Author's Note

Flying Home by the Benny Goodman Sextet.

I wanted to create a story about the history of Metal music once. Decided that the existence of A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs, the podcast, would give me enough groundwork to do Rock instead.

I also wanted to create a story told entirely through forms of media, but that was really hard considering what I want this story to be, so they became preambles instead.

This will never be 100% historically accurate, I’ve taken creative liberties and will be taking creative liberties throughout. Benny Goodman wasn’t a girl, and unlike some other female characters that may pop up, he showed no indication that he may have been trans in a different life, but the pun was too easy to pass up.

Though note: this AU is realistic enough to what was actually happening to some of these artists, so if that isn’t your thing, please keep that in mind. Anything you can think of from the history of the last 100 or so years will be in here, though ponified. I figured I would get that out of the way, so you have been warned.

Flying Home

Canterlotite

Bandleader White Pole Kicks off New Style

‘Bandleader White Pole, who was one of the first unicorns to adopt a full orchestra, has started performing a series of high-profile concerts in Canterlot.

These concerts have recently been recorded onto brand new technology: the vinyl disk. Units of both the specialized music player to play these disks and the concerts are flying off the shelves.

These trends point to a larger trend kicked off by these concerts. Orchestras are spreading across the country now, with several citing these White Pole recordings as the gateway into a new style of music.

Among these is a young pegasus clarinetist called Good Mare, who has gone on record to state that she’s ready to play in an orchestra like that. She claims it’s going to have 30 ponies, and that the likes of it will never have been seen before.

Good Mare’s Orchestra is slated to play their first concert in a month.

In addition, more orchestras have popped up similar to this one…’

“Alright, so, Fletching Feather, everything’s all ready for tonight?”

“It appears so, Good Mare.”

“Good, let’s knock the crowd’s socks off. Let’s start with the orchestra. You know, Swing, that Jazz. Then we’ll move onto the other Jazz.”

Fletching Feather quickly looked around the area backstage. All of the musicians were there, and the rest of the smaller group would be arriving shortly. Fletching Feather went around and gave everypony a piece of sheet music. After a quick reconnaissance, Fetching Feather returned to Good Mare.

“You know Harmony, the unicorn who started this whole thing? Well, allegedly, he has a special idea in mind for us. He has asked to see us after the show,” Fletching mentioned.

“Which us? Me, you, Faux Paux, and Willowing Breeze, or the orchestra?” Good Mare responded.

“He seems interested in the smaller group, curiously.”

“What could he possibly want us for?”

“Only time can tell.”

Fletching peaked out in front of the curtain. Good Mare had managed to score a pretty decent venue for the orchestra to play at. Right now, the seats were reasonably packed. It wasn’t like the Good Mare Orchestra were up and comers, but ponies showing up was always nice, especially considering that Good Mare tended to have an impromptu Jazz session during every show.

After a look at that, Fletching Feather turned to Good Mare. “Lots of ponies showed up, we should probably grace them with our presence.”

Good Mare briefly took flight and did a loop. “Let’s do this then!

“Everypony, to your positions!”

It was a successful concert. The Good Mare Orchestra and Good Mare Quartet had finished the set, and the quartet were getting all their things packed up. Fletching Feather managed to keep Willowing Breeze from leaving quite yet, and Faux Pas was still packing up his drum kit, though he at least had some magic to speed up the process.

Willowing Breeze eyed Good Mare and Fletching Feather specifically. The mustachioed stallion had wanted to leave right after the Jazz improvisation, and he was naturally interested in knowing why he hadn’t.

“So, why are all four of us together again? I hope the venue doesn’t want me to carry my piano back myself.”

“No,” Good Mare clarified, the mint green mare adjusted her glasses as she said it, “Harmony, who I presume you know, has wanted to gather us for some reason.”

“That old stallion? He’s still involved in this band?”

“Nothing in the books has changed, Willow. He’s got us a lot of gigs we probably wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.”

Stacking his drums, Faux Pas added, “When Harmony speaks, you tend to listen. Lots of my contemporaries learned that the hard way.”

“All the unicorns?” Willowing Breeze asked. “Not really too beaten up over that one.”

Faux Pas shot Willowing Breeze a dirty look. The two stallions intently stared down each other.

“We don’t have to do this!” Good Mare shouted, getting between the two.

Just then, an orange unicorn walked backstage. His larger than life presence all congregated at the tip of his long, thin horn and dwarfed all the ponies in the room, including the star bandleader that was Good Mare. He strutted like he meant it, like he was the manager of the business.

