A seemingly harmless insect threatened to leave Ponyville in a famine! Can the Ponyville musicians find a way to save their town once again?
Ponyville was about to put on a musical show in celebration of its reconstruction. No rampaging Ursa Minor or angry Alicorns could wipe the town off the map.
Unfortunately, the town was to have a run-in with an adorable pestilence that was all-consuming...
Can the Elements of Harmony find out how to stop this pest before it was too late?
A buttermilk-colored Pegasus was by herself, making her rounds as she quietly hummed to her birds, ferret and bunny companions nearby. She was over a meadow that was adjacent to the woodlands.
She had a wicker basket on her back. The basket had more volume than that of the dainty Pegasus's torso, but she was not encumbered at all, for the load was a full basket of flowers.
Hoof-picked wildflower to be exact. Poppy, Pheasant's eye, Cornflower, Aconitum, Wild Rose, Foxglobe and whichever that struck the fancy of a pair of critical eyes.
She was on a mission.
A Squirrel scurried about, as it presented the buttermilk Pegasus with a stalk of Dandelion. The Pegasus halted herself, turned and lowered her head to meet the Squirrel at eye-level, as she gave her thanks to the little creature.
"Thank you, little Squirrel. But remember: these flowers are for Princess Cadance. Only the prettiest ones will do!"
The response was gentle, yet firm. There was to be no compromise when it comes to the Royal visit.
A sudden gust of air had scattered the head of the Dandelion far and wide, as the stalk was sapped of any vigor. The Squirrel watched this episode with slight embarrassment, as it withdrew the stalk to its back and it promptly left the Pegasus with haste.
♪Lalalalalalalalalala~♪
The buttermilk Pegasus with pink mane gingerly made her way to a basketful of apples that were placed atop a tree stump. The tree was as wide as the Pegasus, with the various variety of apples within the barrel-basket piled to the height of the Pegasus.
*Brweeee-*
The Pegasus stopped dead in her tracks as she quickly swiveled her eyes, ears and head in order to identify the source of the noise. Two apples came tumbling down from the kinetic shock of the Pegasus's movements.
The Pegasus stayed in her position, waiting to see if the source of the noise would emerge.
Then, as if on cue, an insect with a soft, furry, roundish body stood atop a piece of rock. It bore two pairs of translucent wings and had compound eyes of Jade. It stood on two pairs of legs.
*Brrrre-bweeee!*
The wings amplified this soothing, chirping sound... moreover, the pitch of the creature could actually be varied. The caution that had grappled the Pegasus had completely vanished. This was an adorable little guy!
"Hello, little guy. I've never seen anything like you before."
The little insect hovered its way to one of the apples that had landed onto the meadow.
"Oh! Are you hungry?"
*Bwee.*
The insect seemed to have conformed the Pegasus's guess.
The Pegasus stomped on the apple for the convenience of the insect in consuming the fruit.
"Here you go!" The voice had no malice.
The little furry insect did not heed to the apple on the ground for some reason. It sped to the wooden barrel full of apples instead, and it promptly devoured the entire lot in a frenzy.
The Pegasus gasped at the sight. The basket was thrown to the ground by the time that the insect had finished with all the apples that were once piled atop of the container.
The affable insect then returned to the side of the Pegasus, as it circled her.
"I guess you were hungry!"
The little bug went to the Pegasus's pink, luscious mane and nuzzled against it affectionately. It then buried itself within the mane, ever so delighted about being surrounded by the softness of the fine hair.
The Pegasus declared in the open:
"You are the cutest thing ever! I can't wait to show you to my friends!"
The little Pegasus was filled with delight, and she all other thoughts were purged from her mind.
The toppled wicker basketful of flowers and the upturned barrel were forgotten as the pony turned her way to the town, happily humming to herself once more.
Her friends simply must see this cute little furball!
My little pony... Ah ah ah... (My Little Pony) Friendship sounded so off-key to me. (My Little Pony) But now you're here, and now I see... A loyal backing Honest melodies! Songs to share With loving harmonies! Joyous dance -- Such a lovely feat -- And magic makes the perfect beat! You are my little ponies... Friends make the best music of all!
Ponyville was a hive of busy activities.
The recently erected amphitheatre in the center of the town was a construction zone, filled with streamers, balloons, signs, loudspeakers, wiring assemblies, and ponies.
It was a mixed blessing from the calamities that the little town had to weather in the span of a mere year. Things however were looking bright.
The satellite speakers were being mounted onto platforms, with the famed DJ PON-3 directing their placements. She was assisted by the weathermare Raindrops and by Electric Blue, the electrician Pegasus.
"Hold her steady. I will do the angling..."
Vinyl Scratch was over the bleachers as she applied her telekinesis on one of the front right speaker towers.
"Ok. Tighten her up! Double-check the polarity when you're done!"
Octavia paced incessantly in this chaos, her eyes never leaving Vinyl Scratch.
The Cellist was tense. She and Red Tape took charge with the musical and the bureaucratic arrangements for the casual visit to the Ponyville music festival... since there's nothing casual about it when The Princess was to visit Ponyville.
The artistic and staging director was none other than the fashionista Rarity. She was in her own kingdom, slaving away at the gowns that the performers were to wear for the event. Frankly, Rarity's virtuosity with everything fabric was absolute.
"Vinyl, are you absolutely certain that having speaker amplification would be ideal for this open-air setting?"
The unicorn with cobolt blue mane brushed off the earth pony's skepticism.
"Don't fret it, Tavi! This is gonna be killer. This baby should pack enough punch. I am getting 5,000 watts of RMS out of this sub alone!"
The grey mare was seriously concerned.
"Please, Vinyl. I do not need some sonic cannon. We need balanced acoustics that will not slaughter the trebles and render all details under the incessant thumps of untamed bass..."
The rebuttal came with the DJ asking for another leap of faith.
"Oh please Tavi, ye of little faith. It'll be fine. I got enough juice and enough skill to make this awesome. Trust me. Why don't you go and look over what the others are up to and leave the set to me..."
"I don't want to have Red Tape's public performance ordinance to get revoked on us..."
Vinyl Scratch unleashed her puppy eyes upon the reserved mare.
Octavia pondered about this for a good, long second.
"...all right. Address the setup then... I will go and see how everyone else was doing."
The unicorn grinned while the reluctant earth pony turned around and headed out of the amphitheatre.
Octavia was quite delighted with what she saw of Ponyville.
True to Rarity's vision, the boulevard that led to the small masonry bridge was adorned lavishly with ribbons, knots and bells. The trees were uniformly trimmed, and the indigo ribbon theme was executed with Bock-like precision.
The bridge itself was no different. The railings were accented by flowers and there was a sense of lightness in the design language that came through with grace. For a mare that was devoted to the pursuit of form, seeing this sort of carefully orchestrated design was akin to Rarity opening her soul to the musician, in all its majesty.
The mare saw earth ponies watering plants and erecting signs, and it was good.
"That was splendid, keep up the good work."
Such dignity and poise from every corner!
This volta played out without interruption in her mind as she switched to the second passage; the musician was superimposing the ribbons with the slurs and the knots with the beamed semi-quarter notes.
Octavia went along as she made praises of the preparation crew. The ponies deserved to be praised.
But then, out of the blue, a loud, offending mistake had appeared, in the form of a plaque that greeted the Cellist's eyes.
The bronze-cast characters that were mounted on the backplate spelled out the following words:
WeLcomE PrinceS CaDanCE
The characters glistened. The bronze was highly polished, enchanted and lavishly detailed. The gold accent, the embedded gemstones, the backplate of pink marble... were top notch. The sign was among some of the best in workmareship.
So close, yet so tragically flawed.
It was utterly bewildering, and such an affront to the harmonious chord, that the prim mare hadn't the means to comprehend her vision.
The mad minute went by. Octavia had no facial expression, not for the lack of will, but for the lack of vocabulary.
I... I.... I...
Her inner voice struggled mightily to translate itself so as to create the concept which the mare could depend upon to form coherent speech.
This cannot stand.
An answer had come. Finally, the mare's heart cried out in anguish.
This was an insult so foul that it threatened Octavia's core being.
Her audience of two Earth Ponies (who were trying to elevate the plaque onto a building) were beginning to show concern about the frozen mare of Chenneigh and Canterlot.
"Ur... Miss... Octavia..."
This shall not pass.
"No."
The singular adjective was a noun.
"No. Nay. Negative. Neigh. Nonconforming. Nihil. Nonsense. Null." Her face was of granite.
An interjection. "What are you, some diction-"
Promptly denied with a bellow. "NEVER!"
The Earth Pony had to struggle mentally to maintain her composure. The improper capitalization aside, having the gender of the sovereign wrong was intolerable.
"I... why.. yes. I recall that The Princess was in fact, a mare, and not a stallion."
Octavia did not ask on the implied multiple instances of The Princess.
"We ran out of "S"es. " An Earth Pony with grapes and strawberry on her flanks spoke up.
