ClopRock

ClopRock

Chapter 1: Empty Feeling

Screaming...

There was screaming everywhere. It was a wall of continuous noise. Screams of excitement. Yells of anticipation. Cheers of overwhelming joy, loud enough to shake your very bones. Powerful enough to rattle your eardrums. Everything vibrated to the waves of sound, the air itself alive and buzzing.

And then there were the lights; flooding your vision with all the colors of the spectrum. Some were dim, some were bright, some were blinking, some were flashing, but all were beautiful. It was a small galaxy coming to life, and at the center of it all was a large stage.

On the stage were five figures silhouetted against the harsh light. Three stood at the front; guitars strapped around their bodies. One was off to the side with a keyboard. The last one sat behind a large drum set. All of them were panting heavily, drenched with sweat. They all smiled, waving at the sea of eyes in front of them.

The sea waved back.

"This'll be our last one for the night! Thank you all for coming out!" cried one of the figures. The voice soared out over the heads of the crowd. "We love you all!"

The cheers grew even louder.

"Here we go! One... Two... Three... FOUR!!!"

*THUD*

"Oh... owww..."

"Melody? What was that? Are you alright?"

"Ughh... yeah Mom! I'm good!"

"Okay... well, get up already! Breakfast is ready!"

The cream-colored earth pony slowly got to her hooves, her head sore from the fall she'd just taken.

”It's gonna be one of those days, huh?”

While tossing around in her slumber, Melody Star had managed to roll herself right off her soft mattress, and land head first onto the hard, unforgiving wooden floor.

”I should really start laying out pillows before I go to sleep...” The pony sighed at the thought before trudging out of her bedroom and down the hallway to the bathroom.

”Well, that looks fabulous,” thought Melody as she caught sight of her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her blue hair was all disheveled from tossing and turning in her bed. The fall couldn't have helped either. ”The comb won't fix this. I need a shower.”

She stepped inside the shower stall, closing the foggy glass door with a swish of her tail. Still feeling a little lethargic, she accidentally turned the water temperature to freezing cold.

"AH!" she gasped, frantically turning the knob in the opposite direction. She overcompensated, however, and ended up drenching herself in liquid fire.

"AHHHHH!!!"

Downstairs, a unicorn pointed her muzzle toward the kitchen ceiling, and shook her head. Melody's screams were loud enough to be heard throughout the whole house.

"That filly..." she sighed. The unicorn placed a plate of freshly baked waffles on the round mahogany dining table in front of her husband.

"Perhaps you should go check on her?" he suggested from behind the Equestria Daily newspaper he was skimming through. Like his wife, he was a unicorn, and never hesitated to use his magic, even when it wasn't exactly necessary. His horn encased a coffee mug in a red aura, levitated it up to his mouth, and sampled the freshly imported brew.

"Hmm, nopony makes coffee quite like the Coltlombians."

"Oh yes. That just came in yesterday."

"Yes... Well, Midnight dear, do remember to order more. It is absolutely delicious. Or perchance it is just the skill of the chef?"

Midnight smirked. "Who knows?"

She trotted over to her husband who'd since set the newspaper aside. Looking deep into each others eyes, they locked lips in a loving kiss.

"I love you, Red Star."

Red Star was about to respond, but a loud *thud* interrupted him. In unison, the couple glanced up at the ceiling, and then turned back to each other.

"That'll be her slipping in the shower... Again..."

Red Star nodded. “Yes...”

Back upstairs, Melody was busy picking herself up from the tiled floor of the bathroom.

”Why must showers be so slippery?”

She stomped over to the towel rack, snatched up one of the fluffy ones, and furiously dried her damp coat and mane. That recent fall had left her with a bad taste in her mouth, or perhaps that was just her morning breath, but either way she scrubbed her blunt teeth with her pink toothbrush until they sparkled in the morning light. Next, Melody headed back to her bedroom to take care of her frizzy mane and tail. When she reached her bureau hutch, she examined her reflection more closely.

Staring back at her were a set of eyes with orange irises, her blue mane tickling the tips of her long lashes. She grabbed her comb to style it to her usual look. It was fairly easy as her hair was damp from the shower, and also because she didn't have to worry about a horn getting in the way. Unlike her parents, not to mention most of her family, Melody was an earth pony. Her father's side was especially known to breed unicorns with excellent magical abilities. The only traits that her father had passed on to her, however, were the light blue highlight that swept its way through her mane, and her bright orange eyes.

