New Musician In Townby DulcetChaptersIntroductionAuditionsImpressing the JudgeEnding The Day On A High NoteThere's Music In All Of UsIntroductionIn another day in Ponyville, the birds are chirping, ponies are wandering in the streets, and the sky is just blooming wonderfully. Out in the field of Ponyville Park, Twilight and her friends are there having a picnic, gazing at the wonderful clouds that roam in the sky. “Ughh, I am so bored!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, sturdily thumping her hooves into the ground. “Just relax, Rainbow Dash! It’s a beautiful day today in Ponyville! The only thing you should do is to just gloom into the skies and well, relax!” pointed out Rarity, with a sheer smile expressed in her face. “Yeah, sugarcube. Couldn’t think one thing else to do instead of just sky- gazing into the clouds,” added Applejack. Suddenly, out in the distance is Spike, hurriedly racing to the picnic with a letter in his claws. “Twilight! Applejack! Rarity! Pinkie! Fluttershy! Rainbow! Princess Celestia sent.. you ponies.. a letter.. with urgent.. news!” Spike mutters, collapsing into the grass, completely out of breath. “Hmmpp, let’s see what this letter says,” Twilight mutters, slowly peeling into the letter, with the other ponies closely looking as well. The letter reads: To my fellow ponies in Ponyville, Next week, it has come to my attention that the ponies in Ponyville have agreed to hold a concert that commemorates my years as ruler in all of Equestria. I will be making a personal appearance to this concert along with Princess Luna, but I wish to task you ponies with an important responsibility in organizing and planning out this concert. The musicians will be arriving to Ponyville shortly today. I hope all goes well! Yours truly, Princess Celestia “Oohh! A concert! You can’t have a concert without Pinkie Pie! Eeehh, I can have my party cannon shooting out streamers and candy to the crowd just like this!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie, taking out her party cannon and demonstrating what she just said to her friends. Rainbow Dash flew into the sky, happily cheering. “Wow, a concert in Ponyville, now that’s something to be excited about!” “I’ll tell ya, Ah’m actually really excited for this!” Applejack bellowed. “Yayyy, a concert,” Fluttershy murmured excitedly. “This concert sounds like a great idea, but when will this musician get here?!” squealed Rarity. “Oh Rarity.. I’m sure they will arrive soon, but we have some planning to do! Let’s meet up at my place and discuss how we should handle this, don’t you think” stated Twilight with a glee on her face. Back in Twilight’s home, the ponies carry out distinct plans on how to prepare for the concert. They hurdle around in a circle and share out their own ideas with one another. “Now, first things first. Where should the concert take place?” asked Twilight. “Hmmpp, how outside at Ponyville Park?” Rainbow Dash suggested. “There’s always a possibility that it could rain, Rainbow. We need anotha idea,” inquired Applejack. “How about the Auditorium? Don’t think it’s gonna be booked next week,” pointed out Fluttershy. “That’s perfect!” exclaimed the other ponies all at once. “So it’s settled. The concert will be taking place at the Auditorium,” Twilight said. The ponies cheered and “bro-hoofed” each other until a knock on the door is heard. The ponies glance at each other for a quick mere second, wondering what the noise was. The knock on the door repeats rapidly and the ponies stare at the door. Twilight then made her way to the door and carefully opened it. At the entrance was a unicorn carrying a ukulele with him. “Uhm, hi. I’m guessing you are Twilight Sparkle?” “Why yes. And you are..? asked Twilight with a confused look in her face. “Well, where are my manners. My name is Jazz, but some ponies also refer to me as 'Jazzy'. Nice to meet you, Twilight,” Jazz shakes his hoof with Twilight’s. “I am a traveling musician who has performed all around Equestria. I will be performing in Ponyville’s concert next week. I received a letter from Princess Celestia, telling me to go to you. I’m guessing you are organizing this whole concert, am I right.” “You guess right. Come on in, I’ll introduce you to my friends who are helping me organize this.” Jazz entered the premise of Twilight, observing all the books in the house. Twilight cleared her throat and pointed at her friends. “From left to right, this is Applejack.. Rainbow Dash.. Fluttershy.. Rarity.. and Pinkie Pie! Oh, I also have a baby dragon named Spike who assists me as well,” said Twilight. “Hey every pony, this is Jazz!” Twilight said, pointing at the unicorn. “Howdy there, partner!” exclaimed Applejack. “Nice to meet you,” replied Fluttershy. “Hey there!” stated Rainbow Dash. “Hey there, Jazz! Pinkie Pie rushes to greet him and pulls out her welcome wagon. “Since you are new here, I use this wagon to welcome new folks in Ponyville!” As soon as Pinkie presses the button on her wagon, she cheerfully sings her welcome song to Jazz. Confetti spurts out from the wagon and dozens of confetti fall from the air and land on the ponies. Pinkie excitedly jumps up and down, joyfully singing to him. As Jazz hears Pinkie’s song, the only thing he can do is just smile and laugh. “Ahah, that is some song you got there, Pinkie. Well, I am definitely feeling welcomed here,” “Hi there! I am Rarity and that is some instrument you got there,” Rarity exclaimed, glittering her eyes at Jazz. “Hey Rarity. This is actually a ukulele that’s been with me for as long as I can remember. It’s really the only thing that keeps me going, that keeps me motivated to play music!” Jazz then glances at the other ponies and says, “Well, I better get going. I have some auditions that I need to hear at the Auditorium.” “Auditions?” questioned Twilight. Jazz hands out a flyer to the ponies that read “Auditions being held at the Auditorium! Audition and you could be the one pony that will perform exclusively at next week’s concert in front of Princess Celestia and hundreds more ponies!” “Yes, auditions, one lucky pony will get to perform with me on stage!” AuditionsAt the auditorium, Jazz and his band mates waited for the contestants who were about to perform right in front of them. “All right, let’s hear our first audition!” The first contestants, Snips and Snails got on stage, shaking their hooves in fear, and jittering their teeth uncontrollably. “Uh hi there.. Judges.. We will be.. perform-“ “Just cut to the chase. We have a lot more contestants waiting,” pointed out Jazz, writing down comments on his clipboard. Snips and Snails cleared their throats and the music began. However, their singing voices screeched and echoed around the auditorium. Their voices were so terrible, it tore some of the wallpaper off the walls of the auditorium, it caused one of the judges to faint dramatically, it caused baby ponies next door to cry, and it caused animals to hide in their homes, fearing that a vicious beast was about to attack them. As soon as Snips and Snails’ audition ended, Jazz stared in shock, completely shaken up by their incompetent singing. “Uhmm, how do I put this lightly..” whispered Jazz. “Your audition was… alright. I still think you guys have.. somewhat a chance in winning these auditions..” “Did you hear that, Snails! He said we still have a chance!” Snips and Snails then confidently left the stage. Jazz stared at his fellow judges. The one judge who fainted regained consciousness and stated “Wow, I had a terrible dream that I heard two extremely bad singers and it looked like the world around me was ending because of their singing”. “That dream was true, my friend. Maybe the next audition will turn out better. On second thought, I’m pretty sure ANY audition can turn out better that what we just heard,” inquired Jazz, hoping for the best. However, audition after audition, the performances got worse and worse. So worse, that Jazz was the only judge remaining at the auditorium in the end. The unicorn expressed his frustration, ripping his clipboard into two and banging his head into the podium. After the auditions ended, Jazz left the auditorium and looked up at the sky, sighing. Jazz headed to the smoothie shop for a break, where he sees Twilight and her friends at a table outside of the store. He walked toward the table, sat down, and laid his head down at the table in frustration. “Whoa thar, sugarcube. Y’all look like you could use a smoothie right now. Anything wrong?” asked Applejack. “Auditions been terrible. I have no other pony auditioning; I don’t even know how I am going to choose the winner!” grunted Jazz. Rarity sets down her smoothie and replies, “Come on now. All you need is to relax and have some fun!” “FUN! Did someone say FUN?!” shouted Pinkie. “I do love having fun!” “I’d love to, but the concert is near and I still need to write the song for the concert! Wait a