Author's Notes: And after an incredibly slow start writing this chapter, the last half just seemed to write itself! So here you go, another 3,000 words of Magic! (I'm sorry, even by my standards, that was a terrible pun...I'm awful, I know.)

Anyway, once again I muse thank everyone who took the time to review. Recently, I have noticed a couple of people, either by review or PM, seem to be curious about whether I write professionally. While I do not write professionally at this time, it is a dream and ambition of mine to one day publish my own, original work, and become a fully-fledged, professional author. The fact that many of you believe I could achieve this feat is something that never fails to bring me a smile, and make my entire day just that much brighter! So thank you for believing in me, and maybe one day, I'll be up there the next time to go to your favourite bookstore!

Back to the task at hand, I must make a quick disclaimer about the two songs used in the following chapter. The first is "Together We Are One" by Delta Goodrem, and the second I have already mentioned here in this story..."Rule the World" by Take That. Feel free to look up both of them if you want to hear them in action, and before anyone does so and points something out to me, yes, I am well aware that the voice of Sapphire Shores in the show bears absolutely ZERO resemblance to the singing voice of Delta Goodrem...chalk that one up to artistic licence, because I really don't have a reasonable explanation for that one. Sometimes singers can sound totally different on stage than they do in a casual conversation.

One final note, unfortunately I haven't heard work from "DiamondGirl400" in the last few days, so this chapter is unbetaed. Hopefully my spelling and handling of Luna's speech is still up to snuff.

But on that note, I'll let you continue on...and brace yourselves, readers, because the next few chapters are going to be very important...

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Chapter 28

Sound of the Soul

Starfall could not help but smile as he sat in the small, private observatory at the top of Twilight's library, watching Princess Luna as she sat near him, listening with rapt attention to a radio he had set up in the room, to let her sample popular modern music that the radio always seemed to play.

Deep inside your heart and soul,
You work so hard,
To reach your goal,
With every step,
With every breath,
You gave it all,
'Till there was nothing left...

As the song continued, Luna looked over in Starfall's direction, though her ears remained focused on the radio, clearly still listening to the song even as she spoke. "So, according to what we are hearing, this song tells a tale of triumph and victory?" she commented, though a clear question in her tone, looking to Starfall for advice.

Starfall nodded. "From what I remember from when this song was first released, it was meant to be a power ballad about ponies putting aside their differences, and standing together for a common cause...a reminder that by standing together, we can do anything," he explained, looking back to the radio as the song continued on. "I must admit, while I don't listen to Sapphire Shores all that often, this song is one I really like."

Seek out the strength within,
No thoughts of giving in,
Go higher,
And higher...

Princess Luna nodded, seemingly to agree with Starfall. "We agree that this song is very moving and powerful," she mused. "It sends a powerful message, and sounds like it may have been inspired by the Elements of Harmony," she added.

The Princess' last comment gave Starfall pause, thinking about that connection. He, like almost every other pony alive, knew the legend of the Elements of Harmony. It was considered one of the defining legends of Equestria, with many ponies believing it was more than just a myth, that the six symbols of friendship and harmony actually existed, and contained a power that had been instrumental in keeping the peace in Equestria since the land's founding.

Starfall, however, was a little more sceptical about this. Maybe it was his cynical side coming out, but he had seen too much pain, suffering, and tragedy to believe there was some kind of powerful set of treasures that could use the bonds of friendship and trust to vanquish evil and disaster. If they did exist, Starfall knew of several moments he had witnessed where he could have really used their help.

But despite his cynicism about their existence, he could not deny the legend itself, and nodded in response to Luna's comment. "It does kinda sound that way, yeah..." he answered slowly, letting the Princess continue to focus on the song as it played through it's second rendition of the main chorus...

Find your guiding inspiration,
In a place where dreams are made,
With a lifetime's preparation,
There's no time to be afraid.
Put our differences behind us,
While we shine like the sun,
See what we've all become,
Together We Are One...

