Sunset figured she'd have plenty of time to check out a music store in town before dinner. But then again, she also figured she wouldn't get turned around five times trying to find her way back out of the castle.
"Maybe I should have taken a break from all those phone numbers and glanced at a map or directory..." She mumbled to herself, as she stepped off of the elevator, making sure her guitar case was still secure on her back, before putting the keycard-attached lanyard around her neck after being advised to do so by a guard as she departed, so she could quickly be identified as a castle guest.
As she stepped off the elevator on the ground floor, she realized another thing she would have to get used to is her ears popping, as the Royal Tower, or Zephyr Heights Castle or whatever they were calling it, was considerably higher than Canterlot used to be; the pegasi having constructed additions to the city considerably higher up the mountain. She craned her neck a few times to help equalize the pressure, and get her balance back to normal as she started down the street towards downtown.
While her castle suite reminded her of her days as Celestia's protege, the streets of Zephyr Heights felt leagues closer to the mirror world than almost anything in Maretime Bay, with the exception of the CanterLogic factory. She saw a few unicorns and earth ponies on their own routes through the shopping district as they saw the sights, and a few minutes later, she came to her destination among a slew of other stores in the strip, an instrument retailer.
Sky High Notes
She pulled the glass and metal door open, and the speaker above gave off a short tone, letting the service counter on the right side know that a patron had arrived.
"Hello, and welcome to Sky High Notes," greeted the cashier, a light blue pegasus stallion with a dark purple mane. "My name is Swift Melody, how can we help you today?"
Sunset gave the stallion a smile before taking a quick look around the store. There were flutes, all manner of brass instruments, drums, keyboards, and even a few harps. Notably absent from the shelves and wall displays, however, were guitars.
"Well, judging from what you have up on the wall, I'm assuming you don't know too much about this kind of instrument?" Sunset said, taking her guitar case off of her back, setting it gently down on the counter between her and the cashier, and unlatched it. She lifted the top of the case up, and the cashier peered down at the sunburst-painted string instrument.
"Hm, fascinating. Like the banjos and ukulele antiques," he commented.
Sunset lit up her horn and carefully lifted the guitar out of the case, pulled the case away, and set the instrument down on the glass.
"I'm guessing pegasi don't really play these, then?" Sunset asked, letting him study the details of her guitar.
"Mm, not in my time here, no. Most pegasi prefer keyboard or trumpet, if not going entirely digital with their music creation. The strings are strummed here, like a harp, and held at various positions on the neck for different notes and chords... One has to wonder why we did move away from something like this. Certainly a beautiful and solidly crafted instrument, this 'Gib-son'," the stallion remarked.
"It's an electric guitar, Gibson is the manufacturer," Sunset commented, smiling at the compliment. Her guitar was a few years old, and she had taken very good care of it.
"What an odd name," he replied, and Sunset merely chuckled.
"I was hoping to play it, but I need an amplifier and studio cable," the unicorn told him, pointing a hoof to the underside of the guitar body. The cashier peered down, and saw the jack.
"Ah, well then you are in luck, ma'am. I'm not entirely sure how this instrument of yours works, but I do know that's a standard quarter-inch input jack; nearly universal no matter what electronic instrument you play," the pegasus replied. He turned to the back wall behind the counter, and took a packaged twenty-foot audio cable off of the wall. He turned back to Sunset, and saw the lanyard around her neck.
"Ah, a VIP guest at the castle? Well, in that case you certainly don't need to buy an amp today, miss. The castle staff can show you to their music room, where there's plenty of space and privacy for you to play and practice. I would know, Sky High Notes services all of Princess Pipp's performance equipment."
"Thanks, I think I'll do that," Sunset replied, returning her guitar to its case as she was rung up for the cable. She paid with what bits she had in her bag, and was out the door with a new cable, headed back to the castle, and now pondered how to best approach playing her favorite instrument for the very first time as a unicorn.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."