viola-strum - Tumblr blog

[viola-strum]

Derailing worries

  The train ride from Canterlot is a quiet one, the party using the time to sleep and collect their thoughts. Silver Spoon is pretty excited, but slowly her enthusiasm visibly wanes and she starts fretting. It's not long before Viola notices and takes her role as mentor seriously, moving to settle by her. "What's wrong, Silver Spoon? You were so happy and excited all the way here." She regards her curiously. "I even sent Eris ahead to get the ball rolling on the party earlier." Said artifact is settling back in her mane, her message delivered.

 Silver Spoon struggles with what to say, not sure how she will view it. "I'm worried about my best friend." She sees Viola blink in surprise and confusion. : I know... Diamond Tiara isn't the most well-liked, but to me, she's been there for the most part and I was the same for her. I'm honestly terrified how she'll react to all this. My cutie mark, and a dream that she doesn't really have a part in."

  Viola is silent for a bit as she takes in her student's concern. "You're afraid she's going to do something even more stupid than Discord because she thinks she's losing you?" At Silver's nod, she sighs. "Given what I've seen of her and how well you know her, it's something to try and head off, agreed." She closes her eyes. "One option, not that I think she'll take it is to offer to have her join you."

  Silver just stares at her for a long moment before bursting into giggles. "Oh Luna, no, just no! She'd NEVER go for that." She laughs. "She believes herself the leading role in any situation, the one in charge." She sobers up a bit. "She'd never let herself be mentored by anypony that can't help her achieve that."

  Viola winces. "I certainly woul--Ouch!" She gives her student a stunned look, having just been kicked by her.

  "Don't even start. My mother wouldn't have picked you if she didn't recognize quality. You ARE a leader." She gestures to everypony in the group. "They follow your lead whether you realize it or not." Silver fumes before she sighs. "Having said that, I have to take back what I just said. I think that's a grand idea, you mentoring her." Vi's jaw drops. "Yes, I'm serious and going off what YOUR mentor told you, to help others blossom."

 "I don't... but... I'm going to be doing some dangerous stuff, whether I like it or not, and it's going to find me. I can't protect.." Viola tries to resist.

  "Yes, you can. I trust you after what I saw at the lake." Silver reassures her. "And you won't be alone." She indicates Fiddlesticks and Blacklin as the train's whistle sounds, indicating their arrival at Ponyville. "Now come on, teacher." She stands up and secures her new instrument. "Also... thank you for talking and taking it seriously."

  Vi smiles and nods. "I'm your mentor, it's what I'm supposed to do." The others smile at that as they join the crowd filing out of the train.... and Pinkie is there bouncing excitedly. She just grins and waves for them to follow before bouncing off. "Ah, it seems she did get the message." She smiles. "Well, onward to the party? We'll worry about your friend when the time comes." Silver nods to her and the group heads follows after the cheerful pink pony.

[viola-strum]

Revisiting the Music Man

  A little later, a bell jangles as Viola, Silver Spoon, and Octavia enter the music shop. This prompts Radiant Note to look up in surprise, recognizing their voice. "You're back a bit early, aren't you? This was supposed to be all weekend."

  Viola laughs. "We had...complications, you might say. Fortunately, they turned out to be good ones." She turns and gestures at somepony, and they enter, showing themselves to be Sonata. "This is Sonata Dusk, a songstress whose natural power is like my own. She'll be my teacher for the time being."

  Sonata's head whips around in surprise as she boggles at her, not expecting Viola to make this kind of offer. "Are you, like, for real with that?"

  "Yes, I think, well, you wouldn't feel right just being the one gaining all the experience, would you?" Vi tells her, the bemused stallion watching the exchange with interest.

  "N-no, but.. I know I sound like a broken record, but the level of trust, like, totally baffles me." Sonata ends up repeating.

  "My dear, you and Viola are two peas in a pod, and this amuses me greatly." Radiant Note cuts in smoothly. "She has trouble believing in her own worth, much as you seemingly do so." He grins widely at that. "So it makes me very happy to see her doing something like this as it means she has a chance to push past her own mentality while she's shoving you through yours." He ignores the cross look Vi is giving him and snorts. "Ah ha! I certainly see more proof that she is growing past it. The little one she brought in has a beautiful cutie mark now. My congratulations to you, Silver Spoon."

  Silver Spoon is bouncing in place now as the attention switches to her. "T-Thank you, thank you! It was amazing! Those two were beautiful together, even if it seemed too short a song. It touched me, and I REALLY wanted to be able to do the same thing in my own way. They even got that spooky conductor and his marefriend to give up his reward." She blinks as the stallion stumbles and crashes to the ground in his shock. "Um... Mr. Radiant.. are you all right?"

  "You... you..." Radiant's jaw is hanging open as he tries to process what he's hearing.

  Viola smiles gently as she produces one of the prized instruments that Still Waters had been known to have, and her smile actually grows in true pride. "Yes. This is my first real achievement, something I DID do on my own skill."

  Fiddlesticks, who can still hear things even from outside, opens her mouth to object and gets whacked by Beauty Brass. The brunette gets an offended look and ignores it while shaking her head, hissing at the country pony. "This is a milestone for her, let her have this one as she finally admitted she has worth on her own terms." This gets a wide-eyed look from the bluenette who stops her looks of protest.

  Radiant gets to his feet, beaming with pride now. "That.. Superbly done, my dear, superbly done. I'm so very proud of you. All of you." He steps over to the presented instrument and gazes at it in awe. "Yes.. yes I recognize these." He clears his throat and turns to Silver Spoon. "Consider your trombone yours, free of charge." He pauses. "You can pay me back by following through on your new dream to the best of your ability and let this old stallion enjoy your future performances, young filly." Silver just squees and hugs him for it.

  "That's a promise! I don't want to let my mistress and mother down!" Silver exclaims, beaming brightly and proudly.

  Radiant turns his attention back to Viola. "And you.. Viola, keep pushing forward. You're on the right track. Focus on helping others blossom, and you'll find yourself becoming all the better for it. I think that's where you'll find your self-esteem. Your music is meant to inspire and lift others up." He gestures to Sonata. “She and Silver BOTH are a good example of this.”

  Viola has a strange look on her face and just nods, though they're jarred out of the mood by a cry of exasperation.

  "FINALLY somepony gets through to her." This and the earlier cry had come from her while her twin just hoofpalms in embarrassment. Radiant Note and the others break out in laughter. 'What? It's the truth!" She makes a face at that.

  "Too true, perhaps, but for some it just takes time to break through the walls." Radiant snorts. "Now then... I think the moment of levity and sage advice is well and truly past. This old stallion thanks you for coming by and sharing your success, but he does have a business to run." He smiles. "And you have a celebration to plan, I'm sure." He indicates Silver Spoon. "The young filly seems quite eager, so run along now!" He laughs when Silver gives him another hug and runs out of the shop at his urging. "You stay in touch. I'll be waiting eagerly for further news!" He bids them farewell as Vi packs up the instrument and nuzzles him tenderly before they move out. "They grow up so fast." He says quickly as they vanish around the corner.

[viola-strum]

Plans, Detours, and Foreshadows

 Dead silence continues to linger, even after the ghost and his love vanish beneath the waves. After a long moment, the silence is broken by Viola Strum bursting into laughter. At their puzzled look, she decides to explain if only briefly. "More expectations." She raises a hoof before her sister can interject. "It's just bemusement at my life, but at least it's something I truly earned for myself this time." That straighten draws a startled laugh from Beauty Brass, causing Viola to smile slightly. Her horn glows as her magic envelops the handles of the instrument cases and they rise, following her as she trots over to the giddy Silver Spoon. "Of course, the bigger winner is Silver Spoon here with her precious cutie mark." She smooths out the filly's mane with a hoof. Silver tries to swat away the offending hoof, embarrassed slightly by the action.

 "Ha, darn tootin, sis!" Fiddles whoops at that, trotting in place. "Let's get back to the cabin and celebrate!" She points there, but blinks when Viola shakes her head. "Eh...? Why not?"

 Viola points to the cabin. "Let's pack up and get started back down the mountain first before we talk any further." Fiddles starts to object, but Octavia bumps her shoulder and mouths no. The fiddler lets out a huff but backs down.

 The happy group retreats to the cabin and tidy up after packing, before they're soon on their way down the mountain. Blacklin takes wing  to scout out inbound trouble, returning or otherwise. It's not long before Beauty Brass speaks up. "Mind telling us why we're rushing out of here? We still have a good part of the weekend. I can certainly understand Fiddles' irritation."

 "One, it's a bit too dangerous here right now with one close call as it was." Lyra cuts in before Vi can answer. "Two, a party here would definitely draw in more than just some music." She taps her chin in thought. "Three, we can hold off till we get back to Ponyville because well, we got three big things worth celebrating." She points at Sonata, the instrument cases, and Silver Spoon here.

 "Certainly valid on all three points, my dear." Octavia chimes in. "Every filly deserves to have that special cuteceneara with their friends around, after all." She nods to Silver Spoon. "Plus a welcoming party for young Sonata here. To top it off, Viola and her achieving a century-old challenge? They deserves to be celebrated for such a personal achievement of their own merit."

 Sonata stares at them in disbelief. "You're serious." At the mares' nods, she just boggles before something else registers. "For that matter, you don't even seem surprised or worried about what I am?" She actually seems worried.

 Lyra throws a hoof around her neck. "Some of us already knew, and even with that, I don't give a hoot. We'll deal with your past if that comes back around, but as far as we're concerned, you have doubts about what you did back then, and that's enough for me." The others nod in agreement.

