Keys to the Heart

Chapters

Prologue
First Impressions
Second Chance
Hint of the past

Prologue

The small quirks of anypony can easily be discovered through careful observation, especially if you have known the pony you are observing for most of your life. The skill can be useful for measuring up a pony's attitude and their motives, or finding out exactly what a pony is thinking just by their body language and actions.

It also can help to assess the current well-being of your friends.

For example: pacing around in a circle enough times to start causing a visible indentation to appear on the ground? Something is definitely occupying most, if not all your thoughts.

Constantly fiddling with the bow-tie that you are wearing while constantly chewing your bottom lip? Somepony must be really nervous.

Not having your cello out prepared and tuned prior to a performance? The world must be coming to an end.

Sitting behind his piano ready for the upcoming performance sat Frederic Horeshoepin, a brown coated earth pony with an eggshell white mane, who was growing increasingly frustrated at the grey coated earth pony with a elegant charcoal mane pacing furiously around her cello case just a few feet from his position on the stage. All the thoughts from the observation drifted through Frederic’s head as he assessed his fellow musician as she paced endlessly around and around causing the visible erosion of the wooden stage floor. Octavia: probably the most talented and experienced cellist in history having played in a large number of prestigious concerts including in front of the princesses, had years of experience in performing, a sociable and undoubtedly attractive mare (although Frederic wouldn't express that particular opinion out loud), was surprisingly reduced to a nervous wreck and acting like a filly at her first recital for no obvious reason.

Frederic knew about anxiety and nervousness, the feelings caused large amounts of stress and plagued his life during his early years. Although he was an accomplished pianist now, rivaled by no other pony, the thought of error or failure with a performance always haunted him during his early years, the thoughts were so strong that he dedicated his childhood to the mastery of his instrument. It was through his dedication that he was now considered the best of the best, an experience shared by Octavia with her unrivaled skill with her cello. Through his dedication, confidence built, and with that the fear of failure dissipated, surfacing only during the most prestigious of performances which could alter his career as a pianist forever, whether it be positive or negative.

But now, Octavia was openly expressing her distress. The same symptoms of anxiety and extreme nervousness were obvious to any performer worth their salt. What bothered Frederic now though, was why? Admittedly the Grand Galloping Gala was a large setback, but that happened months ago! The band had undoubtedly recovered, regaining their previous popularity quickly after news of what not only the pink menace commonly known as Pinkie had done, but also the rest of the Elements of Harmony, who were mainly responsible for the catastrophe that the Gala had been, what with all the fauna from the garden being let loose among the guests.

Prior to this rather standard concert that the Canterlot Quartet was playing, there was no real change in any of the band member’s routines. The concert itself was a simple fare, merely playing as a charity band for one of their various employers. Although this was a charity concert which provided a rather meager amount of bits, the benefit of increasing their popularity through events such as this was how the quartet became popular in the first place. Overall for an experienced performer such as Octavia this concert should have been of no concern at all, especially since anypony could identify every member of the band a seasoned veteran for events such as this.

After the eighteenth rotation Frederic finally had enough. Octavia’s antics were not only starting to bother Harpo and Beauty Brass, the other quartet members who had only just finished their own preparations and were now staring in bewilderment at their friend's strange antics, but the lack of preparation from Octavia would soon delay their performance which definitely would impact negatively on the quartet's reputation. But considering that they were not supposed to be the only act playing but were currently the only act here, Frederic figured he had some spare time to try calm Octavia down prior to their performance, they were opening act after all and so had to set the standard for the next act that will proceed them.

Hopping out of his seat, Frederic briskly trotted over and coughed lightly into his hoof, gaining the attention of Octavia who immediately stopped and looked at Frederic in surprise, not noticing his sudden shift from the piano. Frederic frowned slightly when he noticed Octavia's eyes were slightly bloodshot from what appeared to be a lack of sleep. Although most veteran performers had already experienced the burden that is sleep deprivation and have still successfully performed without fail, causing no concern for their upcoming performance. Although the cause of sleep deprivation was of concern since usually small performances were not usually in need of a practice marathon that extended throughout the night.

After a brief amount hesitation, Frederic finally spoke.
"Octavia, whatever seems to be the problem? You have been running yourself ragged stressing over something that, no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to figure out!"

