Canterlot Nights

by Qwaserz

Canterlot Nights

I had cold hooves. The wintry air was tolerable, for a pegasus like me at the very least, yet as I sat by the frozen fountain I couldn’t help but shiver slightly. There weren’t many ponies at the Canterlot Square, about over a dozen or so window shopping as they headed home, so that made it a smaller crowd than what I was used to in other cities.

I shut my eyes and shook my head, attempting to dislodge the unwanted nervousness. This is Canterlot. Sure, the ponies here were known to be snobbish, but I’ve dealt with crowds far worse.

“Heh, you still nervous?” asked my companion sitting by my side.

Irritated, I shot him a glare as he idly plucked a few strings on his guitar. “Shut up. This is all your fault, you know.”

He held up a hoof, stopping me from accusing him any further. “Hey, I recall not being the only one who agreed to this bet,” he had the gall to point at me, smirking all the while, “you agreed. Ergo, you suffer with me.”

I harrumphed and decided to keep my mouth shut. Why do I even bother listening to him? He encouraged me to join on this stupid bet, and now it’s likely that I’ll suffer from it. This performance will surely ruin the image I’ve been trying so hard to build here in Canterlot. I scoffed. This wouldn’t even be considered a performance. No practice, no other instruments, there wasn’t even a single piece of paper. Just us two on the spot in public playing with our big hollow chunks of wood.

“Come on, mate. Lighten up. This won’t be so bad.” He gave my foreleg a light shove. “It’s almost time, but I have an idea.” He motioned towards my guitar. “Play me a few chords will ya?”

“Sure,” I said, absentmindedly. I hefted my acoustic guitar. His was similar to mine in design, but mine was better because it had an intricate carved pattern that resembled a feminine rump—and it was bigger than his. I plucked a few strings and adjusted the tuning pegs until I was confident that they were all in tune. Then I slowly began to strum.

The pony beside me listened attentively as I played. “Hmm. Pick up the pace a bit.”

I smirked and said, “I can do better.” Feeling adventurous, not only did I pick up the pace, I threw in a few more chords and changed my strumming patterns here and there. Once I settled into a pattern that wasn’t overly complicated, my buddy gave me a lopsided, yet reassuring, grin.

“Perfect,” he said. He continued to watch me for a few moments, most likely reading my movements. Then, after an upbeat provided by me, he hefted his guitar and began to strum as well. His strumming faltered throughout a couple of measures, but when he matched my pace he surprised me by singing.

The moon shines across the darkened sky

That was unexpected. I had skipped a beat. It offset the relaxing atmosphere I’d built up, but I managed to ignore my mistake and continue the pattern. It happens all the time, especially when performing in front of crowds.

As the snow falls and covers our homes in the night

The wind blows against the barren trees

A place so beautiful it can't be real, it seems

I felt a bit anxious. What is he doing? And how the heck did he come up with those lyrics on the spot? Oh, and It seemed that we had caught the attention of a couple. They had been milling around the Canterlot Square, but now they sat in front of us cuddling against each other a few hooves away.

He shot me that lopsided and reassuring grin again.

As winter sets in over time

The city comes alive~

Now he looked at me. Almost as if he was expecting me to do something.

What? Did he want me to sing? I nodded my head towards the small crowd that had gathered. I was questioning his methods.

He briefly nodded his head. I hesitated.

Sing through the night

And with those words I felt something spark inside of me.

Eyes shining bright

See the stars dance across the sky

Bundled up tight

Watch the hours tick by

This is how we spend our Canterlot nights

I didn’t even realize we had sung together in perfect harmony until the end of that last line. A little purple filly in the crowd gave a small cheer atop a stallion, much to his chagrin. Suffice to say, that eased my anxiety, and I continued to sing more expressively.

Lights illuminate the city streets

Dreaming up tomorrow while we sleep

Fires burning brightly in the dark

As ponies sit around them, warming up our hearts

I think there was a dumb smile on my face. I couldn’t tell. Nor did I care. I haven’t felt this good in ages!

As winter sets in over time

The city comes alive~

Sing through the night

Eyes shining bright

See the stars dance across the sky

Bundled up tight

Watch the hours tick by

This is how we spend our Canterlot nights

I strummed the last chord and was met with complete silence as we finished our little song. A moment passed before the familiar sound of cheers and stamping of hooves reached my ears. I hadn’t expected a turnout like this when we first agreed to that ridiculous bet. There were more ponies here in the crowd than there were previously in the city square a few minutes ago.

The pony by my side gave me that lopsided grin again. Then he nodded at the crowd, waiting for the applause to cease. “Thank you!” he yelled, “we’ll be here all night.” He winked at the crowd, more so in the direction of a group of rather pretty mares.

I shook my head. He had a marefriend for Celestia’s sake. A raucous and coarse one, but a marefriend who loved him nonetheless.

“So, do you think we won that bet?” He nudged me. A few ponies in the crowd had began to scatter, although most decided to remain.

I’m certain that he was mocking me, but I didn’t care. We had definitely won that bet—I honestly forgot what that entailed—and this odd, yet pleasant, feeling wouldn’t leave. Perhaps it’s an after-effect from performing with a friend, something that I’ve never done before. Whatever it was, I wanted to make the best of it.

I hummed and asked him, “What did you say earlier?” I tapped my muzzle, attempting to recall his words. “Lighten up?” I looked towards the remaining crowd. “What’d you say we go another round?”

His response was as expected, lopsided and reassuring.

Author's Note:

The song Canterlot Nights, created by Turquoise Splash and Forest Rain, inspired me to write this chapter.

"How do they play with hooves?" One might ask.

Magic.