As the song moved off into a gentle interlude, Luna once more looked up to Starfall. "It seems music is something that has changed almost as much as it has remained familiar," she mused, though appeared to be looking to the young stallion for confirmation, Starfall grimacing as he was put on the spot once more. Why did he have to hate attention so much?

He managed to collect himself a moment later, though, nodding in confirmation. "The biggest changes to music I guess would be the new genres and instruments that have sprung up, and what styles have become popular over the generations," he explained, before reverting his attention back to the radio.

While Starfall was starting to get used to the nature of teaching Luna, and the fact that this put him on the spot on more than one occasion a night, as Luna looked to him for guidance on anything she did not properly understand on her own, the young pegasus was still trying to adjust his anti-social, more passive nature to the fact that he was essentially leading Luna through her study of modern society.

And while Starfall did not consider himself a leader in any sense of the word, he though he had done a fairly good job up until now. Music, however, was one topic he was not overly familiar with. He had his favourite genres and bands, like anypony else...but his understanding of the intricacies of music was very limited. Fortunately, though, it seemed that the Princess believed the underlying concepts of music had not changed in the thousand years she had missed...merely the instruments and genres that had grown and evolved. It turned what had started as an impossible sticking point, into a mere difficulty that Starfall had worked through the last couple of days to work around. In his last few lessons to the younger princess, Starfall was finding he was learning almost as much as Luna herself was.

Luna nodded. "This...electronic music we experienced at Pinkie Pie's party seems to be most popular at the present time," the Princess added, once more adding some new thoughts to the conversation. She did seem genuinely interested in how music had evolved over the years, though the heavy, thumping electronic music at the party seemed to have surprised her slightly.

Starfall nodded. "I'm not a huge fan of electronic or techno music, but most places trying to evoke a wild atmosphere like Pinkie's party will play music such as that...possibly because it's one of the best genres to allow all kinds of dancing to flow with it," he mused softly, before picking the conversation back up, speaking quietly as the song moved into a third rendition of the chorus, allowing Luna to focus on the song if she wanted. "Pop music, like this song, is also popular, and rock music's also a big one, particularly with stallions," he added. "But in the end, the music you enjoy will ultimately come down to personal taste, and I'm not the kind of pony that says they like something just because everypony else does."

Princess Luna looked at Starfall curiously at his last comment, raising her eyebrow at him. "What does thou imply in those words?" she asked, sounding rather curious...that more inquisitive side of her had started appearing with increased regularity lately, likely due to their lessons. Starfall was at least glad that the Princess seemed eager to learn about modern society, even if she obviously did not want to abandon her old ways.

Starfall paused, before trying to explain it further. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that many ponies today, especially younger ones, try to be the popular one, get all the attention from their friends and acquaintances...even strangers. Most of them, they'll do this by pretending to be something they're not, forcing themselves to like something they in all honesty don't enjoy." He paused, allowing that information to sink in for the Princess, before pushing on. "For some reason, I was never really like this. I guess I've never liked attention much, so I never really wanted the popularity, meaning I was happy just being who I really was." Despite Starfall's little tale, inside, the pegasus was hiding a grimace. He might like the pegasus he was now...but not necessarily all of it. He, like anypony else, had his share of regrets...things he wished he could change about himself, but was powerless to do so.

Princess Luna, for once, did not catch Starfall's unease, merely nodding slowly as she grasped what Starfall was telling her. She seemed to decide not to pursue the subject further, however, since her next question was back to the topic of the night...music. "We are curious to know, Starfall; thou hast mentioned thy distaste for electronic music. What music does our pupil enjoy?" she asked.

The question caught Starfall a little off-guard, pausing for a moment before gathering his thoughts to respond. "I...I guess I've never really given it too much thought," he finally admitted, before pausing, remembering his brief meetings with Octavia in Canterlot. "I guess I kinda like the big, emotive feeling a large orchestra when it plays, but I like my fair share of pop and rock music as well," he finally said, nodding back to the radio to indicate that he thought this song was alright.

