This is an AU, original story takes place in an anthro Rule63 version of Equestria and MLP. It features gender-bent version (for the most part) of main MLP characters and my original characters.

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Once the camps were ready, the Rom dispersed to the Midway to set up their booths. De Writer set up her jewellery booth, with help from Gust. Gust set up his busking stool and collection basket just to the left of her booth. Next to his busking station, Black Lily set up her dancing square, so that she could dance to his ocarina music. To the right of De Poet's booth, Dusk set up his blacksmith booth and forge. Star Shimmer set up her station next to Dusk's forge. She would perform “magic” tricks, and illusions, . Blaze and Night, while they were incognito as simple bakers, had their snack bar next to Shimmer's act. They would sell different Rom pastries made from Ka'chek flour .

Gust took a few practice puffs on his ocarina to warm up. He then launched into a song that he remembered from his young kitten-hood that his other mother, Sheena used to sing to him (A/N:Zelda's Lullaby).

As he played, a small audience started forming. First it was the young ponies, Rom, zebras and even diamond dogs. Then the older children showed up. Lastly, as the song ended, the adults showed up. His song was music to their ears, while the sound of falling coin into his basket was music to his.

He stood up and bowed as the group applauded and the Rom trilled. He put his flute away as he gathered the wayward coin that had either missed his basket, or had bounced out.

“That's a beautiful flute.” He heard a voice say to his back. “And a lovely song, is it an original piece?”

Gust stood up and turned around to speak to the owner of the voice. He was dumbstruck when he saw who it was.

Knight Captain Gleaming Shield, and two pony escorts, two knights dressed in the Purple Royal Armour, bearing Eventide's Cutie-mark, stood in front of him.

He quickly bowed to her.

“T-thank you, Knight Captain.” Gust said nervously. “My... my instrument is called actually an Ocarina. But, um, no... the song I played was a song... my mother used to sing to me.”

“There is no need to bow to me.” Gleaming said kindly. Gust righted himself as she smiled sweetly at him. “Please, Good sir, tell me your name?”

“I'm Gust of the Rom.” He answered, trying to hide his blush.

“Ah. Yes.” She nodded. “The first Free Knight of Equestria.” At his confused look, she pointed to the pin on his shirt. “A pleasure to meet you.”

Gust smiled. “A pleasure to meet you as well, Knight Captain. If I may ask, why are you here among the common folk?”

“I am simply enjoying my Brother's Kingdoms fair.” She smiled. “The reason I am here, with you, Sir Gust, is that I have never heard ocarina music before. You play very sweetly.”

“Thank you. Again.” The catter nodded.

“I also wish to know, are you to enter the Contest tomorrow?” She asked.

“I... yes.” He admitted honestly.

Gleaming giggled. “Excellent.” She removed the ring from her ring finger on her right hand. “Prithee, take this ring as a favor. I pray it brings you luck.”

Gust held out his right hand, palm up. Gleaming  placed her ring, bearing the Royal Crest into it.

“I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.” She smiled. She then nodded at him, and continued her way down the midway.

Lily walked up to her dumbstruck brother and giggled. “Do you know the meaning of her giving you that ring, Gust?”

Gust shook his head to snap himself back to reality. “Huh? Uh... no?”

“It's called a Lady's favour.” Lily explained. “Essentially, The Knight Captain expects to get that ring back. She wishes to see you face to face again.”

Gust put the ring on his ring finger on his right hand. “Oh...”

Black Lily smiled as she shook her head. “Could you play the Green Vines, please? I wish to start my act.”

The catter sat on his stool and started to play his sister's request.

Some time later, and after several songs, He decided to take a break. He collected his coins as Black Lily did the same.

After putting his coins into his waist pouch, he walked over to his mother's booth to get some advice. He walked behind the counter to help her with the customers.

De Poet smiled as her son joined her. “I saw and heard everything. You're very lucky to get a favour from Gleaming.”

“Right...” Gust said as he collected coins from a small female goat, as De Poet handed her a set of horn clips.

“I want to ask you something, Mama... and I want you to be as honest. As you always are.” He said. “Am I being foolish in pursuing Gleaming? Do you think... she'll ever marry me? Live with me on the road?” He sighed deeply. “She's a... Princess and I'm a Pauper... just like the book you read to me.”

De Poet put a closed sign on her counter, and lead her son into the tent that she kept behind her booth.

“Have a seat, Kitten.” She said as she pointed to a padded stool. He sat down, as She sat on another stool opposite of him. “I don't think you're foolish. She's a beautiful mare, and you have as much right to pursue her as anyone else does.” She smiled at him. “As for her, potentially, marrying you? I can't answer that.” She took his right hand in her left hand. “However, this is no small, or meaningless, gesture. She might like you more than you know.”

