Harmonic Blue Skies

On the same day that Lyra’s parents hired Sky, Emerald returned from his vacation in Vanhoover. The next morning, Sky and Emerald met up for breakfast at the Hay Burger.

“The waffles here are so good!” Sky said as he dug into his waffle sundae, a big Belgian waffle topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce. “I’m so glad I found this place!”

“It’s the best restaurant in Ponyville!” Emerald agreed. He had also gotten a waffle sundae. “Did you know the Hay Burger is a chain restaurant? I saw three of these in Vanhoover.”

“Really? Interesting!” Sky remarked. “I never saw any of them in Manehattan. Speaking of which, how was your vacation?”

“It was amazing!” said Emerald. “Vanhoover really is one of the most beautiful cities in Equestria. There are so many nice coastal parks and waterfront attractions. Tree Hugger and I explored the whole coast together, and we went up to the mountains for a day too.”

“Sounds like you had a great time!” said Sky. “I’ve never been to Vanhoover myself, but now I may have to go at some point. What was your favorite part of the trip?”

Emerald thought for a moment. “There was this one coastal park that was especially beautiful. It was a lush peninsula toward the south end of the city, full of huge flowering trees. There was a paved seawall path going around it, but the foliage was even better further inland. Tree Hugger and I spent almost a whole day exploring every part of the park. We even saw some native flowers that we’d never seen before!”

“Cool!” said Sky. “Coastal parks are the best.”

“They are!” Emerald agreed. “Anyway, how have you been this past week, while I was gone?”

Sky smiled. “I’ve been great! The day after you left, I had lunch with my cousin in Canterlot, which was really nice.”

“That does sound nice.” said Emerald. “What’s your cousin’s name?”

“Her name’s Sugarcoat.” Sky replied. “She’s my closest foalhood friend – well, actually, she’s my only remaining foalhood friend. She’s a straight-talking mare, but she’s always been so kind and supportive to me. I’m really lucky to have somepony like her in my life.”

Emerald nodded in agreement. “You definitely are. She lives in Canterlot, right?”

“That’s correct.” said Sky. “One of the best things about living in Ponyville is that I’m only a short train ride away from her. Now I can get together with her every week, just like old times!”

Emerald smiled. “Awesome! Speaking of mares, have you seen Lyra at all since the Ivory Estate tour?”

Sky grinned. “Yes! Sugarcoat and I actually ran into Lyra and Bon Bon that day. So I got a chance to talk to Lyra again. And then a few days later, Lyra wrote a letter to me saying that her parents needed an architect to design an extension to their house. So I went to Canterlot to visit them, and they hired me!”

“Wow! Good for you!” Emerald exclaimed. “I guess you’ll be spending a lot more time with her from now on!”

“Hopefully, yeah.” said Sky. “The extension is a smaller project than what I usually design, but it’s no less important.”

“Indeed!” said Emerald. “I’d say you have a really good chance with Lyra now!”

Sky smiled and nodded. “I’d say so too. She’s performing at the summer music show next week, and she invited me to come backstage with her!”

“Oh, that’s cool!” said Emerald. “I think you’ll really enjoy the music show. Tree Hugger and I go there every year, and I’m always amazed at how talented the Ponyville musicians are.”

“Then I take it you’re going again this year?” Sky asked.

“Of course!” said Emerald. “Do you want to meet up with us somewhere before the show?”

“Well, I would meet up with Lyra, but she’ll probably be busy preparing everything with the other musicians.” said Sky. “So yeah, that sounds good. Where do you want to meet up?”

“Since you live north of Ponyville, and we live south of Ponyville, how about we split the difference and meet at the town hall?” Emerald suggested.

“Sounds good to me!” said Sky. “I’m really looking forward to the show.”

At last, the day of the music show arrived. Just as planned, Sky met up with Emerald and Tree Hugger near the town hall. Since Sky hadn’t met Tree Hugger before, he spent most of the walk getting to know her.

“So you’re Emerald’s new friend?” Tree Hugger asked in a mellow, relaxed voice. She was a light green earth pony with lavender eyes and scarlet dreadlocks.

“Yep!” said Sky. “I moved to Ponyville a couple weeks ago. I’m an architect.”

Tree Hugger smiled. “Righteous! I really dig your vibe.”

“So what do you do?” Sky asked.

“I’m a member of the Equestrian Society for the Preservation of Rare Creatures.” Tree Hugger replied. “I meet all kinds of different creatures, each of them perfect and unique in their own way.”

