Perfect, absolutely perfect.

Then again, I never much doubted that this would start well.  I just hope it continues to impress me.  I'm not sure if I could take it if this brilliant setup ended as badly for me as Carrot Top Season did.

Good start.  You've got a nice lyrical style and I can't help but be a little interested in the atmosphere of dusky intrigue you've set up.  Plus, I love the literary trope of the Unplayable Piece.  Hope to see more of this.

Looks like Octavia's about to learn that Greengrass's cool stuff actually has a very high price tag. And Lyra's about to learn what Loyalty really is all about.

So, the more musically inclined among you are probably wondering why the piece is a Symphony if can be played, apparently, by solo cello. (For those not so musically inclined: symphonies are generally for a full orchestra). But that's not always the case, see, for instance, Alkan's Symphony for Solo Piano, one of the greatest piano works ever written. Symphony here means that the work will sound, well, orchestral, i.e. with an absolutely huge range, but it's still restricted to a single instrument.

Nice foreshadowing right out of the gate there.

>>963189963189

Actually the only thing bugging me a bit isn't that it's called a symphony, but more so that it's specifically cello piece; seems suspiciously plot convenient.  Not to mention part of me would have preferred the idea of a more flexible piece, so that many of those who tried and failed to perform it might have done so with different instruments under the mistaken impression that was the major fault Luna had with such attempts.

>>963932963932: The story doesn't say it's a cello piece.

I guess my comment was unclear (and I've edited it to make it clearer). I was trying to say, 'people might think it odd that Octy alone can play a symphony, since she's just got the one solo cello and 'symphony' usually means 'full orchestra', but solo instruments can play symphonic pieces; see Alkan's, for instance, which was actually written for solo piano.'

The piece itself can be played by almost anything (it was originally written for something in particular, but all the musicians discussed are more than capable of transcribing it to their own instruments. Lyra will have to do some of this for lyre to help Octy practice.)

And yes, one of the failed musician we'll see is going to try to solve the problem, in part, by switching up the instrumentation.

As an aside... I am really hoping Greengrass' final story is him realizing just how effin' dumb it's been to try and manipulate the Elements, as Corona comes back and he realizes he's made attempt after attempt to basically aid her in conquering Equestria.

Then he either dies or is horrifically wounded.

Also, very nice. Man, Lyra and Octavia and this piece... damn.

>>964501964501: I figure he'll end the season either in disgrace, forced to return to his home fiefdom with his career in shambles, or in jail.

That way, he can show up as a one-scene surprise ally to Trixie in season 2.

Trixie: "You're not mad?"

Greengrass: "Mad? Of course not. It was a wonderful victory, Trixie. I never saw it coming. Besides, I wouldn't count me out quite yet."

Trixie: "But then why are you helping me now?"

Greengrass: "Oh, you know, I'll expect a few favors, political concessions and all that in exchange. But really, Trixie, the Game deserves a better player than that idiot you're up against now. You're that player. Now: here's what you do..."

(I can totally see a 'Talking Chess' duet between them).

>>964675964675

This too me would be a much more preferable end for Greengrass.  One where he suffers tangible loss for his crimes, but is left more or less intact and available for future stories (he's just too good a character to simply throw away, like Striker seems so keen on).  Also, since it's Greengrass we can't ever be truly sure if he'd actually be redeemed or just working the angle for his next scheme.

>>964501964501

Personally, I have more than a few ideas concerning Greengrass' end. At the very least I hope it's going to be him thinking that the Game isn't fun anymore.

>>966230966230

I'd be fine with that, though I'd personally prefer a version where he wasn't such a sore loser.  I prefer to see him as being full aware of the high risk nature of the games he plays, and while he might be supremely overconfident, I'd like to think he honestly acknowledges that hard crash failure is simply one of the risks of playing in the first place.  It's why he has no sympathy for those who can't play as well he does, but I don't really see him as being hypocritical would circumstances swing against him.

