My First Duet: Chapter Three
(Song Without Words Mendelssohn Op. 109)
I felt the strings vibrate under my hooves. It was the same rhythmic hum that I remembered as a filly when I first discovered music. Things haven't changed much since: the love for my cello, the love for my music, and especially the love for solos.
My tempo, intonation, and musicality are just perfect. I played my heart out in that solo and I enjoyed every single note. Ponies around me stopped dancing to watch in awe for the finale. After the cadenza, the final note was played and the whole room was completely silent. Then the applause came. It was like a stampede, hooves clacking loudly against the old wooden boards.
I saw Sapphire in the crowd. "That's my Octavia," she said to everypony, "so magnificent!"
I took a slow bow to the crowd, all of them cheering for an encore. I could see smiles on their faces that the music has brought them, and it made me grin.
Then I heard a sweet melody playing from somewhere in the room. Everypony must have heard it too, as they began to hush down. Where was this beautiful music coming from? I looked wildly around the small room for anypony with an instrument. The melody was played, no doubt, by a violin. It was sweet and mellow, and the beauty of the harmonious sounds almost made me break into tears.
There he was! I looked up to the glass ceiling and saw the silver lining of a pony's silhouette shining brightly against the full moon. In one of his hooves was a violin, the other a bow. It only took me another second to realize that the mysterious musician was in fact the same white coated stallion from the crowds. He was a musician and an amazing one too!
I was overcome with some strange emotion from deep within. I wanted, desired, to find out who this stallion was. I've never felt something this strong; it made my heart beat rapidly. The emotion was an unbearable urgency, and I could no longer wait silently. I raised my bow once more, this time hoof shaking in anxiety. I played along with him, matching his tone and supporting his musical clauses. Together, we produced music greater than either of us could create individually. This was my first duet. We conversed in the same language without words. We both understood each other's deepest wishes and desires through music.
We finished our last notes and the audience clopped against the floor, louder than before. Some of them were bawling on the floor, overcome by the musical miracle that they had just witnessed. I looked again at the sky and managed to see a glimpse of the mysterious violinist make his escape.
"No! Wait!" I thought to myself. I had so much to ask him, so much to learn from him, and never before in my life so much love for another pony. I put down my cello and ran outside to follow him. I saw him run outside the building and through the grey streets. There he was; leaping from rooftop to rooftop.
"Wait!" I yelled. He didn't stop, so I hopelessly chased after him. He turned one corner, then to another. I traveled blindly through the labyrinthine grey city, barely able to keep up with his shadow. I was aware of the near impossibility of the situation, that I would be able to discover the identity of my one true love. My body wouldn't stop chasing after him, and love kept me strong. But after pursuing him for an eternity, the only trace of him remained in my imagination. The world was silent around me. I could no longer hear the sound of his hooves, or the sound of his tail swooshing.
It was then when I reality returned. I had wandered deep into the black ghettos. I was afraid of the things I thought I saw lurking in the shadows, even if nothing was there in reality. The moonlight didn't shine here. The facade of every building was darker than the night. There were no streets, but instead a trodden dirt path. I should get back to the Ball; there was nopony in sight.
"Hey, little filly."
My heart skipped a beat. I turned around to look for who had said that. Behind me emerged a short, fat, stallion from the shadows dressed in rags. I was about to scream, but he shoved his hoof into my mouth.
"Oh, you're not going to make a single noise." He said, waving the blade of a knife in front of my face. He pushed me into an alley and threw me onto the mud. "You seem to be new around here." He ripped off my dress. "Let me show you around."
I was shaking violently in fear. Oh Celestia, please, no… don't!
I could only see the outline of his jagged teeth as he looked down at me between his forelegs. "We're going to have lots of fun tonight." The only thing that was clear that night was his intentions. He started to rub my neck with his dirty hoof and slowly moved his way down to my stomach.
The very thought of somepony treating my body like this was revolting. I closed my eyes and braced myself for what he was going to do next. But nothing happened. I opened my eyes and saw that somepony had tossed him off of me.
"She's mine! I got her first!" The stallion yelled, charging at my savior with the dagger.
Whoever this pony was, he skillfully dodged each swing. His movements were like a dance, moving in perfect tempo and not missing a single step. He raised his hoof and struck the fat stallion on his shoulder. I knew by the loud crack that a forearm had been shattered.
"Aghhh," the fat pony screamed out in pain. He limped away on his other legs, swearing loudly. "Ponyfeathers! I'll get you good!"
The sounds of his gait faded away, and the world became silent again. The pony walked towards me, and I was unsure of how to react. The clouds drifted away from the moon and light slowly began to illuminate his face. My eyes grew wide when I saw the mask on his face - it was him! It was the stallion I've been chasing for. His pure white coat shone brightly, almost magically, in the moonlight. His cutie mark, a blue treble clef, matched mine.
