The Guitar Mare

by Alkem

Chapter 1

The lights went dim inside the packed stadium. The crowd fell silent, as a lone mare walked out on the empty stage stage, approaching a lone mic and stool chair at the edge of the platform. A single beam of light shined on her, its rays bouncing off the aged classic guitar that dangled from the strap wrapped around her neck, pressing down against her auburn mane. Stopping at the mic, she rose to her hind legs and adjusted the stand. The crowd started cheering. This was the moment they had waiting for. Ponies in the crowd below her reached their hooves out, in the hopes of getting her to notice them.

In the front row, just a few feet away from the elevated platform, a unicorn filly stood with starry eyes. Right behind her was an older unicorn stallion, her father, watching his little mint green angel as she stared wide-eyed to the guitar wielding Earth pony on stage.

The Guitar Mare. The filly had been a fan ever since she first heard one of her records. The docile tones really tugged the young unicorn’s heartstrings. The filly’s over sentimentality was nothing new to her parents, who named her Heartstrings for that reason. But this wasn’t like Heartstrings’s typical over emotional reaction, this was different. The Guitar Mare’s music had touched her very soul.

Since then, Heartstrings wanted to go to see The Guitar Mare live. Her chance had finally come when a concert was announced for Canterlot’s prestigious Dusk/Dawn Stadium. It was to be the site of The Guitar Mare’s final performance. This was Heartstrings’s once in a lifetime opportunity to see her idol live. The weeks prior to the show she did all she could to get tickets. She begged her parent’s, sold home make cookies, pleaded with her parents again, offered to do other pony’s chores for bits. Heartstrings tried everything, but remained ticketless.

The morning of the show, Heartstrings’s eyelids slowly creaked open as she awoke from her bed. Tears shed the night before left trails lingering on her cheeks. The show was tonight and she had no way of going to it. She sank her head back into the feathery embrace of her pillow, her desire to get up fading away. Suddenly she heard the hoof steps of somepony approaching her bedroom door.

Seeing the doorknob turn, she threw her head under the covers as the door opened. Hearing hoof steps approach, she dared not move. Unsure of the motivation compelling her to stay silent, anger over the show, or fear of being discovered that she cried all night. Whatever the reason was, she stayed motionless. Her father, assuming she was still asleep, went to her bedside and planted a peck a few inches below where the cover where her horn gave away her position. She heard his hoof tap against the top of the nightstand by her bed, before he walked out.

Heartstrings waited till she heard the last of his hoof knock against the bottom stair. She tossed her sheet aside, still upset, rolling to her right. Unable to go back to sleep, her eyes traveled around the room. That's when she noticed something on the stand. She reached her hoof over, eyes widening as she grasped the little sheet of paper. She held it up with both hooves and read what was on it.

Downstairs, her mother and father heard the excited pitter patter of their little foal’s hooves. They exchanging delighted grins at each other as the stomping hooves traveled their way to the stairs. Both of them looked to the kitchen doorway as Heartstrings’s hurried steps slipped past it. They leaned their head forward worried she’d her herself. Getting back on her hooves, she stood in the doorway, turning towards her parents who were standing together. They noticed the tears trailing down her cheeks, curving around the giant grin she was wearing. She spoke not a word, dashing towards them, burying her face into their huddled chest. She nuzzled against them, staining their coats with her tears of joy. They each wrapped a foreleg around their little mare, embracing her.

Back at the concert, Heartstrings watched the light tan mare finish tuning her guitar. She brushed the hairs in her face behind her drooping right ear and raised a hoof to the crowd. Everyponies' cheers instantly died down, all eyes were upon her as she began what would be her final performance. Her hoof caressed the strings, plucking out sounds that enraptured the audience. Heartstrings became lost to the music, closing her eyes, going back to the days when she first discovered The Guitar Mare.

Listening to her records, Heartstrings would sing along as she tried to get the meaning out of each and every song. Her mother caught her once as she played an air guitar. Heartstrings’s face turned cherry red, but her mother’s gentle smile said carry on. To her surprise, on her birthday, she got her the real thing. A guitar she’s held very dear, safely kept inside her room. A massive thump suddenly rattled the filly back to the present.

As she opened her eyes, Heartstrings felt the ground shack, hearing the thump again. Turning her head around, she noticed the everypony in the crowd. Eyes closed, heads rocking back and forth, stomping their hooves to the beat. The Guitar Mare’s beautiful melody brought ponies to tears. Heartstrings stare up to mare that had brought every pony together that night, with thought of being like her one day.

The Guitar Mare, sat on her stool, focusing on her song as her soothing vocals and guitar flawlessly merged together. Heartstrings tilted her back, seeing her father. She smiled, happy he came along. His eyes were shut as he too bobbed his head to the beat. Just then the unicorn felt something hit her head. She realized it was a tear that fell from her father’s chin. A surge of emotions suddenly washed over her, taking her back to days past once more.

Ecstatic over her new instrument, Heartstrings envisioned herself as a star, never realizing how hard it would be. The first step was daunting, challenging, probably the hardest thing she had ever done, but if she wanted to be like her idol, she’d need to learn how to stand. Not stand like everypony normally does, but stand on her back legs. Balancing on two hooves proved to be more of a challenge then expected. The filly practiced every day, tumbling over and over, worrying her parents with each slam to the ground. But over time, she finally got to the point where standing on two hooves became second nature. She got so good, something she wouldn't realize she walked out to town like that.

