Lament of the Musician

by Tunalock

Rating: teen
Tags: DJ P0N-3, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad, Original Character, Octavia
Length: 3536

How far would you go to remember your friend when they aren't there anymore?

When all you hold dear to yourself goes up in flames, what would you do to remember a long gone friend?
Join a heartbroken mare as she recounts the story of a lost loved one to an all too eager filly, as she remembers the biggest downfall in her life and what a little bit of motivation can do to live on the legacy of your closest friend.

(Author's Note: This story was thought up to give me a sort of outlet for emotions I had recently been feeling, as I too have remembered the death of a close friend. Although the story may not be based on true events, it's based off of what I wish I could do: live on his legacy.
Also, rate fairly. No rating up because you feel bad for me, and no rating down because... well, I'll think of a reason.
Cover art done by this awesome person here. Go give him a like. Now.)

Published 2012-09-25 12:34:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-09-26 15:36:11 UTC

It Hurts to Remember

In Memory OfJacob J. H. BeaudryAugust 6, 1995 - June 21, 2011

The orchestral hall was dead silent, save for the cellist at the front performing. The song she played told a story of life lost and life lived, the mare's hooves gliding across the instrument. It told a story of a friend, once living, whose life was now lived through another. A single tear fell from the mare's eye onto her pink bow tie, clearly remembering a horrible tragedy. Nevertheless, she kept her composure throughout her tune.

Eventually, the lament ended, and the mare took a bow as the audience stomped their hooves in approval. More tears flowed down her face as more memories flooded into her thoughts. She didn't care if the ponies liked her song or not. All she cared about was living on a legacy. It's what she would have wanted… thought the mare as the red curtains closed in on her.

Her performance over, the mare placed her bow and cello into the old carrying case. There were marks all over the case showing it had been through the best of times and the worst of times. The plastic was charred in some places, and all together missing in others. Oddly enough, though, the cello inside was in perfect condition, despite being used many times by her. The mare didn't care, she preferred it that way. It was special in a way she couldn't describe.

Closing the case, the mare found herself in the endless stare of a pony she once knew. The peeling picture, like the case, was special to her. It showed the picture of a grey Earth pony with a black mane and a pink bow tie laughing. In one of her hooves was a glass of some purple drink, halfway gone. The other was wrapped around a white unicorn with a wild mane alternating between an electric blue and a normal blue. Purple glasses covered her eyes as she chugged the same purple liquid down. Her last night… thought the mare to herself, unable to hold back her feelings. Tears streamed down her face and onto the case as she choked on her sadness. She opened her eyes to look at the two happy ponies again and yelled, "It's all my fault! It's all my fault that… that she's… she's…"

"Excuse me, ma'am, but what's your fault?" piped up a little voice from behind. The mare spun around to see a young teal mare with a maroon and white mane behind her. She had a picture of the mare in her mouth. Wiping the tears from her eyes, the mare asked, "E-excuse me? Wh-who are y-you?" The filly seemed to jump as she said, "I'm Angel! I'm a huge fan of your music!" The mare cracked a smile as she said, "Listen, kid, I-I don't really care for fans, followers, o-or anything like that. At least, n-not anymore. I play for… s-somepony close to me…" The picture dropped from Angel's mouth as she said, "No, I mean, I've listened to you since before you were popular!"

"Well, number one fan, could I have s-some time alone?" The filly looked up to her idol and said, "Maybe I can help you with whatever you're doing! I've always wanted to work on some music with you!" The mare shook her head and said, "No can do. I just need some time to… to r-remember a long gone friend…" Angel sat down for a minute, then said, "Maybe I can help you remember your friend? I wouldn't want for you to be alone and sad…"

A second smile came across the mare's face as she said, "I guess I could… tell you…" She slid the case over in between her and Angel as she pointed to one of the ponies in the curled up picture. Her voice shook as she said, "Y-you see this m-mare?" The teal filly gave a nod, signaling for the mare to continue. "W-well, me a-and her were the b-best of f-f-friends… w-we lived together… sh-shared the same h-home… the s-same b-bed… the same e-everything…" The tears began to roll down her face again as the filly frowned. She stared at the picture and said, "I don't ever remember hearing about her in any news article including you…" The mare sniffled as she choked, "W-well, m-me and h-h-her, we n-never had the s-same taste in m-music, s-so w-we never w-wanted to be m-mentioned t-together…"

