Music Gives a Soul to the Universe, Wings to the Mind, Flight to the Imagination, and Life to the World
*BEEP BEEP BEEP click*
Aeolian Melody opened her eyes and looked at the rising sun through the window of her bedroom. Yup. Still the same hot yellow orb flying far away. She looked at her alarm clock. 8:00 AM. Yup. Still the same time. Just the way Melody liked it. Easy, predictable, and consistent. She climbed out of bed to go brush her teeth and mane, same as every morning, but this time she wouldn't be going to school. It was summer break! Melody levitated the meticulously placed toothbrush and hairbrush and got to work. If she was being honest with herself, she didn't like school all that much. Ms. Cherilee oftentimes just winged it when teaching the class, which Melody just couldn't stand. She swore, half of those kids wouldn't know their left hoof from their right if it weren't plastered on the wall of the school. Melody spat the toothpaste into the sink and added a bit of hair gel to make her doo stick. She walked out into the kitchen, where a wave of beautifully cooked breakfast from her dad came into contact with her nostrils.
"Good morning, Melody!" Said Melody's father.
"Good morning, dad." Melody looked around the small room "Hey, where's mom?" Typically, her mother was sitting at the table reading the Music of Our Times magazine, but she was lacking today.
"Oh! She is uh... out on errands!" The father spit out. Melody noted the hesitation, but didn't push it any farther. Probably just another sub-in session. Both of Melody's parents were master musicians who played in the Royal Canterlot Orchestra once upon a time, but they both retired so they could take care of her. Despite that, every once in awhile they would be called over back to Canterlot and abroad to fill in for somepony who couldn't play on a particular night. It seemed that their musical prowess rubbed off on Melody, as she had a knack in playing the saxophone. She quite liked the instrument, it was sleek and complicated, but had a booming suave noise that would command any musical piece she was playing. She liked it's rough, but piercing notes and it's natural charisma. It was one of the few things in Melody's life that gave her an uneasy, but pleasant challenge when using it. She had to keep herself from flying off the rails and playing notes that weren't in the sheet music!
"Alright" Melody's father switched off the stove and loaded the food on two already set out plates. "We have pancakes and apple slices this morning. Would you like syrup, Melly?"
Melody climbed onto her seat at the table "You know me, dad, of course I want syrup!"
Her father giggled a bit "Just checking to see if Tartarus froze over."
"What?"
"Huh?"
Melody was a bit annoyed at the comment, but she understood why her dad said it. Her parents had been hounding her for months about how she was always so punctual in everything she did, down to the things that didn't really matter, like what time she did her chores and the spacing between her words when she was writing. Melody didn't really see a problem with being so orderly. The way she saw it, the world is just to unpredictable, and a little order would help keep things not too crazy. She tried to remember when all the nagging started. It was back a couple of months ago at a jazz concert...
Music from the band on-stage filled the little dry-bar known as The Sturdy Timberwolf. It was jazz night, and the patrons were expectantly waiting for the show openers to complete their song so the main attraction, The Blues Bloomers, to take stage. Melody and her parents had been invited by Vinyl Scratch and Octavia for a friendly night out. Melody's parents had known Octavia from their days as Orchestra members and wanted to catch up on each others lives since they lived relatively close to the other. Melody didn't really like being ripped from her practice, but her parents told her meeting other musicians and seeing a jazz band would help her be more creative. 'Creative'. What a weird word. Who needs creativity when you have perfectly fine sheet music? They were sat in a booth, with Melody sitting between her parents and across from Octavia and Vinyl. Trapped. Couldn't just sneak away and go home or something. Octavia hugged Melody's mother and father "Allegro and Tempo! So nice to see you!" Octavia looked at Melody and her smile grew larger "And who's this?"
Melody just shied away behind her mother. Instead, her mother answered for her. "This is Aeolian Melody. She is pretty shy, sorry." Giving a smile to Octavia.
"Oh, don't you worry. I was just the same way when I was younger. Although I couldn't say the same for Vinyl." Octavia looked to Vinyl, who had her headphones and sunglasses on. "Right Vinyl? Vinyl?" Vinyl wasn't responding to Octavia's questions. Instead, Melody could hear the music getting louder under the headphones. Melody could see Octavia go through the 7 stages of grief before she yanked the headphones off of Vinyl's head. Finally, Vinyl responded.
