[My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic] Bridle Shores, General Town thread 7

[Orzel]

"Yay! Tea party!" Sunny was very much in favor of the idea of a tea party. "What kind of tea? Real or imaginary? Do you have a tea set with you?" Sunny asks, quite excited.

"Both because I am thirsty and not thirsty." Hover turned around and flutters toward the teeny patio set in the back of her house. "Follow me."

[Grif]

Heartflight nodded. "I'm researching his, ah, 'condition'," she explained.

"So am I... though might I ask to what purpose?" Icy said, a little wary.

[sildra45]

Night Jewel listened and watched carefully. Although she was originally interested in his technique, the visuals fascinated her. If I'm to keep up with that, my illusion skills are going to need a lot of practice. Well, I know now that I've found a master.

Once the performance was done, she clapped politely. "That was most fantastic! Looks like it takes quite a lot of skill. Thank you very much." Her eyes gleamed. "Say, have you ever had a student before?"

FT blushed a deep crimson for a moment.

"I..I...I...well...no..I was only just a student myself...not more than three months ago."

His banjo dropped to the ground...he was that taken off guard.

[Benson]

"That's a great idea!"
"Wonderful! Quaver Rest, can you give us a tune?"

She seemed like the person to ask for for the start of a musical number.

Quaver was quiet for a moment, before she began to whistle. Only a few notes came out before she stopped, but they were clear and high.

She tried again a heartbeat later, but with a different tune. Though the notes were swooping and melodic, they also cut off abruptly after a few moments.

"Sorry everypony." Quaver sighed. "I can't think one up right now. I'm sure you can get it started on your own though."

In truth, while she could probably push out a tune or two right now, the songs she felt like singing were not the kind of upbeat working tunes the duo were after.

"Hmm...well...I guess that could do..." Cadmium said tilting her head. "Mmm, if only we could invoke some non diegetic music, heh."

[Mystic Muse]

"Both because I am thirsty and not thirsty." Hover turned around and flutters toward the teeny patio set in the back of her house. "Follow me."

Sunny follows her friend.

[PurityIcekiller]

FT blushed a deep crimson for a moment.

"I..I...I...well...no..I was only just a student myself...not more than three months ago."

His banjo dropped to the ground...he was that taken off guard.

"Surprising, with such expertise. Well, there's a first time for everything, isn't there?" Night Jewel chuckled and swished her little tail.

"Anyway, I'm eager to learn. Music has appeal, and I'm quite out of things to do. I can't let my mind go to waste, you know! So, would you perhaps be interested in giving me lessons?"

[sildra45]

"Surprising, with such expertise. Well, there's a first time for everything, isn't there?" Night Jewel chuckled and swished her little tail.

"Anyway, I'm eager to learn. Music has appeal, and I'm quite out of things to do. I can't let my mind go to waste, you know! So, would you perhaps be interested in giving me lessons?"

He blushed deeper...somehow...and nodded.

"I...I can try. I've...never taught before. I don't even know where to begin!"

[PurityIcekiller]

He blushed deeper...somehow...and nodded.

"I...I can try. I've...never taught before. I don't even know where to begin!"

Night Jewel smiled. "Looks like we both could use some teaching, then, although in different ways."

She thought carefully. "Start with the basics. When you were learning music yourself, what was the first thing you were taught? Maybe you could use that as a reference."

[sildra45]

Night Jewel smiled. "Looks like we both could use some teaching, then, although in different ways."

She thought carefully. "Start with the basics. When you were learning music yourself, what was the first thing you were taught? Maybe you could use that as a reference."

"The...the master I trained under always told me...that music wasn't about notes on a paper or letters spoken by a conductor...but that it was about giving your heart the chance to be heard in a way anypony can understand. He never actually...taught me how...only gave me things to accomplish."

Spoiler

Show

FYI: This is actually how I was taught IRL. My middleschool teacher found it too difficult to teach me the conventional way, so he'd have me listen to music in order to learn it, since I had issues reading the music if I hadn't heard it first.

[PurityIcekiller]

"The...the master I trained under always told me...that music wasn't about notes on a paper or letters spoken by a conductor...but that it was about giving your heart the chance to be heard in a way anypony can understand. He never actually...taught me how...only gave me things to accomplish."

Night Jewel was quite surprised, and hesitated for a while before getting a grin on her face. "...So instead of telling me exactly what to do, you can just guide me gently, and let me figure things out for myself! Excellent! Just the kind of thing I've been looking for!" She hopped with glee. "This is going to be fun!"

[Hawkflight]

"So am I... though might I ask to what purpose?" Icy said, a little wary.

"Well, I'm trying to fix it of course," said Heart. "That, and my entire purpose here is to study particularly unusual magical phenomena."

[sildra45]

Night Jewel was quite surprised, and hesitated for a while before getting a grin on her face. "...So instead of telling me exactly what to do, you can just guide me gently, and let me figure things out for myself! Excellent! Just the kind of thing I've been looking for!" She hopped with glee. "This is going to be fun!"

He perked up a little, and nodded.