The backstage lights began to go out, one by one. The loud clicks echoed throughout the room. The mare looked up at the lights and said, "M-maybe we should c-continue this… o-outside…" Angel nodded and helped the mare put the cello case on her back and walked out with her. The December snow fell lightly from the dark sky onto the two. Angel looked around in wonder as the snow crunch under her hooves. She then looked up to the cellist and asked, "Maybe we should go to your house?" The mare looked at her fan and said, "Y-your parents… wouldn't they be worried?" The filly smiled and said, "No, they won't be. They always know where I am. They honestly won't mind." Another sniffle came from the mare as she nodded and walked away without a word, the filly tagging along behind her, the crunching snow the only sound echoing in the streets.

The two eventually passed by the charred ruins of a brick building, snow failing to cover the blackened wood and brick. The mare stopped at the ruins and stared at it as Angel walked up next to her. They both looked out into the ruins as the filly said, "I remember hearing about this. Just a bit, only that one pony died. Is this place special to you?" The mare shed a single tear as she said, "This… this is where we should stop…"

"But… your home? What about that? Are we gonna just stand out here in the cold?" asked Angel. The mare turned to her and said, "This was my home. This is where I'm going to tell you about the fire that took everything away from me. My studio, my home… my friend…" The mare started to sniffle as the tears once more trailed down her face, then she said, "Th-this is where my f-f-friend died… b-because of m-me…" Her bow tie fluttered to the ground as it fell off her neck. Tears splashed on the ashes of the complex. It hurt the mare to remember, but she had to do it. She had to remember her friend. Angel sat down next to the mare as the cellist pulled out her cello and began to play the song from the earlier performance. It was a special song that she made herself from scratch.

The Lament of the Musician.

The Last Night

The music blasted through the speakers, livening up the party. Ponies all around were cheering as each pound of the bass brought euphoria to their ears. Their hooves stomped in time to the music, bringing even more cheers. There was a final blast of the bass, and the song ended. A white unicorn mare stood up to the turntable and shouted, "Who's ready to party even harder!?" The crowd gave a loud roar as they chanted, "Vinyl Scratch! Vinyl Scratch! Vinyl Scratch!"

The DJ gave a little smirk as she said, "Well, I might have to caution you about this next song, the bass is INTENSE!" She then placed a record on the turntable and spun it. A low humming came from the speakers, causing them to vibrate and slightly move across the floor. It grew louder and louder until it was replaced by an electronic buzz. The music seemed to wave up and down with the buzz. It started to build up a beat, getting faster and faster and building up the suspense for the moment everypony was waiting for. The music then got quiet as another sound built up, and then the music stopped all together, replaced by a stallion's voice, which said:

"Push 'em."

The bass gave way, and all the ponies were assaulted by a string of heavy drops. They all cheered as Vinyl slipped away from the turntable unnoticed. She gave a sigh of relief, happy to see the ponies satisfied, then trotted down the stage to meet up with her greatest friend. She was a grey Earth pony who played the cello, much to Vinyl's dislike, and went by the name Octavia, Tavi for short. Even though the two ponies had drastically different tastes, they were still the best of friends. Tavi was holding two glasses of a fizzing purple drink, one of which she handed to Vinyl.

"I have to admit, even though all your music is just a lot of buzzes and beats, you sure know how to gather a crowd." said the cellist as she took a sip from her drink. "This punch, however, is very good in taste…" Vinyl gave Tavi a friendly little shove and said, "Hey, at least it isn't as boring and stuck up as your music!" The two mares clinked glasses as Vinyl threw a hoof around her friend and chugged her punch down. Tavi gave a not-so-quiet laugh as there were two flashes. A photographer pony stood in front of the two, saying, "I'll be sure to get you two the photos by tonight!" Vinyl, returning from her drink, put a hoof on the colt's shoulder and said, "Don't worry about it, Featherweight!" He gave a weary nod and flew off to another corner of the room to take some more pictures. The DJ leaned up against the wall and said, "Tavi, if I were going to die today, tomorrow, or anytime this week, I would not care one bit. This has been one of the best parties I've ever thrown!" Tavi gave a chuckle and said, "You know, Vinyl, with the wild way you act, I wouldn't be surprised if you did…"

