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...
The Flank Slammer was located in the heart of Manehattan, where the nightlife thrived, the conmen thrived more, and the nightclubs (and drunks in them) were plentiful. “Here we are, Mistah Lock! The Flank Slammer. That'll be twenty bits.” The stallion fished around inside of his mother's purse, taking twenty bits and placing them in the stallion's bag. "Have a nice night, you two!" The carriage puller watched as the mare made her way into the club. "So, you're the lucky stallion that's tappin' that, huh?" The stallion felt his eye twitch, and he proceeded to give the puller a death glare.
“I'm not married to her, I don't plan on getting married to her, and I certainly don't want to be associated to her. She is, in all senses of the word, repulsive. Now look; I know that I am going to Tartarus if and when she comes out of there and I am not there to guide her back. So I do hope we have an understanding, yes? You wait here, and the moment she gets out of there, grab her, place her in the carriage, and GO.” The irritation was evident in his voice and his twitching, narrowed eyes. “And by Luna, if you happen to take some other mare to my home, I will find you and gut you like a fish. Capisce (Do you understand?)?” The carriage horse widened his eyes at the maestro, who looked like he was just about to snap.
“Alright, alright! Sheesh...I was kidding.” A nervous laugh from the stallion before he sat down, smiling uneasily as the maestro walked off angrily.
Of course. The night I return, something amazing happens. What happens after? I get stuck foalsitting my own mother. Wonderful. Simply wonderful. The bouncer gave a nod to the mare walking in...and looked at Step, an eyebrow raised. You've got to be kidding me. I was practically a regular here, given how often the old lady drank! He growled and looked the bouncer in the eyes.
“I don't want to start anything, but I need to make sure that my mother doesn't go off and kill herself.” The bouncer raised an eyebrow at the maestro, who now had discarded any form of his professionalism out of frustration. “Hey. You. Does the name 'Step Lock' ring any bells? Do you have any idea who I am? 'Cause if you don't, I won't just be known as a conductor, I'll be known as the stallion that will send you to the damned hospital.” The bouncer simply sighed, looking at Step with a rather cocky grin.
“Your funeral, kid.” And just as their hooves were about to go up, an employee walked out, gripping the bouncer's hoof and looking him in the eyes.
“Rough Edge...this was the guy we were talking about. You can let him in.” And with a grumbling of something about hospitals and height, the bouncer reluctantly opened the door with the maestro just as reluctantly walking inside.
I have a migraine, and I've just entered this place. This is going to be a long night... Step looked around at the nightclub; dazzling strobe lights were practically blinding him, and smell of alcohol, sweat and shame filled the air...
Thankfully, there was no music, at least...not quite yet. It seemed that either the DJ was late or they were switching DJs; he was thankful for that much. There's not much to do at the moment, and I'm glad for that. The black maned stallion glanced toward his mother and simply smiled, seeing her drink. Good. That'll keep her occupied for a while. I don't quite intend to stay here, not when they're changing their acts... He began to swiftly make his way across the crowd, having spotted a door on the other side.
Entering, he looked around as he walked slowly, carefully. Alright! It smells a lot less here...in fact, I'd say it smells pretty good. Is someone cooking something? The stallion walked forward curiously, his eyes wandering about the rather large, dark area. Odd. This doesn't look like a kitchen of any sort... He then proceeded to lean on what he thought was a wall... “Well, I suppose I can just-”
It wasn't. In fact, it was a door, and Step just so happened to bump muzzles against an off white coated mare. And there it is. The one thing that can make my night worse! He felt a blush come onto his face as he began to stammer and panic. “I-I-” And like a flash of lightning, Step felt a hoof slam against his forehead.
“W-What the hell?! What are you doing in my tech room? I didn't call for anyone!” The stallion held his ground, rubbing his forehead as he backed up slowly, bashfully.
“Augh...n-no, wait! I didn't mean to-” Another punch to the face, the cheek this time. “Wait, please! Let me explain myself!” Step started to plead; hitting a mare was never something he wanted to do, and he damn sure wasn't going to start now...even though his forehead and mouth were bleeding a little.
“You have ten seconds before I call security, creeper! What, do you want an autograph? Or are you another crazed fan, waiting for me to arrive? Honestly!” The stallion took out a handkerchief from his coat pocket, dabbing away at his blood.
“I...I'm here to just watch over my drunk, idiot mother, alright? I just happened to stumble upon the backstage area, thought that door was a wall and accidentally bumped muzzles with you, alright?” He took a step forward, the frustrations of the night starting to get to him as his courage to speak his mind unleashed!
“I didn't mean to do anything. I didn't mean to see you, I didn't mean to even get to know you! For the love of Tartarus, I don't want to be here! I'm allergic to alcohol, for the love of Celestia! And ever since that one good thing happened to me tonight, after a year of traveling Equestria, I come home and I have been pelted with crap. Foalsitting my goddamned mother, having the carriage puller think we're dating, having the guard hassle me because he was new and didn't know who I was, and now, this. So if you want to call the guards, fine! *Do me the goddamned favor!***” The colt was in tears at this point as he stomped a hoof on the ground, his eyes wide as he glared at the DJ, who managed to remain surprisingly calm despite Step's ranting.