Maybe more of a glum admission that losing means he won't be able to have anymore fun, but still having enjoyed his ride while it lasted.

>>966838966838: Right, I don't think he'd be a sore loser either. He wouldn't be a hypocrite of the type to whine about losing; he knew going in that politics was risky.

Now, losing to Lulamoon in particular? He might be unhappy about that.

Although yes, I can see him being glum about his plans crashing down and him being basically forced from the Court, or at least losing all his influence. He may well be sad about no longer getting to play the Game in any meaningful sense.

I liked setting up the contrast here, between Lyra, who has a devoted, loving marefriend and other allies, and Octavia, who is completely isolated. But of course, that's why Greengrass selected her. (Well, one of the reasons). She doesn't have allies, or even a friend to do a sanity check on her. Well, accept for a certain cat burglar, but the good Duke doesn't know that.

Bit of a slow chapter, but I wanted to sort of set things up before Lyra shipped off to Canterlot. Plus, I wanted to give Bonbon some focus. She's been absent from a lot of the stories so far, especially the more aggressive side of her that was postulated in Brainstorming.

Next time: Lyra in Canterlot! Octavia's been practicing for two days, has she actually made any progress? And the first gaiden story, the saga of Concerti Brilliante and his quest to play the piece!

(Incidentally, for those wondering why the Music Academy also canceled, I seem to recall it being endowed by Luna or something. They can't offend her, for the same reason that the John Smith Academy of Science can't host John Smith's mortal enemy to give a talk).

Dude.

Dude.

Dude.

Dude.

Dude, this is awesome, and a brilliant opening.

Still no complaints, keep up the good work ... or I will cut you!

Seriously though, this is a nice clean chapter.  It may all just be setup, but that should never be underestimated.  I just hope the actual meat of this story can live up to it all without going overboard.

>>969001969001

Yes, we've been needing more BonBon, and I thank you for this contribution.  Also, I hardly think you needed to explain the academy canceling, it's all just part an parcel of her dead-mare-walking status.

>>969001969001

Of course, the question becomes why Luna even lets ponies attempt the peice in the first place. She's certainly know the disasterous effect it has on their careers.

I think, for all the dourness that Luna can bring to a scene, that she's fundamentally an optimist. That each time somepony is dumb enough to try, she's willing to give them a chance, just for the slightest possibility that they might get it right.

>>969305969305: That's my view too. There is a way to play it right. It's just that the ponies who have tried don't understand her (or it) on a fundamental level, and so they keep letting her down, and generally offending her in the process.

First chapter and I'm already invested. Great job.

Man, Greengrass really knows how to get back at someone. Can't wait to see how it turns out

Excellent work so far. This is a fascinating concept and you're pulling it off well.

Very nice.

It was good to see some Bon Bon time in a story. I think the reason Bon Bon doesn't get that much focus is because writers just don't know what to do with her a lot of the time (and I'm not just talking about lunaverse writers). It seems that the community hasn't really given her much of personality aside from being someone to bounce Lyra's antics off of.

Octavia was on form as usual, in her own depressing way. Frankly I hate to see what sort of mess she will be in by the time Lyra gets to her.

>>969001969001: Also, now that I've brought up Octy not eating sweets or desserts, I totally want her to bump into Pinkie at some point. (Not in this story; Pinkie doesn't show at all, but maybe in another little side story somewhere. Octy goes to Ponyville, bumps into Pinkie, and, ah, it doesn't go well.) :-)

Oh, my. Watch this....Octy's 'death-seeker' attitude will be why she gets the thing right. Luna has never really forgiven herself for the necessity of dealing with Corona so any sort of triumphant end-note would grate. A DIRGE, on the other hoof, would be just what the doctor ordered.

>>969388969388: You'll see! :-)

Personally, I see him doing something very stupid like ranting about how clever his plans are only to have Luna tell him to stop talking about his plans out loud. Of course, that would make him Doctor Wily in the webcomic Bob and George but he might get that crazy in the end.

