Guitar Lullabies

Melodia opened her eyes, and an excited grin formed on her muzzle as she thought of the day ahead. The young filly sprang out of bed, flapping her wings awkwardly as she nearly got tangled in her sheets. Humming to herself, she flew around her room. She didn't have much time - it was the day of the Ponyville School Talent Show and she wasn't about to miss it. Nuh-uh. No way.

She dragged a brush through her mane and tail, tapping her hooves to the beat inside her head. Done at last, she turned around and straightened up her room, before galloping down the stairs. Jumping the last few, the filly backflipped in the air, before landing on her hooves and skidding into the main room of the castle. Indigo flew around her, and she winced as she crashed into Spike, falling down in a tangle of legs and mane.

"Oops, sorry, Spike. I really need to watch where I'm going, don't I?" she apologised sheepishly.

The teenage dragon rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Get a manecut while you're at it, Diva."

She huffed in exasperation, blowing her fringe out of her face. "No can do - it grows too fast. Totally out of control."

"Like you and your friend Zap Apple?"

Melodia giggled. "That's all Zap. Not me. Besides, she'll be waiting for me at the town square, so I gotta dash. See ya!"

She shot to her hooves, spinning around and trotting out the front doors. Her mane bounced with each step, and as she always did, she eyed the blue streak in her mane curiously. Her aunt once told her that she'd gotten it from her father, and her mother had just nodded sadly. She didn't have much from him - just a few hazy memories, the star-shaped earring she wore, and his musical talent. Rumor had it that she had inherited both her parents' musical abilities, but this had never been proven. Twilight Sparkle didn't sing or play an instrument, after all.

Sighing regretfully to herself, Melodia trotted down the stairs and into Ponyville itself. The town was bustling for it being so early in the morning, and the filly couldn't help but smile at the cheerfulness of the locals. There was no place like home, for sure; but there was no place in Equestria like Ponyville.  Some called it "New Canterlot", others "Friendship City" but to her it was just home.  What did it matter that Ponyville had seen more action than a Aura Net chatroom? They'd seen villains, heroes and princesses. And while many remembered it; none forgot it.

Still smiling as she approached the fountain in the center of the square, the filly immediately started to look for a familiar powder-blue face and trademark Apple family smile. She scanned the market, but it wasn't until an apple hit her in the back of the head did she look up.

"Hey, Diva! You ready for the talent show?"

"You bet I am!" she replied, grinning at her friend. "It's going to be awesome!"

"Alright!" Zap cheered. "That's what I want to hear!"

"Oh, pull-ease," Melodia scoffed. "You like everything that's even remotely related to 'awesome'."

"Are you planning on beating me to school or not?" she demanded, zipping back and forth impatiently.

Melodia opened her wings, launching herself effortlessly into the sky. "You bet I am."

They were laughing when they arrived at the schoolhouse, much to the amusement of their teacher, Miss Cheerilee. She'd been teaching at Ponyville School for as long as anyone could remember. She'd been there for most of the Ponyville events - Discord's return; the Cutie Mark Crusaders' discovery of their cutie marks ... if not all of it. Every pony knew the familiar, welcoming smile of Ponyville's teacher, and they welcomed her cheerful attitude.

"Melodia, Zap Apple! There you are! I had hoped you pair weren't to going to be late." she called from the schoolhouse entrance.

"We ain't late, miss Cheerilee. Honest!" Zap protested, galloping past her into the classroom. Melodia followed, trying to hide her smile at her friend's country accent. It wasn't brought up very often, but then, Zap didn't get nervous very often either. She was an Apple and every, now and then it showed. Now was one of those times.

A hush fell over the fillies and colts crowded into the schoolhouse, and everyone watched nervously as Cheerilee trotted up the front of the room. "Okay, class! If you're ready, we'll begin. Caramel Cream, you're up first. Good luck everypony!"

The tan earth filly bounced eagerly up front and Melodia settled down next to her friend, watching and waiting nervously. She knew her turn would come soon enough - all she could do was wait impatiently and hope against hope that she didn't make a fool out of herself.

At last, Miss Cheerilee called her name, and she rose, picking her way slowly along the path her fellow students cleared for her. She could do this. She had to do this.

Only when she reached the front did she smile, and it was one of assured nervousness. "Okay... um, hi everypony. I'll be singing today, but I'm going to need your help. There are a couple of lines in the song which are meant to be sung to be somepony else ... and a lot of it is meant is to be sung by a group. So if you want to join in, join in. If you want to dance, dance. It's rather catchy. Are you ready?"

