Lifesaving Lullaby
“...so this is how you mount an amplification spell on a speaker frame,” said Vinyl. She rotated the speaker so that the other three ponies could see into its inner workings, which sparkled and glowed with magic. “By putting the spell here, I can get the speaker body to vibrate and boost the sound way louder than my previous design. This baby can break glass at twenty paces." She grinned.
“I’m surprised there aren't amplification spells that don't need speakers at all,” said Medley.
“Well, there are, but I’d need to use a lot more magic to power them during my shows. If I can offload some of the work into these speakers, then I can use my magic for other stuff. Like some awesome pyrotechnics.”
Octavia examined the speakers with a critical eye. “Fascinating. Classical theatres are usually designed to have powerful acoustics... there are architects who design nothing but music halls and studios. I can see how, in environments that were not specifically built for musical performance, such magic would be very useful.”
“Why not combine them?” wondered Fluttershy.
Vinyl grinned. “Aw, yeah. Can you see me at the Cantelrot Philharmonic with these babies?”
Octavia thought for a moment. She could visualize a bunch of elderly ponies being bowled over in shock by blasting wubs. “Erm...”
Vinyl laughed.
Medley was about to say something else when a loud pounding issued from the door. “Open up!” somepony yelled.
Vinyl frowned. “Can't anypony read? DJ-Pon3 is done for the day.”
“I’ll get it,” said Medley. She fluttered over and opened the door. “What?”
Spike ran into the room. “You’re the Element Bearers, right?”
Octavia frowned. “...Trixie’s pet dragon, yes?”
“I’m not a pet, I’m an assistant -- oh, never mind.” Spike turned to Vinyl. “You’re the Element of Magic, right?”
“Uh, yeah--”
“Great! We need your help!” Spike took a deep breath. “Twilight and Trixie are trapped in the Everfree by a gigantic Ursa Minor! They’re in a little cave right now, but they can’t get out and the Ursa won’t go away, so they really need a hoof! They sent me to get ponies to drive the Ursa off! Hurry!”
“They sent you to us?” asked Fluttershy, eyes wide.
“Well, no, they sent me just to get help. But you’re the Elements and you’re supposed to be really strong!” Spike’s eyes were wide. “Trixie’s fans just like her show; they aren't going to rescue her in the middle of a dangerous woods. I don’t think Twilight’s friends know enough to be able to help either -- but you’re the Elements! You can save them!”
“Wait,” drawled Medley. “The greatest scholar and the most amazing showmare in Equestria need help from little old us?”
“Yes!” Spike blinked. “You’re going to help them, right?” His eyes were wide and starting to moisten. “I know Trixie’s kind of a jerk, but she’s the only family I have! Please!”
The four looked at each other, but there was no need to discuss. Vinyl stepped forwards. “Of course we will,” she said. “We’ll save their flanks. Because we’re the Elements of Harmony!”
“And because you want to rub it in their faces,” added Octavia.
Vinyl chuckled. “Maybe a little. Come on, girls. Grab your instruments and let’s go!”
***
“So, you’re going to use the Elements, right?” asked Spike. He was leading the way back to the little cave where the two unicorns had been hiding. “What’s it like?”
“Using the Elements?” Vinyl frowned.
“Yeah, aren’t those them?” Spike gestured at the wagon that Medley and Octavia were towing, which contained Vinyl’s speakers, Medley’s aeolian harp, and Octavia’s cello.
Vinyl laughed. “Oh, right! Yeah, we can’t use the Elements. That’s why we’ve got to haul the gear and can’t just summon them.”
Spike almost tripped over his feet. “Why not?”
“Bluenote’s out of town,” said Fluttershy. “And Lyra is communing with nature. They only work with all six of us.”
“I told you, you shouldn’t have told Lyra that Bonbon likes to put flowers on the table when she eats,” commented Medley.
Octavia blushed. “How was I supposed to know she was going to go on a ‘flower quest’ to find the prettiest flowers in the province so she could refine her wedding plans?”
“Um, you’ve met her, right?”
Spike was staring in confusion. Finally, he seemed to process what had been said. “No Elements?! Seriously?”
“Nope,” said Vinyl.
“But -- without the Elements, what are you going to do?”
“We’ll use my sweet tunes,” chirped Vinyl. “Music’ll work. ‘Music soothes the savage beast,’ as somepony famous once said.”
“Breast,” said Octavia.
“What?”
“The expression is, ‘music soothes the savage breast.’ Not beast.”
There was silence for a moment.
"Eh. Close enough," said the DJ.
Octavia noticed Spike turning red. “Um, Vinyl--”
“I know, I know. Relax, Spiky-wikey. We’ve got this. Don’t forget -- I once beat a golem in single combat! Medley beat up a whole bunch of kelpies, Octavia beat a leshy, Fluttershy took on a nightmare... we’ll be fine.”