minute, do you ponies plan on auditioning as well? “asked Jazz. One by one, the ponies shook their heads sideways, much to the dismay of Jazz. “Well, I think you ponies should at least try to audition. Just imagine, being on that stage, right in front of Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, having a lot of other ponies cheer your name! It’s your chance to be recognized, known, to be popular! I mean, this is a one- time opportunity! You can have the chance to gain fans, ponies who will admire you for having the wills to be on that stage, not to mention Princess Celestia will obviously recognize you for your talent. You only live once (YOLO), the least you can do is try." The ponies were fascinated, imagining the idea of being well known by other ponies. They were in awe, but most importantly they were determined to get their name known throughout Ponyville, if not then all of Equestria. “Ya’ll know wha’? Auditioning for this may not be so bad of an idea. Ah will make the Apple family proud if I do get the part,” exclaimed Applejack. Rarity even nodded for head. “If I do get the part, I can have the chance to try on the new dresses I made! Maybe, ponies will finally want me to make them dresses when they see how magnificent my dresses turned out to be. It will be a big boost to my business!” Even Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash all liked the idea of performing right in front of the Princess, the idea of having fans, and the idea of having other ponies admire them as well. “So are you ponies in or not?” Jazz hesitantly asked. And as a result, one by one, the ponies nodded ‘yes’. Jazz stomped his hooves in excitement. “Great! Stop by at the auditorium tomorrow and I’ll be there to evaluate your performances! Good luck!” The next day, the ponies silently waited at the auditorium. Not knowing whether their performance would be good enough to please Jazz, each pony trembled in fear and anxiety. At an instant, the doors flung opened, and there came Jazz, with a new clipboard in his hand and his valuable ukulele strapped around his waist. “Hey there every pony! I’m glad all of you made it! I wish you all luck in your auditions today!” One at a time, the ponies began their auditions. One by one, Jazz became easily pleased with the auditions that he had seen today. Though, the final pony to audition was Twilight. Twilight didn’t know what to expect nor did she know whether Jazz was a harsh evaluator or not. But then, as she walked onto the stage, she saw Jazz down stage, smiling right at her. “Hey Jazz, I will.. be performing.. my audition right now.” Twilight gulped and then the spotlight was all on her. It was complete silence and Jazz waited for her to perform. And then, all of a sudden, Twilight took a deep breath and began singing. In a snap, Twilight realized that she was already done with her audition. Looking down at him, his jaw dropped. “That was AMAZING! Nice job, Twilight. That will be all.” The moment Twilight left the auditorium, she had a feeling of confidence. She closed her eyes, lifted her head, opened the door, and chaos ensued. Outside the auditorium, Twilight saw her friends arguing over whose performance was better. “He said that my performance was magnificent, so ha!” brawled Rainbow Dash. “So? He told me that I had the voice of an angel!” Rarity railed. “Ya’ll getting too confident in yourself. Obviously, Ah will win these auditions!” Applejack battled. Even Fluttershy was becoming heated in the argument, slowly trying to assert herself to her own friends, but then backing down when seeing all her friends stare down at her. “I’M ONLY YELLING RIGHT NOW BECAUSE ALL YOU PONIES ARE YELLING. AAAHHHHHH!” screamed Pinkie. “Hey. Hey. HEY! What’s going on?” demanded Twilight. “Nothing, Twi. Every pony is just claiming that she will get the part based on what Jazz said about our performances,” replied Fluttershy. “Yeah Twilight. What did Jazz say about you?” questioned Rarity. Twilight paused and then smiled. “Well, he just said I was amazing. Nothing special about that.” “Nothing special about that?! I bet you that he is gonna choose me for the soloist part!” Rainbow declared. “Yeah? I bet you he is gonna choose me!” Twilight responded with a force. “Stop fighting. You ponies know he will obviously choose me,” Rarity stated. “Ye right. Ah’m gonna win this far sure,” Applejack confidently reassured. “Fine, you ponies are on for a fight. The pony that Jazz chooses will have the last laugh. I’ll tell you that,” replied Twilight. “Ha, if there’s something I’m good at, it’s first impressions. I’ll do whatever it takes for Jazz to WANT.. to choose me for the solo part,” added Rarity. “We’ll just see about that,” Twilight surmised. While they continuously fought over the auditions, the door frantically opened. As the door opened, the ponies rapidly try to act all natural and cool. Jazz galloped toward the ponies with a grin on his face, “Nice job on the auditions, girls! I really think all you ponies are neck-and-neck. But I really want spent some time with every one of you. I’d like to know more about the pony I will be performing with so I hope we can get to know about each other more!” As Jazz left the auditorium, the ponies stared at each other, giving a menacing and disdainful look toward one another. Twilight then laid out her hoof in front of her friends. “All right. May the best pony win.” Each pony shook each other’s hoof, finally agreeing to the challenge. Impressing the JudgeJazz walked around Ponyville, wondering which pony to meet up with first. At the distance, he spotted Twilight’s house, not noticing a disgruntled Twilight making it back to her house and slamming the door. As Twilight headed upstairs, she heard a knocking sound on her door. She gradually walked down stairs to answer the knock on the door. “Jazz? I guess I am the first pony you will be spending time with?” Twilight asked. “You got it. I was just wandering around Ponyville and just saw your house at the distance. So I decided I might as well see you first. I hope I’m not interrupting anything important,” said Jazz. “No. Not at all, actually. Aha, if there is one thing you want to know about me, it’s that I love to practice my magic!” gleamed Twilight. Twilight grabbed a stack of books in her library and sat them down on her desk. “Here, watch this.” Not even breaking a sweat, Twilight swirled the books around in the air in an orderly fashion. “Woww.. That is amazing! Do you know more spells instead just moving objects around in the air like that?” Jazzcuriously requested. Twilight placed all the books back in their rightful place in the library. “Of course, Jazz. I can turn an apple into an orange if that’s something you’d like to see.” Jazz’s eyes sparkled in fascination. “Hmm, an apple turning into an orange? Now that’s something I’d pay to see.” Twilight then grabbed an apple from the desk and placed it on the counter. Biting her lip, Twilight placed her hooves on the ground and began to concentrate on the apple. Jazz watched observantly, wondering what was about to happen. All of a sudden, POOF! And there on the counter, it wasn’t an apple anymore, it now turned into a fresh orange. Jazz’s eyes bulged. He was completely amazed by this phenomenon. “Bravo! Bravo! I surely would want to see more magic tricks from you, but I better get going to see the other ponies. Thanks for having me!” “Hehe, no problem Jazz. It’s nice having some company, every once and a while.” Twilight responded, waving her hoof goodbye to Jazz as he left her home. With Twilight off the list, Jazz now wondered who should be the next pony he should hang out with. As he galloped aimlessly in town, he noticed music being played in the background. Following the sound of the music, Jazz found himself in front of Pinkie Pie’s house. Knocking on the door, Pinkie Pie opened the door with some confetti spurting out from her home. “Hey there, Jazz! Did you come here to party along with me?!” Pinkie Pie jumped up and down and looked upon Jazz. “Why yes. Yes I did. You are the next pony who I have come to meet up with!” he answered. Pinkie Pie squeaked in excitement and placed a party hat on Jazz’s head. “Yay! A party is always better with two ponies instead of one!” Jazz laughed. “You sure are a hyper pony, aren’t you. I also heard music coming from here, but now I don’t hear any at all. Where was that music coming from?” Pinkie Pie continued hopping in excitement. “Oh, the music you were hearing was just me, playing 10 instruments all at once!” Jazz didn’t know whether what he heard was true. Pinkie Pie then appeared as a one-pony band, with all the instruments attached to her and began playing humorously. Jazz clapped his hooves and whistled in excitement. He’s seen talented ponies play the piano, play the guitar, and even play the ukulele, but never did he see a pony that can play 10 instruments all at once. “That is terrific, Pinkie Pie! That is a special gift you have there. Maybe, I should invite you to play a solo in one of my concerts with those instruments you gathered there!” “You got it!