"Hey! What was that for! It was just getting good!" Octavia, however, just stared deeply into Vinyl's soul. "OK, OK no need to get so mad at me." Vinyl looked at Melody and her family, who were all understandably a bit uncomfortable at the whole ordeal. "Hello, my name is Vinyl Scratch, nice to meet you."
Melody's parents exchanged pleasantries with the couple. They talked about how Octavia's marriage with Vinyl was going and Melody's practice with the saxophone. Melody wasn't listening to their conversation very much, however, and was instead focusing on the band on-stage. The Blues Boomers had come on and were beginning their little concert. The bassist began with a slow rising strum and jump in tone. The pianist joined in with a quick, but muddy, trio of notes that jumped of the bass in a beautiful harmony. Then, the drummer started with his slow cymbal taps and snare hits. But then, Melody heard the star of the show, the saxophone, scream an introduction that got everypony in the dry-bar to drop what they were doing to listen. Melody imagined herself in a black void, floating in the dark space as colorful neon streams of visualized sound flew by her. She was immersed in the synergy of the bands music. It was a magical experience, one that Melody felt ended too soon. The pianist and the bassist closed off the bit in a slow cut off, the whole dry-bar clopping and cheering in admiration, including Melody. The pony who played the saxophone came up to the mic. "Hello! How is everypony doing tonight?" The crowd cheered in response. "Good! Always nice to have a great crowd out there. So look, me and my crew are getting up their in age and have been thinking of retiring, but that doesn't mean we don't like y'all. So, we would like to ask if there are any aspiring musicians out in the crowd tonight to come up to the stage to play some fine tunes."
Melody had never felt so many eye's immediately focus on her. Even Vinyl was staring expectantly at the little filly. Melody's mother voiced her support. "Melody! You should go up and play the sax for him!" Melody just froze up at the request. Her, playing in front of all these ponies? She didn't even have her sheets! How was she supposed to play without her sheets? Her father, not waiting for her to respond, picked her up and flew her in front of the stage, where she looked away in embarrassment. Her father let out a big breath and knelt down to her level. "Melly, what's the issue?"
"I-I can't play without my sheet music dad."
Her father scratched her on the head "Nonsense, Melly. Half of jazz is droning on without knowing what your going to play. I'm sure if you just get up there and start playing one of your more practiced routines, you will get the hang of it. C'mon, I'll talk to him with you." Her father took her hoof and led her to the sax player. "My daughter knows how to play the saxophone, I was wondering if she could use yours?" The saxophonist smiled and said "Of course!" He looked at Melody, who shrunk at the attention. "Hey, little filly, what's yer name?" Melody's father gave her a nudge. "It's Melody".
"Well, Melody..." He paused to pull a nearby stool out, Melody's father lifting her onto it "...I need your help to play this here sax. Can you do that for me?" Melody didn't like the patronizing tone, but she complied anyway.
"Yeah"
"Alrighty then." the saxophone player picked up his instrument and hooved it over to Melody, who grabbed it and inspected the brass. It was a fine sax, one of exceptionally high quality, far better than hers by all marks. Melody noticed some other fillies and colts come up from the crowd, filling in the other spots. The frontrunner, having returned to the mic stand, announced the newly founded bands members "We have Melody at the saxophone, Bentley and Practice at the piano, Sinny at the drum set, and Velvet at the bass! Give it up for these talented young fillies and colts, everypony!" The crowd cheered in response, Melody noticing her parents and Octavia cheering while Vinyl slipped her headphones back on.
"Oh brother." Melody put the reed up to her mouth and let out a long, low holler, reaching into a higher note as the other instruments joined in. Melody imagined herself back in that black void, but this time the streams of sound were coming from her and her peers. She tried to remember her sheets, but her memory could only pull so much. The streams became more sporadic, jumping and pulling in different directions. Eventually, Melody found herself back in front of the crowd, as the saxophone pouted and whined. Melody put down the instrument and started to cry, running out the door of the establishment in embarrassment. Her parents, Octavia, and Vinyl weren't to far behind, all of them calling out for her to stop. Melody refused to stop though, galloping all the way back to her home where she climbed into bed and cried herself to sleep.
Melody cringed at the memory, pulling another cut of pancake to her mouth. Her father noticed the discomfort and decided to leak out just what Melody's mother was up to, assuming she was in another bad daydream.
"Melody, do you remember Mrs. Octavia and Mrs. Scratch?"
Melody looked at her father "Yeah, they were those ponies who were with us at The Sturdy Timberwolf."
