Lambicorn name: Melody, but most call her Granny Mel
Gender: Female
Prompt:
"My favourite sound..." the elder muses aloud. Her warm eyes grow distant as she wanders through the mists of memory. "I was part of a travelling band, back in the day. We were the best musicians in the whole darned land... not that anyone else knew it, of course." Her smile twinkles with sly laughter. "They're the very reason I became a teacher when we all retired. It was my fondest dream to inspire the next generation of musicians, so that they can form their own beautiful experiences making music together."
You notice Granny Mel slipping further into the echoes of the past, so you promptly remind her that she was about to share her favourite sound.
"Oh, yes! Silly me. It's so easy to let my mind wander these days. We were called the Travelling Troubadours. We journeyed across the realms, spreading tales of cheer and woe alike. But anyone who attended one of our performances left with a smile on their face.
"Our drummer was a stocky fellow called Tempo - which was fitting, seeing as he set the tempo for all of our songs!" Granny Mel chuckles to herself, as if she has made the world's greatest joke. You fail to see the humour in it.
"Adagio was a tall, graceful thing of beauty, much like the harp they played. Their sound was a gentle stream, flowing over rocks smoothed by time and dedication.
"Our violinist was called Viola, ironically." Another small burst of laughter escapes the crafty old woman. "Despite the mismatch between her name and instrument, she really knew how to make it sing. Her bow soared across those strings in swelling harmonies filled with emotion.
"Octavia's lute playing was second to none. Her paws could pluck those strings with rapid precision, and strum melodious chords alike. And her voice... why, it was like dawn breaking over a stormy sea." The ancient lambicorn's face grows tender and passionate.
"And me? Why, I completed our merry band, floating along on my flute."
You wonder how a hooved lambicorn can play an instrument designed for paws, talons, or fingers, but you decide it's best to leave that question for later. You don't want Granny Mel to get distracted again.
"Now, which of these is my favourite sound, you ask?" The elder snorts, answering the question before you can even respond. "Why, none of them and all of them! While each one of us had a gorgeous sound in our own right, it was nothing like the blend of pitches and timbres of us coming together. When we performed together, we almost felt like one being. For all the magic in the world, child... that is true magic. Lambicorns joining hoof and paw to create something magnificent. Together, our notes danced in perfect rhythm, painting colour across a bleak and hopeless world. For all the memories lost in the fog of my mind... I will never forget what that was like."
The broad grin splayed across her face softens into a sad smile as the light in her gaze dims. "They're al gone, now... that's what happens when you get older. But their songs still live on in my heart. Every time I raise my lips to my flute, I think of them and all the fond memories we shared. When I play my instrument, I play for them. I feel them with me when I make music. And though I miss them every day and wish they were here again to perform alongside me, I still hear their melodies on the wind. Someday, I will join them, and we will play together forever more."