The reply was quiet, being extremely meek and timid in comparison to how Octavia usually was, but her voice still contained its usual sophistication which showed her Manehatten upbringing.
"W-well... you see... there is something that has been bothering me for a while now. It is not really of any major concern and will not really affect the group, but it is more of a private matter that you might be able to help with..."

Unfortunately before Frederic was able to ask about what exactly was bothering Octavia, and also why only he specifically could help her with her current problem, the backstage doors were suddenly flung open. The noise created by the double doors being encased in a light blue aura of magic and abruptly being slammed against the walls was an effective way of announcing the arrival of the other performer for the charity concert, the DJ known as DJ-PON3.

Just as spontaneous as her entrance, the DJ bellowed loudly, "What's up everypony! The party pony has arrived!"

Author's Note

Okay, it should be quite obvious that this is my first fan-fiction I've ever written.
If it isn't, then I tell you now that this is my first fan-fiction I've ever written.

That's why I know that there will DEFINITELY be mistakes within my writing, any criticism is deeply appreciated and any corrections will be framed in a nice comment box and lovingly used in order to enhance my writing skill.

If you feel like you are up to the challenge of pre-reading my work, which has the potential to be frustrating enough that you might grow bald after the next couple of chapters, I implore that you send me a message.

Oh, and if this story does gain any success whatsoever I must apologize for any erratic chapter posting times, I'm still sorting out my school-work to free-time ratio and so it might take a while before any consistent chapter posting occurs.

Anyways, Thank you for reading~

First Impressions

Silence is amplified if it proceeds the event of a large amount of noise. In some cases, the complete lack of noise is far more noticeable than any amount of background noise. In the case following DJ-PON3's abrupt entrance, it would have been entirely appropriate to say that the silence was deafening.

The quartet gawked at the DJ as she strutted into the room. Frederic found it difficult to tell if she was oblivious to their reaction to her entrance, her signature purple tinted sunglasses covering any indication to where she was looking. Her horn was aglow with her magical aura as she levitated various pieces of equipment through the door, completely ignoring the fact that she was technically late.

She simply passed the quartet while giving them a small grin. The DJ simply exhibited confidence in her strides and it was quite obvious that she did not really care about the quartets opinion of her or her entrance, instead all she did was listen to her music through headphones while her head bobbed along to the loud music being played.

It was quite obvious that the music was being played loudly since Frederic had no trouble hearing it from opposite the stage. DJ-PON3 was bobbing her head in rhythm to the rather unfamiliar style of music. A strange amalgamation of something that sounded similar to the noises old electronic devices produced, 8-bit if Frederic could recall correctly, along with a heavy, driving electronic beat which seemed to create an atmosphere bristling with energy and excitement. Although Frederic had little to no knowledge of the particular genre of music, he had to admit that the overall tune was quite catchy.

Octavia though did not appreciate either the entrance nor the music being played. It was obvious that she was frustrated by both the sudden entrance and the extremely self-confident, if not arrogant, way the newcomer presented herself. Paired with her troubled mood from earlier, Octavia's attitude quickly descended into complete malice. A state that Frederic had only ever experienced once before during an incident that the quartet swore should never be mentioned ever again.

Before Frederic was able to question the sudden and extremely worrying attitude change, Octavia briskly trotted over to beside her cello case.

“They hired a DJ as the second act? Who in their right minds would do that?” Octavia scoffed.

DJ-PON3 somehow managed to hear Octavia over her music immediately took offence and glared at Octavia. Taking off her headphones, she immediately trotted over to Octavia in what definitely could only be described as an aggressive manner.
“And what the hay is that supposed to bucking mean?” She queried, her voice laced with venom.

Although Frederic winced slightly at the white mare's rather crass choice of language, he could not help but agree with her. Octavia rarely criticized music so openly, even if she detested the genre. Thinking that it was just a slip of the tongue caused by Octavia's current frazzled condition Frederic started to trot back to the piano. Octavia would surely respond with an apology for her sudden and rude outburst, something that was completely out of character compared to Octavia’s usual calm demeanor.

Or so he thought.

“What I mean, is that I thought they would hire a musician with skill” Octavia replied sharply.

