My Little Pony: the Harmony of Friendship

by Godzilla313

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

With that, they hit the studio, and they then found out that this was indeed work! They figured they would just knock out some songs and that would be that. They had a rude awakening! It took them just two and a half hours just getting through the first song. There were several restarts as Vinyl got the levels right, and then they had to get over some nerves as the fumbled some lines. Then there was all the restarts that dealt with them either not being in the mics right, or being too loud or soft, and then finishing the song, but not being quite satisfied with how it sounded, and having to redo them again. After that first song, they took a good 20 minute break, already spent, but knowing there was about another five or six hours left in the session. The twins then began to question if this was really the route the needed to take. After that, they were back in the booth, hitting the next track, and another marathon session of trying to get it right. Once done, Vinyl allowed them to take a lunch, and it was then they realized who was in charge here. Because she was the engineer, this also meant that she was their producer, which made her a boss in a sense. In other words, since it was she that would be making them sound good, then it was she that would be calling the shots, and they needed to listen. They decided on the local café and went for lunch.

They sat in the au fresco area, but as they did, they eventually noticed by the nearby fountain an interesting spectacle. A young Pegasus mare with a light brown coat and chocolate-brown mane and tail was sitting in front the fountain, telling a story to a group of foals. Yet, that wasn't the interesting thing. What was interesting about it was what was going on around her. As she told the tale about a ship caught in a fierce storm, a ghostly image of the pirate ship floated in the fountain water, tossed violently by images of ocean waves, saying, "As the Prince squinted out into the distance, he saw a massive wave, heading his way!" and as she spoke, a massive wave rose up from the fountain and bore down on the fleeing ship. The foals gasped, and the mare continued. She then said, "The prince did all he could to keep the ship steady, but just as he thought the worst was over, a strong wind picked up, sending the rig flying towards him! There was nothing the crew could do as the prince was flung off the ship, sinking deep into the ocean.”
As she spoke, exactly what she said happened, as a small figure was flung from the ship. The image faded away, and the prince appeared in the air above the foals, slowly sinking down, clothing waving about as though he were passing through water. It was then the images faded and the foals gasped, begging to know what happened next. However, she just said with a smile, “You’ll have to wait till tomorrow to find that out,” adjusting her headband and standing up, shooing the group away with a laugh. The foals all left with a collective “Aww…” but all with an anxious look that seemed to say they would definitely be back the next day to hear the rest. Yet, what the twins found it amazing that this pegasus appeared to be doing this herself. She was not a unicorn, and yet she was putting out a magic, not only she should not have been able to do, but that in the style of Bardic magic. They had to find out what was going on and they went to speak to her. They came up to her, and said, "Peace, sister! That was amazing!"
"Huh?" Bookworm blurted out as her head shot up, and her black-rimmed glasses fell off her face. She hastily fetched them from the dirt and wiped them off on her scarf, which was a simple blue loop that matched her headband. She squinted at the twins for a moment before laughing slightly at herself and putting on her glasses. "Thank you," she said sheepishly, “It's not really that impressive though. I've seen lots of ponies with much more talent than I. All I do is tell an interesting story, that's what my talent is,” pointing to her flank and lifting her wings. Emblazoned upon her rump was a blank book with a blue cover, and a circle of stars floating above it. If the twins squinted, they might almost think that the stars were organized in... The circle of fifths! "Hey, that mark looks familiar," said Downy, hiking up the nice dress Rarity had made her and showing her mark.
Bookworm looked at her own flank, then at Downy's and scratched her scalp. "What does that have to do with anything? What do you mean, familiar?"
"You must have unicorn in your blood," said Quill, "Because we have a similar talent with our music."
“Unicorn? Sure!” Bookworm said with a small laugh, "My mum's one. But she sure doesn't have a talent with music!"
Bookworm let out an amused snort. "I get that from my dad.”
"Did your dad have this?" asked Downy, "Because our mother and father sure did."
"Nah, my dad's a Pegasus with no unicorn blood—that we know of," Bookworm replied, sitting back on the edge of the fountain, "He's a handyman and a package delivery stallion. But he's got a good singing voice. Can't do anything like that stuff that comes out when I tell stories. Seriously, I have no clue how that stuff happens... It just kinda does!"
"Well, let's try this, and let us show you that what we do is similar," and they went into a ponyfied version of "Ballad of Thunder Road." saying, "Ballads are stories in music. Here is an example."
