How the Beatles Saved Equestria

“Where do you suppose the others are?” Ringo questioned as they were forced to keep up with the pink pony, any chance of escaping being destroyed as she constantly looked back at them to make sure they were still in step.

“I have no idea; they might not even have ended up in this town. Which reminds me, why are we ponies?! I would have addressed it sooner but I thought fashion was my first priority.” Paul mumbled back as he smirked at a passing mare. She instantly giggled in response, her light blue face turning to into a dark shade of red.

“I been thinking the same thing meself. It’s not every day people wake up as ponies; then again we don’t know that for sure. Do you reckon all those people that go missing mysteriously just end up here?”

“I imagine it’s a possibility, that’d be an awful lot of people though.”

Pinkie Pie finally stopped her pace as they arrived in a large open area of the town. “Twilight’s place is just across the center; make sure to keep close though! There’s lot of ponies and it’s really really easy to get lost!”

The two stallions grinned to each other as they followed her in. Within a mere minute they were able to slip away from her, easily disappearing into the large crowd. The two quickly met up, ducking behind a stall to insure they had lost her.

“So now that we’ve lost the blabber mouth what’s the plan now?” Ringo questioned his fellow musician.

“Start looking for them of course, the best place to look is always the closest!” Paul replied with a smile as he peaked over the side of the stall. With a wave of his hoof they exited their cover, now moving into the general crowd.

“AH! George my good friend, I’ve caught their sent!” John exclaimed as he shoved his face to the dirt, crawling across the ground and constantly sniffing as if he was a bloodhound. This obviously earned a few glances from any passersby.

“You’ve found something? Where are they Johnny boy?” George asked as he turned away from a mare and hurried over to his friend.

“This way!” He galloped across the marketplace, pushing through stallions and mare’s alike with little regard. Before long they arrived in front of the stage, hardly any ponies seemed to bother to move through this area so it was practically deserted. George frowned as they found no sign of their missing band mates. John continued to sniff the ground like a dog, completely determined that they were there.

“Well fat a lot of good that did… They’re probably not even in this town now that I think about it. That Princess said we could have been scattered across the whole country!”

“Hmm…” John resumed the regular pony posture as he looked around curiously. “I thought for sure they were here…”

As the two stood there in confusion, two stallions pushed past them with equally worried looks. As John stared at them he felt that they were oddly familiar. “Well let’s ask those two blokes there, I feel like they’ve seen them…” John and George hurried over to them, tapping on one of their shoulders to get their attention.

A well groomed earth pony spun around to shoot George a disgruntled look. “Hey mate, have you seen our band mates around here? We’ve been looking everywhere for them.”

“Really? We’ve been doing the same. Small world this is.” Ringo stated, not even recognizing his painfully obvious friends.

“Yeah it’s funny really.” John smiled before letting out a sigh. “Well we best get back to work… Good luck with finding your mates.” He groaned as he turned away from the two fellow musicians.

“Well those two were rather nice fellows; I sure hope they find their friends.” George remarked as he and John glanced around, wondering how possibly they could find their lost band mates now.

“Yeah… They looked kind of familiar though, didn’t they?”

The guitarist nodded in response. “Almost as if…”

It wasn’t only until they were on the other side of the clearing did they realize who they had just met. The four of them quickly hurried back, shaking hooves as they exchanged gleeful smiles.

“Paul and Ringo! I can’t we believe we found you, we’ve been looking for ages!” John exclaimed as he shook Paul’s hoof.

“Just the same with us. We had to escape an evil temptress first, she wouldn’t stop talking!”

“The swine! I knew you two were captured; I could just feel it in my blood! Sorry I couldn’t have come to your rescue!”

After a few minutes of celebrating the four musicians got over their initial excitement and settled down. They were happy to be back together, as when they were apart they felt empty and broken. Almost as if there was something rather important missing from their lives. “So lads, a unicorn has informed me and George that we have to save this fair land from the forces of evil!” John yelled to them as he returned to his London accent.

“Oh is that why we’re here?” Paul asked as he continued to grin at John. “I suppose we could do that, it’ll probably be just like saving Pepperland.”

“Speaking of which, wasn’t Twilight supposed to meet us here when she got the rest of her friends?” George asked as he turned to the lead Beatle.

“Yeah but that could take ages, we need to find something to do before I go mad…”

The name struck a chord in Ringo’s mind, and after a moment of thought he spoke up. “Did you just say Twilight? Didn’t that annoying pink pony mention her Paul?”

“Yeah I think she did, oh please don’t tell me that means she’s coming back… I really don’t want another headache…”

John glanced around the market in boredom, desperately trying to find anything to do kill this monotony. He eyes past over all sorts of goods; toys, clocks, clothes, gems and food were all being sold in the market, however out of all these a certain stall caught his interest. A small wooden sign with a black musical note decorated the outside, and sitting under a canopy was a treasure trove of wonders to John’s eyes. All sorts of various instruments sat, polished and tuned to produce only the perfect sound. The stall instantly set off a light bulb in the stallions head as he rushed back into the market. “Come on lads, I’ve got an idea!” His companions soon eagerly followed him.