"…I still regret saying that to this day…" said the cellist to Angel. She put down the bow and said, "I-it's as if those words sealed her fate… a-and I can't take them back! It's all my fault!" She wept into the ashes of what once was home to her and her friend. Angel tried to comfort her idol, but to no avail. After a while, the mare got back up and resumed to play the song, this part sounding more solemn and quiet than the one before…

"Tavi, is something bothering you?" asked Vinyl as she sorted through her disks. The party had long passed, and the two mares were getting ready for bed, the stormy sky outside brining rain down on them as if they deserved it. Vinyl thought she was seeing things, but it looked to her like her roommate was extremely stressed. She couldn't think of anything that could be bothering her: Tavi had no shows this week, all the bills were paid, and her relationship with her coltfriend, Baton, was going smoothly, as far as Vinyl knew. The DJ herself was pretty excited for the upcoming week. Her greatest album yet, Nights in Ponyville, was going to be released in a few days. It had all different remixes of her tracks by different artists and groups, as well as a few new tracks of her own. She found it odd that it was the day before Tavi's birthday, but she already saved a copy for her friend. Sure, it'd annoy her, but it was a gift, and that's the most important thing.

"Hm? No, nothing's wrong, Vinyl, just… savoring my last moments of this age… did you know that Baton's going to take me out on my birthday? His special treat, he said." Tavi gave another sigh as Vinyl jumped onto the bed and said, "You two should get married. I'll be the DJ." As lightning flashed outside the window, the cellist gave a small chuckle, which turned to a blush as she said, "Vinyl, if we ever do get married, the only way you're attending is as a guest. Our wedding will have an orchestra of ponies playing the most beautiful music, not any of your… stuff."

"Whatever…" said the DJ as she let out a long yawn. "I'm going to sleep. Night, Tavi." Tavi climbed into the bed with her unicorn friend and said, "Goodnight, my little devil." They both gave a chuckle as they drifted off to sleep together for the last time.

Downstairs, one of the mane dryers was still plugged into the wall in the bathroom as it rested upon a towel. The storm outside let loose a dangerous bolt of electricity. It struck the apartment complex and sent a power surge to the outlets throughout the building. The mane dryer sparked as the towel beneath it was set aflame. It raced across the wooden countertop and over the floor, signaling the beginning of the end.

The cellist's voice was cracking now. Rocking back and forth ever so slowly, she said, "It's my fault… she couldn't experience what she was looking forward to… it's all my fault… I forgot to unplug it…" Angel trotted up to her hero and said, "Ma'am, it wasn't your fault… anypony could have done that… accidents happen…" The mare snapped at the filly, saying, "This accident could have been avoided! Don't you see? It all stemmed from that one thing I did!" The teal filly stepped back. Never, even in her wildest dreams, did she ever think that her idol was so… volatile. Tears formed in her eyes as the cellist realized what she had just done.

"L-listen… I'm really, r-really sorry for that… but you have to realize that s-some things that happen can easily be prevented… I'm really s-sorry… please forgive me…" Angel inched closer and closer to the cellist until she was close enough that she could launch herself into a hug, which the mare returned with a newfound kindness. She was going to get through this, but not alone.

Everything She Loved

The cellist picked up her instrument once again. With tears lining her reddened eyes, she softly said to Angel, "This… this was the hardest part to compose… no music can ever replace the hole in my heart that sh-she left… no matter how beautiful it is…" She drew the bow across the cello slowly, playing long, sad notes. The music told of an inevitable separation of two great friends through a horrible tragedy. However, it also told a story of heroism that could never be topped. The musician needed to remember this moment, no matter how much she hated to or how much it hurt.

The two mares ran through the flaming building, dodging holes in the floor and fallen supports along the way. Fortunately, for them, the stairwell they were running down had only just started to burn up. Their luck was running out, though, for the flames were racing downwards faster than they could run. Vinyl turned to Tavi and shouted, "We're not going to make it! Not at this pace!" Tavi nodded and tried to gallop faster.

Suddenly, as Vinyl pulled ahead, a beam fell in between the two musicians, destroying the floor between them and leaving a large gap. Tavi skidded to a stop and shouted, "Vinyl!" The DJ looked back and yelled back, "Tavi! No!" The unicorn ran up to the edge of the pit as Tavi's eyes started to line with tears. "N-no… I don't wanna die… th-this can't be happening! It's not!" she cried to her friend. Vinyl reached across the gap and put her front hooves on the edges of Tavi's shoulders. She pointed behind the cellist and yelled, "You are NOT going to die! Look, just take that door over there, find another way down!"