Bookworm listened quietly, her head tilted slightly. She watched as the image magic started up, and her eyes widened in wonder. "Wow! That was incredible. I've never really seen it, I'm always too focused on the story to watch the ghosts playing it out around me..."
She coughed, then said, "That's what I call the images. Ghosts, because they're never really…there.”
"It's magic," said Quill, "And, if you have that mark, it's magic that is a part of an ancient form we've rediscovered called Bardic."
"Bardic... I've read about them," Bookworm said with a smile. "I'm a bookworm—well, I am Bookworm: Bookworm Dream, that is. I read a lot. That's how I find all the stories I tell"
After a moment’s pondering, she said, "So, you two are Bardics? That would make sense, with the cutie mark and how your colors are impeccably, well frankly, they're identical. I'd never made the connection between my stars and the circle of fifths, though.”
"Wait," said Quill, "That stuff was supposed to be expunged from the record centuries ago, and only legends or fairy tales. Princess Twilight and Moon Dancer had to dig through the Canterlot Castle Library's special wing to find any history on it. How did you get access to that?"
"I, uh, get around?" Bookworm said, scratching the back of her neck, but then said with a nervous laugh, "I spent several years studying at Canterlot University, and I may have gotten access to the special wing once or twice for my more obscure research papers, and I may have wandered a bit off the suggested reading materials and read some other books off the shelves.”
Realizing that might be possible, Downy asked, “Have you ever traced your family tree? Well, I mean, since you indicated that ponies...for the lack of a better term...interbreed, it makes us wonder if there some connection. I mean, this could mean that Bardics could be found in any pony.”
Considering the weight of this possibility, she said, "My dad is fully Neitherland Pegasus, back as far as I can trace, which was about...hmm...a thousand years or something; which is impressive for pony genealogy. Before a few hundred years ago though, no pony intermarried with other subspecies. It just wasn't appropriate. My mum's side is a bit harder. While her father's fully Unicorn lineage is easily traced back to Poniland, (the pony equivalent of Poland,) her mother is a bit harder to trace. My mum's maternal grandmother was a unicorn from Hoofington, and all her family were Trottingham Unicorns as well with no discernible Bardic heritage. Her mother's father was an orphan, so no one knows what his heritage is,"
She had put some thought into the speech, and was clear she had made such a speech before by how easily she recounted the facts, except for the occasional side comment about the Bardics. Moreover, even as she spoke, despite it not being a proper story, ghostly images of the faces of the ponies of which she spoke appeared in the air between herself and the twins. The twins were amazed that this did not extend past this, yet had to consider that, after spending time just telling stories and not really focusing on it going further, this just might have been the extent of it. Quill then added, “You see, we ask because, well, we're kinda trying to bring back a new and revamped version of the Bardics. But, since we know now if the intermixing, there is no doubt in our minds that you are one of us, but moreover, who says this is limited to music? Bards have also been known as story tellers."
"You think I'm a kind of Bardic?" Bookworm asked, but then nodded. "It does kinda make sense, even though my talent has little to do with music, I still have a voice for it. Helps in the storytelling when I can sing a little song to catch everypony's attention!"
They looked at one another and said, "You're one of us!"
Bookworm laughed, and said, “Wow! I gotta tell Digit Crunch about this! I've got more Unicorn about me after all!"
She then realized something, saying with a smile, “Well, I never did catch your names, darlings,"
"I'm Quill Feathers."
“I’m Downy Feathers.”
Not connecting the last name to Dusty, who, after having spent time in the castle library, must have crossed paths with the studious young pegasus, merely was pleased to meet them. "It's nice to meet you both," Bookworm said with a smile. "You can call me Bookie, by the way."
"Considering you are a pegasus, it makes me wonder if you can learn to control it,” pondered Downy.
"I do, kinda, sometimes... But it takes so much concentration that the story suffers as a result," Bookworm said with a sad sigh. "It would be nice to be able to tell a story once and a while without my ghosts playing it out!"
"Sounds like we'd need a magic expert on that one,” added Quill.
"A magic expert? Well I'm sure there are plenty of prof's at Canterlot U who would proclaim to be so," Bookworm joked.
"Perhaps we should start there?" asked Downy, "They may also want to know about us as well."
"Maybe we could start with Professor Mare—Piano Mare. She never taught any of my classes, but she was a very wonderful Mare to speak to. She is in Canterlot, but I can write up a letter quickly and send it her way," Bookworm said. "Where can I reach you when she replies? It might take a bit of time.”
Downy gave her the address to Apple Acres while Quill jokingly sang, "Sing us a song, you're the piano mare..."
Bookworm laughed, not quite catching the reference, and saying, “Thank you, Downy and Quill. It was great meeting you"
She then trotted away, her head all a wonder about this possibility, and trying to wrap her head around the concept. However, the town clock chimed and they got back to work.