Somewhere deep in her heart, Melody had always thought that she might have cheated her parents out of the perfect unicorn foal they had been expecting. Of course, they would never admit to ever having such feelings, but the earth pony had grown up feeling as if she owed a great debt to them, and felt that she needed to prove her worth.

Melody smiled at her reflection as she finally managed to tame her bedhead. Satisfied with her hair, the pony set down the comb. She moved past her four-poster bed and over to her closet, which held an assortment of fancy dresses. Her father was quite a well-off unicorn, having earned a small fortune from writing numerous spellbooks for young unicorns who were just beginning to learn magic. Many professors revered his works, often inviting him over for dinner parties, thus Melody had to have pretty dresses on standby for such occasions.

It was at one of these parties, back in the early days of his career, that her father had met her mother, Midnight Quaver. At that time, she had been a violinist for a small quartet that played at salons and other formal gatherings. They fell in love, got married, and eleven months later, Melody came into their lives.

The cream-colored filly sifted through the jumble of clothes in the closet until she found her saddlebag. Inside the carrier was a violin case, as well as several pages of sheet music.

“Today's the day!”

Melody strapped on the saddlebag and cantered out of her room, trotting down the staircase and entering the kitchen. She nearly tripped in her haste, but luckily managed to avoid a hat trick in clumsiness.

"Morning Mom! Dad!" she mumbled as she slid into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Mel!" answered her father. He was just about to get started with his waffles when his daughter entered.

"It's about time you got up," added her mother. The unicorn floated over another plate onto the table. "Here, sit down and have some breakfast!"

"Can't! I'm probably late as it is!" replied Melody. She was running in place and kept glancing up toward the clock on the wall.

"Oh, I didn't know you had school today," her mother said. "I would've gotten you up earlier. Why are you going there anyway? Isn't school closed today?"

"Yeah, but the final audition for the violin soloist is today," Melody explained. "It's between me and Alto. Madame Allegra wanted one final playthrough of the piece before she decided who would play at the coronation."

Midnight goggled at her daughter. "Really? I hadn't realized you'd progressed so far in your playing already. That's amazing, Melody!"

"Thanks, Mom!" said Melody. She blushed slightly. Her mother was the one pony she really wanted to impress. Midnight was the main reason the filly had taken up the violin, even though she didn’t feel like it was her true talent.

"Break a leg!" her father said with a reassuring smile. He knew that his daughter had it in her, even with all of her klutziness. Looking now at the orange star with the double-quaver note on her flank, Red Star felt immense pride for his daughter. "I know you'll do great!"

"Dad..." Melody began. She smiled at both of her parents, until her eyes shifted back up to the clock. "Look, I really have to go now. I'll see you later!" she exclaimed as she made her way down the hall to the front door.

"Wait!"

Melody stopped at the door and looked back. Her mother’s horn was glowing, and a violin bow floated beside her.

"Take this," said Midnight. She levitated the bow into her daughter's saddlebag. "I used it at my first audition. I want you to have it."

"Mom..."

Midnight Quaver walked over and gave her daughter a big hug.

"I know. I love you too."

Melody beamed at her mother.

"Now get going! You said you were late, right?"

Melody nodded and headed out the door, but not before sharing one last hug.

"See ya!"

The streets of Canterlot were already alive and buzzing, with ponies of all sorts going about their daily business. Melody had to weave in and out of the hustle and bustle of equines trotting along the cobblestone street. Large homes and businesses lined the road; some had colorful awnings, some had large signs hanging over the sidewalk, but all seemed to be larger-than-life. Most buildings in this wealthier section of the city were ornate and well-decorated. This area also represented the most dense population of unicorns anywhere in Equestria.

As Melody made her way down the blocks towards her school, the large castle towering over all of Canterlot grew taller and taller. The sight was almost dizzying to behold.

”I can't believe I'll be performing there tomorrow!” she thought. Melody was so enthralled with the castle that she almost galloped right by the school. ”No!” She caught herself. “I can't be any more late! Worry about the castle tomorrow, when it actually matters!”

The earth pony walked up to the school's front entrance. The sign that hung above the impressive oak doors read: "Madame Allegra's Institute for the Musically Gifted." Melody tested the door handle to see whether they had decided to lock her out for being so late. They hadn't. Not yet, at least.

Opening the doors, Melody found herself in the main lobby of the school. Nopony was here today besides Madame Allegra and the finalists for the violin solo. She made her way down one of the numerous hallways. Many doors leading into different classrooms lined the corridor. The walls were adorned with paintings of many famous classical musicians and composers, such as Tchaiclopsky, Beethoofen, and Gershwing. All of them had a stern gaze, and looked rather unfriendly to her.

