Second Chances: Friendship is Music
Meeting the Band: Crescendo Note and Discord
Author: Draconis187
It appeared that the local weather team decided to put up a thunderstorm during the night. I didn’t care really since I’m safe in my Canterlot apartment but it would be nice to wake up under one’s own power rather than from a crash of thunder. I gave a few groans in disgust as I hobbled out of my plush bedding and onto the floor to begin my day.
My room was a light shade of beige with pictures of me with my brothers on the walls. I shared this apartment with them as well when they are on break from training or an air show. I had one picture on my bedside table of the three of us at a Wonderbolts air show in Trottingham. We were so young then, we didn’t even have our Cutie Marks. My bed was as normal as they come but designed for Pegasi so that we don’t get numb wings when we get up as some of us tend to sleep on our sides.
My mandatory cleaning routine included preening my wings as well as having a shower so I did both together. Being a Pegasus isn’t bad but when your name is Crescendo Noteworthington Streak, you tend to get a little ridicule and/or strange looks. Even my Cutie Mark is not usually associated with normal Pegasi: a pale blue bridged eighth note on a piece of plain parchment while most Pegasi have something weather based or aerial in some form. My brothers – Lightning Streak and Fire Streak – constantly teased me for it even when they became Wonderbolts. Our parents were so happy for them but when I found my talent for music instead of being like either my parents or them, they were less than thrilled.
It caused major arguments between me and my parents, particularly my mother. My brothers stood up for me though but in the end, I left the family home in Trottingham and moved to Canterlot just to get away from the constant bickering. I found work as an Archivist at the Canterlot Royal Archives, thanks - once again - to my brothers. They called in a few favours with the Wonderbolts who put in a good word for me with Princess Luna of all ponies. Special talent or not, I enjoyed being in the Archives’ musical section just to learn a bit more about the history and evolution of music. It was calming and kept a roof over my head.
I never spoke with my parents again since the day I left. I did send them a number of letters for a couple of weeks to tell them about what I was doing but they never sent one back. I gave up on them… I didn’t even attend my mother’s funeral. I became resentful of them despite my brothers’ constant nagging to get me to talk to my father. Even he became bitter, turned to drink since the funeral and there was no way I was talking to him while he was intoxicated. Despite this my brothers respected my decision and eventually dropped the subject.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts and get some of the water out of my mane as I exited the shower. I went to my mirror to ensure my mane was styled right… swept back and spiked. Pale silver with three streaks of yellow of decreasing shades while my coat was borderline chestnut brown. My tail was long enough to touch the floor but it was out of personal preference.
Instead of working in the Archives, I was asked to check the state of the old tower/library that Celestia’s personal student once lived in during her time at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns by Princess Celestia herself. And you do not turn down a request from her.
I got a raincoat on over my body and braved the weather that still raged outside. The wind’s howling made it nigh impossible to hear anything under a shout. The rain was so hard it might as well have been hail as it battered the bodies of those foolish or brave enough to go out in the weather. I was probably the former. I tried my best to ignore it as the tower was the only thing I worried about.
Getting up the staircases was a small battle in itself as the wind tied to get under me to pick me up and blow me away. As I opened the blue doors I almost tumbled inside from the wind as it tried to come in with me. I grunted as I pushed my shoulder against the door as hard as possible, wrestling the wind for control as I finally shut and locked it. I fell onto my haunches from the strenuous activity. I couldn’t remember the last time I had to exert myself so much.
I took my coat off and placed it onto a nearby rack. Lucky for me the windows on all the floors were closed, it would have been a pain if I had to fight with the wind again. I doubted my shoulder or the rest of me would be able to take that much strain. Digging in the inside pockets of my raincoat, I pulled out a checklist of things that needed to be done. It was simple: make sure the library’s stock of books was accounted for, the place was in good condition and that the previous tenant had not taken anything by accident or otherwise.
“Well, time to get to work,” I sighed to myself as the stacks of books seemed to mock me as I went around, checking the areas I was to be marking off on my little list.