After another grueling session wherein they were only able to get two more numbers done, they schlepped back home. Downy, despite Quill’s insistence, decided to take on the cooking duties, (mainly because Quill’s idea of cooking was something akin to a TV dinner.) However, this day, they just stopped off at the Hay Burger and picked something up, considering they were too tired to really want to cook. Once at home, they ate and both agreed that, for doing something you loved, it was a whole lot of work! Still, they kicked around song ideas, trying to play of the theme they wanted to implement. Quill wanted to deal with the love and tolerate part, while Downy decided on dealing with the faces love can take. It would be a love song different than any other, in that it would deal with what love is, not who to love, or who you loved, lost, and so on. Yet, they had never really been songwriters, and were a bit lost. At this, a knock came on the door, and it was Applejack, saying, “Howdy y’all. Saw y’all comin’ back more tuckered out than a Wonderbolt against a 300 mile per hour headwind.”
“Yeah,” muttered Quill, “Found out the recording world is real work!”
“Oh dear, yes,” added Downy, “Take after take after take, going over the same lines again and again. It wears on you. It’s hard to keep real emotion behind a song when you have to repeat it so often and changing something every six minutes.”
“Well, can’t say it’s like physical work,” said AJ, “But I guess doin’ sumpthin over and over can grind on ya a bit. I was gonna ask y’all if y’all wanted to hit the ol’ swimmin’ hole with us, but y’all seem busy.”
“Actually, I’d kind of like a change in pace,” said Quill, “Besides, we’re working on a couple of original songs for the album.”
“They ain’t original…whatcha all been playin’ us?” asked AJ, confused.
“It seems so in this world,” said Downy, “Doesn’t seem that the acts that we took the songs from exist here. We can pass them off as our own, but to give credit for those who don’t exist in this world, or at least in this capacity, would be odd. Still, we want a try at it.”
“Well, how hard can that be?” asked AJ.
“Harder than we thought,” said Quill, “We know on what we want to write, but we are having a hard time getting it on paper.”
“Seems t’me y’all need t’write on whatcha all know,” said AJ, just using simple common sense, “I wouldn’t think y’all could sing ‘bout apple buckin’ unless y’all had done it.”
Quill did a slight face hoof and laughed, saying, “I hate when something is so easy and right under your nose you can’t see it.”
“Well, come on out with us,” she said, “And bring yer guitars, or whatever y’all wanna bring, and we can do some singin’ round the fire after the sun sets.”
That charged them up a bit, and indeed, they just might be able to relax enough to write.