In this case, that wasn’t far off.

“Hello mare and gentlestallions,” Harmony declared, probably louder than was necessary.

Good Mare immediately took center stage, she after all, did lead this group. “Hello, Harmony. You wanted us?”

“Yes,” Harmony replied.

“So,” Willowing Breeze responded, “why did you want us.”

“Let’s cut straight to the point. You know Celestia Hall?”

“The most prestigious venue in Canterlot?” Good Mare responded.

“The very same. So, deal is, I pulled some strings, drew upon my connections, and I’m holding a show there. I’m actually holding one very soon, pretty much Hearths’ Warming this year.”

All four ponies backstage were now eagerly listening, Faux Pas had even stopped deconstructing his cymbals.

“It’s going to be called,” Harmony raised his front hooves in a grand gesture, “Spirtuals to Swing. It’s a show dedicated to the evolution of music.”

“What does this have to do with us.” Willowing Breeze deadpanned.

“Let him finish,” Fletching Feather replied.

“You are going to be the Swing act. One of a few, actually, but you are the final act, as you are the biggest act.” Harmomy finished.

Good Mare looked around at her diverse group of musicians. “And if they don’t let us in?”

Harmony laughed with a worrying confidence. “Trust me, they won’t get a choice.”

After that line, Harmony stepped out; Good Mare looked around at the rest of the quartet.

“Well that was something. Methods aside, I do think this may be a pretty important show for us, especially if Harmony’s putting it on. Can everypony make it?”

Everypony looked around and they all nodded.

“Good, now that we’re on the same page, you are all dismissed,” Good Mare said.

One by one, everypony left backstage, Willowing Breeze, Fletching Feather, Faux Pas, carrying a concerning number of drums in his magic. Finally, Good Mare left, leaving the venue completely empty.

Good Mare still couldn’t believe it. Even with the date of the Spirtuals to Swing concerts rapidly approaching, the fact was simple, she and her three other members of the quartet were playing at one of, if not the most prestigious venue in Canterlot. Even if the concert was something put on by a Canterlot elite member, he was still interested in the earth pony music like the Swing she played.

Right now, Good Mare was sitting in her house, a modest one, by all means, but she did have one. She was still contemplating the gig, but one thing she wasn’t prepared for was a sharp knock on the door. Good Mare traveled to the door, expecting maybe Fletching Feather. Instead, when she opened the door, a familiar orange unicorn was standing in front of where the door would be.

“Harmony, what are you doing here? Wait. You looked at the records, didn’t you?”

“Celestia does have a pretty vast selection of the residents of Canterlot,” Harmony replied, not really answering the question but implying that yes, he did indeed look at the records.

“You’re serious about the Good Mare Quartet performing, right?” Good Mare blurted out.

“The schedule has not changed. Unless you want out, then that can be arranged.”

“No, I think it’s great for the locals to see the three races working together,” Good Mare replied. “Just… hard to believe.”

“Sometimes dreams aren’t achieved until you realize you’ve already done them,” Harmony mused. “Anyways, I also enjoy that prospect, and thus, you are still on the bill.”

“Thanks, uh, sir— Harmony.”

Harmony looked at Good Mare. Despite his larger than life presence, the two were roughly similar in height. “But, no, the reason why I’m here is that I have an idea I hope you’ll find intriguing.”

Harmony cut it off right there. Good Mare looked around for a moment, expected a little more, then looked back at Harmony. “Well, I’m all ears.”

“I’ve found two more players who I think fit your group very nicely. I have… my own ideas in regards to them.” Harmony said, deliberately.

Good Mare was very much invested in whatever Harmony was talking about, so she focused even more intently on whatever he was going to say next.

“I’ve arranged a meeting with them. It’s near the town square. It’s of course, a little out of the way. However, I am asking you to come with me to see these musicians.”

“Sounds good,” Good Mare said. She was closing the door when she quickly remembered another question she should ask. “Uh, when’s the meeting?”

“The meeting is arranged for an hour from now. Do with that information whatever you wish.”

Good Mare looked at Harmony standing still in the doorway, then shut the door on him, wondering what that stallion could possibly have in mind next.

Good Mare looked around the town square. Canterlot was usually hustling and bustling, with ponies taking their usual routes to work, some coming back, and several ponies meeting up. Today, however, minus a few stragglers, the town square was very much barren. Uncharacteristically barren, almost.

