Brass Button's Musical Emporiumby trombrony98ChaptersSweet DuetUp the OctaveSnowed In (Pt. 1)Snowed In (Pt. 2)Rarity and the Magic FluteSweet DuetBrass Button stared longingly out the window of his shop. Rain had been pouring down afternoon, so he hadn't had a customer since this morning. In the street, ponies were rushing from one place to another, trying to avoid getting drenched. A few minutes later, he heard a loud knock on the door. Curious, he opened the door to find Derpy Hooves with a letter in her mouth. Taking the letter, he asked, "Is this for me?" "Muffin." She blanked for a second, then turned around and went out the door. Brass Button stood there, perplexed by her response. Given the situation, he figured she must have meant yes, so he took the letter and went to the desk. He took a letter opener and quickly opened the letter. The message was written on a piece of parchment with a floral print border, a signature style of his friend Lyra. 'What could she want with me? I haven't heard from her in a while,' he thought excitedly as he read the letter. Dear Brassy, It's been a while since we've talked, hasn't it? I'm sorry it's been that long, but a lot has been going on in my life. I've been trying to save up to buy my own house, but my skills don't pay much and I've been working overtime at a candy store to make some extra bits. Since it's been such a long time, I was wondering if you would like to join me for dinner tonight. I'm bringing a friend if' you don't mind. She's very friendly, and once you get to know her, I'm sure you'll get along great. I'll be waiting for you at the Taste of Bitaly restaurant at 7 p.m. Your Friend, Lyra Heartstrings Brass Button looked at the clock. He had a good hour and a half until he needed to be at the restaurant. He certainly could get ready by then. But who was this friend of hers? He pondered this question as he went upstairs to get ready. He quickly grabbed a dark green coat out of his closet. He did a once over of his hair, making sure that it looked as nice as possible. He certainly didn't want to look sloppy at a place like Taste of Bitaly. Once he was ready, he grabbed an umbrella and headed out the door. Rain poured down all around him, obscuring his vision and creating puddles everywhere, soaking his hooves. The street was abandoned, leaving him alone as he rushed to the restaurant. He arrived with ten minutes to spare. He wiped his hooves off on the doormat and walked up to the maître. The place was quiet; other than about a dozen ponies, the main dining dining room was empty. The maître d' spoke up. "Are you Brass Button?" Brass Button nodded. The maître d' gestured and led Brass Button to the rear dining room. He finally stopped at the booth where Lyra and a strange mare with a blue and pink mane sat. Brass Button sat down opposite them. As the maître d' left, Lyra started a conversation. "Hey, Brassy! Nice to see you. Let me introduce you to my friend. Brassy, this is Bon-Bon." Her friend spoke up shyly. "Hello." Lyra continued. "We met about a month ago when I was looking for work. She runs the candy store downtown with help from her niece, Twist. She offered me a job, and I've been working with her ever since." Brass Button nodded, content with her story. It answered his questions about what had been going on with Lyra, and he couldn't think of anything else he wanted to ask. He picked up a menu from the table and browsed the menu. While he looked over the salad selection, Bon-Bon spoke up. "I've heard a lot about you from Lyra. It seems you two are very close." She leaned across the table and whispered in his ear. "Have you ever considered, umm, . . . asking her out?" Brass let out a little chuckle. He gave Bon-Bon a pat on the back, and assured her, "Don't be ridiculous. I've known Lyra for many, many years now. I'm fairly certain that if I had those kinds of feelings for her, she would have known a while ago." Bon-Bon blushed. She was slightly embarrassed by her actions, but managed to get a nervous smile out. 'Interesting,' Brass Button thought as he made his final decision on his dinner. The rest of dinner went by uneventfully. Lyra shared a few stories about her first couple of days at Bon-Bon's store, while Brass Button told his stories about how business was going. Bon-Bon proved to be a quick wit, often whipping out puns at the most interesting times. As they walked out the restaurant, Brass noticed that the rain had stopped. He started to walk away from the other two, when he remembered something. He went over to Bon-Bon and asked, "Do you mind if I talk to you for a minute?" Bon-Bon gave him a quizzical look, but followed him to the side of the restaurant. Brass Button took a quick glance to make sure Lyra wasn't watching, then started to speak. "I saw your smile earlier." Bon-Bon turned bright pink. Hers eyes darted, and she gave a small gasp before responding nervously. "I'm not in love with you, I swear!" Brass Button rolled his eyes. "As if that weren't obvious." She gave a sigh of relief. "I only asked that question earlier since I . . ., well, I have a crush on her." Brass Button was stunned. He had thought this might have been the reason for her smile earlier, but dismissed it as his imagination. He stood there, dumbfounded until Bon-Bon spoke up. "I know, this sounds absolutely crazy, but it's true. In fact, that's why I came to dinner tonight. I wanted to know if anything was going on between the two of you before I asked her out. "I'm sorry if this is all so sudden, but I didn't want you to be suspicious. Just promise me one thing: you won't tell about this." Brass Button gave her a reassuring smile. She gave him a hug, then went off to join Lyra. He, on the other hand, started cantering off in the other direction toward his house. Today had been a long day, and he needed some time to think it over. Up the OctaveBrass Button was hard at work cleaning up his store. Normally, he wouldn't mind the fact that the place was a little untidy, but today was different. Renowned musician Octavia Philharmonic was performing a concert today, and he wanted to make a good impression if she came to his store. He had been a fan of Octavia for a few months, following her in the newspapers and listening to recordings of her whenever he could. The tones that resonated from her bass were awe-inspiring to almost everyone who heard it. When he heard that she was coming to Ponyville, he immediately went out to buy a ticket to the concert. He did a quick final check of the store to make sure everything was in order. When he was satisfied with his work, he went up to his bedroom to get dressed for the concert. He had nearly made it to the top of the stairs when he heard someone walk in the door. Curious, he walked back down the stairs to see who it was. Brass Button couldn't believe his eyes when he saw who it was. Standing across the room from him was Octavia herself, with her large instrument case strapped to her back. He stood nervously for a few seconds, then asked, "H-hello. I'm Brass Button, o-owner of this s-store. C-can I help you?" "Ah, yes. You see, I was practicing earlier when one of the strings snapped. Normally, I would just have my assistant Rosewood string it back up, but I gave her a week's vacation while I toured Canterlot and Suburbs. Since I didn't appear to have any other options, I figured this little thrift shop would have to do." Brass was astonished by her response. Here was Octavia, one of his greatest heroes, and she called his store a 'thrift shop'? The indignity made him tense up; he may have respected her earlier, but this was pushing his limits. He gave her an irritated look, but said he could have it fixed in a jiffy. He took the instrument out of its case, and carefully levitated it back toward his workshop. She gave him him one last pompous comment before he reached the workshops. "And be careful! I don't want a ruffian like you scratching the finish on her. If you do-" Brass Button closed the door behind him before she could finish. 'Really? She thinks I out of all people would scratch the finish? That's like saying that Cheerilee would hurt a child.' He propped the bass up on a padded stand, taking extra care not to scratch the finish. He went over to his supply shelf and found the correct string he needed. This would be a fairly easy job; he had been fixing strings on instruments since the day he got his cutie mark. He carefully removed the broken string, discarding it to the side. The new string fit snugly in the place where the old one had snapped. A quick flash of light, and the whole thing was fixed. He didn't see what Octavia was so worried about; a job like this could be managed by any unicorn who had an idea what they were doing. He levitated the bass back to the showroom. Octavia was still there, pacing across the room impatiently. She looked up and saw the bass, then said, "took you long enough." Brass Button tried to hold his frustration with her in, barely managing to repress a few choice words as he brought up the fee for his services. "That will be ten bits." She looked disgusted as she heard him announce the cost. "Ten bits? My dear, I would hardly pay you two bits for this amateurish job. I could've hired a filly to do this job and have it done just as well at a quarter the price." Brass Button finally snapped. All she had done since she came in was treat him like a village idiot, despite what he had just done for her. He angrily stomped his hooves on the ground, and started to rant. "Really? You think a filly could have