Pony Set Piece
The brown earth stallion lay upon his back on the mess he called a bed. Being a single stallion he wasn’t the most regular with cleaning up and the pile of sheets, blankets and clothes was roughly where he had placed the bed when he moved in, so by all rights it should be his bed. Besides, he was sleeping on it, that made it his bed right? Sound Logic.
His leg twitched and wavered, disturbing a feather from a wilted pillow, said feather fluttered into the air and landed gently on his nose. With a half asleep whinny he twitched a hoof over the tickling on his nose and rolled over to continue his comfortable doze.
The alarm clock that lay roughly in the area his bedside table was theoretically placed began to ring shrilly and a carefully aimed hoof bucked it across the room. By chance or design a sack half overflowing with plush toys, (bought for and returned by previous romantic prospects), prevented the blow or impact being fatal for the device. The reproachful muffled clang it made roused the stallion from his bed.
With a grunt and a groan he heaved himself off the bed and trotted to the bathroom down the hall. After what his mother had always referred to as “Morning Ablutions” he blearily regarded himself in the mirror and smacked his mouth. “Stale potatoes, always...” he muttered before rinsing. Breakfast was next, a simple bowl of oats’n’apples and a glass of apple juice, the last fragments of cereal and a shower of ‘sawdust’ from the box clued him in that shopping would be in order.
Breakfast eaten and drunk, the brown pony checked his blonde mane in the mirror and with a swing in his step left his little home in Ponyville for some morning shopping.
It was a lovely sunny day, the pegasus ponies had no rain scheduled for a while but the past few days of damp weather had left the earth fresh and the plants lush. Musician by trade he might be, but he was still an earth pony and it felt good to be out in the dirt amongst growing things. “Hey Meadow Song!” A friendly voice called from above.
“Hi Ditzy, any mail for me?” He called up to the local mailmare.
“Hum, I’ll check!” The grey pegasus shouted, landing on a roof and knocking a few tiles loose from the eaves. Meadow Song scuttled to avoid the sheets of stone as they fell and gave a apologetic shrug to the unicorn who’s home it was. With a quick point up the mare simply smiled and shook her head, withdrawing from the window she had opened. “Nope, no mail today sorry!” Ditzy called merrily, unaware of the exchange that had gone on below.
“Ah well, I suppose my grips are still on their way.” He shouted in reply. “Say high to Time Turner and Dinky!” He waved his goodbyes to the mailmare and continued his walk, deciding to head towards market.
Enjoying the scenery and the feel of earth on his hooves, Meadow Song merrily made his way through the streets, waving and saying “Hi,” in reply to greetings from other ponies. Lyra stopped him to find out about a practice session he and some other musically inclined locals had arranged. Mr Davenport enquired about his mother and father, Berry gave her regular morning groan and a few others of his friends said good morning.
The Ponyville market was bustling with activity, most of his fellow earth ponies rising with the sun to get a full day of work in. On more than one occasion the brown pony thanked whatever forces had gifted him music and a destiny to sleep in late and play music deep into the night.
A riot of colours and scents of fresh fruits and vegetables attracted him to the stalls. One in particular caught his attention, as it always did.
“Get your apples here! Fresh a’ the morning dew! Apples, two bits a bag!” The orange earth pony, element of honesty and stalwart member of the farming community, shouted the praises of her wares.
“Good morning Applejack.” Meadow Song smiled.
“Good morning too you Meadow Song.” The orange pony grinned. “Here for your usual?”
“Yes please, I finished off the others just last night.” As they spoke Applejack placed a mixed selection of apples into a sack and hoofed it over.
“Two bits if you could.” She smiled as the two coins clattered into the bit box. “Oh, before you go, Ah have a favour to ask.”
Meadow Song stopped and cocked his head to listen. “Sure thing Applejack, what do you need?” The musician business didn’t pay top dollar in a town like Ponyville and his work as a session musician hadn’t been requested recently, Meadow Song liked to help out locals with any odd job. Strong backs were a racial inheritance for any earth pony and farming towns often needed all hands for help.
“We got a new barn to raise up on the farm.” Applejack explained, “Need a few hearty souls to put ‘er up in a few days time. Ah got some of the family coming over to help but me and Mac sure could use some help.”
Meadow Song checked his mental calendar, “I’ll happily help Applejack, just send someone to fetch me when you need me.” He smiled. “I’ll see you again.”
“Bye Meadow Song.” A wave was exchanged and the musician wandered around the market a little longer. He needed some more cereals and if memory served, the ice box had been a horror show, so cleaning things and more food were in order. A simple circuit of the stores and stalls soon filled those needs with a big box of Raisin Oats providing a little variety for breakfast, some fresh vegetables and hay bars, a wrapped clover sandwich for lunch, a bottle of max strength Gak-be-Gone and a heavy duty cleaning sponge.
Dusty Feathers had laughingly thrown in a broom and pan with his purchase, the pale purple mare gave the single stallion a knowing wink which he returned with a blush. His walk home was thankfully un-eventful and he had offloaded his shopping into his humble abode when a familiar call came from the skys.
“Hello Meadow Song!!”
“Hey Ditzy, is everything ok?” Meadow Song looked up to see the blonde pegasus fly a low swoop over his chimney. Managing not to wince at the near miss he grinned as she successfully alighted on the ground.
“You have a parcel!” She grinned and pulled a box from her mailbag. “It was left behind the desk so the boss sent me out with it late.” She nosed over the box and whipped a clipboard in front of his face. “Shign herf pliff.” She articulated around the wooden board.
He obliged, all the while eyeing the box curiously, he had ordered a little treat for himself and hopefully this was it. “Thanks Ditzy.” He waved her off.
“All in a day’s work for MAIL-MARE!” The pegasus laughed as she flew off in the direction of Ponyville Post Office.
As soon as she was out of sight, Meadow song tore into the box like an over eager foal. “Yes! Aww yeah!” He jumped once with glee, for the box held his special guitar grips, an invention created to allow earth pony hooves to hold and play the instrument. These ones were burnt brown, carved from good quality beech wood and skilfully varnished and polished to an attractive shine.
In other words, cool.
Galloping into his house, new acquisition in tow, the earth pony reverently took out his guitar and tried out the grips.
All afternoon and into the evening guitar music weaved its way around town, bringing a little extra enjoyment into the lives of everypony.
Pony Set Piece
-Fin-