I spent a rather good portion of the day flying up and down the levels in the tower, checking the living quarters first and leaving the books for last as they would be the most time-consuming. As I just finished checking the first level, there was a knock at the door.
I gave the door a suspicious look as I walked up to it, placing my ear against it, “Who is it?”
“Open up Crescendo,” Tartarus be damned. That sounded like Celestia’s voice! I fumbled the keys I was given as I tried to hastily open the door to see the white Alicorn smiling at me.
Princess Celestia, a name known throughout Equestria and its outlying neighbours. She is one of the two Princesses that ruled over Equestria with Luna being the other. She used to raise the moon every night for a thousand years until the return of her sister. In the past three years, Equestria has seen the return of Nightmare Moon – got defeated by six mares – then the escape of Discord – returned to stone and then reformed by the same six mares – there was also the invasion of the Changelings – they are now scattered and missing thanks to the rulers of the Crystal Empire – and finally there was the reappearance of the Crystal Empire as well as its insane king who we currently presume to be dead.
I bowed low to Celestia, avoiding eye contact, “What may I do for you Your Highness?”
My ears twitched as I heard somepony giggling. I looked up and saw it was the Princess in front of me who was the source, “No need to be so formal, Crescendo. I have come to simply check up on your progress thus far.”
I picked up my checklist as I began to read out what I had done so far, “Everything as far as the living quarters has been checked and everything is accounted for and in decent condition. Sure some of the consumables have to be replaced but that’s no real issue. Princess, pardon my plain speaking… but why am I checking this? Shouldn’t a guard or one of the castle’s maids suffice? I’m just an Archivist.”
“That is simple: I am moving in a new tenant here at the end of the day,” Celestia replied with a smile.
“It still doesn’t answer why it has to be me, your Majesty,” I commented rather uncertainly. Checking this whole place by the end of the day? This is madness.
Celestia looked outside the window, at the pouring rain and then back at me, “It is because you are the one moving in.”
I was at a loss for proper coherent sentences and could only manage: “M-me?”
Celestia continued to smile at me, “Yes, my sister has been telling me of your work in the Archives and I felt it was time your diligence got rewarded since the pay is not the most satisfactory in Equestria. I also heard that you share your current living quarters with your brothers as well.”
I was still flabbergasted, “B-but how will I even afford this? It must cost a small fortune.”
Celestia giggled again, “As long as you keep the place in an orderly fashion, you have no need to worry about paying for it. Please… treat this place with care. It holds great sentimental value to me.”
Her expression flipped entirely from happy and cheerful to serious and unyielding. I gulped as I responded, “Of-yes y-your Majesty.”
Her happy expression returned as she walked back to the door, “I am glad to hear that. Congratulations on your new home.”
I bowed again, “Thank you Princess.”
The only response I got was the opening of the door and a blast of near ice cold wind. We weren’t experiencing some garden variety thunderstorm… this was a near natural disaster! I peered out the window and saw an unfortunate Crystal Pony that must have been visiting Canterlot, trying to hold onto a tree for dear life. As I worried about what to do, she was wrapped in a yellow glow as an equally yellow dome walked up to her.
“Well, that explains why the Princess wasn’t wet,” I said to myself as Celestia helped the stallion. The pair walked off into the distance and I turned my attention to – apparently – my new home.
I looked at the first level and thought about where my bed would best be set up. Close to the balcony would be nice but the sun rises from that end and it would ruin my sleeping routine. I then considered putting it near the bathroom instead since I far to walk in the morning. I then turned my attention to the checklist before me and walked upstairs to begin to check the books.
As I got to the second level I noticed two things. One: the hourglass in the middle of the room had custard in it. Two: there was a stained glass window of Discord encompassing most of the wall-sized window. The Discord figure had his arms outstretched together, while his legs were in a walking position. It gave the impression he was doing a rather strange dance.