done this quality of a job? Fine then! Take your stupid bass and go bug somepony else. But I'm telling you right here and right now: you won't find a better instrument mender around these parts." Octavia gave a huff, then picked up her bass and trotted angrily out the door. Brass Button breathed heavily for a few seconds, then attempted to figure out what he had been doing beforehand. It only took a few seconds to recollect what he had been doing. The ticket to Octavia's concert was still lying on his desk. After his run in just moments before, he did not want to see her for a good long while. He took the ticket and threw it into his trash can, relishing in the joy it brought him. Realizing he had just opened up a huge slot of time in his afternoon, Brass Button decided that he would get to work on something more productive. Plus, he had just lost ten bits to a huffy customer; he needed to do something to make up for that loss. He headed back to his workshop. Skimming his pile of order forms, he found something that looked like it could keep him busy throughout the afternoon. A mare from Manehattan named Trap Set had sent in an order for a drum set. It was too far away to get it delivered today, but he certainly could get it mostly completed. All afternoon, he diligently worked at making the drum set take shape. By the time he actually stopped to check the clock, he found he had been at work for nearly seven hours. Sitting before him was a completed drum set, along with a small block of steel to the side. ‘Not bad for an afternoon,’ He thought exhaustedly. Happy with his work for the day, Brass Button headed upstairs to his room. Tired from a long stretch of work, he fell down in bed and started to doze off before he saw an Octavia poster hanging on the wall. In one decisive action, he tore it from the wall, ripping the corner in the process. Not that he cared. For all he cared, he never wanted to see that mare again. Author's Note Yes, I realize this isn't the typical Octavia portrayal. No, I am not an Octavia hater. No, this isn't the last you'll see of her. Just be patient. Geez, I swear if you portray anyone but a villain negatively on this site, they start mauling you. Snowed In (Pt. 1)All across Ponyville, snowflakes were falling to the ground, coating everything with a fine white powder. Cold winds swept through the town, sending the trails of smoke coming from the chimneys into a mesmerizing dance. A few brave ponies braced themselves against the cold as they travelled from one place to another. Among these ponies was Brass Button, carrying a trombone case on his back as he trotted across town. Hearth's Warming Eve was coming up soon, and radio stations were looking for new music to play over the holiday. Every year, he would join up with a few other musicians from around town and put together a record to be played over the radio. He was lucky enough that Vinyl Scratch was able to give his group a steep discount during their wintry session. He arrived at his destination and walked through the door. A cold gust rushed into the building behind him. "Geez, Brass, could you bother to close the door? You're letting all the cold air in!" Standing across the room from him was his old friend, Vinyl. She was messing around with her sound system, most likely trying to get the sound stage ready for recording. He politely closed the door behind him, and sat down to wait for the others to arrive. After a few seconds, Vinyl went over to him. She was in high spirits, humming along to the holiday music playing over the radio. "Hey, Brass! Glad you could make it! I've already got everything set up for you. Just come on in to the soundstage when you guys are ready." She walked back over to the sound table and got back to adjusting the settings. Brass Button took the trombone case off his back, opening the latches on the side and carefully assembling the instrument. He had just finished assembling it when the door opened again, letting a chilly blast hit the room. Rarity walked through the door, carrying a flute case behind her. His usual flutist had fallen sick with the flu, and Rarity offered to fill in for her for the recording. She had become quite competent over the past few months; at the last rehearsal, she was able to keep up with the rest of the band despite havings years less of experience. She gave a quick shiver as she removed her coat and scarf and hung them on the coat rack next to the door. "Oh, hello dear. It's quite chilly weather we're having today, isn't it?" Brass Button looked out the window to see that snow had intensified and now created a layer a few inches deep in most places. He hoped that the weather would hold out long enough for them to finish the recording session. "It certainly is," he replied, giving a warm chuckle. Rarity sat down beside him and opened up her case. She made quick work of assembling it, taking extra care to make sure it was in tune. A short little melody came out as she warmed up her instrument, reminding Brass Button that he had forgotten to warm up his own instrument. He picked up his instrument and blew into it, which produced a flat tone, which was to be expected in this kind of weather. He pushed his tuning slide in, then gave another blow. That time it came out with a much better tone. He was about to warm up when the door opened again, letting a small crowd of ponies into the room. He immediately recognized them as the rest of his small band: Toe-Tapper on trumpet, Torch Song on clarinet, Lyra Heartstrings on harp, Big Macintosh on string bass, and Fiddlesticks on violin. They sat down around the room and unpacked their instruments, stirring up a chatter in the room. Rarity introduced herself to Torch Song and started up a friendly conversation about the seasons latest fashion trends, while Toe-Tapper, Fiddlesticks and Big Mac got into a heated debate about a recent sales tax increase. Lyra took a seat next to Brass Button. After taking her harp out of her case and quickly tuning it, she turned to him and gave him a warm hug. "Nice to see you again, Brass. How's life?" "Pretty good, I guess," he replied cheerfully. "Business has been kind of slow recently with the inclimate weather and all, but I should be getting a nice boost as we get further along in the holiday season. How's Bon-Bon?" "She's doing alright. People are already starting to flood the store looking for candy, but with the help from me and Twist, we're managing. She's managed to keep a level head throughout all of this, amazingly. With patience like that, I'm kind of surprised she hasn't found her very special somepony yet." Brass laughed on the inside at the irony of that statement. He could tell her about Bon-Bon's crush now, but he didn't want to break his promise. "Oh well. I'm sure she'll find them someday." He looked around the room to see that everyone was ready. "Come on, guys! Let's get started!," he exclaimed, walking back towards the soundstage where Vinyl was waiting for them. They quickly filed themselves into the room, taking a seat in an arc with a microphone at each spot. Vinyl took her spot at behind the glass and pressed the button which operated the intercom. "Testing, testing, one, two, three! Is this thing on?" They all nodded. "Good! Alright, let's get this show on the road. Torch, can you give us a concert B flat?" Torch Song brought her clarinet to her lips and played the note, producing a clear tone. The rest followed suit, matching the tones of their instruments to hers, adjusting to make sure they were all in tune. As soon as the sound died down, Vinyl put her headphones on and made a few final adjustments to the sound system before speaking over the intercom again. "You guys all set? Good. 'Jolly Good ol' Puddinghead,' take one." She turned the recording system on and gave them their cue. Music filled up the soundstage as they began playing, swelling and quieting down as they went through the song. Sometimes, the brass carried the melody with a proud fanfare, while at other points a soothing clarinet or violin solo took center stage. Vinyl looked out on all this, adjusting the systems when necessary to achieve balance but still enjoying every note of it. After they finished with the piece, Vinyl stopped the recording and went to work adjusting the system for the next song. Meanwhile, Brass spoke to the group. "Great job, everypony! That was a truly great performance. Rarity, you came through much better than last rehearsal. Now just nine more to go!" Vinyl finished setting up the system and went back to the sound table to get started on the next track. She took her spot behind the window and pressed the intercom button. "Alright! We've got one song down, let's keep on going! Places, everypony!" The group quieted down and took their seats. Once everypony was ready, she spoke over the intercom again. "Here we go. 