“Were any of those as big as the Ursa?” asked Spike.
Fluttershy shook her head. “Ursas are very, very big,” she told Vinyl. “Ten to twenty times as large as a pony.”
“Yeah, but whatever. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” Vinyl mimed punching something with a hoof. “No problem. We’ll kick its flank and send it back where it came from!”
Spike looked nervous, and dropped back a little until he was walking near Octavia. “Does she really know what she’s doing?” he whispered.
Octavia nodded. “Yes,” she said. “She may seem eccentric, but she is one of the smartest mares I know. If she claims to have a plan to defeat the Ursa, she does... and we will be able to carry it out. As long as our bonds of friendship are unbroken, nothing can stop us.”
“Are you four even friends?” Spike frowned. “Trixie said you’re a noble heir, like her. And, um, you might not have noticed, but she’s not so good with friends. I mean, ponies like her shows--”
“Until recently, I suffered from the same problem,” said Octavia. “And... I still do, from time to time. But my friends have helped me overcome them, and they have also helped me to realize that I know more of friendship than I had first thought.” She bowed her head slightly. “Our friendship has defeated the fiercest monsters of this wood, not to mention traps set by nigh-omnipotent alicorns. We can and will defeat this Ursa.”
Spike was silent for a moment before smiling a little. “Alright,” he said. “Good to know Trixie and Twilight are in such capable hooves.”
***
Within ten minutes, they had reached the tunnel. The Ursa was still there, pawing in front of the cave’s opening and looking rather disgruntled. A few panicked squeaks emitted from the tunnel itself.
“Do you have a plan?” asked Octavia.
Vinyl put a hoof to her chin. “First, we need to lure it away from the two unicorns. Then we can put it--”
Sparks flew out of the cave, one hitting the Ursa in its eye. Distantly, the four Element Bearers her Trixie crow, “Hah! The Great and Powerful Trixie has scored first blood!”
The Ursa roared, knelt, and began to pummel the cave with massive paws. Octavia heard cracks as the stone started to crumble.
“Scratch that,” said Vinyl. “First step, calm the bear down so it’ll pay attention to us. Then we lead it away, then we knock it out.” She turned to Spike. “Is there a large clearing near here?”
“Yeah, we ran through one a few minutes north--”
“Great!” Vinyl nodded. “Fluttershy, can you calm the Ursa down a little?”
“I don’t know, it looks very mad...” said Fluttershy, who was shrinking back a little.
Spike clutched at Fluttershy’s leg. “Please? Pretty please?”
Fluttershy took a breath and shut her eyes. “I’ll do it,” she said at last.
Vinyl nodded. “Medley, how well can you control the music coming from your harp?”
“It’s my instrument,” said Medley. “I’m good at it.”
“Even in the Everfree?”
“Of course.”
“I thought the Everfree screws up magic?” whispered Spike.
“It’s not magic. I flap my wings, it plays a melody. That’s all there is.”
“Perfect.” Vinyl levitated the speakers and cello out of the cart, and with some straining, got them arranged on her back. “Spike, take me to the clearing -- I need to get set up. Fluttershy, calm the bear down so it can hear us. Medley, get oriented south of the Ursa and play that piece you played for me five days ago, when we were hanging out by City Hall. Octavia, the harp and Medley will be in the wagon; when the Ursa begins to go north, drag the wagon after you.”
“I don’t know that piece,” said Octavia. “What are we doing, exactly? I--”
“It’ll take too long to explain.” Vinyl nodded at the Ursa, which was tearing off a large part of the cave’s ceiling and hurling it away. “Don’t sweat it. We trust you to get this right.”
Octavia tensed. She did not know what was going on; if she made a mistake, the Ursa could kill all of them. I am not yet good enough at this! I know little of friendship, I cannot anticipate what they want or need like they can do with each other. I need help...
Spike poked her. “Is something wrong? Can you do it?”
Vinyl smiled easily. “Of course she can. Right, Tavi?”
Octavia took a long breath. She remembered how she had helped Vinyl earlier that day, and the kind words Medley and Fluttershy had spoken to her. No. I do not need help. I trust their assessment of me. “Yes.”
“Then let’s go,” said Vinyl.
***
Vinyl took off with Spike and the cart, and Medley and Octavia hurried to the south of the area where the Ursa was battering away at the cave. That left Fluttershy to approach it.
“Stop!” she called, zooming in close to the Ursa’s left air and barely dodging it as it swatted at her. “You’re being a very mean bear, and you’re trying to hurt two very nice ponies. Stop it at once!” Her eyes widened.
The Ursa turned to stare at her, and roared loud enough to send Fluttershy tumbling backwards. She managed to right herself, though, and bristled. “Now, that wasn’t very nice!” she said. “There’s no reason to be so grumpy!”
The Ursa glared at her, and huffed menacingly.
