Recitative
The warren boomed loudly as an Alpha's voice scatters throughout every cave.
"Get out!" was all that was heard before a loud smack drove a blur of white fur through various tunnels until it pops out into the open air. The mass of white landed with a loud thud onto the hard, dry earth. After a few scratches and scuttling, the chimney hole is plugged up with dirt, closing off the warren. The evicted hound rolls over onto his back, rubbing his muzzle. He sat up, looking around to find his bearings.
The first frost of winter was starting to settle in; white flecks of snow came in from a northerly front, lightly landing with slow grace onto the crass permafrost below. He hoped to be out before the first snowfall, not during.
"BISCUITS!" He swore, standing up and dusting off his fur. A brisk gale rushed passed his long black tunic, sending a eviscerating chill up his spine. He cursed the fact that his clan was centered right under the mountain range of Neighagra Falls, which got extremely cold mid fall. Although bred to combat the cold conditions underneath the surface, it was nothing compared to the now dagger-like blizzards currently churning through the open air. He brought out his pack, supplied with only a few gems as well as a compass and map, but nothing else.
He took out his compass, clicking open the silver casing to reveal the red and black needle underneath, pointing due north. He sighed, easing out a wisp of silver vapor. He closed it with a light click and traveled south to the closest town on his map: Canterlot. He buttoned up his tunic, wrapping his white scarf around his neck, one he scavenged from a lonely expedition down one of the abandoned tunnels and refurbished with some water he had gotten from the lake.
The Alpha was not one to take leaving the clan so lightly, and it rarely, if ever, happened. He just happened to be the rare occasion to want to leave. However, it wasn't just a spur of the moment 'thing' that just happened. The growing feeling of wanderlust had seeped into his bones ever since he first caught sight of the surface world.
Ubi was sick of diamond dog life, mining the dreary caverns for gems day in day out--monotonous, exhausting, and often dangerous work as well. After years of wondering about the surface world, a glimpse of it through a knot hole from a displaced root showed him just what he was missing out, a world filled with vibrant, living color, wonderful scents and sound that he had never heard before. From that point on, he knew he would have to leave sooner or later.
Today was the day he finally built up the courage to ask the Alpha to leave. He didn't take to it very well, of course. But now, Ubi was finally free to enjoy all the luxuries his dream had to offer. But a nagging feeling crept back into his mind: He could never go back, never visit any one back in the mines ever again. It was a small matter of course, but it still nagged at him nonetheless, as if he was forgetting something.
'I'm overthinking things again...' He thought as he trudged through the growing blizzard that within an hour's time had coated the ground with a thin, pliable layer of snow. He shivered, pulling his tunic tighter around him, wrapping the scarf twice around his muzzle.
After a few hours, he arrived at a lone train station, crowded by a few ponies gabbing about the latest celebrity scandal going on in the Royal Court. Throughout their gossip, no one noticed him towering above every pony else as he shuffled his way to the ticket booth.
"Ticket to Cantelot..." The salesman looked up at Ubi.
"I think you mean CANTERLOT, and sure, 4 bits please," he said as he slid the ticket under the window. Ubi looked down at the ticket before the concept of currency came to mind. He rustled through his pack and brought out a sizeable gold nugget.
"Is this enough?" Ubi asked, sliding the nugget under the window. The stallion's eyes widened.
"Sweet Celestia! That's as big as my--" He stopped and cleared his throat. "Yes, sir, that'll do." He raked the nugget off the table with a wide grin. "Enjoy the ride, and come back any time."
Without another word he took the ticket and sat down on a bench, all the while staring at the letters printed on the slip of paper no bigger than two of his fingers. He could barely make out the words 'Departure' and 'Arrival' before the train wheeled into the station, tooting its whistle loudly. He clapped his paws over his ears in pain. After the piecing whistle ceased, the conductor stepped off the train shouting his traditional phrase:
"All aboard!" Ubi merged with the crowd to get on the train, handing the conductor his ticket. The conductor gave him a curious look. "Strange looking feller you are. Where ya hailin' from?"
"Neighagra Falls," Ubi mumbled before going to take his seat.
"*Whistle* Neighagra Falls eh? Heard it's beautiful this time of year, what with the famed double rainbow happening at the top every 4 years or so." Ubi passed a glance in response and placed his pack on his lap as he took his seat.
