My Little Pony: the Harmony of Friendship

by Godzilla313

Chapter 15

Author's Note:

I wanted to add the pony version of "This Land is Your Land," but there is a dispute as to whether or not the actual song is still copyrighted or in the public domain, as the verses for the most part would be the original song. Therefore, I could not safely put this in the chapter. But, for yourselves, just put in Los Pegasus for California, Manehattan for New York, the Everfree Forest for the Redwood, and East Coast for Gulf Stream. That way, you can look up the lyrics for yourself and have your own version, making personal changes in the verses that are appropriate.

Chapter 15

Three months had passed since their magic was first put under control, and indeed, when they suggested they needed forays out into the public, it was readily agreed that inundation would be the best way to acclimatize the twins was to let them get out and meet other ponies. As the twins thought might happen, they did make some mistakes and faux pas, but with some quick damage control, not too much was said. However, to the public eye, the twins stood out like a sore thumb as compared to the upper crust that made up the populous of Canterlot. Many of the snobs thought them oddballs, but the twins thought many of them way too “establishment”, so to speak. It was odd that they didn’t see the princesses this way, but then again, Luna was very matronly while Celestia seemed more down to earth and approachable. Twilight almost acted like being a princess was an afterthought while Celestia almost acted like she’d rather toss aside the royal trappings and just go out and have a good time. In the human world, they would have called her a people person, but the twins still weren’t sure how they would term something like that in Equestria. Everyone else around, however, was a bit stand-offish to the twins, their dress, and commoner approach, not just because they seemed common to the townsponies, but they acted like everypony was an equal, and seemed to think other ponies should treat one another that way, or at the least, learn to tolerate how other ponies live. The twins seemed to be saying without actually saying it, “You can love the pony without loving all the pony does.”

Only one pony did not seem that way to them, and that was one Fancy Pants. Sure, he had money and influence, as well as seemed real establishment compared to the kind of counterculture the twins exuded, but he also seemed far more accepting of other ponies from all trots of life. This was discovered when the twins, on a whim, and to put to practice some of the Bardic magic they had been learning in an entertainment sense. They got a permit from Celestia herself to go into the public market and do some busking. She explained all the rules to them, (no more than 15 minute sets to keep crowds moving and to avoid pickpockets…for those ponies who were sporting them to be picked, and other such things,) she set them loose. They played their folk set, along with some Everley Brothers numbers, (all reworked to reflect the pony culture,) but many of the upper classes turned their muzzles up at them, thinking them common urchins not deserving of the time of day from them. However, many of the lower money set, (affluent, but still employed in some sense,) seemed to be pleased and tossed bits into their guitar cases. They had yet to let loose with their Bardic tricks, waiting for the right moment to unleash it. Before they could, however, Fancy Pants came by one day and, hearing the music, stopped to listen. Since he was a pony of note, other ponies, (just to look good in front of them,) took time to pay attention to them, and when he put a good number of bits in their case, other followed suit, and they made quite a haul that day! It was then they tried some of their magic and decided on a ballad so they could tell a story, and they had reworked “The Ballad of Thunder Road”, (though that had taken some work,) and let loose with the story. Keeping under control, they illuminated a spot in the middle of the crowd and let the story play out as if a three dimensional movie. Upon finishing, the crowd was either amazed, pleased, or some—just a handful in reality—turned their muzzles up in disgust and went their way. Fancy Pants was so impressed that he asked them to play at a tea party he was holding the next day. This stunned the snobs, but what could they say to him? He had money, he had influence, and to call him uncouth just might have been social suicide. In fact, when they did play, they made sure to keep the music mellow and upbeat, using their magic to help influence a mild but celebratory mood. It was not just helping them build acceptance among other ponies, but also helping them practice what they had learned.

