely, this time they must have heard her. All the while, her guitar played the sound of something country with its twain, and yet, still unapologetically rock-and-roll.
Even with (or perhaps because of) the screaming fans, something within her gave her the urge to fight with her voice to be heard. At the chorus, with every “Get back!” it was if she was trying to pull off a powerful spell in an exhausting, hard-fought battle. Yet, from the audience, they stop to the beat of the drum in unison. She could feel it from her tinny stage the vibration of the crowd, that Ocellus had worried that the wooden stadium could break.
She concentrated too at the difficult guitar licks, wowing her audience to make it look like she wasn’t trying. The young Changeling tried as hard as she could to make sure that she didn’t miss a note and prayed that none of the strings decided to break. She played on the guitar, strumming it as hard as it would go without snapping.
Hard was her concentration in both her voice and her playing that she tried as hard as she could to focus on what she was doing. It was like walking on a tightrope, being so high up and without a net – every step she took must be perfectly balanced, calculated, and to make it as flawless as if she had been doing it for all her life. Her acrobatic hooves twisted and stretched on those four years of her instrument, while in her head, every syllable was being conducted by a fast-militaristic tempo. One! Two! Three! Four! One! Two! Three! Four!
It was like she was no longer a Changeling or a thinking creature for that matter. But a circus animal for the cheering crowd that wants nothing more than to be entertained.
‘I know why they turned to the studio.’ Was Ocellus’s only thought.
What took about two minutes felt like an eternity to her, that by the time she got to that last bar and a few notes, she felt she ran up Mt. Everhoof in one go. “Thank you, Appaloosa!” She called out, “You’ve been great, thank and good night!”
Ocellus gave a bow to her fans and turned around to go down the trapdoor. Right away, she noticed that everything was packed within the steel carriage and she saw Starlight getting in. “What’s going-”
“Just get inside,” the sheriff interrupted her with urgency. “We’ll pack up the rest, just get in the carriage, now!”
She didn’t have time to put her guitar away when she had to scramble in. Within a minute, or perhaps less so, the last bit of her instruments and equipment were loaded on. The sheriff got in with them, before the door was slammed shut, locked and the carriage bolted immediately.
Whoever was pulling the carriage went at a speed as if the very ground itself was falling. Lights flashed by faster and faster from the tinny slits. But the further they went, the more they noticed how those frantic screams were becoming quiet with every passing moment. Suddenly the carriage turned sharply this way and that. Ocellus held on to her vulnerable guitar as if it were an egg while she was being thrown about.
Soon the carriage slowed to a halt, and the door opened onto a train carriage.
“Get on,” the sheriff insisted. “If you don’t, your fans will swarm the train and you’ll never get out of here.”
Neither mare had the opportunity to at least thank him as they were pushed out, along with their things. When the last of the cases of equipment emptied, the sheriff knocked on the side of the car. It must have been a single to the engineer of the train because the train started to chug away.
Starlight harrumphed, “Not even so much as a goodbye.”
“Hey, Starlight?” The young Changeling asked meekly.
“Hm? Yes, Ocellus?”
“I think that after the Hippogriff Kingdom, I don’t think I want to do tours anymore.”
Starlight wrapped a hoof around her, embracing her in a hug. “Considering all that’s happened, I wouldn’t blame you for doing so.”
Appaloosa to the Hippogriff Kingdom by rail is considered one of the fastest ways to travel – even though it takes a whole day to get there. However, it’s also regarded as the safest. Going through the tunnels underneath the Macintosh Hills and traveling between the Arimaspi Territory and the Forbidden Jungle is one thing, but not even air travel could navigate the unpredictable winds of the Bone Dry Desert. If anything, the Equestrian Railways don’t go across its ocean of sand dunes. Instead, it turns eastward between the desert and the jungle until it reaches the coast of the Celestial Sea before turning south. Then following a series of bridges and tunnels that slithers through the Pine Needle Barrens towards the Basalt Beach would any of the passengers see the majestic island of Mount Aris.
The whole day of travel gave Ocellus a much-needed rest from the concert in Appaloosa, as well as time to practice a particularly tricky song from Hayson. She worked hard to try to fine-tune every bar of one of the most famous Beatles songs that needed to come out just right. She had spent hours on the opening alone.
But when it came to finally arrive at Mount Aris just when the sun had begun to set, the train came to a halt at its station. Mercifully, when Ocellus and Starlight got off, they weren’t thrown into a steel carriage nor were there mobs of ponies. However, there was a crowd that was mostly made up of Hippogriffs holding up signs that said: Welcome Beatle.
One of them, much to Ocellus’s relief, was Silverstream. “Welcome to Mount Aris!” She said, hugging her on sight.
