Bass and Double Bass

by Solent Spray

(Post-Chapter) Sweet Music

“Damn it Lyra! Stop bumming on my sofa all day and do something!”

“I am doing something. I'm watching a re-run of the Crystal Maze, I think this team could actually win!”

"That re-run is 30 years old by now! Lyra, it's older than you by now."
Bon Bon had just gotten back from her Psychology lecture at Canterlot University dropping her bag down next to the sofa. Lyra shifted around from her laying position on the sofa to gaze up at her roommate, who was at the moment shouting at her. She had to think about some witty retort back at Bon Bon so she could be left in peace.

"Yeah, well you're 30 years old by now!"
Smooth Lyra Smooth......
Apparently Bon Bon thought so too.

"Ok, that's it! Lyra if you don't anything constructive today I'm going to kick you out!"
With that Bon Bon turned and stomped angrily into the rest of their small apartment, Lyra meanwhile had paled at the news of Bon Bon's decision. True, Lyra hadn't really done anything since failing and dropping out of her degree in Flight Mechanics at Canterlot University, but that wasn't her fault that was totally down to Solar Wind and him not understanding that she didn't work well in teams especially teams that Lyra herself wasn't leading.
Thinking fast and diving into Bon Bon's bag for inspiration; (it was also a good source of 'Get Out of Jail Free Cards' especially considering that knowing Bon Bon pick ups every campus leaflet under the sun on the way back from her lectures) Lyra picked the first campus leaflet she came into contact with.

"Hey, you don't have to worry about that seeing as I was going to participate in......" Lyra quickly squinted at the leaflet in her hand. "...The 'Canterlot University Music Advanced Auditions'."
Silently Lyra was cheering as it seemed that fate was on her side today. This also seemed to gain Bon Bon attention, as her whole expression relaxed in a improving manner.

"Really Lyra?"

"Yep, and I'm totally serious about it as well, I've been practicing with my lyre and everything!" Lyra bragged/lied, Bon Bon seemed impressed.

"Well, good for you! I mean if you really want to do this then I support you and knowing the rumours around this subject you are going to need as much practise as possible."

"Why's that, Bonnie?" asked Lyra puzzled.

"Oh, didn't you hear there is a rumour going around that Professor Songnote is going to be tutoring this class personally this year." answered Bon Bon cheerfully. Meanwhile Lyra gulped silently, while music had been a hobby of hers it didn't mean that Lyra hadn't heard the reputation of Professor V. Songnote. Suddenly Lyra wished that she just finished watching Crystal Maze instead, apparently fate wasn't on her side today......

---

Crap, Crap, Crap, Crap, Crap

"Lyra, is something wrong?"

"No!!! Nothing's wrong!!!" Lyra answered Bon Bon slightly shrilly.
Bon Bon for her part merely shrugged and put Lyra's odd behaviour down to nerves. Meanwhile Lyra was quietly cursing to herself. It was the day of the CU Music Auditions and unfortunately the rumors hadn't been wrong, not only was Professor Songnote tutoring in the subject but she was also overseeing the auditions.
I'm screwed! I'm screwed! I'm screwed!
I didn't study enough to pass this, then Bon Bon's going to mad, then she is going to kick me out, then...
Lyra was interrupted in her sporadic thoughts as a girl with long black hair with what appeared to be a cello on her back burst into the hallway and sprinted like her life depended on it up the staircase and then through the double doors at the top. That event seemed to give Lyra a moment of clarity.
Well, at least I arrived on time... She thought to herself.
And with that Lyra went back to curse at herself again.

Five minutes past with Lyra still trying to find a way out of her current predicament until she started getting poked by Bon Bon.

"Hey! Quit it!"
Bon Bon ignored her outburst, nodding her head at a new arrival in their hallway, that Lyra hadn't noticed until now. She was roughly their age, she also seemed to be carrying a satchel but neither of those facts drew their attention like her hair, her two tone electric neon blue hair. Now Lyra admitted that her own green hair was perhaps not the best, but that girl's; that was something else entirely!

"Hey Bonnie, watch this" Lyra whispered to Bon Bon, a idea forming in her head.

"Hey Electro-Buzz, nice haircut!" shouted Lyra towards the newcomer.
That caught the girl's attention, as while as a giggle from Bon Bon. The girl scowled at them, then seemed to surpress it moving her face in a passive state. What she did next caught Lyra completely off-guard, she stated making odd gestures with her hands.
Ok......That's slightly weird...

"Hey look Bonnie, she's trying to psych us out with some weird hand thing." Lyra commented back to Bon Bon.

"Ly-Ly, I doubt she'll be competition for you." Bon Bon replied.
With this, the newcomer seemed to switch back to anger again, and increased the speed of her hand gestures.
Ok...now it's beyond weird. Why doesn't she just say something?
Lyra looked over towards Bon Bon, who face had just paled as she stared that the weird girl. Just as things couldn't get any weirder today, Lyra was about to ask Bon Bon on her opinion on the weird girl when Bon Bon started moving her hands in a similar way to the strange girl.
WHAT THE HELL!?!?!? BON BON!?!?!?
A moment passed between all three of them; Bon Bon looking extremely apologetic, the girl who was strangely stunned and Lyra who's brain had just decided to give up on her. The girl made a couple of hand gestures towards them then turned and left up the stairs. Lyra was still in a stunned loop.

"Err...Bon Bon, what did you just do?" Asked Lyra tentatively.