A part of all this was meeting some of Twilight’s Canterlot friends and hanging out with them. At first, this seemed no big deal, but it quickly dawned on Twilight that Quill really needed some other ponies that were stallions to hang with, because, well, all her friends were mares, and it had to be hard to relate to some of the conversations. The only other stallions around were those of the soldiers and the castle guard, but he and they had about as much as common with one another as all of Discords interspecies parts. The soldiers mostly talked about military exercises and training maneuvers while Quill was a peacenik. Luckily, that changed when one particular day, Flash Sentry was assigned guard duties in the castle. He had interests in music himself, and that opened the door for Quill and he, as well as Flash’s attitude. Sure, being a part of the castle guard made him part of the army technically, but he was more involved with protecting than fighting, and was not all “hoo-ah” like the other soldiers. He was not about making war as he was in using what was needed, including force, to keep the peace. In fact, once Flash found out about the magic of the twins and what it could do, he thought it cool that they could keep the peace without having to use violence. This allowed a friendship to form between the pair, and he then hung with them when he was not on duty. (Having an eye for Princess Twilight didn’t hurt matters, and allowed him more time around her. He wasn’t sure where that might go, but a stallion can dream, can’t he?) Twilight was a bit worried that this was the only stallion friend Quill had, but Celestia assured her it was okay; stallions usually had one or two, or even just a handful of friends they spent time with, and it was not like her and her friends here or in Ponyville. Yet, the other matter was, no matter what friends he made, stallion or mare, he did not want to be apart from Downy too much, nor did Downy want to be apart from him. Except for those in the know, many found that odd, and a bit creepy. However, they were able to work out a similar story of foster care and a harsh upbringing that made them very tight, as if it had happened in this world and not the other. The truth was, they now realized they were really almost one entity, thinking the other’s thoughts and such, finishing sentences, as if even living was music in motion. They loved each other to the maximum in the way that only a brother and sister could.

By the end of that three months, they now knew enough to function somewhat on their own, along with the fact that the Apples had sent word that their house on the orchard was ready for them. Celestia, knowing their potential for magic and music, wanted to put their learning to the test, and, through Flash, decided to use them in a military exercise to test some kind of subduing magic. Considering there was a co-training exercise competition between the Equestrian Army and that of the Crystal Empire, this would be the perfect way to test. The twins, at first, were absolutely against it, thinking they were going to be used as a weapon, but Flash calmed them down and let them know that all they were there to do is to try to use their magic to try to stop an attack, not to go on the offensive. If they were there to help keep the peace as they claimed, then this would be a good way to see if that was possible. With reluctance, they then did it, but said that if they tried ever in time to use them like a weapon, they just might disappear and they would never be seen again. With that, they met out in the testing grounds with The Equestrian Army, met with the commanding general, and he had them play for them, and to see what kind of power they could wield. One thing they certainly could do was keep ponies mesmerized and subdued with the colors and images the music and magic invoked. The general then tried to get some of his stallions to advance on them, but they had spells that put them in shielding bubbles. No matter how they tried, they could not puncture through them or move forward. They were then able to put up some force walls, and then to use a magic that caused them to not want to fight, but touched the mental parts of the brain that took out all aggression and want to fight. The general was impressed, but he was not sure what two unicorns could do against a whole army. Therefore, he decided to put them somewhere where they could infiltrate the Crystal team base and take out the head. They tested that by having some Wonderbolts in their night infiltration flight suits fly in the twins with a few commandos for protection and try to take their own base. They came in low to avoid radar detection and the sentries and put them down in a covered area. With that, the commandos escorted them, but were frustrated at the slow pace. The twins were not combatants, or even athletically trained as they never really did any sports in the human world. Sadly, because of that, they were detected, but they were allowed to approach as if unseen so that they felt all was well and would not be suspecting a counterattack. The twins were ready to go, but they maybe got out a few bars of music before they were subdued. At this, the general knew that it was best not to use the twins in this way, and just decided to put them out on a strategic area of the field and give them protection. With that, they sent word to the Crystal team to be ready for some surprises!

