Music Sounds Better With You

by Proswagonist

Prologue - Bedtime Stories

Bedtime Stories

"Can you tell me a bedtime story, daddy?" spoke a young unicorn filly to a brown-coated stallion whom was in the middle of tucking her in to bed.

"Of course, sweetie. How about..." Bass Profundo said in his deep, soothing voice as he put a hoof to his chin in thought "The wizard and the mare?"

"What's a wizard, daddy?" The alabaster filly asked.

"I'll get to that in a minute sweetie," Bass chuckled. "A looong time ago, before Starswirl the bearded, or even Nightmare Moon, there was a lovely unicorn mare. While she wasn't very talented with magic, what she WAS good with was music. Ivory Harp, was her name, and the harp is what she played. Legends say, she was so good with her instrument, that the princesses would often have her play her soothing music for them when they knew there was going to be a hectic day at court. This is because it was impossible to lose your cool when Ivory Harp's music was in the air. Her music was good for the very soul."

"One day, disaster struck, and while attempting for the first time to create a new spell to have her harp's music reach further, and calm even more hearts, the spell backfired, and Ivory's harp shattered, along with her house. She was absolutely crestfallen. None of Ivory Harp's friends could make her smile again."

"But, while she sat in front of where her house used to be, she heard a short, deep rumble, and suddenly, a tower appeared right where Ivory's house had been! Not long afterwards, the tower's resident stepped outside. He was a strange being, whom stood on two legs, and had hands where we would have forehooves. He wore dark robes, which seemed to be made of Luna's very own night sky, and had a tall, pointed hat upon his head. But that wasn't what caught Ivory's attention about him the most. This strange creature's eyes shone with great kindness."

"Ivory stepped forward and asked the creature who he was, to which he replied 'I am Merowin, a wizard of great magical talent. I come to your land seeking a dear friend of mine. If you help me, I would grant you any boon you desire."

"Ivory Harp sighed, and lowered her gaze, saying 'I have a wish, but I cannot ask you to undo my mistakes, for they are mine alone. My home, where your tower now stands, was lost, along with my favorite harp while I was trying to create a spell to have it's music reach the hearts of everypony."

"Merowin, in a suprising move, wrapped Ivory Harp in a tight hug and smiled saying 'then my tower shall be your home as well as mine. There is plenty space, and perhaps together we could perfect your spell. I have sworn that kindness shall be my currency, though it is free to give."

"Ivory Harp couldn't believe her luck. Swearing that she would help Merowin receive an audience with the princesses in the hopes that they could find the wizard's lost friend, the two in the meantime perfected Ivory's spell, filling the hearts of the entire town with the peace of heart her music brings. Ivory Harp and Merowin became fast friends, and soon found themselves in Canterlot before the princesses."

"To Merowin's dismay, Equestria was not even the world where his dear lost friend was located, and it appeared that the magic to go where he had wanted had been sealed by an unknown force. It was now Merowin's turn to become depressed. For weeks, the wizard had locked himself in the top room of his tower, and he would not have eaten had Ivory Harp not made him."

"The mare's music was the only thing to truly calm Merowin's broken heart. During the day, she would play her music outside the wizard's door, waiting for him to return to his old self. When the day finally came, Merowin spoke to Ivory saying 'You stuck by me when all I wanted was for me to disappear from the world. Thanks to your kind heart and your skill with the harp, I now find I can move on, and accept that my friend is beyond my reach. I wish to live as though each day were my last, but only if you'll be with me."

"Merowin would go on to improve Equestrian magic with his own understanding of how it worked, and Ivory Harp kept him company. Over time, the two realized they had fallen in love with eachother."

This had received a small chuckle from the little filly. "L-O-V-E" she spelled aloud while giggling. Bass Profundo mussed her hair a little bit, smiling.

"The two were kind of sad, though. They saw many of their friends so happy with having a foal or two, and they had really wanted to have foals of their own, but Merowin was not a pony of any sort. As well, Merowin's research had reached a dead end. You see, his magic was so different from how we do it, that it was hard to apply his methods to Equestrian magic. Ivory Harp, jokingly, said 'Why don't you find out if sticking my horn on your forehead would do the trick."