Nice depiction of Octavia facing her upcoming 'execution' with as much dignity as she can muster.

>>969657969657: Yeah. One thing I like about Octy, particularly this rendition, is that she's quite serious when she talks about bravery, honor etc. being important to her. She isn't going to flail around and try to find a way out of it; she'll accept it as her just desserts and deal with it as best she can.

>>969682969682

Indeed, especially as she only seems to consider her options as play cancel, or no-show, but never that there is a potential forth option.  It's still bad, but her best alternative would probably be to show at the concert and then play something completely different.  She'd come off as an egoistical attention seeker that only used the forbidden symphony's name to generate false hype, but it would probably still be her best shot at having anything resembling a career afterwards.

>>969736969736: There's also the 'go get her foreleg broken' method, which would still result in her canceling, but at least she'd have a reason besides 'chickening out.'

Or she could just burn the theater down and hope she doesn't get caught. :-) Can't play if there's no venue.

Once Lyra arrives, she and Octy are going to talk about the other options such as these, to try to demonstrate why Octy isn't considering them.

>>969740969740

Well, I can already see that Octavia's not the kind of pony to force a cancellation. While the rest of Equestria might buy it, she would always know that she chickened out.

And there's the fact that it might not save her anyway. She's already started to be shunned and there's no reason to believe that would end if she tried to duck playing the symphony.

It seems the only way out is through. Too bad no one knows the path needed to take.

>>969740969740

Ah good point, especially the injury one.  Though I'm guessing that beyond being dishonest, Octavia would dismiss that one if only because she might never heal properly and thus never play her best again, which to her would be just as bad if not worse than losing her career.

Ayway, looking forward to that discussion with Lyra.

Hmm. Looks like Luna doesn't like being depicted as some kind of heroic warrior that was all too happy, gleeful even, to kick her sister's butt. Imagine that.

Running tab: things that do not work playing the piece:

1. Making the story "Luna was pure, noble, and strong, and justly beat her sister into the ground."

Looks like even Octavia has her limits. She's superb, but even she's having trouble playing with this weight hanging over her head.

But hey, Octavia is handling it okay so far. She's at least making sure to sleep, eat, and groom. That's a good sign... right?

I like the way Lyra's journey turned out. She had an excruciatingly painful day just getting to Octavia, but when she sees how her friend was suffering, she just forgets all about it. Then again, she's Loyalty. It's what she does.

Next time: Lyra tries to get Octavia to accept her help! Will it work? Also, the second attempt to play the piece, by Concerti's sworn rival, Fame Fortisi. Can she do what he could not?

Okaaayyyy.....this is very much not good for Octy at all. This, of course, means that when Greengrass does the Scooby Doo villain speech, it'll be all the more satisfying.

>>975250975250: Well, she's handling things a lot better than AJ, at least. She's sleeping and eating, and she's maintaining some semblance of perspective. (None of the "I must play this piece or EVERYPONY DIES!") Isn't that a good sign?

Like I said, a dirge would suit Luna to a T.

Nothing much to say about this chapter.  It covers what needs to be covered, but really doesn't carry much weight of it's own.  Actually, it kind of feels incomplete, like it's only the first half of what should have been a longer chapter, though I won't really be able to say that with any certainty until you post the next chapter.

Anyway, now to read today's bonus.

>>975255975255: All I will say at this point is that I sent the 'correct' performance of the Symphony to RDD to check, and RDD said that it's fine and correctly captures the Luna/Corona fight.

More than that, you'll have to wait. :-)

>>975254975254

Given that the repetitive amount of "...or EVERYPONY DIES!" was a big contention point for me with that particular fic, yes, the lack of such in this fic is indeed a very good sign.

Seriously though, this first bonus chapter plays well enough and I'm getting a feel for the way subsequent attempts will unfold; I'll look forward to the rest.  On a side note, I wonder how much effort you intend to put into showing the spoken language of each chapter progressing over the course of the centuries.