The maneuvers then began, and they had the twins in a wagon with the artillery, moving with them, with a loudspeaker on the wagon for the test. As the troops engaged and started their war games. The artillery gave the twins cover, along with some infantry, and put them in a sheltered area overlooking the fight, but close to it for maximum effect. With that, the twins cut into a song entitled, “Come the Day,” and it stopped the troops dead in their tracks. They began looking at the twins as if they were having an epiphany, and setting down their arms. While fighting went on in other areas of the field, in that area, all the fighting stopped. The twins then started in on “Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream,” where all ponies all over the world decided to put an end to war. When the foe started to put down their weapons, and the general for Equestria saw this, he called for his own troops to advance. This, the twins were horrified to see, and now realized that they were being used as a pawn: the very thing they warned against. Had this been a real war, they would have made good on their threat. However, they decided on a different option. Instead, what they did was decide to stop both sides from fighting, playing, “One Tin Soldier.” With that, they were able to stop both forces in that area from fighting, and caused them to want to watch the story the song spelled out: a group of ponies on a hill with a treasure, and ponies in a valley demanding that they hand the treasure over, even though the ponies on the hill were willing to share it. With rage, the valley ponies charged the hill and killed the mountain ponies. Once done, they stood there on the hill by the treasure on the stone, red with the blood of their enemies, and turned it over. All it showed was a sign that read, “Peace on Earth.”
This was the treasure they were going to share, and all the ponies they killed and who died were lives wasted, all for nothing. Neither side got peace, because one side was destroyed for trying to share it, and the other made sure there was none by warring. Indeed, it stopped the fighting, but it had an effect that not even the twins were trying to achieve.

Troops from both sides not only did not want to fight, they all now felt convinced that war was an evil thing and wanted out of the military that instant! The exercise was halted for the moment while doctors from both sides examined the troopers. It was not that they had their minds rewritten, but they were under some kind of hypnotic influence that had convinced them that war was evil and they wanted no part of it. Shining Armor wanted explanations and fast! He had only wanted an exercise between allies, and what they got was the loss of a battalion of good soldiers. Worse, the twins could not reverse this because there was nothing in Bardic magic that was designed to make people aggressive and warlike. This indeed caused tensions between the two lands, and now Princesses Cadence, Celestia, and Luna had to come in and try to settle this matter. Indeed, considering the blood ties that the Crystal Empire and Equestria had via Twilight Sparkle, all sides wanted to settle this without issue. As both sides awaited the possible resumption of the exercise, the Equestrian commanding general, furious that his army had been sabotaged, had the twins arrested and brought to the meeting of the princesses. As far as he was concerned, they had committed treason, and being soft-spine peaceniks, they needed to be punished accordingly. He was so angry, he was not being rational, thinking that, most certainly, Princesses Luna and Celestia would see it his way. He was in for a surprise.