“Just calm down,” said Fluttershy. “Calm down, and I’m sure we can work out a peaceful resolution to this problem.” She smiled winningly. “Now, why are you so mad at Twilight and Trixie-wixie?”
“Trixie-wixie?” muttered Octavia.
“Shh,” said Medley, though she was obviously struggling to contain her chuckling. “Think it’s calm enough yet?”
“It is not screaming or breaking rocks anymore... yes.”
The Ursa shook its head and growled something. Fluttershy blinked. “Um, well, that was very mean of them, but I’m sure if you ask them nicely to apologize--”
The bear growled something else, narrowing its eyes.
“Er, uh, apologizing is not just for ‘chumps,’ it...”
Then music started to flow into the clearing.
Medley stood on the rear side of the wagon, flapping her wings in a rapid and fierce pattern. The air passed through the aeolian harp, vibrating the strings and producing a stormy, loud melody. The notes sounded like they had been formed from the air itself, with no sharp attacks or noticeable onsets, just strong melodic tones that arose from nowhere and thrust out into the world at large. The music was more than energetic; it darted hither and yon, like it was spawned from some maelstrom. It was as if...
Octavia’s eyes widened. It was the kind of music such an aeolian harp would produce if it was being driven by a storm.
The bear, presumably, knew nothing of music, but it knew the sorts of chaotic, loud sounds that presaged a violent rainstorm. It froze as it heard the music, then began lumbering away from the music, northwards.
“Go!” hissed Medley, enjoyment in her voice. “Giddeyup!”
“...Giddeyup?” asked Octavia, beginning to tug the cart forwards. The aeolian harp was intended to be an installation piece and was therefore heavy, but the cellist managed. “I am no beast of burden.”
She heard Medley chuckle. “Relax, Tavi,” murmured Medley. “Friends fool around with each other.”
Octavia smiled, and she hurried after the Ursa.
***
Medley, playing music to simulate a storm, drove the Ursa a mile or so north and into a moderately sized clearing. Octavia saw that speakers had been set up all around it, including a few in the trees themselves. Vinyl was hanging from a branch, Spike balancing on her head and shoulders. Fluttershy was watching the Ursa from behind a large bush.
“Tavi!” hissed Vinyl. “Stop! Don’t go into the clearing yet! Medley, stop playing, you need to be silent for this next part!”
Octavia stopped just shy of the clearing itself. “What now?” she hissed back.
“Your cello’s over there! Play something to lull it to sleep!”
Octavia blinked. “Will that work?”
“If you’re the awesome cellist you say you are, sure!” Vinyl’s voice grew more urgent. “Your cello has more acoustic power than Medley’s harp. We need you for this. Come on, Tavi--”
“Worry not. I can do it,” said Octavia. She unhitched herself from the wagon and hurried to her cello. She quickly unpacked the instrument and bow, brought her hoof up, and began to play. A soft lullaby sallied forth.
The Ursa seemed unaffected, and about ready to turn back to boot. Octavia gulped. "Vinyl, this is not--"
“Hang on! Octavia, I need to fix something, keep going!”
Octavia continued to play. She forced her breath and stature to remain as calm as she could so that she performed correctly, even as the bear began to sniff the air and turn in her direction. I can do this. Vinyl will fix whatever is wrong, and then I will carry out my duty. I could do no less for my friends.
A small disk floated near her and settled onto her cello. Startled, Octavia stopped playing for a moment.
“There!” called Vinyl. “Now try!”
Octavia played more notes. Almost immediately, the lullaby began to play over the speakers in the clearing.
The Ursa tilted its head, apparently now more strongly affected by the cello’s strains.
Octavia smiled and continued to play. It was a simple melody, one that, until recently, she would have thought beneath her, but she no longer cared about things like that. She played the notes calmly, with a strong, even tempo and pitch. The music seemed to emphasize Octavia’s control, to say that everything was under control, no more effort was needed, and any listeners could just relax, secure in the knowledge that all else was taken care of.
The Ursa nodded its head drowsily, and Octavia began to quiet the music a little bit. As the tune faded, the Ursa lowered its head closer to the speakers to hear it, until it was almost on the ground. Eventually, it did lie down. Octavia played a few more soft, calm, lovely notes, and the Ursa’s eyes flickered shut. Another few, and it began to snore.
Octavia sighed and lowered her bow, and then Vinyl and Medley and Fluttershy were hugging her. “We did it!” cheered Fluttershy, in her usual, soft cheer. “We saved Trixie and Twilight!”
“Of course we did,” said Octavia, smiling brightly. “With friendship like ours, how could we not?”
***
The quartet, plus Spike, returned to the tunnel, where Spike crawled into the ruined entrance to tell the unicorns that they were safe.
