beauty of sound

           An orange mare with a long blond mane and tail done up in a hair tie wore a cloak as she walked down the dirt road to Ponyville. It wasn't really cold but under the cloak was a guitar case, This was a secret that she would never let anyone else see. Not even her friends knew she possessed a guitar, much less could play it. Applejack sighed as she walks down the path gazing up at the sunset as she went. Shortly before she reached town Applejack turned off the path and headed for a hill overlooking Ponyville; it wasn't to far off but she always went up there to play. Only she knew the way up to this hill and it would be a secret that she intended to take to her grave.

            Applejack sat down and gazed out at the town before undoing the clip on her cloak and taking it off. She then removed the guitar case from her back and set it in front of her. It was a simple black case with a gold design on it shaped like an apple with the words 'family forever' written under it in neat cursive. She unlocked the case and opened it to reveal a beautiful wooden acoustic guitar with a black pick guard near the sound hole that had a similar elegant apple design as the case on it. There was a wooden bridge with a metal saddle and six steel strings. The head had six silver tuning strings and the word 'apple' written in gold paint across the top.

           A smile creeped across the farmpony's face as she gazed at the beautiful instrument and carefully removed it from the case. She laid one hoof under the neck resting on the frets and the other on the bridge of the guitar in easy reach of the strings. She gazed at the sun as it dipped below the horizon and looked down at the guitar in her hooves. Applejack took a deep breath and sighed as the stress of the day began to wash out. She began strumming the strings to test them once, twice, stop. She took another deep breath and began to play. Each note rang clear through the air as it created a song. Not long after she started to sing along to it. "Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road. Time grabs you by the wrist directs you where to go..."

            Thunderlane was out for a fly, just peacefully letting the day go as he watched the sun dip low in the sky. His ears perked up when he heard... Guitar? 'where is that coming from?' Next thing he heard was a mare singing along to the guitar tune. "So make the best of this test and don't ask why. It's not a question but a lesson learned in time..." He listened as the song went on completely entranced by the music as he landed on a cloud and settled in just listening. Thunderlane remained completely silent, fearing he'd interrupt the song with his presence and make whoever it was playing stop.

             Everything seemed to stop for just that moment as all the birds went silent and the crickets quieting down despite it being a warm night. The music rang clear on the wind and Thunderlane noticed that some of the other ponies walking on the outskirts of town heard the music as well and a couple even stopped to listen.  It was only a few minutes before the music ended and everypony returned to their business. Thunderlane sighed as he took off into the sky again, the music ringing clear in his mind. "I must find who that musician is some day..." He returned home that night and went to check up on his little brother, Rumble. He cracked the door of the colts room and peaked in to see him asleep. Satisfied, Thunderlane walked to his room and laid down on the bed, closing his eyes and falling asleep.

            Applejack sighed as a peaceful smile crossed her face and she got to her hooves. She returned the guitar to it's case and strapped it to her back before grabbing her cloak from the ground. She linked the cloak around herself, once again concealing the instrument as she pulled up her hood. Applejack turns back the way she came and trots home. The sounds of the birds and the crickets slowly return as she walks, the only other thing penetrating the otherwise quiet night was the clopping of her hooves on the dirt path. She took a deep breath of the crisp night air as the farm house came into view over the horizon.

            Upon reaching the farm house she quietly stepped in to find the room empty as her family had gone to sleep. She smiled and walked up the stairs to her room and hanging her cloak up on a hook next to the door. She slid her guitar under her bed and laid down gazing up at the ceiling. Applejack let herself sink into the comfort of her bed as she closed her eyes and fell asleep.