>>975373975373: Er... not very much, honestly. Language/linguistics is not my strong point.

Luna will probably use fewer 'thees' and 'thous' as we move on, but I'm not going to focus on keeping the other characters in period dialogue.

Glad you enjoyed the bonus!

Poor Concerti. Poor Luna, too. To an extent, it's kind of her own fault due to the whole turning Celestia into Corona thing and impressing on ponies that Celestia was long gone, and Corona was all that was left, when really there was no difference between the two except time. But, Corona has become the being that ponies can heap all of their fears and hate onto.

Now then.

“What thou thinkst of me and mine sister?

"My" and "mine" in this sense is sort of like "a" and "an." "Mine" is used if the next word begins with a vowel, otherwise "my" is used. Ditto thee and thine

“Speak not to me.” hissed Luna. “If that is all thou thinkst I am, then that is all I shall be to you. Should thy life be threatened by some monster, Concerti, I shall defend you.” She turned, eyes flashing. “And, should that not happen, I never wish to hear thee again!”

It should be "thee," in both instances here - you (or, technically, ye) is the plural form, except in the vulgar (low-class) forms of Equestrian at this time (the vulgar forms, of course, eventually becoming common Equestrian).

>>975568975568: Edited. Thanks for the olde-English help; I'm not very knowledgable about old linguistics.

>>975580975580

My knowledge entirely comes from Google...though it's worth noting that this isn't Old English.

This is Old English:

Fæder ūre þū þe eart on heofonum, sī þīn nama ġehālgod.

It's completely unreadable to a modern English speaker, excepting some rough cognates, like fæder (father) and nama (name).

>>975619975619: Ah. I guess by 'old English' I meant Canterbury Tales-esque English. I guess that would be middle-English or somesuch.

>>975628975628

Yup, Chaucer is middle English, while Shakespeare is early modern, and towards the end of early modern at that.

Old: Fæder ūre þū þe eart on heofonum, sī þīn nama ġehālgod

Middle: Oure Fadir that art in heuenes, halewid be thi name

Early Modern: Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name

Modern: Our Father in Heaven, hallowed is your name

>>975249975249

I think you know perfectly well that Octavia's just been going through the motions on all of that, much like with her attempts to learn the symphony.

>>975669975669: True, but it's still more than AJ did. Going through the motions on things like, say, sleeping, is a lot more helpful than just not doing it.

(Also, she's not just going through the motions on the music; she's genuinely trying hard to learn it. She's just not succeeding, but it's not like she's just doing it mechanically and without carrying).

Ouch. Bad decision Concerti.

>>975636975636

Hey! Someone else who has heard old english and understands just how ridiculously foreign it sounds in comparison to modern english!

>>975691975691: You think that's a bad decision, you haven't seen what some of the other ponies will try... (not referring to tomorrow, but at least 2 of the others are going to go completely off the rails... to the point where I think folks will be rooting for Luna to dropkick them to Mars).

Yeah, I can understand both why he thought that this was a good idea and why Luna was offended, which is good.

I've got some Middle English in the upcomming chapter of my own fic and that was a real mission to write. Yeesh!

>>975867975867: Thanks! I was trying to show both of those -- to show that Concerti's not just an idiot, he actually put thought into it, but at the same time Luna had a legitimate gripe with the performance.

Man, I feel really sorry for everyone involved in this story. Present and past.

And yet I also wonder how badly other performers can screw this symphony up.

Please tell me someone tries to go Avant Garde on it and turns it into a mess.

>>976254976254: Oh, trust me, we have barely begun to examine the ways in which this piece can be completely botched. :-)

(And does the 'everyone' include, say, Greengrass? I don't feel too sad for him. Maybe amused at his comical antics, but not sad.)

>>976276976276

I feel sad for him too, because he's shooting himself in the knee here.