"Well...the first thing he had ME do was find an instrument that just sounded....right to me. And for me, that was the fiddle. Do you have a favored instrument or sound?"

[Orzel]

Sunny follows her friend.

There is a nice little table with four little tables around it. No cups or pitchers or teapots. "Stitches, be a decent host and entertain our friend while I fetch the foods."

Stitches stares blankly from her seat as Hover fluttered away.

Hover returns with a pair of teapots. A larger one is filled with a light green tea that fills the area with its sweet smell. The other smaller one is empty. On her tail are five little teacup. All of the items are black. Black porcelain. "Stitches didn't say anything naughty, did she? Probably said something bad about me."

[PurityIcekiller]

He perked up a little, and nodded.

"Well...the first thing he had ME do was find an instrument that just sounded....right to me. And for me, that was the fiddle. Do you have a favored instrument or sound?"

Night Jewel calmed down a bit and began pondering. "That's actually a tricky question. Wind instruments have a nice feel, but then again, there's this wonderful smooth quality to violins, and other stringed instruments have their own appeal..."

For a while, she thought in silence, weighing the pros and cons of all her choices, and then finally spoke up again. "Maybe I'll try out the harp first. Or rather..." To a dishonest sort with a preference for puns, the choice was obvious. "...the lyre."

[Mystic Muse]

There is a nice little table with four little tables around it. No cups or pitchers or teapots. "Stitches, be a decent host and entertain our friend while I fetch the foods."

Stitches stares blankly from her seat as Hover fluttered away.

Hover returns with a pair of teapots. A larger one is filled with a light green tea that fills the area with its sweet smell. The other smaller one is empty. On her tail are five little teacup. All of the items are black. Black porcelain. "Stitches didn't say anything naughty, did she? Probably said something bad about me."

"No. She was very quiet. Didn't say anything at all while you were gone." Sunny says. "Unlike Bubbly. Bubbly won't stop talking." Sunny says.

[Orzel]

"No. She was very quiet. Didn't say anything at all while you were gone." Sunny says. "Unlike Bubbly. Bubbly won't stop talking." Sunny says.

"Bubbly sounds like a chatterbox." Hover giggles then gasps. One straightened face later, The filly sets the table and holds up the filled teapot. "Tea, Sunny?"

That is when Hover's perma-smiling mother floats down from the sky. "Fruit Cookies?" she says with a cheshire cat grin as she placed the cookies down.

Thanks, Mother for the cookies.

[Mystic Muse]

"Bubbly sounds like a chatterbox." Hover giggles then gasps. One straightened face later, The filly sets the table and holds up the filled teapot. "Tea, Sunny?"

That is when Hover's perma-smiling mother floats down from the sky. "Fruit Cookies?" she says with a cheshire cat grin as she placed the cookies down.

Thanks, Mother for the cookies.

"Thank you for the cookies, miss." Sunny says in her usual tone. "Thank you for the tea Hover." she holds up the cup, waiting for Hover to pour the tea. "Yeah, Bubbly is just a little chatterbox."

[Grif]

"Well, I'm trying to fix it of course," said Heart. "That, and my entire purpose here is to study particularly unusual magical phenomena."

"Fix it..." Icy repeated slowly, before hastily adding, "... Of course." Clearly she wanted to help Sandy. "I guess I could share, though I would caution that my data is relatively incomplete due to... err... complications we had."

[sildra45]

Night Jewel calmed down a bit and began pondering. "That's actually a tricky question. Wind instruments have a nice feel, but then again, there's this wonderful smooth quality to violins, and other stringed instruments have their own appeal..."

For a while, she thought in silence, weighing the pros and cons of all her choices, and then finally spoke up again. "Maybe I'll try out the harp first. Or rather..." To a dishonest sort with a preference for puns, the choice was obvious. "...the lyre."

"Alright then. Since we don't have one on hand, do you think you can make one with your magic? That was a later step, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to try now?"

[PurityIcekiller]

"Alright then. Since we don't have one on hand, do you think you can make one with your magic? That was a later step, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to try now?"

"Well..." Night Jewel hesitated. "I don't know if I can make it purely out of magic. My spells are more subtle. Still, if we have raw materials... Aha!"

She looked around, gathered some good pieces of wood off the ground, then retrieved the toolkit she'd concealed in her mane. With the tools, she began working the wood into a frame and pins, then took out some wire to make strings. It wasn't easy, especially since her tools were more suited to picking locks than making instruments, but in the end, she had a playable, if rather awkward-looking, harp.

"There we go. Think this'll do?"

[Hawkflight]

"Fix it..." Icy repeated slowly, before hastily adding, "... Of course." Clearly she wanted to help Sandy. "I guess I could share, though I would caution that my data is relatively incomplete due to... err... complications we had."

Heartflight nodded, awaiting the actual data sheets.

[Orzel]

"Thank you for the cookies, miss." Sunny says in her usual tone. "Thank you for the tea Hover." she holds up the cup, waiting for Hover to pour the tea. "Yeah, Bubbly is just a little chatterbox."

