Music of Time

“Celestia!” I shouted as I flung the dining room doors open. My loud appearance made Celestia and Luna jump in their seats. “Oh, hey Luna. Ya’ll wanna see something cool?”

“Goodness, is that whole reason you came in here shouting like a banshee?” Luna asked. I simply nodded in return. Luna sighed. “Sure, why not?” Oh yeah, I should probably mention something, when Luna get’s around close friends and family, she drops the whole old-english speak. That’s nice because it can get kind of annoying. I then turned to Celestia.

“How about you?”

“What is it?”

“A surprise.”

“Is that all you’re going to tell me?”

“Yup.”

“Alright.” She sighed. “Lead the way.”

I smiled and turned before briskly walking down the hall. Once we reached the doors to my room, I turned around and looked at the two. I gave them a few minutes to rest, as they were slightly out of breath from trying to catch up with me.

“Okay, Zach, what is it you wanted to show us?” Luna asked. I opened the doors and told them to stand by the doors. I walked over to behind a divider and grabbed my latest project. I walked out from behind the divider and grabbed a stool. Sitting down, I looked up and saw the two looking at me.

“I take it that’s an instrument? Luna asked.

“Well of course.” I said with a smile. “When have I ever shown anything different?”

“Your computer, thing.” Celestia pointed out.

“Good point…” I nodded. “Anywho, this is the project I’ve been working on for the past couple of weeks.” I lifted the instrument. “This is a wonderful instrument back home and this one here is no different. I had some nearby woodworkers for orchestral instruments help with it, so it plays really well and in tune.” I said, playing some notes.

“And what is this instrument called?” Luna asked.

“An acoustic guitar.” I said as I started to play.

The princess stared at me as my fingers flew around the fretboard, changing tempos between riffs. as I let the last notes ring. I looked up at them to see their faces of shock. I smiled and let out a chuckle before speaking.

“So, guitar, how do you like it?”

“It’s, amazing. It also looks incredibly difficult to play.” Celestia said with a smile.

“It can be, depending on how you and what you play.” I said, getting up and placing it on the table. I then walked over to my desk and motion for them to sit down. I turned and looked at the papers on my desk before Luna spoke up.

“Do you have any other secret instruments you plan to reveal?”

“Not yet.” I said, writing out dimensions for another design.

“So, you plan on having more?”

“Of course.” I said turning around. “I mean, you already have most brass instruments along with a lot of percussion instruments, but only a few string and woodwind instruments. Given some time, you could have bands and orchestra all over the place playing new types of music. I just need to make that though a reality. Which, in a sense, was my job back home. Now I get to do it for others who have less than folks back home. Shouldn’t take more than a month to get the instruments and another month to teach the basics to some ponies. After that, I can go home and ya’ll will have new music to mess around with.”

“So that’s what you’re trying to do? Share human music?” Celestia asked.

I shrugged. “Yeah. Especially jazz.” I smiled. “Jazz is my favorite genre of music because anything goes.”

“What do you mean, ‘Anything goes?’”

“I mean, that as long as you play with confidence, people will think that it’s meant to be. That’s what stumps people. When they mess up, they get nervous and freak out, so they stop playing or lose that confidence. Well one day somebody messed up and realized something. They thought, ‘Hey that sounded pretty cool.’ So they showed it to their friends and they thought, ‘You’re right, that does sound cool.’ Then they all got their instruments and started jammin’ to this new style they made up. And that’s more or less how jazz was made.”

“Well, as much as we would all love to talk more about human music, we have more pressing matters.” Celestia said, looking to me.

“Such as?” I asked.

“You getting home.”

“What about it?” I said, taking a sip of a glass of water I’d had on my desk.

“Well, to be quite honest, Zachary, we don’t think it’s possible.

“What?” I said, despair and anger rising. “Why not?”

“As far as we know, you get here by accident. And in the chance that your car accident brought you here, it would be far too dangerous to replicate those circumstances to send you back. I’m sorry, Zachary, but there is nothing we can do.”

Sorry? At this point, the anger overtook the despair and I snapped. “Sorry? I’ve been stuck here for two weeks and you decide to just now tell me I can never go home? Sorry. ‘Sorry’ she says. Well sorry ain’t gonna cut it, sweetheart!” I yelled at the princesses. “I had a family back home! I had a grandma, a grandpa, and a sister! How the hell do you think they feel?! They’re grandson and brother is dead to them! Fell off of the goddamn road, rolled down a hill, and landed in a lake! Sorry wouldn’t cut it for them either!”

 I walked over to my desk and angrily gulped down water before smashing the cup down against the desk hard enough to shatter it. However, in my blind rage, I did not feel the glass cut through my skin or the glass in my skin. The princesses just stared in horror as my hand started bleeding. I was about to start yelling again, until I saw their faces. I calmed down a little bit and spoke with a more controlled voice.

“I’ll tell you right now, I love this place. I really do. It’s a wonderful place and under any other circumstance, I’d love to be here. But to visit, not to stay. No matter how wonderful it is, it just isn’t home. I hope you understand.” I turned and walked over towards the balcony of my room and stepped outside. Leaning on the rail, I sighed as I looked out at the empty plains of Equestria. Even with the cool breeze, the warm sun, and the wonderful view, I had one thing on my mind.

What is death like?