A Musical Journey (see OCC first please)

[BeGoneThots]

Stalliongrad. A wonderous city. Frigid if a pony was dressed poorly. But plenty of open spaces for a show pony to perform!!! And what was more was that it was not uncommon to see travelers in a city with a port.

This gave Thunderbuck extra courage. So readily able to perform made him happy. And with agusto he began playing. Positioning himself in a vacant stall section near the waterfront he raised his violin. His drums sat nearby with the drumsticks held magically. He wanted to bring life to this street.

And so he choose a lively tune. His first test notes were low. Drawing one or two passers by to gaze at the masked performer in little more than a light jacket. But the cold didnt seem to bother him. His cart sat just behind him.

The drums slowly began, and played deep notes. His violin taking the place of what would normally have been a guitar. Though he sang no words, the notes vibrated deep, resonating enough to actually make ponies down the block stop and look to see the source of the vibration.

Another instrument came into play now. Levitating up and playing slowly with the opening. A keyboard. Its own notes slow and adding to the intense and deep sounds.

Thunderbuck could sense more ponies coming to listen now. Though his eyes were closed he could hear their hooves and whispers.

((The song hes playing now: https://youtu.be/YkADj0TPrJA ))

[Blueblood]

Perched on a cloud above the city street was another pony of musical inclinations, though as yet he stayed silent, watching Buck perform below.  It was important that the masked pony learn, at this first stop, to hold an audience, and his own nervousness, over the length of a performance.  If the unicorn planned to make a career out of this, he would have to get in as much practice as possible.

 

So far, it seemed that Buck was collecting an actively interested crowd, which was a good first step.  Good enough, at any rate, for Sky Sailing to spread his wings and direct his cloud downward, into the viewing range of the crowd.  The pegasus was not of the flashy sort, and one could hardly blame the crowd if none noticed the slowly drifting piece of vapor fluff as it descended.  Atop sat a sky-blue stallion, dressed somewhat oddly in that he combined a classy-looking shirt and vest with a pair of beat-up flight goggles.  But that was the stage persona he started out with, back before he quit his day job, and it wasn't likely that he would change it now.

 

He'd accompanied Buck, partly because they were housemates, and partly because Sky was hoping to boost both their musical careers from this informal tour.  Maybe even set up his own record company, eventually, but first would come name recognition.

 

Or rather, first would come one good day!  *Best not to soar too far into the future.*  The pegasus thought to himself.  Let Buck finish out his number, take a little bit of interaction from the audience.  When it looked to be too much for the introverted unicorn, Sky would launch into his own number...

[BeGoneThots]

Buck allowed himself a brief pausenin the music before the drum solo. As the sounds of the drums filled the air he smiled behind his mask. His neice was peeking out of the cart. Watching as a few ponies began dropping bits in the hat. He was playing so well.

CaramelCream loved it when her uncle played. No matter what, he was always thr best to her. And as the young unicorn stepped out from the cart, bundled up to keep the chill off she smiled to see several smiles on others. Her ears wiggled a bit as she listened to his song end. As the clapping of hooves surrounded them, Thunderbuck stepped back a moment. Bowing lightly he turned bsck to the cart. Selecting his instruments for his next piece. Something... jazzy maybe? Or classical? Maybe tribal? His uncertainty was his flaw in this arena. Maybe he wiuld do soemthing special...

Thunderbuck brough out an old wooden case. And from it he withdrew a dull flute. The age showed. And while he had repaired it, it was not shiny and new anymore. But he lovingly caressed it with a gentle hoof. As he came back he took a moment to gently blow away soem dust.

[DerpRavener]

Naj, currently in the guise of an earth pony in her usual colours of back and cyan, sighed and stared forlornly at the empty satchel on her back.

 

She hated to admit it, but Naj was a little bored.  She didn't want to say anything negative.  Overall she was very happy in Stalliongrad, she thought.  She liked living with Red, she liked knowing she had a house to come back to whenever she tired of wandering or just generally needed a rest.  She was even starting to get used to the cold, or at least used to being cold.