"Well, your mother and I have been worried about you and your ability to play the saxophone, and so we have decided we should have Octavia try and teach you how to better yourself in that regard." Her father put a hoof on her shoulder, put she shrugged it off.
"But dad, I already know how to play well enough, how is somepony who plays the cello going to teach me how to play the saxophone any better than now?"
Melody was alerted by the door front door opening "That's a great question, Melody, maybe you can ask her yourself." Her mother burst through the door with an exaggerated swagger, as if expecting this conversation. Melody choked a bit on a bit of half swallowed pancake at the sudden appearance of her mother.
"Mom! Not so sudden!" Melody choked out.
"Sorry. But I have come to bribe you with gifts!" Melody's mother levitated a saxophone case off of her back and hooved it over to were Melody was. Melody practically flopped out of her seat and rushed over to inspect her new toy. She popped open the case to reveal...
"A PONYMA 62 ALTO LIMITED SPEC!?" Melody collapsed in surprise. This WAS the saxophone, better than anything she had ever even seen with her eyes. The instrument was essentially an urban myth, they talked of it's unrivaled sound and rumbling tones, of it's legendary craftsmanship. She would marry this instrument one day, and nopony could stop her. "How did you find one!?" :D
"Well, being a professional musician has you meeting a lot of ponies, and there were a few favors I could pull, so I got you the best I could find!" Meldoy's mother came over with a warm smile and hugged the little filly. Her father though was still eating at the table, and pointed out the conditions of such a gift.
"Now, Melly, me and your mother expect you to be going to Mrs. Octavia's house for practice everyday bar Sunday's."
"But dad..."
"But nothing, Mel, your going to go to practice, summer break or not. This is non-negotiable. Now go make yourself presentable, were leaving by the hour and you messed your mane up falling and whatnot."
Melody pouted and whined the whole way to Octavia's house. She really didn't want to be here, but she also wanted this cool sax, so she didn't really have much choice in the matter. All she could hope was that Octavia wasn't too strict, but her Trottingham accent did not inspire confidence in that hope in the slightest. As the family came around the bend, Melody's gaze fell upon the house of the two ponies she was going to see. It made Melody's mouth drop. It was as if somepony sawed two completely different houses apart and sewed the halves together, showing just how much of a dichotomy there was between the couple. What she could only assume was Vinyl's side of the house was a dim purple blue main coat of paint with a light purple accent on the wooden beams. Even the thatching on the roof was a different shade than Octavia's. Her side had a more traditional styling, much more reminiscent of the rest of Ponyville. Melody could hear Octavia playing her cello inside as she and her family edged closer. Her father knocked on the door, and after a bit of rustling, Octavia answered with a smile.
"Hello! Welcome to our humble abode. Please, come in."
The family obliged, coming in and sitting on the couch. They talked for a short time about what exactly Melody was struggling with, when she needs to be home, etcetera. Melody zoned out, not really caring what her parents were talking about. She was imagining what her new sax would sound like. It must be SO good. Then Melody focused on the room they were sitting in. Octavia's bed, oddly enough, shared the divide between the house, one her side being a different color than Vinyl's. Octavia's side of the house was also immaculate and orderly, like Melody's bedroom, while Vinyl's side seemed more like a tempest came through and wrecked the place. Melody had to resist the urge to rush over and start cleaning up the place. She noticed the large collection of different amps and subwoofers on Vinyl's side, all of them having some sort of magical rainbow lighting. She would have to ask Vinyl about that, as she thought her room could look pretty cool with that same lighting. Melody came back to reality when her parents hugged her goodbye.
"Be good Melody. We will see you tonight."
Melody responded with "OK mom."
Octavia, as soon as Melody's parents exited, had absolutely no clue what to do. From what she was told, Melody had issues with, well, melody. Her improv skills were extremely lacking, something she was as well, but Octavia new somepony who was very good at it: Vinyl Scratch. Octavia decided that she would just attempt to emulate Vinyl's club music skills, and try to relay that to Melody. But that wasn't the only issue Octavia had. She had absolutely no idea how to take care of a filly. Her and Vinyl had considered adoption, but it didn't mean she had any experience taking care of anything that couldn't do so itself. She muttered to herself, glancing back at a worried looking Melody every couple of seconds.