'The Little Drummer Colt,' take one." Vinyl knew she would be needed on this one, so she set the system on to automatic and hurried out to the snare drum which had been set up in the corner of the sound stage. She heard the beep which signified the system was recording and started to drum out the intro. After a few measures, Brass Button came in with the song's bass line, quickly followed by the entrance of the woodwinds and violin. It started out relatively simple but as the song progressed, it became more and more complex and delicate, eventually reaching a climatic brass fanfare followed by a gradual diminuendo to the end. Vinyl returned to the sound table and turned off the recording. She repeated what she did earlier, adjusting the settings while Brass Button gave the group encouraging words. The next few songs followed a formulaic pattern of recording sessions and breaks. Before any of them knew it, they had made it through 'One Night in a Cave', 'Following the Stars', 'Platinum's Lament', and 'Snow in Manehattan'. Brass Button decided that the group should take a break before continuing. They carefully set down their instruments and headed out to the lobby. Outside the building, snow had been piling up. A foot of the white powder covered nearly everything, including their only exit. Brass Button panicked as he realized that they might be stuck there overnight. Everypony else soon followed his lead. 'Get yourself together, Brass!,' he thought. He tried to collect himself, breathing in and out as he let his thoughts settle. "Everypony listen up. Yes, we are trapped, but we'll make it. Let's just get ourselves together and get back to work," he asserted, not certain whether or not anypony had heard him. Slowly the panic died down. Brass Button spoke up again. "Alright. Now that you're all calmed down, let's just her through this recording session then figure things out from there. You guys ready?" The rest of them nodded. They walked back into the soundstage, where Vinyl was waiting for them. Confused, she asked, "What took you guys so long? I heard a commotion out there." Brass Button gave an exasperated sigh. "Long story." "Whatever. Well, now that we're all here, let's get back to work. Places!" The rest of the session went by uneventfully. As they finished their last song, 'The Heart Carol', Vinyl took off her headphones and headed into the soundstage. "That's a wrap guys! This is going to be a chart topper for sure! You guys heading out?" The group shrank back into their seats. "Yeah, about that . . . ," Brass Button trailed off mid sentence as he tried to avoid the subject. Vinyl gave a blunt reply. "We're snowed in, aren't we." They all nodded. A heavy silence fell on the room as they waited for her response. "You know what this means, right? Sleepover!" Confused stares looked back at her. "What, can't a grown mare like sleepovers?" Rarity responded. "What a lovely idea! Why, it would be a good way to get to know each other better!" After a few moments of stirring, the group agreed that it actually was a pretty good idea. "Good! I'll go grab some pillows and snacks, while you guys head out to the lobby. This is going to be great!" Author's Note So yes, this will be a two partner chapter. Sorry if I left you guys hanging. Don't worry; the second part will be out soon. I also will be writing a chapter in the sequel to The Album, specifically the Toe-Tapper chapter. Keep on reading! Snowed In (Pt. 2)Vinyl walked into the lobby with a pile of pillows balanced on her back and a few bags of potato chips floating behind her. The rest of the group was waiting for her there. In the ten minutes or so it had taken her to get everything, Rarity had braided Lyra's hair, Big Mac had lost seventeen games of tic-tac-toe in a row to Fiddlesticks, and Brass Button had started a heated conversation with Toe-Tapper about whether Sapphire Shores or Nickel Flank was a worse singer. "Hey guys, I'm back! Everypony ready to party?" She threw the pillows in a heap in the middle of the room. Every pony except the two who were playing tic-tac-toe got up and came to the center of the room. Rarity gave an excited squeal. "Yee-haw! Ah win again, Big Mac! Eighteen in a row!" Big Mac walked over toward the rest of the group while Fiddlesticks did a victory jig. Seeing that almost everypony was gathered, Vinyl spoke up. "So, what do guns want to do first? Makeovers? Truth or Dare? Drop the tree branch through the window?" She got a few curious looks as she mentioned the last one. "How about charades?," Brass Button suggested, trying to come up with something that the stallions could enjoy along with the mares. He got a few overeager nods from both Toe-Tapper and Big Mac. "Why not?," Vinyl said enthusiastically. "Everypony know the rules of the game?" They all nodded. Fiddlesticks crashed into the wall as Brass Button went to get a pen and paper to write down what they'd be acting out. Dazed, Fiddlesticks tried to focus her eyes on the group. "Did Ah miss anything?" They all bursted into laughter as Lyra and Toe-Tapper went to her aid. As far as they could tell, she was fine, and she joined in on the laughter when she realized what she had done. Brass Button came back with a bowl, pen and notebook. "Now, I'm going to write down an action on each piece of paper. Don't worry about me cheating; I'm putting a spell on them that will randomly choose the action. We'll play until either one of us gets ten correct guesses or we run out of paper. Vinyl will go first, since this is her home." He levitated the sheets of the notebook into the bowl and cast an orange aura over it. Vinyl went up to the bowl and picked up a paper with her teeth. She took a quick look at what was on it and started to move. She stepped slowly toward one side of the room, struggling against the imaginary object holding her back. "Making a sandwich!" "Playing cards?" "Shovelling snow!" "Pulling a plow," Big Mac guessed flatly. "Yep! Your turn Big Mac." ******** At the end of the game, Big Mac had won by a landslide. Nearly every time it wasn't his turn to do the acting, he was able to guess the right answer. He even had somehow managed to interpret Fiddlesticks' bumblebee impression. By that point, nearly everyone was exhausted. Lyra had already managed to fall asleep in the far corner of the room, and Fiddlesticks gave a loud yawn every once in a while. Vinyl, on the other hand, was still alert as ever. "Come on, let's do something else! How about we go upstairs and tell ghost stories?" Fiddlesticks yawned again. "No thanks. Ah think Ah'll be hittin' the hay. See ya'll in the morning!" She meandered over to the pile of pillows and slumped over. Rarity also objected to the idea. "Vinyl, darling. I know it's a sleepover and all, but we really should be trying something a bit less . . . tasteless. Plus, ghost stories hardly ever end up as more than a boring mockery of others' flaws." Unsure what to do, they sat down and opened a bag of chips. They went through the bag fairly quickly; probably not helped by the fact that neither Brass Button or Big Mac had eaten since breakfast. Rarity giggled as Big Mac let out a massive belch; only to join him with her own, smaller one. "Nice one! So has anypony come up with any ideas? I'm bored out of my mind." Vinyl dropped to the floor and gave an exasperated sigh. Everypony who was still awake joined her on the floor, with similar frustration at the lack of action. Thinking of nothing better to do, Brass Button began to hum absentmindedly. It was a short little ditty he had going through his brain; a small scrap of ideas he had floating in his head. Hearing the tune, Vinyl sat up and exclaimed, "Brass! You're a genius!" Fiddlesticks rolled over in her sleep as Brass Button looked back at Vinyl with an extremely puzzled look. Quieting down, she tried to clarify what she meant. "Let me explain. Does anyone other than Brass here know how to sing?" Only the two ponies asleep in the corner didn't raise their hoof. "Great! Now, why don't we go over into the soundstage for my plans." ******** Vinyl was sitting at the soundboard, looking out at the five ponies who were standing side by side in the recording studio. The quintet was going over the parts that Brass Button had come up with over the past hour. The sun had set a few hours ago, and every few seconds, another yawn would break out from the group. Rarity spoke up. "Vinyl dear, we're, yaawn, ready when you are." Taking this as her cue, Vinyl engaged the sound system and gave the group their cue. Big Mac started off the song with a catchy beat before everyone else joined in on harmony parts. They hadn't taken the time to write lyrics, so the song largely consisted of a large amounts of vowel sounds and bums. Despite that and the lack of practice, the group blended with each other surprisingly well. As the song ended, they all noticed that Vinyl was visibly impressed. "Wow. I've got to say, that was impressive. Forget the instruments, you guys should form a group!" Brass thought to himself, 'this actually sounds like a good idea. Maybe I'll give it a shot if anypony else is interested.' "I'm in if you guys are in." Rarity gave a nod. "I'm in, too. This could just be wonderful! Of course, I'd have to, yaawn, make us all matching outfits, maybe a little something green with a gold hemline . . ." The other three quickly decided to join the effort too. Torch Song was particularly excited, her legs shaking wildly at the idea. " . . . And of course we'd have to come up with a name. Hmm, how about the Bridleway Bunch?" Rarity received a few head shakes at that idea. "Of course not. What was I thinking." A short silence lasted for about ten seconds before ideas started to spill left and right. A few yawns snuck their way in, but other than that, this argument was no holds barred. all sorts of names floated around ranging from extremely generic " to real charmers such as 'The Wandering Potato Chips.' Trying to bring it to a peaceable resolution, Vinyl put in her two cents. "How about the Ponytones?" They all paused for a few seconds, taking time to consider the name. Slowly, they all gave their approval, finally reaching a unanimous consensus among the group. Brass Button gave a sigh of relief. Big