"Not a talker, are you? If you don't mind me askin', whatsa feller like you heading to Canterlot for; you don't look like a celebrity or a noble for that matter."
"I just want to get to the nearest town." Ubi pulled a newspaper from a rack near the front of the train, holding the latest news. Ubi could only make out a few words from the main articles: concert, gallery, princesses, among other things. He tossed it aside as the train cruised its way towards Canterlot. Ubi wondered what this new town of Canterlot had in store for him. Snow started to streak past his window as the train sped down the tracks, many ponies retired to their booths to rest while Ubi stayed in the main car, clutching his small pack.
'Maybe I can get a job, save enough money, and buy a ship. Then I could travel anywhere I wanted.' He tried to keep his excitement hidden. This was the first time he'd ever been outside the warrens. It was all happening so much, so fast. He didn't really know what to do with his newly liberated life, having done nothing else but dig and guard the horde.
'Maybe I can find my, what do ponies call it... special talent?' He hadn't really tried to do anything else, but ever since that soft light came in through that small hole in the wall that divided him from them, he had become absolutely fascinated, asking the others what the surface world is like, with only a few having actually been there. One such dog was an elderly mutt who taught him a bit on how to read. From there he had read many books on life on the surface, but many of the concepts inside were foreign to him and hard to understand. Life on the surface was truly different than life underground.
But his first few hours on the surface were rather, disappointing to say the least. He had thought that riding the train would be fun, how he read about it going fast across the tracks, but for him to actually ride it himself, it was just a glass and wooden box from which he watched the world go by. He sighed, worrying that all he had dreamed about, all he had ever hoped for would turn out to just be one big let-down after another.
However, the solace he got from gazing out onto the snowy plains gave him a sense of inner rest at the very least. Constantly, he had to listen to the constant ping of claws against rock to dig for gems, it often drove him to restlessness, tossing and turning in his room at night. Now it was silent, and he was alone. The lamps of the main cart were blown out for the night, leaving only the moonlight to illuminate the cart in shallow beams.
"Shouldn't you be asleep?" A voice whispered from the shadows. Ubi turned to the source, and out stepped a light gray-coated mare, bangs swept forward in a fringe, the rest of her mane folded over to the right.
"I'm not tired," Ubi replied, taking out a small ruby and placing it between his teeth.
"Oh." She went over to the seat opposite him, "Do you mind if I sit here for a bit?"
"Sit where you like." He bit down, pulverizing the ruby into fine dust; the mare flinched at the sight.
"Might I also ask, what are you? I've never seen a creature like you before," she asked with nervous curiosity.
"I come from underground, I am a diamond dog." Ubi licked his teeth clean. She cringed, wondering how Ubi could eat an entire ruby.
"We eat gems to live," he explained, as if reading her uneased expression, "I spent years digging for my clan."
"Oh, so why are you on a train to Canterlot?"
"I want to leave, Alpha kicked me out."
"Alpha, is that like your-"
"Leader. He cares for whole pack."
"Well, I kind of wanted to know why someone like you is going to Canterlot of all places."
"Someone like me?" Ubi's ears perked up, "What does that mean?" he asked with a suspicious glare.
"Well, we don't get many other species going to Canterlot, especially those so, well, roughly attired." Ubi cocked his head, confused.
"Canterlot's a place for nobility and those who provide services for high-class events such as me."
"High-class events?"
"Yes, for example the Midnight Masquerade happening in about a week, I'm performing there."
"You do tricks?" Ubi's mind wandered to the thought of the pony in a clown outfit. She chuckled.
"No, not that kind of performer," She stepped into her booth and brought out a large Saddlevaari cello, and started to play a warm, low melody.
It was like nothing else Ubi had ever heard before. The pacing was smooth and rich, the feel was warm and light, bringing a glow about the room as if the lamps had come back on to dance across the car. He found himself humming along with the tune of the cello, accompanying it lightly in ambience. The mare moved her bow back and forth across the strings so adeptly, without even breaking a sweat. Although the low pitch of the cello was loud, it seemed to blend into the walls as if the whole car was contributing to the sound of the cello's bellowing voice. Soon the tune came to a close with a last draw of the bow.
