Makiki's Magical Music [Dead]

[orchidbloom]

Makiki Swirl grinned as she heaved her cart into her space in the market. It was not yet crowded, but ponies meandered through, glancing her way as she tugged the tarp off of the wooden box on wheels. Assorted instruments, sheet music, and boxes were nestled into the cart. She lugged her guitar, a keyboard and a bongo set out first before emptying the various papers and boxes out. 


With a good deal of pushing and shoving, she flipped the cart upside down and smiled at her work. She turned it until the flat side was facing the street with the smooth underside of the cart turned upwards. Taking her folded up banner, she pinned it to the front and finished setting up.


When she was quite done, She stood on the street and nodded at her handiwork. The banner was a dark turquoise color, the same as her mane, and had the word's Makiki's Magical Music printed in bold, swirly letters. On one side, a white zebra with black, swirled stripes posed. She smiled at the painting of herself. Her instruments were positioned around the cart under an awning that had been folded in a box. She had placed her sheet music on her cart/table next to her money box with a price tag for each of the pieces of music. And for the pièce de résistance, she scattered flyers reading:


Makiki's Magical Music Shop!
Instruments, sheet music, and lessons!
Even party entertainment!
Located at the south end of the marketplace


Sitting under her awning, she waited for the rush of ponies to surge through the streets of the marketplace buying who knows what. She played a tune on the guitar as the sun rose higher into the sky. 

[CottonCloud]

Cotton Cloud woke up that morning earlier than usual, she was even awake before her grandfather and he always rose with the sun. She did her usual routine, made breakfast, cuddled her egg, and went for an early morning flight but today was no routine day. Today she had a job to do and she wasn't going to come home until she did it. She trotted over to the Ponyville marketplace. She had heard it was the best place to get anything in Ponyville. She was so focused on her mission she barely even spent an hour talking to all the citizens of Ponyville. When she got to the market most of the shopkeepers were just setting up but she could tell by their wares that most of them didn't have what she was looking for. She checked many stalls throughout the day that seemed like they might have had what she was looking for but upon close inspection she realized that none of them had what she was looking for. She was about to give up and go home for lunch when she decided to check out just one more street. Cotton scanned the stalls hopeful yet doubtful at the same time. Then she saw a stand that looked like it might have just what she was looking for. It was called Makiki's Magical Music Shop and it had an assortment of instruments and sheet music available. She excitedly trotted over to the stall and examined the many instruments available.

Then turning to the shopkeep she asked "You wouldn't happen to have a viola would you? Not a violin, a viola?"

[orchidbloom]

Makiki strummed the final chords of Somepony to Love Me before setting the guitar on a stand away from the instruments ponies could buy. She sat back down and closed her eyes, concentrating on her mane and tail. This was the gift her unicorn mother had given her, despite her being a zebra. She thought of only one thing - the color pink. A bright, vibrant pink. She focussed and squinted her eyes until she felt the tingly feeling in her head. She opened her eyes. A stray piece of hair from her up-do mane style hung in front of her eyes - it was bright, neon pink. She grinned. 


A small voice made her black-tipped ears twitch and focus to the front of her stand. A small foal stood there. She tried to remember her words. Viola...


Makiki smiled, tipping her head towards under her awning. "I've got one right back here. You can come back and have a better look, if you'd like." Makiki made her way behind a couple of stands to a small instrument that could easily be mistaken for a violin. She knew otherwise. She picked it up with the bow and played a few stanzas of a Bethoovan (Beethovan human world) song. She nodded. "Sound about right. This what you're looking for? I have sheet music too, if you'd like." Makiki gestured to the piles of paper. She wondered indeed what this pony was doing searching for a viola, and debated asking. She decided against it though - for the time being. 

[CottonCloud]

Cotton couldn't believe her ears, she had finally found a pony that had what she was looking for! Before she even heard it she knew right away that it was a viola. For starters, it had a larger frame than a violin would and the frog of the bow was a curved 90 degree angle, not a straight one. But when she heard it Cotton knew, she just knew that it was what she had been looking for. It had a deep, rich sound. Just the way Cotton had always imagined it.