“Sometimes I go with her on her expeditions.” said Emerald. “She really is amazing – she sees the world in a totally different way than anypony else.”

“All of the flora and fauna just, like, feel our groove, and they come to us.” Tree Hugger went on. “Especially our son, Sebastian.”

“Wait, you have a foal?” Sky asked in surprise.

“No, no.” Emerald replied. “Sebastian is a Zebrican giant millipede. We found him on a trip to Zebrica in the spring.”

“He totally dug our aura.” Tree Hugger explained. “He curled up on Emerald’s hoof, and we took him home with us. He’s just as warm and compassionate as any pony, and Emerald and I are proud to be his parents.”

“When I was a colt, I used to find millipedes in my backyard all the time.” Sky recalled. “I wanted to invite them into the house, but my mom wouldn’t let me!”

Emerald laughed. “Same! Millipedes are by far the best bugs! I wanted one for pretty much my whole life, but my parents never allowed it. The day I found Sebastian was a great day indeed.”

The three friends soon reached the outdoor theater where the music show would take place. They were clearly ahead of schedule, since the crowd was only partially full and the stage was still being set up.

“Looks like we’re early.” Sky remarked. “I wonder where Lyra is?”

“Probably backstage with the other musicians.” said Emerald. “You can look for her if you want. In the meantime, Tree Hugger and I will find seats and we’ll save a space for you.”

Sky smiled. “Sounds good! Thanks!” While Emerald and Tree Hugger headed up to the highest row and sat down, Sky trotted over to the stage. He found Lyra sitting and tuning her lyre.

“Hi, Lyra!” Sky said cheerfully. “I made it!”

Lyra grinned and jumped down from the stage. “Hi, Sky! I’m so glad you’re here! Since the show won’t be starting for a while, do you want to come backstage with me?”

“Sure!” said Sky. “I’d love that!”

“Awesome! Follow me!” Lyra led Sky up onto the stage and behind the curtain. As Sky admired the high ceiling and the inner workings of the curtain, a white unicorn mare with a spiky blue mane and pink tinted shades wheeled in a microphone and a large turntable. She lifted her shades to look at Sky.

“This is my friend Sky Scraper.” Lyra said to the white unicorn. “I’m giving him a backstage tour before the show starts. Sky, this is Vinyl Scratch, a.k.a. DJ Pon-3. She’s the emcee for the show.”

“THE DJ Pon-3?!” Sky exclaimed. Vinyl simply smiled and nodded.

“She lives in Ponyville with Octavia.” Lyra explained. “She’s emceed and performed at pretty much all of our shows.” She laughed. “She and Octavia are the only ponies I know whose house is split right down the middle!”

“Interesting!” said Sky. “Is she…”

“Mute? Nope!” Vinyl interjected. “I just prefer to let my wubs do the talking.”

“What are wubs?” Sky asked, rather confused. “Sorry, I’m not that familiar with musical terminology.”

“Wobble bass.” Vinyl replied. “Long bass notes. They make any song so much better!”

Sky chuckled. “Ah. Thanks. Well, it’s really cool to meet you. You must be one of the most famous ponies in Equestria.”

Vinyl smiled. “Not as famous as Sapphire Shores or Countess Coloratura, but I’m getting there! If you want to meet Octavia and the guys, I think they’re still in the green room.” She pointed to a door at the back corner of the stage.

Sky nodded and followed Lyra to the back of the stage. Lyra opened the door and led Sky into a small hallway with two more doors. “The green room is the one on the right.” said Lyra. “The room on the left is the dressing room, but that’s only used for plays.” Lyra opened the door on the right to reveal a cozy room with several upholstered chairs and sofas. Three more musicians were there, talking to one another and tuning their instruments.

“Hello, Lyra!” said a gray earth pony mare. She was holding a cello and spoke with a sophisticated English accent. Her cutie mark was a purple treble clef. “Brought a new friend, I see?”

“Yep!” said Lyra. “This is Sky Scraper. He just moved to Ponyville a couple weeks ago. I met him during a tour of the Ivory Estate.”

“I’m an architect.” Sky went on. “I used to design buildings in Manehattan, but right now I’m helping Lyra’s parents extend and renovate their house.”