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. She began blowing on her instruments and marched around her home. Even Gummy was in the groove to march along with her. “You sure are a playful pony to hang around with, but I best be going. I still have to meet up with your other pony friends,” said Jazz. “Okie dokie loki!” she giggled while still marching around her home with Gummy by her side. As Jazz left the premise of Pinkie Pie, he is surprisingly tackled to the ground by some pony. As he looked up to see who the mystery pony was, it was Rainbow Dash. “Oh sorry there, Jazz. Haha, learning a new trick,” Rainbow Dash said, dusting the dirt and dust off her wings. Jazz got up on his own hooves and wiped the dirt off his back. “Wait a minute, you perform tricks as well?” “Of course. If there’s one thing you need to know about me, it’s that I love performing outstanding, spectacular tricks! Ever seen a pony perform a Sonic Rainboom before?” inquired Rainbow Dash, grinning boldly and holding her head high. “You mean THE Sonic Rainboom? That’s suppose to be one of the hardest tricks one pony can ever do, and YOU can do it? Totally awesome! Give it a go! THIS, I gotta see.” Jazz waited patiently and watched Rainbow Dash sky-rocket up into the air. Then, all of a sudden, KABLOOM! Up in the sky, Jazz saw a ring of clouds. The colors up on the sky were everywhere: blue, red, green, purple, everything. He was amazed, shocked, excited, many emotions put together, and soon Rainbow Dash came landing down to the ground. “Impressed?” inquired Rainbow. “Am I ever! If only stuff like that happened at the concerts where I perform at!” cheered Jazz. Ending The Day On A High NoteNoticing the sonic rainbow, Rarity walked to the location where the rainboom took place. Seeing Jazz hanging out with Rainbow Dash, Rarity sprung into action to try to spend some time with the unicorn. “Hi Jazz! Aha, I finished making your very own outfit for the concert!” “Really? You made me an outfit? Gee, thanks Rarity! Let’s go see it right now!” As Jazz followed Rarity to her house, he waved his hoof goodbye to Rainbow Dash. At the Carousel Boutique, the workshop is a complete mess. Fabric is dangling on the floor, old dresses have been trampled to the ground, and pencils, pen, needles are all scattered on the desks, but out in the center of the room is one outfit that shines exquisite taste than the other dresses. Pointing to the outfit, Rarity gleefully remarks, “There! That is going to be your new outfit for the concert! It took me quite a while to finish, but I finally was able to do the finishing touches! Here, try it on and tell me if you like it or not!” “This outfit looks stunning, Rarity. Thank you. I will definitely be wearing this when I perform!” “So you like it? That is great!” smiled Rarity. “I think fans will really like your new outfit.” All of a sudden, Jazz’s belly rumbled. “Boy, I sure am hungry right now.” “Well gosh, ya’ll should visit Sweet Apple Acres. Ah can bake the best apple pies ya’ll have ever tasted!” suggested Applejack, peaking from Rarity’s window shed. “I think apple pies sound great! Well, thanks for this magnificent outfit, Rarity!” Jazz commented. Applejack and Jazz strolled down towards Sweet Apples Acres. The sun bared down the two ponies’ faces and one unicorn’s belly rumbled even louder. Apple Bloom spotted the two and opened the gate for them to enter. Heading into the kitchen, Applejack collected all the materials needed to make the apple pie. “Would ya’ll like to learn how to bake THE best apple pies ya’ll will ever taste?” Applejack said to Jazz. Jazz looked at Applejack and then looked at the materials she laid out on the table. “Sure, why not. I’ve first seen ponies displaying pony magic, ponies doing spectacular tricks, ponies who can play 10 instruments at once, and ponies with refined beauty in fashion. Might as well learn how to bake pies while I’m at it.” “Well, first of all, ya’ll gonna need this chefs hat. Baking pies can be a might bit messy, especially if it’s your first time. Now that’s taken cared of, let’s get started.” Applejack organized her supplies and then took a deep breath. “Now, first, you’re gonna need 2 cups of flour, one teaspoon of salt, about 90 grams of unsalted butter, five tablespoons of cold water or apple cider, eggs, and then milk! Did you get all that?” Applejack then peaked at Jazz, who only gave her a bleak smile and nodded. “Okay, now this is the tough part. For the filling, ya’ll gonna need to add ½ tablespoons of lemon juice, 80mL of white and brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon of salt, 1 tsp of cinnamon, lemon zest, 3 tablespoons of flour, ½ tsp of powder, and finally between 6-8 apples – very important ingredient there-. When that’s all done, you leave it in the oven, and that’s it! Did you get that?” Jazz stared at Applejack with a blank and confused look, but managed to give her a fake smile in response. “Yeah, I think I got it… kinda.?” Applejack looked at Jazz’s progress, but only saw that he literally had nothing mixed or done in front of him. “Yeah, we’re probably gonna needa go over all that again.” Jazz’s belly roared even louder and Applejack laughed at the unicorn’s hunger. She grabbed another apple pie that was stored at the front counter and gave a slice to Jazz. “Here, bud. Have a slice.” Jazz snatched a fork and inspected the slice of pie. His taste buds were tingling and his mouth was watering. He took a piece of the pie and placed it into his mouth. He steadily munched on the slice of pie; Applejack sorely waited for Jazz’s approval of her pie. He chewed and chewed, then swallowed it. With a deep breath, he cleared his throat. “That has to be.. one of the.. BEST pies I have ever tasted!” Applejack sighed in relief. “Ya’ll really think so? That’s mighty pleasant to hear.” “The food at concerts is never good. If apple pies as good as these were being sold at concerts, I’d always be happy to show up!” Jazz suggested. “Gosh, that’s awful nice of you. Feel free to come visit if ya’ll want more pies!” Applejack insisted. “I will definitely consider it. Now, I have one more pony to visit and it’s almost getting dark. Thanks for the pie, though AJ!” Jazz complimented. As Jazz roved around Ponyville, he wondered who the last pony he needed to meet was. “Hmm, I’ve met with Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash. Who is the last pony?” Jazz then felt a slight tap from behind. He proceeded to look back and saw Fluttershy. “Uhmm, Jazz. I was just wondering if you were going to meet with me since it’s almost getting dark outside.” “Oh that’s right! You’re the last pony I need to see. Let’s go on our way then.” Jazz acknowledged. Fluttershy and Jazz headed to the meadows near Fluttershy’s house, an area where many animals sleep and hibernate. Jazz gave a disoriented look to Fluttershy. “Why are we here?” he asked. “Well, if there’s one thing you need to know about me. Uhm, it’s that I love to take care of the animals that are inhabited in Ponyville. Lemme call all the critters to meet you.” And so, one by one, critters emerged from underground, in trees, everywhere! All the animals huddled around Fluttershy and fixed their attention at Jazz. “Don’t worry. These animals are harmless unless you happen to annoy them whatsoever.” Fluttershy reiterated to Jazz. “Wow, I’ve never see so many animals at once. And you are friends with ALL of them?!” Jazz pondered. “Yupp. I also lead a bird choir too. They’ve performed in numerous events like Shining Armor and Cadence’s wedding, for instance.” “Impressive stuff, Fluttershy. I guess that’s all I need to know about you. I should be heading back. It’s getting dark.” There's Music In All Of UsThe next day, at the smoothie shop, Jazz tinkered with his ukulele as he tried finishing his song for the concert. Hearing the right chord progression on his ukulele, he immediately began writing down the notes and lyrics on his notepad. Concentrated on his music, Jazz is interrupted by Twilight. “Sorry to bother you, Jazz. But if you’re not busy today afternoon, I was wondering if you’d like to come to my place and I can show you some more magic spells I’ve been working on.” “Sorry Twilight. I have plans with Rarity this afternoon.” “Rarity?!? Okay, how about after that?” “Uhh..no. I have plans with App-“ “Me!” Applejack then showed up unexpectedly, startling both Twilight and Jazz. “Yupp. I have plans with Applejack after that, Twi.” “Ughhh.. Do you other plans with any other pony that I need to know about?” asked Twilight in a frustrated manner. “Hmm.. lemme see. I have plans with Pinkie right after Applejack. Plans with Rainbow Dash right after Pinkie. And plans with Fluttershy right after Rainbow