 "We're pretty forgiving and you haven't even tried anything with us yet."  Beauty Brass adds, causing Sonata to shake before wiping her face. Viola taps Eris and and indicates she should cut the feed for now. The little one nods before the scene fades out.

 When the feed comes back on, the group is back in Canterlot and taking a detour through the residential section, much to Silver Spoon's confusion. "Miss Viola? Why are we detouring now? We were going to the music store then home!" She's almost.. ALMOST whining in frustration.

 Lyra giggles. "Take it easy there, we're just checking on an old friend of mine." She's glancing at the mailboxes as they pass. "She dropped out of contact about a month ago. I thought she was busy with one of her new spells, but... usually she'd have come up for air by now and sent us updates on her life, plus with her sister Trixie in Ponyville, I figured she'd want to know." She stops short and stares. The others turn to see what stunned her and see a house that's starting to look a bit rundown. "What in Luna's name?"

 Beauty Brass tilts her head. "Not sure what the problem is. You said she got a little caught up in her work, didn't you?"

 "But to let things go this badly? She at least had yard workers!" Lyra groans. "It's like she did a full reversion to what she was like BEFORE she got her confidence!" She marches up to the door and bangs on it. "Moondancer! Are you in there?! There's no newspapers!" She pauses and her magic opens up the mailbox. "AND there's no mail, so I KNOW you're in there!" There's dead silence for a good long while and finally Lyra huffs, spotting a flash of purple out of the corner of the window.

 Sonata speaks up. "I think she's in there?" Her eyes widen as she thinks she sees something else. 'Her? Why is.. was that .. her? No. You're just seeing things.' Sonata frowns. "She's ignoring you?"

  Lyra frowns as she considers before she stomps her hoof. "Fine. Maybe you're upset about Twilight not showing up for your party? You probably think her work took priority over friendships?" She paces back and forth in front of the door. "I think you're wrong about that. You're two peas in a pod, you know. When you're focused on something, everything else just fades out. Twiley's just in a long term project, that's all." She pauses before muttering. "Though she can't even remember the one living near her."

 The others share a look at this, Beauty Brass opening her mouth to object, but Viola's hoof on her shoulder stops her. "Lyra doesn't get worked up that often, so this must be serious. She values her friendships highly, you know." Brass winces and nods.

 Lyra shakes it off and thumps the door. "However, that doesn't excuse YOU for shutting everypony else out though, including your sisters! Things are strained enough with Trixie feeling inadequate and stuck in your shadow. Now you're ignoring her and your other friends! You're being no better!  Chew on that, why don't you?" She huffs and marches down the walkway and pauses at the gate, before glancing back. "I better get a letter from you or I'll be back with reinforcements. Oh, and for the record, Trixie's finally started getting the friendships and respect as a result of her own merits. The least you can do is acknowledge her efforts. You're the one she admires the most after all!" She deflates after all that and still getting nothing. "Come on. Looks like this was a waste of time." Lyra just hangs her head and takes off, leading the others to the music store.

[viola-strum]

A Song from the heart

(Mod’s Note: Oh man, I am back! I don’t know who is even still paying attention, but... I finally broke through my writer’s block after nearly a year....again. To those of you still here, thanks for not unfollowing. I should hopefully be far more consistent now that I’ve got it back.)    The two mares look at each other in surprise for a long minute before Sonata just shrugs. She settles back, looking on expectantly as Viola rises to the challenge. Vi assumes her stance and after a deep breath, breaks into a rather harsh melody, catching the blue-coated singer by surprise. Sonata shakes her head and listens a moment before humming and breaking into song.

(Sonata)

My friends I've not been honest, Intentions far from the best. I came seeking treasure To take back what I lost.

A creature of the deep, that is what I am We sing our song steeped in disharmony But yet I have seen, traveling through the land Possibility that there could be so much more.

(Viola)

A path I can understand, a road I've started traveling I worry if our power should be honed or left alone A burden that we share which can either mend or rend People always pushing towards one goal or another

A mare of untold potential, I'm told that's what I am Everyone thinks I'm special, they tell where I can go But is that truly what I want, to just go with the flow? The choice is mine, but am I truly free?

(Chorus)

I want to be more than expectations Not to yield to others' suggestions. Want to reach for my own dreams and desires.

A creature born to cause strife and division A mare to be molded to her father's machination We just want to rise above it all.

(End)

 The two break off, shaking off the daze as they frown. Vi looks at her instrument then at Sonata. "We're revisiting that song again. It doesn't feel complete, but..I don't have the words yet."

 "That's because you're at the start of the journey." Fiddles can't help herself and skips forwards to confront them. "Hold on just a moment, sis. Ah have to say my piece. There's a whole different tune to the hopes we've all placed on you." Fiddles tilts her head, considering her next words."It's okay to doubt, Ah know how it is to be hit with everypony's ideals. Heh, you need to take your own advice with that, you know? Thing is, anything we ask of you, we gave you that choice. Yes, even Celestia, she would have understood if you'd declined the task she'd given you. Besides, even if you fail, we'll be there to pick you up and help you keep going." Lyra, Octavia, and the others others nod in agreement. "

 Lyra speaks up next, looking at Sonata. "I don't know what you've done before, but I don't think you're that way now. If you're that unsure if you can, you're welcome to come back with us. We'll put you up and let you have a taste of our lifestyle." Sonata has a stunned look on her face and it's all she can do to nod.

 "Bravo, my dears, bravo!" Still Waters reminds them of his presence as he settles down in front of them. "That is what I had hoped to see. I'm very nearly convinced you are the one to inherit my legacy." Vi looks surprised to hear this before there's a squee from off to the side, drawing the attention of everypony to the bouncing filly.

 "My cutie mark! My cutie mark!" Silver's happy cry alerts them to the presence of her new mark, the slider of her trombone overlaid by a bass clef. "Still Waters was right! That was incredible! That.. I want to learn play music like that, show that kind of passion!" She runs over to Viola and beams up at her. "I wasn't sure before, but now I want to do this, I want to make this a big part of my life."

 Still Water pauses as he takes in the group congratulating the little filly, and comes to a decision. "It is decided! All of you, together you can see my dream come true I believe. With Viola Strum as your leader or not, you will go far, reawaken the magic of song in ponies' hearts. As such, my legacy is yours." All around him instruments start appearing, the mares gasping as they recognize them as the same ones that appear around the academy. Each one floats to their respective new owners, with the unused ones settling down by Viola. "Find yourself kindred spirits for the rest of those. I leave it in your capable hands." He bows deeply. "Thank you.. and when you have found your peace, I wish for you to come back and play for me and my beloved." He smiles warmly, the kappa-like water horse bobbing her head as well. "Farewell for now." The pair retreat and soon vanish back under the surface of the lake, leaving a speechless group in their wake.

[viola-strum]

Out of the Watery depths...

  The next morning dawns and the smell of coffee coax most of the occupants out of their various sleeping spots. Vi looks particularly wiped out as she and Sonata are leaning against each other while waiting for the mugs to be put in front of them.

 “Looks like someponies didn’t go to sleep when they should have.” Fiddlesticks teases her sister with a smile. “Was the talking that engaging..?” She looks at the sleepy pair curiously.

 “I guess it was, sis.” Vi cracks a huge yawn before sipping at her fresh mug. “Sonata and I had a lot to talk about honestly. We didn’t even realize it was that late till Ponyflea told us good night!”

 “Well… *Yawn* At least the talk was good for both of us.” Sonata chimes in. “I told her a bit about my background and life and she shared her story.” Sonata looks conflicted about something briefly, doubt showing before it’s gone in the blink of an eye.

 Octavia looks between the two of them before casting a worried look at Fiddlesticks. “Well, I’m certainly glad you’re getting along well. Viola really does need friends outside of her family, Sonata. So if you would be hers, I think we all would like that.”

 Sonata blinks at her questioningly before looking at Viola. It takes her a few minutes to actually work through that before realizing why that was asked. “You… don’t have friends?”

 Fiddlesticks snorts. “Not really that many. At least not many that she can count on in a pinch. I think the lot of us here is all that she has. Though I think she’s starting to gain them in Ponyville.”