"You can't have a plaque that says Princes Cadance. Take it down this instance. I implore you."
After having stomped her hooves, the Element of Honesty walked off in a hurry, leaving two Earth Ponies and a half-erected sign behind.
The music was soured. Octavia felt herself ragged and uncouth, albeit it was all just emotional sensations.
Octavia had to move herself to the catering for the venue.
She came to the house of dreams, also known as the Sugarcube Corner.
Mister and Missus Cake were diligently working to meet the quota, while fighting against the Pink Terror that was Pinkie Pie.
She was no queen... no. She was king of the Carbohydrates.
She bore this white beard of frosting and had a crown of rock sugar! Her words on her delectable subjects were absolute, and She's made her indelible bite marks on them in her wake.
The Pink Terror, the Destroyer of Logic, the Order's Bane.
This was the madmare, an ally to Bluenote the hedonist.
The sheer sight of Pinkie Pie was enough to prevent Octavia from entering the premise. Octavia felt that her psyche was too battered by the traumatic signage to have the nerves of sustaining her will through the "Pinke Pie Experience."
Octavia Philharmonica was not a mare of supreme theatrics. It was unlike her to work into dramatics about ponies, but she was not fully herself...
The mare's head hung low. She changed her headings.
"Octavia! You won't believe what I've-"
Fluttershy went from a full gallop to a sudden stop. She came to the rescue of Octavia!
"Oh! I'm sorry! Am I interrupting?"
Octavia's head was raised, and she had a longing to her face.
"Oh... Oh! Fluttershy, not at all, not at all! It's all too good to see you."
"No! Not at all! Come on in and make yourself at home!"
The "Pink Comet" was out, but Octavia's tattered nerves had mended.
"What's going on, Fluttershy?" Asked Pinkie Pie.
Fluttershy's elation was contagious.
"You won't believe what I've found on the edge of the Everfree Forest."
The buttermilk mare looked to her wing on her starboard wing.
"Come on out, little guy! It's ok."
A flying insect that droned pleasantly emerged from the trimmed feathers. The bug had a shade of cerulean.
Two more emerged shortly thereafter. They were brown and golden respectively.
"Three?" The Pegasus was puzzled at the number.
"Those are... amazing. They sing in a way. What are they?"
Octavia was very enthused by these flying insects. She can see Fluttershy using them in her ensemble... and they are undeniably adorable to look at.
"I'm not sure. I am also not sure where these other two came from."
Fluttershy lifted her foreleg to the direction of the bugs that were hovering above the three ponies. "May I keep one of these with me? I would like to study it..."
Octavia asked while inviting one of the bugs to land upon her hoof. The golden one was receptive, and Octavia was able to derive that their wingspan was roughly four hooves in diameter, and that the creature was cuddly and soft to the touch.
Fluttershy gave her tacit approval, as she made the invitation to Pinkie. "Pinkie? Do you want the other one?"
The pink mare shot a look of an upset stomach. Her tongue spilled out and her eyes crossed and rolled up.
"Urgh! Parasprites. Are you kidding?"
"Urgh?" Fluttershy could not register what Pinkie Pie had said.
"A para-what?" Octavia was equally baffled.
"Urgh! Now I gotta go get a trombone from Medley!"
Octavia posed. "A what?"
Pinkie Pie found this question incredulous. "Trombone. You know!"
She mocked the slide being manipulated with her left hoof and the embouchure with her snout.
The gray mare shouted. "But you aren't even performing!"
It was no use. Pinkie Pie went in full gallop.
"We must follow that Pinkie Pie. Octavia stated while tugging the Parasprite in her mane. "I fear for Medley."
Octavia did not know of Pinkie Pie's musical aptitudes in full. Pinkie Pie was known for impromptu fantasies and spur-of-the-moment musicals, but this was the first time that the Cellist had ever seen the pink terror as an instrumentalist.
Pinkie Pie's ability to play music was of tertiary concern however. What was far more pressing to the mare of the sanity of Medley.
Fluttershy watched as the Cellist quickly gave chase to Pinkie Pie.
Medley was examining Bluenote's Tuba at her atelier. She was scrutinizing the rotary valve lever with the Tubaist watching her every move.
A plethora of mallets were laid out with surgical precision, having been properly sterilized and all. They were of rawhide heads, and only one was bare wood. The sizes vary. a couple of hollow wood dowels sat next to the mallets. A healthy assortment of screwdrivers were at the ready as well.
Clean rags, cleaning snake, brass tubing assemblies and various fluids were filed neatly nearly. Medley was a one-stop solution from tuning to in-house built-to-order instrument.
The mare was checking the rotary valves. The seating of the valves required a very delicate touch to calibrate. A padded clamp was used by Medley to screw the valve into position.
"You were hearing sounds because you forgot to oil the valves, Bluenote. No. There is no excuse. Just do it next time."
"I was starting to think that my horn's out of regulation... and there was a bit of unwanted motion..."
The Pegasus turned to address Bluenote.
"That comes from the valves not being tightened."
The mare continued with the checkup.
"The linkage arms are fouled. Seriously, where have your hooves been! Were you digging around in dirt or something?"
The technician was visibly angry at the abuse of instrument by the hooves of her lax owner.
"I need fasteners, size 2 and 3."
Bluenote obliged.
Medley squinted her eyes in order to manipulate the fastener. She had a hoof attachment that allowed her to mount the screwdriver upon her hoof, so she could use the fastener without having a lick of magic. This was a necessary innovation for any non-Unicorn to work on instruments.
The field of music was dominated by the Unicorns, as dexterity of hooves were inferior to telekinesis. Woodwinds and Brass that have exposed toneholes could not be mastered by anypony other than the Unicorns.
This sort of reality was something that Medley the Pegasus had to wrestle with, just as much as any Earth Pony would have as a musician. The problem with the creative breed is that they have this insatiable drive to create, to bring something into the world, and to express themselves. Bluenote was not exception.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
The development of keyworks, bladder seals, fine bearings and mechanical linkages were instrumental in revolutionizing the whole of music for the ponydom. Canterlot Conservatoire had been the center of this explosive period in Equine musical mechanics.
The Griffon Fliegerbald Böhm was responsible for the first modern flute. His keyworks had liberalized the use of Woodwind instruments to all of ponykind. The mechanical linkages allowed for multiple toneholes to be pressed by mechanical action, which was not possible with hooves.
Instrumental overblowing became very reliable, and the intonation of Woodwind was finally catching to the level of String instruments.
Bluenote's Tuba was a fine example of this tumultuous century of musical advancements, when the progress of change started to trickle to the Brass section.
"Ok. let me test something."
Medley grabbed a mouthpiece. Each player would have his or her voice for hygienic reasons, and also out of personal tastes. Bluenote watched Medley as she thought of the struggle that she had to go through in order to decide on her new mouthpiece not so long ago.
The precursor of Bluenote's Tuba was the Serpent, which was a long, coiled instrument that had exposed toneholes. The Serpant had to be played by a Unicorn player. It was notoriously prone to warping and it was frustrating to keep in good intonation.
Things changed with the bass section however, when metalworking had allowed such instruments to be made from sheets of brass, with strict mechanical tolerance during the building process guaranteeing reasonable intonation out of the box.
Medley sat down as she held the Tuba with her hooves.
C2-G2-C3-G3-C4-G3-C3-G2-C2
The reason why the sounds were in the natural scale was from the fact that Bluenote's Tuba was keyed to the pitch of CC. This made the instrument a bit of a rarity.
The technician was satisfied. This exercise was played out without the use of any of the valves, and all she did was change the pressure of the air column by embouchure. Such was some of the most basic of all exercises on any Brass instrument.
Serpent still existed in the form of the wrap-around natural Tuba. Such instruments would be used in parades, and anypony could learn to master their limited harmonic series.
"How was it?"
The Tubaist had her eyes closed when she was listening the instrument.
"Sounds just right to me."
Natural trumpets and cornets were transformed radically during the current century, and they gave birth to the Tuba.
Prior to the use of keyworks and valves, an ensemble had to have cornets and trumpets of varying length to cover the octaves, as each horn was locked into its own harmonic series.
"Ok. Pedal tone next." Medley then played the following sequence:
C2-B1-A1-G1-F1-E1-D1-C1.
The only way to change the pitch of a horn was to change the length of the horn somehow. Unicorns skilled in alteration did such things, but this was hugely inefficient, and overly taxing for the caster to manage.
Medley had descended to the C1, and proceeded to hold the note for four bars. Bluenote could feel the instrument sending shockwaves around the basement. Notes this low were to be experienced physically, perhaps more than they can be sonically.
Trumpets would replicate the effect of length variation by the use of valves. The valves would reroute the air column to various tubing length, making it possible to play in all keys without having to switch to a different horn. This breakthrough had led to the birth of modern Symphony Orchestras.
"How was it?" Medley demanded of Bluenote, while being out of breath.
"Wonderful. You fixed it. My horn was a few cents flat. You're the best, Medley."