“Hey Silverstream,” she hugged back, “you have no idea how welcoming it is to see you again.”
“I know, that’s why I have this sign.” The pink Hippogriff replied, holding up a sign of her own that read – Hi Ocellus! “How is your tour so far?”
“It could have gone better,” Starlight admits, “However, at least this will be our last stop before heading back to Ponyville.”
Ocellus asked her friend how her Spring Break was going. “It’s been going great! Since I came back here, I’ve been introducing a couple of Hippogriffs to your music. I went to everygriff I know, my parents, my brother, my aunt, a couple of old friends, the baker, construction workers, gardeners, dolphin trainers, the anesthesiologist, the-”
“I think we get the idea,” Starlight interrupted, “you were excited to share her music with everyone.”
Silverstream nodded, “My aunt especially, Queen Novo, can’t wait to hear you play in person. When I played your record to her, she said that one song… Something, I think? Well when she heard that, she said that it was the most beautiful song she’s ever heard! In fact, she wants to see you as soon as you arrive.”
Ocellus blinked, “What? Now? As in right now, right now?”
“Yep,” she nodded, “she’s at her old palace right now – Auntie Novo wants to see you first before you do your concert thing tomorrow morning. So, come on! Get your guitar and I’ll take you up to her.”
“Well before you go off flying,” Starlight said, picking up some of the equipment and language, “any idea where we’re staying for the night?”
“There’s a guest house.” She pointed up the trail to the Hippogriff village – several hundred feet above them. “All you have to do is go up that trail, through the gate, go straight until you find an ancient water fountain, turn left, go past three trees, turn left, go up a hill, turn right, hop-scotch over a stream that has rocks in them, keep going straight for the next fifteen trees, then turn left and the first tree is where you and Ocellus will be at for the night. Got it?”
“Just means more walking,” Starlight deadpanned, taking up all of their things in her aura, “yea me.”
As she walks away, Silverstream asked how come she doesn’t just teleport up to the village. “Starlight is trying to save up her energy,” Ocellus explained, guitar case in hoof, “after the concert tomorrow we’re teleporting us and our things back to Ponyville. You know, long-distance and such. So, where is your Aunt?”
“Follow me,” spreading her wings, Silverstream jumped up and flew upward. Ocellus followed after her. Up those two friends went, past the trail, over the carved stone gate, flew over the village that looked like a forest than a town. Then past another gate over an extensive garden that Silverstream said it was called Harmonizing Heights. Yet, higher still they went.
At the top of Mount Aris, near its highest point of this enormous statue of a Hippogriff with its massive wings that reached down towards the beach, there was a gigantic head with a stern look that gazed down at what was between its wings. Silverstream pointed at the head. “Believe it not,” she tells her friend, “the inside of the head is the palace itself.”
“You mean all of this is hollow?”
“Just the head. But it’s pretty massive inside. C’mon, I’ll show you!”
Gliding over to it, the two of them started to notice that here and there were guards near the statue’s eyes, ears, and beak. Silverstream guided Ocellus towards the statue’s right eye in which the guards saluted them. Once they flew through the hollowed eye, they came into a massive room that looked like it was in the process of being repaired. Long tapestries were slowly being repaired stitch by stitch, masons were carving out new designs out of the damaged stone, yet there on a stone thrown sitting on a cushion was the Queen. At first, the large Hippogriff didn’t notice them as she was talking with three other Hippogriffs (possibly advisers) with scrolls.
“Auntie Novo!” Silverstream cried out. Ocellus took noticed that as her friend was trying to get the queen’s attention, the throne room had an echo like the inside of an opera house.
Novo glanced up. “Oh! Is this her?” Silverstream nodded and she dismissed the other three Hippogriffs so that she would be alone with her niece and her friend. “So, I take it that you’re Ocellus?”
The young Changeling nodded, “Yes, Your Highness.”
Novo put a talon under her beak in thought. “Firstly, on behalf of both the Hippogriff Kingdom and Seaquestria, I welcome you as a guest to our lands. Secondly, and I don’t mean this as an offense, but I thought you might have been a bit… older.”
Ocellus tilted her head in confusion, “None… taken?”
“I mean, from what I’ve heard from that record of yours. It sounded as if you were a touch older by a couple or so years. However, looking at you now, I think it just makes all those love songs all the more remarkable.”
“Thank you, but I never-”
“Well, I know that you didn’t write all of them.” Novo waved a claw. “I can read what your album said. Still, even with working in a group, I stand by the opinion that I do find it incredible. And you know why?” Ocellus shook her head. “In all my years when it comes to musicians, you and your group have written more masterpieces in a matter of months than most could do in a lifetime. Memorable lyrics, seductive melodies, and complex harmonies that rival – if not surpass – the greatest composers within my kingdoms.
