Canterlot; A city many ponies refer to as the “heart” of Equestria. A metropolis surrounded by culture, magic and art…especially art.
The same city that witnessed the humble origins of what it is know now a days as ‘The Symphonic Orchestra of Canterlot’, the most important and prestigious of all Equestria, it’s also the scene where many stories take place; stories like the one you are about to read.
The huge building that worked as school, conservatory and auditorium was the place where talented music-lover ponies went to study, whether it was to try to earn a place on the main orchestra, to improve their skills and become independent musicians or to continue their teacher’s path and become teachers too. Regardless of the reason, their love for music was what they all had in common.
The main auditorium (A two floor building with the main stage on the upper floor and several smaller sound-proof rooms built so the students could practice whenever needed) was separated from the main building by a few blocks; almost every time it filled the streets with the beautiful melodies that came out from it.
However, in this case, only one of the rooms was being used by a small group of ponies, a quartet, who were putting away their instruments to call it a day and were about to leave.
‘Great job, everypony! I really think we are making progress!’ – Exclaimed Beauty Brass to the ponies in front of her.
‘I agree. But I believe we could progress even more if we could play Concerto’s solo part while we listen to the solo for a change!’ – Said “Allegro” a young earth pony with white mane and a dark brown coat whilst raising his green eyes from the keys of the piano in front of him and putting the lid down.
‘He didn’t show up for practice yesterday either…or the day before.’ – Added Octavia.
‘We only got a few weeks before The Grand Galloping Gala. And after that there’s the Garden Gala. None of you guys know anything about what happened to him?’ – Said “Light Harp”, the only pegasus in the group, whilst putting away the harp between his hooves. He had a lavender coat and a blonde tidy mane matching his blue eyes. He then sighed and turned around to see his friends. Beauty Brass simply nodded in denial with the same face and look than her friends had.
‘I was planning to go see him, but I’ve been really busy lately and he doesn’t precisely lives nearby.' – Added BB.
‘Hey, is that the unmistakable sound of insecurity and lack of confidence? And from this group…? I’m quite shocked!’ – Exclaimed a joking voice from the entrance. Everyone turned around at the same time just to see a unicorn, barely older than them, standing by the door. He was wearing a light grey jacket over his white coat. His mane, slightly messy, was mostly dark green from the roots up to the middle and the rest was a shinny dark blue. He had a strange looking cutie mark though. It was a Yin-Yang symbol with two bass clefs in it, facing opposite directions. He then laid his golden eyes on the group of ponies in front of him.
‘Professor Play!’ – Exclaimed the four ponies, pretty much at the same time.
‘Sorry if I interrupted. I thought there would be nopony at this time.’ – Said the unicorn with a grin.
Beauty Brass turned to see a clock that was hanging on a wall and saw that it was actually late; she then turned again to see the teacher. – ‘Oh no, please, we are sorry. W-We lost track of time, it’s just that the Gala a-and the other main events are just around the corner, and then there’s the rehearsals, selecting the pieces that we’ll perform, the order, and not to mention that Concerto chose the worst time to disappear…’ – Beauty Brass was about to freak out when a friendly hoof lay down on her shoulder. It was only then that she realized that pressure was getting the worst out of her.
‘Whoa, whoa…take it easy. You’ll get sick or something’ - Said Professor Play.
‘I know…I’m sorry…’ – Sighed the cyan mare. When she got a little more relaxed she turned back her attention to the pony that was now standing in front of her.
‘I know that this is the first time you get to be Group Leader, and believe me, I know how stressful it can be getting ready for the big events, like the Galloping Gala. But you can’t let it get you. You’re acting like everything depends on you,’ – Said the unicorn. He then pointed at the other ponies in the room – ‘Can you see it Brass?’
She could, in fact, see the concern on her friend’s eyes once she turned to look at them. Yet it wasn’t only for the Gala or the absence of their partner. I was more than that.
‘Can you see their concern...? It’s you they’re worried about.’ - She immediately turned to see the unicorn for a moment before looking back at her friends again.
‘They worry about your wellbeing. They’ve been with you from the very beginning and I believe it is accurate to say that they are more than your colleagues. They are your friends. You don’t have to carry all the weight, Beauty. A group leader is only as good as the ponies it leads. Remember that.’