>>976285976285: Yeah, I suppose the Mild West plan would have been better in the end. Ah well. It's not like he could have anticipated that Octavia would be able to handle the piece, when no other pony in recorded history (with reputations just as good as Octy's) could handle it.

Then again, she hasn't actually gotten it right yet... :-)

(Plus, Octavia classing up a wild west-ish saloon would be funny).

>>969311969311 Which begs the question of why Luna simply doesn't say, "No more performing of this piece!".

Anyway, excellent contrast between the two. Good to see more Bonbon, too.

>>977306977306: Hmm. We'll get to that. Stay tuned! :-)

Okay... not good for Octy. I loved that spell Lyra used and the raw power deal. BOOM!

Oh, not good for that guy. Damn... *Shakes finger at Luna* Little explanation?

"Huh, never thought that I'd see a recording of that piece."

"Well, obviously, it has been seen," the zebra said as she approached the record shop's counter. "But just what is it that you mean?"

"Oh, sorry miss, it's just the Symphony for Moon and Sun has been the ruin of many musicians' careers.."

*snip long detailed back and forth that explains the history and ends in Zecora buying a copy of this performance.*

And then Corona gets a crack in her insanity armor.

>>977698977698: Corona's reaction to the piece would undoubtably be... interesting, and would probably vary a lot depending on how it was performed. The 'correct' way might get a very... powerful reaction.

And that's all I'll say on that for now. :-)

>>977815977815

.....If you don't write that, I would (after I actually see he correct way nyway)

This was a very good read.  It is kind of annoying that we have yet another Duke plot...But as this seems like it's going to wrap up the whole Lyra/Octavia debacle that'll probably be fine.  Overall, a very interesting work with what should be some great character moments.  Very nicely done.

>>977962977962: It probably won't come up in this story (Corona isn't scheduled to make an appearance), but I would be very happy if you wrote that scene. :-)

I'm envisioning this story as having kind of a 3-act structure, and this concludes the first act. Lyra's gotten through to Octy and knows how to help her, and she's put to bed whatever lingering doubts she had about helping someone who stabbed her in the back. Meanwhile, Octy's made some progress with her personal problems, and she has a friend and ally -- things are looking up! Surely nothing could go wrong in the next two acts. :-)

Looks like Octavia's mysterious friend has continued talking to her. And she seems to be making progress too. Well, it's nice to know there's one pony in Canterlot who isn't an Evil Politician.

My, it sure is interesting how Fancy Pants always seems to pop up in the right place.

Well, that didn't work either.

My personal 'what happened next': Concerti and Fame both had to go into other lines of work, but they still wanted to play... and the only audience they had at that point was each other. They maintained their competition, but it became friendlier as they became more and more intimately familiar with each other's work. They eventually became good friends, who would perform their day jobs by day, and delight each other with music at night.

Running tab: things that do not work playing the piece:

1. Making the story "Luna was pure, noble, and strong, and justly beat her sister into the ground. Celestia was weaker and EVIL. Huzzah for her getting her flank kicked!!"

2. Making the story "Luna was sly and clever, manipulated her sister the whole way and deftly overcame her with brilliant stratagems. Celestia was dumber and EVIL. Huzzah for her getting her flank kicked!"

By the way, tomorrow's bonus is going to be... well, let's just say that, if I did it right, there won't be much sympathy for the pony who's botching the piece. :-)

Given that he's their take on Batman, I'm not surprised.

Given that Luna is the only pony not to see that there is hope that Celestia might come to her senses, anything that suggests that Corona is evil instead of frightened isn't going to go over too well. Crumbs....I just had an awful vision of Luna yelling THOU WERT THE CHOSEN ONE!!

ASK UPSIDE-DOWN FLEUR!

Image: http://i49.tinypic.com/2cmkpxt.png

>>981177981177: Aww, that's really cute! Upside-down Fleur would make an awesome tumblr.

(Heh. I can just see the posts right after Duke Greengrass is booted from Canterlot).