Now, not every hour could be a busy one, and Good Mare hadn’t really been here in the evening, as it currently was. Regardless, it was still an interesting sight.

Good Mare shook herself off in the slight chill of the cooling autumn air. Good Mare momentarily thought about the time she had spent as a weather pony. She hadn’t needed her wings much since she had become a popular musician, but she still enjoyed flying.

She hadn’t done much of that since, actually…

The now airborne Good Mare decided to look around a bit. Staying low to the ground, in case any unicorn decided to rat her out for being a pegasus, she eventually found a back alley that had some lights strung in-between the houses. She stopped to admire the artistry, when she heard a voice.

“Pretty, isn’t it?” it said. “Regardless, hello there, Good Mare.”

Good Mare yipped and immediately landed. Harmony was right in front of her when she did so. She thought it was him based on the voice, but she still was a little surprised.

“Where else?” Harmony said as if it was obvious. “As promised, I have some new musicians for you. Come here.”

Good Mare followed Harmony further down the back alley. Soon, the pair came to a stop in front of a couple earth ponies. One wore a tilted smile and was enjoying herself as she sat behind an instrument comprised entirely of metal bars. The other was squinting at his instrument, an acoustic guitar. Whether that was his natural demeanor or whether he couldn’t afford glasses, Good Mare did not know.

“Are these the ponies you wanted me to meet?” Good Mare asked.

“The same,” Harmony responded. “Lion Heart and Golden Celestian.”

“Lion is on…?”

“Vibraharp.”

“So Celestian must be the guitarist then.”

“Yes.”

“And why do you think they will be assets to the group?”

“Good Mare, these earth ponies are simply the best at their instruments.” Harmony raised his head to direct the next statement directly at the two ponies standing beside each other. “If you’d care to show us.”

Harmony then threw out a magic spell that Good Mare had never seen before. Given, she hadn’t seen much magic aside from Faux Pas’ levitation spells, but Harmony was directing it directly at the instruments.

“What’s that?” Good Mare asked.

“You’ll see in due time.” Was the only reply she got.

Soon after that, the two traded off short solos. However, the sound that came out of the instruments was incredibly unusual. The Vibraharp, thought Good Mare hadn’t seen such an instrument yet, she still had a sneaking suspicion that it had to be louder than usual. This was mainly because the guitar sounded completely different. It was more modern, crisper, and less authentic. Instead, it was louder, and had a light, glassy sound. Almost like it was… electrified.

The two soloists showed incredible virtue, too, Good Mare simply knew she would have to add them to her lineup, and figure something out for the upcoming concert.

“They’re spectacular,” Harmony said, seeming to be excited, but betraying no excitement in his voice.

“What do I do if I want these ponies?” Good Mare asked.

“I’ll talk to… Fletching Feather about it,” Harmony responded. “The show is, however, in a month and change. It’s up to you.”

“I will absolutely be taking these ponies with me,” Good Mare declared.

“As I thought.” Harmony responded.

With that, Harmony left the scene, and Good Mare was left with two eager ponies waiting out for her in this back alley. Well, there was really only one thing to do, to say.

“Lion, Celestian, welcome to the Good Mare Sextet.”

“Alright, band. We’re on in 5,” Good Mare said to her collection of musicians.

The Good Mare Sextet, since adding their two new members, had practiced together as a cohesive unit. Good Mare knew that whatever spell Harmony used to amplify the guitar and Vibraharp was not doable by any members in the group, she asked Faux Pas, and he couldn’t help. However, what Good Mare really tried to do was get them playing part approximates that would hopefully still sound good once amplified.

“We’re playing Sing, Sing, Sing correct?” Fletching Feather said.

“It’s our biggest hit, of course we are.” Good Mare clarified.

Then, Good Mare heard a voice from the main stage.

“Let me introduce to you, Swing extraordinares, and the final act of the evening! The Good Mare Sextet!”

It wasn’t Harmony’s voice, Good Mare was plenty familiar with that one. This one didn’t sound like they were deliberately being as cryptic as possible, so it must be somepony he hired.

Good Mare stepped out onto the stage. The group was going to have to keep a collection of various unicorns entertained for at least a half hour.

As the musicians set up their instruments, Good Mare looked up to the microphone that the organizers had decided to hung from the ceiling. Now, she knew it was hanging because it picked up the entire stage, but she decided to fly up and get close so she could be heard.

“Is this thing on?” Instant mic feedback.

Good Mare winced, but talked anyways.