 Octavia sets out the available food. “Enough of that, let’s all eat and head out to practice, all right?” She shushes them and settles in to eat herself. 

~~~

 About an hour later, when everyone is fed and ready for the day, they head out to the lakeside. As they settle by the shore, Beauty scans the lake. “It’s so beautiful here, I mean just look at it!” She gestures a hoof at the area. “For a final resting place this is certainly a prime place. Peaceful, relaxing...”

 “…and I would add to that, the dwelling of the lovely water spirit that stole my heart as much as I stole hers with my music.” A new voice, one with a deep reverb to it, rumbles out. “Ahem, I thank you for taking this challenge seriously and respecting my wishes. It’s rather refreshing to watch ponies prepare for it.”  As one, the group turns to see where the unknown voice is coming from, seeing a ghostly stallion dressed in a performer’s outfit, standing on the water watching them. Several of the mares’ jaws drop in shock before letting out shrieks, their owners choosing to dive behind the veteran fighters.

  Blacklin cranes his head around to look behind him at Lyra and Beauty Brass, while Fiddles finds Octavia behind her. The gryphon can’t help but chuckle at Lyra. “Still a bit rattled by last night huh?” He gets a smack from the minty unicorn for his troubles.

 Silver Spoon points a shaking hoof at the specter from where she’s shivering behind her new mentor. “You… you’re… but that’s not possible! You are very much dead! Ghosts don’t exist!”

 “Well, my dear, that’s quite the observant eye you have, Miss Silver Spoon.” The translucent pony chuckles to himself as he glides over the water towards them. He’s soon joined by another pony breaking the surface, this one seems normal at first glance, but this one has an unearthly beauty about her as she swims towards the shore.  The visitors tense up slightly as they come ashore, and the mare is fully revealed as she comes up out of the water.  Immediately it’s apparently she’s no normal pony. Her eyes are partly closed and guarded as she regards them, peculiar black eyes barely visible as a result. Her flowing aqua-green mane is draped over a shell-like saddle on her back. “Well met, young musicians and guardian.” He gives Blacklin a courteous nod. “I, as the young filly surmised, am none other than Still Waters, and this is my dearest lady of the lake, my love, otherwise known as Babbling Wake.”

 “It’s… The legends were REAL?” Lyra looks shocked from where she’s hiding. “I thought that was just a hazing story by the graduates!” She shakes her head. “I know what I said about the mysterious instruments that seek out the depressed and all, but really?” She catches sight of the pleased look on Still Waters’ face. “Oh you have to be joking, I was RIGHT about that?”

 “After the crazy stuff I’ve seen in one adventure back in Ponyville, I honestly can’t be surprised, Lyra.” Viola says to the others. “Well met, Still Waters, sir. Have you been watching us then?” She gently tugs Silver Spoon out from behind her, prompting the others to come out from behind their shields as well, though they’re understandably wary.

 “I have indeed and I’ve been enjoying your music as well. The prospects this year have been quite promising I must say. You’re not the first from your year to come, you know.” He rubs his chin, thinking. “Though all have fallen short so far, I have to admit. I’ve started to lose hope that what I discovered has truly been lost.” The mare shifts slightly and bumps him. “Ahem, my apologies, my dear wishes me to get to the point, it seems. All of you show great potential, especially the twins there.” He nods to Fiddlesticks and Octavia. “There’s a passion there burning deep that has yet to surface, but you’re not quite there yet.” He turns to Viola and Sonata. “You two however… I wish to hear you again. I want you to give song and voice to your worries from last night.” The two jolt at that and stare at him in shock. “Yes, you heard me. I make no apologies for listening, but I simply had to understand you both, what burdened you.” He settles down next to his love. “Now then, young Silver Spoon, I understand the world of music is very new to you? Open your ears and listen. I believe you’re about to see something that’ll change your world.”

[viola-strum]

Small talk?

 Eris appears on the coffee table quietly and settles down, thankfully having gone unnoticed. She just wants to listen to what’s going on around her. A quick glance shows her Blacklin hasn’t returned yet and Silver is animatedly talking to Beauty Brass about the lesson. Lyra and Octavia are quietly conversing on the couch with Fiddles, and the hushed nature of the discussion is enough to make her curious. She flicks an ear and focuses on that particular conversation, betting it’s regarding the now confirmed Siren.

 “I must confess I’m a little concerned about the rest of this mini-vacation. It’s supposed to be a relaxing get-away and hopefully a successful bid at Still Waters’ legend.” Octavia murmurs, looking at her sister and friend. “Instead we have an unexpected guest that’s slightly suspicious given the brief meeting you and Vi had, and then a monster shows up.” She pauses at the deadpan look she gets from the two. “Granted, the latter was expected due to where we are.” The grey pony shakes her head. “Still, can you at least assure me that this isn’t going to blow up into a major ordeal, sis?”

 Fiddlesticks shrugs. “Reckon Ah can’t make promises, sis. Ah suspect Vi has it well in hoof right now.” The country pony nods towards the closed door. “So we can jes’ focus on the reason we came.” She glances at Lyra. “We can relax once that feathered varmint comes back from doing his job really. What Ah’m more concerned about is our new sister’s confidence and self-esteem. It’s absolutely a wreck.”

 Lyra blinks in surprise. “Are you kidding me, Fiddlesticks? How can you be saying that after all she’s gone through? She dared brave the Everfree forest to go after fillies she didn’t even know and stood up against that Sombra even after being nearly killed. There’s also the fact that she’s willing to go on patrol against those timberwolves.” The minty one just stares at them. “She’s always had confidence when it came to helping us in the university too!” She huffs. “Tell me, where exactly are you coming up with this confidence issue?” She crosses her forelegs and waits for Fiddles’ response and Eris is leaning forward, wanting to know about her master as well.

 Fiddles sighs and lowers her hat over her eyes, much like her cousin does when broaching a heavy subject. “Lyra, Ah guess you haven’t been able to reconnect with Vi as well as you’d like, or you’d have noticed already. It definitely ain’t a matter of whether she can or can’t with that mare. Get mah back to the wall and there ain’t a mare Ah’d rather have in a pinch more than her or AJ. That’s the problem though, when she doesn’t have time to think, she’s absolutely fantastic.”

 Octavia tilts her head. “It’s like pre-show jitters then?” She glances at the door, wondering. “That doesn’t sound like her at all.”

 “Heh, except amplified like crazy, Sis. Ah blame those music snobs and her parents among other things.” Fiddles sighs and forges on. “Give her time to stew and she can easily convince herself she’s not near good enough to meet the level of expectations the rest of us see her at.” She holds up a hoof. “Ah know she can, we all do. It’s just she’s been taking hits to her self-image from the day she graduated.” She grimaces. “The graduation concert, the who’s who of music and connected circles shunning her, her PARENTS kicking her out and later disowning her, that all added up over time.” She takes a breath and continues. “What you didn’t hear of the Sombra incident is that she tried to take him on and he turned her magic back on her, controlling her instead.” Both Lyra and Octavia gasp at that, eyes shrinking to near pinpoints in shock, causing Fiddlesticks to nod. “That was the major blow, honestly.”

 Lyra shakes her head. “But… but…” She takes a deep breath. “She’s done just as much good! She stopped the Windigos, helped Twilight break the spell on Sunset Shimmer, AND made that final push on that fear spirit. She’s done a lot of good overall.”

 “Ah wish Ah could say why, but Ah can’t?” Fiddles frowns a bit before wondering. “Ah reckon if she completes this task the princess gave her on her own, that could do the trick to healing her. If she can do it on her own, even better.” Lyra is about to ask what task it is when the front door opens and a very ruffled gryphon pads inside.

 “Blacklin, you made it back safely!” Lyra calls out, hopping off her perch to dart over to the catbird. “Sir, I owe you something for that save, so please accept it.” With that, she leans forward and gives him a kiss before sauntering back, calling over her shoulder. “That is certainly a knight’s reward, don’t you think?”

 Eris falls over laughing at the expression adorning Blacklin’s face, though she quickly regains control and shifts to Ponyflea as he hops up and down in worry. “Ya okay, Blacklin?” That question is pretty much on everypony’s mind evidently as they’re all looking at him, causing him to snap out of his shock.

 Blacklin clears his throat, embarrassed. “No damage, ladies. That monster won’t be finding us again. I made sure of that.” He smirks at the questioning looks. “It’s simple enough. I led him rather far away from this place before putting him to sleep with sleeping gas.” He indicates a small belt and pouch on his person. “Exploding gas pellets guaranteed to put anything to sleep. Once he was asleep, I was able to get back here without issue.” There’s a wry grin on his beak and answers the unspoken question. “I may dabble in alchemy during my spare time.”

 Fiddles nods in approval. “Well, looks like Eris was right to have you come aboard as Vi’s trainer. Not bad, Blacklin, you’re not bad at all!” Blacklin tries to wave it off as it wasn’t a big deal.

 Humanflea is still present and speaks up to get another question answered. “Blacklin, what kind of monsters have you fought before? Most fearsome?”  

 Blacklin considers that, aware that they’re still focused on him. “Well, only two kinds really outside of the timberwolves from the Everfree. The first is probably the most well-known to anypony that knows gryphon history. They’re called cyclops, half-mountain goat, half-mountain gorilla that seem to have some unknown rivalry with our race. Those one-eyed nutcases are constantly going after any particularly valuable artifacts we hold.” He shakes his head. “I’ve dealt with one or two when I was in the fields testing my creations.” He taps his beak thinking how to follow it up. “The only other creature of note is the crocotta.” He shudders. “Nasty things that I do NOT want to describe since I’m sure you want to sleep sometime soon. I’ll just say this; they’re like bigger and nastier hyenas. They’re tricksters that prey on the weak and know no fear. THAT so far is the most fearsome creature I’ve seen so far.” He pads over and flops down on the nearest free spot available. “So someone fill me in on what I missed?”