The statement was simple but the implications behind it was enough to break the DJ's casual attitude. Frederic only had time to shout in surprise before the white mare dashed at Octavia, tackling and pinning her to the ground.

"You wanna run that by me again?" She hissed, surprising Frederic with her distinctive Baltimare accent which wasn't present when she spoke earlier.

The situation was bizarre to say the least for Frederic. The confusion wasn't from the scuffle that Vinyl and Octavia were currently engaged in but more from the way Octavia had reacted to the DJ. What had caused Octavia's mood to worsen to the extent that she would act completely out of her norm? Before the situation could escalate any further Frederic quickly trotted over and tapped Vinyl on the shoulder, not wanting to antagonize the mare any further, especially when she had the advantage of magic on her side in comparison to the all earth pony quartet.

A fierce scowl adorned the DJ's face as she snapped her attention to Frederic, even through her sunglasses it was easy to tell that she was angry. Octavia lay dazed on the floor under the DJ in what would have been a rather compromising position had the DJ's hoof not been positioned in an aggressive manner above Octavia's muzzle.

Before DJ-PON3 could voice her thoughts Frederic quickly did a shallow bow and spoke.

"My apologies on the behalf of Octavia, she has not been acting as per her usual standards and so has acted in a way that I am sure she will definitely regret later" Frederic said while directing a small glare at Octavia as he finished speaking.

Octavia had recovered enough from the initial shock of being bowled over to give the DJ a heated glare before looking away in shame as she registered Frederic's words. DJ-PON3 either did not notice the glare or chose to ignore it. Regardless she quickly stepped off of Octavia with a small huff, anger still creasing her features into a grimace.

Inwardly Frederic sighed in relief 'At least she won't do something stupid' he briefly thought before speaking again.

"My name is Frederic Horseshoepin, although Frederic is just fine" He said before extending his hoof out in a friendly gesture.

The DJ seemed to hesitate, just a small amount, before reciprocating Frederic's hoof-shake. She seemed to relax a slight amount but the way her she turned her head between Frederic and the rest of the quartet it was obvious that she was weary of them and seemed to be as if she was sizing them up, trying to find their motives.

The DJ seemed to have lost her Baltimare accent as she spoke, reverting back to her previous simple and urban way of speaking that did not seem to have any special twinge to it as most foreign accents had. "Vinyl Scratch, although most people know me as DJ-PON3." It was a statement, neither aggressive nor friendly.

'Vinyl Scratch... Why does that name sound so familiar?' Frederic thought as he lowered his hoof. There was something about the name 'Vinyl Scratch' that Frederic could not remember and Vinyl's physical features did not seem to help his memory whatsoever.

Even after the hoof-shake the tension did not decrease in the slightest. Frederic could practically feel Octavia's glare behind him, even though it was directed at Vinyl, and the way that Vinyl kept on glancing towards Octavia meant that she knew that Octavia still disliked her.

Wanting to keep a semblance of order between the musicians Frederic gave a quick smile to Vinyl.
"It was rather nice to meet you, but I am afraid that there is something of importance that I must discuss with my colleague"
Frederic said rather quickly while glancing over to Octavia, who appeared startled by his sudden announcement.

"Yeah, wish I could say the same" Vinyl said rather icily, her gaze still fixed onto Octavia.

Turning around, Frederic briskly trotted over to Octavia with a sigh and started ushering her towards the backstage door.
"We need to talk" was all Frederic had to say before Octavia slumped down in defeat, losing all the anger that she previously displayed as she quietly trotted in front Frederic, leaving her cello still lying unprepared in its case.

Author's Note

Okay, this chapter was slightly of rushed but I wanted to get all my ideas out before I lost them (I'm air-headed in that aspect)
If anyone would kindly be able to go over it and point out any mistakes or just any areas which feel a bit 'off' as they read it I would greatly appreciate it!

One thing that troubled me (which is easily changeable) is that Vinyl had yet to be introduced prior to her dialogue with Frederic so I just kept on referring her as 'The DJ' or 'DJ-PON3'.
The whole thing just made the text feel a little strange but simply addressing her as Vinyl prior to her formal introduction also sounds just as strange... Thoughts on this?