"Are you hurt?" He said, reaching out a hoof.
I grabbed his hoof and responded, "No, I'm fine." I was far too mystified by this pony to brush the dirt off of myself.
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have run away here…"
"No, I shouldn't have followed you. It wasn't right of me to do that."
He looked down at the ground, pawing at the dirt shyly.
I had to ask him now, or I would never get this chance again. "Who are you?"
"I'm just a musician at heart."
I took a step closer and stared into his eyes behind the mask. Our faces were barely touching. I slowly reached up to his face and touched his mask. I asked him. "May I?"
He stood tall and nodded.
I pulled off his mask and saw his face. No words could describe the feelings I felt then. Handsome wasn't simply enough to describe him. I could see in his kind eyes that he was a genuine and true pony. They were bright gold in color and pure like his heart. I blushed a little when I noticed that our hooves were touching. The warmth from his body kept spread throughout my body, and my body became warmer as our lips came closer to each other.
I didn't know what to do, but me being myself had to ask: "May I?"
"We can't deny our hearts' desires."
He pressed his lips on mine passionately. Who was this stranger, who I didn't know at all? And what was this love? We just stood there embracing each other under the bright moonlight. I leaned inwards to his warmth, away from the cold world. It wasn't silent anymore, no, there was music playing in my head. I never knew what love could be, and I could never understand the magic of music that all those old composers tried to express on paper. Love and music was now the same thing. This epiphany, the realization of the truth, struck me like a lightning bolt.
I could hear somepony shouting off in the distance. "Octavia! Octavia, where are you?" I immediately recognized Sapphire's voice.
"It sounds like somepony is looking for you." He took a step away.
I didn't want this moment to end. "Please, don't leave. Stay with me."
"I can't," he said, looking sad, "it won't be safe for either of us if I do."
"Octavia!" The yelling grew louder.
I ignored Sapphire, and continued to speak to the pony, "But, what's your name?"
"Oberon. My name is Oberon." He grabbed his saddle, which must have contained his violin, and he climbed up a flight of stairs onto a roof.
I had so many questions, but none of them would be answered. "Wait!" I called out to him. I clumsily followed after him. I could see him about two roofs away, looking back at me. "Will I ever see you again?"
He was quiet for a moment, but then answered me. "Nothing can separate us. Just listen for the music, and we shall find each other again." He leaped away into the dark horizon. Then he was gone.
"Octavia, there you are!"
"Sapphire!" I tried to act excited.
She ran up to me and hugged me, "Dear, my dear! You had me so worried! Look at you, you're all dirty… and what happened to your dress? This is a crime against fashion, my dear! We should get away from this place right away; it is no place for a pony of our statuses to be! No, no, good heavens what other ponies would think of us if we were caught lounging around in this place!"
I didn't want to hear anymore of her discursive babbles. Instead, I stared off into the distance hoping to catch just one more glimpse of that mysterious stallion.
We walked down and back into the street. On the floor was Oberon's discarded mask. I quickly snatched it without Sapphire noticing and held hidden close to my heart.
The next day
I feverishly tried to lay out the details of last night in my head. No matter how hard I tried to piece together the fragments of memories the whole picture would fall apart. All I could remember for sure was to listen to the music.
"Dear?" Sapphire said, as she peeked into my room. "Are you alright? You've been in your room all morning."
I looked at the clock. It was already five in the afternoon. "I'm fine, Sapphire."
She stepped into the room. "If you need anypony to talk to about last night, I'm always here for you."
"It's okay Sapphire."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." I was a bit annoyed, I just wanted to be alone right now.
"Would some shopping get your mind off things?"
"Yea. Sure, it might." I didn't know what to think. All I wanted now was to find that stallion again, and his mysterious clue was all I could think about. How could music bring me back to him. What music did he mean? The more I thought about music, the more depressed I became. I was making absolutely no progress in my search for him. I began to doubt that I would be able to find him ever again.
I was occupied in these thoughts and could not escape them. Everything around me didn't matter anymore. The details of the great blue tower no longer interested me. Neither did the picturesque scenery of the gardens. I sighed. Our carriage was ready and we both rode into the great city.
I looked out the window of the carriage glumly. The sun was setting, and the skies were slowly changing from blue to red. We came to a stop in front of the same market from yesterday. Everything and everypony here seemed to be the same from before; they walked the same, they talked the same, and they haven't changed at all. But something was different. The world around me seemed to be darker and move slower. Was it me who changed?
"Sapphire," I said, tapping her shoulder, "I'm going to look around by myself for a bit."