Bluenote praised the proprietor of the music store without reservation.
"All right. Take over. Play something for me."
Bluenote looked on at her horn, and then at Medley, as she watched Medley taking out her mouthpiece, draining away the condensed vapors that had accumulated over the bends of the Tuba, and only to be met with the horn to her face.
Bluenote got her mouthpiece mounted, and she took a seat with her tuba firmly in her laps.
The rival design of using keyworks instead to manipulate the toneholes bore into the Brass wall was not favored by Canterlot. The Conservoire chose valve instead. These new instrument gave the Unicorn musicians unparalleled dexterity and range hitherto the era of brass horns.
The first sets of triplets from the basic form of the Fantasia was played out. The Legato was executed beautifully. As the instrument was warmed, there was no issue with intonation. The coda was delightful to hear, and the expression was sweet. The ascent and the eclipse swelled the Pegasus with a sense of pride about her work.
The four-valve Tuba operates on the same set of acoustical principles that govern its piston counterpart, but the three valves were mapped to three touchpieces that were shaped into the contours of the right hoof.
It was clear as day that Bluenote wasn't done yet.
Medley went to fetch a Slide Trumpet. She was accomplished enough to be the accompaniment of the Tuba. The girl looped the basic form as Bluenote delved ever so deeply into her Fantasia, as the blue Earth Pony injected more energy into her playing.
The Trombone works on same principle of length alteration, with far less fuss. The slide changes the length of the instrument, and it became the first of the truly capable and universal brass instruments. The Earth Ponies and the Pegasi readily embraced the slide Trombone when it first came into fruition.
The second repetition was getting technically demanding, as Bluenote had opted to expand the original work into fast passages. This required a dexterity that can only come with experience, and a degree of freedom that can only come from the heart. Sextuplets were occasionally thrown in for good, innocent fun.
Bluenote's Tuba was a customized solution. The placements of the valves were altered, so that the fourth tuning valve would be placed closer the bell of the Tuba, and the Tubaist would use this correctional valve with her left hoof.
The third iteration came up, where Earth Pony was demonstrating pure bravura in this segment. Nonuplets were now used. The accenting was very pronounced in the start. Glissando were introduced to great effect. Bluenote's tonguing techniques were impeccable.
The piston valves which relied on claw's digits to operate were infeasible to non-Unicorns. However, the invention of the rotary valve had given birth to a whole new set of touchpieces that the non-Unicorn could readily adapt. Uptakes were slow however, as music was still more accessible to Unicorns than to the other ponies.
The three main valves were spaced further than the usual stock that Unicorns and Griffons would have used. These valves were linked to three touchpieces that had divided the hoof into three quadrants.
These quadrants could be independently pressed by the twisting motion of the right hoof. bending the hoof forward will allow for all three valves to be pressed, while a backward flick would enable only the second to be depressed. It was quite easy to form the 1-2, 2-3, 1-2-3 and 1-2-3-4 position on this Tuba.
The most technically demanding segment was the forth repeat, where nonuplets were the norm. The articulation was top-notch. The tremolo was delivered without disaster, and the shakes were just great. Bluenote's virtuosity was in full force here, and it was clear as to how close Bluenote was to being that of a professional concert musician.
Bluenote didn't push the technical demands quite as hard in the fifth loop. Rather, she had opted for additional flair by stressing on certain notes. However, she made the whole exercise effortless, and Medley was able to keep up with Bluenote without trouble throughout the various permutations on the same basic theme to the tune.
Bluenote was having fun, and she was playing to her heart's content.
Life in Ponyville came to a standstill, as ponies flocked to Medley's Music Emporium to enjoy the music that came from the basement.
Pinkie Pie had an Accordion, and she was seated within the show floor, while she played by ear with the solo Tubaist as additional accompaniment to the main part.
"Ah can't believe that somethin' dat clunky can sound so light n' fast. It's like she's fiddlin'."
Applejack spoke to Apple Bloom in a quiet whisper.
Octavia and Fluttershy were flabbergasted by the technical aptitudes of Bluenote.
Fluttershy turned to Octavia as she asked the mare about the music.
"Have you ever heard of this piece before?"
Octavia gave a curt nod.
"I've played the Carnival of Altomare as a technical etude and in improvisation practices before. Some musicians have played it on the Piano and on other instruments. This is the first time that I've heard of it on a Tuba."
Octavia looked at Fluttershy for a second. "I can play the basic form of the song to you. I think that you can make your own variation for your bird vocal section. It'll be an interesting exercise."
Fluttershy nodded as the music reached its finale.
"Clean bill of health, but please grease your slides and don't slack off on maintenance schedule! And by the way, You can't just give this Tuba a bath and call it a day!"
Bluenote was a bit defensive.
"Well it's not like I would expose the rotary valves in the water..."
Medley had more to say. "Still, I really can't believe this..."
Bluenote looked on at the instrument designer.
"Your Tuba will be just fine, believe it or not. There's something about the Elements that... I don't know what it is. Your Tuba has not a single scratch on it, and it looked absolutely pristine, just out of regulation."
Medley frowned.
"I know that this Tuba's been abused by the foals, or else you wouldn't be sitting here, having it looked over with me, would ya?"
Bluenote gave a guilty gaze at her interrogator.
"I started getting curious when the bear didn't do anything to my harp after having it toppled over. That shouldn't be happening, but it did."
Before Medley can continue, the sound of frantic hoofsteps and crashing noises would stop the proprietor's train of thought.
A pink blur came and it swept across the store, with this thunderous applause coming from the entrance of the music store.
"THAT WAS SUPERB! BLUENOTE IS THE BEST!" "ImjustgonnaborrowthesetosavePonyville! Backwitththemlater!"
The voice was that of Pinkie Pie's.
"What the... what's going on!"
The floor was missing a whole drum set, an Accordion, a Natural Tuba and a Harmonica.
Octavia and Fluttershy emerged on-scene, only to find the devastation from Pinkie's wake, while the rapturous crowd demanded an encore from the resident Tubaist.
"We are too late..."
Octavia uttered quietly.
The Pegasus was boiling in seething anger, as Bluenote made her way to the ground floor of Medley 's store, with her Element in her hooves.
"Somepony had better tell me what in tarnation is Pinkie Pie doing with my instruments! Right here! Right now!"
The mare's eyes had flames in them, and her wings were as menacing as if they were claws. The sound of her stomp reverberated across the floor.
Medley looked as if she could outright murder a pony on-scene.
The golden Parasprite emerged from Octavia's mane, as it flew innocently in the air.
With scornful eyes from Medley promptly ignored, the blue mare sat on her haunches with the Tuba in her forelegs ready to do some music.
"Well then! How about this wacky little number from Applelosa?"
The rowdy crowd joined Bluenote as the audience broke into songs with her.
Chorus:
Play that country tuba, cowmare. Play that country tuba, cowmare. Play that country tuba, play that country tuba. Play that country tuba, cowmare.
Tuba:
Well musicians' stories have made the rounds about traveling bands in red-neck towns but for tuba players this has got to be a first.
This one starts like they all do I'd been traveling hard for a day or two and I stopped into this joint to quench my thirst.
Up walked this big mountain colt said, "What'cha got there? A garbage can?" and I said, "Excuse me, that's my tuba, if you please."
He said "Great play a country song so me and my buddies can sing along" and I told him I only play with symphonies.
He slammed his fist and spit out his beer and his body language made it very clear this wasn't going to be just another B-flat day.
That's when he cocked his thirty-odd-six and boy, I let out with some country licks
I'd never thought I'd hear my tuba play.
Chorus:
Play that country tuba, cowmare. Play that country tuba, cowmare. Play that country tuba, play that country tuba. play that country tuba, cowmare.
Tuba:
Well after a while I ran outta air and I figured I'd better get out of there so I grabbed my horn and headed for the door.
Just about then I felt a lasso wrapped around me and my tuba too and they yanked me back and 'ey hollered "More gal' more!"
Chorus:
Play that country tuba, cowmare. Play that country tuba, cowmare. Play that country tuba, play that country tuba. Play that country tuba, cowmare.
Bluenote was chatting up a storm after a bout of Play that Country Tuba, Cowmare. (She had it pitched up a semitone to make things easier for her though.) Nopony had any idea about how was it that Applejack would have found herself a Banjo when she's nowhere near her farm, but few cared of such trivialities.
Such laziness on her part. She could've handled the accidentals... but she had to take the easy way out. Why is this so predictable of her?
Having gone through the B-flat day in the key of C was not lost to Octavia, who was shaking her head throughout the entire spectacle.
"You know, if we can find ourselves some bandmates, we can pull off all that Jazz, New Orleans style." Bluenote noted to the townsfolk all around her.
"You'd get a real kick out of Caravan. The fat horn here is actually welcomed in city of Mardi Gras!"
"You've been there!?" Carrot Top, one of the ponies that live in the town shouted.
"Not going there? That's the home of Dixieland!"