And really, it wasn't Stalliongrad's fault, there were plenty of interesting things to do in the city if one knew where to look.  Naj didn't really know, but that stopped her from stumbling upon one or two by chance.  No, the real issue was much simpler: Naj didn't know how to get a job.  'Invaded Canterlot', 'spent several years in hiding' and 'fought in a viking invasion' weren't things you could put on a job application.  Of the few things she could think of which suited her skill set, joining the REA was out for what she felt like obvious reasons, and she didn't think she could stomach being a mercenary.  There was that one unit she'd joined, but aside from checking in every month or so, she wouldn't be needed there until some new catastrophe arose.

 

So far, all Naj had managed was part time courier work.  Equestria had plenty of mailponies, so there wasn't much for her, but every so often circumstances would align so that Naj was the best candidate on hoof to deliver.  It wasn't a lot, but it was something, and she was a mare of simple needs.

 

Naj had just finished one such delivery in fact.  This was the reason for the earth pony appearance.  She'd been experimenting a bit, and while she couldn't tell how much the shape actually provided a benefit and how much it was all in her head, she had found it helped her focus, especially when dealing with trials of endurance.  Having completed the task however, she now found herself wandering aimlessly, looking for something to keep herself occupied-

 

Her train of thought was interrupted by suddenly hearing a noise, some ways off.  Was that...drums?  It wasn't out of the question.  She'd heard a noise sorta like that before, somewhere around here actually.  Pausing for just a second, to get a sense of direction, she soon changed course and picked up the pace, heading in the direction of the sound.

 

As she did, she started to pick up other noises, of accompanying instruments.  Not too surprising, she was no expert but it didn't seem like a whole song couple be made with just drums.  What she did find surprising, once she'd followed the music back to its source and joined at the side of the crowd.  There was only one pony playing the instruments!  It caught her a little by surprise.  Her understanding of instruments was each one took a long time to master, and play well.  So, to see one unicorn essentially juggling several...

 

The song stopped before she finished her musing.  Several ponies in the crowd started tossing bits at the musician.  It wasn't behaviour she entirely understood, but it was some kind of reward from them if they liked the music.  Naj started to reach back, to her own little coin pouch, but stopped.  Truth be told she hadn't decided yet whether she liked this sort of music or not.  Clearly, the only course of action was to keep listening.

 

There was one thing she was wondering first, however.  Naj knew of most of them at least in passing, but ther was one instrument she'd never really seen before.  Some sort of rectangular thing, with a number of little panels on it.  She inched forward and, raising her voice a little to make sure she was heard, called out to the musician.

“What sort of instrument was that?”

[Blueblood]

Alright, that was the first number over.  Now that a good crowd had started to gather, Sky let the cloud drop far enough for him to come into view.  "Hello, Stalliongrad!"  He said, in a voice not altogether used to calling out emphatically.  In reality, the pegasus tended to the shy and introverted, but seeing as the other musician was even more so, well... somepony had to the spokespony, and it looked like the duty fell to him.

 

"That was Thunderbuck Cloud, playing for you today on the drums and keyboard."  He gave a little wave to the mare who asked regarding the instrument's name.  "The cute foal with him is his niece Caramel Cream, and I am Sky Sailing.  We are on tour today for the Owl Town label, so... enjoy the show!"  That about tapped him out as far as words were concerned.  He hadn't quite gotten used to addressing crowds before; all his own performances up until now had either been in his own house, or at small coffee shops and such.  More intimate gatherings.  Still, he couldn't deny that this was exciting!  Already, ponies were getting interested in the means of making music; maybe even inspired to do something themselves?

 

It was a long shot, perhaps.  But maybe if he could get them singing along, it would make talking easier later.  Thunderbuck was pulling out a flute, so Sky decided to set himself down by the keyboard.  His wings folded forward, feathers laying over the keys.  It was hard to play this instrument with hooves, so the pegasus had decided to make use of his 'natural gifts.'

