Chapter 3 – Music is Magic, part 2
Alto continued to stare at the other ponies, trying to comprehend what he had just been told.
"You're... you're not joking?" he stammered.
"Of course not!" said Starlight.
"I ain't ever heard anythin' like that in my life," Applejack chimed in.
"It was totally unbelievable!" Pinkie exclaimed.
Alto couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was the last reaction he ever expected. His shocked expression slowly turned into a sad one. Then... he let it out. The pain, mockery and scorn he had endured was now displayed before the ponies in front of him. The sight of this caught them off guard.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Starlight said, walking up to the now crying Alto.
"Is... everything okay?" Fluttershy asked.
"Pardon me, darling, but I thought you'd be rather... happy about what we had to say about your singing," said Rarity.
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Alto sobbed, "It's just... I never thought I'd see the day... the day somepony else would appreciate me and my talent! I've... I've...I've been hoping for this for such a long time!" Alto started bawling again.
"Wait a minute..." Starlight said. "You told me earlier that you wanted a new chance to do what what you love. Was... this it?" Alto sniffled and nodded.
"I wasn't sure whether or not to tell anypony it," he admitted.
"Come to think of it, you looked like you were hiding something while you were talking ta us," Applejack said.
"Please... tell us why you'd want to hide this talent from everypony," Fluttershy said.
Alto took a few deep breaths, then turned his back toward the other ponies. "You promise you won't laugh at me?"
"Oh, we don't promise..." Pinkie began. This caused Alto and Starlight to widen their eyes at her. "We Pinkie Promise!" she exclaimed. She turned to the other four ponies. "Right, girls?"
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," said Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Rarity in unison. This brought a small smile to Alto's face.
"Okay, where do I begin?" he said, taking a deep breath. "For as long as I can remember, I grew up living in Canterlot."
Rarity gasped. "Canterlot?!"
"That's right," Alto continued. "My whole life, Princess Celestia had been the one taking care of me. Canterlot wasn't an easy place to live in."
Flashback
Alto, as a colt, was walking down the streets of Canterlot, all the while receiving glares from other ponies.
"Everypony always put me down for living in the castle, saying that I don't deserve that honor." he said.
Young Alto sighed to himself.
"I'd enjoy this town a whole lot if there was something I could do," he said to himself, "I don't wanna be seen as an ordinary pony in a castle!"
"Then one day, I saw something that took my breath away!"
Just ahead of Alto, a crowd of ponies were gathered around a stage, cheering and whooping at a pony singing out to them.
"It was a pony singing a really catchy song, and he got everypony, even me, singing along!"
Young Alto was stunned at the pony's voice before he slowly formed a smile and slowly made his way to the front of the crowd. He sang along with everypony else.
"Never before did I see something so captivating," Alto continued. "I knew right then and there exactly what I wanted to do. So, I took the time to study music and singing."
Alto was soon in the castle library, sitting at a table surrounded by stacks of books. He was reading one with a smile adorning his face. From afar, Princess Celestia observed him with a smile of her own.
"Eventually, I decided to put myself out there," said Alto. "But..."
Young Alto was standing out in the streets of Canterlot, singing his heart out. As he sang, ponies were walking past him, rolling their eyes and scoffing. He noticed this and felt dejected.
"The ponies just brushed me off and made fun of my 'despicable taste in music'..." he recalled, "It was the most humiliating day of my life!"
"The nerve of some ponies," Applejack muttered.
"That's terrible," Starlight chimed in.
"Yeah! Nopony liking you for your music is like... like nopony liking me for the parties I throw!" Pinkie said.
"Seriously?" Rainbow said with a raised eyebrow.
"No, no, it's a good example, Pinkie," Alto acknowledged. "Anyway, I went back to the castle and told Princess Celestia about what happened."
Young Alto was later shown in the throne room talking to the Princess.
"She asked if she could hear me sing, and well... how could I ever say no to her?"
[Young Alto – Alto kept his eyes closed as he sang. Princess Celestia slowly became immersed in the song and the voice behind it.]
Don't give up
It's just the weight of the world
When your heart's heavy
I... I will lift it for you
Don't give up
Because you want to be heard
If silence keeps you
I... I will break it for you
Everypony wants to be understood
Well I can hear you
Everypony wants to be loved
Don't give up
Because you are loved
At the end of the song, Alto opened his eyes to the sound of light applause coming from Princess Celestia herself.