A chorus of agreement met her ears and she grinned at Zap's cheerful encouragement, "Go, Diva!"

"Alright. Let's do this. Zap, the music if you please?" she requested. The upbeat tune filled the building, and she saw a few of her classmates start bobbing their heads to the beat. Her courage grew, she counted herself in, and began to sing.

"We've just got the day to get ready, and there's only so much time to lose.

Because  tonight, yeah, we're here to party, so let's think of something fun to do.

We don't know - we don't know - what's gonna happen; we just know - we just know - it's gonna feel right.

All our friends are here and it's time to ignite the lights!"

Giggles erupted from the crowd of schoolfoals as one of their classmates, a young unicorn filly by the name of Elegance, magically conjured a hoof-full of glittering, multicoloured lights. The beams of blue, purple and pink fell across the classroom in waves, and she saw more than one filly and colt start dancing along to the music - and they weren't alone. Miss Cheerilee joined them, stunning several foals with her dance moves.

"Shake your tail, 'cause we're here to have a party tonight; shake your tail, shake your tail.

Shake your tail, 'cause we're here to have a party tonight; shake your tail, shake your tail."

Melodia felt something bubble up inside her as her friends started singing along, one at a time, each note falling into place with delicate precision. It felt right. More than right - it felt magical, but she had no idea how or why or what sort of magic it could be. All she knew was that it was magic. And powerful magic at that.

"So what you didn't get right the first time?

Laugh it off, no one said it is a crime!

Do your thing, you know you're an original!

Your ideas are so funny that they're criminal!"

Melodia. Caramel Cream. Elegance. Zap Apple. Four fillies, joined by a fifth as Fluttershy's half-draconequus daughter Harmony added her voice to their collective one. The sensation of magic doubled, and Melodia found it hard to keep singing. She had a feeling it was narrowing in on her, however she didn't understand why. Just like she didn't know why the magic was there in the first place.

"Ohhh-aah! We just got the day to get ready and there's so only so much time to lose.

Because  tonight, yeah, we're here to party, so let's think of something fun to do.

We don't know - we don't know - what's gonna happen; we just know - we just know - it's gonna feel right.

All our friends are here and it's time to ignite the lights!

Shake your tail, 'cause we're here to have a party tonight; shake your tail, shake your tail.

Shake your tail, 'cause we're here to have a party tonight; shake your tail, shake your tail.

Shake your tail, 'cause we're here to have a party tonight; shake your tail, shake your tail.

Shake your tail, 'cause we're here to have a party tonight; shake your tail, shake your tail.

Shake your tail, 'cause we're here to have a party tonight; shake your tail, shake your tail.

Shake your tail, 'cause we're here to have a party tonight; shake your tail, shake your tail.

Shake your tail, 'cause we're here to have a party tonight; shake your tail, shake your tail!"

Magic exploded from out of nowhere, encircling the filly standing up the front of the building. Prisms of light, edged with rainbows, lifted her into the air, and everyone fell into stunned silence at the sight before them. Her eyes glowed the power of a pent-up magic, flashing with kaleidoscopic colors - a magic that soon enveloped her completely as her eyes drifted shut.

Melodia's wings snapped open as they grew stronger; larger, large enough to lift her effortlessly into the air with a single downstroke - only an alicorn's wings were that large and that powerful. The filly tossed her head backwards, streams of magic running down her spine. A pale yellow streak joined the blue one already in her mane, darting down the length of her mane and tail until the ends brushed over the ground, filled with prinpricks of light. Stars. Her mane and tail were filled with stars. It was incredible. A single flash ended the spell, solidifying on her flank, and her classmates' jaws dropped.

Her hooves touched the ground and her eyes opened, staring in disbelief at the way her way body had been effected by the magic. "What happened?"

Miss Cheerilee shook her head. "I haven't seen anything like this since the Cuite Mark Crusaders got their cutie marks - and I thought then that was something special. Melodia, in all my life, I don't think I've seen a more magical way to get a cutie mark. Ever."

Violet eyes widened. "I got my cutie mark?!" she exclaimed, glancing at her flank. Sure enough, a cutie mark gleamed back at her. A black star sat in the center, surrounded by indigo and white musical notes. She was dumbfounded. "In music?"

"It would appear so,' Her teacher agreed.

Melodia couldn't believe it. She'd always thought finding her special talent would give her the answers, but all that was left was more questions. How on earth had she'd received a cutie mark in music? She didn't understand. And the magic just left her even more confused - she was no unicorn. Even her mother's Element and Rainbow magic didn't manifest like that. So how, and why, did she have magic?