 

"Alright, this song is called 'Good evening, Early bird.'"  He said, as much for Thunderbuck to know what to accompany with as for the audience.  It was an interesting song, in that the keyboard was magically tuned to sound like no actual instrument what it was being played.  It was softer and gentler than most music made in that way, though, and the gentle treble notes allowed for the flute notes to weave in an out, elevating the simple song into something grander...

 

"Good evening shuttle bus;
Tell me, where you gonna take us?
Someplace that I have never been?
Cheap transportation
To new destinations
Where I leave my reflection on the glass.

I'd ask but we don't know,
How far these dusty roads go,
Or how deep the cavern routes go down.
But these chilly sub-depth railways
With weathered concrete stairways
Provide me with a means of getting home,
If I ever leave.

 

So many sights to see,

So wake up like an early birdie,
And we'll get a head start on the day.
Oh, through stained glass skyways,
And crowded country byways,
If I look back when I begin to leave,
Will you remember me?

Streetlamp flames
Flicker by
And I am spent
And Tour Guides
Make Happy brides
For heaven soon.

Good evening shuttle bus,
Tell me where you gonna take us.

On crystal sands
We sleep head in hand,
While soothing words
Hover like humming birds."

 

https://youtu.be/NtVAVLvvXVo

[BeGoneThots]

CaramlCream smiled at the new pony. Approaching Naj she answered honestly. "its a keyboard. Its a neat instrument. Its like a piano but can also make different tones when you push other buttons."

As the sounds changed from the keyboard, the flute began to tweet softly and fillout the other parts. His pace matched easily.

CaramelCream smiled and looked up at Naj. "See, its a neat instrument." She began to sing along. Lifting her young voice to the music.

[RedCedar]

Red trotted happily back through the streets of Stalliongrad on his way home, a little earlier than anticipated. A bit of a snag with some misplaced or misdelivered equipment meant that there was little more that could be done besides standing around pretending to be able to do something, so the decision was made to cut all the workers loose for the day. Well, it would be sorted out tomorrow, anyway.

 

As he wandered through town, some of the familiar sounds of street performers filled his ears. They weren't that unusual in the city of course, at least when it was warmer, but even so they were always pleasant to hear. As it turned out, the performers he was hearing were on his route home, just off the street. The music was such that he paused at the edges of the crowd to listen a little longer, smiling and tapping his hoof.

 

Naj would love to see this, he thought to himself, remembering his fillyfriend's love of music, how she enjoyed listening to any new records he could get his hooves on, when she wasn't still going through his collection. That's when his gaze turned downwards toward the crowd, and one particular mare stood out from the rest, at least as much for her cyan mane against a black coat as for the recognition of those colours' meaning.

 

Trotting closer to the performance, he waited until the song was over before stepping up beside her. "What did you think?" he asked her with a smile, as much for her opinion as to announce he was there.

[DerpRavener]

Naj's attention was drawn upwards, toward a pegasus seated on a cloud.  After announcing his presence, he introduced himself as Sky Sailing, the unicorn musician as Thunderbuck, and a she hadn't spotted yet as Caramel Cream.  This was shortly before he revealed his own instruments and launched into song.

Naj honestly couldn't tell if she liked it or not.  It was unlike any music she'd heard yet, though that wasn't saying much, but she found herself somewhat entranced.  It had nice melody and a decent tempo, and she might have simply sat through the whole thing, to decide how much she enjoyed it if nothing else.

 

"its a keyboard. Its a neat instrument. Its like a piano but can also make different tones when you push other buttons." 

Naj jumped slightly, having not noticed the filly until now.  This must be Caramel Cream.

Naj stared at the instrument for a moment, as the beginnings of an explanation were offered.  Most instruments she'd seen had some obvious source of the sounds they produced.  “How does it work?”  she asked.  She didn't have time to listen to the whole answer before her attention was drawn away yet again.

 

"What did you think?"

“Red!”  Naj wrapped the earth pony in a quick hug, pleasantly surprised to find him here.  She didn't expect to see him for another few hours at least, when he got off work.  For that matter, she didn't expect to see him until she got home herself.  But she wasn't going to let this opportunity go to wait.After a few moments, she remembered where they were, and finally let him go.  "It's not bad.  Certainly interesting, but I think I'm still deciding."