Ubi started to clap as if by instinct, stopping after a few moments after realizing he might wake every pony on board.
"That was..." he could find no words to describe it, "What was tha-" The mare raised a hoof as if she knew exactly what he wanted to say.
"That's only the prelude, nothing to really be amazed about."
"Prelude?"
"A beginning of a song, in laypony terms."
"There's more?" Ubi's ears perked up, tail wagging.
"Yes, if you want to hear the entire suite, I'll be performing at the Canterlot Garden Concert Hall." She started to sway, yawning, "Oh, excuse me. I guess I should be going back to sleep." Ubi raised his paw, but let it drop. He wanted to hear more, but didn't want to keep her awake.
"Can I ask what your name is?" She turn and smiled gently.
"Octavia." She placed her polished cello in its red velvet lined case. After clasping it shut, she turned around, "And yours?"
"Ubi."
"Ubi... What a peculiar name," she remarked, then left for her booth. Ubi slumped in his seat, looking out across the now frozen landscape, now with a wide grin across his face.
He knew what he wanted to do now...
Symphony No. 1 - First Movement
Symphony No. 1 - The First Movement
The golden light of the east peered through the windows, shimmering off of the sleek coats of snow on the ground as if the ground was a glistening amber sea; the train, a tan hulled cruise liner slicing through its waters. Closer and closer it made its way towards the royal ivory castle in the distance to the southwest. As the train crossed a river, the nearly frozen water scattered in veiled splashes, yielding to the speed of the train.
Ubi leaned on the back of his seat, arm rested beneath his chin, ears drooping as he let the warming light wash over him, eyes wistfully closed. A slow rise of one eyelid gave him a glimpse of the passengers slowly thinning out as each one departed at his or her stop, leaving a half of the booths decked out with green translucent glass empty. He reach up a shaking paw, slowly pulling down a blind on his side as a soft sigh escaped from his jagged lips. He still wasn't used to the light of the sun, much more preferring the lesser light of the moon and stars after being underground for so long.
'Maybe this is a change I will learn to like.' He thought to himself as he sprawled out onto the lavish white cushions of his seat. The conductor had gone through each car, dimming the lamps as morning came, leaving only the luminescence of the dawn. It would only be a few hours now until the train arrived at the station. His jaws opened wide as he yawned, folding his arms behind his head and crossing his legs as he drifted into a late nap.
He had never stayed up this 'late' before, most diamond dogs would have been asleep by early twilight, waking up near mid afternoon. He often wondered why their sleep cycle was like that.
"It's because we're um... what's that fancy word the surfacers used? Nocturny? Something like that?" He recalled the old diamond dog's words, "Means we work at night, sleep during the day. We're more healthy under the moon than the sun."
It was the first time he had actually seen a sunrise, but even after seeing one for himself, he didn't understand why many of the books he had read made such a big deal about it. Indeed, it was very relaxing to witness, but it wasn't something that Ubi would call 'special'. He felt it lacked something, something vital that made it special.
He hummed a little tune that he heard in his head a long time ago, feeling himself drift off into sleep. A brisk wind blew in as the conductor left for the main car. As the air settled into casual blankets, Ubi felt his worries melt away.
A white wind blew across a cold ocean of snow, a small pup crying out for his mother desperately scanning out across sheets of cold-white.
"MAMA!" He cried out, clutching a cloak tight around him, buffeting his fur, chilling him to the bone. Falling to his knees, he wept, tears falling like broken crystals into the snow. It was only him, his tracks, and the shrieking wind. He crawled through the snow, clawing his way towards an unknown destination with only a whisper calling out to him. His large paws dropped to the snow, heavy with exhaustion, and his bays were lost to the blizzard. The numbing darkness washed over him, followed with a blaring whistle.
"MAMA!" He sat up with a sharp gasp, heaving stricken breaths. A quick glance of his surroundings confirmed that he was still on the train, the conductor stared at him with concern written on his face.
"You okay there, sonny? You were whimpering and howling in yer sleep." Ubi sighed in response.
"Bad dream," he whimpered. He wrapped his arms around his knees, secretly shedding a tear.
"Ah, don't worry, happens to all 'o us sooner or or later," He pulled out a cart. "Care for some co-" The conductor paused as Ubi gave him a sharp glare. "-coa?"
