//------------------------------// // A Well Oiled Machine // Story: The Aura Of Music // by Kumare Tanamaru //------------------------------// Aurora and Trey walked to the band hall leisurely, and Fluttershy and the kids followed closely behind. "Ah, here's our first section leader. Sunset! Come here please?" "Sure thing Doc. Be with you in a minute. So anyways, I looked totally amazing that night, and I know he wanted to-" "Fine, we'll just have somepony else be first to impress our guest..." Trey said with a sneer. The red pony's ear twitched, and she turned around. "New pony? Excuse me, we'll continue this conversation at a later date. Ciao~! So, who is this new pony Doc? I'm Sunset, the section leader of the most important section in the band: the Trumpets!" "This is Aurora. I asked her to come out and see the band. She's a musical student as well!" "Oh really? Do you play Trumpet? If you don't that's alright. I can teach you so you don't have to feel bad about not being able to!" she said with glee. Sunset looked at Aurora writing something down on a piece of paper. "Doc, you didn't tell me this was an inspection!" Aurora gave the paper to the orange and blue maned pony and smiled. "I'm sorry, I play the violin in an orchestra. I really like the way you've styled your mane! It looks pretty. You were great out there on the field, and I am very interested in possibly learning one of these instruments, but there are so many..." "Pfft! It shouldn't be hard. Just pick Trumpet, it's the best instrument on the field! All we need is the rest of the band to get out of the way of our amazing forms and soothing notes! Why, the Trumpet is-" "Alright Sunset, get your section together and talk to them. Make them march a few back sixteens, and then you can do double! Have fun! Moving along now Aurora." Sunset snorted and walked off back to her section with an angry look in her eye. Aurora passed Trey a note, and he laughed. "Because she would have gone on blathering for a long time. Come, I think I see Starshine over there." "Trey, I think the kids are tired... I think I'll take them home for lunch and a nap. I'll see you later~" Fluttershy said, giving Trey a long kiss on the cheek. "Alright Flutterheart, I'll see you when you return!" he said blowing her a kiss as she walked out the band hall doors. "Starshine, would you come here please? There's someone I'd like you to meet." "Oh, is it a stallion?? I'm on my wa- oh... who's this?" "Star, this is Aurora. I asked her to come here to check out the band. She says that she might be interested in finding an instrument to suit her. So, why don't you show her a few things? Oh, and tell the other section leaders that she needs a look around. I have some business I can attend to." "Alrighty, you're the director! Catch you later! So, Aurora, tell me something interesting about yourself!" Aurora instantly whipped out her quill and began writing something down. "Well... That's certainly... interesting..." Aurora finished and gave the piece of paper to the black coated pony. "I'm sorry for my silence Starshine... I can't speak... I'd rather not go into why, but thank you for doing this for me! Let's see, something interesting is probably that I make money off of my music. I'm in a known orchestra in Canterlot, and my sister is Octavia the Cello player... Oh, and I play the Violin. "Well, It's always nice to see a new face! I'm Starshine, the section leader of the Saxophones. I first started playing Sax when I was in just a little filly. I guess you could say I was musically gifted from the start, and I have a passion for astronomy! Now that we know each other a little better, let me show you to the next section leader! I'm sure one of them will be around here someplace!" Aurora smiled slightly and followed the mare who moved like a model, and was as beautiful as one as well. ***** "So, I've been searching for love ever since my first and latest break up... It's hard to cope with that sort of thing, you know?" Aurora kept her focus of walking. She had never experienced love, so she didn't know what the first signs were. "I take it by your silence that you agree," she said with a smile. Aurora looked at her funny and faked a smiled. "Oh come now, you mustn't take those kind of jokes personally. Most of the band does that sort of thing. Oh, look, there's Sugar! Sugar! Would you come here please?" "Sure! What is it that you need?" "Sugar, this is Aurora. She's new in town, and was invited by the Director. She is to be given a show around the neighborhood of the band family. I have to go warm up the Saxes, so I'll catch you two later!" "Alright! Hi Aurora, I'm Susanna Savory, but folks around here call me Sugar. I'm the Tuba section leader, and the only girl in the section! So, what's your talent? I see you have a eighth note as your cutie mark." Aurora pulled out her quill and paper and started writing. When she finished, she gave the paper to Sugar and waited. "I play the violin in an orchestra. I can't talk, so please be patient with me." "Oh, don't worry. I'm patient with everypony! C'mon, let me show you the 'Hallway.'" Aurora gave a confused look, but followed the white pony through some blue double doors. ***** "This is the hallway where all of the practice rooms are, so it gets pretty crazy around here! I can only imagine what has actually gone down between these walls..." She said as she drifted of into a daze. Aurora searched the room for something that might spark her interest, when all of a sudden, she heard a loud thump followed by laughter coming from behind two lone doors. Aurora tapped her acquaintance on the shoulder and pointed at the doors. "Oh that? You don't want to know... That's... The Drum Room... Don't ever go in there. You hear me? Never. I don't want anything bad happening to you. Oh, there's Coronet, Coronet! Come meet our guest!" "Do I have to...?" she mumbled. "I'm rather busy." "Don't be shy, she won't bite! Take care of her! Bye~!" She said as