She had almost forgotten she'd been talking to somepony.  “Oh!”  She'd forgotten to introduce herself to the filly.  “I'm Naj, and this is my coltfriend, Red Cedar.”  She turned back to Red.  “And this is Caramel Cream.”  Or so she thought, anyways.  This was Equestria, it was always possible that a random filly wandered out of the crowd to start explaining instruments.

[Blueblood]

“How does it work?"

 

Sky Sailing smiled at the question, quite pleased with how Caramel Cream was interacting with the audience.  Of all the touring trio, she was by far the most outgoing, and probably the easiest to engage with.  Of course, the technical questions might be a little over her head, but given that's where the pegasus himself was currently hovering, there was no risk of fumbling it.

 

"Oh, by magic."  Sky laughed softly at his own answer.  "There's um, a more complicated explanation, but it uses more words to say the same thing, like the pedants in the schools that get into your head and make your poetry into prose if you let them change your folly into wisdom..."  The stallion coughed; rambling again.  That's what insomnia cost you; coherency in speech.  Best to take those mental wanderings and chart them in the lyrics to dreamy songs, which was pretty much what he did.

 

The audience was beginning to grow now, at least by one.  Sky gave a little wave to Red, quite touched to see them as a couple.  Like most poets, he was something of an incurable romantic.  "Glad to meet you all.  Our next song's a little more traditional..."  He pulled out a guitar, leaving the keyboard to Thunderbuck.  "It's called 'Captains of the Sky.'  We all worked on it together, and this is actually the first time that anypony's heard it, except us.  World debut, hope you like it."

 

Unlike the last song, there was next to no intro.  Or rather, the first line was the intro, followed in turn by the chords of the guitar, and the notes of keyboard:

 

"Mid-air;

I woke up beneath the flight deck

Of our wall-paper's air-ship.

 

As you stared,

I strapped my helmet on,

And left this your front door behind.

 

Flutter all through the night

And we can pull the clouds around

This paper-hanger sky-line.

Summer smiled again,

And you can disappear,

But I'd rather be... here.

 

Dive-down,

We descended down the stair case,

And crashed to the kitchen floor.

 

So long,

Our flight of downy dreams,

Preened our soft paper wings.

 

Flutter all through the night

And we can pull the clouds around

This paper-hanger sky-line.

Summer smiled again,

And you can disappear,

But I'd rather be... here.

 

Hello down there!

The morning maiden sings

In the air;

Keeping the midnight stars held high.

We are captains of the sky,

Waving Goodbye!

 

Hello down there!

The morning maiden sings

In the air;

Keeping the midnight stars held high.

We are captains of the sky, 

Waving Goodbye!"

 

https://youtu.be/SlOQPOR8z7g

[BeGoneThots]

Buck caught on and began playing the keyboard, as well as a flute. His body swaying softly with the music. He loved it. It was glorious. and the crowd around them seemed to appreciate it. The sounds of music lifting the air around them. And as ponies enjoyed it. A few more bits made their way into the open case. There was no reason the stallion thought to stop playing. Not when his music could combine with others and make so many happy. 

 

CaramelCream had watched their mouths moving. She had read the words. "Pleasure to meet you sir! You both have such interesting names. What are your talents?" She smiled so happily. As the music began she felt the vibrations. And turned her head to watch. Typical foal, she was interested in so much. After a moment she looked back at the pair and smiled happily. But her eyes remained on their mouths, not their faces. 

 

Once Sky's song had ended. Thunderbuck placed his instruments away. He moved to his roommate and spoke. "Im going to get the old flute out... I think I got her fixed properly this time...." The flute in question was very old. And very worn out. While it could produce notes as clear and clean and sharp as any flute made today, the flute also had a unique piece. There were three extra buttons. Allowing it to draw out notes no modern flute could. And the quality of the sound was beyond anything mass produced. This flute had been crafted by hoof. And while after every performance it required so much repair and work to keep it together that a new one would be cheaper, Buck had refused to let it go. Always able to bring it back to life when it broke as he did with other instruments. 

