Can't wait for more updates!

All right, I'm integrating that bit about the equinoxes into my headcanon. (Wouldn't it be the Autumn Equinox Celebration, though?)

>>1358713587

I went with Summer Equinox as it's occurring at the end of Summer / beginning of Autumn. That, and it's what the person whose characterisation of Octavia I'm working with named it as well :p The only other equinox occurs at a time of year I associate more with Spring than Summer: usually around March. This one on the other hand occurs in September, which, depending on your climate, still counts as Summer.

If anything, it would probably be the Spring and Summer Equinoxes. Granted, that's naming them both after the sun, but I expect it's quite possible that in the years Luna was absent, any name that they may have had in celebration of the moon may have faded from memory. Well, with at least one notable exception!

Luna acting as a Weeping Angel? Cleeeevvvveeerrrrrrrrr.

>>1455714557

I saw the opportunity for mischief and couldn't resist. I see Luna as having a childish nature, which therefore includes enjoying a prank or two.

And, being a Who fan, I couldn't resist making the reference. :D

>>1457214572

The episodes of the Weeping Angels made me paranoid for a good while around statues and I found myself constantly looking back while walking outside at night.

>>1462914629

I live in a flat with one other person, and I made the mistake of watching the recent two parter with them in on my own, in the evening.

Suffice it to say, I wandered around the flat with the the lights on everywhere after that!

Yay.

A little note for my readers

The next chapter of Symphony may take some time to appear here. This is simply because I am trying to keep a buffer of one to two chapters' worth of content ahead of what appears here with my writing - and 4th Movement is HUGE. 5th Movement is probably going to be big as well.

Because of that, and the aforementioned buffering, I don't want to post 4th Movement until 5th Movement is finished. Rest assured, however, it will be well worth the wait!

Also, a big thank you to everyone who has commented and rated so far, I was not expecting such a high rating for the very first fic I submitted here. It's given me extra motivation to keep going and keep writing.

Stay tuned, Symphony fans!

Just a really damn enjoyable story to read. My one complaint is that you lay Salad's accent on really thick, to the point it makes me cringe slightly to read at times.

>>1694416944

Thanks! Apologies if you find her accent a bit difficult at times - it's difficult as someone who lives in the UK to find a decent source to compare it to for phonetics.

Just a brief update here to let you guys know that after a brief bout of writer's block, Symphony is once again trundling along at a steady pace. I should have more of it up soon.

  This continues to go excellent places and I'm quite enjoying it as before. It was also great running in to you in the Study on IRC!

>>2149721497

Thanks, you too! =)

Oh, you.

Y U SO AWESOME.

>>3520135201

I just am. Thanks! :)

Okay, I'll be honest; I do NOT understand these intermezzos at all.  While I still find them quite enjoyable, I just don't get them.

>>3559035590

You aren't supposed to - yet. They are there to add a little bit of intrigue - consider them as a brief glance into a small snippet of time. Some of them have already been explained by the narrative, if you put the pieces together.

Another little hint: most of them are looking into snippets of the past. The very first Intermezzo was looking back at when Sketchy was to move away from Canterlot in his childhood. The dialogue is between himself and Salad.

>>3560135601

Ah, I see.  Much better.

>Octavia rebuffs Sketchy

>rage

>explanation promised

>phew... at least it'll get better

>Octavia tells him

>RAGE

>RAGE SOME MORE

>>5158651586

*Laughs* An interesting little note about that. This story is a combination of original content and adaptation of a ginormous RP log that I built up with a friend who plays Octavia. There's a little bit of art reflecting real life in this tale, because I as an RPer genuinely had little to no idea that she was playing Octavia that way.

All I can say to you is, keep reading. Chapter updates are going to start coming thick and fast over the next few weeks, because I'm now into adapting the log material proper. That's going to mean less work in terms of the ideas department (although I will be making tweaks here and there) and more content to come on a faster basis.

It also from experience so far means slightly longer chapters. 10th Movement, which is sitting ready to go already (as I always try to keep a chapter buffer in store) weighs in at a heft 8985 words, bigger than every other chapter so far. It is a very enjoyable read though, even if I say so myself :)

I'm getting mixed signals from Octavia's side of the relationship, and wishful thinking from Sketchy's.  Not a good combination usually.