Second Chance

Annoyance, irritation, dissatisfaction. There was not a single word that could properly describe the sheer frustration that was plaguing Frederic as he tried to process exactly what just happened. To Frederic’s knowledge there had been no major catastrophes, the quartet members budgets were all still in the green, no relatives had died nor any close friends... What had caused such a negative reaction from Octavia?

Now it was Frederic’s turn to pace furiously as he became absorbed in his thoughts, oblivious to Octavia who was looking dejectedly at her hooves, twiddling he forehooves around like a small foal who had just been caught smuggling cookies in the middle of the night. The corridor leading to the backstage was wide enough for Frederic to be able to pace without being uncomfortable and so there was little to distract him from his thoughts.This was the scene for a good couple of minutes before Frederic realised he would not get any answers without asking Octavia directly.

“So...” Frederic began, causing Octavia to suddenly snap her head up in attention. “Would you care to explain what happened back there?” The question was...direct, to say the least. Frederic knew he probably could have worded it in a manner that did not imply that it was Octavia’s fault. But with the concert only minutes away he simply did not have the time and so opted for the direct approach, regardless of how uneasy it made Octavia or himself feel.

Various possible responses from Octavia streamed into Frederic's head, his rather creative imagination suddenly conjuring images of anger, distress, panic, bitterness all caused Frederic to instantly flinch away before Octavia even managed to register what he said.

What Frederic wasn't expecting though, was complete and utter silence from Octavia who instead opted to just grimace and look away. The mare had a sharp wit accompanied by a sharp mind, if she felt that her perspective was correct then she could and would argue for days on end.

Now Frederic also became nervous as the area suddenly seemed to become saturated with uneasiness, the normally verbal mare suddenly becoming taciturn has never bode well for him.

'Awkward moments of silence seems to be a recurring theme today' Frederic silently mused to himself, it was a rather amusing thought that was quickly overcome with anxiety as the situation continued to sour. Octavia's continued silence did nothing to help remedy the situation at all either.

"Octavia..." Frederic began, he failed to continue though, he was at a loss for words. Even for all his time around Octavia he could not tell if he had offended his friend with his rather intrusive question even if his intentions were well placed.

"You, of all ponies, should know the problem" Octavia suddenly stated. It was not hostile but neither was it informative, leaving Frederic with a slew of new questions instead of answers.

"What do you mean I should know the problem?" Frederic snapped back, his patience, although vast, was quickly wearing thin. The whole situation confounded him, something was clearly amiss but no matter how long he pondered, no answer would reach him.

Octavia's expression changed from one of petulance to surprise almost instantaneously, something was amiss with Frederic, there was no way that he could have forgotten what happened during high school.

"So... You don't know?" Octavia carefully inquired. Her current position in the whole situation was precarious, if she was to avoid any further complications then she would have to play her cards correctly, even if the hand she had been dealt was less than favorable.

Frederic however was becoming more and more frustrated by the second, there was definitely something that he was missing.

"What am I supposed to know exactly?" Frederic curtly replied, his teeth grinding together and face scowling. Although he had separated Octavia from the rest of the group so that he could get some answers he seemed to be getting the opposite instead, only more questions than he would ever care for.

"You don't recognize her at all?" Octavia slowly inquired, her voice tip-toeing around Frederic's flustered form.

This caused Frederic to pause, his slight scowl suddenly becoming a blanked shock instead. Frederic had indeed recognized Vinyl from somewhere but couldn't remember where from. It could have been a poster, somewhere on the street, in the recording studio... the possibilities were endless. 'But then why does she sound like she expects me to know her?'

Frustration gave way to sheer curiosity, Octavia clearly knew something that he should have known but didn't.
"And why should I recognize her?" Frederic inquired, frustration still evident in his voice.

Octavia suddenly starts to panic, stammering quickly she managed to blurt out a feeble 'never mind' that was only just heard by Frederic.

Frederic was livid, not only did he not fulfill his initial objective of finding out what was wrong, he now was filled with more questions than answers and he now finds one of his best friend's is withholding information from him. As much as Frederic tries to deny it, he had always had a very short temper, fueled by the stresses of living as a professional musician it made him into a near living time-bomb that could explode any second.