Octavia was unenthused, and she chose to voice her grievance. "... and there she goes again with her antics. Shouldn't we be going after Pinkie Pie instead?"
How Lyra had managed to appear without a trace was a mystery upon itself. The Dona Quixote of Ponyville disagreed at any rate.
"Nay, my fair maiden, for she's left the garden; such a glorious task to bask upon!"
The owner of the music store uttered to Octavia. "She's been spending way too much time out in the Everfree for her own good..."
"Hark! Such snide remarks doth mine spirit harm none."
Medley's mouth was as sharp as ever. "There goes Lyra's noggins." She said bitterly.
Lyra could clearly see that something was bothering the gray mare, but Octavia was not letting her thought out. This was not the time to pry into Octavia, so the mint-green bard had decided to let this fester for the time being.
Fluttershy was noticing how that the Parasprites were growing in number, but the volume level was too loud for her to speak to anypony about this. Something was amiss with these creatures, but there was no way to really think about the problem with all this banter around her.
Medley found that she was missing a Trombone as well. (The Banjo was back in her shop, safe and sound.) This was not acceptable since these instruments were all likely to be used by visiting musicians in the musical festival. The mare was not happy at all, and seeing the other ponies had only fueled her rage.
"Oh.... I've had it with you lot!"
Medley slammed the door to her store shut, had the door locked, then she quickly went skyward. She felt that the only chance that she can find Pinkie was to look for her at a vantage point, and time is of the essence.
"That was a good one, Miss Bluenote!"
"You're the best!"
"We love ya!"
"Damn fine, miss, damn fine."
The blue mare was serenaded with praises, which made her fail to notice the departure of Medley, or of the concerned Elements that stood nearby. It wasn't until the crowd had dispersed (with much reluctance at that) that Bluenote was able to direct her attention to her fellow Elements.
"Bluenote, why were you in Medley's workshop?" Octavia asked with a poker face.
"Well... my Tuba got dropped in the mud when little fillies were fooling around with me the other day..."
"You WHAT?" Octavia was incensed. This day is very taxing on the mare's psyche.
Bluenote knew then what Octavia was about to do. "Oh, not again..."
"How... I... this..." Octavia was so furious that she could not form her words into a coherent sentence.
Bluenote's Tuba was no mere instrument (which in itself was worth close to two thousand bits.) Octavia cannot even fathom how was it that Bluenote would be so careless with a relic and a weapon that she would have it soaked in mud.
The gray mare recalled how much care she took when she was given the rare permission of the use of Platinum Purus for the construction of her personal Cello. The weight of tradition, artistry, beauty, ingenuity and history that were associated with the legendary Cello had struck the Cellist profoundly.
I remember playing the Platinum that one time... she helped to give life to my Cello. I was scared out of my wits when I had her in my hooves, and she was the one that guided me through it all. It was... an incredible honor to have been taught by the Platinum.
My Cello is likely to follow the Platinum Purus. She has a soul of her own, she suffers no fool, and she has ascended to become an irreplaceable artifact. How can Bluenote treat her Tuba the way she has been, when it is worthy of being a national treasure?
"How can you hurt her so..."
Bluenote was taken aback by the trailing words of Octavia.
"I... ur... "
The Cellist gave the Tubaist a look of utter disappointment, which stung more than scorns and insults ever could. Fluttershy had to interrupt this unpleasant conversation.
"Ur... I wanted to tell you something..."
"Please go ahead." Octavia was sullen when she turned to Fluttershy.
"I... saw the Parasprites splitting. They are growing in number by the moment. Does that have something to do with Pinkie Pie's behavior?"
Octavia forced herself to think of the morning and not of Bluenote's abuse of her priceless Tuba.
"Maybe she does know of these insects. I fail to see how they might pose a problem though."
Parasprite. That word. That thing. That swarm. Pinkie's on it, isn't she? It'll be ok if she's on it.
Bluenote said nothing of it.
"Surely fair Pinkie was inspired by such delights as these! Behold their fluffiness!"
Lyra was blissfully unaware of what these smiling avatars of doom were able to do. Bluenote was in no mood to spoil Lyra's fun though.
"I'm sorry. I don't want to lie about it..."
Octavia felt that Medley would have taught Bluenote her sorely needed lesson on proper respect of her instrument companion, and had decided to let go of her anger.
"You need to remember that your Tuba had helped in saving Equestria. Medley should've said the rest to you already. I didn't mean to repeat this..."
The Tubaist was receptive.
"That really was my bad. I..."
Fluttershy took Bluenote in an embrace.
"It's ok, Bluenote. We're not perfect. We all make mistakes. Friends don't let friends do dumb things if we can help it though."
The blue mare nodded into Fluttershy's pink mane, as Octavia came near to nuzzle her.
Lyra was beaming in a wide smile by then. "Behold! The triumph of friendship!" She cried. "Such deeds are worthy of friendship reports to The Princess!"
There were now sixty-odd Parasprites, when there had been only one when Fluttershy had started her day.
Rainbow Dash was not a happy pony for the moment.
The Pegasus was wobbling back and forth over the platform where Rarity was scrutinizing her apparel. The silvery-white wig stood as tall as the pony, and it was upsetting Rainbow Dash's balance.
Rarity had to order Rainbow Dash to stay put while she pinned the skirt. "Stand still, Rainbow Dash!"
The fastest Pegasus in Ponyville had other ideas. "I can't. I need to fly!"
Rarity seized the Pegasus by pinning down her tail to the elevated platform over her Inspiration Room.
Rainbow Dash was irritated, but she stopped herself from leaving the premise. "This is waaay too boring for me."
Rarity would have none of it. "Do you want to look nice for the festival or not?"
Rainbow dash had to yield to that argument. She sat on her haunches as Rarity continued her work.
Sweetie Belle climbed upstairs and the first thing that she did when she stumbled across the frustrated Rainbow Dash was to break into a fit of laughter.
"See? This outfit is totally ridiculous! She's going to laugh all the way back to the Cloudsdale with how stupid I look in it!" Rainbow Dash claimed, while immersed in indigence.
"Hehehe. How'd you do it Rarity! It's like Rainbow Dash is all dressed up like a cake! She looks adorable like that! Awww... pfft."
"Sweetie Belle! It's awfully delightful to have somepony recognize what my muse had been, especially when it is none other my little sister!" The alabaster mare spoke.
"Wait! You're telling me that you thought about dressing me up as a cake!?" Rainbow Dash could not let this pass.
"Why Rainbow Dash, don't be so glum! You do look so very dashing in it!"
"Hiya Dashie, Rarity, Sweetie Belle!"
Pinkie Pie had appeared.
"Pinkie! You gotta help me!"
Rainbow Dash pleaded to the madmare.
"And I shall, Dashie! All I need is a tin whistle! It can't be all tinny though! Has to sound nice! Heh! Tinny Tin Whistle! Wish I've thought of that one!"
Before Pinkie Pie can say much more, a few of the bugs had made their way to the boutique.
The premiere party mare was upset. "Oh no! They're already here."
Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Sweetie however felt otherwise. They dropped their activities and redirected their attention to the coloring flying balls of fluff and wings that were looking at them with their gleaming compound eyes.
"They are adorable!"
The exclamation was nearly universal, with the pink abstaining.
"Such charming little creatures! What a delight indeed!" Rarity was highly amused.
"Come with me back to my home, little guy! It'd be all kinds of awesome!"
"What about you, Pinkie?"
"Urgh! What's with you all and the Parasprites?!"
Pinkie actually shuddered and had the tone of total contempt for these colorful insects.
"Parasprites you say. I take that's their name. Interesting."
"If you would all just help me... seriously! Haven't you learned anything when we went through this the last time? I mean c'mon! I can understand it if Octavia and Vinnie's got no clue, but not you girls!"
Pinkie was not heard. The three ponies in the room were too absorbed with the Parasprites to pay Pinkie Pie any heed.
The pink pony left by herself in a panic. The infestation was spreading, and these ponies had no idea what was to happen if these critters were left unchecked.
Medley had been loitering over the Ponyville airspace for several hours, but there was no sign of Pinkie Pie. She was undaunted, but the day was gone, making it impossible for her to continue aerial surveillance from her lack of visibility.
The Pegasus landed over the amphitheatre with great reluctance.
I have to get my stuff back! Princess Cadance and her troupe will be here tomorrow!
Medley found Vinyl Scratch in the company of colorful insects. The Deejay was still running system checks on the lighting and audio assemblies on the open-air stage.
"Vinyl! Are you here all by yourself?"
The audio engineer had her shades elevated from her eyes telekinetically.
"Yeah, looks that way. I haven't left here at all. Just wanted to get this thing perfect, you know."
Medley knew of that drive personally. The Ursa Minor incident had given her an understanding as to the level of dedication and professionalism that Vinyl Scratch had towards her craft, and she came to respect Vinyl as a fellow artisan.
"Always pushing your gears to the brim, huh Vinyl..."