"B-but…" started Tavi, but the DJ pulled her and brought her into a warm embrace, causing her front hooves to balance precariously on the edge of the pit. She gave a little smile as she whispered, "Thank you…" Looking down at her own form, a thought struck her…

"N-no… must remember…" started the cellist, stopping the music with a TWANG! and clutching her forehead with her hoof. Angel looked to her idol and asked, "What's wrong, miss?" The mare couldn't hear her question, though. She was stuck in her own mind, saying, "I can't… t-too foggy… I must… remember her…" Tears fell from her eyes, one by one, struggling to think of what happened next…

Tavi brought Vinyl out of her hug, sniffling from her earlier breakdown. The flames were getting dangerously close as she said something to her friend. The two then parted ways, destined to only see each other only once more…

  The mare couldn't take it. She lifted her head to the heavens above and screamed, "HELP ME! PLEASE, I WANT TO REMEMBER YOU! WHY CAN'T I REMEMBER!" She broke down in front of Angel, unable to hold anything back anymore. The cellist wailed for a lost friend as Angel sat down next to her. The filly said to her idol with a slight smile, "She'll help you… she wants to, I can tell… just think hard enough…"

The grief went on for a while, just constant sobbing and reassuring. Eventually, the mare got up with a few sniffles and said, "I… I remember something… j-just a bit…"

The two mares were at the doorway. One of them held the door open for the other and yelled, "Don't worry, I'm right behind you!" One of the mares ran right through the doorway as the sound of metal crunching came from above. For the mare outside, time seemed to almost stop for her as the steel balcony gave way and fell down the side of the building, only to hit the ground in front of the doorway. She pounded on the obstacle, sobbing and yelling, "N-NO! NOPONY W-WAS GOING TO DIE! WE WERE GOING T-TO LIVE!"

Inside the building, the musician slid down the wall and said calmly to her companion, "I s-saved you… I held the door open… if I hadn't d-done that, we would both die…" She gave a little sniffle as she softly said, "…please r-remember me…" The mare on the outside shouted, "NO! WE'RE GONNA FIND A WAY!" Two firecolts came up to the musician as one of them said, "Ma'am, you need to step back! The building's going to collapse!" She turned around and snapped, "I AM NOT LEAVING MY FRIEN- HEY! LEMME GO!" The firecolts had grabbed her front hooves and dragged her away as quickly as possible to a safe distance, along with the other residents of the apartment.

Time slowed as the tears streamed down her face, witnessing the cruel event unfold in front of her. The brick at the top started to fall down, and the ceiling caved in. A loud shriek was heard from inside as the apartment collapsed in on itself. Then, silence. The fire within the building died out from both a lack of oxygen and the streams of water being poured on it by the firecolts. The musician couldn't comprehend what was happening. The only thing she responded to was a slight flapping noise. She looked down just in time to see the bow tie she had been wearing flutter to the ground. The mare slowly knelt down and cried, the other ponies trying to console her on the loss of her greatest friend…

"Is that the same one you wore that night?" asked Angel, pointing to the pink bow tie the cellist was wearing. She knelt down to the filly and whispered, "…that night and beyond… I have barely ever taken it off since…" The mare then picked up her instrument once more and played a lone tune, singing along with its sad story…

"Clouds of grey surrounded me…

It felt like a twisted fantasy…

Our home is gone, the fight is done…

But your spirit will go on…

The walls above us burned…

Your prison fell just as I turned…

Unfortunately, your end was nigh…

I didn't want to say goodbye…"

"Wow, you sing as well as they say you do…" whispered Angel, amazed by the song her idol sung. The mare gave a slight nod as she looked up and said, "Every song has a part in it that feels… uplifting… Angel, do you know what ponies say about life sometimes?" The filly shook her head as the cellist continued, "They say that it has to get worse before it gets better… and my story is no exception. Even after her death, trying to remember each bit about it… I remember how it had gotten better for me… each time I remembered…" The mare took a quick glance at the base of the cello and gave a weak smile.

"…it always got better for me…"

(A/N: The song the cellist sung were actually adapted lyrics from the song Arrivederci by Lavender Harmony. Thought the tune would fit well. Try imagining it at a slower pace.)