Almost immediately, purple and blue blurs jumped out of the tunnel. In moments, Vinyl found herself being clutched at by two very frightened mares. “Relax!” she said, smiling merrily. “No need to grab. There’s plenty of Vinyl for everypony.”
Twilight blushed, and with a squeak, jumped backwards. Trixie also blushed, but she didn’t release Vinyl. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is... grateful for the rescue. Not that she needed it, strictly speaking, but--”
“Yes, we did,” said Twilight. She blushed again. “Thanks. And... sorry.”
“No worries,” said Vinyl. She smiled merrily, extricating herself from Trixie. “It’s late. Why don’t we all go back to Ponyville? You two can stay at my place overnight. We’ll talk it out tomorrow morning.”
Trixie looked like she was about to refuse, but then shrugged and nodded her head. “We accept,” he said.
Vinyl nodded. “Spike, you can stay over too. Uh... what do dragons eat?”
“Metals and gems, mostly.” Spike licked his lips. “Actually, those stereos look really tasty. Is that pure copper in there?”
"Uh," said the DJ. "On second thought--"
“I can watch Spike,” said Fluttershy, fluttering over with a smile. “He looks undernourished anyway. Trixie, what are you feeding him?”
Trixie blinked. “Gems, mostly. Whenever we reach a town I buy some from a jewelry store.”
“Commercial gems? Oh, no, dragons need a much more balanced diet than that.” Fluttershy nodded. “How many organic fire rubies are you eating? Or emeralds...”
As this went on, Medley approached Octavia. “Congratulations,” she said. “You did great.”
“So did you.”
“Yeah, but I always knew I’d do great.” Medley smiled.
Octavia nodded. “...I did better than I thought I would. Thank you again.”
“No problem. Now come on -- let’s get back to town. I am not sleeping in these stupid woods again.”
As they rejoined the group, Octavia heard Twilight say, “So, how did you defeat the Ursa anyway? Was it with some amazing spell for beating up Everfree Ursas?”
“Nope,” chirped Vinyl.
“Did you teleport it somewhere else?”
“Nope!”
“...attack it somehow?”
“Not even close.” Vinyl smirked. “We played it a lullaby.
“A lullaby?” Twilight blinked. “What kind of magic is in a lullaby?”
“None,” said Octavia. “I would be happy to explain it all to you... but perhaps we could return to town first?”
“Yes, Trixie agrees with Octavia’s proposal.” Trixie stuck out her tongue at the foliage. “These woods are terrible for Trixie’s peace of mind.”
Vinyl opened her mouth to say something, then paused, shrugged, and smiled slightly. “Sure. Let’s go back.”
The gear was loaded back into the wagon, Trixie and Twilight were persuaded that the woods were safe for travel, and then -- with much hubbub -- the seven returned to Ponyville.
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Excellent teamwork, there. I loved Fluttershy fussing over Spike, there.
Great!
I like what you did with the Ursa.
Oh, Lyra. Forget Applejack, you're the silly pony!
Twilight and Trixie do not know what a lullaby is? Blasphemy and madness!
Oh, I really hope the lesson sinks into their heads.
Ah the KISS principle at its finest. Maybe Twilight will remember that next time she thinks QWOPing is a valid strategy.
The C!Verse really showcases team effort. I am really liking how things are going here.
Vinyl has quite the brain... Although I wonder if there'll be an equivalent to the Magical Mystery Cure here.
Vinyl has some great ideas, and more importantly, a cool head. I like the way she didn't panic at all, simply coming up with a plan and seeing it through with the assistance of her friends. Hopefully Twilight and Trixie can learn a lesson from this. I can't hate them too much, after what they've gone through. Even if it was their own stupid fault.
This should be a fun letter to the princess, ignoring the fact they don't need to do that. Kinda goes with the whole keeping down the middle that appeared in the other story.
Cadence is the dawn and dusk, between night and day
Vinyl is between theory and practical.
A fun idea or reoccurring theme.
Trixie, you are a moron. Don't poke the bear.
That wound up rather quickly but it does showcase Vinyl's smarts
I guess the epilogue will have Trixie and Twilight arguing about who won their bet.
Now we're getting references to the Manehattan-verse. Particularly ironic since it was Octavia who used the misquote on that occasion.
Let's hope that Trixie and Twilight tone down their respective egos and can avoid similar problems in the future, nothing wrong with pride in your work, but letting it go to your head is another.
Distantly, the four Element Bearers her Trixie crow
“We played it a lullaby.
1. Hear.
2. Forgot your closing quotation mark.
Technically, the full quote is "Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast. To soften rocks, or bend the knotted oak."
2788817
Alicorn Vinyl Scratch. I can't say I'd complain about that.
derpicdn.net/img/2013/2/12/241436/large.png
2792096
I'm guessing that Vinyl will claim the final victory of that bet, even though she wasn't part of it.
2829041
I don't remember that in the Manehattenverse. Where was it?