“Hello everypony. We’re the Good Mare Sextet,” she started, flying around the microphone to get a better angle. “We’ve got plenty of music here for you, though the orchestra isn’t here right now. I still have to thank Fletching Feather for managing those ponies.”

Good Mare gestured to Fletching Feather while she said that, who sat behind his piano.

Good Mare looked around as Faux Pas finished setting up his drum kit. She noticed Harmony in a box seat, likely with one of his parents, as his companion had a sort of upper-crust look about them, even going the whole nine miles and putting on clothes.

“We’re going to bring you some brand new sounds you’ve probably never heard, really cutting edge stuff.”

She tried to nod toward Harmony as she said this, hoping he’d notice. Harmony, up in the seats looked more intently at Good Mare, curious at what she was doing and noticed the signal.

Before Good Mare could blink, a precisely aimed bolt of magic had amplified Golden Celestian’s guitar, and Lion Heart’s Vibraharp soon after.

Good Mare blinked at the sudden magic, landing out of shock, but she regained her footing quickly.

“You all know this one. Sing, Sing, Sing.”

Good Mare stepped back to let the instruments do the talking from then on.

The song started with Faux Pas’ raucous tom groove. A fast, swung beat that would soon be synonymous with the drummer who played it. So much so that such tom grooves went on to bear his name, Faux Pas grooves.

Good Mare let this continue on for a while, letting Faux Pas mix up the beats a bit. After a while, she came in with her clarinet, playing a riff that would be impossible to not sing along to. However, it wasn’t Good Mare that the ponies were interested in, but rather Golden Celestian, who was also playing along to the riff. However, he was doing it louder.

Faux Pas swung his sticks over to the ride while all this was going on, enhancing the sound with a less intrusive beat that didn’t focus so heavily on the loud, booming, toms.

The three kept this up for a good while, before Good Mare decided that everypony was getting a solo. So, she decided to usher in the band herself with a clarinet solo. The clarinet danced as she threw in a few unique licks to continue driving the song forward. Faux Pas kept the song driving with a tom groove throughout the entire solo.

When Good Mare was finished, she looked around. Golden Celestian was the only one in the front of the sextet with her. Fletching Feather, Willowing Breeze, playing the upright bass, Faux Pas, and Lion Heart were all sprawled out behind Good Mare and Golden Celestian in a semicircle.

So, she knew who to give a signal to.

She flew over to give Golden Celestian a signal to play his solo. A signal which Faux Pas picked up and introduced with a short fill. Celestian’s solo was driving and compact, playing a few double stops, playing two alternating notes in rapid succession, every so often as he played chords. His guitar playing was timed with the music’s stabs, creating a percussive solo that was very different from Good Mare’s freer clarinet one.

Soon Good Mare flew over to Fletching Feather, and the rest of the band quieted down as he danced on the keys. Outlining the main melody but taking it several different places. Packed with feeling, Fletching lightly tickled the keys, rarely playing chords, but instead letting the individual keys do the talking. While Fletching was busy with his solo, Good Mare skipped over Willowing Breeze and Faux Pas, because they didn’t necessarily need solos, and went on to Lion Heart.

After Fletching Feather finished his piano solo, Faux Pas returned to banging his toms. The sextet did a reprise of the melody, and Good Mare flew over to Lion Heart to call him in.

Lion Heart again, played the main melody, but added in Vibraharp chords of his own. In between some of the lyrical stabs, he viciously climbed and descended the Vibraharp chromatically, hitting pretty much every note from his starting point to his destination. Faux Pas held back on his drum playing, letting the Vibraharp do all the talking it needed to. Lion Heart continued his blistering pace eventually ending on a chord progression that sounded like a massive event. A classic ii-V-I, by himself with no backing instruments, punctuating the destination chord with a double stop.

The sextet concluded with one final repetition of the main melody with even more energy than it had before, helped by all the instruments playing their own variation on the melody. Faux Pas, the sole exception, as he continued his less intrusive beat.

After the band concluded with a crash, Good Mare thought she could hear the entire Celestia Hall cheering and stomping for her. She looked up at Harmony, who was probably stomping the loudest despite his outward stoic behavior. She flew back up to the microphone hanging from the ceiling.

“That was Sing, Sing, Sing! If you’ll excuse us, we have the stage for a while. Sit back and enjoy yourselves, everypony.”

The Good Mare Sextet played a few more songs, but Good Mare didn’t feel that rush of adrenaline any more than when the sextet played Sing, Sing, Sing. The sextet reconvened backstage as the concert was getting wrapped up.

