Chapter 5 - Pull McCart
“So, Forge wrote our songs down after all?” Pull McCart asked.
Ocellus nodded. “Y-Yes, sir.” Never in the Changeling’s life would she have a private chat with someone that she considered to be a genius. Out in the school’s courtyard on a bench, with the lights from the windows and the moon overhead to illuminate them, the Changeling pulled the old sale’s pony aside so that she could at least explain a few things.
“Mango and Forge’s son gave you permission to sing them?”
She nodded again. “Headmare Twilight saw it and can confirm this. Honestly, Mr. McCart, I never mean any disrespe-”
“Honestly,” he interrupted, “I’m just… surprised is all.”
There was a pause between them.
“So…” Ocellus began. “Are you… mad at me?”
“Huh? What- no… No, I’m not angry. Just… Well… I’m a bit shocked is all. That all that work we did when we were young was such a waste… and yet… here I am years later ta hear cheers – actual cheers from strangers at a dance. And there you are, singin’ your heart out… Songs that I nearly forgot about and yet…” He shook his head.
“Well…” Ocellus twiddled her hooves, not looking at him in the eye. “To tell you the truth, sir… I uh… I’m a fan of yours.”
“Are you now?” He raised an eyebrow.
She nodded. “Well, you and Dawn, and Forge, and Mango… I might be the only one in the world that has any idea what kind of talent and genius you guys had that…” her kind words faded when her ears perked up. Pull was laughing. “Sir?”
“I’m sorry, young lady.” He said between chuckles. “It’s just… that idea that any of us had talent is…” he laughed harder. By the time he caught his breath to look over at the Changeling’s direction, he saw an expression of shock, devastation even. His face softens. “Look, it’s sweet of you to say that… but it’s not true at all. When we started out, none of us were geniuses. We barely knew how to play any music, let alone write anything down! Our band back in the day had its run and it didn’t turn out well. Mis, we’ve moved on. I’ve moved on. Music is one thing, but I’ve learned that you still got to support yerself. Now I have a wife, a little family that’s depending on me with these sales.”
“T-That’s not true.” Ocellus shook her head. “Mr. McCart, I don’t know what happened, but you don’t understand what this music means to someone like me. The songs that I know… it changed the world. It changed how music seen. The stuff you and Dawn wrote, is on par with Moztrot and Buch! They were creative, invited, fun, sophisticated, all at the same time! And…” She looked at his face. He wasn’t buying it.
“Lady,” he said, “I know you’re young, but take it from on old geezer like me when I tell you this: music is nice… but it can’t change the world. We tried. It didn’t work. I’m sorry I have to tell you, but this isn’t going to go anywhere. No amount of composing or lyrics could change what has already been done. Call me jaded, but I doubt that a pretty song could change this one’s mind.” Getting up and picking his briefcase with him, he bid her goodbye.
“No! Wait! I still need you!” Ocellus begged as McCart started to walk out. She had to figure out something to change his mind and fast, some way to prevent those brilliant songs from disappearing forever. In that panic, as she watched the old stallion walking towards the exit, she combed through her mind of what knowledge she had on the Beatles for something… anything to convince him otherwise.
Then, her eyes widen as a song came into mind. She began to sing, a song that made McCart froze. One in which made him turned around, his jaw dropped as she continued with the next verse of what few songs she knew by heart. One in which the end of each lyric ended with "Let it be."
The old sales pony dropped his briefcase. Ocellus saw in the Beatle’s eyes, tears forming. Gasping, she blurted out, “Pull! I-I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking and-”
“That was beautiful.” Pull sniffed. “I never heard anything so…” he shook his head, “now who wrote that?”
A part of Ocellus wanted for her to scream “You did!” but considering the circumstance, she responded. “Well… it’s complicated to explain but… it was inspired by you.”
“Me?” He blinked, “Sorry, but I don’t follow. That tune back there, that was inspired by me?”
She nodded. “Forgive me for about to say something personal, but that song, it was inspired from when something tragic happened to you.”
He stared at her, “So you just made that up on the spot?”
“No… Let’s just say that I have a funny kind of memory. Like having memories that might have been from another universe. Where I know it happened but for some reason didn’t.”
“Yeah? And what do you remember?”
“That uh… this is gonna sound crazy but… I remember that you wrote that song.” Pull didn’t reply for a long time. “I remembered that my friend said that in an interview you did, what inspired you to write that song, ‘Let it Be,’ came about from a difficult moment in your life. After your… mom… died. You were grieving and one night, you had a dream that she came to you.”
“Telling me the same thing she always did in life,” Pull said, “She told me, ‘Pull, let it be.’” He nodded. “Yes, I remember that part, but I certainly don’t recall writing a song about that. However, it’s very beautiful. Very… personal.”
She nodded, “I know, and I’m sorry.”
“No no, it’s alright.” He said, “I’ve grieved long enough for mom. It’s strange, really, that tune, in how it flows and the lyrics… that’s the kind of song that I would have wrote if I had talent.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!” Ocellus exclaimed, “You have talent! You and Dawn both!”
Pull frowned. “Me and that airhead? Now that I find it hard to believe.”