>>7541375413

Mixed signals certainly. Wishful thinking by Sketchy seems a bit harsh, ignoring all the little stuff from earlier in the night because those could just innocent enough, if a girl, who you like and she knows it, invites you to stay the night at her home late at night, in the same bed, well I don't know any other way that could be thought of. Sketchy seemed almost unbelievably accommodating of Octavia's "mistake".

.....that's just harsh Tavy doing that to poor Sketchy

AND US! gah so confused now

>>7549875498

I think of it all as this: Octavia has had somewhat of a compartmentalised existence. She's devoted her life to music study, and hence has spent very little time acquainting herself with societal norms. Hence, she's unfamiliar with certain things, such as how it could easily be misconstrued if you invite someone to stay the night.

On a simpler note, she's very fond of him and didn't want him having to walk home on his own late at night, nor did she want him to be uncomfortable.

As for Sketchy, well. Far be it from him to turn down an invitation of hospitality, especially so late in the day. He considered it though - but that said, would you turn Octavia down if you could tell she had something special she wanted you to see? :p

Rest assured, Sketchy knows it's not to be - if that hadn't already been established, he probably would have fled; and he was on edge the whole time up until he realised she was honestly ignorant of the implications.

That Octavia, what ever was she thinking.

>>7755877558

Hahaha <3

Holy hay, my mind just exploded thirteen separate times.  What just happened?!

Oh, wait, nevermind.  Awesomeness just happened.

Still, I had to facepalm a few times at the parts where Octavia invited him into her home... at night... in her bed... and NOT seem to grasp the implications.  You explained it well and I think it fits your characterization of her.... but still.

>>7867278672

His characterization? Mm, indeed.

Wow that must have been awkward, like when kids want to play your instrument. It'd be best to say no, but then again you don't want to upset them.

Oooooh WHATS GONNA HAPPEN NEXT?

I'm on the edge my seat Sketch!

over 65k ,still incomplete

what the buck did i get myself into...

>>229055229055

Welcome to the insanity :D

>>DoctorWhooves

"Two's Company, Three's a Crowd" - 106000 words, fifty-seven chapters(seriously), and still incomplete. I'd say this one is fairly average in length.

Which doesn't mean it's not amazing. To the contrary - it's one of the best fics involving Octavia I've read, and I eagerly wait for an update.

>>236547236547

Thank you very much for the compliment on the story!

More will be coming relatively soon: I have a whole chapter's worth of fic sitting ready to go, but I'm not releasing that until the chapter I'm writing is done. I like to keep a buffer up where possible :)

I don't often read OC stories, but I must say, this, THIS right here has me interested!

The personalities of the various characters in this story are quite interesting.  Looking forward to reading more. :)

>>238141238141

Thank you! I'm glad to have piqued your interest :)

I absolutely LOVE the way your depict the princesses in this story!  It's exactly how I imagine them in the head-canon; Great and powerful goddesses, yet kind, loving and playful.  It makes me so cheerful!  Sounds a bit sappy - but whatever - This chapter brightened up my day. :D

All these interludes... I'm looking forward to finding out their meaning!

As Cyclone said, just simply a really enjoyable story to read. :)

>>3559035590 They're most likey part of a grand scheme to be revealed at the end.  Either that, or simbolic/metaphorical.

>>246070246070

As mentioned in a previous comments, the intermezzos are a break to the normal narrative, and an introspective look into brief snippets of time. They have mostly been looks back into the past: the first one is a dialogue between Sketchy and Sally the day Sketchy told Sally he'd be leaving Canterlot, for example.

They also serve as a little bit of foreshadowing in some areas; if you are able to determine who is speaking to whom, you may get a little more insight into the content of some of the chapters - and, in some cases, a bit of foresight into what is coming.

>>241985241985

It's not sappy at all :)

That is more or less exacty how I think of them myself; while they may be tremendously powerful and capable of incredible feats, they are nevertheless the same as everypony else underneath. They have feelings, needs and ambitions; they are capable of experiencing the same gamut of emotions as the "normal" ponies around them.

And hence, they're just as capable of being able to love and laugh at life as anyone else - perhaps moreso as they've lived so much longer and been able to learn what's truly important.