she trotted off down the hall. "Hmph. Alright, state your name and instrument." Aurora took out her paper and quill, and got ready to start writing, when the blue pony snatched the paper out of her hooves. "Aurora hmm? and you play the violin? Charming. Smashing. Well, I'm Coronet, section leader of the Clarinets, and blah blah blah, Neopolitan, she's your problem now." The pony said, throwing away her interest with Aurora's paper. "Ooh~ a new comer~! My name's Neopolitan~! I play the Trombone~ You know, the one with the slide~? It's totally cool~!" The dazzling pink pony looked on the ground and read the paper. "Ohh~ Aurora~! That's such a pretty name~! You and I are going to be great friends~ It seems as though you're on a quest to meet all the section leaders~! I'll help you~ Here comes Amp~ The Flute section leader~" she said. "She's my favorite~" she whispered. Aurora smiled and waved at the white pony. "Hi! Who've we got here?" "This is Aurora~" "Wow, pretty name. You new around here? I haven't seen you before." Aurora nodded and smiled. "She's on a mission to find out which instrument is right for her~ She already plays the violin in an important orchestra~" "That's pretty neat! Who have you met so far?" Aurora grabbed her paper and wrote down the names. After a little thinking, she finally finished and gave the white pony the paper. "Let's see, I've met Sunset, the Trumpet Section leader, I've met Starshine, the leader of the Saxophones, Neopolitan the trombone section leader, Sugar the tuba section leader, Coronet the clarinet section leader, and now you, the section leader of the flutes." "Hey, you're pretty good at remembering names! Mine is Ampina de Musiroe. Or Amp for short. Come on, you still have three section leaders to meet!" She said pulling Aurora by the hooves. ***** "This is Moonrise, he's the section leader of the Mellophones. Come say Hi Moonrise!" "Yeah, whatever..." the pegasus said turning over on a stack of hay. Amp sighed and turned to Aurora. "Don't let him get to you. He's just lazy is all... Come on, there's Rex.... yay... Hey Re-" "My name is not Rex. You will restrain from calling me that any longer. Ah, mademoiselle Aurora. How do you do?" "You know her?" "Ahahahahaha! You must be joking. No news is news to me. I know everything about everything that happens around here. My name is Emperor Gullion, but for some reason, everypony insists on calling me 'Rex.' Oh, darling, I love your mane. It's even more spectacular up close!" He said kissing her hoof. "Come on Aurora, let's leave this 'king' to his throne..." Amp said leading the way. "Do come back now! Adieu!" "That lover-colt is always trying to hit on every female pony in the band..." she said. "Everypony except Starshine... I wonder why that is...?" Aurora looked down the hall and saw a green pegasus walking down the corridor. He was sort of tall, and had a yellow mane to contrast his green coat. "Ah, summer! Just who I wanted to see! This is Aurora. She's new, and Trey said to show her around the school and meet the section leaders. She is a musical student, and wants to possibly learn a new instrument." "Oh. Okay, cool. Um, I'm Summer. I'm the drumline captain and tenor section leader. So, if you want to learn any percussive arts, just come see me or Forte. He can hook you up with Marimba stuff." "Oh dang it! I forgot about Forte! We gotta go see him before I report back to The Man. Thanks Summer!" "No Prob. See ya 'round Aurora." Aurora nodded to him and smiled, to which he gratefully returned. "We gotta go outside now. Forte doesn't hardly leave his Marimba ever since he became section this year. He's only a Junior, and it's his first time on the leadership team. He drills the Front Ensemble pretty hard, but it'll all pay off when we have a great performance!" ***** "There he is... Good luck!" The white pony said walking away. Aurora swallowed hard and took a few steps closer to the cluttered Front Ensemble. "Quiet." He said. "Be as quieter than a mouse. Close your eyes. Do you hear that?" Aurora closed her eyes listened for a second and looked around. "Do you? I can hear it... It's lovely." Aurora looked at the ground and sighed. "Shhh... you mustn't be so hard on yourself. Don't give up so easily. Come closer." He said putting his hooves around her. "Listen with your soul... not with your ears..." Aurora stood silent for a minute or so, and before she knew it, she could hear a sort of whispering. The slight wind carried a voice into Aurora, and she gasped for air. "Wasn't that incredible?" The blue pony said opening his eyes. "It's always important to hear the voice of your instrument to find out what they need. Fortissimo Sforzando is my name, but I go by Forte for short. Who might yo-" he stopped in the middle of his sentence as he watched Aurora open her beautiful purple eyes. Aurora was breathless. She had never seen such deep green eyes that seemed so loving. She had never had a colt holding her in his arms. She had never had these butterflies in her stomach, and she definitely didn't know what was happening to her. "W-who are you?" Forte whispered as he stared deep into the mare's eyes. "I-" "Aurora! Hey, I'm back. Did you meet everypony?" Aurora looked away briefly from the stallion in front of her and she nodded at Trey. "Good, ALRIGHT BAND! EVERYPONY BACK ON THE FIELD! TIME TO RUN MOVEMENT ONE AGAIN! Aurora, please come away from there so the Front Ensemble can play." Aurora looked away and trotted slowly away from the front clutter. She heard wind chimes sway gently in the breeze and she turned around to see the Colt still staring at her. She blushed, and waved goodbye to the blue stallion. Aurora? Forte thought. What a beautiful name. I can't wait to see her again... "Alright Front Ensemble! Remember your dynamics!" Forte called out in hopes that Aurora might hear. "Let's make this a good run!" Aurora heard the stallion say this and blushed. She could tell that he was trying to impress her. It worked