The Princess seemed to digest that revelation for a while, before finally nodding in understanding. "Thou has...unique taste in music, from what we can tell of modern ponies," she commented idly, Starfall responding with a small chuckle and a smile, clearly agreeing with her, and not taking any offence over it, either.

Before he could actually say anything, though, the song on the radio finally came to an end, Starfall pausing as he turned his attention to the device to see what they were going to offer up next. "And once again the amazing Sapphire Shores delivers an amazing hit with her latest single, 'Together We Are One'!" the announcer back at the radio station cheered. "And now we move from new wonders to a known favourite of recent years with a hit from the heyday of Baltimare's favourite talent, the fantastic Meteor Storm!"

The mention of the successful and popular pop-rock band had Starfall freezing, for more than one reason, silently praying that the song he was thinking of was not about to start playing. He wanted to introduce the Princess to all kinds of music, but the song generally touted as one of Meteor Storm's best pieces was one that could turn this whole lesson on it's head, in all the wrong ways.

But sure enough, Starfall's prayers were all for nought as the song started playing, confirming his fears, as he tried to find some way of somehow spinning this in the lesson's favour...

You light...the skies,
Up above me.
A star...so bright...
You blind me, yeah...

Initially, Princess Luna actually seemed genuinely curious about this particular song, clearly drawn in by the obvious references to the stars and night sky. Starfall, for his part, simply let her indulge in her curiosity, and tried to keep out of her line of sight, so she wouldn't see how awkward this was making him.

The young pegasus could recall with crystal clarity the last time he had listened to this song...or at least part of it. Back in Canterlot, immediately after his argument with Luna over his crush on her, this song seeming to torment him at the time, describing his feelings for the Princess at the time with such clarity it was almost scary.

Don't close...your eyes,
Don't fade away, don't fade away,
Ohhhh!

But here, having had time to adjust to Luna's very direct and harsh rejection, it had gone from torturous to simply awkward. As much as he liked Meteor Storm, the pop-rock group being one of his favourite bands, and as much as he thought this song was a masterpiece, the timing in which the radio had decided to play it left him cringing.

If the Princess figured out what it was about this song that made him so uneasy, and took it the wrong way...he really did not want to go back into that territory again. Especially since he very much doubted Princess Celestia would be so forgiving of him a second time around, not after he had assured her his crush on Luna was dead, buried, and well in the past now.

Yeah, you and me,
We can ride on a star!
If you stay with me, girl,
We can Rule the World!

But as the song progressed on, Starfall started reassessing that assertion to himself. Had he really gotten over his crush on the Princess of the Night completely? Sure, he wasn't as jittery or shy around her any more, no longer behaving like some love-struck teenager every time the prettiest mare in town walked by, and he was certainly more than content with the simple friendship he had struck with the royal alicorn.

But at the same time, the core of his crush had not quite disappeared...he still thought Luna was the beautiful, smart, but awkward and stubborn pony she always had been. She still carried all the traits that had initially drawn him to her in the first place, both good and bad. And while he kept his thoughts about her as platonic as possible, determined to avoid ruining their friendship like he almost had last time, there was still a little part of him, hidden deep away, that still yearned for something more with the Princess.

He would never admit it to anypony but himself...and he would never, ever mention it aloud at all, or even let it out beyond the deepest, furtherest reaches of his heart, but Starfall was forced to at least admit to himself that his crush on Princess Luna, while now severely restrained, had not died completely...and at this stage, likely never would.

You you and me,
We can light up the sky,
If you stay by my side,
We Can Rule the World!