And good catch about Octy not appreciating Lyra enough. That's going to come up again in the second act, in a big way. :-)

>>981177981177 I agree that the world needs more upside-down Feur.

So the second attempt was by somepony who thought it out bit more, but still nowhere near enough and ended up being even more offensive. Also, her motivations were less sympathetic. Let's find out how many ways this piece can be screwed up!

Luna doesn't do gambits that harm ther along the way.

good to know.

So far so good, another delightful chapter.

Your Octavia is a truly committed and dedicated pony.  If we ever needed a real backup team (instead of Twilight's band of misfit failures), Octavia might make a very good Element of Honesty.  Here though, she is clearly missing a key aspect, proper honesty with herself.  She's far too deep into this delusion that she is beyond redemption.  Not a complaint either, it's all wonderful character presentation.

Also good to see Fancy Pants playing his dimwitted, help ponies by accidently being in the right place at the right time, role to the hilt.  I can also just imagine him having off screen as been trying to convince Luna not to judge Octavia's performance too harshly as the girl is clearly being forced into it, but Luna being all to angsty and broody to listen, dismissing any notion of such because Octavia is still willingly going through with it instead of canceling.

“No.” Lyra blinked, it was the first time she’d heard real strength in Octavia’s voice since arriving in Canterlot.

>>981177981177

>>981038981038

Not frightened...I don't think Corona ever feels real fear. She's insane. Like Luna said in "An Early Reunion:"

“I have seen insanity. I have seen what delusion can drive a pony to do, and I know – I know – that they do not mean to harm. They simply do not understand what they are doing."

>>981491981491: Glad you like it!

I'm glad my portrayal of Octavia is working. I edited this part a few times, worried that I was making it too angsty and whiny (which can get boring to read). So I'm pleased that this chapter strikes the right balance.

And, yes, she's very honest, but not as honest about herself and her own conscience. Although that might be more due to a lack of wisdom as well; her philosophy has a few holes in it, and she's not quite wise enough to see them. If only some pony whose talent involved wisdom could talk to her...

Hey, wasn't one of the three points of the fleur de lis supposed to represent wisdom? :-)

>>981228981228

Agreed on all counts.  Concerti was noble and entirely well intentioned, with no way to know ahead of time his efforts might offend Luna so terribly, but Fortisi was just plain arrogant even if understandably so and far more deserving of her fate.  If the next is as G&C2 says even less sympathetic, s/he might as well pack up and join Corona on the sun.

Also yes, there is not nearly enough Upside-Down Fleur in this world.

>>981507981507

So when Octavia's theme implies that Corona isn't plugged all the way into the wall, she'll totally floor Greengrass (and herself) by being appointed Court Musician.

>>981491981491>>981532981532 I'm also enjoying Octavia's portrayel and also noticed that she maps to Honesty pretty well.

We need to start that tumbler.

And go, fancy Pants! I just love that name... Fancy Pants. Just makes me giggle.

>>981638981638 We can only hope...

>>981491981491

Ah, but the exclamation point would mean she's SHOUTING LIKE BRIAN BLESSED!

A firm calmly said 'No' can be just as effective, depending on the person.

>>981491981491: Hmm, a Canterlot 6...

Octavia as honesty, Shining Armor as loyalty, I'd pick Fleur as laughter (although as we'll see later on, she does have a more serious side), and, uh...

Hum. That's all I've got. :-(

>>982064982064

A singular exclamation point by itself only need convey intensity or excitement, not necessarily volume.

There is a reason why things like multiple exclamation points, all caps, bolding, and oversized font get used after all.  As you seem to have rather illustrated quite well no less.

>>982064982064

I agree. The 'no' works just fine without an exclamation mark, and I honestly think using one would diminish its impact rather than enhance it.

>>982080982080

Well, then Fancy Pants is clearly Generosity.

And I like how the second attempt was done by a personal rival of the first musician. That's how these things start after all. Someone good bombs horribly and then all of their rivals in the business smell opportunity rather than heeding a potential warning.