Mac let out a massive yawn. "Best time Ah be gittin' to bed." He trotted off toward the lobby with a sleepy smile on his face. "He does, yaawn, make a point. A mare needs her beauty sleep." Rarity followed Big Mac, giving another high pitch yawn as she left the room. Torch Song and Toe-Tapper were quick to follow suit. Brass Button was left alone in the room with Vinyl. "Thanks for letting us stay here." He gave a yawn. "I'm glad to be friends with you." Vinyl smiled back at him, her eyes drooping from a severe lack of sleep. "No prob. This is one sweet group you've got here. I think if you try hard enough you'll rock the world. I'm gonna go catch some Zzzs. See you in the morning." She walked out the studio, leaving Brass Button alone in the studio. Brass Button closed his eyes for a few seconds. Finally succumbing to exhaustion, he fell to the floor and began to dream. Author's Note Hello! I'm not going to quite as fast on my updates of this story for the next few weeks. I still have to finish my chapter for The Album 2, plus as school gets back into gear, I won't have as much free time on my hands. (I also need some time to come up with fresh chapter ideas.) Don't expect a new chapter until sometime next week. Thanks for all the support you've given this story! Rarity and the Magic FluteBrass Button's Music Emporium by trombrony98 * * * * * * * * A faint trail of smoke whisked up into the sky from the chimney small shop near the river. In the fireplace beneath, Brass Button was hard at work mending the tubing of a french horn that had accidentally been crushed by a careless musician at the most recent performance of the Ponyville Regional Orchestra. It was a shame that something so terrible could happen to such a beautiful piece of art. He remembered when he had made this particular instrument. Business was slow that day, so he decided that he would try something more ambitious than his usual products. He had taken some brass tubing that he had in the back of the shop and gotten right to work. After a few hours of labor, he had a finished product. The tubing was perfectly coiled that every note would come out with an angelic tone. The brass had been polished so that it would shine under the lights of a stage. The stallion who had bought it said that it was the most beautiful instrument he had ever seen. But it was all for naught. One careless move had ruined his masterpiece. He could fix it, but no matter how hard he tried, there would be no returning it to its original quality. He put it down to see what else needed done. The bell was dented in quite a few places, and one of the valves still needed to be replaced, but other than that it was nearly repaired. He was just about to go to his storeroom to grab a replacement valve when he heard the bell on his front door jingle. He gave an irritated sigh as he walked into the showroom. Standing at the grand piano in the middle of the room was a white unicorn with a curled violet mane. She was running her hoof along every inch of it, carefully inspecting the quality. She didn't notice him standing there until side peered her head over the top of the piano. A small gasp escaped as her eyes met him. "Oh, magnifique! This is the just the kind of quality I was looking for. Excuse me, monsieur, but do you have any flutes in stock? I was hoping that I might be able to learn to play when I'm not busy with orders at my boutique." Brass Button's frustration with the earlier endeavor melted away at the way this mare was fascinated with his work. Normally, his customers were just coming in for repairs, and didn't take the time to admire his work, but there she was, observing his masterpiece. "Certainly, miss. I'm certain that I have one in stock. Just let me take a look." He led her over to the shelves of instrument cases and began browsing the cases for flutes. She stood there patiently, quietly looking on as he tried to find the right case. He finally found a flute case and levitated it off the shelf, carefully opening it up. She carefully scrutinized the small instrument as it lay in the case. It wasn't one of his better works, but it was the cheapest he could find. He didn't want to overwhelm her with the price tag when it came time to pay for it. After a few minutes of scrutiny, she finally spoke up, sounding displeased. "No no no, this simply won't do. It might be satisfactory for a schoolfilly, but I would like something of your top quality. Price isn't an issue here, if that's what you were worried about; but please show me something more elegant than this piece of tin." He was surprised at how easily she recognized the lack of quality in the instrument. She must have had quite the eye for detail to be able to pick up on the minor tells of its lack of quality. Now knowing what she was expecting from him, he quickly got back to looking for a proper instrument for her. He found what he was looking for a few minutes later, a delicate mahogany case with stainless steel hardware. Normally, he would only sell something like this to a musician whom was extremely dedicated to their music, but this mare seemed to be expecting his best work, and he dared not to disappoint her. It wasn't often that he could attract a new customer to his store. "This is my best one in stock. Its fairly pricey, but I assure you that I have never made a better one."He opened the case, revealing a flute that shone like the sun in the sky in the light of the room. She took it out of the case, once again examining it to see if it met her qualifications. The tension began to feel palpable in the room. She finally set down the instrument in the case. "Perfect! This is a true work of art. Most people can't seem to appreciate a good product these days. They only seem to care about whether or not it works. It's quite a shame, isn't it . . . Now that I think about it, I don't think we properly introduced ourselves. My name is Rarity, owner of Carousel Boutique. And you are?" Brass Button chuckled as he realized he had never actually introduced himself. "I'm Brass Button. Nice to meet you, Rarity." He closed the case and carried it to the register. Rarity followed suit, taking a small pouch and pulling a few fire rubies out of it. "That'll be twenty-five hundred bits, or, according to my calculations, seventeen fire rubies." Rarity frowned a bit at the mention of the cost. She poured out the remaining gems in the bag, but upon counting them up realized she was three rubies short of being able to cover the cost. Brass Button was quite honestly amazed that a single pony could have such a large cache of fire rubies, but decided that it must be something to do with the gemstones on her cutie mark. "Oh dear. I'm afraid I might have to go home empty handed. Pity, really. I was looking forward to putting this masterpiece to good work." Brass Button saw the disappointment in her eyes. He knew she truly wanted that flute, and the only reason the cost was so high was because of all the effort he put into it. Knowing he couldn't bear to let her leave empty handed, he did the only thing he could think of. "I'll cover the rest of the cost. It's all yours." Brass Button gave a sigh of relief as Rarity thanked him. She laid the gems on the counter, then happily trotted off. He smiled as he walked through the rear door into his workshop. Lying where he had left it was that broken french horn, but this time he noticed what he had been doing wrong. Apparently, earlier he had been careless with the mallet, leaving the bell in a horribly dented form. The dents could be easily fixed with a bit of magic, which had somehow escaped him earlier. He quickly got to work fixing it back up. * * * * * * * * A week later, a package arrived in the mail. Seemingly normal, Brass Button presumed it was another shipment of guitar strings or something along those lines. Carefully cutting open the box, he removed its contents and laid them on the desk. An envelope was tied on to a small bundle wrapped in tissue paper. Trying to figure out the sender, he checked the box for a return address. It was listed as Carousel Boutique. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember if he had actually been there before. Seeing no other way of learning who the sender was, he removed the envelope from the bundle. He carefully removed a piece of parchment from the envelope. Dear Mr. Brass Button, I would personally like to thank you for helping me pay for my new flute. This past week I've been thinking of ways that I could thank you enough, but I honestly don't think that's actually possible. So to repay your act of' kindness, I ask you to accept this small gift of mine. I had been working on it for a few days beforehand, but until I met you, I didn't know how to complete it. So I figured that of all ponies, you deserved it most. Your Friend, Rarity P.S. I've actually managed to get some practice time in this week. I now can actually play the full scale! Brass curiously eyed the package. It seemed awfully generous of her to be willing to give him something she had been working on for months, even if he had helped pay for her flute. Most ponies would have just taken the offer and never do anything in return. Then again, there was something about her in the first place that made him feel that it was worth helping her pay for it. He took the bundle and unwrapped it. Inside of it was a silk scarf made with every color of the rainbow. Scattered throughout the colors were a few well placed music notes, but it was what was in the center of it that really got to him. Down to the very last detail, she had perfectly copied his cutie mark.