  “Just the lesson. Now that you’re back, I believe it’s time we went to bed, everypony.” Octavia declares. “Tomorrow promises to be quite eventful in a GOOD way.” That gets several nods and they wander off to wherever they’re bunking for the night, hopefully to pleasant dreams.

[viola-strum]

Heart to Heart

 Sonata's pleading explanation rocks Vi back in her chair, leaving the violist silent. It's all she can do to take in the teary-eyed pony before her, wondering why she's that anxious for what she's suggesting to be true. Eventually, Vi shakes off her daze and relocates from the chair to the bed, drawing the teary pony into an embrace. “Sonata? What...? I mean, why is this so important to you?”

 Sonata leans into Vi’s offered hug, grateful for the gesture as she wipes away her tears. “Do you know what it's like?” She stares off into nothing as she speaks. “Having power and then having it all stripped away? I've never been a leader. I'm not smart enough to be. I've always followed, always done whatever I had to for the sake of my survival and power.”

 Vi turns her head slightly to gaze at her. 'That means there's others, but then I knew that already.' She considers the question. “Well, I know what it's like to feel helpless in the face of those far more powerful.” She shakes her head. “I've never had power TO wield, despite what you might think.”

 Sonata frowns, hearing that. “It's not just the powerlessness.” She bites her lip. “It’s your culture, everything we've seen. It's so...” She trails off and shrugs helplessly.

 Vi takes a moment to try and figure out what she’s implying. “Different? From what Starswirl left behind, you three reveled in causing in-fighting and gaining power from the emotions fueling it, right?” She pauses, treading carefully at the wary look she’s now getting. “Sonata, please don’t panic, but I already guessed who you were. You trusted me with your secret, so I want to be open about mine.” She indicates the journal. “You weren’t the only ones thrown forward. That’s a matching pair to a journal Starswirl has.” She tightens her hug, keeping Sonata firmly planted. “I’d already been compared to a Siren before now.” She sighs. “I was with Princess Celestia trying to understand what exactly my powers are when we found that thing.” Sonata looks increasingly worried now. “Starswirl left a message and warning that you three were on the loose still with your powers intact and a request for her to basically handle it.”

“Well, that was obviously a lie.” Sonata huffs in response, annoyed in spite of her worry. “He pretty much ruined us! Breaking our power so badly we can barely defend ourselves!”

 Vi shakes her head at Sonata’s protest. “Well, it could be that or he didn’t want to admit that he royally messed up to somepony he considers a peer. Powerful ponies and their pride, you know?” She smiles wanly. “Now here comes the part you might not like. Princess Celestia, in all her infinite wisdom, decided to give the job of dealing with the Sirens to me.” That gets a strangled squeak out of the former siren.  “What do you mean, deal with us?” Sonata looks panicked as she tries to get away. “You… how could you… you were playing me all along?!”

 Vi hangs on. “Sonata, hang on! I told you, didn’t I? Think! What would I gain from doing that?” She keeps a grip on to her new friend. “I have zero plans on doing anything, especially not after getting to know you, Sonata!” Her words manage to get through and the siren calms somewhat, though she’s still tense.

 “How can I trust you? I mean, why would I?” Sonata speaks meekly, the tears pooling again as her stress peaks.

 “I wish I could offer proof, but I honestly just came here to have a good time with my friends. I didn’t bring anything that would prove my sincerity other than open honesty.” Vi sighs. “Maybe if we finish what we were talking about, we can reach some kind of agreement?” Sonata cautiously nods, so Vi relaxes her grip. “So, back to what I was saying before I spilled the beans. You reveled in chaos, so you've never actually watched the ponies when they're working together in harmony, seen what they like and do?”

 Sonata grimaces. “Why would we? It wasn't our way. Our way was chaos. We couldn't gain power from positivity.”

 “Couldn’t gain power from positivity?” Vi frowns. 'She's calming down at least, but I don’t know enough about sirens to say for sure if this is true.' “As far as I go, I don't... I've never gotten a boost from the results of my power, either positive or negative."

 Sonata shakes her head, calming down now that she’s on more familiar ground. “It’s instinctive yes, using the power. It’s another to actively absorb it. You have to learn to tap into it basically. If I’m right, you would have had a crystal like mine.”

 Vi frowns. “Sonata... I'm not…” She stops and tries again. “Is this just about getting your power back? Are you looking to escape your current leader?" She frowns slightly. “Just being powerless isn’t enough to cause that sheer desperation I saw.”

 Sonata winces. “Adagio Dazzle, she's... cruel.” She doesn’t seem ready to say more on that.

 "....." Vi shifts so she's facing Sonata. "Are you just now realizing this? I mean, after traveling among the good-natured ponies and seeing just how different they are?"

 Sonata nods, letting out a breath. “She calls them weak, pathetic.” She stares at the door leading to the living room. “Easy prey, you know?” She shakes her head and shivers. “But I saw what they were capable of when working together.”

 Vi glances at her burned foreleg. "The only reason I'm still alive in my case. I can attest to that."

 Sonata shudders. “I was there during that incident, I heard your music and felt the magic in it, but at the time, I didn’t know who it was.” She admits. “I think that’s when I started to realize and hope.” She looks away. “As for breaking away, I'm not sure if I can say anything to her...not without...”

 Vi offers. "Not without somepony to be there as support?" She sees Sonata flinch and shake her head.

 “No, she'll see it as weakness.” Sonata winces on admitting that.

 Vi looks confused then. “Then what do you expect from me?"

 Sonata frets at that. “I…” She looks lost for words only to look up as Vi places a hoof on hers.

 Vi smiles warmly at her. "I don't think I'm what you want me to be, but…" She pauses and continues. "Maybe I can be what you need, if you can trust me." She stares into Sonata’s eyes. “Honestly, I don’t know what the princess expects of me when she says to deal with you, but she’s given me free reign on the matter.” Her smile dims. “I’m scared to death of the expectations everypony is having of me because of a fluke.” She waves her healing foreleg to emphasize the point. “Broken record, but I barely survived the first time on sheer luck. Everypony I know expects me to be somepony I’m think I’m not.”

 Sonata looks surprised at the admission and offer. “You… I don’t think anypony’s ever been that open and honest with me before, not even them… well, unless you count what they think of my silliness.” She tries to smile briefly before going on. “I’ll try and trust you, Viola.”

  “Thank you, now I do have some questions. When you say you can’t gain anything from positive energy, have you never tried it yourself or just accepted what Adagio told you?”

  Eris decides to give them their privacy and pops away, unnoticed by either.

[viola-strum]

(Reblogging as I did it ridiculously late.)

Shaken not Stirred.

 The noise of the door slamming draws the attention of the cellist, prompting her to leave the living room and enter the kitchen to check on the situation. On seeing the shaken pair, she has to ask. “What happened to the two of you? You look like you had the life scared out of you.” Octavia looks concerned, and her expression only worsens when she spots Eris shivering in Lyra’s mane. “Oh dear, is there a monster out there or something?”

 “Oh we definitely know it’s a monster.” Sonata speaks up, glancing at the door. “We’re totally fine, too. Thankfully that Blacklin guy buzzed it. It forgot about us and chased after him instead. I think that was the plan, to get it away from us and the cabin.”  Eris finally recovers enough to hop over to the table and takes on Humanflea’s appearance once again. “How secure IS the cabin? If it’s just wood, then it won’t last long to an angry centicore.” He honestly looks worried, glancing towards the door as if said beast was on their heels.

Keep reading

[viola-strum]

Shaken not Stirred.

 The noise of the door slamming draws the attention of the cellist, prompting her to leave the living room and enter the kitchen to check on the situation. On seeing the shaken pair, she has to ask. “What happened to the two of you? You look like you had the life scared out of you.” Octavia looks concerned, and her expression only worsens when she spots Eris shivering in Lyra’s mane. “Oh dear, is there a monster out there or something?”

 “Oh we definitely know it’s a monster.” Sonata speaks up, glancing at the door. “We’re totally fine, too. Thankfully that Blacklin guy buzzed it. It forgot about us and chased after him instead. I think that was the plan, to get it away from us and the cabin.”  Eris finally recovers enough to hop over to the table and takes on Humanflea’s appearance once again. “How secure IS the cabin? If it’s just wood, then it won’t last long to an angry centicore.” He honestly looks worried, glancing towards the door as if said beast was on their heels.

 “I wouldn’t worry too much. You might be right about the wood not holding up against that creature, but it seems like Blacklin knew exactly what he was doing.” Lyra comments as she stirs the spoons in the darkening milk.  “I’m just glad he was there, period. Octavia, like Sonata said, we’re fine, just a little rattled.” She quickly relates what happened to the worried Earth pony before setting the warm drinks in front of herself and Sonata.  “Honestly, I think that gryphon’ll be fine, but he better get his tail back in one piece so I can thank him for the save.”  Octavia smiles warmly, now that she knows things are all right. “Easy to forget this world of ours is dangerous, isn’t it?” She’s speaking softly, though it probably isn’t necessary as the lesson seems to be over.  “I really wish it wasn’t, and understood why, but the best we can do is stay on our hooves.”  Sonata sips away at her drink and hums.  “You may not know, but somepony has to, right?” She snags her drink, eyes following Viola as she retreats to the bedroom. “Excuse me.” She makes her way after the violist, causing the others in the kitchen to glance at each other. “She approaches the door and knocks. “Viola, can we talk? I don’t think I want to wait.”  Vi is jolted out of her thoughts and looks up from where she’d laid Celestia’s magical journal, absently noting Eris’ appearance on her desk. “What, is that you, Sonata?” Her quill is hovering to the side as she looks at the door where Sonata is poking her head in.

 “Yes, sorry to bug you, but I just got scared out of my wits by a monster! You seem to be the one in charge?“ Sonata stops as Vi starts banging her head repeatedly, a dull thunk heard each time. “Er, something I said?”