>>247317247317 Gotcha.

*Now goes to reread all of the intermezzos*

>>247331247331 Couldn't agree more. :)

Aurora Flare?

Perhaps.

Octavia's actions towards Sketchy are a bit confusing, but it's nice to see Sketchy getting a break.  I'm looking forward to seeing how their relationship plays out in the coming chapters.

Speaking of which, you know you're reading a good story when it makes you really feel things for the characters.  I felt so happy for Sketchy all throughout this chapter. :)

>>253883253883

Octavia's actions are confusing as she herself is a little confused. As mentioned in my earlier comment, she's had a somewhat compartmentalised existence - hence she's a bit unfamiliar with certain societal norms.

As you'll see in the next Movement after this one you've read--and indeed as mentioned in this one--she genuinely was not aware of how this sort of thing could be taken. Call it naiivete or innocence or what you will, it's simply something she's not experienced before and hence was unaware she was making any sort of faux pas with.

Hm.  This chapter didn't really capture my attention like the others.  Not really sure why, but I did think that the huge opening scene with Freeze Pop was... distracting.  I'm more attached to the Octavia/Sketchy arc, so I guess the Freeze Pop/Blacklight parts just weren't as interesting.

>>256094256094

I shall simply quote the name of a chapter of Dr McNinja. "I told you that story so I could tell you this one". :)

I love Octavia's personality in this.  Her innocence in her and Sketchy's relationship is quite charming. :)

Oh, an I noticed a minor typo: "Had I know I would be encountering such a thing, I would have had my shoes changed!”  Just thought I'd point that out.

>>257229257229

Fixed! Thanks!

Great chapter, although my theory is Blacklight turns out to be a Cloudsdalian spy or something

The dialouge in this story flows so naturally.  It makes this quite a relaxing fic to read. :)

I also like that the shipping aspect of it is more gentle then it is with some other stories.  Again, it just feels natural.  Can't wait for the next movement! :D

I refrained from beginning to read this story for the longest time, because I wasn't sure whether it would be any good. Good lord I am a fool. This is excellent! My day would have been so much greyer had I not been able to work my way through this.

>>267067267067

Thank you! It makes me very happy as a writer to see such a comment on my work :)

I'm glad it brought a smile to your face and some brightness to your day :)

How ever did I get involved in all this mess? Dumb buckets.

Hahaha, you know you love it!

(For anyone wondering - Hayfever here is responsible for Octavia's characterisation, and also in large part Luna's too :D)

>>285756285756 Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! Dont tell them that.

>>285771285771

Dohohoho, it's too late now!

Two things, first, you misspelled her in that very first true paragraph, just thought I'd let you know.

Second, you fools! Both of you are acting like children!!!

>>286729286729

Spelling error fixed! Thanks!

So much Friendshipping, it's making me tear up. She needs a friend more than anything and the last bit was Ad'awww-able pardon my saying. Though, the part about the cold shower couldn't be truer.

And also typo nearish the start:

"smiling a bit to himself at the fact his friend had for once openly admitted to him holding at least some sort of special position in his heart."

I think the "his heart" should be "her heart" as it seems to be refering to Octavia's heart.

Keep up the great story.

O lawdy, I dun near went and had me a heart attack at that last bit... ahem! It is almost as the end of this chapter was a response to a comment I had read on Equestria Daily, about this story being too joyful and sweet. I fear for the relationship of Sketchy and Octavia, though I realize that in every life, a little rain must fall. Here's to hoping that that rain doesn't become an outright torrent and drown the embers of the relationship that had sparked between the two.

Also, in the beginning, when you were describing Octavia at breakfast, I couldn't help but lol at  she devoured the breakfast she had made for herself. Devoured? That doesn't sound like our dainty, demure and cultured musician at all. It sounds like a beast savagely attacking its prey, tearing it apart and greedily gulping down the remains. Please don't change the line though. I love it.

>>287119287119

Typo fixed. Thank you!

The breakup scene seemed rushed.  It's like "SUDDENLY BREAKUP OUT OF NOWHERE"

Oh well.  I hope this resolves in the next chapter. D:

As Icer said: You fools!

nooo, now i have to wait till next chapter

>>287284287284 Regarding the first paragraph of you comment: Well said.