Celestia, first of all, apologized to Cadence and Shining Armor, stating that they were just trying to test out the twins, but meant no harm. She also was not sure why the twins went the way they did, but with her general coming with them, they could soon have an explanation. However, she was shocked when the general had them come under military police escort and in chains! Steam was proverbially pouring out of his ears, screaming, “They were supposed to stop the other side, not do what they did! They need to be punished for treason!”
“General!” snapped Luna, “I think you are being too hasty with your actions! You are ready to see these two banished to the Everfree Forest without any due process, and at the least, hearing their side of it!”
“But, you’re crazy if you think that I’ll let them just…” he tried to say, but because of his flippant response, fully forgetting his etiquette, Luna snapped to her feet, erupted with the royal voice, and thundered, “YOU DARE DRESS US DOWN AS IF WE ART THY SUBORDINATES? KNOW THY PLACE, FOOL!”
He now felt as if all his life energy just drained out through his hoofs, coming to attention, being snapped back into reality by her stance, and saluted, “Yes, you highness,” now shaking in his uniform. Luna then said, quitter, but still with some anger to his attitude, “I can already see some of what your heart holds, considering your total lack of mercy or proper process towards these two! You will stand their silent and allow them to speak!”
Celestia then looked over at the twins, not angrily, but disappointed in them that they had gone this route, and she asked, “Was that deliberate? Did you intend to do that to them?”
They both looked down, thinking they had yet again messed up, and Downy said, “Your highness, all we were doing was trying to subdue and attacking force and cause them to not want to fight. But, suddenly, your soldiers tried to attack them when they were laying down their arms, and this went against everything we were told we were there for.”
Quill, a bit angrier at the whole thing, said, “We’re not soldiers, and have no desire to be. We said that we were not to be used as weapons, but that was what happened!”
Luna then said, “Are you saying that you then did what you did deliberately?”
Downy swallowed, and then said, “We’re really not sure just what we did. But, we were angry, and we did just try to use the ballad spell to tell a story about the evils of war, and I guess it went farther than we intended. We’re sorry; we never intended to hurt anypony. We just wanted it to stop.”
There was quiet after this for a few moments as the princesses, along with Shining armor pondered, and they all stepped away to discuss the matter. After about ten nervous minutes, the princesses came back, and Celestia then said, “First of all, I do have to apologize some for this. I knew the twins had been perfecting their craft, but I should have remembered that there are still spots of it that are not fully understood, and that includes emotions involved in the use of it. These are things that cannot be taught in a classroom, and are something that they will have to learn on their own. Yet, I made use of something that really is still not quite fully understood, and for that, I accept some responsibility. For this, I shall ensure that all the families of the affected soldiers on both sides are properly compensated and granted pensions because of this. They just lost their livelihoods, and should be compensated accordingly for the damage done. We are fully convinced that the twins intended no maliciousness, and only did what they knew to do to stop that in which they do not believe. Therefore, I do not hold them responsible for what happened, but I give them command not to do that kind of subduing magic on such a scale again until they have a much better handle on just how powerful this magic really is, and how emotions play into it. Again, this is not your fault, so please, do not feel as if you did anything wrong. Had this been a real war, and we forced you into it, things could have been far worse. In fact, I would also command you two to do your studies to find out how the Bardics in the past used these powers where this kind of thing did not happen. I am under the impression that they would not have been put into this to start with, and would have found ways of stopping war before it could start. Again, you have full pardon from us.”
The general’s jaw proverbially hit the floor, stunned that no repercussions were hitting the twins. “But, your highnesses!” he blustered out, “With all due respect to your rank and positions, they hurt the troops, and…”
“I DO NOT RECALL ASKING YOU TO SPEAK!” thundered Luna again with the royal voice, “THOU STANDEST DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO INSUBORDINATION, GENERAL!”
“Not close!” said Celestia firmly, “But clearly in subordination. Though, I grant you I gave you a potential weapon of which more needs to be known, the way you used them was not what was agreed upon! Worse, even if we did know all about what they could do, the fact that you gave a direct order to attack unarmed enemies who wished to fight no more goes against all conventions of war that is agreed upon by all nations of the world, not to mention every convention of war and chivalry that has existed since time immemorial! I thought you fit to command my armies after Shining Armor went to be with his wife in the Crystal Empire, but I see I was in error in this as well.”
“As was I,” added Luna, “For you were chosen at my suggestion, but I am glad to say that this is a mistake with which I do not have to live! Your actions are a disgrace to every stallion and mare in uniform! Therefore, this is the decree: you are to be busted to the lowest pay grade, with forfeiture of all pay and privileges, incarcerated for 15 years, and then dishonorably discharged!”
Knowing he was done for anyway, he said, “But, you would do this without a court martial?”
Shining Armor then said, “General, or I should say, private, you had here a judge, witnesses, evidence, and your orders. I always knew you to be a war hawk, and therefore figured you would be strong in a fight, but I never thought you would become like this! You say you want a court martial? You just had it.”
All he could do now was stare as Luna gave command to the MPs that had previously been guarding the twins, saying, “Free those two and take him out of our sight before we decide something worse would happen!”
The MPs started to get the general, but as they hauled him off, he yelled, “You won’t get away with this!”
“You now have 20 years!” snapped Celestia, to which Luna added, “Would you like to try for 25?” but Celestia raised her hoof as if to say, “That won’t stop his rant.”
However, the general vowed vengeance anyway he could, and that they would not outlive this. The twins just stood there, ashen and forlorn, quietly in tears. However, the princesses came over and embraced them, assuring them it was all alright, and it would be okay. Celestia then said, “I am so sorry. I thought this would be a good test. I did not foresee this. I promise you I will never put you in a situation like this ever again. Can you ever forgive me?”
They just embraced the others that much more, and by that, it seemed they were willing to put this behind them if they could.