 Vi stops and just lets her head rest on the table, Eris clearly resisting the urge to cackle and settles for patting her partner on the cheek with a tiny hoof. “Only everypony assuming that I have the ability to be in charge and deal with issues, that’s all.” She sighs deeply. “I’m just a musician who wants ONE trip to go as planned.” She pauses before groaning. “And I’ve stated that so many times I’m feeling like a broken record.” She sighs and waves for the mare to enter. “Come on in, Sonata.”

 She steps in and settles on the bed. “I’m sorry? I didn’t mean anything, you know? I just want to know what’s going on.”  She watches Viola write in the book for a minute. “So what’s going on? Just looking at you, I can see Equestria is a mess. What happened to make it this way?” She shakes her head. “I’m sorry, I know you said we’d chat tomorrow, but after being attacked, what all of you said tells me I need to know fast before I get really hurt.”

 Vi sighs as she reads what’s written before shutting the journal. “I suppose I can go ahead, given what happened.”

 Sonata looks happy to hear that as she sips her chocolate and waits for Vi to start. Though a moment later, she frowns. “Hang on. Can we go ahead and talk about your powers too?” Sonata leans forward eagerly. “It’s seriously bugging me.”

Vi gauges her before deciding to cave. “Honestly, I don’t know where to start with this, but why are you so interested in my powers? Other than the fact that you think we share the same…” Vi trails off, unsure of how to put it before forging on. “Never mind, I’ll just tell you my story.” She closes her eyes in memory before she starts retelling her story to the eager mare. She starts with the disastrous concert, gestures accompanying the tale, and eventually ends with the recounting of her struggle against Sombra and his possessor.  “It was definitely a move of desperation on my part. It’s part of why I question why Celestia thinks I’m capable of…” She trails off. “She’s the one that compared me to a Siren, my powers, you know?”

“She thought you were like a siren, for realsies? “ Sonata speaks up, looking excited but hesitant, staring into her cup. Vi opens her mouth to say something, but Sonata cuts her off. “I’m a Siren.” She glances at the door, biting her lip. “Well, I used to be.” Vi hisses, not expecting Sonata to come out and say it. “I think that’s what you are as well.” Her face is unsure. “I don’t know how, but your power has all the earmarks we’re known for.”

“You think I’m a…” Vi shakes her head in confusion. “I was most certainly born to ponies. I think my family would know if there was a Siren in their lineage.”

“And how do you know you’re not a Siren?” Sonata wonders. “Just look at me? I’m a pony now!” She tears up. “A broken one no less. I can barely access any of my magic. All I can do is sing and alter the effect of my voice a little!” The words are just tumbling out as her free hoof waves frantically in emphasis. ”I told you we weren’t liked. Maybe you were found early and had the same magic used on you!” She leans forward more till she’s almost nose to nose with her. “Found young and bam!” She almost shouts. “You were changed and teleported far into the future and raised like a pony by whoever found you! The first part happened to me!” Sonata flops, taking a huge breath after that exposition dump, stunned silence following in her wake.

[viola-strum]

Don’t get too comfy...

  A little later Eris pops outside while the sounds of various notes being played start floating out of the cabin. She lands on the railing and looks around for the suspected Siren and the harpist, knowing they’re somewhere in the area. She spots them taking a walk around the lake and pops over to settle in Lyra’s mane. Lyra blinks and glances up, feeling the light weight of her friend’s imp. 

  ‘Huh, guess she wasn’t settling for watching Silver have her lesson?’ Lyra chuckles softly as she trots beside Sonata, no real conversation going on. The normally chatty earth pony has been quiet, choosing instead to stroll along the lake’s shore. Lyra glances at her but opts not to say anything till Sonata initiates things. 

   On the far side of the lake is where Sonata breaks her silence. “What’s she like? Your friend, I mean.” The earth pony looks pensive and doubtful. “I know we’re going to talk about that tomorrow, but I want to know about her. Why are you all friends? Despite having those powers, why is she not hated or feared?”

  Lyra blinks as she turns to regard Sonata curiously. “Why do you want to know? We’re kind of protective of her, after all.” She continues to trot along till they find a spot with a good view of the lake and she has a seat. “I don’t think she’ll mind me saying a few things about her. Though I’m surprised you don’t know who she is. You must really have been out of touch.”

  “You can definitely say that.” Sonata has a weak smile. “Sorry, it’s just personal reasons. I’ve never been received well because of what I used to be able to do.” She looks away over the water. “I really don’t want to say any more though. Things I thought I knew…” She shrugs helplessly.

  Lyra studies Sonata a moment as she thinks about it. “Well, first off, the lot of us, aside from Blacklin and Silver Spoon, know each other from the music academy.  We spent several semesters sharing the same classes and all.” She notices her look. “Yes, there’s an academy for music. It might not be as important as those geared towards teaching skill sets aimed towards providing protection, but it’s still significant. Ponies need something to focus on besides the dangers outside the city’s walls.” She holds up a hoof to forestall questions. “That’s something you can ask Viola tomorrow when you two talk. Let me just answer, all right?” Sonata just nods in response. “Thank you. It goes without saying we got to know each other rather well and at the time, Vi never knew about her ability. So we got to know the mare before we found anything out.  Does that explain it?”

  “It really does.” Sonata bites her lip. “So you were the only ones that supported her when it came out?” Lyra nods. “She’s never abused it too, huh?”

  “It’s always been self-defense after that first accidental use.” Lyra nods, confirming her thoughts, leaving Sonata to sit back and mull that one over.  Such thoughts are short-lived though as a centicore, an antelope-like creature with flexible horns, burst out of the foliage. It lands near them and paws the ground, glaring at them with its white tusks gleaming in the moonlight.  Lyra yelps as she falls backwards before scrambling to her hooves, taking in the large creature, as does Sonata. Poor Eris spills off the mare at the sudden upending, and floats up after, moving close to the mint unicorn and looking just as apprehensive as the other two. As large as the princess, it looms over them, muscles rippling as it snorts, getting ready to charge.  Lyra cautiously speaks up, hoping against hope it’s only putting on a front. “Er, hello there. Nice evening, isn’t it? You don’t want to gore us with those tusks of yours, right?” She smiles weakly up at it before yelping as it bellows a challenge at them.

  “I don’t think it’s in the mood for friendly chatter, Lyra!” Sonata hesitates briefly before coming to a decision. “Listen to me, get ready to…RUN!” Her last word is shouted, its volume amplifying and hitting the frenzied creature with a crushing pressure of sound. Caught by surprise, the beast staggers back, disoriented. Lyra needs no further urgings, bolting around the edge of the lake, running pell-mell towards the cabin, Eris flailing as she hangs onto her mane. Sonata is hot on her heels, but they can both hear the enraged cry of the centicore as it recovers and thunders after them. “No no no, this can’t be happening!”

   A shadow flits over them, and a bang is heard as bright light erupts from behind them, followed seconds later by the angry cry of an injured beast. Lyra and Sonata risk a look behind them to see the gryphon rushing deeper into the mountain, intent on leading the enraged chimera away from them and the cabin. Lyra shakily speaks up. “Don’t stop?” Sonata rapidly nods, not even breaking stride. “Right, we’re not stopping.” They put on speed, and only when they dive through the front door and slam it shut, do they collapse. “That was terrifying! I don’t see how Fiddlesticks and Viola can do patrols at the farm, knowing they can run into stuff like that!” Eris shivers, burying herself in Lyra’s mane.

  Sonata looks shaken, unable to say anything for a good while till she calms down. Eventually she lets out a huge breath. “She actually does that?” She shakes her head. “It’s different for me. I’m not used to being helpless like that. It’s not because…” She trails off before she says too much, wincing. “Never mind, that isn’t important. Can we just get some hot chocolate?” Lyra nods, not saying anything except to stand and trot over to raid the cabinets for the powder and milk. “I don’t remember creatures and animals being that hostile before! Now I really need to find out what the hay is going on around here.” She peeks into the living room to watch the lesson that’s winding down. ‘Why is Viola the one being deferred to in all of this? Is she somepony important?’

[viola-strum]

Stew isn’t the only thing being chewed on, y’know.

 Bowls are set, stew doled out, and soon enough everpony is partaking of the simple but delicious meal. Even little Eris gets a bowl and she's gobbling it down like no tomorrow, much to Viola's amusement. "Easy there, Eris. I know it's tasty, but you're going to choke if you don't slow it down!" Vi shakes her head, giggling.

 Sonata looks on curiously. "You said she's an artifact, but she looks and acts so real!" She spoons some stew into her mouth and chews thoughtfully before swallowing and continuing. "If you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have known." She pauses and giggles. "Size aside, but then again, magic can do some pretty crazy things. “ Her smile fades out.

 Lyra grins. “Oh we know what you mean. The last 3 months or so have been chock full of craziness.” She indicates Eris. “That one is just an example, you know.” She indicates the scar on Vi’s cheek. “Vi can attest to quite a few of the things she’s been dead center of.” She shakes her head. “I’ve only been on the fringe, and frankly, that’s good enough for me!”  Sonata takes a closer look at Vi and blinks, seeing the damage and tilts her head. “Well, in my case, it was a bearded geezer that bothered me which certainly proved that. “ She grumbles. “He's the reason why my family heirloom is powerless."  Several shocked looks are briefly shared before they revert to neutral looks, focusing on Sonata. Thankfully a distraction is soon had in the form of Eris.

 Said pony looks up, briefly annoyed before shifting to Ponyflea. There's a look of suspicion on his face as he poses his question. "I do know there are ways for non-unicorns to recharge gems. It depends on what kind of spell is housed inside." 

 "Well, it's not exactly a spell, Umm..." Ponyflea pulls out a small sign with his name on it. "Ponyflea, is it?" She blinks before forging on. "It's like, oh I don't know, the essence of what makes me unique among Earth Ponies, yeah? I already said I was rather musically inclined." She has an annoyed look. "It used to be internal, but that idiot broke something. He thought I was some kind of threat, like, can you believe it? Lil' old me? I can't even be me anymore, the arrogant jerk."