The white-coated unicorn’s words relieved the burden on her shoulders. He was right. It was challenging, true. But when the time arrives, she would not be alone on that stage. – ‘I’m sorry, Octavia, Light Harp, Allegro…I’m sorry I made you all worry about me.’ – Said the young mare with a shy smile on her face.
‘I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to alarm anypony when I mentioned Concerto’s absence. I’m sure we’ll be just fine with or without him.’ – Said Light Harp with a similar smile.
‘You don’t have to do this alone. You are my friend and you know I’ll be with you until the end, no matter what.’ – Added Octavia with determination on her eyes. Allegro simply nodded, agreeing with everypony else.
There was only one thing left to say to her friends. – ‘Thank you…to all of you.’
‘Good! Now that that’s solved I think it’s time we all go home, what do you guys say?’ – Asked the professor while heading towards the door.
‘Sounds good to me!’ – Said Allegro.
‘Yes, I’m exhausted, Octavia, wanna go together?’ – Asked Beauty Brass.
‘Of course, Beauty. A good night of sleep is just what I need.’ – Answered Octavia whilst putting her cello case on her back.
‘…actually…’ – The professor interrupted. – ‘…if you don’t mind, I would like to have a word with you, Beauty. It won’t take long, I promise. Octavia, you can wait her outside if you want to.’
‘O-Of course, I’ll leave you two alone.’ – Answered the cellist.
‘I’ll be there in a minute…’ – Said Beauty Brass to her, as Octavia walked through the door.
“Oh no, Francis is going to give her the ‘I have some good news and some bad news’ speech again…I hope this time he delivers the good news first…” – Thought Octavia whilst closing the door behind her and standing in the middle of the hallway.
‘I didn’t want to say this in front of the group but…’ – The unicorn started to say. His voice was lacking the joyful tone from before. Now it sounded more deep and serious. – ‘I have some good news and some bad news…’ – Finally stated as the pink-bowed pony felt her stomach turning upside down and sinking in.
‘W-What is the good news…?’ – She asked in a nervous tone.
‘The bad news is that, earlier this day; I received a letter from Concerto…’ - Answered the unicorn.
‘W-Wait, I asked, no, but…wait…what?’
‘He had an accident, nothing serious though. Something about a filly on a scooter, I’m not sure. It seems that he got hit and lost consciousness; He woke up last night at the hospital. Besides a minor concussion and a sprained wrist he says he is fine. But the doctor told him that he won’t be able to play for at least a month.’ - Explained the white stallion.
All sorts of mixed feelings started to fill Beauty Brass’ body. All the details about her partner’s accident went to deft ears. She had stopped listening right after hearing the professor say that Concerto’s condition was nothing serious. Once the concern for her friend’s sake was gone, there was more room in her mind for her to begin to worry about what his absence meant for the rest of the group.
“Oh no…this is terrible. I mean, I’m glad that Concerto is fine but he was the only available violinist. All of the others are scattered all over Equestria. I could trust one of the new students but…I don’t know…Ow…maybe I should…maybe I should just cancel the whole thing...but then they would never trust me again to be group leader! And everypony were so happy after I got nominated, especially Octavia, I can’t do that to her, not after what she did for me, but…” – Suddenly, a voice calling her name woke her up from her clouded mind.
‘Beauty Brass…? Brass! Come back! You’re losing it again.’ – Said the unicorn whilst shaking a hoof in front of the earth pony’s lost eyes.
‘I-I’m sorry professor, it’s just that…’
‘Yes, yes. I know, don’t worry about it.’ – Said Free Play anticipating his student.
However, there was still one question unanswered to BB. – ‘So…what’s the good news…?’
‘Good news is that, right now, we are the only ones, in the school, who know about this.’- Bragged the unicorn.
BB raised an eyebrow, confused and not knowing how to react. – ‘And that’s good news because…?’ – She asked.