“Whoa, there...look, I'm sorry I overreacted. That was my bad.” The colt's rage had simmered down into a guilty sadness as his mind began to function properly once more. She hadn't quite done anything to wrong him; in fact, she was quite right. Barging into her tech room, even by accident, was still something he hadn't even properly apologized for... “Hey...wait, are you crying? Come on, ya filly...it seems like you've had a long night. Long year, from what you've told me.” She soothingly rubbed his back. Celestia, this guy's really sensitive. A year out in Equestria? Man, he doesn't really act like it.
He started to calm down, looking at the ground bashfully and out of embarrassment. “Dear, I seem to be crying. That's...that shouldn't be happening for a stallion of my age. Not in public...” He cleared his throat, his eyes bloodshot and his throat in desperate need of water. “I apologize, that was completely rude on my part.”
“Hey, don't sweat it. I'm at fault as much as you are; you ended up bumping your muzzle to me, I ended up overreacting to an accident. It's cool...and besides, I shoulda thought. I mean, you don't see a stallion in a suit going to a nightclub every night, do ya? At least, I sure don't.” A small pause followed as she gave him a glass of water telekinetically, Step eagerly downing the cup in response. “My set's in ten minutes from now; everything's set, and I was just lounging back here. It's my first big gig, this place...can't wait. I'm a bit nervous, but man...after this, the name DJ-PON3'll be spreading like wildfire.” Step had calmed down, his throat opening up a bit more to let him inhale and exhale without struggle. “You ain't too bad. What's your name, suit?”
“It's Step. Step Lock...wandering Maestro of Equestria, and newly appointed Maestro for the Royal Orchestra and Choir.” A small smile appeared on his face as he brushed his coat a bit. “I'm going to Canterlot in three days to get my title officially. It was the good thing I mentioned earlier, and...wow, I still can't believe it. Working for royalty.” His small smile turned into a large grin as he got up from his seated position.
Vinyl smiled at the stallion, her trademark shades still on. “I'm glad for ya, filly. Really, I am. Maybe you can send some of that cash over to me?” There was a small chuckle from the maestro as he decided to get a little more comfortable, leaning next to her.
“Perhaps. Depends on how much I earn, really. I may be paid in bits, or in benefits...but sure, why not? I mean, I know that it's a terrible time to be a musician, especially with all these newcomers stepping up...” The DJ gave Step a rather blunt look, Step quickly managing to stumble back as he began to stammer. “H-Hey, it works to your advantage. If you've got something new, that's great. I'm just saying that there's a lot of competition out here, is all.” The mare shook her head, gently ruffling his mane.
“You're a weird filly, y'know? But I like ya.” Vinyl looked over her equipment, and then towards Step with a smile. “Step, was it? How's about you and I have a drink or two after the show? I know that you're allergic, but hey...think of you as being my eyes and ears. I can hold my liquor, but I might have a teeny tiny bit too much.” Step got up alongside Vinyl, looking at the dance floor.
Well, I suppose it would be better than foalsitting the drunk mare that'll just puke on me. Besides...rough and blunt as she is, she's plenty good company. But as much as I hate it, that mare is still my responsibility... His smile turned into a small grimace as the thought of his mother destroying the (relatively) miraculous night he was having. “But...Vinyl, right? I know it sounds really stupid, believe me, I'm the one saying this. But I need to look after my drunk mother.” There was a laugh from the disk jockey as she patted his back lightly.
“Oh, you're rich. You really are a weird filly, silly!” There was a small pause as Step looked Vinyl eye to eye without a trace of sarcasm or lightheartedness. “...Oh. You...you're serious. You're really serious-you need to take care of your drunk mom. I didn't believe it before, and I really can't believe it now...that's really the reason why you're here?! Hah! Well, 'least that explains the suit. No wonder you're dressed like that, you probably just came from something important.”
“Talking with the Princesses after my show, actually. Nice guess.” A quick knocking was heard coming from the door.
“Hey, DJ! Your show's gonna start! You done with that stallion that came in here?” A blush from both Step and Vinyl as the stallion rose before feeling a pressure suddenly weighing him down; telekinesis holding him still for a bit.
“Yeah!” She looked at him with a grin. “He's a friend of mine! Came here to see me personally! I'm letting him stay in the tech booth while I work my stuff, so don't mind him!”
“Gotcha! You're on in just a bit!” Hoofsteps could be heard going outside into the crowd.
Step looked at the mare, who simply smiled as she ruffled his mane. “Well, filly...I'm up. I'll see you here after the show, ya got that?” His russet eyes softened as he rose, gently patting his back and pulling her in for a hug.
“Knock them all dead. And if they aren't dead by the time it's over, I'll do the job for ya.” The mare blushed as she was hugged, letting out a small giggle from the rather morbid joke as she walked out...
Alright, Scratch. First big gig. You ain't gonna mess this up.
“Let's get this party started!”