"Can't, makes diamond dogs sick," he growled.
"Ahem, never mind then." The conductor started ruffling through a lower tray on the cart. "Hmm, well if you can't have any cocoa then, Aha! How about some milk?" Ubi nodded in reply. "Alrighty then." A carton flip and a splash of white later, the conductor placed a ceramic mug of milk in front of Ubi. “Anything else I can getcha?”
“No thanks.” With a nod and a whistle, the conductor left for the next car. Ubi took the mug in paw and raised it up to his lips, taking a slow sip of of the creamy liquid. The dream still lingered in his mind as it brought tears to his eyes. He placed the mug down, leaning back onto the furnished cushions of the booth.
“Ubi? Is there something wrong?” He turned to see Octavia, rubbing her eyes in pink laced pajamas.
“Bad dream, that is all.” Octavia blinked, trotting over to sit down across from Ubi.
“Care to tell me about it?” Ubi shook his head in response. Octavia frowned. “Come now, my mother used to tell me that the best way to get over nightmares are to talk about them. So, out with it.” Ubi looked away, wrapping his scarf around his muzzle, the word 'mother' bring a pain to his heart. Octavia reached over the booth table and pulled down the scarf. “That bad, huh?” Ubi shut his eyes, nodding with a grief stricken 'yes'. Octavia sighed, resigned to let the matter go.
“I guess some nightmares are too bad to talk about.” She shied away, blushing. “I'm sorry for asking.” She got up and started to go back to her booth.
“WAIT!” A cry escaped from Ubi's lips before he clasped his large paws over them. Octavia turned around.
“Yes?” Ubi slowly lowered his paws, his words coming out in a whimpering tone.
“Could you... make more of that, what do you call it?”
“Music?” Octavia answered.
“Yes, music.”
“I'd love to.” With a glint in her eye, she pulled out her fabled ebony cello case, etched on the side of it was something that Ubi never noticed before, a faded engraving of a name: Aria, a hoof hid it away from sight as she undid the shining metal clasps that housed her prized possession: The Saddlevaari cello that produced such a wondrous tune the night before, and a wooden bow, warm to the touch.
Ubi got a closer look at the two pieces, both had telltale signs of tender care and use over the years: worn coats of polish, hoof prints across the glossed surfaces, and even a few nicks in the wood itself from accidents long forgiven. Octavia brandished her bow in a gray hoof. She drew in a much needed breath, exhaling in a rushed sigh. Her eyes closed as the bow drew a long saddened stroke across the strings.
Hallowed curtains of sunlight glided through the raised shades of the train, painting the train car with a rich satin glow as Octavia began a drawn out piece. Unlike the warm, calming suite from the night before, this melody instead possessed a bittersweet nostalgia, every note holding deep and heavy longing for something left behind. A glint of white flashed in the dawn's early light across her eyelashes. Slowly and slowly, the sparkle beaded up and trickled down her muzzle in the form of a lonesome tear birthed by a memory from a star-crossed past. Her heart trembled as she played, each stroke of the bow seeming to shake the train to its very core with the prolonged vibrations of the silver gleaming strings. A few stray snowflakes grace the outer window of the train, melting on contact with the frosted glass. After the soft pitch of a few light strokes blends with the ambiance, the cello scales down a few notes, bringing a tragic touch to the chord. The adagio rises in pitch to a warm timbre arpeggio beckons from the instrument for another to join.
Suddenly, the tune lifts an entire octave as another instrument starts to play: a violin. The pitch shifts to a light adagio seeming to cry out to all the passengers that it wanted to see someone one, last time before the cello returned the melody once again to a tenor pitch. Ubi glanced around the car in response to the new sound, finding a mare holding the violin in hoof. She was a white mare with a bold black mane. The homely touch of a piano soon chimed in, wrought from the ivory keys of a compact keyboard and the black hooves of a stallion with a silver mane.
The three ponies played harmoniously, each one complimenting the other perfectly in a contrite, lonely piece as the sun sailed the morning sea of purple and vermillion with a solemn touch of winter gray. The train continued its voyage towards Canterlot as the three pony ensemble played. Soon, the other ponies who stayed in for the trip awoke gently to the sound of music, one by one exiting their booths in curiosity and awe at the piece now rising to a luscious volume, touching the hearts of each and every pony whose ears were fortunate enough to grasp the glorious but mournful sound that echoed softly throughout the car.