Apple Bloom was so glad to see others want to have some fun with the family, and chattered on about school, the crusaders, her new friends, problems she and her friends had been able to solve, and the twins just took it all in, so happy to see a happy child. However, that struck a chord with Quill, knowing some of the other foster kids in the other worlds that had had it worse than he did, and suddenly he had some ideas. As the others hit the water, the two sat under the shade of the tree and worked. Quill thought for a bit, and then began to pen it down, working out chord progression and rhythm as he went:
He was really an outcast, and marched to the beat of his own drum;
He didn’t do like all the others, his deeds were unacceptable to some.
One bully despised him for it, and voiced it loud and strong;
He turned everypony against this one, and said all he did was wrong.
The bully thought deep down inside that his life was the ideal;
Others had better tow his line, no matter how they feel.
So they beat this one up, took his things, treated him bad all the day;
They threatened him and made it clear that he should change his way.

When we look at another pony, is the surface all we see?
Do we really know why he does what he does, and all that makes him be?
Do we take the time to reach out, and try to understand?
Do we see the reasons for a life and try to lend what we can?
We may disapprove of what one does, but does that make that one soul bad?
Can we still love the doer and not the deeds, and make that one feel glad.
If we think we’re right, then live the example, and try to drown the hate;
You may change a life, and earn a friend, if you love and tolerate.

One day the bully followed him home to torment him all the more;
Yet when he got there he really didn’t know just what here lie in store.
This one lived in shanty town, in a shack; barely a home.
Living in a place that seemed so harsh even angels feared to roam.
His mother arrived with barley enough to feed her family one more day;
Her son, her daughter, and only herself: no father in any way.
They did the best with what they had, and what they had wasn’t much in life.
Yet, they still showed a love and a happiness despite the struggle and strife.

When we look at another pony, is the surface all we see?
Do we really know why he does what he does, and all that makes him be?
Do we take the time to reach out, and try to understand?
Do we see the reasons for a life and try to lend what we can?
We may disapprove of what one does, but does that make that one soul bad?
Can we still love the doer and not the deeds, and make that one feel glad.
If we think we’re right, then live the example, and try to drown the hate;
You may change a life, and earn a friend, if you love and tolerate.

He went back with an altered heart, knowing why this one did as he would.
No more could he push him around, and started saying nopony else should.
He started to reach a helping hoof for those who needed it true;
He started to try to set to set the example, showing others what they should do.
He still may have not liked all what that pony did, but that was no reason to hate;
He could look past what it is that he had thought wrong, love him, and make him feel great.
And who knows, by his love, if he truly did wrongs, by deeds and not words he could show;
That he could change the wrongs and yet still be himself, and let a good friendship grow.

When we look at another pony, is the surface all we see?
Do we really know why he does what he does, and all that makes him be?
Do we take the time to reach out, and try to understand?
Do we see the reasons for a life and try to lend what we can?
We may disapprove of what one does, but does that make that one soul bad?
Can we still love the doer and not the deeds, and make that one feel glad.
If we think we’re right, then live the example, and try to drown the hate;
You may change a life, and earn a friend, if you love and tolerate.

Quill was amazed. Once he got flowing on the idea, except for struggling with rhymes, the song almost wrote itself. Meanwhile, Downy was thinking about love, and after now having gotten to know them, she realized something. Each one had a different aspect: one raised the sun, and one raised the moon, while the other two dealt with different kinds of love: affection and friendship, the latter also known as brotherly kindness. Yet, the other two did exhibit a kind of love that also marked different aspects. She decided to dedicate the song to the four princesses and called it, “Learn the Love of the Princesses.”
Over us we have fit rulers who tend to all that our land needs;
And each one does it with a love within which our land succeeds.
If we only took the time to see the kinds of love they spread;
We could stop all hate and stop all fight, and love one another instead
Their examples they lay before us can shape our lives and teach;
If only we just open our hearts to the messages that they preach.