Dash. Yeah, that’s about it.” All of a sudden, all the ponies show up at the table spontaneously. “Yeah, Twilight. You gotta ask Jazz pretty early if you want to have plans with him.” Rainbow Dash blurted. Twilight and Rainbow Dash started arguing and then soon after, all the ponies started to heat up as well. Despite the countless arguments throttled at each other, Jazz, seemingly to not be bothered at the ruckus, resumed back on writing his song. Hours passed and the ponies were still arguing with one another. Jazz, now being annoyed by his friends' constant fighting, interrupted “At last. I am finally done with this song.” Putting his notepad in his backpack, Jazz left the smoothie shop, with Twilight and her friends following along. As Jazz rambled around, he started to feel some tension build upon his back. Fully stopping with Twilight bumping into him from behind, he requested “I am feeling a bit of pain on my back with all this stuff that I am carrying. Can one of you ponies carry my backpack for me?” Every pony lifted their head up in excitement. “Here, I’ll carry it. It’s the least I can do!” Twilight insisted, grabbing the backpack from Jazz with her magic. All at once, the ponies began fighting over the backpack, with Jazz worrying about his song in the bag. “No! Stop! Be careful, my perfect song is in that bag!” Jazz desperately commanded. Unaware to the ponies, a fountain is nearby and the ponies were hastily heading towards it. “Please! Stop! I don’t want my song to be rui-“ SPLASH. The ponies all looked at each other, wondering what had just happened. They gave a perplexed look and then they looked at the fountain. There, they saw Jazz, sitting on his haunches, looking at his backpack. “It can’t be. Maybe it’s all fine-“ Jazz opened the bag and he found his notepad, drenched in water, pencil markings scattered, and pages dampened. At first, he looked depressed and distraught, but that sadness quickly ensued into anger. His eyes immediately ogled at the guilt-feeling ponies. Twilight looked scared, Applejack tilted her hat to hide her emotions, Rarity’s eyes watered, Pinkie sloped her head down in shame, and Fluttershy poked the ground with her hoof in silence. “What have you done..? WHAT have you done?! My song.. It was going to be perfect. I don’t know what’s going on with you ponies, but this isn’t how friends should act! There are obviously things you ponies need to talk about. Maybe this audition was a bad idea… Now if you excuse, I’m gonna be on my own. I need time to think about how I am going to perform at the concert tomorrow with no song..” Just like that, Jazz left the scene, leaving six ponies thinking about what they had done wrong. In the backstage at the auditorium, Jazz leaned against the wall, looking at his ukulele on the floor in front of him. He felt defeated, unmotivated, uninspired to play his ukulele. He crossed in front hooves and scratched his head. “What am I gonna do..?” he wondered. The sound of hooves thumping the stage floor was heard and Jazz looked aimlessly, wondering where the sound was coming from. Then, the stage curtain opened and he saw Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy walking towards him. “We’re really sorry for what he did to you Jazz. We talked things over and we won’t have this soloist part get in over our heads ever again.” Twilight remarked. “Yeah, we’re sorry! Really really really really sorry! I don’t want to think about losing a friend ever again! Please accept our apology,” Pinkie Pie prompted. “This is why we decided to help you write a NEW, BETTER song for the concert tomorrow, Jazz!” Rarity added. Jazz was at a loss of words. He never realized the true meanings of friendship, but also forgiveness. To have remarkable friends like these ponies who bestowed themselves to help him, the only thing Jazz could do was smile, laugh, and accept their apology. The friends rejoiced in a group hug, but Jazz was still unsure whether they could write a song all in one day. “Are you ponies sure we can write a song in one day. I mean, it look me a week to write the other song.” “Ya know it, sugarcube. We may not be talented musicians like yourself, but there’s music in all of us,” Applejack replied. The ponies agreed and nodded their heads, giving Jazz more inspiration that they could make this happen and then… an idea struck him. “I got it! I think I have a plan that will not only please me, but to please you ponies as well!” “Really? Let’s hear it!” Rainbow Dash pressed. “I’ll tell you guys while we work on this song. Let’s get to work!” Jazz suggested. The ponies all laid their hooves in a circle and on the count of three, they got to work. The next day, the concert and party were all set and ready to go. Ponies in Ponyville quickly started to take their seats and grabbed their popcorn and Pony-cola. Backstage, Jazz blinked at Twilight and her friends, giving her the “go” to start the concert. The theater lights turned dim, and the audience remained silent. The curtain opened and Jazz and his band were ready to perform. The song started off with a harmonizing introduction from Fluttershy’s bird choir. Then, Jazz started playing fills on the piano in the background, and the drums began rocking the beat. After the small introduction, Jazz began singing the lyrics and the audience cheered and clapped their hooves. Suddenly, the music hit a decrescendo and some pony from off stage took the mic and started singing the solo. The spotlight swooped in to see the mystery pony with the audience looking as well. Coming from off stage was Twilight Sparkle, singing the solo. The crowd roared enormously; Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, both watching from the top balcony also cheered for the purple pony. As soon as Twilight laid her eyes on the princess, she started singing with more emotion and passion, much to the pleasure of Jazz, who whistled and cheered along with the crowd. When Twilight’s solo ended, an exhilarating sound of instruments then took over. Coming from backstage was Pinkie Pie, with a neat 10 instrumented solo of her own! The auditorium erupted; Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Twilight all smiled from off stage. When Pinkie finished, Jazz took over with his melodic singing and soothing piano playing. Jazz wore the outfit Rarity made for him and it caught to attention of many ponies. Ponies were in awe of the design of the clothing. And then, the song ended. Jazz, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and the other band members all lined up in front stage, awaiting the cheer of the crows. All of a sudden, the audience rounded up an applause. “Encore! Encore! Encore! “screamed some ponies. After the concert, the after-party then started. Rainbow Dash started the party with a perfectly performed Sonic Rainbow to wow the crowd. Applejack then raced to her apple-pie stand where she immediately began selling them like hotcakes. Ponies who watched the concert then complimented Rarity for her handiwork on Jazz’s outfit; they then wished for Rarity to make them dresses of their own to which Rarity gladly agreed to. All in all, every pony were pleased for their role in the concert. From Twilight’s singing solo, Pinkie’s instrumental solo, Applejack’s apple pie sales at the party, Rainbow Dash’s booming performance of the Sonic Rainboom, Fluttershy’s bird choir, Rarity’s praise for her made outfits, to Jazz’s astounding performance, each pony couldn’t help, but smile at the end of the day. When the party ended, the friends met at the smoothie shop to spent their last hours with Jazz before he leaves Ponyville to pursue his traveling music act around Equestria. As the ponies chatted, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna made a surprise appearance at the shop. “Princess! What brings you here?” Twilight asked. “Nothing. Just wanted congratulate you ponies on a job well done on the concert and the party. I really loved it,” Celestia responded with glee. “Maybe you ponies should throw me a concert and party for the great things that I’ve done, too!” Luna remarked sarcastically. Twilight and the others laughed and enjoyed the night together. “It’s really been an awesome experience with you ponies in Ponyville!” Jazz added. “Do you really have to leave? Maybe, the home you’re looking for is Ponyville after all,” Rarity begged. “For now, I have to leave. I have the whole world to witness with my own eyes. I certainly don’t want to miss it for a lifetime,” Jazz replied. “Well, then. Come visit us if ya’ll have the chance! Ah’m have all these sweet apple pies baked and ready for ya’ll return back to Ponyville!” Applejack insisted. “I can’t promise you ponies anything, but hopefully, this won’t be the last time you’ll be seeing me,” Jazz noted. As the evening gloomed on, Twilight and her friends spent their night, chatting, laughing, and hanging out with their new friend. A new friend who they hoped to see again in the later future.