>>982200982200:

Some bozo: "The first twenty guys who are always surpassing me failed! This is my chance to shine! If I play it my way -- on the kazoo -- Luna will love it and shower me with praise!"

Luna: "Starlight, remind me again why they were worth saving?"

>>982209982209

Starlight: Most of them actually possess two brain cells to rub together.

And that's how it goes. Someone good has a (supposedly) brilliant idea and tries it, but fails horribly due to an innate misunderstanding that is really in no way their fault. Their rivals smell opportunity at succeeding where the first failed miserably and try themselves, but end up learning that they have no greater understanding of what went wrong than the first did. The smart ones eventually get a clue and decide to sit back and observe, seeking out some indication of what might bring success while the less intelligent ones continue to beat their head futily against a wall. Eventually even the idiots get the message and attempts cease until some point in the future where the sting of successive failures has lessened to the point where a new genius in the field can think the endeavor worthwhile again. Rinse and repeat until the repeated failures become the stuff of legend.

>>981897981897  <jumps out from behind a pot plant>   Not Tumblr as well?!  Don't you guys realise how much work  it is to stalk you already?

   Ah, just forget I said that...

Anyway, I'm enjoying this greatly, but it keeps hitting me in the head about how much music means to Pony related activities in general.  I think I've been exposed to more music theory, different genres, and the underlying impulses via this fandom than when I thought I was interested in music.

That said, I'm still woefully ignorant, but I least I have an appreciation of how woefully ignorant I am.  

Anytime I hear the name Fancy Pants, I think of Fancy Pants from the fancy pants adventures.

And I am now imagining L!Fancy Pants running in crazy loops and parkouring the heck out of stuff.

My guess as to what the true ending is: A march and a dirge.  Corona will start as a rough bombastic march, and the dirge will try and smooth it out.  It will fail, and the march will get steadily more bombastic and rough.  The dirge will become polyphonic, overwhelming the march.  the dirge then becomes more mournful, and the march is reduced to a bright core.

as for the canterlot 6, I see Fancy Pants as kindness instead of generosity.  

Remains a lovely work.  Really enjoying the treatment of all the characters especially the Octavia/Lyra relationship.  Not as a big a fan of Luna destroying musicians careers over a personal affront though.  She seems in the Lunaverse to be much more of a delegate then Celestia was in the mane universe right? So then why is she using her power to push down musicians who just want to play a piece to please her? Saying she's unpleased at their performances yes, and angry with her subjects I can understand too.  But going so far as to sabotage them...that I'm having trouble connecting with.  Think it'd be wise if you keep showing these interludes with individuals who have tried the piece that she's less bitter and angry with it each time...She wouldn't want to keep hurting her subjects would she? With things rawer in the more distant past yes, but this attitude hopefully won't carry over to the present day.  Other then that though this was great work.

And so Fancy pants and Fleur strike again. Alway's great to see them and I liked how they seemed to double team Lyra and Octiva. Good chapter, Octavia is interesting when she is alone in the world that she has created for herself but personally I think she shines a lot more when she has other characters to bounce off of but I think that is true for most characters.

Wow I'm starting to see a pattern with these musicians. No-one deserves to have their career so well and truely shattered like this but the term "pride before the fall" springs to mind. Still it will be interesting to see what happens with the next performer.

Looks like things are going really well for Octavia and Lyra. They're having fun, making good music, and all is well. I sure hope Greengrass's scheme doesn't work!

For those wondering, the instruments Lyra mentions are all real. The horn violin is basically just what it sounds like, the crumhorn is a very long baroque-era pipe instrument, and the glass harmonica is... tricky to explain, but it's a bunch of partially submerged cylinders that you play by touch.

Gee, I wonder why this idea didn't work.