A week was allowed to go by while the twins got themselves back together mentally and were able to face things again. Once that happened, they were given leave to go to Ponyville to, not just a home, but for the first time ever, a real home of their own. Yet, once they got there, they came face to face with one of Pinkie Pie’s famous welcome parties. They were overwhelmed by the welcome, not certain why this was happening, knowing that, though they knew their human counterparts, they still had not really gotten to know these versions of them as well. They felt that there should not have been very much of a difference, but they still knew they would have to meet them all over again. Moreover, Downy was forced to ask, “Why all the fuss? We hardly know each other.”
“Oh, don’t be a silly filly,” chirped Pinkie, “Everypony is only a visitor one time in Ponyville, and after that, you’re just homefolk! You’re in the friendliest town in all Equestria!”
Vinyl Scratch then nodded, taking this a cue to start the music for the party, and started working her craft as everyone began to get down and mingle. The twins’ heads were spinning and trying to get a grip as everypony was greeting them, telling who they were and what they did, letting them know what kind of services they offered and such. They found it very hard to keep up, and after it seemed everypony there had a chance to greet them, they both just found a couch and sat down, literally dizzy as it seemed they were hitting sensory overload. This was the complete opposite of how things were before in life. Before, their lives were not really their own, being pushed aside most of the time as outcasts, and now they had a life and home of their own, and everypony wanted them around. Twilight, (who had also been invited to come, and who would have never missed the chance to make them feel welcome,) came over and said, “Are you two okay?”
“Overwhelmed,” they both said, with Quill added, “Never on this wise have we seen this.”
“Hey, you said it yourself,” said Twilight with a smile, “You’re where you belong. There’s no reason to feel odd. You said that you’re home, and you’re right! Now, come on, you two, I bet these ponies want to hear your great music and voices. They told you what they do, now show them what you can do!”
They both smiled, looked at each other, nodded, and threw themselves into it. This was going to be fun!
A couple more weeks passed, and the twins, by this point, were settled in. In that time, they both spent time going over the Bardic history, traditions—both useful and useless—and learning more about what they could do, and how it was to be used, where, and when. Yet, in that time, they really had not left the house that much, still smarting a touch from the debacle in that military exercise. However, it was not just that, but they were doing all of this…and not much else. Okay, sure, they knew they were Bardic unicorns, had found their place in this world, were working on their craft, and were settled into a permanent home, but now came the elephant in the room: now what? They were what they were, had a steady income and the ability to pay rent for use of the Apple’s land for a home, and really had not much want for anything. Yet, that was all it seemed to be now. There was only so much time one could spend studying and practicing before one became burned out for lack of anything else to do. This was about to change.

That Saturday, a knock came on the door, and Downy was doing some housework when the knock came. She then went over to answer it, met by Cheerilee, all smiles and happy as she usually was. “Miss Cheerilee, if I remember from the party?” asked Downy.
Cheerilee nodded as Downy said, “Oh yes: you stated you were the schoolteacher at the elementary school. Please, come in!”
Cheerilee came in and was asked to be seated as Downy got a couple of cups of coffee and some muffins Ditzy Do came by with as a housewarming gift, (though a couple of weeks late,) and, once made welcome, Downy asked, “So, what can we do for you?”
“Well,” she said, sipping her coffee, “I’ve had a weekly music class for the students, and Miss Octavia has been very gracious in assisting me in this, but I wanted to have this coming Monday to be a music appreciation day, and I have asked her roommate and the Ponytones to come also to assist. I was wondering if you would like to help.”
Downy brightened and said, “Oh, we would love to! I must admit, now that we’ve been settled in, we’ve been a bit bored with the repetition we’ve had for a couple of weeks, and anything would be good to break the monotony. It would be nice to play for some ponies.”
“Wonderful!” she said, “Now, you do folk, right?”
“Yes,” she answered, “That’s our mainstay, though we also do old time rock and roll and such.”
“Great,” she said, “I’m looking for a variety to expose the foals to, and it would be great to have that.”
Quill had been to the store to pick up a few things and came in to see the visitor, saying, “Peace,” putting his things down and raising up his right hoof. (The twins, since they no longer had any fingers, simply held up a hoof as if to say they held no weapons and meant no harm to anypony.) Introductions were once again made and Downy gushed at the chance they were being given. He smiled and said, “Groovy! I dig it! Music is one of the best forms of communication, and one of the most creative. Gets right down where you’re living sometimes.”
“I am so pleased,” answered Cheerilee, stating who would be there, and he then said, “Hey, if you could tell those who will be there to come here, we can talk it out. I think there is a great lesson we can teach the foals about music and how relative it is.”
“I never stopped to ponder that,” thought Cheerilee, “But I’ll let them know. I cannot wait to see what you can come up with!”
With that, they talked and got to know one another better, the twins not saying anything about being in the human world, considering that not everypony knew about that other world, and it would cause more problems for them than they would care for if everypony knew. Nonetheless, at the very least, a good business deal was being made, and moreover, as far as the twins were concerned, if there were gifted foals who had potential to be Bardics, it would be a good way of finding out what the town held in its youth.