I shook my head as I ticked off Star Swirl’s 100 ways on how not blow yourself up whilst moving heavy objects, “Hi Discord.”
The figure gave a laugh and snapped his fingers, vanishing in an instant. Discord reappeared next to me with a grin as the window returned to its original state, “Hiya Cressy. Give ol’ Discord a hug will ya?”
I obliged the God of Chaos. This seems rather confusing so allow me to explain: Discord and I have been friends for an incredibly really short time, about a month to be honest. I found him browsing the Archives one day, searching for any post-Discordian history books. He was aiming to ‘catch up’ on the 1000 years of being somepony’s lawn ornament.
I simply obliged and pointed him in the right direction. He seemed rather shocked at the fact that I was not running from him or looking at him strangely. The truth was that I hadn’t known that much about him other than being a Draconequus, I had heard the news about him being reformed but I didn’t think I would ever meet him. I just treated him like any other pony.
Even after the Lord of Chaos explained his situation to me, I didn’t change my opinion of him. He was evil and cruel in the past and now he wants to change, couldn’t be simpler. His first impression convinced me before learning anything about him and ever since then he’s called me a friend… not that I complained. He was my only friend outside my brothers but I was never going to tell him that.
“So what brings you here?” I asked Discord.
“Well, I heard Celly was coming here but I saw her leaving and then I saw you,” He replied as he hovered upside down above me, “Then I thought I would drop by.”
I rolled my eyes at him, “Well, that’s nice thank you but I have a job to do.”
“Oh yes, let me not keep you from you oh so difficult assignment,” Discord replied sarcastically.
We looked at each other before laughing a little, “Sorry Discord but I have to finish by the end of the day. There is going to be a new tenant here.”
“Aw, Celly getting bored of Twilight being her precious student? It’s about time if you ask me,” Discord teased as he grabbed my list and made a copy of it, “Okay, since you are busy there with that bookcase, I’ll take this one.”
He conjured up a pair of reading glasses and laid back in the air whilst making the books come out towards him, ticking them off each time. Together we were made good progress as we finished in well under half the time it would have taken me on my own. I was exhausted though, having had to fly up and down the tall bookcase to find the books which were in the weirdest order conceivable. My wings ended up so sore that I had to use the ladder near the end. I gave the list once last check to make sure we didn’t miss something.
I collapsed on the bed on the lower level. My wings were going to ache for hours, “Thanks Discord, I guess it’s good to have friends sometimes.”
Discord just chuckled at me, “Especially when they are me.”
I laughed at his statement, “What do you mean? You didn’t lift a finger you lazy twit,” We continued to laugh as the storm was dying out, “How are things in Canterlot Castle?”
Discord’s smile faltered a little as he sat in the air next to me, “Celestia still doesn’t seem to trust me. It’s been what, four months? Luna accepted my reformation with a smile but Celestia still resents everything I once did like some common criminal.”
I managed to get up onto my rump as I gave him a concerned look, “Well, she’ll come around… eventually. We all know she is capable of forgiving. I say give her time and somepony will convince her otherwise or she will convince herself in the end.”
Sadly this didn’t seem to work as Discord’s mood continued to degrade before my eyes. I was beginning to worry a little but an idea struck me as I got onto the ground. Now my special talent is in music but mainly in writing and singing music. I began to bang on the hard floor with my hooves to an imaginary tune as I began to sing.
Tonight my head is spinning,
I need something to pick me up.
I've tried but nothing is working,
I won't stop, I won't say I've had enough.
Tonight I start the fire,
Tonight I break away.
Break, away from everybody
Break, away from everything
If you can't stand the way this place is,
Take yourself to higher places.
At night I feel like a vampire
It's not right, but I just can't give it up.
I'll try to get myself higher
Let's go.
We're gonna light it out.
Tonight we start the fire,
Tonight we break away.
Break, away from everybody
Break, away from everything
If you can't stand the way this place is,
Take yourself to higher places.
If you can't stand the way this place is,
Take yourself to higher places.