They came to a halt outside the stall, all of them staring at the instruments in awe. A well mannered stallion was giving them an annoyed look. “Hey, I don’t endorse window shopping you know!”

John shot him a hurtful look, “How dare you accuse us of window shopping! We were most certainly going to buy something!”

Upon seeing that he had just insulted a potential customer, he gave him an apologetic smile and let out an awkward laugh.

“Oh I’m so sorry sir, now what will you be purchasing today?”

“Hm, you’ll have to let me think a moment…” John stated as he stared at the instruments, a moment later giving a hidden gesture behind his back. The other Beatles got the signal and quickly sneaked to the back of the stall.

With the owner’s eyes intently on John, the three musicians were easily able to grab whatever instruments they needed. Ringo had some trouble with the much larger drum set, but he was soon helped a little by his friends.

Upon seeing they had retrieved the instruments, John let out a sigh and turned to the still staring shop owner. “Ah you don’t have what I’m looking for, thanks anyway chap!”

The stall owner stood speechless, completely baffled as the stallion merely walked away.

Now set up on the wooden stage, John turned to his friends with a happy grin. “Alright lads? Are you ready to show these ponies some love?!”

The other Beatles let out exaggerated yells of excitement as they tried to get use to their instruments. George was having a rather hard time holding his guitar, seeing how his hooves could barely grasp around the awkward instrument.

Paul was having an equally troubled time trying to play his bass. His hooves were far too big to play the correct chords, so he merely stared at the instrument in confusion.

Ringo was perhaps having the hardest time though, as he found it impossible to hold the drum sticks in his hooves. So instead he clenched his teeth around one, and awkwardly clutched the other one between his two hooves.

Oddly enough John was easily able to get used to his guitar, effortlessly holding it in the perfect position and his hooves gliding across the cords flawlessly. Though it took a few minutes, each member was able to somewhat adjust to their instrument.

A few passersby had stopped to watch them, wondering curiously what they could be up to. Very rarely did any bands play in Ponyville, so the four bumbling musicians were a new sight to many of the citizens. Before long a small crowd composed of a handful of ponies has formed in front of them. Not wanting to delay any longer, Paul began the count in.

(I Saw Her Standing There)

Well, she was just seventeen,

You know what I mean,

And the way she looked was way beyond compare.

So how could I dance with another,

And I saw her standing there.

Well she looked at me, and I, I could see,

That before too long I'd fall in love with her.

She wouldn't dance with another,

And I saw her standing there.

Already the music had entranced the small crowd, all of them smiling gleefully as they listened to the new, foreign music. Despite their hooves, the band was still able to hit most of the correct notes. Slowly, many ponies began breaking off of the main crowd of the marketplace to come watch them. The majority of the crowd was composed of mares, all of which were staring intently at the four musicians.

The music echoed across the town center, and many stall owners and buyers alike turned their heads to see the source of the sound. Many were confused as the music was so unlike anything they had ever heard, but after only a few verses they became absorbed by the rhythm and began tapping their hooves to the beat.

Within hardly a minute, the small crowd had turned into a huge mass of ponies. The mares could no longer keep back the strange feeling they felt inside of them, and immediately began screaming their lungs out at the four musicians. It was so loud that it nearly drowned out the music, and many nearby ponies had to cover their ears in annoyance.

The four musicians on the stage grinned as they continued to play, not having felt the joy of performing live in years. Hearing Paul finish his verse, George quickly repositioned his hooves and struck the first chord of the guitar solo. His hooves worked across the guitar in a flawless precision that could easily rival any Equestrian musician. This only caused the crowd to reach its climax as the screaming reached the point of near deafness.

Mares jumped and screamed, now completely lost in the music that the four mysterious stallions were playing. It looked like half of the town had come to see them perform, as the entire front of the stage and even parts of the marketplace were packed with ponies trying to get a glimpse of them. Those luckily enough to have been born with wings were flying above the crowd, enjoying their perfect seat as they watched the band play with an unobstructed view.

Well, my heart went "boom",

When I crossed that room,

And I held her hand in mine...

Whoa, we danced through the night,

And we held each other tight,

And before too long I fell in love with her.

Now I'll never dance with another,

Since I saw her standing there.

Ooh Since I saw her standing there.

Yeah well, since I saw her standing there.

As The Beatles finished their song, they all smiled gleeful at the raging crowd. Applause filled the air as ponies stomped their hooves and mare’s continued to scream their hearts out.

“We love you Equestria!” John yelled enthusiastically to the crowd, only serving to make them scream even louder. Just as he was about to consider playing another song, several gutsy mares had jumped onto the stage and galloped towards them. This only encouraged the others, and before long the stage was being rushed by every mare in the crowd.

“You know the drill lads,” John said turning to his friends. “RUN!!!”

(Now really, what would a Beatles chase be without A Hard Day’s Night?)