 

From his cart he produced a small, wooden, old case. Setting it on the ground he opened it. Piecing the old flute together, he stood before the crowd. And then he did something he never did. Thunderbuck reached a hoof up slowly. Removing his mask. As he set it aside, many present gasped. Such a young stallion. He was no older than the average college colt. Probably younger. As he set the mask on the box be brought the flute up. This colt had a wild mane of silver and dark storm cloud gray. It was listed and curled and spiked in insane ways. As if he had slept on it wet and lived everyday with bedhead. He could hear a few gasps and whispers about hos young and wild he looked. How untidy his appearance was. And how it seemed impossible he was able to know so many instruments as well as he did. But as his eyes passed over the crowd, the murmurs died. His eyes were a glistening green color. As he let them lid, he brought the flute to his lips. A few test notes told him the flute was ready. the cold air made the metal and wood of the instrument hold tighter together. Firmly keeping it locked and ready. 

 

As he began to play, the sounds made Caramelcream pause and look. The song, though it had no words, was emotional. Full of uncertainty and fear. Buck felt most attuned to music when he conveyed his messages with it. His emotions and fears came through clear, and a few present began to cry with no idea why they were doing so. This song buck new so well. He had played it so many times before, but only on this flute could he bring out its true passion and power. It was as if the song itself allowed others to feel his uncertainty and anxiety around crowds. As if the song held power over the listeners. 

 

 

 

((the song he is playing is from an anime. here is the link if you want to listen. Dont pay attention to the images. Just listen to the music as you read my post. You should get how isolated Buck feels from other ponies.)) 

[RedCedar]

It was very hard not to linger in any hug Naj was giving him, as Red wrapped his hoof around her gently and held her close. These were the moments he loved, after all. Still, he understood when Naj let him go and then introduced him to Caramel Cream. "Pleased to meet you," he said, though he was then taken aback a little at Caramel Cream's intrigue at his name. He didn't think it was anything particularly unique - lots of ponies had names that had to do with trees or forests, really. Okay, he was fond of it, thinking it had a nice ring to it, but then maybe he was biased. "Well, I work with trees, as you might have guessed," he said, nodding to his cutie mark of three evergreens. "Although today there was a bit of a problem. Equipment got delayed en route, so, here I am!" he said, this time more as an explanation to Naj, after her visible surprise to see him there.

 

Red stood close by Naj as he listened to more of the works of the two musicians on the stage, much like Naj taking in what they were playing and swaying gently to some of it as he found parts that he could relate to rhythmically. It was different from some of his own tastes, but still made for a good listen, almost hypnotically relaying itself to the listener.

[DerpRavener]

This was the first time Naj had been complimented on her name.  For that matter, it was maybe the first time she'd heard somepony make specific mention of it, and it turned out to be positive.  Naj smiled, and was about to respond, but the filly continued, asking about their special talents.

 

Naj paused, the music fading to background noise for her.  Beside her, Red was able to answer the question fairly easily.  He had a special talent after all.

For Naj, it was a little more complicated.  Changelings didn't have special talents, at least not the way ponies did.  She'd even represented this by not having a cutie mark on her 'not-hidden disguise', and her species was something she was trying to be more open about.  Then again, not everypony was ready to meet a changeling face to face.  The last thing she wanted to do was scare a foal...

 

Red explained that he was here now because some equipment never made it to the work site.  Mired in thought, it took Naj a moment to realize the explanation was directed at her.  “...Huh?  Oh, that explains it.  Unfortunate.  But I'm glad to see you anyways.”

Looking at Red gave a small comfort, and a reminder.  She was trying to be more truthful, for all sorts of reasons.  She couldn't abandon that now.  She tried a gentler approach.  Naj looked back at Caramel Cream.  “I don't have a special talent.  My species doesn't get them.”  She idly scratched the back of her head with a hoof, anxious about this conversation.  “I'm not actually a pegasus.  I just look like one right now, because natural appearance scares ponies sometimes.”