Good Mare flapped her wings rapidly, she hadn’t used those that much in quite a while. Being able to fly didn’t get you any special treatment in Canterlot, being a pegasus didn’t help either.

Faux Pas dropped his drumsticks and his drums with an unceremonious thud right next to the sextet.

“I think I used pretty much my entire magic reserves during that show. That was exhilarating! Tiring, but exhilarating,” he said, flopping to the ground.

“I knew I made the right choice getting Harmony to sign us up for this,” Fletching Feather mused. “Canterlot knows who the Good Mare Sextet is now, and that’s real exciting. Also, new recruits. Great job out there, you made the earth ponies proud.”

“Thanks,” Golden Celestian muttered

Lion Heart was a little more vocal. “Glad we could do that, at least. Even though there probably weren’t any in that crowd.”

“Someday,” Fletching Feather said.

“That was such a fun show!” Good Mare said, still having enough lift in her tired wings to do a flip. “I’m so happy I could fly! I’m happy I could fly in the first place!”

Good Mare grabbed her clarinet and played a light, airy melody. The notes were short, and the melody didn’t travel too much. “That’s essentially the mood I’m in right now.

“That’s a good melody,” Fletching Feather said.

“Now that you mention it…” Good Mare added.

“And I don’t think we’ve used it before…” Fletching Feather continued.

“It’s true, we haven’t,” Good Mare said. “It’s so light and airy it makes me feel like I’m flying again.”

Good Mare sat and thought for a second. “We could do what we did with Sing, Sing, Sing, out there. Duplicate the melody. Give the soloists a solo, Celestian, and Lion, and probably me.”

Willowing Breeze and Faux Pas looked up.

“Are you forgetting somebody?” Willowing Breeze asked.

Fletching Feather now took a thought. “Oom-pah on the bass, with fills of course, Faux Pas, do you have any brushes?”

Faux Pas, who was still unceremoniously flopped onto the ground, pulled himself up to his haunches. He dug through the drum kit mess that lay beside and around him, before lifting out some small snare brushes.

“It seems I do…” he said, “what do you want these for?”

Fletching Feather scratched his head a tad, mumbling things such as, “That wouldn’t work,” and “Too busy.” Then, his face lit up.

“Just a normal Swing beat will suffice,” Fletching Feather said.

“What will we call it?” Good Mare contemplated.

“Um,” Good Mare heard a timid voice from off to her side state. She turned, to find Golden Celestian. “You mentioned that it reminded you of the days you were flying…?”

“I mean, it was just weather patrol, I was born in Canterlot,” Good Mare said.

“But, um, wouldn’t you like to see Cloudsdale?”

“Which pegasus doesn’t? It's a home to many of us, the ones who didn’t migrate towards Appleoosa, at least. Not as much weather to monitor there, pretty simple life for a lot of weather patrol.”

“So,” Celestian weakly interjected. “Would you say you’d like to go Flying Home?”

A sudden clamor erupted among the sextet. There wasn’t a single pony who disliked that idea.

“Focus!” Good Mare shouted. That got them stopping pretty quickly.

“Ya know,” Lion Heart, “We can talk about this all we like, but how will we record it?”

“I can probably get somepony to do it for us,” Fletching Feather responded.

“Hello mares and gentlecolts,” said a voice from behind.

Good Mare knew that could be only one pony. She turned to find Harmony.

“I can pull a few strings. I’ll get that song recorded.”

“How?” Lion Heart asked.

“Lion Heart, my father is a politician and my mother is Canterlot elite. I can get whatever I want to. I’ll schedule you all for… next week.”

Harmony had a few extra things to say, mainly regarding the show and the spell he used, so Faux Pas could use it for later. The group soon split up and prepared for next week.

Flying Home had been another popular song.

Good Mare sighed as she remembered when she recorded that with that old sextet. They’d all moved on now, but Good !are still ran an orchestra, just not a sextet. She felt that group of six was too special to mess around with.

Good Mare sat up in her bed, looking at the framed Pop charts for that year… 939 ANM. In the top 5, there was the song, Flying Home, featuring Golden Celestian.

Right below the charts, an acoustic guitar on a rack. A few months after that Spirituals to Swing show, Golden Celestian would come down with a cough. He’d live for a while after, but eventually…

Good Mare sighed.

One of the greatest guitar players she knew, gone.

“I hope you’re playing among the stars,” she said, gazing up to the mare on the moon.