With lightning speed the four Beatles dropped their instruments and bolted off the side of the stage. The mares quickly gave chase, stampeding across the open area right behind the musicians, screaming all the way. Anypony unfortunate enough to get in their way was practically trampled by the mass of rowdy ponies.

Now moving into the marketplace, the Beatles quickly leapt behind separate stalls in order to escape their pursuers. The mares quickly past them, assuming that they had moved deeper into the market. Letting out a sigh they poked their heads up and jumped out from behind their hiding spots.

Thinking that they had lost them, they slowly strolled out of the market only to see yet another crowd of ponies. Running back into the market they shoved through what few ponies weren’t part of the crowd chasing them. Still unused to running as a pony, George tripped over his own hooves and hit the dirt hard. His friends quickly helped him up however and the chase continued, the crowd just meters behind them at this point.

The Beatles soon reached the end of the market; the only place left to run now was through the town itself. Though they cared little for the change in scenery as they bolted down the street, finding no difference in the buildings that now surrounded them. Taking a chance they turned left into a dark alley, suddenly finding themselves blocked by a brick wall.

“Just like old times eh lads?” Paul laughed as he was boosted up the wall by John and Ringo.

“Yeah, but I swear it was easier to run back in those days. Maybe ponies are just faster runners then people.” Ringo sighed as he too was then boosted up.

While the others climbed over the wall, George looked at the passing mares cautiously. After a moment they all seemed to pass, and the stallion let out a sigh. “Good, I think we lost ‘em…”

However his relaxation was cut short however, as a single mare had broken off from the crowd and caught sight of them. She immediately screamed and broke out into a run towards him. With great haste the guitarist scrambled up the wall, quickly being heaved up by his friends. With happy grins they jumped into the other alley below and stepped onto the next street.

“Hm… The coast looks clear…” John muttered a he took a glance around, the only ponies present being a handful of innocent passersby.

“Ah don’t be so paranoid Johnny boy! I’m sure we lost them.” Paul grinned as he pushed past his friend and walked to the middle of the road. Seeing that he was indeed safe, the others excited the alley and joined their friend.

However their break was cut short, as the roaring sound of stomping hooves filled the air. Turning their heads they found the crowd rushing towards them, and after letting out a yelp of surprise they hurried down the other way.

“You always liked being chased the most Paul…” George rolled his eyes at him as they ran.

“What? Never! To even think of such a thing…” Paul responded with a smile as he glanced back at the crowd behind them.

There was quite a distance between them now, as the four Beatles had finally adjusted to their new hooves and were now running at a fast pace. Being earth ponies they had strong legs, and could run much faster than unicorns and even some pegasi.

Now re-entering the town center, they split up and hurried down separate rows. Within a minute they had arrived back at the stage, discovering it as completely deserted as when they had original found it. They all breathed heavy sighs sprawled themselves across the ground, everyone of them out of breath.

“Ah nothing like a nice jog after a concert, eh lads?” John smirked as he turned to his equally exhausted friends.

“Yeah, it’s been what?” George went to count his fingers, but suddenly remembered that he had hooves now. Instead he merely stared at them for a moment before continuing. “Two years? And even longer since we stopped touring… You know, I still kind of miss those days...”

“Yeah but the crowds were too rowdy. Remember when someone threw a firecracker on to the stage back in Memphis? Boy I thought for certain someone had shot me…”

The Beatles laid on the ground for a few more minutes, resting until they were sure they could move again. However turning his head, George caught sight of a lavender mare, followed by three other ponies.

“And these are the legendary warriors?! They sure don’t look like warriors to me…” A prim white unicorn stated as they paced over to them.

“Well they sure sound like them. Thought their personalities are a little um, different…” Twilight replied as she looked down at them with a frown. “Hey, are those your friends? What are you all doing lying there, what trouble did you get in to?!” She frantically asked a she glanced around the market, half expecting to find it in flames.

“Ah we didn’t cause any trouble Twilight... We just played a song and well, one thing led to another you know…” George chuckled as he stared up at her.

“Like?”

“Half of the girls in this town chased us, nothing serious.” Paul shrugged as he continued to relax.

Twilight shook her head as she looked back to her friends. “Well, I guess we just need to get Rainbow and Fluttershy and then we can head to Canterlot.” Twilight stated to her friends, one of which being the same pink pony Ringo and Paul had encountered earlier.

Upon seeing her the two of them immediately jumped up and looked at each other cautiously. “Ah maybe we should start running again chaps…” Paul said to his fellow musicians.

Pinkie Pie grinned as she recognized them. “Hey it’s Ringo! And um, what was your name again?” She asked, pointing a hoof at the bassist.

“Hey, you’re the broke pony that tried to buy a suit earlier!” Rarity snapped, looking towards Paul with a frown.

“Um yeah, sorry about that…” He chuckled awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head with one hoof.

“Listen, we’ve wasted enough time as it is! Let’s get the other girls and go talk to the Princess!” Twilight snapped at all of them in a hasty tone. Shrugging, the Beatles got up and followed the four mares out of the town.