 There's a heavy silence as Eris reverts to normal and takes another bite, keeping an eye on Sonata, though she’s far from the only one. Blackin has a calculating look on his face as he regards Sonata, and it’s evident he’s bothered by what he just heard. However, it's Beauty Brass that finally pipes up, wanting to break the awkwardness a bit. "Wow. I thought Viola had it rough, what with her unusual magic." Vi's eyes widen and start shaking her head, but Beauty either ignores it or doesn't see it as she continues. "She can definitely relate. You know she was actually accused of attacking the Princess through her music the first time she played for an audience? Apparently she can affect other ponies' emotions with her music if she gets lost in it." Sonata's jaw drops at that as her head whips around to stare at Viola in shock, causing Beauty Brass to grin. "I know, right? It's pretty awesome!"

 "Y-yeah. That's… actually my gift too. I didn't want to say anything before." Sonata looks a bit shaken. "I think that's why I was attacked actually and I thought you lot wouldn't take it well. I mean that messes with your heads, right?"

 Vi stares at her before softening. "I think...Beauty Brass is right, I can relate. However…" She sighs quietly. "Sonata, I think this conversation should wait a bit." She gestures around. "This is meant to be an evening to be enjoyed." She ruffles Silver's mane. "Table it for tomorrow and we can talk about it."

 Octavia pauses. "Sister, I thought you were past...?"

 "It's not that, I just want to get all my thoughts together so I can address her concerns with confidence. Right now, all I want to do is enjoy friends and family." She pauses. "As well as get Silver started on lessons. See how much she knows about music theory and go from there." Silver blinks up and looks at her new mentor. Vi nods to her before turning back to Sonata.

 Sonata stares at her before hesitantly nodding. "I think I'd like that." She shakes her head, trying to rein in her thoughts. "So um, getting back to the imp there...?"

 Fiddlesticks snorts. "Imp is the right word. Ah blame her for complicating Vi's life in more than a few ways, and ours, but heck, it's been entertaining too." Eris sticks her tongue out at the fiddler, causing the pony to laugh.

 Blacklin gives Eris a wry smile at her action. "It’s more like willful meddler actually. Independent too, she took initiative on her own to pester me to do something for Vi. At this point, I would call her a partner to Viola, rather than a possession, she's grown that much."

 "That does figure though, she's a creation of Discord." Sonata gives her a surprised look. "She's not a bad pony. She is just as unpredictable really” She chuckles ruefully. 

 Sonata blinks. "You lot really are an interesting bunch, aren't you?" Her eyes darken as she looks down at her bowl. 'I really don't want them to get in my way. I’m already starting to like them.' She pushes her bowl away. "Anyways, I think I'm full. Thank you for the meal, Fiddlesticks, Silver Spoon." She stands. "I'm just going to go outside for a bit." She grabs her dishes and takes them to the kitchen. The last thing she hears before stepping out is Fiddles asking if she can help Viola with Silver Spoon.

 “Of course you can help, sis.” Vi nods before glancing at the door. “Though I think we need to have a little talk. Black, sis, meet me in the bedroom.”  She turns to Octavia and the others. “Sorry, but we need to work something out before we share with the rest of you. Can you take care of the clean-up? This is something of an emergency, to be honest.”

 Octavia waves them off. “Shoo, we’ve got this. Just keep us in the loop once you’re done.” She nudges the others and they get busy clearing the table. Vi looks satisfied and trots towards the bedroom and vanishes, followed by Blacklin and Fiddles. Beauty glances towards Silver’s things and pulls Silver off into the lounge area to help her get set up for her first lesson.  “I REALLY hope this isn’t about to turn into something disastrous. This was supposed to be a simple fun outing.” She sighs. “Well, at least it shouldn’t be too bad. It sounds like they just came into some unexpected information.”

 Lyra nods. “If it’s about our new friend, she’s pretty nice. Doesn’t seem like a bad sort at all.” She glances towards the door. “In fact, when we’re done, I’m going to go out there and get to know her a bit more. She’s apparently been around and I’m curious what kind of music is heard beyond our borders.”  Octavia pauses and nods in response, prompting Lyra to get busy washing dishes, so she can put action to words.

 In the bedroom, there’s a thick silence as the three in the know stare at the journal Vi had set out. Fiddles looks from it to her sister. “Ah’m starting to think ya got hit with a curse, sis.” She stabs at the journal. “Ah say we nail down what we just learned before we go doing anything rash.”

 Blacklin grimaces. “I’d say it’s far from rash what she’s thinking. You and I both heard the full story from Vi there. A lot of the information matches up with what Starswirl reported.“

 “Ah reckon so, but why would she be so straightforward and honest about it? Ah didn’t hear a lick of lying in that whole mess.” Fiddlesticks mentally reviews the conversation before pausing. “The only sticking point Ah caught hesitation on was the reason for being attacked. She certainly wasn’t lying about being broken.” She sighs. “Ah like her, and as far as Ah know, that’s the real her, not a mask she’s hiding behind.”

 Vi sighs. “Assume she is one of the Sirens. If she’s not lying, then the only possibility is Starswirl screwed up his assessment.” She glances at Fiddlesticks. “As for your doubts, I have to agree, she doesn’t seem like the kind of monster that would require Starswirl to go to such lengths.”

 Blacklin frowns as he taps a claw in thought. “It’s way too early to judge, definitely too many factors to consider though her reacting to your powers is a near clincher. Vi, as far as Starswirl goes, it’s either that, or he mucked it up and just didn’t want to admit he didn’t know what happened. He made an assumption and stated it as fact to save face. Consider who he was writing to.” He smirks. “As for Sonata being a monster? We’re dealing with her by herself. On her own she’s probably harmless BECAUSE of her personality. Some people aren’t monsters until they’re following the wrong crowd.” He shrugs. “That’s just my thoughts. We’ll have to wait until she plays her hand though.”

 Vi sighs. “I think I’ll write to Starswirl and ask him to ask him to restate only what he’s sure about, and what he wants to have done about them. That’s something that’s bugging me, honestly.”

 Fiddlesticks nods. “All right, we’ll meet you out there, all right? It’s agreed though that we treat Sonata normally as if we’re trying to make a new friend.” Fiddlesticks grins. “Not that hard though, like Ah said.” Vi nods and shoos them out before beginning to write.

[viola-strum]

Cabin Crazy.

 It's a chatty group that files into the cabin, curious eyes looking this way and that. They spread out through the place to explore, depositing food and luggage in appropriate spots. Soon enough though, they reconvene in the living room and settle around in a loose circle. Octavia is the first to speak up. "Well, I suppose now that we're settled in, we can open up with music, hmm? Oh!" She stops as Eris pops out of Viola's mane and lands on the table in the center, spooking Sonata with her sudden appearance.

 "Gak! What the hay?" The vocalist blinks in shock from where she'd perched before squealing. "Ooh she's adorable! So tiny and cute!" She gets down and leans in to peer at Eris. "But.. what is she exactly?" She gets booped in response when she gets too close.

 Vi laughs. "She's a special living artifact that acts as a connection to other realities, I suppose. I use her to send questions and view other ponies, though by the same token, they can watch me and others and ask questions back." She sees Eris grinning and shifting to a two-tailed fox. "Like so. Hello Vahn, you have a question?"

 Vahn nods, turning to Octavia. "I would think a vocalist WOULD qualify given that there are several awesome acapella groups out there. The Ponytones, Peter Hollens, etc." He swivels around to look at Sonata. "Also I gotta ask. Sonata do you have a band of your own?"

 Octavia blinks several times. "I do see your point, Fiddles. Isn't your cousin Big Macintosh a part of the Ponytones? Though this Peter person doesn't ring a bell. It doesn't even sound Equestrian!" The others nod in agreement at that.

 Fiddlesticks snorts. "He sure is, sis. A good example too, too bad Eris here hasn't heard them otherwise Ah could have her sing to demonstrate." She shrugs before turning to Sonata. "Well, Ah do believe you've been asked something."

 Sonata hesitates slightly. "Well, I do belong to a group, but we never really had a name before." She smiles sheepishly. "We never exactly performed for others, it was just for our own benefit, y'know?" She shrugs in embarrassment.

 "Well, I suppose that's why we've never heard or seen you before." Lyra comments before shrugging. "Still, you'll get to sing for somepony else for a change." She grins as she spots Eris shifting again back to Humanflea.

"You finally made it to the cabin, so what's first on the agenda?"

Lyra snorts. "What's first?" She's already gotten her harp out and is holding it up. "It's time for us to play!" She grins broadly. "That means.. Eris! Stow the questions till later!"

 Fiddlesticks cuts in. "Now hold on, Lyra! If we're gonna be ready, Ah say we don't hold back even in the warm up. That ornery musician is looking for the best, so play your dang heart out, something you know and love with passion." She stomps her foot in emphasis. "Ah reckon it won't matter none if we know the song. Just think about the enchanted instruments at school, we'll play along with no problems if you do it right."

 None of them notice the two pairs of glowing eyes that are barely visible in the daylight, looking in and listening as they all agree to the challenge. Soon the cabin is filled with solos as each tries their hoof at drawing in the others into their favorite song. This carries on well into the evening before they finally call for an end, with everypony in high spirits. When the question of who cooks dinner comes up, an excited Silver Spoon scurries into the kitchen. "I want to help cook! I don't get to do it often enough at home!" Fiddlesticks chuckles as she ambles in after the filly.

 "We got this covered, y'all. Chat away!" She waves before pausing. "Questions too, Ah'm sure." That said, she vanishes into the kitchen, leaving the rest to chatter.

 Eris doesn't disappoint, slipping back into the form of Humanflea who speaks up, bouncing in his curiosity. "Hi Sonata, why are you out here alone? It's dangerous to stay in the woods alone, you never know what's lurking around."

 Sonata blinks at that. "Huh? Like, what do you mean? My friends and I haven't exactly had too much trouble." She has a distant look as she thinks. "I did notice we had to avoid some critters that usually didn't bother us before now." She frowns slightly. "Also Equestria just feels..." She hesitates. "Grimmer, I think."

