Feeling the Rhythm: A New Beat

by DougtheLoremaster

Prologue

Sitting on his bed, the young adolescent colt held the instrument in his hooves; staring at the steel guitar. The best bits could buy, the amethyst-colored sheen of the magically forged instrument shown against his own black fur. Inlaid with abalone shell and gold leaf, the condition of the electric guitar was immaculate. Around his neck was a studded, spiked collar, while his face boasted Dragonscale green lipstick on his muzzle, as well as a dark green eyeshadow. Gingerly, he strummed the taut strings as he tuned the treasured instrument.

Making sure it was plugged into the amp, he raised up his hoof, before wailing on the guitar, his music fast and vibrant, shaking the bedroom. The darkened room lit up with a multitude of colors as he slammed that metal, causing him to exhibit a rare smile before a knocking on the door was heard.

“Twinkle, your mother and I are entertaining guests. Keep it down, please.”

Instantly, the colors faded as he stopped to shout back.

“Yeah, sorry mom!”

On the other side of the door, Chrysalis just smirked. That kid of mine.

Waiting until he heard her hoofsteps move from the door, Twinkle Starbright looked down at his guitar; it was a wonderful instrument and he was truly grateful for his Grandmare Starlight giving it to him, but he didn’t feel it.

Reaching down, he unplugged the amp before rising up to stand in front of the mirror, and what he saw, hurt him to look at; this wasn’t him. He wiped off the eye shadow and lipstick, this isn’t me. He wasn’t a rocker. Not that he could tell his moms that.

Stallions were musicians. That was the norm. That’s how it was. Tomorrow he will be starting his first year at Magical Melodies, the School of Musicians, to learn magic that stallions were expected to learn. But that wasn’t him.

He looked around, before humming lightly and sliding his hoof out, as a custom sneaker appeared on it. The music picked up; a heavy metal beat, as the teen colt whirled, twirled, and flipped within his bedroom. An explosion of color filled the room; all hues and tones of psychedelia and for a moment he felt alive. Then came the knock at the door.

Swiftly, he picked up the guitar and hid his hooves under his bed as he plopped down on to it still sporting the telltale sneakers.

The door creaked open and Chrysalis smiled warmly at him.

“Honey, I know you’re excited for tomorrow, and I am proud of your desire to practice, but do try to keep it down. Alright.”

Dripping sweat, from his frantic movements, Twinkle nervously chuckled.

“Sorry mom, I just can't help it sometimes.”

Chuckling, The Co-ruling Queen of Equestria, Chrysalis Sparkle, smiled lovingly at him.

“I know exactly what you mean, but I think you should stop practicing for the night and join us downstairs, Luna is asking for you.”

“Alright mom, I’ll be down in a minute.”

“That’s my colt.”

As soon as the door closed once more, Twinkle let out a sigh of misery as he looked down at the instrument in his hooves. This wasn’t him, but he couldn’t tell his parents, he couldn’t dash their hopes of him. As the first-ever Prince of Equestria, he had so much to prove, and he didn’t want to let anypony down.

---

“~And when the Rainbows

Start falling too,

Fade away,

Losing all their hue.

Be it in the night or day,

I’ll stay with you,

My some-pone-ay~”

Laying on her cloud bed, Rainbow Jr. listened to the dulcet tones of the top ten reaching “Falling Rainbows” in her headphones. She loved the song and listened to it daily. It always felt like a warm hug; the stallion’s voice seemed to permeate the inner reaches of her heart, as though the song was sung for her. And she wasn’t the only one.

All around Equestria, mares and quite a few stallions had fallen for the gentle gravelly voice, as smooth as a rocky lakeshore but sweet like honey. The thing was nopony knew who the singer was. One day, the anonymous singer submitted the single, and the rest was history.

Kicking her hooves to the beat, the daughter of the Pillar of Hip-hop, Rainbow Dash, couldn’t help but want to move to the rhythm, leaping off her bed to hover in the air. Like her mom, she performed a more freestyle dance to the bopping beat as she hovered above the cloudy floor of her home.

Wiggling her forehooves, she pretended to be made of metal, with hinges and servos; a robot learning to move. Swinging her various joints her movements slowly became more and more fluid, until she was whirling at almost tornado velocity; creating a cyclone within her room and an explosion of color burst forth completely coloring her normally orange and red mane, with the various hues of the rainbow her family was known for.

Coming to a rest in front of her mirror, she grinned as the cyclone died down, leaving a windswept look for her mane; wild and untamed, like her. The cyan-furred Pegasus couldn’t help but feel something was missing, though. Reaching out to a phone on her wall, she dialed the number of a close friend, her magenta eyes shining in excitement.

Impatiently she muttered as she waited.

“C’mon, C’mon! Pick up!”

“Hello?”

The voice on the other end was soft-spoken and sweet. Rainbow Jr. grinned as she exclaimed.

“Charity! I was listening to it again! Let’s meet in the pasture and cut a rug, I’m in the mood to paint the sky!”

There was a pause before the feminine voice replied with a silky tone.

“Alright. I’ll be there shortly, see you soon, sweetie.”

---

Crystal Charity smiled happily as she hung up the phone, practically galloping over to the mirror above her dresser where she immediately began fussing over her scarlet and amethyst mane. After several minutes, her mane and tail were coifed, in a mirrored representation of her mother, the Pillar of Swing Dance, Rarity. Carefully the adolescent Unicorn applied a light scarlet eye shadow and applied a thin coat of lipstick to her muzzle.

