Professionalism

The buff-yellow stallion looked at his chamber choir, the glint of passion near fury in his eyes as he gestured downward, and then moved it strongly left with his right hoof for a a setup to a strong entrance. I know this song like the back of my hand. Shouldn't be hard, not at all. The group collectively opened their mouths, singing the opening profoundly well, as expected; forte, directly to fortissimo a measure after, and four measures later, a sforzando. Their diction was clean, their volume was spot on, and the intensity was simply perfect.

Ruling in the fear of God...how appropriate. His thought drifted to the ponies behind him; the audience were mostly ponies he had never heard of, but his nervousness didn't lie there, not one bit. It was the fact that rulers of Equestria, Princesss Celestia and Princess Luna were viewing this Choir's performance. If he managed to mess up in any way, shape or form, he would certainly be cast in a bad light in Canterlot.

The pianist played his part perfectly as Step's hooves became less tense, his gaze less intimidating as he began to calm himself down; there were times when Step had gotten too passionate about his work, the emotions flowing through the piece almost too much to control...but he needed to remain in control here. He needed to remain professional. The voices came in at the perfect time, as expected; eighth rest and then immediate entrance at a pianissimo. Once more, diction was spot on, and especially crucial...but they pulled it off wonderfully.

As the music softened, Step couldn't help but think of the year that had passed; he had been evicted from his parents' home for one whole year, bringing nothing but the money in his wallet, his suit, and saddlebags of food, drink and supplies to keep himself sustained. It was a miracle that Equestria hadn't killed him; many brushes with death, many run ins with nature...and yet, he was here. Alive after a year of roaming Equestria, from Fillydelphia to Ponyville to Canterlot and more, showing his musical prowess! Alive and conducting the final piece in a three hour gauntlet of vocal and physical endurance (minus a 15 minute intermission). This was the thing he had missed most; his job. Working with these ponies that he had never even thought he would meet, all for his art and theirs; a collective effort of doing something everyone loved. It was a lovely harmony (pun completely intended), and as Step finally placed his hooves down, he heard the applause from behind him...and as he turned, he saw a standing ovation from Celestia and Luna.

His low voice almost trembled at the sight as he gripped the mic with his hoof with a smile, facing the audience. “Thank you all, have a wonderful night, and I bid you all safe travels, where ever you may be from.” And with that, he got back on all fours and let out a small sigh. At long last, finally done. As the singers left with their loved ones, Step simply sat down and closed his russet eyes. Never have I been so...overwhelmed. Wing-beats were heard coming toward Step...and as much as Step was tired and hungry, he had to see the Princesses.

Little did he know that they wanted to see him just as much. Step bowed before the two royal figures, and the smiles on their faces were large. “Hello, Maestro Lock.” The Princess of the Night spoke, her voice calm and gentle. “We have heard of a new talent arising all around Equestria. It seems the rumors were true; a young conductor wearing a suit at all times with a passion for his work. I have not seen such passion in conducting in eons, and for that, I...no, we truly commend you.” Step's face turned a bright crimson as he looked the mares in the eyes, attempting to remain collected.

“I-It's an honor, Your Majesties. You have heard of my travels?” The Princess of the Sun nodded with a smile on her face.

“We hear much of them...but seeing and hearing are two different things, my little pony. I believe Luna has something she'd like to offer you...” Celestia turned around, walking off. “Good night, Maestro Lock. I hope to meet you again sometime soon.” She spread her wings, taking off into the moonlit sky.

“Again sometime soon...? What does she mean by that...?” Step cocked an eyebrow, Princess Luna simply smiling at the maestro.

“We have noted your strength; being able to walk from your home all around Equestria, just to pursue your dream without being harassed by your parents. An admirable feat, if a rather reckless one.” The stallion bashfully kicked the ground, blushing. “But I have business to attend to; dreams to visit, nightmares to vanquish. So allow me to be as blunt as I can; I, Princess Luna of Equestria, would like you to be the maestro of the Royal Orchestra and Choir.” Step's blush intensified as his attempt to remain professional was being broken into microscopic pieces, and then individually dissected. But as he opened his mouth, Luna quickly cut him off. “You have much to consider; your life here in Manehattan. Your friends and family. Growing accustomed to Canterlot life, and the life of fame...should you accept this occupation-”

“YES!” Step found himself speaking in the Royal Canterlot Voice, unable to contain his excitement any further. “I-I apologize. I'm just a tad excited, is all. Just a tiny bit.” The mare found herself giggling a little at the stallion's rather...energetic response.

“Understandable. Now, if you're really quite sure about this, I cordially invite you to Canterlot Castle exactly three days from now.” Magically, a train ticket was summoned; more specifically, a first class ticket to Canterlot. “There is no need for formal attire...in fact, we discourage it for a number of reasons, but we shall cross that bridge when we get to it, yes?” The stallion bobbed his head and the mare spread her wings. “Very good. I hope to see you then. Buona notte, Signore Lock. (Good night, Mister Lock.)” And just like that, she flew off into the night, leaving a bedazzled Step standing there...

For what seemed to be the first time in a long time, he broke his facade of professionalism and simply laughed as he trotted home gleefully. “Yesyesyesyes*yesyesyesyesyes!” He could have hopped, skipped, and frolicked in the fields like a schoolfilly, he did *not care. One whole year of traveling Equestria to come back to his hometown of Manehattan and to suddenly be asked to be a maestro for royalty!

His place of residence was in front of him...and while he loathed that house and near everything in it, he needed to go in. Bragging rights! “Music won't get you anywhere!”, my hoof! He burst right in to immediately regret it.

The smell of alcohol was overpowering...and most likely, it was because his mother was in the vicinity. Dear Luna, I did not miss this.

“Step! *Come here!*” The stallion shook his head at the mare's order, closing his eyes and walking to his kitchen...

It looked as though a Timberwolf had ravaged the kitchen and had coughed up it's dinner, Step's mother being the centerpiece of the destruction. She was a relatively thin mare with an off-creme colored coat and a rather short, red tinted black mane...and despite being 30 or so years older than Step, she was shorter than him. “Where have you-” The stallion quickly cut her off, his mind fairly level headed despite the smell of alcohol stabbing his sense of smell.

“Let's get down to brass tacks. What kind of favor do you want? If you want me to stay, it's a no; I'm moving out in three days, and that's final.” A small pause before she let out a belch and hysterically laughed. Nice to see the drunkard's takin' care of herself; drinking, gambling, and generally a slothful lifestyle. Great to hear.

“Your...your...hey! Hey, hey! Are you even listening to me...? Your...” She began to slur, her mind quickly blanking out as she took another swig of beer. “I...I wanna go to a bar...” Step narrowed his eyes at the vile mare; he was just about finished with her. In fact, he was finished before he started! He didn't need to do this! He did not need to stand for foalsitting. Not today, when his night was going perfectly.

But Luna knows that if anything happens to her, I might be held responsible. He exhaled, and despite his already massive amount of frustration, he found himself grabbing his pair of keys in a futile attempt to destroy them with his hooves. “...Let's just go.” The teen spoke through grit teeth as he grabbed the door, watching the mare stumble out...