    Honestly Cotton had never even seen a viola before but she could tell one right away just from the fervent way her grandfather had described them to her. Cotton's grandfather had an impeccable ear for music and that, coupled with his tendency for perfectionism, made him one of the most well knwn composers in all of Equestria. Cotton could spend hours listening to him tell tales of all the cities he had performed in and all the famous musicians he had worked with. But her daydreaming would have to wait until later, right now she had a job to do and a viola to buy.


"It's perfect! To tell you the truth I've never actually seen a viola before in my life and when I went to all the other music stalls and all they had were violins I began to think that maybe Curly's stories weren't enough to go by and that I was wrong but then I found your stand and I had this feeling inside me and I was sure you'd have what I was looking for. And you did! Isn't that lucky, I just..."

Cotton realized that she had slipped into her old habit of rambling and stopped with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, I just got so excited about this viola that I wanted you to feel excited too. I want this viola to be a gift for somepony very special to me, do you have any classical sheet music? He loves classical music."

[funkycitrax]

"Hey, now lets get one thing straight here, you silly filly. It may be correct that we can collapse a triangle in less than two sets, but that doesn't mean we can start adding cross to cross maneuvers, that's really-"

Mark Time paused his conversation and turned his attention to the train conductor, announcing that the stop for Ponyville was next on the line. "That's my stop. It was nice talking to you. See you in the spring, Half-Step." With that, he departed the train and stepped onto the platform, engulfed in a cloud of steam.

"Wo-AH, Wo-AH!" he shouted, in a mimicry of the train's whistle, and waved to the conductor as he chugged away. Once the steam cleared, a smile slowly crept across his face. Here he was again, in Ponyville, his hometown. Mark Time took in a big sniff, and sighed contentedly. The air here had a different smell and taste than in Canterlot, at least to him. Ponyville air was warm and smelled of grit and hustle, and tasted like love, risk, adventure, fun, and satisfaction. Canterlot may have been where his passions were, but this was the only city Mark Time could truly call home.

Mark Time began to wander, as was his usual activity after coming back from Canterlot. He wandered past the bakeries, and the through the suburbs, and around the town square. Some ponies received him as he walked, and he greeted them just as warmly. Eventually, he found himself in the marketplace. Around now, there was a bit of bustle going on. After perusing the shops and mingling with some of the folk, he spied a banner with a zebra on it.

Makiki's Magical Music Shop, hmm?

He trotted up to see a young pegasus with a viola, and a zebra behind the stall. He looked at the foal for a bit, wanting to comment on the instrument.

"That's a nice cello you've got there.."

[CottonCloud]

Cotton was admiring the viola. It was beautiful from just about every angle. While admiring the instrument she also browsed the counter looking for music that she, as a beginner could learn to play and music that Curly, being an expert, would enjoy playing. She knew all his favorite pieces of music by hear and she was hoping to find one for the viola. As she was browsing the music and admiring the instrument she chatted to the shopkeeper about nothing in particular. She was so good at idle chatter she didn't even know what she was talking about but she didn't think the keeper was really listening to her anyways. She was going on about something, cutie marks was it? Oh yes she remembered now, she was asking the pony about her cutie mark and talking about how she wondered what hers would be like.

After some searching she finally found several pieces of music that she knew that Curly knew. She also found some simpler pieces that Curly could teach her to play, though she didn't know if asking him to teach her would be a good idea regarding his penchant for perfection. She was just about to ask how much she owed the unicorn for the instrument and the sheet music when she saw another pony, a stallion approach the stall. She was just about to greet him and maybe ask about his music interests when he said something that made her smile fade altogether.

