[...]

“Is everything okay, Mr. Alex?”

“Dude, you are just in time! You gotta see this!”

I had rushed to one of the castle’s private gardens, where the human had told me to meet him. The awning was up as the cold winter sky enveloped Equestria, and then I saw Mr. Alex. He was sitting on the ground underneath a tree, with a long suitcase beside him.

“What is that?” I asked, trotting towards him.

“Princess Celestia got me something, and I thought you’d like to see this, too,” Alex excitedly said. His face had that goofy smile as he motioned for me to sit beside him, which I did. Afterward, he reached for the case, flipped the latches up, and pushed the top part open.

What I saw next was incredible. gasp! “No! She did not!”

“Yes, she did, Swift!” Alex beamed, grabbing the neck of a vibrant, red guitar. The silver strings lay across the length of the neck, connected to the instrument’s body. A few knobs lay near the bottom, and as he turned to show me, the sun reflected off the instrument and into my eyes.

“Woah!” I exclaimed, blindsided by the sudden light.

“Oops! Sorry, Swift,” Alex retracted, hugging the guitar. sigh “But I just can’t believe it! It’s almost like the one I had back on Earth.” The human stared at the instrument and sighed, allowing me to see that happy smile again on his face.

“Well…what are you waiting for, Mr. Alex?” I asked. “Play me something.” The human grinned as he grabbed a guitar strap from the case and connected it to the guitar. As he latched the second one on, he pulled it over his head and held the guitar securely.

I watched as he looked down at it and grabbed an object near the head of it. “What is that?”

“This is a guitar pick,” Alex replied. “It helps me strum the guitar instead of playing it with my bare hands. That…and I have large digits, so it is very tough to do that way, anyway.”

I chuckled and nodded my head. “Your ‘hands,’ as you call them, are as big as my hooves, dude,” I laughed. Alex looked at me and shook his head as that smile remained.

“Well,” the human sighed. “Let’s see what I remember. I usually practice, like, twice a day for two hours. Once during my lunchtime and once in the evening. So, of course, I am two months rusty, so bear with me, Swift.” I nodded and intently watched as he brought the neck toward his left ear. He plucked the lowest string and began to spin the knobs on the head slowly.

Before I could even ask, he answered. “Tuning it, Swift,” Alex said quickly. “It’s ‘so’ out of tune. This might take a minute.” I said nothing and watched as Alex adjusted the first string. “Thankfully, I’ve got perfect pitch for E, so I can do this without a note drone to help.”

“Perfect pitch? Note drone? Sounds like a whole new language to me,” I said in bewilderment. Alex looked at me with a confused look, his eyebrows furrowing as he continued.

“Music is its own language, buddy,” Alex replied. “Ah, got it!” Alex had finally tuned the first string and placed a finger on one of the strings. He plucked the string and began to adjust the second. “Doing this is more efficient since I can actually hear the note, which is called ‘relative pitch.’ Yeah, I’ve got both. It’s both a blessing and a curse.”

“I wouldn’t think of it as a curse,” I retorted. “I’d wager that it’s incredible to hear you have such skills.” Alex shook his head and chuckled as he reached the last string.

“This one’s easy,” Alex said. “Just two octaves above the low E string, and done!” Alex adjusted the guitar to his lap and plucked every string before playing them all. “Ah, that’s much better!”

“Now, will you play me something, Alex?” I asked tiredly. The human looked at me and smirked before adjusting himself on the ground. He slowly moved his left hand to the neck and set them on the strings. From there, he began to play a melody to a song. It was very peaceful and somber, as if he were…reminiscing about something. His expression changed as his smile faded and his eyebrows raised, the music becoming more tranquil.

“There’s a lady who’s sure…all that glitters is gold. And she’s buying a stairway…to heaven.” Alex sang. My mind was in a trance as he plucked the strings softly, his voice trembling as he spoke the lyrics to the tune. Slowly, the garden faded away as the human kept playing the guitar.

“Ooo, Oooo, and she’s buying a stairway…to heaven,” Alex sang softly, his voice shaking as he stopped. The human shook his head and hugged the guitar, holding it carefully like a foal. “Oh, how I missed this….”

“Dude,” I commented while clasping my hooves together. “That was amazing! Alex, you looked so…peaceful and happy while playing that thing.” I stared at Alex as he nodded his head and closed his eyes.

“That song was called ‘Stairway to Heaven,’ Swift,” Alex replied. “One of my favorite songs. It’s so soothing and comforting to play, and I don’t need to put much effort into it. Every time I play it, I feel…relaxed.” His head tilted up, and he noticed I was still staring at him. “What?”

“I…I-I can’t believe it,” I said in shock. “You weren’t lying about your musical abilities.”

“Hmph,” Alex scoffed, a grin creeping to his face. “Mama didn’t raise a liar in her house.” He saddled the guitar back on his lap and began to pluck the strings again, only this time, the song sounded more mellow and sad.

I continued to listen as he played what sounded like a ballad of a lost ship and her crew, the experience being incredible to me.

The experience, my mind repeated. It echoed louder every second it could. The experience. The experience! The ‘X-Perience,’ Swift! My eyes widened even more as Alex kept playing.

That’s it!

My mind had found an idea for what Alex could do instead as a job. He wouldn’t need to work in a crappy retail store anymore, and I was sure it would make him happier than anything else if he just had the opportunity.

All I have to do is make a trip somewhere tonight, I thought.

========================================<>========================================

ding-ding!

“Welcome to ‘The X-Perience’ Musical Bar. What can I help you with today, sir?” the waitress asked. I whispered something to her, and she immediately looked at the stage. “One moment.”

As the mare disappeared toward the stage, I moved to an open seat at the bar and ordered a non-alcoholic drink. Better be sober than be a mess for tomorrow’s shift, I thought. A few moments later, the mare returned. She was accompanied this time by an older stallion sporting a navy blue coat and a light-brown hat.

“This was the pony that wanted to see you, sir,” the waitress said. I turned around in my stool and smiled at them.

“Thank you, missy,” the stallion replied. The mare walked back to the front of the establishment, leaving me alone with the band manager. He turned to look at me as I saluted toward him.

“Well, what’s this I hear about you knowing a musician that’s itching to play, Mister…?”

“Swift. Specialist Swift Wildshadow. And yes, I ‘do’ know somecreature that would love to play music again in a band. He just needs…a ‘chance.’”

Author's Note

Hmmmm. Opportunity cometh?

As always, feedback is appreciated in the comments below. See you in the next one!

-Harpy