>>290092290092

I may go back and add to it a bit. Reading over it again, it could have used a little more build up perhaps.

So long as the key ideas are clear enough though, that's what matters for the time being: both of them are not thinking rationally due to external influence, and hence both are prone to jumping to conclusions or becoming angry when something thoughtless is said.

EDIT: Actually, scratch that. Added a little more dialogue, I am happier with its flow now.

Hmmm, just read through everything and I'm very happy with it but I do have but two complaints:

Firstly; What does Sketchy actually do for a living? Yeah he's an artist and a musician but we've never really seen him 'at work' or actually making progress on achieving his professional dreams. We've seen Salad working the shop, Freeze working guard duty, Octavia focusing on the concert, hell even blacklight got off his flank and chased after his dream, but with Sketchy it just seems like 'wake up, hang out with peeps, goof off, go to bed. i'm hoping the whole 'disturbing letter' thing is going to somehow tie this in, but its something that's been irking me for a while now.

Secondly, it was mentioned before but, the whole breakup thing seemed a tad rushed and out of left field. Yeah, you get the feeling that they were distracted by their own thoughts and were not in their right minds, but given your usual pacing of things, it read way to abruptly. Making my way through the chapter I could tell you were leading somewhere but it totally didn't come off as something relationship ending considering how you've characterized everypony and how you've described misunderstandings in the past.

But that's just my opinionated two cents. I'm sure you've got this planned out and it will all make sense in to long run but that's just what I got out of it at this point. If it isn't to presumptuous on my part and only if you'd like it, I'd be more than happy to indulge in a proper C&C but for now, I just had to get that off my chest. My sincerest apologies if I offended in any way as this is truly a wonderful piece you have here.

>>292270292270 I'm not completely sure that said key ideas are clear enough.  I honestly didn't fully understand the reasons for their brash attitude towards eachother so suddenly, until you explained it here.

Apologies if I'm stepping too far out of my boundries.  I'm not your prereader, after all.

>>294161294161

His occupation is as noted freelance artist and musician. Technically speaking we have already seen him "at work", although none of the stuff he's been shown doing was actual commissioned work. I'm pretty sure I made mention somewhere in the narrative that he does have a commissioned piece he was working on - but regardless, there is a more explicit reference coming as it's going to be of relevance to the plot. And yes, that letter is going to be linked to it in some way.

As for the fight they had at the end of the chapter - you're quite right to say it's not a relationship ender. Or at least, on its own it's not. Basically, this is the sort of situation where you have two characters who, even for an argument like this, would probably be able to patch up their relationship and smooth over it on their own - were it not for them both becoming ever more focused on assorted other problems in their lives. As it stands, it's more of a situation now where both characters know that they should do something to repair the relationship, but as is often the case with such things, neither one wants to take that first step.

And I'm not offended, I honestly value good feedback! What I would say at this point is, just wait and see what happens, for now. :)

>>294203294203

I can understand that. With that said, I did that on purpose to some extent: their fight is as much a slap in the face to them as it is to the readers. Octavia was not expecting that of Sketchy -  but, as is often the case in such situations for most people, rather than try to understand what he was about, she reacted in kind. I might expand on that in the text a little for this chapter, but I don't want to give away too much at once. I do intend to explore both characters' thoughts and feelings in the chapters yet to come.

Well the commissioned work is sort of what I was going for. The scenes of doodling in the park and jamming with Octavia seem more of a personal nature than a professional one and given that he wasn't fretting about a money situation my mind began to wander. "Yeah he's freelance, but unless you're well established, that's not a particular steady or well paying job. Does he have a part time job somewhere to pay the bills? How in Celestia's name is he keeping a roof over his head with such as seemingly lucid and carefree head?"  I was just curious if we were ever going to see him at a gallery opening or playing at a bar somewhere or who knows what. Good to see something's in the line up.

