Music Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

by Yzanburg

A Real Shot

Chapter 9

The sun was slowly making its decent along the Equestian skyline. Sending a cascade of warm colors across the vast expanse of sky. A cool evening breeze swept its way through the serene town of Ponyville, lightly whipping at the manes of passersby. Bringing with it the aroma of fall and cheerful thoughts.

"I hate the cold.."

I casually walked through the sparsely populated evening streets of Ponyville, Giving good natured nods to those who happened to make eye contact or those that I would catch staring at me in bewilderment. It seems that not everyone in the little town was in the park this morning so news of the new creatures arrival was still fresh. It would probably take some time and a lot of patience before the town of pastel ponies would walk by me without taking a second shocked glance.

The walk to Strings 'n Things took little more than twenty minutes to get to from Fluttershy's cottage. I only stopped once to tie my shoe before finally arriving at the little store near the town hall.

The front of the store was very plain for a building in Ponyville. The building was made out of bricks with a small window to the right of the front door. At the top of the front wall hung a plain white sign with 'Strings 'n Things' written in red cursive. All in all it just looked like your regular building. But, stepping through the threshold of the door frame you would see that this was no ordinary music store.

Walking inside, I couldn't help but let my jaw hang limply open. Adorning nearly every inch of the main room were brass and stringed instruments ranging from flutes to banjos. From bassoons to harps. It was a breathtaking sight. Well.. If you liked music that is. Taking another scope of the main room, I saw a unicorn stallion standing behind a counter polishing a trumpet. He was an older stallion from what David knew of pony physiology. He had a pale brown coat with a slicked back grey beard that matched the slight goatee on his chin.

Approaching the counter with a light skip in my step I casually cleared his throat to get the employees attention.

*Ahem* "Hello."

Turning around to see who was interrupting his work the stallions eyes slowly grew as he took in the sight before him before a smile crept through the veil of fear.

"Oh hello there. You're that new creature that was singing in the park this morning aren't you? I'm terribly sorry but we're closed at the moment. But do not fret. We open rather early in the morning so feel free to stop by any time and I would be more than happy to help you out. I do all I can for fellow musicians. The name's Cal M. Tune"

Well it is rather late in the evening, I guess I should have figured that.

"Sorry, I didn't see a sign or anything. I'm David, it's a pleasure to meet you." I gave a quick nod in greeting before continuing, "I'll be sure to stop by tomorrow. Thanks."

Turning around and heading towards the door, I heard a call behind him.

"Hold on a second son. I have something here you may be interested in."

Me? Hmm well this could be interesting..

"There is a music festival coming up in Canterlot. It's being held in a park in the main area of down town Canterlot."

"What kind of festival?" That is probably the stupidest question.. It's a music festival

"Well it's kind of like a talent show." Well that's.. not what I expected.

"Artists perform in front of 3 judges and a huge crowd. Those who are deemed good enough and are received well by the crowd move on to the next round. There are three rounds in total. From seeing you and your band perform in the park this morning I'd say you have a pretty good shot at this my boy." My... Band? Does he mean Fluttershy and Lyra? Hmm.

"That sounds.. Interesting. I'll look into it. Thanks a lot Cal."

"Oh it is my pleasure David. Here's a flyer with all of the details on the festival. It should be a rather pleasant experience if I do say so myself. Have a good evening son."

"Thanks again Cal, I'll see you tomorrow morning."

***

"Did you say... Canterlot? Surrounded by tons of ponies..? All.. Watching us..?" Fluttershy visibly shrank with each statement. That explains why she was so spacey after our impromptu performance this morning. She's afraid of crowds. This could be an issue..

"It's okay Fluttershy, you don't have to be scared. I've seen you perform. Hell, you performed today in front of a pretty big crowd and you owned it"

"Oh.. I know but it's just so.. Scary." This may be harder than I thought..

"How about this. We take Lyra up on her offer and perform in the park. Maybe you'll get used to singing in front of crowds?" I hope this works..

"Well... Okay. I think I can give it a shot.. For you." She flashed that cute little nervous smile at David before he reached down and gave her a tight hug.

"Thank you. Just remember I'll be by your side the whole time so you don't need to be afraid. If you feel stage fright setting in, just look at me okay?"

"Okay.."

"Good, It's getting late. I'll see you in the morning okay? And remember, Sonny is coming over at noon tomorrow for her first lesson."

"Right.. Well good night David, and thank you."

"Any time Fluttershy. See you in the morning."

Giving the little pegasus another quick hug, I watched as Fluttershy ascended up the stairs to her bedroom before laying back on the couch and pulling the blanket up over my chest, letting the soothing embrace of sleep gently caress me.

***

I awoke to the feeling of soft thumping on the side of his head. Groggily he opened his eyes to the sight of a very annoyed looking white ball of fur on the table in front of him.

"Ugghhh... Go away Angel. It's too damn early." The groggy tone in my voice was muffled as I rolled over to face the inside of the couch and began to doze off once more.

*THUMP*

"Ow! What the hell was that?!"

Sitting up on the couch, I saw an apple lying on the floor and a very angry looking bunny pointing to a note on the coffee table.

"You could have just asked you little shit..." I mumbled under his breath as he rubbed the back of his head and grabbed the note in question.

David,

I forgot to tell you last night that I was meeting the girls for breakfast this morning.

I will be back at the cottage in time for when Sonny arrives.

I hope you don't mind.

Fluttershy

"Well at least I won't be alone to teach. That would be oh so much fun." Getting up off the couch, I reached down and picked up the apple off floor and went to the kitchen to wash it off. To my surprise, there was a plate of waffles already on the table with a note with my name on it by its side.

"Fluttershy, you are amazing. Thank you"

Sitting down at the table, I grabbed the fork and quickly ate up the prepared meal before washing up and heading out the door. I had some things to get before Sonny arrived and I had to be prepared for the little music enthusiast when she came.