“As much as I am falling in love with the talent behind what you play and sing, I do have to ask.” She leaned forward. “How do you do it?”
Ocellus pondered over how to answer this question. “It’s not easy to answer – but to put it simply, I recognized that talents that Pull McCart, Dawn Lemon, Forge Hayson, and Mango Star had long ago. You see, most of the songs you’ve been hearing are old, but they’re not well known. To be honest, a good chunk of their masterpieces is in fragments. I had hoped that if I could somehow get them to work together again, maybe they could restore or make these songs better. And the thing is, I don’t think we’re done yet.”
“Well, that’s good to hear,” Novo commented. “I am curious to hear what that group of yours might come up next. And since you are here, I have a request.”
“Silverstream said you wanted me to play something.”
Novo nodded. “Yes, but I think,” she turned to her niece, “Silver, is there a song you want to hear?”
Turning to Silverstream, Ocellus watched her friend tapping her beak in thought. “I’m trying to remember… Hey Ocellus, what was that one love song that goes dum-dum-da-dum?”
The young Changeling blinked for a moment. “Oh! You mean And I Love Her?”
“Yeah! That’s the one! I know you had a long trip, but could I at least hear it again?”
She told her to hang on. Putting down her case, she unlatched the locks, opened it, and pulled out her acoustic guitar. The Changeling plucked a string and listened to the echo of that single note until it faded. “If I may say so, Your Highness, the acoustics in here are incredible.”
“You can blame one of our past royalties for this throne room’s design. Salbeak IV, I believe, is said to have made this room in such a way that if one were to shout in a disagreement, they could do so dramatically whenever a royal shout SILENCE!” Both Ocellus and Silverstream flinched at the sudden shout that echoed like a strike of a bell. “See?” Novo smirked. “And in the old days, musicians used to play here because of the atmosphere. I don’t blame them really. But I’m stalling. So let’s hear it for The Beatle!”
After making sure that her guitar was in tune, she nodded and began to play.
At first, she played a couple of bars where four notes sighed in a simple but beautiful way. Closing her eyes, Ocellus started to sing in a quiet but dignified way. It was a soft song that was charming, yet seductive. In a way, every time she sang about love and her waxing poetically, it seemed she meant it. Although she wasn’t screaming in passion, every word of every note echoed a feeling when one has a crush on someone.
Opening her eyes, she saw her friendly smile, and the Queen bob her head to the beat, her eyes closed as if to contemplate over something. The way she paid attention to this song was like how one would savor the taste of a meal. Satisfaction on her face and Ocellus could sense an interest in the Queen.
Back to her friend, she picked up on something that she didn’t notice about Silverstream before. While her face showed a happy hippogriff, the Changeling sensed a particular longing. As if she noticed Silverstream’s soul was sighing in a melancholic way. As if with every passing bar, there was a longing within her. Ocellus noted that it wasn’t clear who it was aimed at in particular. But the very flavor of it screams that she wanted to be loved in the way that her friend was singing about.
For the moment, she kept her thoughts to herself.
In Ocellus’s ears, every sound she made reverberated off the walls like the harmony of a dreaming piano. Notes that lingered sympathized back when she returned to those notes. In a way, she wished that she could record the song in here like she was playing in an empty theater. Where the ghost of those notes lingers after she sang them.
By the time she finished, she was given an small applause from her friend and the Queen.
“Now that was sublime!” Novo complemented. “You sang all those notes in all the right ways. Magnificent!”
“I know, right!” Silverstream exclaimed, “Now you see why it’s my favorite by far?”
“Oh yes. Although I still prefer Something, that was delicious.”
“Well, that’s got to be the first time I’ve heard that.” Ocellus remarked. “I’m glad you liked it. Will there be anything else?”
Novo hummed, “Now that you’ve mentioned it. There is one thing…” She turned to her niece, “Silver, I want to speak with your friend in private.”
Silverstream tilted her head. “Why? Did she do something wrong?”
“Oh no, Silver sweetie, she’s not in trouble. Just… I’d like to ask her something personal that is only fit for mine, and her ears alone.”
There was a hesitation, but Silverstream excused herself out from the throne room.
When Novo was certain they were alone, she turned to Ocellus. “I stand by what I said about the songs you sang.” She began, “However, listing to you sing now, there has been something on my mind that I’m sure you must have been asked all the time by now.”
“Yeah?” Ocellus raised an eyebrow. “And what would that be?”
“Before I ask,” she leaned towards her, “let’s be clear that I’m not doing so to be rude or to embarrass you. Given how recent I have learned on the subject, I can only guess that it is as personal as it could get.”