”Weird... They made such beautiful music, but they all have such mean faces! Is it like some kind of unwritten rule?” she wondered. ”Even Gershwing! I really love his 'Rhapsody in Hoof' too...”

Melody's wondering came to halt as she reach the door to the auditorium where the orchestra practiced. On the door was a piece of parchment with elegant script that read: "Violin Soloist: Final Auditions." Madame Allegra had decided to have the finalists perform in the auditorium, where the acoustics were similar to those in the castle.

Peering in through the small window on the door, Melody could make out the figures of Madame Allegra and Alto standing alone on the stage.

“Okay!” she whispered to herself, “No more stalling! Just go in there and give it your all!”

Slowly, Melody pushed open the door, and entered the auditorium.

"Ah! At last, we may start wit zee music!" announced Madame Allegra when she saw Melody come in. "Mademoiselle Star, in ze future we would be most, how do you say, gracious, if you arrived on time, no?"

"I'm sorry, Madame Allegra," Melody stammered as she came up onto the stage. "It won't happen again."

"I should 'ope not. Now, on to zee music!" proclaimed the music instructor. She even thrust a hoof in the air for dramatic effect. "Now... Ah, oui! Mademoiselle Star! Since you were 'ere last, why don't you play first?"

"Yes Madame!"

Melody took off her saddlebag and pulled out her violin from its case. Instead of taking out the bow in the case, however, she decided to use the bow her mother gave her.

"You may begin whenever," stated Madame Allegra.

Her student nodded, took a deep breath, and stood up on her hind legs while cradling the violin against her cheek. She lifting the bow in her hoof and rested it on the strings for a moment, then began to play.

The piece was a violin concerto with many technically difficult parts, especially for a pony only using her hooves. It started slow, then gained speed as it progressed through the successive movements. Melody had to imagine the orchestra responding and resonating with her playing, as none were available for her audition. Madame Allegra played a simple accompaniment on the piano, but the true beauty of the piece came from the heart of the violinist. As the piece got into its stride, Melody did so as well. She confidently swept through difficult arpeggios, adding vibrato to let the notes ring out across the stage. Unlike many first time soloists, she did not rush through the parts, but instead lingered for as long as she dared even on the most subtle phrases. Everything flowed beautifully. Her posture was perfect, as was her phrasing. The music would have stunned anypony, and yet...

”Why do I feel so empty?”

Several hours later, Melody opened the front door to her house. She could hear her parents in the kitchen, almost like they hadn't moved from the room since breakfast. Of course, it made sense that they were in there now, as it was almost supper time.

"Melody? Is that you?" her mother's voice called.

"Yeah, I'm home..." answered Melody. She walked into the kitchen to find her father sitting at the table in the same position he had been in that morning. Her mother was busying herself with setting the table. "Don't bother putting out a plate for me. I got something on the way home."

"You were out awfully late..." began Red Star. The comment was merely the bait, and it was up to Melody whether she'd take it.

She turned to her father and smiled. "Madame Allegra appointed me as concertmaster.”

"Oh, honey! That's fantastic!" exclaimed Midnight. She dropped the dishes on the table and pulled her daughter into a hug. "You'll be right up front! We'll be able to see you even after you finish your solo!"

"Yeah..."

"Way to go, Mel!" her father chimed in.

Midnight beamed at her daughter. "So what will you be playing? What's the piece?" asked the unicorn in her excitement. She was nearly suffocating Melody in her embrace.

"It's a Tchaiclopsky piece... a violin concerto..."

Midnight's eyes widened, and she released her grasp on her daughter. She looked deep into Melody's eyes, which seemed to have glazed over.

"Oh."

"I think I'm just going to go to bed now,” Melody said. “Gotta rest up for the coronation performance tomorrow, y'know? Don't want to have a repeat of this morning!" She laughed, but it was a false chuckle, almost mechanical. She turned away, and slowly headed up to her bedroom. Midnight simply stood still and watched her go.

"What's wrong?" questioned Red Star after registering the change in atmosphere. "Isn't concertmaster an amazing part? They're the lead violinists who do all the solos, right?"

"Normally yes, but..." started Midnight.

"But?"

"But in violin concertos, the orchestra will bring on a separate soloist..."

"Oh..." whispered Red Star, finally understanding.

The two unicorns began eating with only the clinks of silverware against the plates interrupting the silence.

Upstairs, Melody entered her room, not even bothering to turn on the light. She collapsed into her four-poster with a sigh.

”I feel empty inside...”