“Please listen to me. I know that to you, none of this makes any sense at all. Heck, if I were in your horseshoes, I wouldn’t believe a word of it. But I’m facing a difficult problem that… I can’t do this by myself. I can only recall melodies and a few lyrics here and there, but that’s it. These songs… they’re some of the most powerful songs ever written and yet, they’re nearly gone. If there’s anyone out there that could bring back what was stolen from culture in general… it’s you and Dawn.”
“Lady, what are you trying to ask me?”
Ocellus scratched the back of her head. “Well… to piece these songs back together, I guess.”
Pull shook his head. “I don’t think you realize what you’re asking. I haven’t picked up an instrument since the 60s. You’re asking me to do something I’ve forgotten how to do. I’m not a musician. I’m not a songwriter. I’m just a sales pony from Trottingham. A-And even if I could, it still would be impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because, if you want to get Dawn involved… Filly, we haven’t spoken to each other in decades. Even if I wanted to get the band back together, I don’t have a clue where he’s gone off to.”
Ocellus squeezes her eyes tight. “Mr. McCart… I’m not asking to bring the band back together. All I’m asking is some help.”
The older stallion raised an eyebrow. “So why are you doing this?” He questioned. “What’s in it for you anyway? You’re obviously trying to gain something out of me.”
The young Changeling hesitated for a long time. Before McCart’s patience ran out, she replied. “I don’t want to take credit for something that isn’t mine.” She told him. “In fact, tonight at the dance, do you know what the very first thing I did? I told my whole school that I will be playing songs that were written by you and Dawn Lemon. And do you know why? I don’t care if the songs I sing make a single bit. I’m doing this because I feel strongly that the songs you two created are important in the grand scheme of things. These are songs that changed lives, saved lives, gave inspiration, hope, wonder, comfort, and a dream that the world can get better. Now that somehow those songs were never written or sang… a world without the music of The Beatles is not much of a world that’s worth living in.”
“…. You really believe in all that?” Ocellus nodded. Scratching his head, he replied: “That… That’s the first time I’ve heard anyone that believed that the band could amount to something. Still,” he said, picking up his briefcase and opening it up to look through some papers, “even if I could help, I don’t know how much use I would be. Not to mention that I still have a job to do. Going to door to door and all…” He paused. “Oh, you have got to be joking.”
“What?”
McCart didn’t say anything.
“What is it?” Ocellus asked again.
He frowned. “He lives here.”
“What?”
Shaking his head, he replied, “Either they have the same name and age, or Dawn has finally found a place to live.”
“What!”
“Yeah, here in town apparently.” He put the papers back in his briefcase. “At least I know one particular address to avoid.”
“Waitwaitwaitwait!” Ocellus galloped over till she was in front of him. “Are you telling me that Dawn Lemon, thee Dawn Lemon, lives right here in Ponyville!?”
“I hope not.” He said, walking around her. “At best, I better find a hotel to rest for the-”
Ocellus was right in front of his face.
“What does he live?”
He blinked. “What? Now? At this hour?”
“Yes.” She said, narrowing her eyes.
Pull frowned. “Filly, I appreciate you being a fan and your compliments to our music, but right now it’s late and I need to get some…” in a flash of green fire, a titanic bear with a look that threatened to rip his head off stood before him.
“Where… Does… He… Live…?” She asked through her sharp, pointy teeth.
He gulped. “Well… when you put it like that…” he thumbed to open his briefcase and pull out the list of addresses. “1940 Apple Road.”
“That’s on the other side of town.” Ocellus said to herself as she picked the sales pony by her bear claws. “You are coming with me. I don’t care what happened in the past between you two, you are going to go up there, and at the very least find some way to tolerate each other so you two could help me out. Got it?”
“Ah great,” Pull moaned, “I’m dealing with a mental case.”
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*Mentions The Beatles in any way, shape, or form.*
Me: "YOU HAVE MY COMPLETE AND UNDIVIDED ATTENTION!"
(I mean, just look at my profile pic :)
9944148
Good man!
Fun fact: McCartney did admit in his latter years that none of the Beatles could actually read/write music note. They just played it out to each other. The scores were later written down by someone else most of the time.
Come Together... Right now... Over me!
9944203
Well... That's serendipitous.
9944203
Which is why I had this line written in:
9944220
I guessed Pull actually surprised that Forge could write music. Because he didn't remember any one of them could back then.
9944224
Perhaps, but Forge stayed on as a musician in this "timeline" after the band broke up much earlier than expected. You could make the argument that he picked up on how to write music as well as improving on playing the guitar.
You can still link and use titles of songs, those aren’t against the rules.
The rule just says,”Lyrics from copyrighted songs [are not allowed],” not necessarily titles and links.
Also, was that address a reference to Apple Corp?
9944844
First off, you're right, the videos, references, and titles can be mentioned. Just not the titles themselves.
Also, yes. Both the year Lennon was born and the company.
I just came back for a re-read and noticed the titles have changed and the lyric has been removed from this chapter.
9957683
Read this, it should explain a few things.
9957869
Okay, I didn't know it would come to this. Hmmm... how about if you just insert the lyric video for the part where the character sing? You can also just pretend the character sang just part of it despite the video has full song. Nobody is gonna call out on you since it is just to get the mood.
9957895
I can still work around with this. And don't worry, I'll still continue to write this.
Hmm So basically in this timeline John Lennon is alive
10274296
He never got popular, thus never become the target of the assassination.