Learn the love of the princesses; how they reach out and they care;
Learn to love the way that they love, and make a heart strong if you dare.
Yes, learn the love of the princesses, for they hold love that is true;
And you can learn to love others in the way that they love you.

It is clear that everypony’s different, with their own skill and soul;
Yet, they all can learn to get a long as each fills out his role.
They find things in common over which the bond and draw closer over time;
Or love what it is that makes them unique, whether outgoing or sublime.
This princess by her core of friends show us all how to get along;
She wants to be our friend as well, and help us to grow strong.

Learn the love of the princesses; how they reach out and they care;
Learn to love the way that they love, and make a heart strong if you dare.
Yes, learn the love of the princesses, for they hold love that is true;
And you can learn to love others in the way that they love you.

Two hearts bound, two souls as one, both sharing one strong heart;
One just as much as piece of the other until death do they part.
She knows how to make that strong heart stronger, until it’s clear by far:
That the two gave each other what’s most precious to them—themselves, and all they are.
This princess helps two bind as one, and to each one hold nothing back;
As friends, as lovers, and maybe mom and dad, that in nothing they would ever lack.

Learn the love of the princesses; how they reach out and they care;
Learn to love the way that they love, and make a heart strong if you dare.
Yes, learn the love of the princesses, for they hold love that is true;
And you can learn to love others in the way that they love you.

A frighten foal cries in the night, a bad dream in his head;
Looking for a helping hoof, to remove the tears and dread.
Though foalhood fears and scary thoughts seem small to grown-up minds;
They are still strong walls to break, and tall mountains hard to climb.
Yet, she comes with a hoof outstretched to guide them from above;
With a glowing moon to light the way, she guides them with a mother’s love.

Learn the love of the princesses; how they reach out and they care;
Learn to love the way that they love, and make a heart strong if you dare.
Yes, learn the love of the princesses, for they hold love that is true;
And you can learn to love others in the way that they love you.

All give some, and some give all, never thinking of one’s self;
Putting one’s needs above their own, one’s needs go on the shelf.
Giving absolutely all of one’s self and asking nothing in return;
One shows an unconditional love and for others a deep concern.
This princess would give away her own heart if it meant just one more day;
For another pony to live his life, and his love to another convey.

Learn the love of the princesses; how they reach out and they care;
Learn to love the way that they love, and make a heart strong if you dare.
Yes, learn the love of the princesses, for they hold love that is true;
And you can learn to love others in the way that they love you.

By this point the sun had set and Applejack had got a good fire going. However, they watched the pair work out the songs, working out the phrasing of both the lyrics and the chords, and then they played, each one, his or her song. As they did, they suggested minor changes here and there in the music, and the years of their playing and singing together came forth. They both quickly broke into harmonies and then sang them with a vigor once the meaning of the songs started to hit home. Considering the subject matter, the Apples were now sitting real close to one another fore hoofs around one another’s shoulders. They applauded heartily as they finished, and Applejack then said, “Well, I’ll tell ya what; if those there songs don’t top the charts, I’d be a might bit surprised.”
The pair blushed, now realizing they had awoken skills they never knew they had. AJ then said, “See, all y’all needed was the right settin’, and y’all got it done. I can’t wait to hear it on record.”
“Once we get the acid takes done, we’ll let you hear them,” said Quill, “We’ll have to pass this off to the company and see if they would want to produce it.”
“Well, how could they not?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Trust me, honey,” said Downy, “We’re finding out this is a harsh business, and things don’t always happen the way one wants. We just have to try and hope.”
“Well, let’s ferget all that fer now,” said Granny Smith, “Let’s just get ta singin’ and havin’ some fun! That’s what we came out here fer!”
They all laughed and began the sing-a-long, as their voices blended and mixed through the night air, filling the orchards with music.