Sweet DuetBrass Button stared longingly out the window of his shop. Rain had been pouring down afternoon, so he hadn't had a customer since this morning. In the street, ponies were rushing from one place to another, trying to avoid getting drenched. A few minutes later, he heard a loud knock on the door. Curious, he opened the door to find Derpy Hooves with a letter in her mouth. Taking the letter, he asked, "Is this for me?" "Muffin." She blanked for a second, then turned around and went out the door. Brass Button stood there, perplexed by her response. Given the situation, he figured she must have meant yes, so he took the letter and went to the desk. He took a letter opener and quickly opened the letter. The message was written on a piece of parchment with a floral print border, a signature style of his friend Lyra. 'What could she want with me? I haven't heard from her in a while,' he thought excitedly as he read the letter. Dear Brassy, It's been a while since we've talked, hasn't it? I'm sorry it's been that long, but a lot has been going on in my life. I've been trying to save up to buy my own house, but my skills don't pay much and I've been working overtime at a candy store to make some extra bits. Since it's been such a long time, I was wondering if you would like to join me for dinner tonight. I'm bringing a friend if' you don't mind. She's very friendly, and once you get to know her, I'm sure you'll get along great. I'll be waiting for you at the Taste of Bitaly restaurant at 7 p.m. Your Friend, Lyra Heartstrings Brass Button looked at the clock. He had a good hour and a half until he needed to be at the restaurant. He certainly could get ready by then. But who was this friend of hers? He pondered this question as he went upstairs to get ready. He quickly grabbed a dark green coat out of his closet. He did a once over of his hair, making sure that it looked as nice as possible. He certainly didn't want to look sloppy at a place like Taste of Bitaly. Once he was ready, he grabbed an umbrella and headed out the door. Rain poured down all around him, obscuring his vision and creating puddles everywhere, soaking his hooves. The street was abandoned, leaving him alone as he rushed to the restaurant. He arrived with ten minutes to spare. He wiped his hooves off on the doormat and walked up to the maître. The place was quiet; other than about a dozen ponies, the main dining dining room was empty. The maître d' spoke up. "Are you Brass Button?" Brass Button nodded. The maître d' gestured and led Brass Button to the rear dining room. He finally stopped at the booth where Lyra and a strange mare with a blue and pink mane sat. Brass Button sat down opposite them. As the maître d' left, Lyra started a conversation. "Hey, Brassy! Nice to see you. Let me introduce you to my friend. Brassy, this is Bon-Bon." Her friend spoke up shyly. "Hello." Lyra continued. "We met about a month ago when I was looking for work. She runs the candy store downtown with help from her niece, Twist. She offered me a job, and I've been working with her ever since." Brass Button nodded, content with her story. It answered his questions about what had been going on with Lyra, and he couldn't think of anything else he wanted to ask. He picked up a menu from the table and browsed the menu. While he looked over the salad selection, Bon-Bon spoke up. "I've heard a lot about you from Lyra. It seems you two are very close." She leaned across the table and whispered in his ear. "Have you ever considered, umm, . . . asking her out?" Brass let out a little chuckle. He gave Bon-Bon a pat on the back, and assured her, "Don't be ridiculous. I've known Lyra for many, many years now. I'm fairly certain that if I had those kinds of feelings for her, she would have known a while ago." Bon-Bon blushed. She was slightly embarrassed by her actions, but managed to get a nervous smile out. 'Interesting,' Brass Button thought as he made his final decision on his dinner. The rest of dinner went by uneventfully. Lyra shared a few stories about her first couple of days at Bon-Bon's store, while Brass Button told his stories about how business was going. Bon-Bon proved to be a quick wit, often whipping out puns at the most interesting times. As they walked out the restaurant, Brass noticed that the rain had stopped. He started to walk away from the other two, when he remembered something. He went over to Bon-Bon and asked, "Do you mind if I talk to you for a minute?" Bon-Bon gave him a quizzical look, but followed him to the side of the restaurant. Brass Button took a quick glance to make sure Lyra wasn't watching, then started to speak. "I saw your smile earlier." Bon-Bon turned bright pink. Hers eyes darted, and she gave a small gasp before responding nervously. "I'm not in love with you, I swear!" Brass Button rolled his eyes. "As if that weren't obvious." She gave a sigh of relief. "I only asked that question earlier since I . . ., well, I have a crush on her." Brass Button was stunned. He had thought this might have been the reason for her smile earlier, but dismissed it as his imagination. He stood there, dumbfounded until Bon-Bon spoke up. "I know, this sounds absolutely crazy, but it's true. In fact, that's why I came to dinner tonight. I wanted to know if anything was going on between the two of you before I asked her out. "I'm sorry if this is all so sudden, but I didn't want you to be suspicious. Just promise me one thing: you won't tell about this." Brass Button gave her a reassuring smile. She gave him a hug, then went off to join Lyra. He, on the other hand, started cantering off in the other direction toward his house. Today had been a long day, and he needed some time to think it over.
Up the OctaveBrass Button was hard at work cleaning up his store. Normally, he wouldn't mind the fact that the place was a little untidy, but today was different. Renowned musician Octavia Philharmonic was performing a concert today, and he wanted to make a good impression if she came to his store. He had been a fan of Octavia for a few months, following her in the newspapers and listening to recordings of her whenever he could. The tones that resonated from her bass were awe-inspiring to almost everyone who heard it. When he heard that she was coming to Ponyville, he immediately went out to buy a ticket to the concert. He did a quick final check of the store to make sure everything was in order. When he was satisfied with his work, he went up to his bedroom to get dressed for the concert. He had nearly made it to the top of the stairs when he heard someone walk in the door. Curious, he walked back down the stairs to see who it was. Brass Button couldn't believe his eyes when he saw who it was. Standing across the room from him was Octavia herself, with her large instrument case strapped to her back. He stood nervously for a few seconds, then asked, "H-hello. I'm Brass Button, o-owner of this s-store. C-can I help you?" "Ah, yes. You see, I was practicing earlier when one of the strings snapped. Normally, I would just have my assistant Rosewood string it back up, but I gave her a week's vacation while I toured Canterlot and Suburbs. Since I didn't appear to have any other options, I figured this little thrift shop would have to do." Brass was astonished by her response. Here was Octavia, one of his greatest heroes, and she called his store a 'thrift shop'? The indignity made him tense up; he may have respected her earlier, but this was pushing his limits. He gave her an irritated look, but said he could have it fixed in a jiffy. He took the instrument out of its case, and carefully levitated it back toward his workshop. She gave him him one last pompous comment before he reached the workshops. "And be careful! I don't want a ruffian like you scratching the finish on her. If you do-" Brass Button closed the door behind him before she could finish. 'Really? She thinks I out of all people would scratch the finish? That's like saying that Cheerilee would hurt a child.' He propped the bass up on a padded stand, taking extra care not to scratch the finish. He went over to his supply shelf and found the correct string he needed. This would be a fairly easy job; he had been fixing strings on instruments since the day he got his cutie mark. He carefully removed the broken string, discarding it to the side. The new string fit snugly in the place where the old one had snapped. A quick flash of light, and the whole thing was fixed. He didn't see what Octavia was so worried about; a job like this could be managed by any unicorn who had an idea what they were doing. He levitated the bass back to the showroom. Octavia was still there, pacing across the room impatiently. She looked up and saw the bass, then said, "took you long enough." Brass Button tried to hold his frustration with her in, barely managing to repress a few choice words as he brought up the fee for his services. "That will be ten bits." She looked disgusted as she heard him announce the cost. "Ten bits? My dear, I would hardly pay you two bits for this amateurish job. I could've hired a filly to do this job and have it done just as well at a quarter the price." Brass Button finally snapped. All she had done since she came in was treat him like a village idiot, despite what he had just done for her. He angrily stomped his hooves on the ground, and started to rant. "Really? You think a filly could have done this quality of a job? Fine then! Take your stupid bass and go