He said "That's a nice cello you've got there.." and she instantly felt the frustration Curly did when she would confuse the piccolo and the flute she tried to hide it but couldn't really return to her normal cheerfulness. So she tried to reply with what she hoped was a polite answer.

"Pardon me but it's not a cello, it's a viola."

[funkycitrax]

Mark Time looked at the young foal when she spoke, and a laugh escaped from in him.

"Haha...I only jest, young one. That is absolutely a viola. And a good one, at that..."

His words trailed off as he stepped forward to get a better look at the viola. He tapped on it a bit, and looked intently at the finish of the wood and the quality of the strings. It was a fine stringplank, and he wished he would have gotten there earlier, as he was on the hunt for something to compliment his jazz improvisations, and sounding like Orette Colemane required a stout instrument and a minimal amount of skill.

"This instrument is in excellent repair, good and sturdy wood, the strings have some grip and tug, the pegs are secure...I bet it sounds nice too. You'll be happy with it." he said with a smile.

He then remembered what drew him to the merchants shop in the first place. On a wandering whim, he wanted to pick up some new jazz charts to learn, in case all the club owners had gotten tired of hearing him audition with the same pieces. Having been so caught up in the viola, however, he, in a very uncouth manner, had interrupted the sale of the instrument.

"Oh...I apologize, you were going to buy that. Here, let me step out of the way."

 He stepped back in order to let the Pegasus finish with her purchase.

[orchidbloom]

(Sorry for the wait)

Makiki smiled at the Pegasus, amused by her rambling. "I am most certainly excited for you, and I do happen to have some classical sheet music. I'll go grab some and see if it's what you've got in mind."

Makiki made her way to the front table and sorted through some classical music, grabbing sheets she thought would be nice, well known pieces. She couldn't help but think about the 'special some pony' her customer had talked about. Surely this foal wasn't implying that kind of special some pony. Perhaps Makiki would ask.

As the zebra made her way back to her customer, she found another pony there, who seemed to be having a conversation with the foal. A cello, a viola... What?

Makiki smiled as the strange new pony complimented the viola. He then noticed Makiki standing there and apologized, taking a step back. Makiki smiled. 


"Well, hello! Welcome! Oh, here is some classical music, hun. I thought you would like these versions. 3 bits per sheet, 40 for the viola."

She then turned to the other pony. "Hi, I'm Makiki Swirl. I see you've found my music shop. What can I help ya with? Here, I've got music sheets, instruments... Although I suppose you can see that." She stopped, realizing she might sound silly. Her mother's forested accent came through in certain words of her speech - her h's sort of disappeared, and her w's were too accentuated. Although, sometimes she liked her accent. It gave her a uniqueness not many had.

[CottonCloud]

Cotton paid for the viola and for the sheet music the zebra had brought for her. She looked them over and nodded, Curly knew every one of these by heart and she was sure he'd love to play them on the viola. She carefully put the instrument away in her bag and stepped to the side. She wanted to keep looking for sheet music that she would be able to play but not just for the viola, for the violin, and the cello, and the piano, and the drums. Curly had a whole collection of instruments and she knew it would make him happy if she learned to play. Even if they were just simple songs it would make him happy to see that she had taken an interest in music. So she stood to the side and looked through all the sheet music on the table so that the stallion could talk to the shopkeeper. As she looked she hummed one of Sapphire Shores latest songs. Cotton was more into pop music than classical but tomorrow was Curly's special day and what he wanted he got. She smiled and looked at the stallion and the zebra and then she remembered how rude she had been!

"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt but I just have to apologize to the both of you. I can be really airheaded sometimes so I hope you'll excuse me for not introducing myself before. My name is Cotton Cloud but you both can call me Fluffy. Again I'm terribly sorry for not introducing myself before."

[funkycitrax]

Mark Time looked upon the young pony and received her apology and her greeting with a courteous nod. A while ago, the visor of his shako came down over his eyes. He turned to Cotton Cloud and lifted his shako up, revealing his eyes and a smile.