The walk to Strings 'n Things was peaceful in the early fall morning light. Some ponies were up and about and those that passed by me gave him a curt nod or a wave before carrying on with their errands. It seems that people were a little less afraid of me than before. News seemed to spread fast around town so news of his arrival was known by almost everyone in Ponyville by now.

Arriving at Cal's store, I pushed open the door and was greeted by the sound of guitars being tuned.

This seems promising.

Looking around quickly, I noticed that the sound was coming from the room near the back of the main show room. Walking inside, I was in utter bliss. I saw that the walls were lined with all sorts of different acoustic guitars and a few other types of stringed instruments. Sitting in the middle of the now dubbed 'Guitar Room', was Cal, hovering three guitars in his magic while he tuned each one at the same time.

Okay that is really impressive.

Not wanting to break his concentration, I walked in and sat down in a chair in the corner of the room and waited until Cal was done.

"Ah, decided to show up after all eh my boy? What can I do for ya?" Cal was as chipper as ever

"I'm actually looking for a guitar I can teach a small filly with, do you have any suggestions?" In all honesty I had no idea what was easiest for a beginner to learn on. For ponies anyways.

"I think I have just the thing for you right here" With a quick flash of his magic, Cal pulled over a miniature guitar. Everything about it was identical to a regular guitar except for the size. It was perfect for a young filly such as Sonny.

"That's perfect! I'll take it. How much?"

"For you? Seventy bits."

Now I know for a fact that guitars aren't cheap. But I only had a hundred bits to my name so this was going to make a huge dent in my funds but it would probably be worth it in the long run.

"Sounds fair to me."

With a nod of his head, Cal walked back to the front desk with David in tow. Cal threw the guitar in a soft case for me and after a short exchange of good byes, I made his way back to The cottage he called home for the time being to wait for Sonny.

"Oh, I really hope Fluttershy gets home before Sonny shows up.."

***

"Where is she?! It's nearly two o'clock!"

Sonny had shown up right on time with her mother panting behind her. The little filly had sprinted all the way here leaving her mom to play catch up. I had started out by teaching her some basic notes and a chord progression out of the notes afterwards. I was in awe when he saw how the little filly played the noted by applying pressure on the strings with magic instead of her hooves. It started out weird but once he got the hang of her magic he began to teach her properly.

"Okay play it one more time, Sonny. Once you get it perf-" Before he could get the little unicorn to continue, the front door opened and in walked a very disheveled looking Fluttershy.

"Oh my gosh, David. I'm so sorry I'm late. I was with the girls and we got caught up in one of Pinkies stories and I just lost track of time.. I'm sorry.."

Did she run all the way here?

"It's okay Fluttershy. It hasn't been that bad. Little Sonny here catches on pretty quick. Do you want to give teaching her singing a try?"

"Oh.. Okay, I can try.. Are you ready Sonny?"

"Ooh yes yes yes yes yes yes!"

I sat in the doorway and watched for a little while before he made my way to the kitchen to finally grab myself a glass of water and something to eat. In the background I could hear the usual 'do re mi fa so la ti do' of warm up exercises.

Well it sounds like she knows what she's doing. I'm sure she won't mind if I step out for a second.

Stepping back out into the living room The musician saw Fluttershy praising Sonny for doing so well.

"Hey Fluttershy, I'm just going to take a quick walk. Get some fresh air."

"Okay, I'll be here when you get back."

That smile..

I walked down the dirt road with one destination in mind. The only place he really knew how to get to besides the music store. The park. The walk there was calm and peaceful. The odd orange or red leaf would fall from a nearby tree and land gently on the ground below. The sky had taken on a firey hue as the sun set in the west. It was beautiful in every sense of the word. Once I arrived at the park he went straight for the bench Lyra usually sat on. To my surprise, Lyra was still there, just watching the sun set.

"Something on your mind?"

Lyra visibly flinched as she was brought back to the present. blinking profusely before shaking her head and looking back at me.

"Oh no, it's nothing. I just enjoy coming out here every now and then to watch the sun set. It's.. Peaceful." There was a hint of sadness in her eyes as she said that, but thinking it must be personal, I opted to leave it for now.

"Yeah, I know what you mean.. I used to do this sort of thing back where I'm from too. It was calming. Do you mind if I join you?"

"Of course, have a seat."

And there we sat. Just watching the sun as it set beneath the hills in the west. The sky turning from an orangey red to a twilight of blues and purples. Once the sun had fully set set, and the stars began to invade the sky with the encouraging smile of the moon, I finally broke the silence.

"Lyra, I have a proposition for you."

Comments

[The_Foreman]

dashie.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw4878-d99.gif

[Yzanburg]

1588900
Hmmm we'll see

[derpy fan]

just thought i should let you know that you misspelled lyra near the end of the chapter. you spelled it ;yra instead of lyra just figured you would like to know.

[Yzanburg]

1595545
well that's embarrassing, thanks

[Dragaen]

1588900 yes indeed.

[Cascadejackal]

She flashed that cute little nervous smile at David before he reached down and gave her a tight hug.

Some ponies were up and about and those that passed by me gave him a curt nod or a wave before carrying on with their errands.

With a nod of his head, Cal walked back to the front desk with David in tow. Cal threw the guitar in a soft case for me and after a short exchange of good byes, I made his way back to The cottage he called home for the time being to wait for Sonny.

Lots of switching between first and third person. Might wanna fix that.

This is pretty cute. Not Dinky with a Blanky level cute, but still pretty cute.

[djElectrOctavia]

I'm a bit saddened by how short each chapter is.

[Ignis Mortis et Doloris]

2634446
Just do what I do, put on a top-hat and be awesome