That Sunday, all those involved came over to discuss the matter, and all the chatter was about what they could all contribute, and how they could put all this together. Octavia well knew of the twins skills and knowledge of music, and knew they could make a good mix. She wondered if they could put some of this Bach fellow into folk or into Vinyl Scratch’s realm, or teaching, say the Little Fugue in G minor to the Ponytones to be sung a Capella. They even taught the Ponytones some Doo-Wop songs, and Rarity ate it up. She even started gushing about working on some themed costumes for the Ponytones for just that purpose. Big Macintosh even was loving it, as the baselines were more involved than just singing the changes and laying the foundation. Vinyl didn’t say much, but you could see the wheels in her head turning as she started taking notes. Much of the music she cared for had nothing to do with what she liked, but she also was known to convert other styles over to her own, so one could only guess what she had planned.

Come that next day, as sure as Celestia bringing the sun up in the morning, Rarity had the Ponytones decked out in what we would know as 50s costuming, while Vinyl and Octavia came out as they usually did. The twins came out, all flowy and paisley as one would expect flower children to be, and Cheerilee called the students to order as she said, “Okay, foals, we have a special treat today. As I have told you, we are having a music appreciation day today, and I have asked to come different ponies from different musical backgrounds. We have the Ponytones, Miss Scratch, Miss Octavia, and the Feathers: Quill and Downy. The Ponytones bring to us pop music, Miss Scratch brings us her techno, Miss Octavia her classical, and the Feathers bring us folk music. Let’s give them a big welcome!”
They all tapped their hoofs on their desks and welcomed them. From there, they started to give their presentation. Octavia opened up and said, “Today, foals, I shall present to you the concept of the relativity of music.”
Diamond Tiara had indeed changed her ways as of recent days, but she was still growing into her new image, and was not all that impressed. She said, “No offense, Miss Octavia, but how can some of these be real music? What you do is far more sophisticated.”
“Well, I wouldn’t know about that,” said Octavia, “Music is music, it is just played with different rhythms and instruments, but the rudiments of what I have thus far taught you are still all there. Let us give you an example.”
With that, the Ponytones started in on their vocal A Cappella rendition of the Little Fugue in G minor. Octavia had taught them basic music appreciation and how to isolate different parts and instruments to appreciate how they went together and worked in concert, and with a reminder from Octavia to do so, they began to concentrate on the tones. All the students were stunned that that kind of music could be done in this fashion. When they finished, they all applauded loudly. They knew the Ponytones were good, but that took the cake! With that, each group described their styles. The Ponytones taught about harmony groups, demonstrating things like what is done in Barbershop, in Pop, and then demonstrated the Do-Wop that the twins had taught them. The foals seemed to like that one the best due to its fast pace and upbeat sound. Vinyl then spoke of the modern styling, showing how technology added to music, showing how even a common record player could in and of itself become a musical instrument, and just one of many tools a DJ had to make music. She showed them working the tables, the beat pedals, as well as how to do sampling, and how it played into the records she played for events and other things she DJ’d. She took some Sapphire Shores records and did some improved mixes with some prerecorded samples while playing her music, actually enhancing the original recording, and all the foals were dazzled at just how much skill it took just to do all that live. They were well familiar with Octavia’s styling, so the moved onto the twins. Since Downy was more vocal than her brother, she acted as spokespony and said, “We are folk musicians, but when we say ‘folk music’, that actually covers a broad variety of music. Each land and culture has music that is unique and special to it, but the one thing in common that all folk music has is the fact that it all comes from the ponies of that land. You see, folk music is centered in each land’s story telling traditions, and sometimes, depending on the culture, were the way they could accurately teach and record its history. Each is varied and different. Here, in Equestria, the melting pot that it is, it has taken the best from every land and culture and made its own kind.”
With that, they went into “If I Had a Hammer,” and then did, “Puff, the Magic Dragon.” At this point, the twins were not using any magic, considering they were just playing and teaching. Yet, as infectious as folk music is, when they got to Puff, all the foals were starting to sing the chorus, and Quill said, “That’s it. Sing along with us.”
With that, they sang with more relish, and after they were done, Downy said, “That is the beauty of this music. It is easy to learn, and fun to sing. This is another reason why it is called folk music: it has a way of bringing everypony together in harmony, building a sense of community among those in that land. These are songs that are theirs alone, and something that can bind them as a culture.”
The foals bobbed their heads up and down now, not realizing they were learning something more than just music that day. With that, the twins ripped into an Equestria version of “This Land is Your Land,” which they knew was a very singable tune. In the chorus, they used, in place of the regular lyrics, things like Manehattan Island, the Everfree Forest, reference to Los Pegasus, and waters off the eastern coast of Equestria. Everypony was singing the chorus proudly, and enjoying it. At that point, Octavia then had them do a piece that blended their styles together, and showed that music is relative, and can be done any style wants. Downy then added, “And the fun is when you can combine different kinds of music to make a new sound. I need three volunteers, because we want to teach you some basic harmony.”
By chance, Downy chose the Cutie Mark Crusaders, not yet having really met them or knowing their association. Scootaloo, however, said, “Well, I really can’t sing all that well.”
“Hmm…” said Downy, “By your timber, I’d put you at a lower point.”
Octavia had a feeling where this was going, and she said, “Remember your basic chord structure in this.”
They nodded, and Quill began to hum the opening to “Itty Bitty Pretty One,” and had Scootaloo repeat after him. He looked to Apple Bloom, and he said, “Remember what Octavia said about chords and take it up a third.”
He helped by getting her started, and then had Sweetie Belle take the upper register, seeing she indeed had the best voice of the three. Quill then began to sing the first line of the song, and after that, the Ponytones picked up on it. Octavia began to play a bassline pizzicato on her cello, and as Downy was going into the second verse, Vinyl was adding a back beat and a bit of tech into the mix as the twins were on guitar. Yet, this was not the only thing happening.