Luna, in the meantime, seemed to have become transfixed by the song. "This song makes many references to the night sky and the stars...but we are getting the feeling that it not the primary focus of this song," she commented, pausing in confusion as Starfall failed to respond on comment back. "Starfall? What does thy knowledge of this..." the Princess paused, having turned to face Starfall at long last, and finally noticed how uneasy he was, and unease that only intensified as the pegasus realised he was once more in the spotlight on a situation he would give almost anything not to be discussing with the younger Princess right now.

When Starfall still failed to respond, the Princess raised an eyebrow at him, clearly starting to get a little confused at his sudden shift in behaviour. To her, his sudden awkwardness was unexpected, and unexplained. "Starfall? Is our student well?" she asked, giving him a soft shake with a hoof to try and bring him to his senses.

If walls, break down,
I will comfort you,
If angels cry,
Oh, I'll be there,
For you...

Realising he needed to say something before this situation got any worse, Starfall quickly came to the realisation that trying to hide his problem with this song was not going to cut it...but the stallion was not above bending the truth slightly to avoid what could be their worst fight yet. "Sorry, Luna," he mumbled, his wings shifting against his sides as a sign of his awkward nerves. "I guess, I just...this song just makes me feel a little awkward, that's all," he explained softly, refusing to look the Princess in the eye, his gaze latched onto his hooves.

The Princess simply kept her perplexed gaze on him, clearly looking for a further explanation. When Starfall was not immediately forthcoming, she vocalised her desire. "And pray tell, Starfall, what makes thee so...uncomfortable...with this song?" she asked, a hint of impatience in her tone, but one she was clearly putting an effort into smothering, at least trying to be considerate of Starfall's feelings, something the young stallion appreciated, even if he knew he had to get a move on.

You saved, my soul,
Don't leave me now, don't leave me now,
Ohhhh!

Sighing, realising the song playing in the background was not helping his nerves, he moved past Luna and hurriedly shut the radio off, taking in a moment to let the silence settle his nerves before continuing his explanation. "You see, Luna, that song embodies a lot of what you are, and what is important to you; the stars, the night sky, that sort of thing," he started, the Princess nodding to show that she was following him. "But, at it's heart, Rule the World, as that song is called, is actually a love song. It actually used to be one of my favourite songs, at least until, well...I'm sure you remember..." he trailed off, still staring at his hooves.

As Princess Luna sat near the radio, seeming to take everything Starfall had said in, and probably re-analyse the lyrics of the song in her head, Starfall just hoped she would buy his partially-honest story, and focused on the incidents of the past, instead of the very real possibility that the song had him feel so awkward because his crush was trying to resurface...and the song was just reminding him of what a small, selfish part of the young pegasus wanted, even if he knew such a romance was impossible.

Finally, the Princess seemed to put the pieces together. "Oh..." she said softly, suddenly looking just as awkward as Starfall, which surprised the young student. He had expected her to get all suspicious and irritated...this quiet awkwardness was not what he had expected from her at all. "We think we understand the reason for thy unease, now..." she said, though her awkward tone was offset slightly by the faintly suspicious look she was sending him, making him swallow nervously as he tried to deflect the subject away from dangerous waters.

"I'm sorry this had to come up, Princess," he apologised, moving back to the radio to fiddle with the station to find a channel that stuck to music of a less dangerous style for the two of them. "I know we put that incident behind us a while ago, but I would have preferred it if it hadn't come back up like that," he added, trying to assure her there was nothing left for her to worry about without being too obvious about it, which he knew would only draw more suspicion.

For a few long, tense moments, the Princess was silent as Starfall waited on her response. Finally, after what felt like an age to the pegasus, she merely sighed. "Let us desist from speaking of this subject, shall we?" she requested, Starfall managing to contain his relief to a small sigh as he nodded, the Princess once more moving beside him to watch as he fiddled with the radio once more. "What other modern music did thou intend to show us tonight?" she asked, Starfall finally moving on with the lesson as he turned the radio back on, pushing aside his relief at getting through a potentially dangerous moment to continue with his teachings. He just hoped such incidents would not happen again...he doubted his nerves could really take much more.