After standing, she moved on to the real obstacle. The reason she learned to stand in the first place, playing the guitar. Heartstrings learned quickly that compared to standing and sitting, playing the instrument felt like trying to fly with no wings. Those days were spent in her room, practicing to the point she could pluck a single effortlessly. Not bad for a filly, even more so playing with hooves. Remember that moment of accomplishment, Heartstrings let out content sigh. Back in the stadium, her eyes focused on pony on stage. To the mare who gave Heartstrings the motivation to go on.

The Guitar Mare, a pony who moved from town to town, place to place, playing her music, making ponies feel great. She never settled down, drifting miles and miles away, to find another place to play. She could make you love, she could make you cry. She could bring you down, she could get you hi. Something kept her moving, but nopony seemed to know, what it was that made her go.

This was the star’s final flicker; her guitar began to sound dim. Her voice started to falter, but the crowd paid it no whim. They all stood there watching, hooves stomping as she played. The Guitar Mare was fading away.

Before the crowd realized it, she had finished. The Guitar Mare stood from her stool, facing everypony. In the mass of ponies, unicorns used their magic, creating a light from their horns that could be seen from stage. The crowd busted into an uproar. The mare spoke not a word; the music had spoken for her. She simply bowed before the crowd.

As she bowed, she noticed little Heartstrings staring up at her, tears of joy running down that sweet happy face. Heartstrings wiped her eyes, trying to hide her emotional reaction, but to no avail. She had been overcome by the heartwarming performance, understanding the feelings that were expressed. The Guitar Mare smiled, leaning in closer to her, reaching the edge of the elevated stage as she focused on the weeping young unicorn. Heartstrings stood like a dear in headlights, her jaw hung low. Tears, still flowing, now trailed in her mouth as her idol was just inches away.

With the time beaten guitar dangling over the edge of the stage, The Guitar Mare shook her neck. Running down her wavy hair, the strap slid off her neck. The old guitar headed straight for the ground below. Without realizing it, Heartstrings’s forelegs reached out, catching it. She fell back onto her flank, holding the instrument close. The crowd gasped. Everyponies’ eyes were on the filly. Heartstrings lifted her head up, staring into the faded peach eyes of the old pony above her as The Guitar Mare simply nodded. The crowd roared in excitement, but it was only a fraction to the bliss Heartstrings was feeling. The Guitar Mare then lifted her head, and with the screams of her adoring fans, exited the stage, never be heard from again.

Feeling her father’s hoof run against her head, Heartstrings came back from her euphoric state. He pointed a hoof to her flank. Raising a brow, she turned her head, gasping at what she saw. She recognized it immediately; it was the image of a lyre, her very own cutie mark. Suddenly the crow started to chant out her nickname, which struck Heartstrings as odd since she still didn't have that nickname yet. The cheers were accompanied by a strange but inexplicably familiar sound.

“Lyra! Lyra! Lyra!”
*Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!*

“Lyra. Lyra! Lyra, get up already!”

The sounds of her alarm clock rattling on the night stand woke Lyra up, ruining the beautiful trip down memory lane she. With her head under her sheets, she reached out from her bed, grumbling as she searched to shut up the destroyer or dreams. Slamming her hoof on the noisy device, she pulled it towards her.

“9:00 A.M.?” she yawned, tossing the alarm to the ground.

She rolled over and shut her eyes; trying to go back to that moment once more. Unfortunately the Earth pony by her bed wasn’t going to let that happen.

“Whoa!” Lyra hollered as the mattress flipped over, sending her to the ground. Landing on her flank, rubbing her head, she pulled away the covers to see her housemate giving her a glare from across her bed.

“Really Lyra, do you plan on sleeping all day?” said the Earth pony with pink and dark blue hair, as she pouted over to her.

Getting up, one hoof at a time, Lyra wiped the sand out of her eyes. “Sorry Bon Bon. I was having a great dream.”

“Let me guess. That one again,” said Bon Bon, rolling her eyes as she tilted her head towards a stand in the corner.

Lyra’s head turned to the stand, smiling as she looked at the two guitars that rested on it. “Yeah… ”

Bon Bon, looking over at the set of instruments, she went from a furious glare to a gentle look. “Hey, Heartstrings, I’ve got to ask. Why did you ever stop playing?”

Bon Bon usually never called Lyra by her real name, unless she’s serious, or mad. seeing that her friend was serious, Lyra sighed, looking down at her front hooves. She gazed upon them, as though they were some foreign attachment placed the end of her wrist. Bon Bon stood there, waiting for an answer. She noticed that Lyra started to get that look in her eye, that same look she always gets when she goes off remembering things.

*Whap!*

A pillow landing in between her eyes snapped Lyra back to reality. She looked over to Bon Bon, just a bed away. That glaring frown along with those narrowed eyes told Lyra she's been waiting there for awhile.

“Never mind!” she pouted. “Now hurry up and come downstairs, your breakfast is getting cold,” she said as she walked off.

Tossing aside her covers, Lyra headed out the door, taking one last glace at the two instruments, thinking back to the days as little Heartstrings. She observed her hooves, thinking about why she decided to stop playing.
“One day…” she whispered to herself. “I’ll get them, and be able to play better then anypony ever.”