"What do you mean 'Never mind'!" He bellowed, Octavia flinched as if she had been slapped across the muzzle, tears springing to her eyes on instinct, while Frederic did indeed have a short temper and grew angry quickly he rarely showed it.

Frederic's anger quickly subsided upon noticing the tears on Octavia, he rarely grew truely angry at any of his friends and so instantly became filled with regret when Octavia started to shake slightly, shocked from Frederic's sudden outburst.

Frederic quietly trotted up to Octavia and drew her into a hug, quietly he whispered "Oh Octavia... I'm so sorry". Octavia was still in mild shock, fresh tears forming in her eyes, she was shaking slightly but also enjoying her embrace with Frederic. The previous topic of Vinyl seemed to disappear with Frederic's anger and so did her worries while in his embrace.

'Maybe now I can tell him...' Octavia thought, but before she could think of anything to say the corridor door swung open.

"I do say, what is with all these delays?" came a voice. It was not pompous like some Canterlot high-society ponies, but a more sophisticated pronunciation. In trotted Fancypants, flanked by Beauty Brass and Harpo. Fancypants bore a slight scowl which turned quickly into a concerned frown upon noticing Octavia's now slightly bedraggled state.

Fancypants softly walked up to Octavia, who was still being held close by Frederic. "Dear, what seems to be the problem?" His voice was filled with genuine concern. Most of the general public thought of high-society ponies as selfish and arrogant, Fancypants clearly showed how wrong they could truly be.

Although Octavia was what could be considered 'okay', her bedraggled state left her looking like a complete mess and definitely unsuitable for any type of performance whatsoever, let alone a public appearance. Suddenly, Frederic jumped up from his position beside Octavia, completely startling all present in the corridor.

"The performance!" He shouted, Octavia was even less prepared than she was before now that she had to clean up her appearance before the performance. There was also the fact that her cello was still left in the case, pristine yet unprepared, and could be seen from where Frederic was currently standing. Panic gripped the quartet who all immediately rushed for the door, leaving Fancypants bewildered inside the corridor.

Frederic rushed over to the piano, nearly colliding with Vinyl who was busily setting up her own equipment. "Hey! Watch it!" She shouted, not noticing the complete panic that had gripped the other performers. "Terribly sorry, but we really are in a rush!" Frederic hurriedly replied as he rushed off to distribute the sheet music needed for the upcoming performance. As the quartet leader he needed to make sure everypony had finished all their preparations and were ready for the performance, a task that was unfinished at due to the events prior with Octavia.

It was probably the rushed response that Vinyl initially noticed which caused her to realize what was going on around her. Instruments were quickly being checked, rushed yet professionally, by Frederic and Beauty Brass while Octavia had only just started tuning of her cello with assistance from Harpo. Vinyl had already finished her preparation a couple of minutes ago, magic helped the situation immensely.

Finding that she was quickly becoming bored, Vinyl started to walk among the quartet, curious as to how they were preparing. Finding that Frederic was sitting alone on his piano, arranging his sheet music to be neat and presentable, Vinyl decided to walk up to him. Tapping him on his shoulder she quickly inquired, "Is Octavia usually this late in preparing?".

It never did occur to Frederic how Vinyl knew who Octavia was, he was far too busy with his preparations to notice small details. Vinyl hung around Frederic waiting for an answer, he was completely oblivious to her or anything else in his surroundings. His full attention was solely dedicated to his preparations, which is why it was understandable that he screamed like a little filly when Vinyl's head suddenly popped into his vision accompanied by a long drawn out 'Hellooooo~?'

The small commotion drew attention from the rest of the quartet for only a moment, a small frown adorned Octavia's features upon noticing that Vinyl was the cause but she quickly dismissed the distraction, opting to finish her very late preparations as soon as possible.

Chuckling slightly at his antics, Vinyl continued as if nothing had happened. "So what's with the whole, 'Must ignore everything', thing you've got goin'"? Vinyl inquired, her demeanor was definitely friendlier to Frederic than to Octavia, a fact that Frederic quickly noticed. Not wanting to cause any more problems Frederic decided to humor Vinyl, regardless of how annoyingly distracting she was being. "We are currently scheduled to be the first group playing today and unless the preparations are done within the next five minutes we are probably be going to be down a musician". The response was blunt and factual, the usual for Frederic upon being asked by a stranger.