The Element of Magic smirked a bit, as she looked confidently at the setup before her. "Nah, these babies have headroom. I always over-provision and under-rate my stuff."
The instrument maker was about to leave, when Vinyl asked her to stay for a question.
"Hey Medley, got something that's up your alley to ask."
"What is it?"
"You think that it's possible to make an acoustical body out of a whole building?"
Medley paused for a second.
"But what do you vibrate with? How can you get a roof light enough that you can have it vibrate when you don't have support masonry? You're not looking for a cave here. You have to push air against something to make noise!"
The instrument builder was translating reinforced back plate and sound post into an architectural context.
"This roof has to carry the vibration evenly down its length at that if you want to build it like a violin! It's out of our league to do that." The artisan closed her argument.
Vinyl was looking somewhat deep in thought. "Open air and stuff isn't efficient. We are losing a lot of acoustical energy. I've been thinking that maybe Unicorns can pour mana into making a force field or something that would like say the body of a guitar."
Medley had to sort her thought out.
" Although I can see why you'd think force field... but how many Unicorns could make a shield like that? The shield has to have an exact pattern, with air vents to make it vibrate just right!"
The Pegasus was the one that's thinking down to earth.
"Alright alright. Let me just... look. This open air stage here is a totally different from the point of your loudspeaker housings. You'd probably get better results if we can dampen and absorb the noise from the audience and to reflect the trebles and sopranos to the bleachers than to enclose the thing and turn it into a resonator."
Vinyl felt that she had to explain further.
"I saw the idea of the horn loudspeaker. If I can make the right kind of horn, I can get better efficiency. It's kind of a funnel in reverse."
Medley knew that horn loudspeakers were the same as flares in their basic operation. The mouthpiece was the compression driver of the setup.
"So you want to blast the audience over the flare of the horn? You'd get a wall of sound, which is anything but subtle."
"So you're saying that I should think about dampening the ambient from the bleachers and work on trebles?"
Medley nodded. "Yea. You don't have the time to come up with much else, and I wouldn't want to kill the directional headings of the various harmonics that you'd get with different instruments on stage."
Vinyl kicked the dirt as a smile flashed before her face.
"Sweet, thanks Medley. Rugs all over the bleachers it is. Treble gain is already done."
The Pegasus looked at the bleachers. "It would've been better if we have permanent seats with foam padding or have them made of limestone..."
Vinyl's eyes brightened, but her expression drew a more somber tone.
"Stuff like that cost bits. This isn't Canterlot or Hoovington. Just think Med, of what we could've done if we had the bits to make an awesome auditorium..."
"Oh, stop that right now. It makes me sad." Vinyl's statement was painful to Medley, as she was no different from the Deejay; she was imagining the design of a music hall in her head.
If only I had the power to make that happen...
Medley had to banish that thought somehow.
"Look. I gotta get going. Pinkie Pie ran off with my wares, and I may have orders of rentals coming up tomorrow if I play my cards right. I need to hunt her down right now."
Vinyl Scratch nodded.
"I heard something about that. You should go check in with Fluttershy. She was at your place and stuff. Actually, I'll go with you. Rares might have an idea or two about soundproofing rugs, so yeah."
"Sure."
The two mares left the amphitheatre together, as they tried to squeeze more work out of the Twilight hours of the day.
"Hi Rares."
"Ahh, Vinyl! Miss Medley! You poor dears. I can tell that you have been working nonstop."
Medley was still not above venting her grief. "Pinkie Pie. Been trying to hunt her down. Took my stuff."
Rarity gasped. "That's appalling! I caught her sight briefly today at my boutique actually. She was in such a hurry. I wonder what for."
"And aren't you the most adorable thing, o little one..."
Rarity had a Parasprite companion. One out of a dozen or two at her shop for that matter.
Medley and Vinyl Scratch had to ask Rarity about the insect, since they were introduced to the flying bug. "Just what are those things!"
"Oh darling, they're wonderful, delightful creatures known as Parasprites! One of these adorable balls of fluff flew into my shop when Pinkie Pie appeared unannounced. She knew something of these creatures, but she hadn't the time to elaborate on them!"
"Hmm...."
Vinyl was studying the Parasprite while Medley was starting to let her mental cogs go to work.
Pinkie knows something about these Parasprites.
Pinkie took my instruments in a hurry.
Pinkie's looking for more instruments.
Tin Whistle, Accordion, Natural Tuba, Harmonica, Trombone, Drums...
One-pony band?
"Hey Med, how about we use these critters for sound insulation?" Vinyl had interrupted Medley.
"Huh, what?"
Vinyl clearly had been thinking about that sound absorption problem. "These Parasprites' bodies look pretty decent for soaking up unwanted movement and chatters and whatnot. Whacha think?"
Medley scowled right there and then. "But... these are... bugs. Would they even behave and stay put? They might just fly away or go to the stage and disrupt the performers..."
Rarity seemed unconcerned. "Oh dear, I've noticed that they are very friendly and love to be around ponies. They would most likely clutter about where ponies would be found!"
The dressmaker paused to gather her thoughts. "By the way, Vinyl, you've mentioned that you wanted to have the Parasprites act as a sound dampening material, am I correct?"
Vinyl nodded her head strongly, her mane was banging in the air. "Yep. Figure it'd be a better way to keep the crowd nice and quiet."
Rarity looked at her workshop.
"I haven't enough stock of woven fabric to blanket the seating area I afraid, short notice and all. I can think of hay as a possible candidate material to ensure coverage, but they are ghastly and all too rustic!"
Medley looked at Rarity, feeling frustrated that she was nowhere near getting at Pinkie Pie, and that she's now being dragged to this little acoustical problem.
"Then get a move-on to Applejack's. I can't think of any other pony with bales of hay laying around her home. C'mon... we haven't got all day." The green Pegasus urged.
"Oh! I must go with you then." Rarity pressed. "I cannot allow visual apparels be slaughtered in the name of functionalities. I shall derive some suitable packaging so that nopony's the wiser about having to sit next to bales upon bales of dried straw! There need be no compromise!"
"Sweetie Belle, I am going to Sweet Apple Acres for a while, please take care of the Boutique!"
Rarity called out to the top floor of the shop, and a soprano voice traveled down to the reception area. "Ok! I will wait for you, Rarity!"
The fashionista fixed her mane slightly, as she eloquently closed the door behind her. There was no way to voice an objection to Rarity.
"Then let us depart, good fillies of mine."
The three trekked to the direction of Applejack's farmstead.
Applejack and Medley were towing two wagons full of hay back to the Boutique.
"Ah like the idea. Stuff makes for good eatin', no nothin' goes to waste. It'd be a nice way for me to do somethin' nice for the town n' all."
Vinyl was pushing the two wagons telekinetically while Rarity led them forward.
"Thanks AJ. Sorry that it's kinda last moment!"
Applejack would have none of it. "Don't ya fret none, Vinyl. Ya did good to this lil' town of ours. We might' preciate the hard works. None of us here forgot 'bout you Elements risking your necks to save Equestria ya know."
Rarity shared this appreciation. "Few honors can compare to being in the company of the saviors of Equestria, and to think that they are of humble souls! You are all so modest, being your own ponies and earning your own livelihood, which is a measure of dignity that I find most noble."
Applejack scoffed. "Never liked'em Canterlot types that done none to earn all that glitter on'em. Glad to see you lot, Including that Miss Octavia, gettin' and stayin' down to earth. We Apples respect honest types most."
Medley rolled her eyes right there and then. "Octavia's done a bit of growing up. She was in her own Ivory Tower, like that bookworm genius mage."
"Her name's Twilight." Vinyl quipped.
"Yeah, her." Medley went on. "I gotta admit, I want to make more bits. Not cause I want to laugh my way to the bank, but bits do give you a bit of muscle when you need it."
Applejack and Rarity both laughed dryly. "Don't we all."
The group stopped at the Boutique, as Rarity quickly went into her shop.
"I intend to turn these into hay beds and pillows and what not. These shall be most unobtrusive and relatively comfortable. I am not one to sleep on hay of course."
Applejack snorted. "Rarity sleepin' on hay. Pigs have better chance of flyin' than that."
"Sweetie Belle! Do you want to help your big sister with making pillow, bedsheets and so forth!?"
The four mares were at the amphitheatre, where they were busily laying out the hay pillows, mattresses and cushions against the bleachers.
"I must say! These are far more presentable than before." Rarity was satisfied of the results.
Applejack was sitting on her haunches over one of the cushions. "Well Rarity, you've done it. Never would've thought that'em hay can be made dis fancy. Mind if I grab a few for ma family?"
Rarity was beaming. "Why Applejack, such interim solutions are only meant for this emergency! I will properly embroider sheets and use cotton for the pillows that you use on a daily basis."
"But these are... " Applejack was cut off by Rarity.
"Applejack. To the Boutique after this. You are not to leave until I have fashioned proper pillows for you and your kin, do you understand?"
Medley watched Applejack and Rarity bantering back and forth dispassionately. "And here they go again..."