[Blueblood]

This setup was anything but professional.  Both Sky and Thunderbuck were hardly more than amateurs, the former just having quit his day job, and the latter... actually, Buck probably never had a "day job" that didn't involve music in some capacity.  Still, public performances were new; to his Sky's knowledge, this was the first time he'd ever unmasked in front of an audience.  Seems practice made him more comfortable, or perhaps it was the presence of his niece.

 

In either case, the pegasus judged that this revelation would make a good cap of their first set.  "Hello Stalliongrad!"  The stallion had set aside his own instrument to call out to the crowd, though the soft tones of his voice indicated that yelling was not strong suit.  "We're glad you've all come here.  To be honest, this is our first tour, so any applause is appreciated.  If you like anything you've heard today, we've got a small run of vinyl-pressed EP's.  We won't be in town for long, so... um, enjoy the show while we're here!"

 

He settled back, smiling gently at the sound of applauding hooves scattered among the crowds.  Now was the time when requests might come in; Sky would do his best, but they audience would have better luck asking for kinds of songs than anything specific, at least from him.  As for Buck... well, he was doing well so far; Sky felt confident enough that he could handle his own introductions.

[BeGoneThots]

Caramelcream looked at Naj and tilted her head. With a soft smile she nodded her understanding. "Oh. Ok. I get it. You are a changling." She said in a soft whisper to avoid drawing attention.

She looked at Red and thought a moment. "Well if the equipment didnt come in, its not your fault." She was still young and when the songs finished she bowed to the pair. Returning to the cart, she came back out with a large basket of muffins she had baked. As she walked toward the crowd she began to pass them out.

Coming to Naj and Red she held up a pair of muffins to them. "Here for you." She smiled. Still watching their lips it was becoming evident she was not able to hear well. As she could only respond to what they said when she saw them speak.

Thunderbuck watched her passing out muffins. He smiled. She was a good filly. Always polite and smiling. She never let her disability stop her. As he began to pack away hos things he saw a few coming forward to purchase the EPs. He was nervous. This was a first for him. But he nodded to each in turn.

A total of fou EPs. He trotted to the cart. Picking out the EPs he headed back. Taking the bits politely. As the crowd began to disperse he looked at the case. Counting it in his head, he totalled 30 bits. Plus the four EPs. That was better than nothing. At least they could eat and rest well for a few days on this.

[RedCedar]

Red blinked a little in surprise, but then a broad smile crossed his face. Caramelcream figured it out. She got that Naj was a changeling, and it was okay with her. He breathed a sigh of relief. That had to be a first, he would have thought. "How about that?" he said quietly to Naj as the little filly went backstage. "We finally found somepony who figured it out on their own and didn't mind at all!" Red's smile stayed on his face long afterwards, happy in the thought that perhaps, slowly, some progress was being made.

 

He was interrupted from his train of though by being presented with a muffin. Smiling to Caramelcream, he said, "Thank you!" before turning to Naj and asking, "What do you think? Should I go pick up their record for later?"

[DerpRavener]

Naj's heart skipped a beat when Caramel Cream guessed her species, not completely calming down until the filly returned with muffins.  In many respects, this was exactly what she hoped would happen.  It was a sign of acceptance that a filly could realize what her species was and still be just as accepting.  But after what happened in Ponyville, Naj couldn't help be a little jumpy.  She looked around, catching a few wary looks from the closest ponies.  Whether it was due to how friendly and open Naj seemed, or if they simply didn't want to react in front of the filly Naj couldn't tell, but nopony leapt at or away from her.

"We finally found somepony who figured it out on their own and didn't mind at all!"

Naj chuckled a bit, and nodded as the tension she'd been feeling released.  “It's a good sign,” she agreed, and after a moment added “Stalliongrad seems like the place for me.”  Having been somewhat removed from the previous changeling attacks, will still a bit cautious the ponies of Stallion weren't quite as aggressive toward changelings as other places could be.  

