//------------------------------//
// Music 
// Story: Flashlight Week 
// by Banshee531 
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Music had always been something Flash had a deep appreciation for, as it was something his family seemed to possess a keen talent for. 

His father was a master of the violin, whilst his grandfather had broken many a woman's heart with his saxophone. And now Flash was the latest in the long line of his family who had inherited the magic touch with the instrument. Obviously, he was an expert with the electric guitar, something he had had a great love for since the first time he had stepped into a music store. 

Ever since he first picked up the guitar, he had spent every spare moment he had learning to play it and how to write music. This had resulted in his meeting his band mates and forming Flash Drive. They were the number one band in the high school. Or at least, they were. 

Flash was currently sitting outside the school, on the podium that had once held the Wondercolts statue. Strumming away at his guitar, letting the melodies flow. At this point in time, he would normally be in the band room practising with his band. But Ringo had had to cancel due to a dentist appointment and Brawly Beats had already headed home. Flash could have headed home as well, but he was just too used to staying behind and going home early didn't feel right. 

So he was sitting on the statue, working on a new song. But nothing he came up with felt at all right, The lyrics not fitting with the tune. "Ahhh!" He moaned, slamming his book shut. He decided to heck with it, "I'm going home!" He quickly packed his guitar and book away before heading into the school, needing to get some stuff from his locker. 

Once he had done that, he headed towards the back exit that led to the parking lot. As he did, he heard something that made him stop. It sounded like a guitar, only it wasn't the normally skilled playing of a guitar he knew off by heart. The chords were all out of tune and there was a good five of six seconds between each one. He knew that kind of playing like the back of his hand. The playing of a complete rookie. 

Curiosity getting the better of him, Flash followed the sounds and found it was coming from the music room. As he got closer, he heard someone cry out in pain as the music stopped. He rushed towards the door and threw it open, only to see something he never thought he'd see. 

Twilight Sparkle was sitting on one of the room's chairs, an electric guitar in her hand, frowning as she flexed her fingers. "Ow," she moaned as she looked towards an open laptop on the chair in front of her. 

"Twilight?" The girl looked up at him in shock, clearly not expecting to be seen here.  "What are you doing?" He asked, stepping into the room and dropping his case on the ground. The look on Twilight's face showed she was quite embarrassed by what Flash had found. 

"Just...practising?" 

"Practising?" Flash raised an eyebrow, "practising something requires actually knowing how to do something. By the sounds of things, you're at the learning stage." Twilight blushed a little more, still embarrassed as Flash grabbed a nearby chair and sat on it. 

The pair of them had recently fallen into a stable friendship. Having gone from Twilight not even noticing him, to being awkward around him after learning of his relationship with her pony doppelganger, to becoming friends after she helped him study for some tests and the pair working together in the school's play. But having him discover her in such a state was quite embarrassing. 

"So what's with all this?" Flash asked as he grabbed the laptop and turned to see it was playing one of those videos that was supposed to teach you how to play guitar. "Didn't think you were interested in learning to play an instrument." 

"I'm always up for learning something new," Twilight told him. "And why shouldn't I? I'm in a band." 

"Yeah," Flash nodded, "but you've already got two guitar players in your band. Why would you need a third one?" 

"Well you never know," Twilight shrugged. "What if Sunset or Rainbow injure their wrists and we can't play because of it. Besides, it's better than what I normally do on stage." Flash thought about this, remembering back to the girl's shows. Twilight usually sang with the others, but when she wasn't she would normally just stand there moving in a rhythmic way. 

"I get it," Flash nodded. "But are you sure guitar is really for you. You always seemed more like the piano or theremin type." 

"Well piano isn't exactly an instrument that can be doubled up," Twilight explained. "And do you really expect Rainbow to let me play a theremin." Flash laughed at this, knowing she was right. "Plus, Micro Chips might accuse us of trying to copy him." Again, Flash laughed. 

"Yeah, Dexafex can be a bit of the jealous type." He then looked down at her hands and saw she was rubbing them together, the teen grabbing them and turning them over. "Oow," he hissed seeing how red and raw they were. "That takes me back." He let them go and went over to his case. "That's one of the dangers of trying to learn guitar. You risk finger burns." 

"I didn't think it'd be this bad," she rubbed them together. "I mean, It's not like I never use them. I figured all the work I did on my inventions would have made them strong enough to handle it." 

"Trust me," Flash returned holding some type and a bottle of something. "Nothing can make your fingers strong enough to withstand guitar burns except playing guitar. It's what separates the true masters from the phoneys. Being able to withstand the high physical demand." He held her hands out and squirted the cream in the bottle onto her hands, Twilight flinching at the feel as Flash started rubbing it into her skin.

"What is this stuff?" 

"Special antiseptic," Flash explained. "Helps the skin regenerate and acts to quicken up the forming of calluses." Twilight nodded as Flash let go of her fingers and started wrapping them in the tape. "So why are you trying to learn off the computer. Why not just ask Sunset or Rainbow to teach you." 

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Twilight explained. "But maybe trying to learn on my own was a mistake." 

"Yeah, those videos don't work as well as you think." Flash then had an idea, one that made his insides spin at the prospect. "Well...I could teach you." Twilight gave him a surprised look at this. "I mean, I did teach Sunset and she's pretty good." 

"You taught Sunset?" 

"How do you think a pony turned human learned to play using her fingers as well as she can." Twilight laughed at this, Flash smiling back. "Though me teaching you might get me in trouble with my band mates." 

"Why?" 

"They'd accuse me of trying to help the enemy get better." 

"Since when have we been enemies?" 

"Not you, the Rainbooms. Brawly and Ringo are always complaining they stole our thunder when they first formed and won the battle of the bands, though a part of that might just be a side effect of us all being brainwashed. Then you joined and the Rainbooms got even better. And suddenly the Flash Drives weren't the best band in school any more." 

"Oh," Twilight had never thought of it like that, "I...I'm sorry." 

"It's fine," Flash told her. "It's not like you guys meant to do it. You just wanted to have fun playing music. That's the same way I like playing. For the music." 

Twilight nodded. "When I was younger, listening to music would always help me come up with ideas for things I built." 

Flash nodded back. "Music affects everyone differently. My dad once told me that the right song has the power to end all wars, whilst another one would have the power to start one so great it would destroy everything in its wake. That's why we musicians have a responsibility to try and make the most amazing music we can. Songs that inspire greatness, destroy hate and bloom life into peace." 

"He sounds like a smart man," Twilight smiled. Flash nodded back as he finished wrapping up her last finger. 

"So, you interested? I can teach you everything you need to know to become an expert guitar player." 

"Really? But won't your band mates get mad?" 

"Let'em. Like I said, I'm in this for the music. If teaching you to play guitar helps strengthen the music industry, I don't see why I shouldn't do it. Besides, I do owe you for all the help you've given me. I'd be failing math class if it weren't for you. So, interested?" 

Twilight smiled and nodded, "I'd love to have you teach me." 

"Great," Flash stood up and got his case. "But we should probably give your fingers a few days to heal. Learning to play guitar is a slow and sometimes painful process." Twilight nodded and began to pack the guitar she was using away, then grabbed her things before she and Flash headed out of the room. 

As they headed for the exit, Flash offering to drive her home, they talked about what music they really liked. As it turned out, they both enjoyed some of the same songs and were interested in hearing some bands the other didn't know about. The power of music was bringing to individuals closer together, helping a friendship blossom that could one day grow into something more. For that was the power of music.