It was then that Fluttershy had appeared, looking quite concerned about something.
"Ur... Vinyl Scratch, Medley, is now a good time for me to talk to you all?"
Vinyl's shades hid her eyes, but her attention's on Fluttershy. "Shoot."
Fluttershy bit her lips. "The Parasprites are growing in number! They..."
Vinyl was visibly excited by the news.
"How many? Enough to fill the bleachers with ponies sitting with them?"
Fluttershy had to stop herself for a moment, as she took a glance at the amphitheatre. "Yes, but..."
Vinyl was very delighted. "Get them here tomorrow. This could work. Your cottage doesn't have the space for them I guess, right?"
Fluttershy shyly nodded.
"Then it's settled. Medley, sorry 'bout being no help in hunting down Pinkie Pie."
Medley was dejected, but she hung on.
"Pinkie's my problem. Acoustics on the other hoof's a matter for all of us. Besides, if Pinkie's got a problem with Parasprites... where else would she be but right in the middle of them all?"
Medley had a smirk on her face. "I smell shenanigan. I gotta know what she's really doing... she's bound to show up. Let's round up the Parasprites and put'em in this amphitheatre tomorrow."
"I don't know if that's really a good idea..." Fluttershy was very unsure of this idea.
"It's be the swarm of the century, but c'mon. It's manageable. I saw these critters, they don't bite." Vinyl was quite optimistic.
Fluttershy nodded at Vinyl's comment. The Parasprites did Fluttershy and the animals no physical harm whatsoever. The mess at the cottage was... not really out of malice. There was no need to talk about it as that's a personal problem.
"Well then! I am going to crash." Vinyl decided to leave things at this point. "Rares, AJ, can't thank you enough. You can leave the wagons here. We'll get'em back to you and stuff."
"Sounds good to me. Guess I gotta go with Rarity here for now... ya'll take care, alright?"
The ponies bid each other farewell under the stars, as they went their separate way home.
"So they really are dividing."
Octavia had the Parasprites quarantined in a jar. There were now sixteen of them.
"They have bottomless stomachs for some reason! There's more to them than I've thought before. Maybe Zecora might have some information about these."
The Cellist was no trained scientist, but she was a cautious individual. In order to account for the Parasprites dividing yet again, the gray mare had the glass jar moved to a crate enclosure.
"They do not react significantly to the trebles, but I am noticing that lower frequencies have an effect on them for some reason."
The mare thought aloud.
"Now isn't the time to think of this. I will go to Zecora in the morning. Something about these Parasprites deserve further study. The rehearsal in the morning will take place without any trouble. Off to bed I go."
The First Chair at Ponyville had decided to rest. She needed the rest so that she can help the Concertmaster from Canterlot with their pieces (acoustics in the amphitheatre needs some familiarization.)
Octavia was sound asleep in no time.
The massive glass jar vibrated frequently. Its structural integrity did not fail, but the Parasprites were restless in the hay bedding of the crate for some reason.
Daybreak hadn't even come, but Pinkie Pie was already gearing up for battle.
"Thanks, Lyra."
The mint green mare looked at Pinkie, with a Tin Whistle on hoof. "May the stars be with you, Dame Pinkie!"
The pink mare looked quite grim as she accepted the thing. "Can't help it. I have a date with destiny. Oh! Always wanted to say that at least once..."
The pink Earth Pony gestured a check mark into the air. "Check."
Lyra looked at Pinkie's adornment. She was fully laden with instruments, and there was no space left to pack any additional provision on her. Seeing her off was a bit odd, but the Lyrist felt that she should at least do that much for the mare.
"Do you not want my company?"
The pink Earth Pony placed a hoof on the Unicorn's shoulder. "Warn the others. Save what cupcakes and candies that you can find. I'll have to buy some expensive time... "
The bard's heart was swelling with emotions. Who knew that the baker would be the thin pink line against the fury of the adorable swarm? Nopony had any clue of what was to come (not even her.) The pink one was the wiser among the fools...
Lyra swallowed hard. She too, had a mission.
The first task that I must do is to secure the carrots and what other crop I can find. My objective: to seal off the food supply as to prevent anypony or any bug direct access. The great hunger is already here, so such radical measures are called for.
The secondary objective was the Sweet Apple Acres, where I must salvage what apple I can from the trees. The crop that were stored in the silos should be safe, but there was little hope for what remains out on the fields.
More importantly however, Bonnie's bon bons must survive this swarm. If I cannot save all of Ponyville, I should at least save my love. I will pilfer the Sugarcube Corner if it came down to it.
Pinkie Pie stared beyond the horizon, as the one-pony band braced itself for the coming onslaught.
A bit of a light touch was needed. "Nice internal monologue, Lyra! Sounds like serious business!"
Pinkie however had to turn back to the task on hoof. "It's time to kick flanks and chew bubble gum... and I'm all out of bubble gum..."
Lyra, having already made peace with her own stomach, rode out with Pinkie Pie into the sunlight wordlessly. Her lips curled a little while heading out of the house.
A loud, consistent buzzing sound had dragged Octavia from her sleep to the land of the living.
"What was that infernal buzzing..." The mare spoke to herself.
The Cellist suddenly jotted herself to attention, as her mind sprang into action. She quickly went for the crate, and only to find that the glass jar has been packed to the brim with Parasprites. Given that there were ample space within the container during last night, the only possible explanation was that the Parasprites were growing in alarming number.
Octavia was breaking out in cold sweat. A deep sense of fear and dread took hold.
What is this thing? Why are they dividing so quickly? This isn't right.
The Element of Honesty was very scared. These furry bugs would not stop multiplying, and it looked as if they were hungry. Octavia did not know if they were carnivorous, herbivorous or omnivorous... frankly, any one of the three could spell disaster.
After an eternity, the gray mare sealed the crate with a roll of tape that she had on hoof, and she quickly had the thing placed on a wheelbarrow. This cargo must leave her home.
Octavia moved as fast as she could muster, while towing the wheelbarrow. She had to visit Zecora, and dump this crate into the depths of the Everfree.
Octavia caught sight of Lyra, who was towing a wagon at the crack of dawn. It was a most peculiar of sight, but Octavia had no time to make inquiry or to stop for idle chitchats. Both Elements hurried off and went their separate ways, without acknowledging one another.
The gray mare was praying to what powers that be to make certain that the glass container and the crate would somehow hold out.
The jar should be the most difficult to penetrate. Should the inner containment layer fail, the shrapnel may wound the Parasprites while the hay bedding would hopefully absorb the kinetic energy of the explosion.
It's not a pleasant thing to think of, but Octavia wasn't one to be blindly optimistic about anything in life.
Octavia went past the Sweet Apple Acres, and caught sight of Applejack and Big Macintosh working the fields. She did not pause to greet the two, and the farmers were baffled by the mare's action. Not many ponies would haul cargo into the Everfree at the crack of dawn, especially not noble musicians such as Octavia.
The entrance of the Everfree was every bit as foreboding as it were when Octavia had tread into the woods that last time. She found it almost ironic that the Everfree was the to-go place in contingencies, when it itself was daunting and outright dangerous. This unworldly place made Octavia forget about the Parasprites, if only momentarily.
In retrospect, the Reign of the Alicorn Sisters was a golden age of sorts, and an age of heroics at that. Lyra did say that they triumphed over Tirak and Grogar, and they did establish the first capital of Equestria. Come to think of it, if it weren't for their fall to evil, Princess Cadance would have never been. That's a selfish thing for me to say, isn't it? I can never say that to The Princess...
The stars must have burned as the pony sisters tore apart the lands and everything in it... two titans that wanted to shape destiny with their hooves.
To think that the Elements of Harmony would be in this of all places... it marked the end of the Alicorn Sisters' era, and the end of this thousand-year long exile to the Sun and the Moon. But is it right to consider Princess Cadance's reign as an interregnum? I can't agree with it, but that's something a pony or two will mention of...
What does the end of this thousand-year lull mean? Did that history end, and the legend began anew?
The lush and overarching nature of the piece did the larger-than-life Everfree justice. The Earth Pony really felt that the magic of this place “gazes longingly beyond the confines of this pastoral world” as it were. Octavia did not really pay heed to the vegetation, as her thoughts were of that fateful day a scent few months ago.
The Earth Pony's own analysis came to a standstill when she reached the signpost that Zecora had painstakingly erected. Zebra's cottage would be near.
"Time to get rid of you bunch."
The Earth Pony pushed the crate out of the wheelbarrow, and she found the Zebra by her side all of a sudden. "Miss Octavia, what a pleasure, although this here is no leisure."
The Earth Pony quickly greeted the Zebra. "Zecora! Thank the stars. Do you know anything about these Parasprites? They've been endlessly dividing in Ponyville for the last day, and they continue to do so."
The Cellist did not open the crate, but there was little need to do so.
"So you've known of Parasprites, rivals of locusts. Their smiles leave only doom and gloom. They continue to consume; a contagion that plagues a region."