Gust blushed. “Mama...”

She moved and kissed his forehead. “Trust your feelings, trust your instincts, and be confident.” She winked. “No doubts, okay?”

Gust nodded. “Thanks, Mama.”

“Now, go back to playing. We are at a fair after all.” She said as she stood up. She patted his back out of her tent.

As the rest of the day went by, Gust played, and Lily danced. In between dances, Gust would simply play to the gathered crowd, playing either Rom songs, or songs requested by the listeners. They seemed to be impressed with ability to play any song they called out, going by the coins landing in his basket.

Soon, however, night had fallen, and the fair closed for the day. Gust folded up his chair, and placed it behind his mother’s stand. He then gathered up his coins and placed them into his overflowing belt pouch. His sister, Lily, did the same.

“We’ll need a larger basket and, perhaps, a lockbox, if we keep earning this much coin…” She pointed out. “I wonder why our acts are so popular this year?”

“I’ve never taken requests before.” The catter said with a shrug. “While our Rom music is unique, I expect the locals prefer to hear their own music too.”

“A fair, and excellently observed, point.” Lily said.

“Hey.” A brutish voice suddenly called out.

Gust and Lily looked up at a tall, seemingly inebriated, bull. He was two heads taller than Gust was, and a head taller than Lily.

“Yes, Sir?” Gust asked kindly.

“You that flutist taking my business away from me.” He grunted, gesturing wildly to Gust’s ocarina.

“It’s not a flute, Sir.” Gust explained. “It’s actually called…”

“Don’t care.” He grunted. “I’m a real flutist. Been playing for 20 years. Ain’t no way a youngin’ like you can play better than me.”

“Well, Sir…” Lily said sweetly. “He has travelled the world, and learned from the best players in Equestria.”

“Bah!” He harrumphed. “It’s a trick!” He moved suddenly, and snatched Gust’s ocarina from his hands, while shoving the catter to the ground.

“Give that back!” Lily demanded angrily. “You have no right treating my brother in such a manner!”

“Silly little flute.” He grunted. “What’s it made of? Cheap wood?” He squeezed it and shattered it into splinters.

“No!” Gust gasped as the bull dropped the pieces to the ground. “My… my ocarina…”  

The bull was suddenly on the ground on his chest, with two royal knights, dressed in Celestial’s Royal armor, pinning him there. They quickly had irons on his wrists, which were behind his back, and ankles.

“How dare you assault that young man!” Celestial himself, no longer incognito and dressed in his royal suit, demanded as he stood in front of Gust facing the Bull.

De Poet ran quickly to Gust’s side and picked him up. She hugged him sideways as his lower lip quivered, looking at the broken pieces in his hands. Shimmer and Dusk joined quickly after.

“He is a Free Knight of Equestria, and therefor under Our personal protection. As such, an attack directed at a Knight shall be treated as an attack on the crown itself.” Celestial continued as his guards picked the bull up. “Therefore, your charges are thus: you have assaulted a free citizen of our realm. Destroyed his personal property. Injured his income. Assaulted a Free Knight of Equestria. Public intoxication. And drunk and disorderly conduct at a fair. There will be no Trial. You are sentenced to a life of hard labor on the Royal roads. There will be no chance of parole.” He nodded to his knights. “Take him away.”

As his knights lead the drunken bull away, He then turned to Gust. “Sir Gust? Are you injured? Physically?”

He sadly shook his head no, slowly. “N-no…”

De Poet took the pieces from his hand and examined them. “I’m afraid that your ocarina can’t be fixed, Kitten.”

Gust nodded sadly. “I’ll… I’ll buy a…” he fell silent as tears welled in his eyes. He had had it since he was six. He couldn’t believe that it was gone.

“You needn’t worry about a new ocarina, Sir Gust.” Celestial said confidently. “As part of being a Free Knight, you are entitled to a Royal benefice. Since that instrument is your livelihood, We shall replace it for you.” He smiled and placed a consoling hand on his shoulder, and whispered to him “Chin up, okay?”

Gust managed a half smile. “Thank… you, Your Highness…”

De Poet led her son back to camp. The mare sat him down on a log bench as she, Dusk, and Lily made dinner.

Shimmer, knowing Gust the best out of all the Rom, sat next to him on the log. She didn’t say anything, just simply took his right hand in her left hand and held it. She knew that he that he was a sweet, sensitive… individual, and words wouldn’t make him feel better. All she had to do, or anyone had to do, was to be there for him, and let him work things out for himself.