"Well then why don't you just play a solo then?" Vinyl said, this caught Frederic completely off guard and caused him to flounder yet again. "What was that?" He quickly spluttered, this was the first time in his entire career that somepony suggest that he do a solo, even his band-members had never suggested such a thing, if they were going to be late then the whole group was late collectively so that no member would be singled out by the public.

The other band-members seemed to have other ideas however, apparently Beauty Brass managed to overhear Vinyl's suggestion. "That sounds like a great idea actually, it would give us enough time to get Octavia cleaned up as well" Beauty Brass said, loud enough so that Octavia and Harpo could hear her over their preparations. "Just choose something that won't trump our collective performance though" she said with a small chuckle.

"I, for one, would not mind in the slightest, although it would have been nice for one of you to inform me before the change in program" chuckled Fancypants who had only just walked in on time to hear the group's decision, Frederic and Beauty Brass had the decency to blush at their slight oversight.

"Curtains in five!" Shouted somepony, probably one of the backstage crew. "Well I'd better choose quickly then" mumbled Frederic, he hadn't a clue about what piece he should play finding most of his usual solo repertoire to be either too long or too flashy. Mulling over his choice, he was startled by a sudden suggestion from Vinyl.

"Why not River flows in you?"

It was an odd request, there was little information on the composer and so the piece was not well known among ponies. It was peculiar that Vinyl would choose a piece that was one of Frederic's childhood favorites but he quickly chalked it up to being coincidence. It had been a while since he had played the piece but if it was one thing Frederic had absolute confidence about it was his skill in playing piano.

"Curtains in one minute!" Said the same pony, although the volume was more restrained this time. The ponies onstage, excluding Frederic, started to move towards the backstage while quickly saying words of encouragement to Frederic.

"River flows in you it is" He simply stated, sitting himself on the piano stool he waited for the inevitable rise of the curtains.

Author's Note

ASSIGNMENTS! OH HOW YOU TAKE UP SO MUCH TIME!
Chapter was quite late due to a sudden slew of work that was suddenly presented to me, hopefully I will be able to have a regular pattern of chapter posting soon but currently I am bogged down T.T
Thanks for the patience though~

Hint of the past

The applause was tremendous.

Although it was typical for a performance to receive an applause of a similar nature and so was something that Frederic heard all the time there was one major difference, it was all directed solely at him. Taking a bow, Frederic could not help but swell with pride and joy from the reaction he had received from the crowd.

To say he was happy was an understatement, he was absolutely elated. It had been a long time since Frederic had played a solo piece. Piano's among ponies tended to be a group instrument, especially for Earth ponies since they usually were unable to manipulate the piano and its various assortment of keys to their full extent. Pegasi and Unicorns have the advantage of being able to use prehensile wings or precise magic respectively. Of course, all this did not really matter if you were a master pianist like Frederic.

Frederic wasn't exactly arrogant, he certainly was proud though, having been taught by high-society parents tends to create a sense of pride in one's self. However, his pride was not one of empty value, he fought for his place in the Canterlot music society. Years of dedicated study in playing the piano along with the some of the best music schools and the best tutors money could buy, wealth tended to help in the training of a prodigy.

Sometimes Frederic regretted those parts of his life, especially his childhood which was nearly non-existent from the rigorous tuition he received. Only ponies in a similar situation to him were ever considered his friends, specifically ponies like the members in his quartet. There is a reason they all work so well together, each and every one of them knew the similar feeling of regret upon reflection of their past and so they all understood each other. They understood the pain and frustration that hours upon hours of constant practice would give, they understood the crippling solitude that was felt nearly all the time, they understood why there was a near infinite amount of dedication that they each gave to their respective instruments. But most importantly they all knew what it felt like to be standing in the spotlight, to hear the applause of the crowd, to see the sheer numbers that acknowledge the amount of skill that the performer has in their craft.

To feel that all those wasted years paid off for something.

Each and every quartet member knew the feeling, it was a topic rarely discussed but was clear to see on each member. Every single one of the members were a master in their craft, years of practice honing their skills to be as close to perfection as a mere mortal could ever hope to achieve.