IntroductionIn another day in Ponyville, the birds are chirping, ponies are wandering in the streets, and the sky is just blooming wonderfully. Out in the field of Ponyville Park, Twilight and her friends are there having a picnic, gazing at the wonderful clouds that roam in the sky. “Ughh, I am so bored!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, sturdily thumping her hooves into the ground. “Just relax, Rainbow Dash! It’s a beautiful day today in Ponyville! The only thing you should do is to just gloom into the skies and well, relax!” pointed out Rarity, with a sheer smile expressed in her face. “Yeah, sugarcube. Couldn’t think one thing else to do instead of just sky- gazing into the clouds,” added Applejack. Suddenly, out in the distance is Spike, hurriedly racing to the picnic with a letter in his claws. “Twilight! Applejack! Rarity! Pinkie! Fluttershy! Rainbow! Princess Celestia sent.. you ponies.. a letter.. with urgent.. news!” Spike mutters, collapsing into the grass, completely out of breath. “Hmmpp, let’s see what this letter says,” Twilight mutters, slowly peeling into the letter, with the other ponies closely looking as well. The letter reads: To my fellow ponies in Ponyville, Next week, it has come to my attention that the ponies in Ponyville have agreed to hold a concert that commemorates my years as ruler in all of Equestria. I will be making a personal appearance to this concert along with Princess Luna, but I wish to task you ponies with an important responsibility in organizing and planning out this concert. The musicians will be arriving to Ponyville shortly today. I hope all goes well! Yours truly, Princess Celestia “Oohh! A concert! You can’t have a concert without Pinkie Pie! Eeehh, I can have my party cannon shooting out streamers and candy to the crowd just like this!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie, taking out her party cannon and demonstrating what she just said to her friends. Rainbow Dash flew into the sky, happily cheering. “Wow, a concert in Ponyville, now that’s something to be excited about!” “I’ll tell ya, Ah’m actually really excited for this!” Applejack bellowed. “Yayyy, a concert,” Fluttershy murmured excitedly. “This concert sounds like a great idea, but when will this musician get here?!” squealed Rarity. “Oh Rarity.. I’m sure they will arrive soon, but we have some planning to do! Let’s meet up at my place and discuss how we should handle this, don’t you think” stated Twilight with a glee on her face. Back in Twilight’s home, the ponies carry out distinct plans on how to prepare for the concert. They hurdle around in a circle and share out their own ideas with one another. “Now, first things first. Where should the concert take place?” asked Twilight. “Hmmpp, how outside at Ponyville Park?” Rainbow Dash suggested. “There’s always a possibility that it could rain, Rainbow. We need anotha idea,” inquired Applejack. “How about the Auditorium? Don’t think it’s gonna be booked next week,” pointed out Fluttershy. “That’s perfect!” exclaimed the other ponies all at once. “So it’s settled. The concert will be taking place at the Auditorium,” Twilight said. The ponies cheered and “bro-hoofed” each other until a knock on the door is heard. The ponies glance at each other for a quick mere second, wondering what the noise was. The knock on the door repeats rapidly and the ponies stare at the door. Twilight then made her way to the door and carefully opened it. At the entrance was a unicorn carrying a ukulele with him. “Uhm, hi. I’m guessing you are Twilight Sparkle?” “Why yes. And you are..? asked Twilight with a confused look in her face. “Well, where are my manners. My name is Jazz, but some ponies also refer to me as 'Jazzy'. Nice to meet you, Twilight,” Jazz shakes his hoof with Twilight’s. “I am a traveling musician who has performed all around Equestria. I will be performing in Ponyville’s concert next week. I received a letter from Princess Celestia, telling me to go to you. I’m guessing you are organizing this whole concert, am I right.” “You guess right. Come on in, I’ll introduce you to my friends who are helping me organize this.” Jazz entered the premise of Twilight, observing all the books in the house. Twilight cleared her throat and pointed at her friends. “From left to right, this is Applejack.. Rainbow Dash.. Fluttershy.. Rarity.. and Pinkie Pie! Oh, I also have a baby dragon named Spike who assists me as well,” said Twilight. “Hey every pony, this is Jazz!” Twilight said, pointing at the unicorn. “Howdy there, partner!” exclaimed Applejack. “Nice to meet you,” replied Fluttershy. “Hey there!” stated Rainbow Dash. “Hey there, Jazz! Pinkie Pie rushes to greet him and pulls out her welcome wagon. “Since you are new here, I use this wagon to welcome new folks in Ponyville!” As soon as Pinkie presses the button on her wagon, she cheerfully sings her welcome song to Jazz. Confetti spurts out from the wagon and dozens of confetti fall from the air and land on the ponies. Pinkie excitedly jumps up and down, joyfully singing to him. As Jazz hears Pinkie’s song, the only thing he can do is just smile and laugh. “Ahah, that is some song you got there, Pinkie. Well, I am definitely feeling welcomed here,” “Hi there! I am Rarity and that is some instrument you got there,” Rarity exclaimed, glittering her eyes at Jazz. “Hey Rarity. This is actually a ukulele that’s been with me for as long as I can remember. It’s really the only thing that keeps me going, that keeps me motivated to play music!” Jazz then glances at the other ponies and says, “Well, I better get going. I have some auditions that I need to hear at the Auditorium.” “Auditions?” questioned Twilight. Jazz hands out a flyer to the ponies that read “Auditions being held at the Auditorium! Audition and you could be the one pony that will perform exclusively at next week’s concert in front of Princess Celestia and hundreds more ponies!” “Yes, auditions, one lucky pony will get to perform with me on stage!”
AuditionsAt the auditorium, Jazz and his band mates waited for the contestants who were about to perform right in front of them. “All right, let’s hear our first audition!” The first contestants, Snips and Snails got on stage, shaking their hooves in fear, and jittering their teeth uncontrollably. “Uh hi there.. Judges.. We will be.. perform-“ “Just cut to the chase. We have a lot more contestants waiting,” pointed out Jazz, writing down comments on his clipboard. Snips and Snails cleared their throats and the music began. However, their singing voices screeched and echoed around the auditorium. Their voices were so terrible, it tore some of the wallpaper off the walls of the auditorium, it caused one of the judges to faint dramatically, it caused baby ponies next door to cry, and it caused animals to hide in their homes, fearing that a vicious beast was about to attack them. As soon as Snips and Snails’ audition ended, Jazz stared in shock, completely shaken up by their incompetent singing. “Uhmm, how do I put this lightly..” whispered Jazz. “Your audition was… alright. I still think you guys have.. somewhat a chance in winning these auditions..” “Did you hear that, Snails! He said we still have a chance!” Snips and Snails then confidently left the stage. Jazz stared at his fellow judges. The one judge who fainted regained consciousness and stated “Wow, I had a terrible dream that I heard two extremely bad singers and it looked like the world around me was ending because of their singing”. “That dream was true, my friend. Maybe the next audition will turn out better. On second thought, I’m pretty sure ANY audition can turn out better that what we just heard,” inquired Jazz, hoping for the best. However, audition after audition, the performances got worse and worse. So worse, that Jazz was the only judge remaining at the auditorium in the end. The unicorn expressed his frustration, ripping his clipboard into two and banging his head into the podium. After the auditions ended, Jazz left the auditorium and looked up at the sky, sighing. Jazz headed to the smoothie shop for a break, where he sees Twilight and her friends at a table outside of the store. He walked toward the table, sat down, and laid his head down at the table in frustration. “Whoa thar, sugarcube. Y’all look like you could use a smoothie right now. Anything wrong?” asked Applejack. “Auditions been terrible. I have no other pony auditioning; I don’t even know how I am going to choose the winner!” grunted Jazz. Rarity sets down her smoothie and replies, “Come on now. All you need is to relax and have some fun!” “FUN! Did someone say FUN?!” shouted Pinkie. “I do love having fun!” “I’d love to, but the concert is near and I still need to write the song for the concert! Wait a minute, do you ponies plan on auditioning as well? “asked Jazz. One by