Hei-Ho there! Sketchy Sounds,

I am by no means a skilled writer, but I am an avid reader and so when I drop my two cents I hope you will not see me an insufferable would-be critic. When I started this story I was rather put off by the character interactions that seemed to drag on forever, the slightly unrealistic and somewhat forced dialogue, and what I initially took to be the makings of a gary-stu OC. However as I pressed on I came to enjoy the interaction between Sketchy and Octavia; however, you again make the interactions somewhat unrealistic. A good example being the rushed (if endearing) "let's sleep together" scene. Add on to that, the implication that Octavia was unaware of the innuendous nature that follows such an idea. As for Sketchy seeming stu-ish, I can explain as follows. He has many features that make him stand out quite exceptionally and otherwise render him very unique in the fictional world of Equestria. Firstly he is described to be very big (of which I can assume similar to Big Mac), secondly he has a hard to read cutie mark, and lastly he has the special talent of being both an accomplished multi-instrumentalist and visual artist. He also kinda seems to be "Mr. Perfect" but that can be debated so I will not delve into that. Your other characters are fine barring Blacklight. Honestly, how many times do you see a very dark colored pony (or at all) in the show? Barring Luna and Nightmare Moon of course. My final critique shall be that doozy of a quarrel there at the end. There was not a sufficient build up to herald that sort of argument. It doesn't really seem like it was intentional but rather an honest mistake.

A very big however, the story was not a bad read. As I mentioned before I liked it more as it progressed and I look forward to the following chapter.

I'm pretty sure I went a bit far with my comments so I shall link you to my own (old and non-pony) horrible work and show you that you are a much better writer than I. http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1995403/Derr_Gotik

Keep it up!

>>308439308439

Thanks for the lengthy comment!

You're not the first to note such flaws in the story, and I'm glad you voiced them. One of my friends who has been a huge help in refining this a bit made the same observations as you have.

A little bit of explanation for that - a good portion of what is going on was adapted from some RP material, so it is perhaps a little fanciful here and there - and yes, in some regards things are just a little bit too perfect.

However, the analogy I would like to make is, time has been spent carefully crafting a house of cards over the past chapters. All it takes is a little push to make it all come crashing down.

Regarding the quarrel between Sketchy and Octavia, the actual cause behind that will become clear in due course. There's been more leading up to it than has been made apparent thus far.

All in all, though, I'm very glad to hear you've enjoyed it thus far - and I'm glad to hear you're looking forward to more!

That was so sweet I think it made my diabetes act u-HHHHHNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGG

I've edited this comment five times now, and I can't seem to find a way to tell you that you're good at writing without being vague or sounding like a know-it-all.

I guess I'll go with vague

>>317891317891

He's not actually mine. He belongs to a friend I RP with every so often ;p

>>317910317910

Hah, I accidentally troll you... Refresh time :P

>>317923317923

derp 6_9

Great job mate im practically dawwing at everyone of your chapters im really enjoying how deep your characters are keep up the great work

Take five thumbs from me

Image: http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/066/3/b/fim_thumb_up_by_crashman101-d4s2idx.jpg

Image: http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/066/3/b/fim_thumb_up_by_crashman101-d4s2idx.jpg

Image: http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/066/3/b/fim_thumb_up_by_crashman101-d4s2idx.jpg

Image: http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/066/3/b/fim_thumb_up_by_crashman101-d4s2idx.jpg

Image: http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/066/3/b/fim_thumb_up_by_crashman101-d4s2idx.jpg

Cute update! Hope Freezy doesn't scare him away! :)

PS. there was an instance of the word "illicit" where it should have been "elicit" :)

Another stunning chapter. I love Freezy's apartment. It's the comfy, spacious type of place I hope to be able to afford to live in one day. I was imagining myself as an invisible fly on the wall, listening to the music and enjoying the overall dozily easy atmosphere shared by Freezy and Blacklight. I also tried to imagine myself in Blackie's horseshoes, enjoying the company of a pretty new friend. If these two hit it off, it'd (almost) be the cutest thing since Fluttershy's initial appearance in the series. As always, it's awesome to have Freezy and Blackie flying together. I love those parts, and I hope you don't stop adding them in subsequent chapters.

Incidentally, I'm getting an eerie foreshadow-y vibe from that storm on the horizon. If years of experience with that particular device have taught me anything, something cringe-worthy is going to happen in the near future. Hopefully it won't be anything that'll irrevocably damage any budding romance or worsen any relationships that have hit a little turbulence.

>>318905318905

Fixed, thanks!