The Changeling stepped back. “And that being…?”
“If what I’ve heard about Changelings is true, you can sense someone’s emotions.” She nodded, “So when you were singing that song, did you by chance picked up anything on Silver?”
Ocellus tilted her head. “Why are you asking?”
“Because over this week, I’ve noticed that there’s a change within my niece – and I don’t mean promoting your songs. Lately, she seemed more distracted than usual. As if her mind was elsewhere. Not only that, but she had that song being played on loop. I could be wrong, but I believe she’s missing someone close to her.”
“Now that you’ve mentioned it, when I was singing, I could sense that she’s longing for someone. Like she’s…” Her eyes widen in realization, “You think she has a crush?”
“I never said that,” she smirked, “but you’ve just confirmed what I thought. You have any ideas?”
She shook her head. “That longing wasn’t at me if that’s what you’re asking. Whoever it is, she’s diffidently missing them.”
“I figured as much. She is getting to that age, isn’t she? But now my inquire has been satisfied, you are free to go. My Kingdom will be looking forward to hearing you sing in the morning.”
Ocellus thanked her, bowed, picked up her guitar and left the throne room.
Silverstream was waiting for her outside to show her where the guest house was. Flying over, Ocellus reasoned that it might be too soon to bring up who she has a crush on and made a mental note to ask her about it later.
By the time they came to the house, Starlight, with all the luggage in tow, was already inside – sleeping on the couch.
It was before the sun had a chance to rise that Ocellus was preparing herself for the last concert on this tour. The young Changeling hardly slept as she was getting herself ready. When she arrived down at the beach, she found the stage on the calm water. Although the wind wasn’t blowing that morning, she did find it cold when she flew in the air underneath the icy stars. Still, she appreciated the Hippogriffs who worked all night in preparing this event.
Half-an-hour before dawn, she was surprised to find that there was already a crowd that was already there. It was surreal for her to see near the floating stage globes of lanterns that bobbed with the Seaponies. And on the beach, the dock and the air, Hippogriffs were waiting for her. She was relieved that at least this audience wasn’t as ruckus as the one in Appaloosa.
Still, she waited behind a bush, waiting for her cue to enter. A lone Hippogriff stood on the stage where near the equipment there was a small clock. Although the sky had begun to change from black to deep blue, to pink, and so on; the Hippogriff waited for the right moment when for the concert to start.
A few minutes before the sun rose from the sea, he spoke into the microphone. “Alright, fellow Hippogriffs and Seaponies, are we ready to hear some new music?” The audience cheered, but not, much to Ocellus’s delight, roared. “Well, here she is, the newest musical star and has some of the best songs we’ve ever heard, please welcome, The Beatle!”
Popping out from the bushes, she flew over to the applause and splashing flippers of her audience. With her guitar ready, she eyed the time and said, “Thank you everycreature for coming out here early this morning. By now, you’re probably wondering why I’ve chosen such an unusual hour to play some songs for you. That’s because of this brand-new song that needs a setting like this. It’s called,” she looked at the clock, only a few seconds to go, “Here Comes the Sun.”
At sixteen seconds before the sun rose, she began to play a melody on the guitar that had a melody that was warm and welcoming as the rays of the sun. It sounded simple at first, like a foal’s song being improvised and yet, so beautifully done. Then, holding still for a bar, the first ray of the sun broke through the horizon, she began to sing. As calm as her voice was, there was a glow in every word she said that as joyous. She noted that her audience was in awe of both the gorgeous tune and the sunrise that painted the sky in ever brighter colors. With the clouds turning a salmon pink, the shadows of the inland in dark greens and blues, and a sea of gold.
For the audience, Hippogriffs and Seaponies alike, the only word to describe this moment was simply – magic. It was as if Ocellus was summing the sun out into the sky, banishing the chilly air and replacing it with a loving warmth. This hymn to the sun they found was comforting, playful in the simple tune that brought a smile to those who listened to it. And Ocellus’s voice, it was like hearing the tones of a friend that one hasn’t seen in years – yet has fond memories of.
For Ocellus herself, perhaps it was from the lack of sleep or that she was hitting every note just right, but she was entranced by the song. That for the first time since she began this tour, she felt and understood what it was like to be a Beatle. While she may not have written this masterpiece of a song, she did, however, felt that she had finally earned her place as such. No longer that it felt fake or that it was going unnoticed. She can see it on the faces on sea, land, and air the look of hope, peace, and love that made The Beatles stood out. Here, she can see it for herself – not the screaming, insane audience that probably didn’t hear a word she said, but as a force of change for all things good.
As the sun rose, so did her confidence in being a legitimate Beatle.