one, the ponies shook their heads sideways, much to the dismay of Jazz. “Well, I think you ponies should at least try to audition. Just imagine, being on that stage, right in front of Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, having a lot of other ponies cheer your name! It’s your chance to be recognized, known, to be popular! I mean, this is a one- time opportunity! You can have the chance to gain fans, ponies who will admire you for having the wills to be on that stage, not to mention Princess Celestia will obviously recognize you for your talent. You only live once (YOLO), the least you can do is try." The ponies were fascinated, imagining the idea of being well known by other ponies. They were in awe, but most importantly they were determined to get their name known throughout Ponyville, if not then all of Equestria. “Ya’ll know wha’? Auditioning for this may not be so bad of an idea. Ah will make the Apple family proud if I do get the part,” exclaimed Applejack. Rarity even nodded for head. “If I do get the part, I can have the chance to try on the new dresses I made! Maybe, ponies will finally want me to make them dresses when they see how magnificent my dresses turned out to be. It will be a big boost to my business!” Even Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash all liked the idea of performing right in front of the Princess, the idea of having fans, and the idea of having other ponies admire them as well. “So are you ponies in or not?” Jazz hesitantly asked. And as a result, one by one, the ponies nodded ‘yes’. Jazz stomped his hooves in excitement. “Great! Stop by at the auditorium tomorrow and I’ll be there to evaluate your performances! Good luck!” The next day, the ponies silently waited at the auditorium. Not knowing whether their performance would be good enough to please Jazz, each pony trembled in fear and anxiety. At an instant, the doors flung opened, and there came Jazz, with a new clipboard in his hand and his valuable ukulele strapped around his waist. “Hey there every pony! I’m glad all of you made it! I wish you all luck in your auditions today!” One at a time, the ponies began their auditions. One by one, Jazz became easily pleased with the auditions that he had seen today. Though, the final pony to audition was Twilight. Twilight didn’t know what to expect nor did she know whether Jazz was a harsh evaluator or not. But then, as she walked onto the stage, she saw Jazz down stage, smiling right at her. “Hey Jazz, I will.. be performing.. my audition right now.” Twilight gulped and then the spotlight was all on her. It was complete silence and Jazz waited for her to perform. And then, all of a sudden, Twilight took a deep breath and began singing. In a snap, Twilight realized that she was already done with her audition. Looking down at him, his jaw dropped. “That was AMAZING! Nice job, Twilight. That will be all.” The moment Twilight left the auditorium, she had a feeling of confidence. She closed her eyes, lifted her head, opened the door, and chaos ensued. Outside the auditorium, Twilight saw her friends arguing over whose performance was better. “He said that my performance was magnificent, so ha!” brawled Rainbow Dash. “So? He told me that I had the voice of an angel!” Rarity railed. “Ya’ll getting too confident in yourself. Obviously, Ah will win these auditions!” Applejack battled. Even Fluttershy was becoming heated in the argument, slowly trying to assert herself to her own friends, but then backing down when seeing all her friends stare down at her. “I’M ONLY YELLING RIGHT NOW BECAUSE ALL YOU PONIES ARE YELLING. AAAHHHHHH!” screamed Pinkie. “Hey. Hey. HEY! What’s going on?” demanded Twilight. “Nothing, Twi. Every pony is just claiming that she will get the part based on what Jazz said about our performances,” replied Fluttershy. “Yeah Twilight. What did Jazz say about you?” questioned Rarity. Twilight paused and then smiled. “Well, he just said I was amazing. Nothing special about that.” “Nothing special about that?! I bet you that he is gonna choose me for the soloist part!” Rainbow declared. “Yeah? I bet you he is gonna choose me!” Twilight responded with a force. “Stop fighting. You ponies know he will obviously choose me,” Rarity stated. “Ye right. Ah’m gonna win this far sure,” Applejack confidently reassured. “Fine, you ponies are on for a fight. The pony that Jazz chooses will have the last laugh. I’ll tell you that,” replied Twilight. “Ha, if there’s something I’m good at, it’s first impressions. I’ll do whatever it takes for Jazz to WANT.. to choose me for the solo part,” added Rarity. “We’ll just see about that,” Twilight surmised. While they continuously fought over the auditions, the door frantically opened. As the door opened, the ponies rapidly try to act all natural and cool. Jazz galloped toward the ponies with a grin on his face, “Nice job on the auditions, girls! I really think all you ponies are neck-and-neck. But I really want spent some time with every one of you. I’d like to know more about the pony I will be performing with so I hope we can get to know about each other more!” As Jazz left the auditorium, the ponies stared at each other, giving a menacing and disdainful look toward one another. Twilight then laid out her hoof in front of her friends. “All right. May the best pony win.” Each pony shook each other’s hoof, finally agreeing to the challenge.
Impressing the JudgeJazz walked around Ponyville, wondering which pony to meet up with first. At the distance, he spotted Twilight’s house, not noticing a disgruntled Twilight making it back to her house and slamming the door. As Twilight headed upstairs, she heard a knocking sound on her door. She gradually walked down stairs to answer the knock on the door. “Jazz? I guess I am the first pony you will be spending time with?” Twilight asked. “You got it. I was just wandering around Ponyville and just saw your house at the distance. So I decided I might as well see you first. I hope I’m not interrupting anything important,” said Jazz. “No. Not at all, actually. Aha, if there is one thing you want to know about me, it’s that I love to practice my magic!” gleamed Twilight. Twilight grabbed a stack of books in her library and sat them down on her desk. “Here, watch this.” Not even breaking a sweat, Twilight swirled the books around in the air in an orderly fashion. “Woww.. That is amazing! Do you know more spells instead just moving objects around in the air like that?” Jazzcuriously requested. Twilight placed all the books back in their rightful place in the library. “Of course, Jazz. I can turn an apple into an orange if that’s something you’d like to see.” Jazz’s eyes sparkled in fascination. “Hmm, an apple turning into an orange? Now that’s something I’d pay to see.” Twilight then grabbed an apple from the desk and placed it on the counter. Biting her lip, Twilight placed her hooves on the ground and began to concentrate on the apple. Jazz watched observantly, wondering what was about to happen. All of a sudden, POOF! And there on the counter, it wasn’t an apple anymore, it now turned into a fresh orange. Jazz’s eyes bulged. He was completely amazed by this phenomenon. “Bravo! Bravo! I surely would want to see more magic tricks from you, but I better get going to see the other ponies. Thanks for having me!” “Hehe, no problem Jazz. It’s nice having some company, every once and a while.” Twilight responded, waving her hoof goodbye to Jazz as he left her home. With Twilight off the list, Jazz now wondered who should be the next pony he should hang out with. As he galloped aimlessly in town, he noticed music being played in the background. Following the sound of the music, Jazz found himself in front of Pinkie Pie’s house. Knocking on the door, Pinkie Pie opened the door with some confetti spurting out from her home. “Hey there, Jazz! Did you come here to party along with me?!” Pinkie Pie jumped up and down and looked upon Jazz. “Why yes. Yes I did. You are the next pony who I have come to meet up with!” he answered. Pinkie Pie squeaked in excitement and placed a party hat on Jazz’s head. “Yay! A party is always better with two ponies instead of one!” Jazz laughed. “You sure are a hyper pony, aren’t you. I also heard music coming from here, but now I don’t hear any at all. Where was that music coming from?” Pinkie Pie continued hopping in excitement. “Oh, the music you were hearing was just me, playing 10 instruments all at once!” Jazz didn’t know whether what he heard was true. Pinkie Pie then appeared as a one-pony band, with all the instruments attached to her and began playing humorously. Jazz clapped his hooves and whistled in excitement. He’s seen talented ponies play the piano, play the guitar, and even play the ukulele, but never did he see a pony that can play 10 instruments all at once. “That is terrific, Pinkie Pie! That is a special gift you have there. Maybe, I should invite you to play a solo in one of my concerts with those instruments you gathered there!” “You got it!