"Alto, that was truly amazing," she told him with a warm smile. "You have such a divine talent, like nothing I've ever heard before."
"R-Really? You mean it?" Alto asked in astonishment.
"I can tell you have an extraordinary gift," Celestia continued, "something that will surely make a difference in everypony throughout Equestria."
"Make a difference..." Alto thought to himself. "I... i love singing more than anything. I want to be able to make the world a better place with music!"
At that moment, a bright light emitted from Alto's body, and his microphone-in-the-spolight cutie mark adorned his flank. He was stunned for a few seconds before he smiled, a few tears shedding from his eyes.
End Flashback
"And that's how it happened," Alto concluded. "Princess Celestia believed in me and my talent when nopony else would. So when she decided to send me here to Ponyville, I chose to believe in her." He faced the other ponies before him, who were starting to tear up. "I... I just want the chance to do what I love. But it's hard knowing that everypony hates you for it..."
"Oh, Alto," said Fluttershy, sniffling. "I... I had no idea."
"Yeah, I didn't think things would be that hard for you," added Starlight.
"But we could never hate you or your singing, darling," Rarity assured.
"No fooling?" Alto asked.
"No foolin'!" Applejack enthusiastically insisted. "Those Canterlot ponies mighta shunned you for your passion then..."
"But we're here to appreciate you now!" Rainbow finished.
This brought a small smile to Alto's face. "Hmm... thanks. I'm glad someponies are willing to do that." He paused before speaking again. "I don't know if I could say the same for the rest of Ponyville, though..."
"Then why don't we put it to the test?" Pinkie suggested.
"Huh?" Alto said with a confused look.
"You want to show everypony how much you love music and singing, right?" Rainbow asked. "Well, Ponyville is an awesome place to start!"
"Yeah!" Applejack agreed. "We could set up a showcase at the town hall!"
"I'm sure everypony would enjoy hearing you sing for them, Alto," Fluttershy said.
"And you can count on us to help you set it up!" Starlight said.
Alto looked down in thought. "Well... if you really think I can pull it off... then let's go for it!"
"Yeah!" Everypony yelled.
The next day, Alto, Starlight and their friends set the plan in motion. Applejack spoke with the town mayor to allow usage of the town hall. PInkie, Starlight and Rarity got to work decorating the interior and main stage. Rainbow and Fluttershy spread word about the showcase to everypony in Ponyville. And Alto worked on a brand new song.
Later that night, many ponies were gathered inside the Ponyville Town Hall, chattering amongst themselves in anticipation of the showcase. Backstage, Alto was with his friends.
"Hoowee!" Applejack expressed. "I can't believe we did it!"
"What a biiiiiiig turnout!" Pinkie said, peeking out the curtain before Rarity reeled her back in.
"Are you all set, Alto?" Rainbow asked. Alto didn't respond. He was sitting down, lost in thought. "Uh, Alto?"
"O-Oh! Umm, yeah..." Alto said.
"What's the matter?" Fluttershy asked.
"You're not having second thoughts about this, are you?" said Rarity.
Alto sighed. "N-No... it's just... well...I can't help but feel like I'm getting ahead of myself again."
"What do you mean?" Starlight asked.
"I already messed up back in Canterlot, so what if the same thing happens again?" Alto lamented. "Other than you girls, nopony really knows me here. It's not like they'll really come to understand me or my musical talent."
"Hey, that's not true!" Pinkie assured.
"Your singin' put a smile on the Princess, right?" Applejack reminded him.
"It did the same for us, too," Fluttershy added.
"We wouldn't have helped you out with this if we didn't think your talent was special," Starlight said, placing a hoof on Alto's shoulder. "You showed me a kind of magic I never thought about before we met. I know you can do this, Alto. Because... you're my friend."
This widened Alto's eyes. "We're... friends?"
"Of course!" Starlight assured.
"We all are!" Rarity said, followed by agreement from the others.
"You guys..." Alto sniffled, growing a smile. "You know what..." He pulled out a sheet of paper. "I think I have a way to make this showcase really special." The girls smiled. Soon enough, the mayor of Ponyville, known as Mayor Mare, addressed the crowd before her.