Break, away from everybody
Break, away from everything
If you can't stand the way this place is,
Take yourself to higher places.
Woah... Higher places
To higher places
Woah... Higher Places
Take yourself to higher places.
“That’s a little odd for you to be singing. I always pegged you as a Def Leppard fan,” Discord said with a smile, “Still, nice song though.”
I smiled, “I always sing something like this whenever I feel a little down in the dumps. It makes me feel better, you know?”
“So you thought it might do the same for me? That’s kind of you but, it’s not for me,” Discord replied, still trapped in his melancholy, “But thanks for trying though.”
Being friends with an almighty being – especially when he’s the embodiment of chaos and disharmony – is rather strenuous at times. Discord is a very hard character to read and that’s on a good day. If he were a book, he would be the one that rewrites itself every second just to annoy the reader. But you can predict certain things about him if you take the time to know him for who he is and not what. He has very few friends - if any - besides me and a mare called Fluttershy.
As I was thinking, Discord appeared just millimetres from my muzzle, causing me to shout and fall backwards. Now most ponies would get angry but to me, this was a regular thing he did and we just ended up laughing. Not like the first time he did it, I made him pay the hospital bill when that action made me fall down three flights of stairs. A cracked rib, a few were bruised and my wings were put in splints for a week. I didn’t hold it against him to be honest. He was being himself which – according to him – nopony would let him. But I digress.
“Sorry but you seemed out of it. Why don’t you pursue that singing? It is your talent isn't it?” Discord asked as he floated upside down above my head.
“I had to wake up to the ‘real world’ Discord. I needed a job and trying to start up a singing career as a Pegasus isn’t what I would call simple,” I responded with a heavy sigh, “My type of singing requires instruments to back it up not to mention I can’t hit the really low notes or the more rough parts. Then there is the fact that most of these Canterlot snobs wouldn’t ‘appreciate’ my particular musical taste.”
“Well, I've been learning to play the bass if you would like some help,” Discord offered, “Why don’t we form a band of our own then?”
“Who would want to listen to or even be in a band with us in it?” I asked.
“We can still try and if we fail, what have we lost?” Discord replied with a grin.
“Fine, but who would join us?” I inquired once more. Trying to argue with him is a lost case from the get-go. He is capable of twisting anything if he actually wants to.
“Well, I know of a club around here that might let us play or help us find some members,” He said, grabbing me by the hoof before snapping his claw.
Now being teleported by a unicorn or an Alicorn is apparently a fairly pleasant experience but being teleported by Discord feels more along the lines of having your atoms painfully ripped apart before being smashed back into place by a rabid monkey wielding a hammer. Other than that, it’s rather pleasant.
We were standing outside a club by the name of Breaking Dawn. Looking up, I saw a neon sign of an orange orb that was meant to represent the sun being blown to pieces by a variety of musical notes such as G-clefs, quavers and the like. Looking inside, it was your typical club: stage lights, DJ’s podium, bar area and a large dance floor.
What wasn’t typical was the fact that the place looked like something out of a science fiction movie: there were neon lights along the floor in strange patterns that screamed ‘crop circles’. The bar wasn’t made of wood, it was made from a metallic alloy that was durable and yet it wasn’t cold to the touch. Even that had lights built into it like traces inside of a circuit board, pulsing in a myriad of colours in rapid succession. And yet the floor was simple wood. It made no sense! Wait, now I know why Discord likes this club.
I saw a grayish teal unicorn with short, black mane walk across the empty club with a clipboard in front of him. He was wearing a black formal shirt with a white tie as well as a pair of black sunglasses that made it impossible to see his eyes. He had three white stars as a Cutie Mark. Discord snapped his fingers and the glasses physically leapt off the unicorn’s head, revealing his blue eyes. He turned around and smiled as he saw Discord.
“Sup Discord. What brings you here so early?” He asked.
“I’m here on a personal errand Neon,” He replied as he gestured to me, “This is my friend. Crescendo Note meet Neon Lights, Neon Lights meet Crescendo Note.”