bug somepony else. But I'm telling you right here and right now: you won't find a better instrument mender around these parts." Octavia gave a huff, then picked up her bass and trotted angrily out the door. Brass Button breathed heavily for a few seconds, then attempted to figure out what he had been doing beforehand. It only took a few seconds to recollect what he had been doing. The ticket to Octavia's concert was still lying on his desk. After his run in just moments before, he did not want to see her for a good long while. He took the ticket and threw it into his trash can, relishing in the joy it brought him. Realizing he had just opened up a huge slot of time in his afternoon, Brass Button decided that he would get to work on something more productive. Plus, he had just lost ten bits to a huffy customer; he needed to do something to make up for that loss. He headed back to his workshop. Skimming his pile of order forms, he found something that looked like it could keep him busy throughout the afternoon. A mare from Manehattan named Trap Set had sent in an order for a drum set. It was too far away to get it delivered today, but he certainly could get it mostly completed. All afternoon, he diligently worked at making the drum set take shape. By the time he actually stopped to check the clock, he found he had been at work for nearly seven hours. Sitting before him was a completed drum set, along with a small block of steel to the side. ‘Not bad for an afternoon,’ He thought exhaustedly. Happy with his work for the day, Brass Button headed upstairs to his room. Tired from a long stretch of work, he fell down in bed and started to doze off before he saw an Octavia poster hanging on the wall. In one decisive action, he tore it from the wall, ripping the corner in the process. Not that he cared. For all he cared, he never wanted to see that mare again. Author's Note Yes, I realize this isn't the typical Octavia portrayal. No, I am not an Octavia hater. No, this isn't the last you'll see of her. Just be patient. Geez, I swear if you portray anyone but a villain negatively on this site, they start mauling you.
Snowed In (Pt. 1)All across Ponyville, snowflakes were falling to the ground, coating everything with a fine white powder. Cold winds swept through the town, sending the trails of smoke coming from the chimneys into a mesmerizing dance. A few brave ponies braced themselves against the cold as they travelled from one place to another. Among these ponies was Brass Button, carrying a trombone case on his back as he trotted across town. Hearth's Warming Eve was coming up soon, and radio stations were looking for new music to play over the holiday. Every year, he would join up with a few other musicians from around town and put together a record to be played over the radio. He was lucky enough that Vinyl Scratch was able to give his group a steep discount during their wintry session. He arrived at his destination and walked through the door. A cold gust rushed into the building behind him. "Geez, Brass, could you bother to close the door? You're letting all the cold air in!" Standing across the room from him was his old friend, Vinyl. She was messing around with her sound system, most likely trying to get the sound stage ready for recording. He politely closed the door behind him, and sat down to wait for the others to arrive. After a few seconds, Vinyl went over to him. She was in high spirits, humming along to the holiday music playing over the radio. "Hey, Brass! Glad you could make it! I've already got everything set up for you. Just come on in to the soundstage when you guys are ready." She walked back over to the sound table and got back to adjusting the settings. Brass Button took the trombone case off his back, opening the latches on the side and carefully assembling the instrument. He had just finished assembling it when the door opened again, letting a chilly blast hit the room. Rarity walked through the door, carrying a flute case behind her. His usual flutist had fallen sick with the flu, and Rarity offered to fill in for her for the recording. She had become quite competent over the past few months; at the last rehearsal, she was able to keep up with the rest of the band despite havings years less of experience. She gave a quick shiver as she removed her coat and scarf and hung them on the coat rack next to the door. "Oh, hello dear. It's quite chilly weather we're having today, isn't it?" Brass Button looked out the window to see that snow had intensified and now created a layer a few inches deep in most places. He hoped that the weather would hold out long enough for them to finish the recording session. "It certainly is," he replied, giving a warm chuckle. Rarity sat down beside him and opened up her case. She made quick work of assembling it, taking extra care to make sure it was in tune. A short little melody came out as she warmed up her instrument, reminding Brass Button that he had forgotten to warm up his own instrument. He picked up his instrument and blew into it, which produced a flat tone, which was to be expected in this kind of weather. He pushed his tuning slide in, then gave another blow. That time it came out with a much better tone. He was about to warm up when the door opened again, letting a small crowd of ponies into the room. He immediately recognized them as the rest of his small band: Toe-Tapper on trumpet, Torch Song on clarinet, Lyra Heartstrings on harp, Big Macintosh on string bass, and Fiddlesticks on violin. They sat down around the room and unpacked their instruments, stirring up a chatter in the room. Rarity introduced herself to Torch Song and started up a friendly conversation about the seasons latest fashion trends, while Toe-Tapper, Fiddlesticks and Big Mac got into a heated debate about a recent sales tax increase. Lyra took a seat next to Brass Button. After taking her harp out of her case and quickly tuning it, she turned to him and gave him a warm hug. "Nice to see you again, Brass. How's life?" "Pretty good, I guess," he replied cheerfully. "Business has been kind of slow recently with the inclimate weather and all, but I should be getting a nice boost as we get further along in the holiday season. How's Bon-Bon?" "She's doing alright. People are already starting to flood the store looking for candy, but with the help from me and Twist, we're managing. She's managed to keep a level head throughout all of this, amazingly. With patience like that, I'm kind of surprised she hasn't found her very special somepony yet." Brass laughed on the inside at the irony of that statement. He could tell her about Bon-Bon's crush now, but he didn't want to break his promise. "Oh well. I'm sure she'll find them someday." He looked around the room to see that everyone was ready. "Come on, guys! Let's get started!," he exclaimed, walking back towards the soundstage where Vinyl was waiting for them. They quickly filed themselves into the room, taking a seat in an arc with a microphone at each spot. Vinyl took her spot at behind the glass and pressed the button which operated the intercom. "Testing, testing, one, two, three! Is this thing on?" They all nodded. "Good! Alright, let's get this show on the road. Torch, can you give us a concert B flat?" Torch Song brought her clarinet to her lips and played the note, producing a clear tone. The rest followed suit, matching the tones of their instruments to hers, adjusting to make sure they were all in tune. As soon as the sound died down, Vinyl put her headphones on and made a few final adjustments to the sound system before speaking over the intercom again. "You guys all set? Good. 'Jolly Good ol' Puddinghead,' take one." She turned the recording system on and gave them their cue. Music filled up the soundstage as they began playing, swelling and quieting down as they went through the song. Sometimes, the brass carried the melody with a proud fanfare, while at other points a soothing clarinet or violin solo took center stage. Vinyl looked out on all this, adjusting the systems when necessary to achieve balance but still enjoying every note of it. After they finished with the piece, Vinyl stopped the recording and went to work adjusting the system for the next song. Meanwhile, Brass spoke to the group. "Great job, everypony! That was a truly great performance. Rarity, you came through much better than last rehearsal. Now just nine more to go!" Vinyl finished setting up the system and went back to the sound table to get started on the next track. She took her spot behind the window and pressed the intercom button. "Alright! We've got one song down, let's keep on going! Places, everypony!" The group quieted down and took their seats. Once everypony was ready, she spoke over the intercom again. "Here we go. 'The Little Drummer Colt,' take one." Vinyl knew she would be needed on this one, so she set the system on to automatic and hurried out to the snare drum which had been set up in the corner of the sound stage. She heard the beep which signified the system was recording and started to drum out the intro. After a few measures, Brass Button came in with the song's bass line, quickly followed by the entrance of the woodwinds and violin. It started out relatively simple but as the song progressed, it became more and more complex and delicate, eventually reaching a climatic brass fanfare followed by a gradual diminuendo to the end. Vinyl returned to the sound table and turned off the recording. She repeated what she did earlier, adjusting the settings while Brass Button gave the group encouraging words. The next few songs followed a formulaic pattern of recording sessions and breaks. Before any of them knew it, they had made it through 'One Night in a Cave', 'Following the Stars', 'Platinum's Lament', and 'Snow in Manehattan'. Brass Button decided that the group should take a break before continuing. They carefully set down their instruments and headed out to the lobby. Outside the building, snow had been piling up. A foot of the white powder covered nearly everything, including their only exit. Brass Button panicked as he realized that they might be stuck there overnight. Everypony else soon followed his lead. 