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. She began blowing on her instruments and marched around her home. Even Gummy was in the groove to march along with her. “You sure are a playful pony to hang around with, but I best be going. I still have to meet up with your other pony friends,” said Jazz. “Okie dokie loki!” she giggled while still marching around her home with Gummy by her side. As Jazz left the premise of Pinkie Pie, he is surprisingly tackled to the ground by some pony. As he looked up to see who the mystery pony was, it was Rainbow Dash. “Oh sorry there, Jazz. Haha, learning a new trick,” Rainbow Dash said, dusting the dirt and dust off her wings. Jazz got up on his own hooves and wiped the dirt off his back. “Wait a minute, you perform tricks as well?” “Of course. If there’s one thing you need to know about me, it’s that I love performing outstanding, spectacular tricks! Ever seen a pony perform a Sonic Rainboom before?” inquired Rainbow Dash, grinning boldly and holding her head high. “You mean THE Sonic Rainboom? That’s suppose to be one of the hardest tricks one pony can ever do, and YOU can do it? Totally awesome! Give it a go! THIS, I gotta see.” Jazz waited patiently and watched Rainbow Dash sky-rocket up into the air. Then, all of a sudden, KABLOOM! Up in the sky, Jazz saw a ring of clouds. The colors up on the sky were everywhere: blue, red, green, purple, everything. He was amazed, shocked, excited, many emotions put together, and soon Rainbow Dash came landing down to the ground. “Impressed?” inquired Rainbow. “Am I ever! If only stuff like that happened at the concerts where I perform at!” cheered Jazz.
Ending The Day On A High NoteNoticing the sonic rainbow, Rarity walked to the location where the rainboom took place. Seeing Jazz hanging out with Rainbow Dash, Rarity sprung into action to try to spend some time with the unicorn. “Hi Jazz! Aha, I finished making your very own outfit for the concert!” “Really? You made me an outfit? Gee, thanks Rarity! Let’s go see it right now!” As Jazz followed Rarity to her house, he waved his hoof goodbye to Rainbow Dash. At the Carousel Boutique, the workshop is a complete mess. Fabric is dangling on the floor, old dresses have been trampled to the ground, and pencils, pen, needles are all scattered on the desks, but out in the center of the room is one outfit that shines exquisite taste than the other dresses. Pointing to the outfit, Rarity gleefully remarks, “There! That is going to be your new outfit for the concert! It took me quite a while to finish, but I finally was able to do the finishing touches! Here, try it on and tell me if you like it or not!” “This outfit looks stunning, Rarity. Thank you. I will definitely be wearing this when I perform!” “So you like it? That is great!” smiled Rarity. “I think fans will really like your new outfit.” All of a sudden, Jazz’s belly rumbled. “Boy, I sure am hungry right now.” “Well gosh, ya’ll should visit Sweet Apple Acres. Ah can bake the best apple pies ya’ll have ever tasted!” suggested Applejack, peaking from Rarity’s window shed. “I think apple pies sound great! Well, thanks for this magnificent outfit, Rarity!” Jazz commented. Applejack and Jazz strolled down towards Sweet Apples Acres. The sun bared down the two ponies’ faces and one unicorn’s belly rumbled even louder. Apple Bloom spotted the two and opened the gate for them to enter. Heading into the kitchen, Applejack collected all the materials needed to make the apple pie. “Would ya’ll like to learn how to bake THE best apple pies ya’ll will ever taste?” Applejack said to Jazz. Jazz looked at Applejack and then looked at the materials she laid out on the table. “Sure, why not. I’ve first seen ponies displaying pony magic, ponies doing spectacular tricks, ponies who can play 10 instruments at once, and ponies with refined beauty in fashion. Might as well learn how to bake pies while I’m at it.” “Well, first of all, ya’ll gonna need this chefs hat. Baking pies can be a might bit messy, especially if it’s your first time. Now that’s taken cared of, let’s get started.” Applejack organized her supplies and then took a deep breath. “Now, first, you’re gonna need 2 cups of flour, one teaspoon of salt, about 90 grams of unsalted butter, five tablespoons of cold water or apple cider, eggs, and then milk! Did you get all that?” Applejack then peaked at Jazz, who only gave her a bleak smile and nodded. “Okay, now this is the tough part. For the filling, ya’ll gonna need to add ½ tablespoons of lemon juice, 80mL of white and brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon of salt, 1 tsp of cinnamon, lemon zest, 3 tablespoons of flour, ½ tsp of powder, and finally between 6-8 apples – very important ingredient there-. When that’s all done, you leave it in the oven, and that’s it! Did you get that?” Jazz stared at Applejack with a blank and confused look, but managed to give her a fake smile in response. “Yeah, I think I got it… kinda.?” Applejack looked at Jazz’s progress, but only saw that he literally had nothing mixed or done in front of him. “Yeah, we’re probably gonna needa go over all that again.” Jazz’s belly roared even louder and Applejack laughed at the unicorn’s hunger. She grabbed another apple pie that was stored at the front counter and gave a slice to Jazz. “Here, bud. Have a slice.” Jazz snatched a fork and inspected the slice of pie. His taste buds were tingling and his mouth was watering. He took a piece of the pie and placed it into his mouth. He steadily munched on the slice of pie; Applejack sorely waited for Jazz’s approval of her pie. He chewed and chewed, then swallowed it. With a deep breath, he cleared his throat. “That has to be.. one of the.. BEST pies I have ever tasted!” Applejack sighed in relief. “Ya’ll really think so? That’s mighty pleasant to hear.” “The food at concerts is never good. If apple pies as good as these were being sold at concerts, I’d always be happy to show up!” Jazz suggested. “Gosh, that’s awful nice of you. Feel free to come visit if ya’ll want more pies!” Applejack insisted. “I will definitely consider it. Now, I have one more pony to visit and it’s almost getting dark. Thanks for the pie, though AJ!” Jazz complimented. As Jazz roved around Ponyville, he wondered who the last pony he needed to meet was. “Hmm, I’ve met with Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash. Who is the last pony?” Jazz then felt a slight tap from behind. He proceeded to look back and saw Fluttershy. “Uhmm, Jazz. I was just wondering if you were going to meet with me since it’s almost getting dark outside.” “Oh that’s right! You’re the last pony I need to see. Let’s go on our way then.” Jazz acknowledged. Fluttershy and Jazz headed to the meadows near Fluttershy’s house, an area where many animals sleep and hibernate. Jazz gave a disoriented look to Fluttershy. “Why are we here?” he asked. “Well, if there’s one thing you need to know about me. Uhm, it’s that I love to take care of the animals that are inhabited in Ponyville. Lemme call all the critters to meet you.” And so, one by one, critters emerged from underground, in trees, everywhere! All the animals huddled around Fluttershy and fixed their attention at Jazz. “Don’t worry. These animals are harmless unless you happen to annoy them whatsoever.” Fluttershy reiterated to Jazz. “Wow, I’ve never see so many animals at once. And you are friends with ALL of them?!” Jazz pondered. “Yupp. I also lead a bird choir too. They’ve performed in numerous events like Shining Armor and Cadence’s wedding, for instance.” “Impressive stuff, Fluttershy. I guess that’s all I need to know about you. I should be heading back. It’s getting dark.”