"Citizens of Ponyville," she began, "It is a privilege to introduce to you a pony who has recently moved to our beloved town. He has a very special talent to share with us tonight. Please give a warm welcome to... Alto Eclipse!"
Mayor Mare then made her way off the stage, and the curtain rose up, revealing Alto. Music began to play as he took a deep breath.
[Alto]
I was just a little colt when I first heard a sound
How it filled me up with joy, and happiness I found
You can discover the magic of music
Raise up your voice anytime that you choose it
From each harmony to each melody
You'll feel so ignited
When we're all united
[Alto - The tip of his horn lit up, and the heart outline appeared on his chest.]
Oh, I can feel the magic
All the magic in the music
I'm here to share with all of you
The one thing that has helped me through
The show has just begun
So now let's have some fun
And feel the magic in the music!
You can feel it in your heart and even in your soul
Let it carry you away and you will become whole
Music can help you make it through any weather
Strike up a tune, and we'll all sing together
It'll brighten our day
And chase those dark clouds away
Deep inside you know it
You just gotta show it
[Starlight – She popped up next to Alto.]
Oh, we can feel the magic
[Fluttershy – She flew up to Alto's left side.]
The magic in the music
[Pinkie and Rarity – Pinkie hopped up next to Starlight while Rarity came up to Fluttershy.]
We're here to share with all of you
The one thing that can help you through
[Rainbow and Applejack – Rainbow hovered above Alto with Applejack next to Pinkie.]
Right now, it's all for one
Together we'll have fun
[Alto (Starlight and Mane 5) – At this point, Alto could feel himself rising from the stage. He noticed his horn was now emitting an aura around his body. With a smile, he circled above the awing crowd.]
Yes, you can feel the magic (Some fun)
The magic in the music
Just pick a song you love to sing
So much great pleasure it will bring
Before the day is done
We're gonna have some fun
And feel the magic in the music
[Mane 5 and Starlight]
We feel the magic in the music
[Alto – Alto descended to the stage.]
You'll feel the magic in the music
[Starlight and Mane 5]
The music!
At the end of the performance, the heart on Alto's chest disappeared. Much to his surprise, a round of cheers and applause filled the hall. This wasn't anything like Canterlot. Soon enough, he grew a bright grin.
"Thank you, Ponyville!" Alto exclaimed with exhilaration. "You've been amazing!" Starlight and the others walked up to Alto and joined him in bowing to the roaring crowd.
Later, courtesy of Pinkie Pie, a party was in full swing in the town hall. Starlight, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were chatting with each other when Alto trotted up to them.
"Hey, you guys!" Alto called out.
"Alto!" Starlight and the others replied.
"So? How did it feel up there?" Pinkie asked Alto.
"It...felt...amazing!" Alto answered, pumping a hoof into the air. "Being able to do what I love in front of everypony...it gave me joy I've never felt before. They had a lot of good things to say about me and my talent afterwards."
"Nothing like Canterlot, huh?" Applejack said.
"Yeah, that's for sure," Alto agreed with a sigh. He quickly turned to Rarity. "N-No offense, of course."
"None taken, darling," Rarity assured. "It's understandable."
"But you know what made this showcase really special?" Alto said.
"What?" Starlight asked.
"Doing it with a bunch of talented ponies like you," Alto responded. "It really taught me something. When it comes to music, you have a choice. You can either play on your own, or you can play with others and create something that brings everypony together." As Alto recited this moral, the girls grew pleasant smiles on their face.
"That's very true," Fluttershy agreed.
"We were pretty awesome up there," Rainbow added.
"I really wouldn't have been able to do without you guys," Alto said, a tear falling down his face. "I'm grateful to have you as my friends... Thank you... thank you so much."
"Aww!" The girls brought Alto in for a group hug.
As Alto was immersed in his newfound friendship, he had one thought on his mind.
"You were right all along... Princess Celestia."
Whew, finally! Two-parters can be quite the hassle! I hope I did good establishing my OC so far.
If you have any suggestions feel free to PM me.
Disclaimer: I do not the following songs:
"Don't Give Up (You Are Loved) - Josh Groban
"The Magic in the Music – Sofia the First
Next Time: Alto spends the day with Starlight, the first friend he ever sang for. As the day goes on, he learns why she decided to come to Ponyville.
Adios pony pals!