'Get yourself together, Brass!,' he thought. He tried to collect himself, breathing in and out as he let his thoughts settle. "Everypony listen up. Yes, we are trapped, but we'll make it. Let's just get ourselves together and get back to work," he asserted, not certain whether or not anypony had heard him. Slowly the panic died down. Brass Button spoke up again. "Alright. Now that you're all calmed down, let's just her through this recording session then figure things out from there. You guys ready?" The rest of them nodded. They walked back into the soundstage, where Vinyl was waiting for them. Confused, she asked, "What took you guys so long? I heard a commotion out there." Brass Button gave an exasperated sigh. "Long story." "Whatever. Well, now that we're all here, let's get back to work. Places!" The rest of the session went by uneventfully. As they finished their last song, 'The Heart Carol', Vinyl took off her headphones and headed into the soundstage. "That's a wrap guys! This is going to be a chart topper for sure! You guys heading out?" The group shrank back into their seats. "Yeah, about that . . . ," Brass Button trailed off mid sentence as he tried to avoid the subject. Vinyl gave a blunt reply. "We're snowed in, aren't we." They all nodded. A heavy silence fell on the room as they waited for her response. "You know what this means, right? Sleepover!" Confused stares looked back at her. "What, can't a grown mare like sleepovers?" Rarity responded. "What a lovely idea! Why, it would be a good way to get to know each other better!" After a few moments of stirring, the group agreed that it actually was a pretty good idea. "Good! I'll go grab some pillows and snacks, while you guys head out to the lobby. This is going to be great!" Author's Note So yes, this will be a two partner chapter. Sorry if I left you guys hanging. Don't worry; the second part will be out soon. I also will be writing a chapter in the sequel to The Album, specifically the Toe-Tapper chapter. Keep on reading!
Snowed In (Pt. 2)Vinyl walked into the lobby with a pile of pillows balanced on her back and a few bags of potato chips floating behind her. The rest of the group was waiting for her there. In the ten minutes or so it had taken her to get everything, Rarity had braided Lyra's hair, Big Mac had lost seventeen games of tic-tac-toe in a row to Fiddlesticks, and Brass Button had started a heated conversation with Toe-Tapper about whether Sapphire Shores or Nickel Flank was a worse singer. "Hey guys, I'm back! Everypony ready to party?" She threw the pillows in a heap in the middle of the room. Every pony except the two who were playing tic-tac-toe got up and came to the center of the room. Rarity gave an excited squeal. "Yee-haw! Ah win again, Big Mac! Eighteen in a row!" Big Mac walked over toward the rest of the group while Fiddlesticks did a victory jig. Seeing that almost everypony was gathered, Vinyl spoke up. "So, what do guns want to do first? Makeovers? Truth or Dare? Drop the tree branch through the window?" She got a few curious looks as she mentioned the last one. "How about charades?," Brass Button suggested, trying to come up with something that the stallions could enjoy along with the mares. He got a few overeager nods from both Toe-Tapper and Big Mac. "Why not?," Vinyl said enthusiastically. "Everypony know the rules of the game?" They all nodded. Fiddlesticks crashed into the wall as Brass Button went to get a pen and paper to write down what they'd be acting out. Dazed, Fiddlesticks tried to focus her eyes on the group. "Did Ah miss anything?" They all bursted into laughter as Lyra and Toe-Tapper went to her aid. As far as they could tell, she was fine, and she joined in on the laughter when she realized what she had done. Brass Button came back with a bowl, pen and notebook. "Now, I'm going to write down an action on each piece of paper. Don't worry about me cheating; I'm putting a spell on them that will randomly choose the action. We'll play until either one of us gets ten correct guesses or we run out of paper. Vinyl will go first, since this is her home." He levitated the sheets of the notebook into the bowl and cast an orange aura over it. Vinyl went up to the bowl and picked up a paper with her teeth. She took a quick look at what was on it and started to move. She stepped slowly toward one side of the room, struggling against the imaginary object holding her back. "Making a sandwich!" "Playing cards?" "Shovelling snow!" "Pulling a plow," Big Mac guessed flatly. "Yep! Your turn Big Mac." ******** At the end of the game, Big Mac had won by a landslide. Nearly every time it wasn't his turn to do the acting, he was able to guess the right answer. He even had somehow managed to interpret Fiddlesticks' bumblebee impression. By that point, nearly everyone was exhausted. Lyra had already managed to fall asleep in the far corner of the room, and Fiddlesticks gave a loud yawn every once in a while. Vinyl, on the other hand, was still alert as ever. "Come on, let's do something else! How about we go upstairs and tell ghost stories?" Fiddlesticks yawned again. "No thanks. Ah think Ah'll be hittin' the hay. See ya'll in the morning!" She meandered over to the pile of pillows and slumped over. Rarity also objected to the idea. "Vinyl, darling. I know it's a sleepover and all, but we really should be trying something a bit less . . . tasteless. Plus, ghost stories hardly ever end up as more than a boring mockery of others' flaws." Unsure what to do, they sat down and opened a bag of chips. They went through the bag fairly quickly; probably not helped by the fact that neither Brass Button or Big Mac had eaten since breakfast. Rarity giggled as Big Mac let out a massive belch; only to join him with her own, smaller one. "Nice one! So has anypony come up with any ideas? I'm bored out of my mind." Vinyl dropped to the floor and gave an exasperated sigh. Everypony who was still awake joined her on the floor, with similar frustration at the lack of action. Thinking of nothing better to do, Brass Button began to hum absentmindedly. It was a short little ditty he had going through his brain; a small scrap of ideas he had floating in his head. Hearing the tune, Vinyl sat up and exclaimed, "Brass! You're a genius!" Fiddlesticks rolled over in her sleep as Brass Button looked back at Vinyl with an extremely puzzled look. Quieting down, she tried to clarify what she meant. "Let me explain. Does anyone other than Brass here know how to sing?" Only the two ponies asleep in the corner didn't raise their hoof. "Great! Now, why don't we go over into the soundstage for my plans." ******** Vinyl was sitting at the soundboard, looking out at the five ponies who were standing side by side in the recording studio. The quintet was going over the parts that Brass Button had come up with over the past hour. The sun had set a few hours ago, and every few seconds, another yawn would break out from the group. Rarity spoke up. "Vinyl dear, we're, yaawn, ready when you are." Taking this as her cue, Vinyl engaged the sound system and gave the group their cue. Big Mac started off the song with a catchy beat before everyone else joined in on harmony parts. They hadn't taken the time to write lyrics, so the song largely consisted of a large amounts of vowel sounds and bums. Despite that and the lack of practice, the group blended with each other surprisingly well. As the song ended, they all noticed that Vinyl was visibly impressed. "Wow. I've got to say, that was impressive. Forget the instruments, you guys should form a group!" Brass thought to himself, 'this actually sounds like a good idea. Maybe I'll give it a shot if anypony else is interested.' "I'm in if you guys are in." Rarity gave a nod. "I'm in, too. This could just be wonderful! Of course, I'd have to, yaawn, make us all matching outfits, maybe a little something green with a gold hemline . . ." The other three quickly decided to join the effort too. Torch Song was particularly excited, her legs shaking wildly at the idea. " . . . And of course we'd have to come up with a name. Hmm, how about the Bridleway Bunch?" Rarity received a few head shakes at that idea. "Of course not. What was I thinking." A short silence lasted for about ten seconds before ideas started to spill left and right. A few yawns snuck their way in, but other than that, this argument was no holds barred. all sorts of names floated around ranging from extremely generic " to real charmers such as 'The Wandering Potato Chips.' Trying to bring it to a peaceable resolution, Vinyl put in her two cents. "How about the Ponytones?" They all paused for a few seconds, taking time to consider the name. Slowly, they all gave their approval, finally reaching a unanimous consensus among the group. Brass Button gave a sigh of relief. Big Mac let out a massive yawn. "Best time Ah be gittin' to bed." He trotted off toward the lobby with a sleepy smile on his face. "He does, yaawn, make a point. A mare needs her beauty sleep." Rarity followed Big Mac, giving another high pitch yawn as she left the room. Torch Song and Toe-Tapper were quick to follow suit. Brass Button was left alone in the room with Vinyl. "Thanks for letting us stay here." He gave a yawn. "I'm glad to be friends with you." Vinyl smiled back at him, her eyes drooping from a severe lack of sleep. "No prob. This is one sweet group you've got here. I think if you try hard enough you'll rock the world. I'm gonna go catch some Zzzs. See you in the morning." She walked out the studio, leaving Brass Button alone in the studio. Brass Button closed his eyes for a few seconds. Finally succumbing to exhaustion, he fell to the floor and began to dream. Author's Note Hello! I'm not going to quite as fast on my updates of this story for the next few weeks. I still have to finish my chapter for The Album 2, plus as school gets back into gear, I won't have as much free time on my hands. (I also need some time to come up with fresh chapter ideas.) Don't expect a new chapter until sometime next week. Thanks for all the support you've given this story!