Neon and I gave each other a hoofbump, “Nice to meet you Crescendo and welcome to my club. Now what can I do for you gents?”
Discord smiled, “We’re forming a band!”
“Really? That seems a bit out of character for you isn’t it?” Neon remarked, giving him a rather curious look, “After all you might actually have to work for once.”
“Well, I guess it’s more me than him,” I responded, “Discord is helping me out by playing bass.”
“Hm, I see. Well, I guess you need more members correct?” Neon asked, picking up his glasses as they rushed for the door.
“Yeah, we need somepony who can play guitar, the drums and also keyboard just in case. They don’t necessarily need to be played by one pony. It’s just what instruments we need. Oh and a pony that sing really deeply and rough,” I responded.
“Then let’s hold some auditions then shall we?” Neon smirked as he trotted off into the backstage area. His voice came out over the intercom system above us just a few minutes after he left, “Come back later tonight when the club begins to get customers and we’ll see what happens.”
And so we waited. Well, I hummed a small tune while Discord decided to ice skate on the ceiling. As Celestia’s sun finally went down and Luna’s moon rose, the club started to get busy. The bouncer showed up and stood by the front door. Iron Shot, he said his name was. A Royal Guard in the Solar Division, he came here on his days off since he needed a second job. Although I had never seen a maroon stallion in any of their ranks, that armour must be more than just show.
“Welcome to Breaking Dawn!” Neon shouted from the DJ’s podium, “Name’s Neon Lights, got it memorised? Now we have some special guests with us tonight, Discord the God of Chaos and Disharmony himself and his friend Crashing Note! Oops, sorry, I meant Crescendo Note! They are looking for anypony interested in forming a band, so if you have that musical itch that needs scratching, I suggest going to them!”
Well, that worked… for five seconds. I had one pony come up to me and asked what our particular branch of music was but left once she heard it wasn’t classical. Discord said that not one pony wanted to so much as look his way without fear or scorn so he didn’t get anypony. I felt bad for him and so I got him a drink from the bar: Berry Twister, a speciality of Berry Punch from Ponyville. How she got here in that inebriated state and is somehow able to mix the cocktail is beyond me but I wasn’t going to argue.
After Discord took a sip from the glass, steam shot out of his ears, accompanied by a high pitched whistle. I laughed so hard I fell off my seat. Everypony looked around, fearing Discord was about to do something as he walked up to me.
“Help me up,” I requested, earning a smile and an outstretched claw from Discord, “You have to admit: that was funny.”
Discord continued to grin, “It has quite the kick. You should try it.”
I shook my head vehemently, “If it makes you sound like a boiling kettle, I doubt it would go down too well with me. Especially if it’s one of Berry Punch’s specials.”
And so the rest of the evening just flew by as DJ-PON3 played some beats for the patrons. I refused the offer of joining some mares on the dance floor since Discord was sat all by himself. Nopony should be alone in a club, especially not my friends. Even if he is the only friend I have.
“Discord, it looks like we won’t get any like minded musicians here,” I noted, looking around at the club as the patrons descended into varying states of intoxication.
“Wait, what if we tried a different kind of pony?” He asked, looking as if the world’s greatest idea had just hit him.
“‘A different kind of pony’, what in Equestria do you mean?” I asked, thoroughly confused.
“Well, none of these ponies are going to help us because of my past, so how about those who share a similar past?” He responded, his grin growing wider.
I understood what he meant now, “So you want to create a band of antagonists?” Discord nodded, “That does not sound like a good idea.”
“Maybe but how will we know if we don’t try?” Discord replied, looking at me with one of those ‘let’s do it anyway’ looks.
I sighed heavily, knowing I won’t be able to convince him otherwise, “We’ll try it your way. Who’s first?”
Discord shouted joyfully and grabbed me by the hoof, “The only one still alive.”
In an instant, we were gone on our journey to create a band of musically inclined villains. Luna have mercy on my soul.