‘You know? It’s because of you that I’m able to teach here today. So, normally, I was really happy when your name came up to become Group Leader. You earned it, Brass. However, as you may already know, the director is not thrilled with you being in charge. You know, the whole “She’s too young and inexperienced, blah blah blah…” and if somepony wants you to fail, it’s him. That’s why he gave you such an important event, as the Gran Galloping Gala, as a first presentation. As a teacher, it’s my duty to inform the director if a student won’t be available to assist to class for an extended period of time. So I’m pretty sure that he’ll want to come here, to put more pressure on you, so that you resign; and I assure you that he will do anything he can to keep you guys from finding a replacement on time.’
“And the good news is…?” – Thought Brass with a sigh.
‘However…’ – Said Free Play, as if reading BB’s mind and whilst a sly grin appeared on his face. – ‘…you know how mail can be…sometimes letter go missing…or delayed…uhm, I don’t know…two days…? Is that enough time for you guys to find a replacement for Concerto? – Added the unicorn looking at Beauty Brass over the shoulder with the same expression. Almost at the same time a huge smile appeared on Beauty Brass face as she jumped, without thinking, and gave the white unicorn a big hug.
Said hug lasted only a few seconds, as the sousaphone pony realized that even though she and Free Play were friends a while ago, the unicorn was now a teacher. – ‘I-I’m sorry, i-it’s just that…I was…um…’ – Beauty Brass struggled to form a sentence as her tongue betrayed her, just as usual during the course of her life.
‘Hey…’ – She heard FP say. – ‘It’s ok. Now go. You got forty-eight hours to find a replacement.’
In that moment Beauty Brass’ face changed from ashamed to the joyful smile she had moments ago. – ‘Thank you so much Francis, I really appreciate it. I won’t disappoint you.’ – She exclaimed as she started trotting to the door, but as she was about to reach it, the same familiar voice called her again.
‘Brass…’ – The earth pony stopped once more and turned around. – ‘…try looking for a trustworthy pony. Somepony you know. Don’t hire the first one you see carrying a violin. And if you can’t think of anypony, maybe your friends can.’
‘I will.’ – Answered BB as she crossed the door to meet up with Octavia, who was still waiting for her on the hallway. An atmosphere, filled with impatience and curiosity, was around her. Eager to know what the professor and her friend talked about minutes ago, she approached Beauty.
‘That was quick…is everything ok?’ – She asked.
“And if you can’t think of anypony, maybe your friends can...” – Free Play’s words echoed Brass’ mind as she refused her natural instinct of trying to solve the problem herself. Besides, Octavia and Brass were very close. The young cellist could easily tell when something was bothering her friend without her saying anything. Therefore there was no point for Brass on trying to pull the “Oh, nothing, I’m fine” routine on her.
‘No. No, it is not.’
‘W-What do you mean…? What happened in there?’ – Octavia asked. Beauty Brass sighed; she then turned to see her friend again. She had a really worried look upon her face.
‘I’ll tell you on the way.’ – Said Brass as both left the academy behind and entered the beautiful orange-painted scene that were the streets of Canterlot at that time.
It was the second day since the chat Beauty Brass had with Free Play. The rest of her friends were already aware of the situation at hoof, and they did not spared efforts to find a suitable replacement for Concerto. However, after spending the whole first day auditioning, none of the ponies that showed up seemed to be the right one. Time was running out and moral was low.
The group decided to gather early at a cafe near to the main park to have breakfast together and continue with the auditions after. The only problem was that there were only three ponies sitting at the table.
‘Where is Octavia? It’s not like her to be late…’ – Said Light Harp to no pony in particular after sipping a little tea.
‘Don’t worry, she’ll be here. She said she had a big surprise and that she might be a little late, that’s all.’ – Answered Allegro.
Light Harp immediately added with sarcasm on his tone. - ‘Maybe she got a new wrist for Concerto.’
BB was about to scold the Pegasus but was interrupted when she heard a familiar voice at the distance. - ‘Beauty! Light! Allegro!’ – The three ponies turned around just in time to see Octavia running towards them.
‘I-I apologize for t-the delay…’ – Said whilst recovering her breath. She then combed her mane with her hoof, adjusted her bow around her neck and calmly sat on the chair that her friends saved for her at the table.
‘It’s alright, don’t worry about it.’ – Said Beauty Brass with a smile.