>>319006319006

Did you look up the actual music, at all? :) Both tracks can be found on YouTube, bar for the fact that Ave Selena would in this case be Ave Maria. I had both tracks playing, along with rainymood.com for background noise. I highly recommend it for atmosphere here. The next chapter I also had rainymood on for, with some different music. I may make mention of that once it's up.

>>319032319032

Whoa...I just listened to Ave Maria, and I've gotta say, it put a whole new perspective on this chapter for me. When I close my eyes and think about it, everything that happened in it comes out as a silent montage with Ave Maria playing in the background... To have a chapter affect me like this...You, Sketchy, are very talented at what you do.

All my sad you have it

I have to admit to being a fair bit confused during Sketchy's retelling of his argument with Octavia.  It seemed very much like he was describing a very different confrontation.  After a moment, I chalked it up to him telling it based on his intentions more so than how and what he actually said.  I may simply be recalling it wrongly, but he seemed very much, at the time, to be implying that he thought Octavia didn't want to be around him thought he makes no mention of this implication here.

Perhaps that was just me reading more into it than was there, though it seemed very obvious.  In retrospect, his account doesn't seem very far off the mark, given the circumstances, but it did seem out of place while I read.  Everything else was fine, though.  Can't say I noticed any grammatical or spelling errors either.

>>326182326182

Sketchy's inaccurate retelling of events is completely deliberate. :)

>>326182326182

I agreed with this but when I went back and re-read the argument with the intent stated here in mind it became much more of an argument rather than what I considered Sketchy's passive-agressive complaints.

>>326235326235

Hmmm, that makes me a bit concerned for our artistically inclined friend.  Of course, that depends on what you mean by "completely deliberate".  If you mean he deliberately mislead Sally, I am now very concerned.  I suppose I'll find out soonish?

>>326256326256

Given the above, I think it's much more likely that Sketchy was just being passive-aggressive (and a bit of a jerk, if you ask me ).  We all have our moments, though.

Sweet Harmony, Sketchy! If I recall correctly, you last updated only a few days ago! Did you remember to sleep? I'm not complaining about a super early update in the slightest, though. It's awesome.

Without further rambling, here's my review of this chapter:

Turbulence, dark skies, high winds and lightning strikes abound, that is the stormy feeling I got from reading this chapter. It's like a giant melancholy button was pressed at the end of the previous chapter, which was blazingly warm and cheery compared to this one. I couldn't help but feel that tight, awful sensation in my chest that I usually reserve for something truly heartwrenching throughout the entire read, particularly toward the end, in Octavia's mind.

I must say, though, It's a relief to read a consistently well characterized Luna. I can't tell you how much rage bubbled up in me last night as I read a fic with a Luna who was entirely too...un-regal, if that's a word. Her speech was almost completely free of the canon ultra-formality, unlike your Princess of the Moon, and her actions and reactions definitely didn't fit the bill of an all-powerful alicorn monarch at all.

Finally, you've piqued my curiosity with the mention of that contest that your namesake's entered. I'm hoping to see an unexpected resolution to that problem and not a predictable one like I've seen in fics I've read in the past. Not that your story has ever been predictable, mind you.

>>327679327679

I'm glad you like the way I write Lu-Lu :) You can certainly expect more of her before the story reaches its conclusion.

Regarding her nature, the way I see her is the way she's been shown in one of the earlier chapters when she played her little joke on Freeze Pop: where and when appropriate, she is formal and regal as demands of her post, but she is nevertheless just like an "ordinary" pony under it all. When around those she trusts, those she calls her friends, she'll loosen up somewhat and act more like the big kid that I believe her to be at heart.

As for the contest... you'll just have to wait and see.

Congrats on EqD!

I'm going to read all of this, so Sketchy'd better not be a self-insert.

>>328228328228

I can't guarantee he won't come off as one here and there as I tend to put a little of myself into all of my characters. So, apologies in advance if he seems that way, tis not intended.

OMG, Weeping Alicorns, aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

I really love the idea of Celestia magically forging the royal guard armor.

And caught up. Excellent story, and I am eagerly awaiting more.

I love this story becuase of how it is simply a story of life.  Just... life in Canterlot.  Very pleasant to read. :)

whistles innocently

No idea whats going on. Ahem