“Oh, very nice!” the gray mare remarked with a smile. “My name is Octavia Melody. I play the cello, the second-largest instrument of the violin family. Lyra and I are very good friends, and we’ve collaborated on numerous occasions! A pleasure to meet you, Sky!”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Octavia.” Sky replied. “I heard you live with DJ Pon-3.”

“Oh, yes!” said Octavia. “Being her roommate is an… interesting experience to say the least. Her style of music is the exact opposite of mine, yet we can play together in perfect harmony!”

Sky chuckled. “Well, you know what they say. Opposites attract!”

“Quite so!” Octavia agreed.

The other two musicians in the room were a pair of earth pony stallions. “So you’re an architect?” said one. He had a purplish-gray coat, a neatly combed white mane, and a cutie mark of two white treble clefs. “Nice! My aunt’s an architect too.” He smiled and reached out to shake Sky’s hoof. “I’m Royal Riff. I play the trombone. Nice to meet you, man!”

“You too!” Sky said as he shook Royal’s hoof. “I’m guessing you’re a jazz musician?”

“That’s right.” said the other stallion. He had a light indigo coat, a spiky navy blue mane, and a cutie mark of two pairs of eighth notes. “He and I both are. Noteworthy’s my name, and the saxophone is my game. I’ve been belting out smooth tunes on it ever since I was a colt. The other instruments are nice, but the sax steals the show!”

“Note and Royal make a great team.” said Lyra. “They’re our very own two-pony jazz band!”

“But you can thank me for the songs.” said Noteworthy. “Writing them just comes naturally to me, you know?”

Sky thought Noteworthy seemed a bit full of himself.

Octavia looked up at the clock. “Goodness me!” she exclaimed. “The show’s due to start in a few minutes, and I’m to be the first one performing! I must get out to the stage!” She picked up her cello and hurried out of the green room.

“Well, I guess that’s my cue to leave.” said Sky. He turned to Lyra. “Thank you for letting me come backstage with you!”

Lyra smiled. “No problem, Sky.”

“And it was nice meeting all the ponies involved with the show!” Sky went on. Royal Riff smiled and waved to Sky.

Sky turned back to Lyra. “Good luck with the show.” he said kindly and sincerely. “I’m sure you’ll amaze everypony.”

Lyra blushed lightly. “Thank you, Sky. I’ll see you again after the show?”

“Of course.” said Sky. He waved goodbye to Lyra, then headed out of the green room and back to the crowd.

Sky found Emerald and Tree Hugger in the highest row of seats. Just as Emerald had promised, he’d saved a seat for Sky. “How was your backstage tour?” Emerald asked.

“It was great!” Sky replied. “I got to meet all the musicians in the show, including DJ Pon-3!”

Emerald gasped. “DJ Pon-3 is here?! Holy Celestia, this show is going to be awesome!”

“Blessings to her and to all the other music ponies.” said Tree Hugger. “The aura of this place is so alive!”

The curtain opened, and Vinyl Scratch came out onto the stage. “Well, it’s about to start!” said Sky. “I’m so excited!”

“Good afternoon, everypony!” Vinyl boomed. “It is I, the one and only DJ Pon-3! And here to start things off is my wonderful roommate, and the best cellist in Equestria. Give it up for Octavia Melody!”

Octavia took to the stage with her cello, and the curtain closed again. “Ladies and gentlecolts, I am honored to perform for you a new cello piece that’s been in the works for the past month.” said Octavia. “I hope you enjoy Manetreal Nights.” She signaled to Vinyl to start the turntable. Vinyl nodded and put her headphones on.

Octavia proceeded to play a wonderful cello sonata, accompanied by Vinyl’s gentle beats. Sky thought that Octavia had chosen a fitting title. He had gone to Manetreal with his parents a few years ago, and had loved every minute of the trip. As Sky listened to Octavia’s music, all the great memories of the week he spent in Manetreal came flooding back to him.

When Octavia finished her performance, she took a bow and everypony in the audience clapped and cheered for her. She disappeared behind the curtain, and Vinyl got ready to announce the next performer.

“Tavi is one talented pony, isn’t she?” Vinyl said with a smile. “And so is our next musician. Her music is sure to tug at your heartstrings!” She paused. “Pun intended.”

Sky was now extremely excited. Vinyl’s pun could only mean one thing – Lyra was about to come onto the stage. Sky couldn’t wait to see the most beautiful mare he’d ever known perform in front of him.