"Think, Octavia, think. What would a young filly want? Err... Oh!" Octavia thought that she might want juice or something before they started, so she rushed back to where her kitchen was, swinging open the cupboards with force, only to realize the only thing there were tea bags and energy drinks, the two preferred drinks of her and Vinyl respectively. Octavia glanced back to Melody, who was taking out her saxophone. The closest flavor to something juice-like was a peach flavored tea, and that happened to be the worst flavor she had. Vinyl insisted that they get some, despite Octavia's warnings to it's flavor, as if she were to try tea, it would have to be something that didn't look boring. Then she had it and never tried it again, stating "What in Celestia's good name is this, Tavi? It tastes like sewage mixed with your green bean casserole!". Well, at least Melody might like it. She started a pot on the oven and trotted back to where Melody, who had fully set up her instrument at this point.
"So... Melody, do you like tea?" Octavia asked with some awkwardness.
Melody looked at her with contempt, completely avoiding the question "How are you supposed to teach me how to play saxophone?"
Octavia tried to ignore the brashness, but was still hurt a bit by it. "Wow, straight to the point, huh? Well, living with Vinyl, you remember her, right?"
"Yeah"
"Well, being with her, I've learned a bit about her job. And her job is being a disc jockey, or a DJ, and what she does is mix beats and sounds to make music on-the-fly."
"And why does this matter? I don't see what I have to learn from you or Mrs. Scratch."
Octavia just took a deep breath. This filly was rude. "Look, Melody, you might not like it, but I'm trying to help you be a better musician, not a saxophone player. I can't help you if you don't want me to." The kettle whistle went off in the kitchen, so Octavia got up and prepared a tea plate, grabbing extra sugar for the peach tea. "Look, Melody, we'll just enjoy some nice hot tea, and then we'll get to practice, alright?"
Melody looked at Octavia, her mood lightening a bit at the prospect. "Okay."
The two sat in silence while enjoying their tea. Octavia thought of asking small talk about how Melody's career was going, only to realize that she didn't actually have one. Octavia realized that she needed to get more friends who, at the very least, weren't musicians. She then thought of just how she was to teach Melody anything, settling on a simple solution. "Melody, have you ever played with any other pony, other than at the dry bar?" Melody responded with a shake of her head, so no. "Well, I have an idea." Octavia set down her tea and took out one of her cellos from behind the couch she was sitting on. "Once upon a time, me and Vinyl were sitting here at home. I was practicing for a wedding, while Vinyl was trying out some new beats. At first I was apprehensive, but me and her synergized our very different instruments by complete accident. I think that you and I could have that same energy if we try something similar." Octavia assumed her playing stance and let out a long, low note to coax Melody out of her shell. Melody followed suit by setting down her tea and levitating her sax to play.
Melody was worried about Octavia. She looked a mess of a mare, but the tea was alright. Maybe she judged her to soon. Octavia let out a long note, so Melody closed her eye's and thought of what she could play, settling on a low-to-high pitched response. She let the air flow out her lungs into her new sax, and the sound was just as beautiful as she had imagined, if not a little better. But after that initial note, her thoughts scrambled. She started playing random notes, not really getting what Octavia was trying to do.
"Hold on! Hold on..." Melody felt Octavia's bow tap her on the shoulder, awakening her from the musical trance she had fallen into. "Melody, how about you follow the notes I'm playing? Maybe that could help you separate from the sheets?" Octavia gave a weak smile to the noticeably uncomfortable filly. She pulled her bow across the strings of her great instrument and let out a booming chord. Melody followed along, this time not missing a beat. Octavia noted how she was very skilled, she just didn't have any imagination when playing. They played for hours, taking breaks every once in awhile to rest up and drink some tea. Melody felt more comfortable as the hours went on, the tea being the only thing that kept her from passing out.
Miss Octavia, yes, that's what I'll call her, she actually really nice. I want to come here tomorrow. I want to come back everyday! "Oh, Miss Octavia?" Melody asked with a pleading look.
Octavia put down her tea. "Yes, Melody?"
Melody shifted in her seat uncomfortably, her embarrassment getting to her. "Could I.. could I come back for more lessons?"
Octavia smiled warmly, and gave Melody a scratch on the head. "Of course Melody!"
The evening in Ponyville was a bit more musical, sweet music filling the air and bringing joy to all who heard it's enchanting draw. Melody and Octavia continued their lessons together, Vinyl pitching in every once in awhile to lend a hoof to the pairs efforts. Melody went on to become a Jazz legend, everypony praising her musical prowess. But if it's one thing she always told them, it was that she owed it to Miss Octavia Melody, the greatest cello player this side of Equestria.
FIN
Author's Note
DM me any typos, line and text, so I can get them patched up real quick.
Thank you for reading! Hope you have a great day!
