Professionalism

The stallion felt his head ache as he trotted into the castle, the sensation of sound cutting in and out already proving to be a physical detriment as much as it was a mental one. His ears lowered as he looked about the interior of the already large castle, and the thought dawned upon him: the castle was large, yes, that also meant that the rather excessive amount of halls in the entrance only lead to more halls, some of which split. To scour all these possible routes in two hours with no help from anyone and a hearing impediment seemed like an impossible task...  My sense of sound...she said this would be a test of hearing, but I fear it's more a test of trying to stay conscious! I pray she realizes just how painful this is...perhaps the pain is just another stipulation? He exhaled, starting to walk into one of the halls and avoiding eye contact with the various guards that walked on by.

Alright, things to do; obviously, listen up for the sound of a cello. Even better, if I see a stallion or mare I recognize twice, and I'm in a similar location, chances are the halls might actually loop around; which gets rid of some of the guesswork I need to do. I just need to keep walking, and I'll find out. The stallion watched as he passed by a rather nice courtyard, a royal guard captain drilling ponies in close quarters combat. A small smile crept up onto his face as he watched soldiers quickly send each other to the floor before his headache set in again, the guard captain's orders piercing his skull.

I'll have time to observe such things in detail later. I've other, more dire matters to attend to. Reaching a split path, he swore he could hear a cello playing somewhere in front of him. His enthusiasm growing larger, Step began to close his eyes in an effort to concentrate. I can only hear it so loudly...I might not be able to hear myself, but I can use other ways to remember how loud it is.

Taking out his conducting baton, he gently tapped the floor at a slow tempo. I'll double the speed should I hear it any louder. For now, I need to keep walking. Pleased with his idea, he continued to walk to the beat of the music as he heard it; immediately recognizable as the first of Bach's Cello Suites. Silently humming along, he heard the music grow louder... Chose the right path on the first go? I must be fortunate...

His pace hastened as he continued to walk, stopping occasionally to adjust his tie and even try to greet some guards as he passed...not that they would respond. The music only grew louder as he continued to walk down the splits in the road, accurately determining which side was louder and just about breaking into a sprint by the end in an effort to keep up with the music...

Only to stop in complete confusion, his hopes crushed as he stared at the end of the hall, nothing but a wall in front of the stallion. But...what...? I hear a cello! I hear one playing, right behind this wall! That's... He shook his head, eyes wide as he looked down at his hooves.

Maybe if I just... He carefully leaned against the wall...

And immediately felt a pair of double doors give, his body flopping down onto the floor, his headache subsiding as the sound of Bach's first Cello Suite came to a close, a grey mare looking at the suited stallion with irritability. “...And who might you be?”