In the classroom, the pupils were taking up the parts of the song that matched their voice, and the song began to waft out the open windows to the ears of passers-by. They all began to wonder at what was going on and they all came over to see what was going on. Before you knew it, there was a decent crowd now gathered, initially to see why the others were there, and then to listen to what was being offered. Before long, the students were all out the door, and an ersatz parade was forming. Rarity was about to take the lead vocals, but she was cut off by a soaring and bounding Sweetie Belle, who was now tearing into the song with relish, as everyone was moving down the street to the beat of the song. The whole town was becoming involved, and at this, the twins were adding just a touch of Bardic magic, adding some dancing colors and lights to the scene. This was just as Celestia and Twilight were walking into town, looking to get a progress report on the twins and how they were doing. She got her answer very quickly! The parade was coming down the street in a grand celebration of music, and they all gathered at the town square for a bit of a jam session. When the song ended, everyone spotted Celestia and bowed. She said, “Arise, my little ponies, and tell me what makes you so joyful this day.”
“MUSIC!” they all thundered, and seeing who was at the center of it, she said, “I am very impressed with the blending of your music. Considering that the Grand Galloping Gala is soon approaching, I would then ask a royal command performance of the artists involved here today!”
The Ponytones could hardly be contained, while Octavia and Vinyl high hoofed, planning to put on the best techno-classical performance the nation had ever seen. However, the twins just nodded and smiled, not sure what this gala thing was all about. However, playing an actual concert was something they were not anticipating. They had only played for small groups who cared to hear, and they enjoyed it, but this was different. They had never really played an official concert, but now they were about do their first. They approached the princess, bowed, (considering they were in public,) and then said, “Are you sure about this? We’ve never done anything like that, or at least not to that size.”
“Were not the Bardics entertainers at heart?” she asked, “I’ve been reading up since you left Canterlot, and being general entertainers was one of the things they were known for, so now is the chance you have to let the world know that you are back.”
Downy thought, and then said, “You know, Quill, we can tell them a bit about who and what we are. We could find a few who are have this talent who are willing to learn the Bardic ways. Isn’t that what we said we wanted to do?”
He rubbed his chin and said, “You know, you are right. I mean, this is what we talked about.”
They both smiled, and then said, together, “We’ll do it!”

The next phase of their lives were about to begin.