 Viola pauses at that, sharing a look with Blacklin before turning back to ask. "You make it sound like you haven't been here in a long while, but yes, you’re not wrong. We have our suspicions, but there have been a lot of steadily growing issues here of late."

 Sonata shrugs sheepishly. "We've been out of Equestria for a long long while and only just got back, yeah?" She sighs and taps her ruby. She’s about to continue when Humanflea bounces up, flipping and shifting into Ponyflea. “What?”   The purple-coated stallion points at said ruby while speaking. “Oooh, that's a lovely ruby miss Sonata, I was wondering where you got it?”   Sonata blinks. “I was about to answer that. "Ahem. As for why I'm here, it’s because of this ruby. It’s a family heirloom. Recently it lost its power though so I'm looking for a way to revitalize it." She turns to gaze at the lake. "I have a strong connection with music and this rumor? Well, I couldn't pass it up."

Octavia shakes her head. "Well, you're going to have stiff competition for it I'm afraid. We're all attempting it, so may the best mare win, right?" Any further comments are cut off as Fiddles and Silver come out. The older mare balancing a big bowl of stew and  Silver with a stack of smaller bowls. "Ooh, looks like dinner is served!"

[viola-strum]

A surprise addition

  The group of musicians plus one potential quickly set off on the trail, though it's not long before Eris makes herself known on top of Vi's head. She shifts to Humanflea's now familiar form and speaks up. "So is it off to the cabin or is there another pit stop?"

  Vi tilts her head up. "Ah, Humanflea, you're pretty much a constant companion along with Ponyflea, aren't you? I wonder if you're so busy watching everypony else, that's why we don't see any feed from your end?" She has a teasing edge to her words though as she follows it up. "To answer your question though, there's no pit stops for us. We're headed straight down to the cabin in the woods." She pauses as a thought occurs. "Though that brings up a point. I'm fairly certain you lot don't want to see us trekking for a few hours. Eris, why don't you cut the connection for a bit till we actually arrive hmm?"

   Eris considers it before nodding before smacking her forehead and shifting back to Humanflea. He then hops over to the little filly before asking his question. "Silver, now that you picked an instrument do you already have any songs in mind you'd like to learn?" He then shifts to Ponyflea who chips in with his own.

  "It's good to see you found something to your liking, I'm a bit glad it's a brass instrument, as your group is a little heavy on the string instruments. Would you ever consider playing a song with that other filly, what was it again... ah, Sweetie Belle?"

   Silver blinks in shock, walking along quietly as she turns the questions over in her head. "Um... To that first one, not...really? I hadn't even thought about it yet. Maybe ask me again after I'm sure this is something I want to do, okay?" She glances at her instrument case in thought. "As for Sweetie Belle, maybe. I definitely want to get to know them now. I never really wanted to pick on them in the first place, you know?" She sighs. "If she'll give me a chance then yeah, after I've learned how to play."

   Eris returns to normal as she grins and bounds back over to Viola, settling in her mane. She glows briefly before everything goes dim. When things are visible again, the girls are seen gazing at a crystal clear lake, with a rustic cabin nestled off to the side and a pier nearby. Viola takes a deep breath of the fresh air. "Ladies, it looks like we're all here! Roll call please, so we make sure we're not missing anyone. Viola Strum, violist!"

  The rest of the mares giggle and sound off as well. "Lyra Heartstrings, harpist!"

   "Beauty Brass, sousaphonist!"

   "Octavia Melody, cellist!"

   "Fiddlesticks Melody, violinist/fiddler!"

   Blacklin steps forward, drawing their attention. "Blacklin, interested in string instruments." This statement gets him various expressions, most of them curious.

  Lyra speaks up. "Well, you should have said something sooner, Viola could have helped you get something along with Silver Spoon. You strike me as a guitar player though. Though speaking of our little filly..."

   As one they all look at Silver Spoon who eeps and fidgets before speaking shyly. "Silver Spoon, trombonist?" They all laugh and pull her into a friendly hug.

   At this point an unfamiliar voice chimes in to finish the roll call with a giggle. "Sonata Dusk, vocalist!" There's dead silence as all present focus on the unexpected addition. The mare has an arctic blue coat, with a darker shade for a mane, with even darker blue stripes running through it. Raspberry eyes twinkle with merriment as she bursts into laughter at their looks of surprise. "What? It looked like fun when I saw you doing it so I joined in!" She turns slightly, letting them see a heart with a rocking note overlapping it as her cutie mark.

  "Where'd you come from?!" Lyra squeaks out in surprise before recovering and trotting over to meet the mare face to face. "This place doesn't really get all that many visitors.

   "Well, I've been here since yesterday, figuring out whether I wanted to do this or not." She glances over at the lake, fiddling with a ruby gemstone hanging off her neck. "Everypony that knows about it says this place isn't to be trifled with."

   "Hm. I didn't think a vocalist could qualify, but.." Octavia ponders it. "The goal is to create song with passion using whatever your talent is. So I suppose it would work for you."

   Fiddlesticks grins. "Well, tell you what. we ain't tackling the legend straight off. We are gonna get settled in for the night, and have ourselves a party. The instruments are coming out, and we're gonna have a grand ol' time warming up. You're welcome to join us, Miss Sonata."

   "A party? For realsies? I'm definitely down for that." Sonata cheers happily. "Come on, the place is pretty cozy. well-kept too. I was totally surprised by how clean it was." The cheerful pony leads the way towards the cabin.

  Viola hangs back with Blacklin. "Certainly a cheerful pony, isn't she? I guess we'll just have to take a page out of Twilight Sparkle's book and make friends with her, eh?"

[viola-strum]

Hitting a high note.

  Viola keeps her smile up as she walks over to Silver Spoon and Radiant Note. "How is it going?" She watches Silver Spoon scowl in frustration as she sets the clarinet down.

  Silver Spoon finally huffs and stomps her hooves as she gets down. "Terrible! This is ridiculous, Miss Strum! I'm not a Note as you say." She pauses. "...What... do you mean by that? You just meant somepony with a musical cutie mark right?" She's treated to the sight of Viola and Radiant sharing a significant glance. "Right?"

  "Mm. Such an interesting question, child." Radiant Note hums as he cleans the clarinet and stows it gently, thinking about how to answer the question. "Simple yet complex in nature."

  Viola tilts her head. "Perhaps it's better to start with an example.. or rather the only example we have right now. We talked about Still Waters on the way over here, Radiant Note."

  "Ah ha! Of course. Quite right, Viola." Radiant pauses. "Mm. Though he's not quite the only pony out there." He shakes his head and smiles. "I can name two others as well. I believe you know them both in passing at the very least. Coloratura and Octavia Melody."

  Viola looks surprised at him. "What do you..." Realization dawns on her. "Oh of course!"

  Silver mutters before stomping her foot again. "Would you two stop going around me and actually explain?!" She shakes her head. "I know those two names! The Countess is a really big up-and-coming star and Octavia is Miss Viola's sister!

  Radiant Note nods, chuckling at her annoyance, before the latter part registers. "What??" His gaze swivels around to Viola in surprise. "What in blazes did I miss, young lady? Apparently more than just you returning to the limelight occurred in Ponyville, I gather."

  Viola smiles sadly. "Well, I did vanish on all of you without warning, didn't I? My parents all but disavowed me. It's why I left. I was fortunate enough to find Fiddlesticks at Ponyville and she claimed me as her sister. By proxy that includes Octavia. We made it official last time I was here for the unveiling and ball."

  Radiant lets out a low whistle. "You really did get put through a wringer, but it seems you've come out all the stronger for it." He shakes his head before turning back to Silver Spoon. "Well then, let's get your question answered. The simple answer is talent, plain as that. You've listened to Coloratura's music, you know just how good she is. The same goes for Octavia's music. She plays music and plays it masterfully, even when it comes to those created by Still Waters." He stares at Viola for a long moment before shaking his head, opting not to speak his mind just yet on that.

  Silver blinks. "But there's lots of great musicians and the Countess is just one of many out there making it big. She's not the only one I listen to."

  Viola giggles. "Remember how he said it was simple yet complex? Well, here comes the complex part." She clears her throat before continuing. "You're certainly right, Silver Spoon. There ARE a lot of musicians out there, and pop singers galore, but what set these two apart is passion and drive." She closes her eyes and thinks back to her school days. "I tell you, when you hear them sing and play, there's something in it that just resonates with your whole being."

  "In short, they don't just go through the motions, they put their heart and soul into it, so that the message of the song rings out and moves you." He smiles. "When you hear Coloratura sing, don't you get swept up in it, able to see a story unfolding in your imagination?"

  Silver blinks at him before thinking. "Her earliest songs, yes." This gets looks of confusion from both of them. "What? Later ones don't have it."

  "That.. doesn't quite sound right, but not important at the moment." Radiant pushes on. "You are getting the idea though right..?" Silver thinks about it and nods.  

  "I think so." Silver Spoon stares at them, thinking a bit before she walks over to a trombone. "You know.. Hearing that makes me want to try and reach a level like that with whatever I'm doing. It sounds.. awesome, actually." She picks up the trombone, on her hind legs now and wobbling as she balances herself. "I'm going to keep trying now till I find something that clicks for me. "Now how do I...?"

  Radiant chuckles as he guides her through it and when she plays, it's a loud clear note that rings out. "There you go! That was a solid sound right there if I ever heard one!"

  "Yes! I felt that!" Silver pushes and pulls the slider, getting a feel for it. "It's a little awkward, but it doesn't really bother me much. I think... I think this is it!"

  Radiant Note claps his hooves. "Excellent! Marvelous! Since this is Viola who's taking care of you, I'll offer a bargain price for a month's trial. See if this is truly meant for you, all right?"

  Silver beams at him. "All right. I'm sure Mother will be happy to cover this. I think she wanted me to take a real interest in something for a while." She carefully sets it down in its case and smiles. Meanwhile Viola is gathering up music books and instructions for them.