"Well she will be great friends with Stitches as she is a gossip. Yes, you are." Hover pours Sunny some real tea and Bubbly imaginary. The tea is unsweetened as Hover like it bitter. Among other reasons.

[Deme]

"Hmm...well...I guess that could do..." Cadmium said tilting her head. "Mmm, if only we could invoke some non diegetic music, heh."

"You've got to start with a song for that, and then the music happens."

Top Hat says with a serious nod as he and Silk Scarf pick up a few pieces of washed-up driftwood.

"Start somewhere, and the rest happens."

((This is called "I can't write to a tune unless I have one. And then I still can't, so I'll do my best"))

[Benson]

"You've got to start with a song for that, and then the music happens."

Top Hat says with a serious nod as he and Silk Scarf pick up a few pieces of washed-up driftwood.

"Start somewhere, and the rest happens."

((This is called "I can't write to a tune unless I have one. And then I still can't, so I'll do my best"))

Cadmium looked at 'em thoughtfully before closing her eyes and nodding her head rhythmically.

"Tryin' to have a huge bonfire, but we want a musical choir, to make this venture.....something....something...rhyme...that makes sense here...."

[sildra45]

"Well..." Night Jewel hesitated. "I don't know if I can make it purely out of magic. My spells are more subtle. Still, if we have raw materials... Aha!"

She looked around, gathered some good pieces of wood off the ground, then retrieved the toolkit she'd concealed in her mane. With the tools, she began working the wood into a frame and pins, then took out some wire to make strings. It wasn't easy, especially since her tools were more suited to picking locks than making instruments, but in the end, she had a playable, if rather awkward-looking, harp.

"There we go. Think this'll do?"

"Sure! Just let me tune it first."

He created a 'cloud' of telekinetic magic for her to set it in.

[PurityIcekiller]

"Sure! Just let me tune it first."

He created a 'cloud' of telekinetic magic for her to set it in.

"Thanks." Night Jewel tested every string, then set it on the cloud. "It does sound decent, and I don't think it'll come apart if I don't pluck too hard... So, once it's all ready to go, what do we do next?"

[BlasTech]

"You've got to start with a song for that, and then the music happens."

Top Hat says with a serious nod as he and Silk Scarf pick up a few pieces of washed-up driftwood.

"Start somewhere, and the rest happens."

((This is called "I can't write to a tune unless I have one. And then I still can't, so I'll do my best"))

Cadmium looked at 'em thoughtfully before closing her eyes and nodding her head rhythmically.

"Tryin' to have a huge bonfire, but we want a musical choir, to make this venture.....something....something...rhyme...that makes sense here...."

Top Hat had been right in one thing, Quaver was indeed the pony to go to if there was ever a need for a spontaneous musical number. Particularly if said number was needed to inspire other ponies. That music; the kind that helped dreary work fly by, or helped pull ponies off their flanks and get them moving was her special talent after all.

The problem was that it wasn't working.

Quaver began gathering driftwood and listened with a critical ear to the discordant attempt of the showponies and painter to conjure up a tune. A small sigh escaped her lips - in truth, it was a metaphor for the whole situation, and helped her sum up the reason for her lack of musical inspiration in one simple sentence.

There was no music because there was no Harmony.

[Deme]

The two of them shook their heads. They knew a false start when they heard one. The magic of entertaining was a tricky one.

"No, no.... Well, I think we should keep having fun, and see what happens! Come on!"

Top Hat rushed ahead and began tossing wood around, seeing if Cadmium was prepared to catch any.

...But Silk Scarf hung back, and went to speak to Quaver. She looked....sad. It was a rare expression, between their exhuberant joy and their over-the-top sorrow.

"...I'm sorry you're not having fun." She said.

[Benson]

Actually, one piece of driftwood fell right on Cadmium's head who began walking in a very swishy, snaking manner. Like a drunkard trying to dance.

Incidentally, and somehow she managed to catch the other pieces of tossed drift wood neatly on her back on accident.

[BlasTech]

The two of them shook their heads. They knew a false start when they heard one. The magic of entertaining was a tricky one.

"No, no.... Well, I think we should keep having fun, and see what happens! Come on!"

Top Hat rushed ahead and began tossing wood around, seeing if Cadmium was prepared to catch any.

...But Silk Scarf hung back, and went to speak to Quaver. She looked....sad. It was a rare expression, between their exhuberant joy and their over-the-top sorrow.

"...I'm sorry you're not having fun." She said.

Quaver regarded the other mare with consternation, unsure of what to say. Could she honestly reply "no problems" or "it's not your fault" when, to her at least, both of those statements would be a lie? Quaver had been brought up proper, an upbringing that had ingrained in her an almost pathological distaste for lying if it could be at all avoided. As a result, she could not serve Silk Scarf a pithy epithet, any more than she could force herself to have fun.

There was nothing she could say that could give the showmare what she was looking for, and that depressed Quaver most of all.

"I ... thank you" Quaver replied instead, chosing the only honest option left to her. "I appreciate the thought."

Even if it has come a bit late.

"Come on, let's get your bonfire going."