"Sign Language, Lyra. It's umm... used for people who can't speak."

"......what......"

"She was mute, Lyra! We just made fun of a mute person!" Bon Bon shouted at Lyra.
Realisation suddenly dawned on Lyra like a slap to the face. Oh.......
Then Bon Bon slapped her in the face.

Another five minutes passed, this time with a extremely cold silence between Bon Bon and Lyra. The former extremely anger with the latter and the latter now nursing her right cheek. Suddenly Bon Bon spoke up to berate Lyra again.

"I can't believe you!"

"Sorry..."

"Of all the times you shot your mouth off!"

"Sorry..."

"Do you realise that this is exactly the same situation of when you tried to make a fool out of Solar Wind and Sunset Shimmer!"

"Sorry..."

"It's your turn."

"Sor- wait what?"

"It's your audition, Lyra move it. Before I kick you in there!"
Bon Bon sounded serious, so Lyra decided not to push it. But as she moved up the stairs Bon Bon followed, confused for a moment Lyra hestiated.

"Umm..."

"I'm going to apologise for the both of us." answered tersely Bon Bon, nodding her head towards her left hand side, indicating towards the girl with the blue two tone hair who was with strangely enough the other girl from before; the one with the long dark black hair.

Lyra couldn't waste anymore time as Bon Bon was glaring daggers at her again, so she move rather hurriedly up the staircase towards for Lyra what was going to be the second chewing-out of the today. But as she passed through the double doors at the top of the staircase, Lyra was greeted with a sight that noone could have predicted; Professor Songnote crying.
Songnote looked up in some sort of vague hope towards the entrance way when she heard them open. But seeing Lyra she re-doubled her efforts to crying her eyes out.

"Umm..." said Lyra, not having a clue on how to approach this situation. Of everything that Lyra had imagined; being chewed out, laughed at, her lyre been broken into pieces in front of her. Professor Songnote crying her heart out was not ever a scenario that Lyra had considered not to mention being able to deal with.

"It's all my fault." whispered the Professor, barely audible.

"Pardon?" asked Lyra, she was still not sure if this was actually happening or not.

"It's all my fault." repeateded Songnote. "I drove her away. I thought that I kil-"
Songnote couldn't finished her sentence and broke down into tears again. Starting to believe that this was happening, Lyra considered her options; go back through the doors and present this never happened or stay and to comfort her. But hearing the woman sob her heart out Lyra knew that there was only one choice. Crossing over to the Professor, Lyra pulled her into a hug and let her cry into her shoulder.

"There, there..." Lyra said sort of questioningly, her only experience in such matters coming from movies.

"I-I t-thought that she was d-d-dead." Songnote sobbed into Lyra's shoulder, while trying to take deep breaths to steady herself. "I-I t-thought that I k-k-killed her."

"Umm...It's ok. Everything is going to ok..." answered Lyra still bewildered by the Professor's demeanour. "Umm...this person do they have a name?"

"V-v-vinyl" wailed Songnote

"Vinyl? Well, it's a very nice sounding name." Lyra was struggling to come up with ways of maybe helping Professor Songnote. "Errr...Professor Songnote it sounds like this 'Vinyl' is ok, right?"

"S-she is. N-no thanks to m-me." Songnote broke down again.

"Well...then maybe all you have to do is say sorry to her and maybe she'll forgive you, maybe...?"
Lyra was stabbing in the dark for this one. Songnote choked and stopped crying in fact Songnote stopped doing anything including breathing, for one horrifying moment Lyra was afraid that she had somehow died in her arms. But thankfully Songnote started back up again, dying her eyes and looking up with hope to Lyra.

"Thank-You." Songnote whispered to Lyra.

"Ummm......anytime..." answered Lyra, still not completely sure on how or what had happened.

"Thank-You...ummm...sorry but I catch your name?" inquired Songnote.

"Oh! Lyra, Lyra Heartstrings."

"Thank-You Miss Heartstrings for everything. It's high time I turned over a new leaf in life." Songnote's voice was gaining confidence and control with every word that she said.
With that she turned and moved to collect her belongings, Lyra was still stunned by as Songnote passed Lyra on her way out, she paused.

"Ummm...consider yourself passed the music audition with flying colours, Miss Heartstrings."
Professor Songnote didn't allow Lyra to respond as she walked out of the music hall in a complete different state to the one Lyra had found her in. A couple of seconds later Bon Bon burst into the hall (she had obviously been waiting right outside the door waiting for someone to exit), looking around to spot Lyra.

"Ohh, Lyra don't worry about her. You're ten times the musician she could ever hope to be!" Bon Bon said slightly frantically.
She had been under impression that Professor Songnote had torn Lyra to pieces. Bon Bon only just now realised that wasn't the case.

"Ummm...Lyra what's wrong???" asked Bon Bon, still slightly worried.
Lyra looked her best friend in her eyes.

"I-I think I passed..."

Author's Note:

I should really stop writing this chapter on the deadline days......Oh Well!!!
Hey while writing this I noticed that Bass and Double Bass managed to reach the 200 view mark! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This chapter was to show that Virtuous wasn't a monster or a truly horrible person, but a MOTHER who had to live with a decision which had haunted her for 3 years. I hope that this puts her in a better light for you guys/girls/ponies.
Anyway, this was the penultimate chapter. So only one more to go, but for that I'm taking it back to when the story first started!!!

Comments

[mutualism_is_nice]

This story is the bee's knees.