The curtain opened again, and Lyra stepped onto the stage. With her magic, she levitated her golden lyre in the air. Like her beautiful eyes, her magic aura was a lovely shade of brilliant gold. “Hi, everypony.” she said. “Last month, I wrote a new lyre solo to capture the essence and meaning of summer, my favorite time of the year. Today I’m performing it for the first time. I hope you enjoy Sweet Summer Angels.” She took a deep breath and began to play.

The sound of Lyra magically playing her lyre was, without a doubt, the most beautiful sound that Sky had ever heard in his life. Although the lyre was a relatively quiet instrument, Sky found himself completely mesmerized by it. He blocked out all the other sights and sounds around him, giving his undivided attention to the most beautiful mare playing the most beautiful instrument. The sweet, soothing melody gave Sky a vision of being on a warm sunny beach with Lyra. He could almost feel the cool ocean water washing over his hooves, and Lyra’s nice soft fur brushing up against him. When Lyra finished her performance, Sky applauded far longer and louder than anypony else in the audience.

“I guess you really loved that one?” Emerald chuckled.

“It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever heard.” Sky said dreamily.

The next performance was a swinging jazz duet by Noteworthy and Royal Riff. Sky preferred string instruments over brass instruments, but enjoyed the catchy jazz rhythm nonetheless. The rest of the show consisted of more collaborative performances between various musicians, all accompanied by Vinyl’s beats. Sky got to see Lyra perform three more times during the show, twice alongside Octavia and once alongside Noteworthy. Between performances, Bon Bon went through the crowd and offered her homemade chocolate truffles as snacks. Sky found that Bon Bon was an amazing confectioner, and they both agreed that Lyra was the best musician in Ponyville.

For the show’s grand finale, all five musicians came together to play an orchestral rendition of the Equestrian national anthem. At the end, the musicians took their final bow, and everypony in the audience cheered for them. While everypony else began filing out of the stands and toward the exit, Sky flew over the crowd to the stage, where he found Lyra talking and packing up with Octavia.

“Lyra, you are the BEST!!!” Sky exclaimed. “Your song was AMAZING!”

Lyra smiled and blushed. “Thank you, Sky.” she said sweetly. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“I loved it!” Sky replied. “Sweet Summer Angels is my new favorite song! It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard!”

“I wasn’t expecting to get that level of praise,” Lyra giggled, “but if you love it that much, I’m honored!”

Sky then turned to Octavia. “You were amazing too!” he said. “Both on your own and in your collabs with Lyra!”

“Why, thank you.” Octavia said with a smile. “Lyra and I have been working together for quite a long time. Ever since we were teenagers, actually.”

“We met not too long after I moved to Ponyville.” Lyra recalled. “We were both performing in a music show – me with my lyre, and Octavia with her cello. We met up after the show, and just like that we were friends!”

Just then, Noteworthy arrived holding his saxophone case. “And that’s a wrap on another perfect show!” he said loftily. “Not gonna lie, I don’t think I’ve ever played better!”

Lyra nodded. “You were great out there! That collab we did was a lot of fun!”

“Everything’s more fun with me and my sax!” Noteworthy laughed. “And it goes especially well with a nice gentle lyre.”

“That’s true!” Lyra giggled.

Sky rolled his eyes. Noteworthy was definitely too boastful for his liking.

“Do you have any plans for after the show?” Sky asked Lyra.

“Bon Bon, Octavia, Vinyl and I were going to have dinner at the Ponyville Cafe.” Lyra replied. “It’s been a while since we all went out together.”

Sky thought for a moment. “Well, um… do you mind if I join?”

Lyra smiled. “Of course I don’t mind! I’ll go find Vinyl and Bon Bon, and then we can all go!”

“Great!” said Sky. “Thanks for letting me come with you!” While Lyra and Octavia went backstage, Sky flew off to tell Emerald about his plan. As he left the stage, he thought he saw Noteworthy giving a dirty look, but he thought nothing of it and quickly made his way to the end of the stands, where Emerald and Tree Hugger were waiting for the crowd to dissipate.

“Hey, Emerald!” said Sky. “Just so you know, I’m going out to dinner with Lyra and some of her friends.”

“Oh, nice!” Emerald replied. “That sounds good! Tree Hugger and I were going to have a romantic dinner at home ourselves.”

“That sounds good too!” said Sky. “Anyway, I guess I’ll see you later.”

“You too!” said Emerald. “Have fun!” Emerald and Sky exchanged a hoof-bump, and Sky flew back to rejoin Lyra and her friends.