Taking a nearby mannequin’s hoof, she swung it out as a Jazz quartet played a bumpin' rhythm, pulling it back towards her in a fierce twirl. As the dancing progressed and the music reached its climax, an explosion of scarlet and amethyst light fell upon her and she smiled approvingly at the designer amethyst short gown that now graced her frame.

Wait until Rainbow sees this ensemble.

She called out excitedly.

“Mom, I’m going dancing with Rainbow!”

From her sewing room, Rarity replied.

“Back by 9, young mare. Have fun!”

---

Bolting for the stairs, the young mare seemed to be in a hurry. Grabbing the jacket hanging by the door, hit the stairwell, race to the front door, fling it open and -

“Young mare, where do you think you’re going?”

Turning, the adolescent Pegasus found herself face-to-face with a monstrous creature; a serpentine body with scales, feathers, and a mismatch of limbs, including the claw of a griffon. A dranquonicus, the Lord of Chaos, Discord, stared down at his daughter sternly, his red irises seemingly peering into her very soul, waiting for an answer.

Scuffing her hoof sheepishly, Feather Dance replied.

“Oh. Dad, I was just going on a nature trot and-”

“Play guitar, perhaps record another track, Miss Falling Rainbows?”

“Dad I don’t know what you-”

Her voice faltered as the look on his face told her he already knew. She panicked and whimpered.

“Please don’t tell mom.”

Discord chuckled.

“Don’t worry I won’t tell her.”

“That’s because she already knows.”

Stepping from the kitchen a Pegasus mare with the same buttercream-colored fur as her daughter, spoke up. From head to hooves she was decorated with various tattoos of animals to go with her dark pink mane as it whipped and flowed around her neck. Her wild appearance was offset by the gentleness in her emerald-colored eyes. Feather Dance winced.

“Hey, mom. How did you-”

“We found your equipment by the squirrels' nesting grounds. Why didn’t you tell us?”

“You aren’t mad?”

Chuckling, the Pillar of Wild Style; a master of naturalistic dances, Fluttershy shook her head.

“Not at all. Are you upset, Discord?”

“That my daughter has such a gorgeous voice and uses poison joke just to deepen it so she can pretend to be a stallion and have her song heard? No, not particularly. You know I love a little chaos.”

Fluttershy nodded.

“Agreed, sometimes a little chaos in the natural order can be fun.”

Reaching behind the sofa, she pulled out an acoustic guitar that had a couple of leaves entangled in the frets.

“Perhaps though, now you’ll realize you can come to us and tell us anything. I believe this is yours-”

Giving a wink, Fluttershy continued.

“My little stallion.”

Feather Dance gave a squeal of excitement and gave her mom a hug as she said.

“Thanks mom and dad!”

Discord chuckled.

“That’s our girl.”

---

Rhyme and his cousin, Bop Pie, stared at the massive orchard of trees as their moms talked over by the barn. Tasked with harvesting the apples, Rhyme calmly rosined his bow up, while Bop did some light stretches.

The son of Applejack, the Pillar of Square Dance, was well into his adolescence, almost a stallion; an Earthpony with an orange furred hide with a candy apple red mane and tail, with eyes of granny smith green. Meanwhile, Bop was the daughter of the Pillar of Freestyle, Pinkie Pie.

Bop was slightly shorter than her cousin with a cotton candy blue mane and tail to go with her raspberry-colored hide. Energetic and excitable, she prepared herself as she watched Rhyme tune his fiddle.

Slowly he pulled his bow across the strings, making a distinct whining before really laying into it, at a speed, bop could barely comprehend. She watched in excitement as all around the orchard the trees began to bob and weave as though dancing to the fiddler's tune.

Her brilliant sky blue eyes flashed with joy and she kicked out her hoof as musical accompaniment joined Rhyme. An ensemble of a cowboy stetson and leather trimming appeared on her frame as a call was suddenly heard.

“Swing yore pardner round and round…”

As Bop performed the steps called out, over by the barn Applejack was startled to see the Square Dance. Looking at Pinkie she asked her.

“So ya taught yore daughter Square Dancin’, huh?”

Grinning, Pinkie replied.

“Nope.”

“But then how does she know it?”

Shrugging Pinkie just laughed.

“Beats me. But whatever dance you can do, she can do. It’s like she reads the pony next to her and performs whatever style they can do.”

As Applejack sat mouth wide open, flabbergasted, the orchard of trees began to shake their leaves as if in applause as the dance came to a close and an explosion of light blue covered the entire area. Apples fell from the trees into the baskets waiting below, as Bop happily raced to gather them.

---

At Canterlot Castle the music came to an end in a flurry of fireworks. The sundown waltz had come to a close. As the sun sank below the horizon and the moon rose into the starry night sky and Celestia and Luna, now retired from the ruling, gave a flourished bow and curtsy to their adoring fans watching on the promenade.

In Ponyville, six teenagers lay down to rest, filly and colt alike, they closed their eyes to dream of the new school year. Tomorrow they will begin their first year in the twin academies; one for stallions, one for mares, and both to teach the magic of music.

They don’t know each other, and they all come from different backgrounds. Each has a style of dance or song all their own, and each has no idea just what awaits them.

Comments

[Soul_Eater]

Too cute