Although no pony said a word, every pony started to douse the lamps completely and close each and every one of the shades, save for two, making a makeshift spotlight for the three ponies while dimming the entire car, making it a humble but memorable stage for the performers. Like stars shining in an artificial night, there was not a single dry eye in the car as tears welled up and shimmered in instinctive response to the trio's music. Octavia's cello drew a foreboding chord leading the tune into a slowed largo tempo. The piano lifts the tune back up again, now shifting it into a brighter, more hopeful air as if gently whispering to each and every pony willing to listen, “We all have loved ones that we miss, but fear not, sooner or later, we'll see them again, be patient, be silent, and always keep them in your heart.”
A light scale from the piano draws in the violin as the black colt's hooves dance to a spritely minuet across his small keyboard. The violin plays a light turn to accompany the refrain of the cello's velvet chorus. A high key brushes back and forth between two light piano chords as the train starts to slow to a gentle rocking stop. The piano, violin, and cello strike sorrowed, extended chords to draw the piece to a blanketed close.
The train was still for several seconds, until it was Ubi, tears streaking down his face, who stood and applauded first, starting a massive standing ovation throughout the entire train. Even the conductor stood to clap. After an entire minute of applause, the din slowed to a halt, and the conductor, trying his best to hide a whimpering face, called out to every pony on the train:
“End of the Line: Canterlot.” He exited the car bringing out a small pink handkerchief.
The passengers soon gathered their things and headed out of the train. Octavia and the two other performers packed up their instruments. Ubi slung his sack over his shoulder, and headed towards the trio. Octavia was the first to notice him approach.
“Yes?” Ubi wiped away the last of his tears and answered.
“Thank you for playing.” He bowed, as was customary for diamond dogs to do when something meriting great honor was done. “Can I ask who played with you?” This got the attention of the black colt and the white mare.
“Oh right! I forgot I haven't introduced you to the rest of the orchestra, how rude of me.” She chuckled shyly before starting, “The pianist of our section is Ebony Keys, Equestria renouned pianist and recipient of the annual Clopin award for 4 years running.” At this Ebony blushed.
“I'm not THAT well renowned,” he interrupted, leaning in towards Ubi, “She just likes to flatter me to see me blush.” The white mare chuckled. Octavia rolled her eyes with a smile.
“And our violinist for our section is Ivory Fiddler, first place violinist in the Annual Battle of the Bands of Manehattan...”
“Charmed.” Ivory held out her hoof. Ubi stared at it with a puzzled expression. Ivory cleared her throat awkwardly before drawing it back.
“...and second place winner of Appleoosa's Fetlock Fiddler Competition last year.” Ivory sighed at Octavia's side note.
“I still can't manage to beat my cousin, there's just this one section of her song that she does every year that I can't play for the life of me.”
“Who is your cousin?” Ubi asked.
“Fiddle Sticks of the-” She shuddered “-APPLE side of the family.” Octavia leaned in to whisper to Ubi.
“She's not very proud of the rather... 'uncouth' side of the family tree.”
“What is 'uncouth'?”
“Well, unrefined, ignoble, base.” A glare from Octave shot a glare at Ivory for her answer. Ubi cocked his head, wondering what that was all about.
“We should probably be going now.” Octavia hefted her cello case in hoof and started towards the car exit door. Ubi's mind raced to think of something else, hoping for the trio to stay a bit longer. An idea broke through at the last minute.
“WAIT!” The three turned simultaneously. It was now or never for Ubi.
“Could you three...” he folded his paws shyly, trying to find the right words, “Teach me how to make music like you do?”
Ubi's heart started to race, he could feel his paws starting to sweat. He started to think that it was the wrong thing to ask of them. After all, they did have the Midnight Masquerade to practice for. He half-expected for them to turn around with disapproving faces and reject him on the spot.
But Octavia turned around, a warm smile spreading across her face, the same gentle expression that Ubi saw this morning, and saying the three words that made Ubi's heart soar higher than any pegasus had ever flown.
“I'd love to...”