There's Music In All Of UsThe next day, at the smoothie shop, Jazz tinkered with his ukulele as he tried finishing his song for the concert. Hearing the right chord progression on his ukulele, he immediately began writing down the notes and lyrics on his notepad. Concentrated on his music, Jazz is interrupted by Twilight. “Sorry to bother you, Jazz. But if you’re not busy today afternoon, I was wondering if you’d like to come to my place and I can show you some more magic spells I’ve been working on.” “Sorry Twilight. I have plans with Rarity this afternoon.” “Rarity?!? Okay, how about after that?” “Uhh..no. I have plans with App-“ “Me!” Applejack then showed up unexpectedly, startling both Twilight and Jazz. “Yupp. I have plans with Applejack after that, Twi.” “Ughhh.. Do you other plans with any other pony that I need to know about?” asked Twilight in a frustrated manner. “Hmm.. lemme see. I have plans with Pinkie right after Applejack. Plans with Rainbow Dash right after Pinkie. And plans with Fluttershy right after Rainbow Dash. Yeah, that’s about it.” All of a sudden, all the ponies show up at the table spontaneously. “Yeah, Twilight. You gotta ask Jazz pretty early if you want to have plans with him.” Rainbow Dash blurted. Twilight and Rainbow Dash started arguing and then soon after, all the ponies started to heat up as well. Despite the countless arguments throttled at each other, Jazz, seemingly to not be bothered at the ruckus, resumed back on writing his song. Hours passed and the ponies were still arguing with one another. Jazz, now being annoyed by his friends' constant fighting, interrupted “At last. I am finally done with this song.” Putting his notepad in his backpack, Jazz left the smoothie shop, with Twilight and her friends following along. As Jazz rambled around, he started to feel some tension build upon his back. Fully stopping with Twilight bumping into him from behind, he requested “I am feeling a bit of pain on my back with all this stuff that I am carrying. Can one of you ponies carry my backpack for me?” Every pony lifted their head up in excitement. “Here, I’ll carry it. It’s the least I can do!” Twilight insisted, grabbing the backpack from Jazz with her magic. All at once, the ponies began fighting over the backpack, with Jazz worrying about his song in the bag. “No! Stop! Be careful, my perfect song is in that bag!” Jazz desperately commanded. Unaware to the ponies, a fountain is nearby and the ponies were hastily heading towards it. “Please! Stop! I don’t want my song to be rui-“ SPLASH. The ponies all looked at each other, wondering what had just happened. They gave a perplexed look and then they looked at the fountain. There, they saw Jazz, sitting on his haunches, looking at his backpack. “It can’t be. Maybe it’s all fine-“ Jazz opened the bag and he found his notepad, drenched in water, pencil markings scattered, and pages dampened. At first, he looked depressed and distraught, but that sadness quickly ensued into anger. His eyes immediately ogled at the guilt-feeling ponies. Twilight looked scared, Applejack tilted her hat to hide her emotions, Rarity’s eyes watered, Pinkie sloped her head down in shame, and Fluttershy poked the ground with her hoof in silence. “What have you done..? WHAT have you done?! My song.. It was going to be perfect. I don’t know what’s going on with you ponies, but this isn’t how friends should act! There are obviously things you ponies need to talk about. Maybe this audition was a bad idea… Now if you excuse, I’m gonna be on my own. I need time to think about how I am going to perform at the concert tomorrow with no song..” Just like that, Jazz left the scene, leaving six ponies thinking about what they had done wrong. In the backstage at the auditorium, Jazz leaned against the wall, looking at his ukulele on the floor in front of him. He felt defeated, unmotivated, uninspired to play his ukulele. He crossed in front hooves and scratched his head. “What am I gonna do..?” he wondered. The sound of hooves thumping the stage floor was heard and Jazz looked aimlessly, wondering where the sound was coming from. Then, the stage curtain opened and he saw Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy walking towards him. “We’re really sorry for what he did to you Jazz. We talked things over and we won’t have this soloist part get in over our heads ever again.” Twilight remarked. “Yeah, we’re sorry! Really really really really sorry! I don’t want to think about losing a friend ever again! Please accept our apology,” Pinkie Pie prompted. “This is why we decided to help you write a NEW, BETTER song for the concert tomorrow, Jazz!” Rarity added. Jazz was at a loss of words. He never realized the true meanings of friendship, but also forgiveness. To have remarkable friends like these ponies who bestowed themselves to help him, the only thing Jazz could do was smile, laugh, and accept their apology. The friends rejoiced in a group hug, but Jazz was still unsure whether they could write a song all in one day. “Are you ponies sure we can write a song in one day. I mean, it look me a week to write the other song.” “Ya know it, sugarcube. We may not be talented musicians like yourself, but there’s music in all of us,” Applejack replied. The ponies agreed and nodded their heads, giving Jazz more inspiration that they could make this happen and then… an idea struck him. “I got it! I think I have a plan that will not only please me, but to please you ponies as well!” “Really? Let’s hear it!” Rainbow Dash pressed. “I’ll tell you guys while we work on this song. Let’s get to work!” Jazz suggested. The ponies all laid their hooves in a circle and on the count of three, they got to work. The next day, the concert and party were all set and ready to go. Ponies in Ponyville quickly started to take their seats and grabbed their popcorn and Pony-cola. Backstage, Jazz blinked at Twilight and her friends, giving her the “go” to start the concert. The theater lights turned dim, and the audience remained silent. The curtain opened and Jazz and his band were ready to perform. The song started off with a harmonizing introduction from Fluttershy’s bird choir. Then, Jazz started playing fills on the piano in the background, and the drums began rocking the beat. After the small introduction, Jazz began singing the lyrics and the audience cheered and clapped their hooves. Suddenly, the music hit a decrescendo and some pony from off stage took the mic and started singing the solo. The spotlight swooped in to see the mystery pony with the audience looking as well. Coming from off stage was Twilight Sparkle, singing the solo. The crowd roared enormously; Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, both watching from the top balcony also cheered for the purple pony. As soon as Twilight laid her eyes on the princess, she started singing with more emotion and passion, much to the pleasure of Jazz, who whistled and cheered along with the crowd. When Twilight’s solo ended, an exhilarating sound of instruments then took over. Coming from backstage was Pinkie Pie, with a neat 10 instrumented solo of her own! The auditorium erupted; Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Twilight all smiled from off stage. When Pinkie finished, Jazz took over with his melodic singing and soothing piano playing. Jazz wore the outfit Rarity made for him and it caught to attention of many ponies. Ponies were in awe of the design of the clothing. And then, the song ended. Jazz, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and the other band members all lined up in front stage, awaiting the cheer of the crows. All of a sudden, the audience rounded up an applause. “Encore! Encore! Encore! “screamed some ponies. After the concert, the after-party then started. Rainbow Dash started the party with a perfectly performed Sonic Rainbow to wow the crowd. Applejack then raced to her apple-pie stand where she immediately began selling them like hotcakes. Ponies who watched the concert then complimented Rarity for her handiwork on Jazz’s outfit; they then wished for Rarity to make them dresses of their own to which Rarity gladly agreed to. All in all, every pony were pleased for their role in the concert. From Twilight’s singing solo, Pinkie’s instrumental solo, Applejack’s apple pie sales at the party, Rainbow Dash’s booming performance of the Sonic Rainboom, Fluttershy’s bird choir, Rarity’s praise for her made outfits, to Jazz’s astounding performance, each pony couldn’t help, but smile at the end of the day. When the party ended, the friends met at the smoothie shop to spent their last hours with Jazz before he leaves Ponyville to pursue his traveling music act around Equestria. As the ponies chatted, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna made a surprise appearance at the shop. “Princess! What brings you here?” Twilight asked. “Nothing. Just wanted congratulate you ponies on a job well done on the concert and the party. I really loved it,” Celestia responded with glee. “Maybe you ponies should throw me a concert and party for the great things that I’ve done, too!” Luna remarked sarcastically. Twilight and the others laughed and enjoyed the night together. “It’s really been an awesome experience with you ponies in Ponyville!” Jazz added. “Do you really have to leave? Maybe, the home you’re looking for is Ponyville after all,” Rarity begged. “For now, I have to leave. I have the whole world to witness with my own eyes. I certainly don’t want to miss it for a lifetime,” Jazz replied. “Well, then. Come visit us if ya’ll have the chance! Ah’m have all these sweet apple pies baked and ready for ya’ll return back to Ponyville!” Applejack insisted. “I can’t promise you ponies anything, but hopefully, this won’t be the last time you’ll be seeing me,” Jazz noted. As the evening gloomed on, Twilight and her friends spent their night, chatting, laughing, and hanging out with their new friend. A new friend who they hoped to see again in the later future.