‘Yes, is not like we waited an hour for you to come-OUCH!’ – Said Allegro just to be interrupted as Beauty Brass gave him a friendly kick under the table. Just as the earth pony was about to protest he encountered himself staring at the cyan pony’s deep angry stare. He then made a wise choice and remained silent.
‘What was that…?’ – Asked Octavia.
‘N-Nothing…’ – Allegro managed to answer. He then took a sip of tea and did like nothing happened.
‘Don’t worry about it, Octi. So tell us, what’s this big surprise you have for us…?’ – Asked BB. A confident smile appeared on Octavia’s face as she pulled out an open envelope and showed it to her friends. All three of them stared at it with confusion.
‘I believe, this might be the solution to our predicament.’ – Added whilst taking the letter off the envelope.
‘A letter? Who is it from?’ – Asked Beauty Brass whilst taking a long sip of tea from her oozing cup.
‘Well…do you guys remember my cousin…? Fiddlesticks…?’
Waves of pain suddenly invaded Light Harp’s face after BB spat her tea at him in shock.
‘AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! IT BURNS!!!!!’ – The pegasus fell on his back and started to roll sideways on agony whilst covering his face with his hooves.
‘Oh sweet Celestia! I’m so sorry! I-I didn’t mean to! Here, I-I’ll help you…’ – Said Beauty Brass in an alarmed tone while Allegro (who was doing his best not to laugh) and herself helped him to get up and cleaned his face.
‘I-I’m alright, I’m alright…don’t you worry…’ – Said the stallion trying to sound tough but still in a lot of pain.
‘I don’t think we’ve ever met your cousin...’ – Said Allegro continuing with the train of thought in an effort to not to explode in laughter.
‘Yes, we did. Last year.’ – Answered the pegasus giving Allegro a puzzled look.
‘Did we…? I don’t remember that.’ - Said the earth pony.
‘Of course you don’t. You don’t even remember what you’ve just had for breakfast.’ – Replied the pegasus, in a sarcastic manner.
Octavia, already used to this type of conversation between both ponies, simply continued where she left. – ‘She lives far, but travels once a year for the Apple family reunion. That’s where I met her. Or maybe I should say That’s where I met her again. It’s actually an interesting story, you see…’
The sousaphone pony’s heart was beating so fast at that time that it felt like it was going to pop up from her chest at any second. She stared at her reflection on the contents of her half-empty tea cup between her hooves. Her face was completely blushed.
Beauty Brass had already heard the story on how Octavia met Fiddlesticks and then discovered that they were, in fact, cousins due to an uncle (Fiddlesticks’ father) that Octavia never got to meet. But what Brass really remembered, was the time she saw the mare’s beautiful blue eyes for the first time. And how the whole universe, and time itself seemed to stop every time the pony on the white hat smiled at her.
A whole year passed since then, and Beauty Brass never stopped thinking about her, not even a single day; She, in fact, counted the days left for the next Apple family reunion to take place, the days left to get a new chance to see her. Just the thought of it made her entire body shiver in excitement and made her want to scream and jump of joy all over Equestria.
“E-Easy…easy now…just because Octavia wrote to her doesn’t mean she will come…and if she does, it doesn’t mean she’s coming today…right?” – Brass thought whilst taking a sip from her tea cup once more to calm her spirit.
‘…anyway, I send her a letter with detail regarding our precarious situation and I woke up this morning and received this other letter in response…’ – Only four words were enough to slap BB back to reality. – ‘…she’s coming this afternoon.’
Once more, the green tea from Beauty’s cup ended up all over the only pegasus at the table. – ‘AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!! AGAIN!!!!????? IT GOT INTO MY EYES THIS TIME!!!!!’
Author's Note
Hello everyone, I would like to thank you all for taking the time to read my work. This is my second fanfic, however it's my first attempt on translating something from spanish to english. As you may have figured out by now, english isn't my native language. You can tell by the grammar errors this work may have ()wich it has, I'm pretty sure of it) but I'm hoping isn't bad enough to distract you guys from the story I'm trying to tell.
Again: Thank you so much for reading and if you spot any sort of error, please let me know, it would help me a lot to improve my writing and my english.