"Merowin looked at Ivory Harp wide eyed, and said 'That's it! The solution to both our problems! If I had a spare unicorn's horn, I could craft it into a magical circlet which would turn the wearer into a unicorn!"

"What's a circlet, daddy?" the young filly asked, her voice finally painted with the need for sleep.

"Well honey, it's sort of like a tiara, except stallions can wear a circlet where they'd look silly wearing a tiara." came Bass' answer, eliciting an 'oh' that was half yawn.

"Anyway, Ivory Harp at first stared at Merowin as though he'd said something horrible, but then realized this was indeed the answer the two had been looking for. Ivory Harp, as I said earlier, was not very good with her magic, so it would not be missed. To trade that for the ability to have a foal with her beloved was not even a question she needed to answer."

"Merowin developed a magic spell which would both harmlessly remove a unicorn's horn and preserve the magic within it. The horn was then coated in silver, blessed under Luna's moon, and affixed to band made of gold, blessed under Celestia's sun. Upon donning the circlet, Merowin transformed into a rather handsome, fit, and deep voiced unicorn stallion! Together they had several foals, a colt and a filly, and Merowin went on to create new ways to work unicorn magic. It turns out though, Merowin's notes were so strange and hard to read, it wasn't untill Starswirl the bearded used his head centuries later that they could be truly understood."

"And so, Merowin and Ivory Harp lived happily ever after. The end." Bass Profundo smiled at the still form of his daughter, and leaned over to kiss her forehead before quietly getting up.

In a tiny, half-asleep voice, the filly said "Daddy, what was Merowin the wizard?"

Bass Profundo paused. "Well Vinyl. That's kind of a hard one. Some say he was something called a human, but there's versions of the story where it says Merowin knew how to breathe fire, so I think he may have been some kind of dragon."

---

15 years later, in a library in Austin, Texas, on a little planet called Earth...

"Breathing fire, breathing underwater, walking on clouds, summon wulfes heafod (the fuck are those?) ... hmmm... Nope, I don't particularly need any of that." Said Alan Ryves, shaking his dark brown hair. In his hands was a particularly old volume, leatherbound with a velvet bookmark, and gilded edges. The cover read:
-De Magia- Merlin Ambrosius

The young man's eyes widened for a moment as he read a passage near the back.

“I find this world growing colder and colder to me, since Arthur Pendragon had his phyrric victory at Camlann against Mordred. He had been taken to Avalon where his mortal wounds will be healed, only for him to sleep until such time as his country truly needs the King of Knights again. As well, so few of his knights are alive to keep their vows. I find more and more I am dispised for things I could not have prevented. As well, I miss Arthur, my dear friend. Whomsoever finds this volume, know that this last spell I write, I do so out of desperation. Passage to Avalon is a trip I estimate there is no return from unless King Oberon allows it.”

To the young man, the word 'desperation' stood out. It was something he was deeply acquainted with.

Author's Note:

Imagine Barry White's voice for Bass Profundo's dialogue, and you're not far off.

Comments

[spetsnaz pinkie pie]

Yay! Texas!

[Proswagonist]

3426016
It's best to work with what you know.

[Proswagonist]

Will be adding the next part within the next 2-3 days. Till then, enjoy the song this story is named for.

[jordanwriter]

3426016
Yeah... Texas. Not sure where you live at but where I live its not that great.

[Fugly Duckling]

looks good so far

[Ninjahzzzz]

So,He found a wizards spellbook from the time of king arthur in a library in Texas.........Fuck it,its magic,We dont gotta explain it! (Side note,This is a joke,I actually do really like this story so far)

[Proswagonist]

3430785
I'll address that issue. Not WELL, but I'll get to it, no worries.

[Ninjahzzzz]

3430813 Its fine to have a cliche and unexplained way of getting there,Just so long as the actual story isnt absolute shite

[Sarged]

Arthur Pendragon... Really.. I just mean WOW. Is this the same universe with the pipes that travel to different universes.

[Sprocket Jockey]

Is this based off the show Merlin, or naw?

[smolbep]

3848584
No, Pendragon was just King Arthur's last name according to legend.