After 10 minutes of silence (aside from the bustling of dinner being made) and hand holding, Gust sighed and whispered “Thanks, Star…”

Shimmer smiled and nudged his shoulder with hers. He was the only one who called her that.

“Any time, Runt…” She said. That was her nickname for him. He was the shortest horse (all Rom were Horses) in their band, after all.

De Poet handed them a platter with a foot long burrito stuffed with beef and all the fixings. “Here, Kitten.” She said with a motherly smile. “Your favorite.”

Gust and Shimmer took the platters from De Poet and started eating as the others joined them. Lily and De Poet’s burritos didn’t have meat, obviously.

Blaze and Night joined the fire about an hour later, just in time for dessert. They had brought boxes of their leftover pastries from their booth for the day, saving of course, the leftover powdered donuts for Gust, as they were his favorite.

As Gust was busy with getting icing sugar over his muzzle, a thought popped into his head.

“Um, why were you guys so late coming to camp?” He asked Night and Blaze, after swallowing his third donut. “You’re usually here for dinner.”

“We wished to dine with Eventide and Gleaming tonight, Gust.” Blaze said with a kind smile. “Usually when we dine with them, it’s for a large dinner party.”
At the mention of Gleaming’s name, Gust’s heart skipped a beat. “O-oh…”

Moon and Blaze shared a chuckle and a glance.

“Gleaming and Eventide heard about what happened, as they often do when something of that nature occurs in Ponyville.” Night said. “They both wish to extend their sincere apologies. Prince Eventide  wanted to assure you that his subjects respect the Rom, and that bull is not representative of them.”

Gust nodded. “You can tell the Prince that I thank him for those kind words, and I don’t blame him, or anyone else, for what happened.”

“Also…” Blaze pulled out a highly polished oak box, about 6 inches by 12 inches. He opened it, and revealed a similarly polished, brand new, ocarina sitting on a bed of soft blue silk. It was black stained oak, with a gold band painted on the mouthpiece.

Gust gasped as his eyes went wide. “…for me…?”

Night nodded happily. “We said we would replace your instrument.”

With shaky hands, after wiping them with a cloth, Gust picked the ocarina up from the box and held it gently. “I…” he shook his head in disbelief “It’s mine? Truly?”

De Poet giggled and stroked Gust’s hair. “Yes, Kitten. It really is yours.”

“Thank you.” He said. “It’s… perfect. Where did you get it?”

Night nodded at De Poet. “An ancient Rom, nearly as old as your mother, named Nore, made all the instruments that Rom played when they were freed, and still play to this day. That ocarina was the second piece she ever made.”

Shimmer looked at the instrument, and then at Night. “How did you get it?”

“Sadly, when the Rom came to Equestria, we had naught but the belongings on our backs.” De Poet explained. “As our songs explain.” The others nodded. “Well, in order get money and food, we Rom did a lot of trading. Dear Nore sold a lot of his creations to do so.”

“I came upon that Ocarina many years ago.” Blaze said simply. “I recognized it immediately, and paid a kings ransom for it.” He smiled. “All of Nore’s instruments that he had to sell, it is safe to say, are now back among the Rom.”

“Are you going to play it, Gust?” Dusk asked gently.

“I…” the catter blinked. He brought the ocarina up to his mouth, and played three notes, three times. It sang beautifully. More sweetly, he admitted to himself, than his old one.

“It’s perfect…” He said. “Thank you.” He smiled. “I’ll play more tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is the Knight’s tournament.” Lily reminded him. “The first rounds. Remember?”

“Oh. Right.” Gust blushed as he remembered. “Okay… let me think.” He thought for a second, and started played a song he heard today from the local pastry chef, Berry Pie, called “Smile, Smile, Smile”.

By the end of the song, the other Rom bands had come over to hear him play, and of course, dance. As he finished playing, they trilled happily.

Gust smiled happily.

“Come, my Rom.” De Poet said, as the crowd disappeared back to their camps. “We have a big day tomorrow.” She booped Gust on his nose. “Some more than others.”

The gathered Rom climbed into the canvas hammocks that were hanging between the caravans. Gust, feeling extremely nervous, due to the contest tomorrow, and seeing Gleaming again, waited for his mother to climb into hers. He then, ever so cutely, chirruped at her, asking permission to sleep with her.

De Poet smiled at her kitten, and patted the cot next to her.

He smiled and climbed in, purring softly as he snuggled next to her. She sighed happily and hugged him gently. Even though he was 21, he was still her kitten, and, she wouldn’t give that up for all the gold in Equestria.