The applause slowly died away, the audience had expressed their thanks and were clearly wanting more. Fancypant's quickly trotted up to the edge of the stage, signalling Frederic to retreat momentarily. "Ladies and Gentlecolts, may I say that it has been my absolute pleasure to host such a musical gem for tonight's entertainment!" said Fancypants, the way his voice carried showed years of experience in addressing crowds.

In the meantime Frederic trotted behind the curtain towards the backstage, he was glad to see that the rest of the quartet were ready. Octavia and Harpo were both helping each other with stretches, it was strenuous work standing on their hindlegs for a performance, especially for a full concert. Beauty Brass was also preparing as well, breathing exercises tended to help her not to pass out mid performance from lack of breath. Frederic trotted towards the group, a small smile on his lips, when an alabaster hoof timidly nudged him on his shoulder blade.

"That was pretty smooth playing there" Said Vinyl, though she did lack the Baltimare accent that was present before. She gave a small yet sincere smile, it was a warming sight for Frederic. There was something strangely entrancing about the way she smiled and it seemed rather nostalgic, like a distant memory that was just out of reach.

"...played the piano for so long"

Realizing that he had spaced out Frederic quickly blinked away the small haze that seemed to be clouding his vision, Vinyl had already realized Frederic's absent-mindedness and was smirking as he recovered. Seeing the smirk Frederic realized that he had been caught day-dreaming and gave a sheepish grin in response.

"Sorry, would you kindly repeat that? My mind seems to have joined the pegasi for a second".

Vinyl started giggling softly, playfully punching Frederic on his chest. "You really haven't changed much have ya Freddy" her Baltimare accent was definitely there this time, but Frederic's mind was currently occupied by what Vinyl just said. Apparently Frederic had known Vinyl some time ago but currently Frederic did not have a single clue as to when he and Vinyl had met.

"Wait, what do you mean..." Frederic began, he was promptly cut off by a grey hoof grabbing his shoulder blade. A glaring Octavia stood behind him, her cello could be seen on the stage waiting to be played along with Beauty Brass, who seemed curious about what was happening, and Harpo, who was impatiently tapping his hoof and glaring straight at Frederic.

"Come along now Frederic you are keeping the crowd waiting" hissed Octavia, the irony was not lost on Frederic, he was about to retort when suddenly Vinyl spoke up, her voice equally laced with venom. "I'm sure Freddy doesn't have to have you drag him onstage, it would look pretty stupid too don't you think?".

The air between the two mares seemed to heat up exponentially. Unfortunately for Frederic he was right between the two and they both seemed to take no notice of his increasing discomfort. However, it did confuse him that they both appeared to be fighting over his name for whatever reason. His thoughts were shoved aside by his priorities when he heard the amused chuckling of the crowd, it seemed that Fancypants was delaying for them for as long as possible. Not wanting another incident to occur, which would delay the performance even further, Frederic decided to diffuse the situation as quickly as possible.

"Very well then Octavia, lets not delay any further shall we?" Frederic said briskly before trotting towards his piano hoping to direct the attention of both mares to the stage while also hoping that he wouldn't hear any sounds of impending doom and destruction behind him. He was immensely relieved when he saw Octavia just a few paces behind him, although her face was tinted slightly red from what appeared to be barely contained anger. Vinyl was no better, stomping back towards her equipment.

Frederic sighed, 'This is definitely going to be an interesting night'. He didn't even want to start imagining what it would be like after all the performances were done, there was no need to restrain yourself if you didn't have any significant events afterwards.

Dismissing the distracting thoughts, Frederic went up to the piano and sat comfortably on his stool. After a moment to make sure the rest of the quartet were ready he signaled to Fancypants, who was still standing on the stage, to begin his introduction. 'Better get this over and done with as soon as possible I suppose'

"Ladies and Gentlecolts! It is my great pleasure to bring to you today Canterlot's finest musical quartet!"

After a small applause, followed by Fancypants' exit of the stage, the quartet started to play...

Author's Note

So, I find it nearly impossible to find a piece for Sousaphone, Harp, Piano and Cello
Dunno what they were thinking when they threw this quartet together 0.o