 

Caramel Cream brought her and Red each a muffin.  Naj tried to refuse.  As a changeling, particularly a well fed changeling, she didn't need solid foods.  Didn't the filly know?  “Uhh thanks, but I don't...”  But the filly had already turned away, apparently not having heard her.  Naj watched the filly walk away for a moment, before shrugging, and nibbling at it.  She found it a little bland, particularly for something she didn't need to eat, but not bad.

 

"What do you think? Should I go pick up their record for later?"

Naj thought for a moment.  Her initial impressions of the music was that she wasn't sure what to make of it.  She hadn't been initially convinced that it was something she would enjoy.  But the more she listened, the more she found herself drawn into it.  Eventually she nodded.  “Yeah, I think that's not a bad idea.  It's a unique sound, if nothing else.”  She started to walk toward the unicorn selling records.  “Though, should I be the one to pay for it?”  She didn't need a whole lot, but she did live in Red's house now.  She did have her own income now, small though it might be, and she liked the idea of a way to contribute something.

[Blueblood]

It was true, nopony here had actually been at Ground Zero of any of the changeling invasions.  Or rather, if any were, none of them were making too big a deal out of it.  Sky could speak for himself in that he had never seen a changeling before, though given the sleep-deprived fog in which he lived his life, that statement could probably best be taken with a grain of salt.

 

So, the stallion only shrugged and smiled as Caramel Cream identified Naj as a changeling.  "Oh, she is?  I didn't know they had good taste in music.  Or maybe they don't, and we're just flattering ourselves."  And with a self-deprecating laugh, he reached behind the impromptu set to bring out a record for her.  "We can autograph those too for you, if you like.  That's the advantage of small print runs."

 

After having concluded the exchange, Sky Sailing stretched out his wings and hovered over the crowd.  All in all, the takings looked to be a pretty good today.  "How are you doing, Buck?"  He asked his fellow-musician.  "Feel up to taking a few requests?  We can't promise that we'll know a specific song, but we'll play one to match the mood you want."

[BeGoneThots]

Buck nodded. "I am up for a longer performance." He said softly. Moving to the cart he opebed the back door wide. He had a selection of instruments to choose from. Levitating out many he began to select several tjat were in best condition.

Caramelcream returned to RedCedar and Naj. Sitting before them she watched them talk. But her eyes always focused on their lips. Always watching the words. Not the face. It was becoming apparent, she was deaf.

[RedCedar]

“Though, should I be the one to pay for it?” Naj asked. It was an innocent enough question, but Red was starting to suspect there was a deeper meaning to it when she asked these sorts of things. After all, it wasn't like she took up much of, well, anything really, but that hive-living nature of hers meant she wanted to contribute and in Equestria, that usually meant sharing the expenses with whoever one lived with. Well, who was he to deny her that feeling of belonging. "You can if you like," he said. A smile crossed his lips afterwards as he remembered somepony saying the definition of marriage for music lovers was when they amalgamated their record collections.

 

As they approached the stage and Sky Sailing offered to autograph the record, as he had never heard of changelings enjoying music, he smiled again and nodded. "Well, she sure does." he said, "Or at least, she's giving a lot of different types a good listen to try and figure out her own tastes. Thank you!"

[DerpRavener]

Naj actually brightened up a bit when Red Cedar gave her the go-ahead.  She'd seen ponies argue about that sort of thing, though the debate was generally good-natured, which was something she still didn't fully understand.  She was a little relieved that Red was so willing to let her give something back.  She was also a little excited to be owning a record, even if she had to borrow a record player to use it.  No matter, the record and the player were shared between the two of them.

 

"Oh, she is?  I didn't know they had good taste in music.  Or maybe they don't, and we're just flattering ourselves."

Naj scratched the back of her head, admitting, “To be honest, music is sort of a new subject for me.  You two have some very unique sounds, though.”  She was a little caught off guard by such a casual attitude toward her species, but it was a pleasant change of pace, and simple enough to simply go with the flow.

Not really sure what an autograph was, the statement stumped her for a moment.  She quickly decided that in this context it wouldn't be something costly, and if it was on offer she saw no reason to refuse.  “...Uhh, sure!”  She replied after just a moment's hesitation.