She looked at me seriously. "Be careful. And if anything happens, just call out for me."
"Sure."
I wandered away, browsing the trinkets in one tent. Jewels didn't interest me. I moved down further to the bakery. The ponies behind the stalls shouted their wares - loaves of all different kinds of breads. I smelled delicious hay fries, my favorite, but even they couldn't break my depression.
I wandered away from market and into the streets. I didn't know where I was going, or if I would go anywhere at all. I wandered the streets, making random turns every so often.
That was when I heard the sound of a violin. It was soft and distant, but I was sure that it was a violin. I followed the sound of the music to the other side of the town. I galloped towards the music as fast as I could, and the unpainted grey buildings were replaced with red. I stopped in my tracks immediately. This was the red ponies' territory, and Sapphire made sure I knew not to ever enter this place. The sound of the violin still played and I knew that he was near.
"I'm sorry, Sapphire." I whispered to myself and as if she could hear me. I ran even more quickly. The light red buildings became a crimson blur as I raced through the streets. I knew now that the music could only be emanating from one place: the red tower. I didn't care about Sapphire's warning anymore. As the sounds became well defined, I knew that it was him who was playing the violin.
I was stopped by the red bars that encircled the tower. Beyond the gates was a garden, like the blue tower's, where trees and wildlife grew freely in the open. In the distance, I could see a stallion upon a stand holding a violin. It was him! It was Oberon! But, why was he here? Who was this pony? In front of his was an audience of ponies, about twenty. I followed the gates and moved to a closer position where I could see him clearer. He looked the same as from last night: graceful head held up high, shiny flowing mane rolling down from his head, and smiling cheerfully as he played. He finished the piece and bowed his head to the applauding crowd.
A large pony, dressed in a blood red suit, stepped up to the stand. "What a wonderful performance by our very own Oberon!" He waved his hoof over to Oberon. "And a wonderful way to end our evening." He paused for a moment. "Before we leave to our rooms, let's applaud the young prince once more!"
Prince? He's a prince? My mouth was agape in astonishment.
When Oberon left the stage, a crowd of mares circled around him, cheering and begging to him.
"Marry me now!"
"He's my prince!"
"No! He's mine!"
All of those mares irritated me. Was this jealousy? Of course it was! I loved him, but did he love me? I watched hopelessly as the mares chattered around him, flirting.
"Now, now, fillies," said the pony in the red suit, "the prince needs his space." He shooed away the mares, who then ran into the building, giggling away.
"Thank you, father." Oberon said to the stallion.
So, that was his father! That must mean that the stallion was the king of the red ponies. Or, at least that's what I thought it meant.
"May I have a moment alone, father?"
"Of course, son." He turned around to the crowd. "Let's all return home, everypony!" All the ponies followed Oberon's father into the building.
I stared at Oberon, standing alone with his violin in the field. He looked left, then right, searching for somepony. Then he looked directly at me. Without delay, he ran towards me and pressed his hooves against the gate that separated us.
"I told you that music would bring us together." He said, smiling.
"But, how did you know that I would find you?"
"I didn't. But I would have played every single day out here, just for you."
My face grew red. Somepony, playing just for me?
"I hope you understand," he said, "why I couldn't stay longer last night. The blues and reds would have looked down on both of us if we were seen together."
"I understand." Unfortunately, I really did understand.
He looked down. "It's a burden that I was born to carry."
I reached through the bars and touched his hoof. "Oberon. D-do you love me?" It took all my courage to ask him that.
My heart leapt when he smiled. "Of course, I do, for ever and ever and ever and ever."
"Four evers?"
"Forever."
I chuckled at his pun. My heart was at ease, seeing him again and knowing that he loved me too.
"It's getting late."
I looked up to the sky, which was now starting to turn black. The moon glowed faintly in the cloudless sky. The crickets began to sing their night songs and the wind died down to a calm breeze. A loud thud sounded near me. Oberon had climbed over the fence and landed to my side.
"A gentleman always makes sure his lady is safe." He cuddled my mane with his snout. It was the first time anypony had done that; in fact, he was my first for many things. He shared my first love, my first kiss, and my first duet. I never knew that the kindness of strangers could be this wonderful.
We walked together back to the blue tower, enjoying each other's presence and deeply in love.
Author's Note: Hello everypony! Thanks for taking time to read this chapter. As you can probably tell from the chapter titles, this story is divided into acts and scenes. There are three scenes in an act, and so, the first act is done. I'm not sure if I will continue on this story for the time being, because of unpopularity. I will continue this in the future, but for now I will begin working on a mystery/horror fic. If you have any questions or comments, please leave one in the reviews or on my blog. Thanks!