Rarity and the Magic FluteBrass Button's Music Emporium by trombrony98 * * * * * * * * A faint trail of smoke whisked up into the sky from the chimney small shop near the river. In the fireplace beneath, Brass Button was hard at work mending the tubing of a french horn that had accidentally been crushed by a careless musician at the most recent performance of the Ponyville Regional Orchestra. It was a shame that something so terrible could happen to such a beautiful piece of art. He remembered when he had made this particular instrument. Business was slow that day, so he decided that he would try something more ambitious than his usual products. He had taken some brass tubing that he had in the back of the shop and gotten right to work. After a few hours of labor, he had a finished product. The tubing was perfectly coiled that every note would come out with an angelic tone. The brass had been polished so that it would shine under the lights of a stage. The stallion who had bought it said that it was the most beautiful instrument he had ever seen. But it was all for naught. One careless move had ruined his masterpiece. He could fix it, but no matter how hard he tried, there would be no returning it to its original quality. He put it down to see what else needed done. The bell was dented in quite a few places, and one of the valves still needed to be replaced, but other than that it was nearly repaired. He was just about to go to his storeroom to grab a replacement valve when he heard the bell on his front door jingle. He gave an irritated sigh as he walked into the showroom. Standing at the grand piano in the middle of the room was a white unicorn with a curled violet mane. She was running her hoof along every inch of it, carefully inspecting the quality. She didn't notice him standing there until side peered her head over the top of the piano. A small gasp escaped as her eyes met him. "Oh, magnifique! This is the just the kind of quality I was looking for. Excuse me, monsieur, but do you have any flutes in stock? I was hoping that I might be able to learn to play when I'm not busy with orders at my boutique." Brass Button's frustration with the earlier endeavor melted away at the way this mare was fascinated with his work. Normally, his customers were just coming in for repairs, and didn't take the time to admire his work, but there she was, observing his masterpiece. "Certainly, miss. I'm certain that I have one in stock. Just let me take a look." He led her over to the shelves of instrument cases and began browsing the cases for flutes. She stood there patiently, quietly looking on as he tried to find the right case. He finally found a flute case and levitated it off the shelf, carefully opening it up. She carefully scrutinized the small instrument as it lay in the case. It wasn't one of his better works, but it was the cheapest he could find. He didn't want to overwhelm her with the price tag when it came time to pay for it. After a few minutes of scrutiny, she finally spoke up, sounding displeased. "No no no, this simply won't do. It might be satisfactory for a schoolfilly, but I would like something of your top quality. Price isn't an issue here, if that's what you were worried about; but please show me something more elegant than this piece of tin." He was surprised at how easily she recognized the lack of quality in the instrument. She must have had quite the eye for detail to be able to pick up on the minor tells of its lack of quality. Now knowing what she was expecting from him, he quickly got back to looking for a proper instrument for her. He found what he was looking for a few minutes later, a delicate mahogany case with stainless steel hardware. Normally, he would only sell something like this to a musician whom was extremely dedicated to their music, but this mare seemed to be expecting his best work, and he dared not to disappoint her. It wasn't often that he could attract a new customer to his store. "This is my best one in stock. Its fairly pricey, but I assure you that I have never made a better one."He opened the case, revealing a flute that shone like the sun in the sky in the light of the room. She took it out of the case, once again examining it to see if it met her qualifications. The tension began to feel palpable in the room. She finally set down the instrument in the case. "Perfect! This is a true work of art. Most people can't seem to appreciate a good product these days. They only seem to care about whether or not it works. It's quite a shame, isn't it . . . Now that I think about it, I don't think we properly introduced ourselves. My name is Rarity, owner of Carousel Boutique. And you are?" Brass Button chuckled as he realized he had never actually introduced himself. "I'm Brass Button. Nice to meet you, Rarity." He closed the case and carried it to the register. Rarity followed suit, taking a small pouch and pulling a few fire rubies out of it. "That'll be twenty-five hundred bits, or, according to my calculations, seventeen fire rubies." Rarity frowned a bit at the mention of the cost. She poured out the remaining gems in the bag, but upon counting them up realized she was three rubies short of being able to cover the cost. Brass Button was quite honestly amazed that a single pony could have such a large cache of fire rubies, but decided that it must be something to do with the gemstones on her cutie mark. "Oh dear. I'm afraid I might have to go home empty handed. Pity, really. I was looking forward to putting this masterpiece to good work." Brass Button saw the disappointment in her eyes. He knew she truly wanted that flute, and the only reason the cost was so high was because of all the effort he put into it. Knowing he couldn't bear to let her leave empty handed, he did the only thing he could think of. "I'll cover the rest of the cost. It's all yours." Brass Button gave a sigh of relief as Rarity thanked him. She laid the gems on the counter, then happily trotted off. He smiled as he walked through the rear door into his workshop. Lying where he had left it was that broken french horn, but this time he noticed what he had been doing wrong. Apparently, earlier he had been careless with the mallet, leaving the bell in a horribly dented form. The dents could be easily fixed with a bit of magic, which had somehow escaped him earlier. He quickly got to work fixing it back up. * * * * * * * * A week later, a package arrived in the mail. Seemingly normal, Brass Button presumed it was another shipment of guitar strings or something along those lines. Carefully cutting open the box, he removed its contents and laid them on the desk. An envelope was tied on to a small bundle wrapped in tissue paper. Trying to figure out the sender, he checked the box for a return address. It was listed as Carousel Boutique. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember if he had actually been there before. Seeing no other way of learning who the sender was, he removed the envelope from the bundle. He carefully removed a piece of parchment from the envelope. Dear Mr. Brass Button, I would personally like to thank you for helping me pay for my new flute. This past week I've been thinking of ways that I could thank you enough, but I honestly don't think that's actually possible. So to repay your act of' kindness, I ask you to accept this small gift of mine. I had been working on it for a few days beforehand, but until I met you, I didn't know how to complete it. So I figured that of all ponies, you deserved it most. Your Friend, Rarity P.S. I've actually managed to get some practice time in this week. I now can actually play the full scale! Brass curiously eyed the package. It seemed awfully generous of her to be willing to give him something she had been working on for months, even if he had helped pay for her flute. Most ponies would have just taken the offer and never do anything in return. Then again, there was something about her in the first place that made him feel that it was worth helping her pay for it. He took the bundle and unwrapped it. Inside of it was a silk scarf made with every color of the rainbow. Scattered throughout the colors were a few well placed music notes, but it was what was in the center of it that really got to him. Down to the very last detail, she had perfectly copied his cutie mark.