 

Moment's later, with bits delivered and a signed record in-hoof, she took a few steps over to rejoin Red and Caramel Cream.  Having caught snippets of the conversation around her, a question came to mind, one that she was a little surprised she didn't think to ask before.  She turned toward the filly.  “So, what are your favourite kinds of music?”

[Blueblood]

The crowd didn't seem all that interested in throwing out requests.  Most, in fact, had turned their attention from the musicians to the changeling-pony couple in their midst.  Sky supposed he couldn't blame them; even where fear was absent, curiosity was bound to dominate the mind.  He himself watched Red and Naj's interplay with interest as he signed the record and handed it to her.

 

"Thank you."  He smiled at her mention of their unique sound.  "My dad always said that one of the best ways to be successful was to do what nopony else was doing.  He told me before I left home, 'There's a lot of good music in the world, so you've gotta have that something extra to be worth listening to.'"  The pegasus laughed softly at the memory, before turning back to Buck.  "So... what are we going to play next?"

 

"How about something for the happy couple?"  A voice called out of the crowd, to general laughter.  There was a sense of tension easing in the air.

 

"Sounds good to me!  How about you start us off, Buck?  I know you've been working on something a little special."

[BeGoneThots]

Buck paused. He bit his bottom lip softly. His compositions were not always good. He could mimic any musician. But his own creations lacked. At least in his own opinion.

He set up the key board. As he did, his drums settled beside him magically. Then a guitar floated next to him. "A..alright. here goes...join in when you want."

His hooves began dancing over the keys. It was a variation of a known song. Tweeked for different instuments and with a tribal twist by using Zebra tribal drums.

He hummed softly, waiting for the words to begin. He always though his voice was bad. But he sang anyway. He left time and space for his friend to join in. Hoping to make a decent duet of this.

"There's a calm surrender

To the rush of day.

When the heat of a rolling wind

Can be turned away..."

[Blueblood]

Hm, that was not quite what Sky had been expecting.  He knew the tune, luckily, but not the lyrics Thunderbuck had come up with for it.  Hence, joining in would make this more of a jam session than anything else.  

 

However, seeing Naj and Red standing close together... it was enough for the stallions mind to think in notes.  Out of the cloud of music in his mind came a song, joining in duet to the virtuoso playing melody in the street.

 

"Are you coming in

From the cooling night?

The rain will clean the earth

Before the moon shall shed it's light.

 

No more wars now,

no need to fight.

You're home with me now

And I can hold you tight.

 

When you turn to me now I hear you say:

'Peace is here for me and you.'"

 

Sky had decided to let Thunder take the lead on the refrain, as the last thing the pegasus wanted to do was a mid-song rewrite on on the unicorn.  Verses could be got through, but you had to sing the chorus repeatedly...

 

I'm not sure, but I think this may be the song you're going for?

https://youtu.be/FTQbiNvZqaY

[BeGoneThots]

Thunder alowed his pace a bit. Closing his eyes as he sang.

"And with the night.

The star will shine.

This sweet solitude.

The the peace of love.

Every moment i spend

With you is blessed.

And our mind at ease.

Simple thoughts

With the greatness

Of the crown of Equestria..."

His tone changes slightly. Enhancing certain tones. The softer slower ones. While easing back on the more poweful tones.

[RedCedar]

Red smiled as Naj returned with her new, and autographed, record. She certainly looked happy about it, too. "Can't wait to listen to it," he said to her softly. He looked on a little concernedly as Naj then asked Caramelcream about her favourite types of music. It might have been all right. He knew how some ponies who couldn't hear could still feel the vibrations of music, but it might have been an interesting revelation for Naj. If the hive was willing to exile changelings so easily, he wondered how they handled a member who turned out deaf.

 

Red was brought back to the moment, however, when the musicians' request for requests was answered with "How about something for the happy couple?" from somewhere. He wondered if his face turned any noticeably redder at that, but as the music started, he stood listening, slightly pressed up against Naj's side as they played.