Headcanon for what happened next: Costume Artist was offered a choice between a long stint in the Shadowbolts spies, for her ability to make disguises, and a long stint in prison. She took the former. Stringer was offered a long stint in prison for trying to defraud all the nobles, or a long stint in space for messing with Luna like that. She also took the former. (Addendum: she may have been pardoned later, on the condition that she never returned to Equestria).

Running tab of things that don't work with this piece:

1. Ending that's all about strength.

2. Ending that's all about cleverness.

3. Ending that's all about being flashy.

4. Hoping Luna doesn't show up.

>>984885984885: Well, she's not actually sabotaging them. She's just saying that she no longer wants to hear them, and that she/her government won't fund their concerts. That no other pony will hire them afterwards really isn't her fault, and sure, she could say something, but usually by that point she's so disgusted that she doesn't want to go out of her way to save them from themselves.

(By the way, we are going to see one or two musicians whom Luna is a bit gentler on. One of them, it's not really her fault that things went horribly wrong. Another is... more complicated).

>>986448986448

I don't even know what a horn violin sounds like. For some reason I'm imagining a stringed trumpet.

Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Violon_de_jazz_a_pavillon.JPG/250px-Violon_de_jazz_a_pavillon.JPG

Dear Lord I was right.

I have heard of both the crumhorn and the glass harmonica. I'm surprised the glass harmonica even exists in Equestria, as I imagine hooves are ill suited towards playing them; then again, I suppose unicorn magic could solve that problem.

Hmm.

Thinking, as I have been, of the Gala recently, I've been wondering about Greengrass and his date. For some reason I see him asking Notary, not out of any love, but rather because he's expected to have a date and he can't be bothered to pretend to flirt with some model or something. At which point I see Notary agreeing and then producing a thick contract stipulating what will and will not happen during the course of the date.

Just floating that.

Stringer would take the stage. ‘Luna’ would arrive, in an unexpected appearance – she’d rushed home from her diplomatic duties, she’d say, just to hear this piece

I have not yet finished reading this chapter. I just want to pause here and say that I think I see where this is going, and I feel really, really bad for Stringer right now.

EDIT

Huh. Okay, not actually the way I thought it would go, but I like this just as well. I was expecting to find that Luna *had* come in the beginning, and Stringer didn't notice that it wasn't Costume until it was too late.

THIS PIECE DESCRIBES MYSELF AND MINE SISTER. SHOULD THERE BE EVEN ONE SINGLE FLAW, I SHALT NEVER FORGIVE THE ARTIST. PLAY IT, STRINGER… IF THOU CANST!”

"Mine" should be "my," (again, "mine" and "thine" are used like "an,") and "shalt" should be "shall" (in general, -st is for "thou" and -th for "he/she/it," everything else is conjugated as in modern English). I guess it's probable that since this is Costume, and not Luna, he's just not speaking Royal Canterlot Equestrian correctly, but on the other hoof I think a master of disguise like Costume should probably be able to duplicate it, since voice and mannerisms are as much a part of a disguise as any costume.

>>986495986495: That... sounds about right for both of them.

Greengrass: "Notary, I don't even know what half of these acts are."

Notary: "Then it won't be any trouble for you to agree not to do them, will it?"

Greengrass: "...how do you know what they are?"

Notary: "I think we'll both be happier if we don't get into that."

>>986502986502: Well, he is trying to basically cheat his way into wealth with the whole fake-Luna thing. I don't feel too bad for him, is what I'm saying. :-)

Okay, I know just about enough music to know that all the styles, methodologies, and whatnot that Lyra and Octavia discus while rehearsing are real.  I do not, however, know anywhere close to enough to actually make much sense of it though, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that it's all technically sound and accurate.

Also, love the way Greengrass not only schemes to have Octavia reject further help from Lyra, but does so in a way where he believes either result should work to his favor (heads I win tails you lose is pretty much always the best strategy in any game).  That said, I'm not entirely sure how Luna refusing to snub Octavia could be construed as providing a political favor to Lyra, especial as in theory at least the princess could simply pretend to like the performance.