"It is very nice to meet you, Cotton Cloud, and it is a pleasure to meet you as well, Makiki"

 He unlatched his shako and swung it around him as he bowed to them.

 "My name is Mark Time, but I'm also known as Twirly in some circles." He rose and put his shako back on his head. He turned over to Makiki's business, and began rustling through the pages of music. He set aside a few of the ones he was intent on buying, a few overtures, a sonata, some folk tunes, but continued to sift through. It wouldn't be the first time a music shop didn't have any jazz charts, he thought. He began to mumble for a bit, and tried looking again. Perhaps she just doesn't have them out. Who knows what wonders this shop might have.

"Hey, Makiki Swirl, you wouldn't happen to have any jazz music would you?"

After he said that, he looked back over at Cotton Cloud and the viola. While the viola itself was a grand piece, Mark Time noticed something else about it. Cotton Cloud, from what he observed, didn't seem to be a musician that could artfully execute the musical nuances that a viola was capable of. Was it for her to learn? Or was it for somepony else? In any case, Mark Time had known that, whoever that instrument was destined for, it would bring great joy, a kind that can only come from music.

He walked over to Cotton Cloud, and said, "Hey, Fluffy, what would you say if I bought that viola for you? I see that you've already paid, but you can have these on my account."

He levitated a pouch from inside of his uniform, and counted out the price of the viola.

"Say, whats the thing for, anyways?"

[CottonCloud]

Cotton continued to search for music among the sheets Makiki had set out. She had found several pieces music for several different instruments that didn't seem too hard to learn and she knew Curly would have all of the instruments somewhere in his collection. When she next looked over at the music she had set aside to purchase she realized she had amassed quite a pile. Paying for it all wouldn't be an issue, Curly had given her plenty of spending money and she knew he wouldn't be upset if she spent it on music, the problem was just how was she going to carry it all home? She doubted she could fit even half of it in her bag, not with the viola in there as well. She was just thinking this over when the stallion, Mark Time, addressed her.

"I'm sorry Mr. Time but this piece isn't for sale. This viola is going to be a gift for my grandfather, Curly. Tomorrow is his birthday and a viola is all he needs to complete his orchestra collection. He already has one of each instrument from the brasses, the woodwinds, and the percussion and all he needs to complete the string section is a viola. So I'm really sorry but I can't sell you this viola. If you're wondering why I'm getting all this sheet music too it's because it'd just be the icing on the cake if he got his viola and his granddaughter took an interest in music. But if you're wondering how I'm going to carry all this home without him noticing well then your guess is as good as mine."

[funkycitrax]

Mark Time stood, both looking back at Makiki and at Cotton Cloud, waiting for a reply from either one. The coins were still floating in midair, suspended in an audible shimmering field of magic. Cotton was the one to speak first.

I'm sorry Mr. Time but this piece isn't for sale...but if you're wondering how I'm going to carry all this home without him noticing well then your guess is as good as mine....

After she said those words, Mark Time stood with a confused look on his face. Huh? Not for sale? What does she mean by that? Hmm... Mark did remember that he was speaking rather quickly, instead of his usual controlled speech, due to making his decision about the viola. It would have been quite possible for Cotton Cloud to have misunderstood him. Ah yes...she must have mistook my motives. No matter, all I need do is explain again.

"Oh, dear Cotton, I fear you've misunderstood me. While that viola would be nice to have, it's not for me. I wished to buy it true, but I wouldn't be the one taking it home. I wanted to pay for it for you. It seems your grandfather is a very esteemed individual, and would be very happy with such a gift. Gift...would it still be a gift if I paid for it? As a gift to you, to your grandfather?" As he mused, the bits began to move in various formations, as he was making an effort to speak slower.

"Ah, it doesn't matter. Still, I'd be happy to do it." The bits returned to a standstill.

That other thing she mentioned...what was it? Oh Yes!

"Regardless of your decision about the viola, I'd also could help you carry some of those things for you, if you like."