The Cellist narrowed her eyes upon the crate. "They went from one single Parasprite to... so you're saying that they are smiling, fluffy locusts?"
The Zebra gave a very heavy nod. "Precisely, and adversely so."
Octavia placed her left hoof against her face.
"Why this... augh..."
The crate and its contents were forgotten by the despondent Earth Pony.
"Zecora... what should I do...?"
The Zebra looked with heavy remorse.
"Their blight spell disaster. One must rid of the monster."
"But how?"
"I do not know. I wish I do."
Octavia stared at the abandoned crate for a brief second. What to do about a swarm of locusts?
The Cellist then turned around to the direction of Ponyville. Her heart was not on the concert anymore.
Octavia saw Pinkie Pie in rehearsal. Why did she practice when she had no part on the stage was beyond her, but the Cellist had no time to bother the baker about it. She forgot about Medley's plight even, as the spectre of the Parasprites loom over the sky above Ponyville.
The pink mare was left alone in peace while the Cellist went on in full gallop.
Oh yes! The Canterlot Symphony Orchestra! They're arriving!
The mare winced at the thought. She had to get to the amphitheatre posthaste.
Her trek was hectic. After putting her wheelbarrow down at her house, she sprinted towards the amphitheatre, where Vinyl Scratch was surveying the bleachers.
A light yellow Pegasus with Orchard mane came to Vinyl's side to report on the weather. Parasol guaranteed to Vinyl that there would be no rainfall on Ponyville, which gave the Deejay much relief.
"Vinyl! Thank goodness that the Canterlot Symphony Orchestra haven't arrived. I have a very dire news to tell you about."
Vinyl Scratch's cerise eyes were reddened from exhaustion. She clearly had not gone to sleep.
"Sup ' Tavi! Whacha mean dire?"
The gray mare's eyes, also reddened from her stress, gleamed with heavy anxiety.
"You have to listen to me. Those Parasprites are..."
"What are you doing, Lyra!?" A piercing shout had interrupted Octavia.
Vinyl could not pay Octavia any heed as she witnessed Lyra towing a whole wagon full of carrots, cabbage and other goods, while ponies and Parasprites chase after the bard in a rowdy ruckus. The whole pursuit was quite farcical, with Lyra tripping every now and then while she toppled a barrel or a crate to keep the vendors off of her tail.
The mint green unicorn cried forth. "I am here to save you all from this plague! There is nothing to fear but fear itself!"
It was then that Octavia had realized what Lyra was doing; saving what provision that can be spared was one of the most sensible decisions that could be taken in this doomsday waiting to happen.
"She's with me! I'll pay for the entire lot! Vinyl, please tell the Concertmaster that the treble would have a bit of a gain, and please handle the rest. I'll take care of Lyra."
The cobolt blue and cyan toned mane of the Unicorn fluttered about. "Sounds good, Tavi."
Octavia dashed at Lyra, as the mint green Unicorn deposited the goods over Bon Bon's house. Octavia had bits at the ready to pay off the expense, although the process was chaotic at best.
"Please, I want you to lock your food away. Seal off the larders, put what you can to storage. You have to trust me."
The Earth Pony repeated the refrain to each and every vendor, leaving them all very perplexed by the sudden request. One colt tried to come up with a rational explanation while the Parasprites were making quick work of the cabbages, daffodils and the odd carrots on the ground.
"Something to do with Princess Cadance and the Canterlot band, Miss Octavia? They need more food for a longer stay or somethin'?"
Octavia had decided that she would not argue about this for the time being. "We may need the additional provision." That was enough to appease the vendors.
The bard shot Octavia a look of appreciation, as she climbed to Bon Bon's kitchen. With how the vendor ponies have acted, it was not ideal to go to the Apples... saving Bonnie's bon bons should take priority.
The Canterlot Symphony Orchestra came to the quaint little Ponyville central station by quarter to ten, earlier than HRH Princess Cadance. They took up the entire train, being a hundred strong in number just by themselves.
Pageturner was checking with the details of the item manifest. She hadn't been back to Ponyville following the events of the Vernal Equinox Festival. This concert was actually a way to redress the disruptions on that historic day, and showing that life was back to normal in Equestria.
Six new heroes were forged that day, while the whole of Equestria was left with the realities of having its past reeling its head in the form of two ancient Alicorn princesses next to the enlightened monarch of the realm.
Pageturner did not look forward to this trip. She tried to come up with excuses so as to avoid having to deal with the unpleasantries of greeting the Elements of Harmony (especially not Octavia.) It was impossible to not be bombarded about them, and Pageturner was tired of having been pried under the microscope by members of the court on the Elements (Octavia,) no matter where she turned to.
Pageturner was somewhat bitter about the gray mare. Several years of trying to make her into a friend had yielded nothing but frustration, and now she was suddenly seen as the closest pony to the elusive Cellist-heroine of Equestria (after having left the mare to her fate.) This world was quite cruel indeed!
Ponyville. Well here I am. Do your worst!
The one-time assistant to Octavia declared mentally.
Tönen Bewegt, the Unicorn Clarinetist that hailed from Griffonia (unusual at that,) had taken stock of how that the pony wasn't quite herself.
"Ahh, Fräulein Pageturner, you don't look as if you much cared to be here, ja?"
"Oh! Mr. Bewegt, sorry about that." The assistant had to adjust her mood on the fly. "It's just some slight personal issues. Nothing really important."
The Clarinetist craned his neck around the pony. "I would be most worried if a player in my section was brooding over something. This is the moment of the performance. There is no room to have doubts, you see."
The young pony nodded hesitantly at the dignified. accomplished Griffon before her. The enigmatic expression was a bit frustration for Pageturner to behold.
"Give the girl a break, would ya?"
The Bassoonist, named Andante Cordiale, poked at her fellow Unicorn in jest.
The first Clarinetist grumbled a little. "I mean the Fräulein no trouble, Frau Andante."
The Bassoonist was rather amused. "My my, flattery again? That does go places with me, but let the little miss handle her own affairs!"
The Principal Clarinetist relented, as he bowed to Pageturner.
"Well them Fräulein, I bid you well. May your troubles find some resolution, ja?"
The Bassoonist shook her head with a curt smile on her face, as she waved at the sight of Pageturner.
The Concertmaster was at the amphitheatre. Dolce Tempo was looking at the open-air venue before the rest of the orchestra would come in. They had to tune up before the performance, and it fell upon the Concertmaster to greet the public (and the Elements of Harmony, being the guests of honor) while directing the entire string section. The string is the mainstay of any Symphony Orchestra, so the technical overnight of the section cannot be understated in its importance.
"Hi there! Name's Vinyl Scratch! I am in charge of setting up the sound n' stuff over this stage.
The mare with a turquoise coat spoke. "Miss Vinyl! You're the Element of Magic, and a Deejay by trade if I am not mistaken..."
The Deejay looked a little surprised. "Guess news travel fast. Hope that I get more gigs with my name getting thrown around."
The Violinist looked at the stage, and Vinyl had decided to speak up and start with the explanation.
"Going straight to the chase, I won't be using filters here, but I will be putting up a +1.4dB gain on everything 440Hz and up. I'll be thinking in musical Octaves here. A3 is where I start though, going from 200Hz-2KHz. I won't be cutting off anything, there's minimal EQ, so what you see is what you get. I will go for a smooth transition here. My spells can pull this off. Let me know what you want to do about the C7 and above..."
The mare was pleasantly surprised.
"We are doing what we can to muffle the sounds from the bleacher. Ponyville folks are not urbanites, so you're gonna have to live with a more jittery crowd. Princess Cadance will be sitting in a box made of cloud. She'll be the closest to you all."
"My my. My impression of you is quite different of what is expected of typical disc jockeys."
The soft spoken Concertmaster did not give the Element of Magic any room to raise a question. "You are a virtual unknown in the orchestral circles. Just your presentation here is worth instigating, but your actual status... Miss Vinyl, there will be many eyes upon you, today and in the foreseeable future, if I may be so frank."
The creamy white mare was equally surprised by the Concertmaster. She didn't expect to encounter such a direct individual that would speak without reservation.
"Heh. If that's it takes to get my name around... thanks, I guess."
The slightly enigmatic Concertmaster looked about. "I am a bit surprised that Miss Octavia Philharmonica is not here with you! Is she..."
Vinyl looked on at the town before her. "Tavi' had some urgent work to do with Lyra. About provisions and such."
The Amethyst eyes of the Principal Violinist had an air of revelation on her face. "Miss Octavia clearly has more duties than what the ponies in Canterlot would assume! Did she work closely with you on the staging and so forth?"
Vinyl Scratch had a smirk. "She worried too much. Tavi' was absolutely anal about the concert pitch, roll-offs and almost anything that might come between you and this show. She really has a thing for this orchestra. Guess it's kind of a given..."