  "Of course. Of course." Radiant Note ambles over to the cashier, taking note of what Viola's picked up and rings up the order. "By the by, I believe I heard you mention something about ghosts. Does that mean you're trying your hoof at claiming Still Water's legacy?" On seeing Viola's nod, he hums. "I was actually wondering when you mares would take a stab at that. I'm rather interested to hear the results, because I have a good feeling in my bones about you lot. I'm willing to wager on one of you walking away with the prize, especially you. You bet your life on your music and lived to tell about it!"

  "Now Radiant Note, flattery is going to get you nowhere. What I did was nothing miraculous, and you know it, it was sheer desperation, and I was beaten." Viola dismisses it, Silver staring as she hears this. She forks over the bits for the supplies. "ON that note, I will stop by and let you know how it goes, all right?" She floats the case out with her and trots out with Silver Spoon, making her way to the city gates. The little filly trots beside her, lost in her thoughts, taking a glance at her new mentor now and then.

  It's not long before they arrive, and a call grabs their attention. "VIola! Silver Spoon! We're over here, ready to go!" Lyra is excitedly waving a hoof to guide them. "Great! It looks like Silver Spoon found something?" She grins at the filly's enthusiastic nod. "Then hang on, because we're off, and we're going to show you some awesome playing once we get there as a warm-up." The mint unicorn cheers as the others just shakes their heads at her enthusiasm, before setting off for their destination. Mod Note; I have no excuses. I fell out of it again and getting back into the swing of writing was not as easy as falling off a log. Now I’m going to try and keep this up, but I’ve said that before. ^-^; Ah well, all I can do is try. To those of you who didn’t unfollow and notice me.. I’m back! Thanks for your patience!

[viola-strum]

Overthinking it, yep.

   Viola shakes the thoughts loose and watches Silver wander around before her focus is interrupted by an older silver-blue stallion. “Well now, here’s a face I never expected to see grace my store again after that concert. Hello Viola Strum.”   “! Radiant Notes! I didn’t know you were here.. usually you let your assistant run the store!” Viola turns and regards the silver-blue stallion with affection. “Still  the top choice I hope?”   “Of course, my reputation isn’t going anywhere, you know that.” He grins widely. “Though to hear the gossip, seems like you’ve managed to upset the apple cart again.” He looks her scars over. “Though did you have to do it quite so... painfully?” He shudders. “There’s easier ways of catching the spotlight, you know.”

  “Hmph. Of course I know. I wasn’t exactly asking for the attention myself.” She retorts and turns to glance at Silver Spoon. “I was only looking out for the next generation and ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “I tease of course, I know you well, Viola. Speaking of the younger crowd...” He turns to regard the young filly. “Who’s the young one? She looks a little.. out of place here.”   “Radiant Note? This is Silver Spoon. It seems I have been given a trial run as her mentor. She’s in sore need of one, and I was volunteered. So, I decided to start with what worked for me, and am seeing if any instrument clicks for her. You know as well as I do that one does not have to be a note, to enjoy playing instruments. Though the fact that she has yet to find her mark means it’s not still a possibility.” “Only too well.” Radiant nods. “Then let me have a hoof in things, and well see how it goes. Though I assume you have the bits to back this up?”   Viola is about to answer when Eris, deciding to stay hidden whispers in her ear, using Humanflea’s voice. “I think her mother would cover the cost of the instrument. No sense expecting the impromptu mentor to pay for it.” This prompts her to stop and think about it before nodding.   “Well, yes, I believe this would fall under expenses so yes, we should have the bits.” Viola murmers. “By all means, see if there’s anything here that draws her attention. Radiant Note smiles and trots forward, engaging the young filly in small talk, casually introducing her to the various instruments available. She sighs and mutters softly. “Thank you, Flea for that reminder. I was about to start panicking.”   “Hehe.” She can feel him bouncing a bit before a heavier weight settles and Ponyflea chips in. “Please tell me you’re going to go ghost hunting with a theremin.” This causes a look of confusion on Viola’s face for a long bit.   She wanders over to said instrument and studies it, sticking a hoof in to creat the music. “What do you...? Oh. OH!” She laughs. “No no no,  We’re not even hunting ghosts! besides.” She smiles before wincing at a screech as Silver plays a bad note on a clarinet. “We’re going out there to spend time together, play music and maybe earn whatever prize is said to be waiting for us.” Viola trots over, keeping a smile plastered on her face as more instruments get tortured.

  “

[viola-strum]

Music to whose ears?

  With Silver Spoon calmed down over their destination, the discussions settle into plans for the stopover in Canterlot. Eventually they decide to go their own way and meet up at the entrance to the city for next part of the trip later.

  Viola takes charge of Silver Spoon’s suitcase as they head out for a music shop she knows of. “Welcome to Canterlot, Silver Spoon, home of the elite but not so sweet.” She tries her best to keep the sarcasm out of her voice as they start down the street.    “I’ve been here a few times on trips with my mother. She and I bond on these times, away from the influence of Diamond Tiara and her mother. Usually we meet with her friend Fancypants and his fiancee too. She has dealings with them.”   “You know one of the most influential nobles in Canterlot?” Viola looks surprised. “You DO have connections.. though with a name like Fortune Favors, I suppose your mom WOULD have to be no less impressive to match her name.” 

  “Mother does most of her business here. I’m pretty sure we could easily afford to live here if she wanted to.” Silver muses as she follows Viola. “I asked once why we didn’t, and she says she prefers living in the quiet of Ponyville.” She looks about. “I don’t know why, it seems pretty nice here.”   Viola sighs. “As a former noble, I might be able to answer that one.” She sighs and gives her new charge a rueful smile. “I can even sum it up in one answer. “Politics.” At Silver’s questioning look, she elaborates. “You’ve probably seen it in how Diamond acts..” She pauses. “Or is forced to act if what you say is true about Spoiled. That’s all politics, all about making the right connections, associating with the right people to get anywhere in life.” She frowns. “It’s become less about just putting your best hoof forward, and more acting like what you think the other person expects/wants to get what you want.”   Silver Spoon wrinkles her nose. “I..think I get it, Mom always seems so tense when she gets back from her working trips. I guess she doesn’t like having to deal with people like that, though I know you can expect honesty to a point around home. Everypony practically knows everypony there.”   “Exactly!” Viola nods in agreement. She’s politely waving back to those that recognize her and greet her. “Well, it’s my best guess anyways. You should ask when you get back.” She’s scanning for her destination and points it out. “Ah, here we are, Silver.” She thinks. “Hm.. “ She heads inside, holding the door for Silver. “Feel free to try whatever catches your interest, Silver Spoon, and I’m sure we’ll have a couple of suggestions being made through Eris too.”   Silver blinks at the modest shop and the array of different instruments. “What is this place? This looks... high quality.”   “Well, it’s where most of the Canterlot Music Academy gets their instruments, and the students too. Nothing but the best.” Viola answers and nods to the pony on duty. ‘Though I do wonder how I’ll cover this.’

[viola-strum]

“Do calm down, dear.”

Fiddlesticks shakes her head. "Now calm down there, Silver Spoon. Ah reckon this ghost is friendly despite the story Lyra just spooked ya with."

Silver shivers. "Now why do you say that? You heard her!"

"Heh. Ain't nopony ever died from that fer one. Two, there's another tale that Ah know is real, and Ah suspect belongs to ol' Still Waters as well. Y'see, things can get pretty nasty at times, between the snobs, the tests, and the pressure to succeed."

"If you ain't a diamond like yer friend, you might find yourself at the breaking point, ready to jes' give it all up" Fiddles sighs and removes her hat. "At that point, when yer' at your lowest, y'just might find yourself haunted."

Silver is leaning forward at this point, curious where this is going. "Eurrgh. That's just as bad!" She receives a smirk in response.

"Now hold on there. Ah didn't say by what yet." There's a twinkle in her eyes when Fiddles looks up. "Instruments, more than a few just floating about under nopony's command."

"What? That's it? That's not spooky." Silver comments. "Startling, but not.."

"It is when they start playing, and gets you caught up in whatever song and mood they happen to be in." Fiddles tilts her head. "Especially when they play pieces that normally nopony can ever get quite right."

Lyra blinks. “Oh yeah, I forgot that's a thing that happens." She pauses. "Wait.. How are you connecting it to Still Waters? Everypony at the academy knows about those instruments, and a search has been made to find out where they come from, but.."

"Ah put two and two together after experiencing it for myself... and then hearing Still Water's legend. The stallion was known for his passionate music that seemed to stir ponies, right?" Fiddles explains. "when ya got instruments that play his songs properly.."

Lyra frowns. "YOU were...? Wait.. was this about the time Viola...?"

Fiddlesticks nods. "Ah found myself outside her door by the time the song was done and she was opening the door to discover who was making all that music." She glances at her sister. "We got to talking after that, and well... we became good friends. We started helping each other and just hanging out y'know? Vent over family and mean peers and all."

Silver stares. "Oh.. so you're saying that the ghost is harmless, despite the tale..? The ghostly instruments are proof of this? At least you think it is?"

Fiddles nods. "Ah think so, besides, if we thought it was dangerous, we wouldn't be going anywhere near it. Ah see enough danger what with the timber wolves."

"So stop worrying and look forward to hearing some great music." Lyra grins. "I'm sure you'll have fun."

"Now that gives me an idea." Viola murmers. "I wonder if we shouldn't see if any instrument agrees with you, Silver Spoon."

Silver Spoon blinks. "Pardon me, Miss Strum?" She shakes her head, rubbing her ear as if she's hearing things.

"I said that right." Viola giggles at her reaction. "I may take you to a store in Canterlot while we kill time." She nods, thinking about it. "Yes, let you try to play, see if any tickle your fancy. After all your mom did suggest you try new things."