The veteran musician returned with a slight smile. "Miss Octavia does not lack in mechanics and music theory, but that's a discussion for another day. I think I can begin the sectional right away, if you wouldn't mind getting to work right away, Miss Vinyl."
The Unicorn couldn't agree more. "Then let's get to it! Tavi' will come back once she settles Lyra's problem, whatever it is. I don't think she'd want to miss the chance to see you work up close."
Octavia had burned through two-hundred bits for all the provisions that the vendors were selling. All of them were taken into Bon Bon's house and stored over the larder.
The last of the Parasprites were banished from Bon Bon's house, and the two Element Bearers were adamant about not allowing even a single bug into the house. One would assume that Bon Bon was getting her dwelling fumigated from the appearance of the quarantine area alone.
Bon Bon's house was under barricade, and her entire stock of candies had been bought out before she even had a chance to sell them. This made the confectioner feel terribly frustrated, but neither Octavia or Lyra had the time to hear of her grievances.
"Fair Octavia, I must now seek out Miss Fluttershy, lest she be overcome by the swarm..."
Octavia was impatient. "Let's go!" There was little time to waste. The two galloped to Fluttershy's cottage from the now inaccessible house at full speed.
They can see ponies of all walks of life going about with their daily works against this familiar backdrop, but the sensation that both mare had were miles away from the tranquil mental scenery a day ago. Octavia and Lyra were both ensnared by the thought of dread, and neither of them had the heart to partake in the festivities that were all around them.
The sound of birds and the buzzing noise of Parasprites became ever so clearer as the two mares closed in on the Pegasus's cottage by the edge of the Everfree Forest.
The droning noise of the Parasprites were matched with the vocals of Fluttershy's avian choir. Both Lyra and Octavia were at a loss as to why Fluttershy was rehearsing with her section in the midst of the Parasprite swarm.
Fluttershy was near the brink of exhaustion, while a bird from her choir was engaged in a solo performance of the Turkish March. In front of her was the densely populated cloud of pastel-colored Parasprites, that seemed to vibrate with the bird's beats.
"Fluttershy!"
The swarm was unleashed the moment that Octavia broke the buttermilk Pegasus's concentration. The poor Pegasus was trembling from her station, while she crouched down on all fours.
Fluttershy shouted to Lyra with all of her limited might. "Oh no..." Her eyes gazed skyward.
The skies were blacked out by the blanket of Parasprites.
"Fluttershy! Were you fighting these pests all by yourself?"
Lyra knelt down to the damsel in distress.
"I..." Fluttershy had managed to recovered sufficiently to talk to her comrades. "I found out something..."
The two mares listened attentively to the words of the pink-mane Pegasus.
"The Parasprites... they... 'move' with music, I think... just a bit... "
The Pegasus was struggling to keep her focus.
"They... stop... when the birds sing..."
Octavia was getting desperate. "Fluttershy, what do they stop doing!? Dividing, rampaging, eating..."
Fluttershy was barely able to get her words out. "They... stop dividing... start to... stay..."
The exhaustion had finally overtaken the Pegasus. Fluttershy was asleep in Lyra's embrace.
The Cellist was stunned in utter disbelief. "That is absurd!"
Lyra softly stroke the Pegasus's mane as she lifted Fluttershy onto her back. "Fluttershy must have been battling these Parasprites with the birds throughout the night." The Unicorn had a bit of a sniffle at the thought of the gentle Pegasus having to fight this swarm without anypony by her side.
"Music... music... MUSIC!"
It dawned upon Octavia that the concert at Ponyville may be the one thing that might buy the town some time. If Fluttershy's birds were able to keep the Parasprite's sate quenched for a time, then perhaps the Canterlot Symphony Orchestra can do the same.
"Lyra, I must return to the amphitheatre. That show must go on."
The Unicorn nodded solemnly over Fluttershy's ransacked cottage, as she saw Octavia off.
Rarity was screaming bloody murder in her store.
The endlessly dividing Parasprites had consumed every scrap of food that Rarity had, and they kept pestering her as they cuddled the fashionista against her will.
"Save me! Save from these terrible blight! Somepony save me!"
The alabaster Unicorn had a poker in her telekinetic grip, but it did nothing for her. She was completely surrounded by the insect, with no way of dislodging her store of the pests.
"Rarity! Look! I am flying!" Sweetie Belle (really a flying swarm of Parasprites) called out to her older sister.
"You let go of my little Sweetie right now! Such abominations!"
"This is so much fun! Weeee!" The ball of Parasprites did not share the same feeling that the alabaster Unicorn had. "Oh, won't somepony please save us!"
It was then that a pink mare had broke through one of the windowpanes to reach Rarity.
"Property damage! This is Pinkie Pie, Equestrian. Time to fight our way out of Parasprite hell, with my bare hooves!" The pink mare declared, to the confusion of Rarity.
"Pinkie Pie..." It was then that the pink mare broke into an impromptu Polka, as the mare promptly made her way out the front door of the boutique, while leading the Parasprites out of the besieged establishment.
Rarity watched in awe as the ball of Parasprites (Sweetie Belle) traveled with the passages of the polka, with these Parasprites being synchronized to the beat of the polka. This Paraspritenfänger von Ponyville (Pied Piper of Ponyville ) had worked her magic, as the Parasprites were of her solitary command.
Rarity followed Pinkie Pie as she broke into houses in order to lure the Parasprites into the open. The dressmaker felt that she had to help Pinkie by asking the townsfolk to open their doors and let Pinkie work her magic, but this was to little avail as the pink pony continued her trail of broken glass across town.
The biomass that was following Pinkie Pie had blotted out the sun. Numerous ponies had to halt their daily activities as they watched the spectacle, while being greeted with insect stragglers that had fall out of the formation.
Princess Cadance had arrived in her own chariot from Canterlot.
Celestia and Luna were asked if they would like to visit, but the two of them felt that it was too early for them to make an appearance. They were keen to apologize to the citizens of Ponyville, but they felt that a few more months were needed.
Cadance was aware of Pageturner's animosity towards Octavia, and she would rather see the two reconcile. Octavia did need a confidant, and to have Pageturner being stuck in Canterlot was not particularly good for either one of them; gossips were too frequent, and too counterproductive for the longtime assistant of Octavia.
These matters had evaporated from Cadance's mind however, when a little bug found its way to Cadance's side.
"Hello, little ball of fluff! How are you?" She was met by a brown Parasprite in mid-air.
*Bwee.* The Parasprite chirped to the sovereign of the land.
"You're adorable! Won't you accompany me for today's event?"
The Parasprite had rested itself over the mane of the Alicorn, as it nuzzled Cadance warmly.
"I see that the town is in full vigor. That's quite the relief."
The chariot was allowing the Princess a bird's eye view of Ponyville. The pastel colored mass that was close to the town center felt as if it were a great crowd of ponies.
"I had no idea that this event would be so well attended! That should give the orchestra some added pressure! They should have expected that the ponies love them to this extent in the first place!"
The chipper Princess continued to make observations as the chariot made its descent.
"I can hear music already! Looks like the residents weren't about to let the orchestra have all the fun to themselves!"
"Take us down to the amphitheatre. I wish to be there before the concert begins."
The guards nodded in silence, as they turned the chariot around toward the open-air venue. The velvet seating were quite evident from the vantage point of the chariot, and the stage was already occupied with the musicians.
The Canterlot Symphony Orchestra was sitting in full, with all the members present and accounted for.
The Princess was prepared to greet the Conductor and the Principal Violinist. The Elements were scheduled to be present by the end of the concert, so there was no rush to have them all there. Cadance had no doubt however, that Octavia would have been in attendance well in advance of the start of the concert.
Just as Cadance thought of Octavia, the Cellist and the Deejay came into view. It was then that Cadance took flight on her own, in order to greet her student personally.
Octavia had made it to the amphitheatre, which was already starting to fill with ponies. The Cellist can already see the Conductor taking his position while the whole of the Symphony Orchestra had completed their tuning rounds.
She needed to talk to Vinyl, and fast.
Finding the creamy white mare with her signature shades was not too difficult. Octavia was able to spot the Deejay by the side of the pit in about a minute of time.
The mare practically jumped into the pit as she called out to her fellow Element bearer. "Vinyl! You have to listen to me! This..."
"Whoa, Tavi'! No need to jump me like that!" The Deejay braced herself as the pony missile in gray made landfall over where the Deejay stood.
It was then that the gray mare's face had faulted. She noticed that there were Parasprites that had been kept in cages in the confines of the bleachers for some inexplicable reason.
"What... is this..." The gray mare was frozen in sheer terror.
"Oh Tavi! I forgot to tell you that the Concertmaster lady wanted to congratulate you on telling me about how her band tunes itself. And I see that you've noticed of our little trump card here..."
Vinyl Scratch had a toothy grin, as she had helped the gray up to stand. The mare was frozen solid however.
Things had worsen for the Cellist as The Princess had arrived. "Octavia, Vinyl Scratch! How are you two doing?" The greeting of Cadance came from two stories above the two mares.
