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Conversation of Music

Chapter 8: Conversation of Music

“Pinkie, I don’t think that we should bother Octavia at all. She might just want some peace and quiet you know.” Applejack said as they walked away from Vinyl’s home towards the library.

“But I reeeaaalllly need to know if she wants to join us or not.” Pinkie gives Applejack a slight frown. Applejack could only sigh as both her grandmother and herself carries the unconscious purple unicorn back to the library. Spike have already went on ahead to prepare Twilight’s bed and also some of his remedies to help Twilight. No matter what she says, Pinkie will still find Octavia and ask. Best to just let her do her thing, Applejack reasoned.

“Well alright Pinkie. Go ahead, but know that she might say no if you managed to find her.” Applejack gave her a kind but stern warning. Pinkie salutes back and is on her way to find Octavia. Once she is out of sight, she helped her grandmother to help Twilight back to the library.

- At Sugarcube Corner-

“Hm…..what should I bring along with me?” Pinkie ask Gummy once she returned to Sugarcube Corner and scrounging for things that could help her in her search for Octavia. However as usual, the response that the baby alligator gave her is his infamous ‘not a single care in the world’ stare. Pinkie however did not notice the stare, and went on digging stuff out from her closet. Pinkie looked at a weird gun-like item attached to a backpack, and as it glowed with a bright green light she wondered what it was until she remembered. It was that thingie called a ‘proton pack' from her time helping out her three professors in Manehattan when she was a student in college in Manehattan. They called themselves ‘parapsychologists’ but Pinkie thinks of them as ponies that decided to put giggling at the ghosties on a whole new level. Her thoughts then remembered a large marshmallow pony-ghostie during her internship, and how it rained marshmallows that day. It was a delicious internship. She wonders what happened to those three ponies, she should throw them a party someday. But of course, this was not the item that she is looking for as Octavia is not a ghostie. It was then that the pink pony stares at the readers, one of them in particular.

“Hey could you turn that song down?” Pinkie asked the author. The author wondered what she means until he realized that a particular theme for Pinkie's professors was playing during her flashback. The author obliges and turned down the song. Satisfied that the song is no longer playing, she continued on searching for the things that would help her find Octavia.

Soon enough she found what she is looking for. She smiles and looks around before she clad herself with an inverness cape and a deerstalker cap, and as she ponders where she should start her search she proceeds to blow through a bubble pipe. It was then that she remembered what Vinyl said to her and Pinkie plans to take advantage of it. Pinkie looks around, her ears trying to pick up any pony-made sound amongst the nature that surrounds her. Too bad there is no assistant for her this time in solving this ‘case’. She then hops out from her room, down the stairs, and out from Sugarcube Corner in an unspecified path, in search of Octavia.

*****************************************

-At Vinyl and Octavia’s home-

Octavia returns to her home late at night, and it appears that her roommate is now out of the house doing her own gigs. She was always happy for her friend, but also at the same time deep down she could only view the white unicorn with envy that she is living out her dream and enjoying herself. As for herself, she struggling and she could barely feed herself and put a roof on her head. She walks up the flight of stairs towards her room and as she opens the door and turns on the light, she wonders what she should do for the next day to get the bits for her daily life. She puts her cello to the side of the wall and drops on her bed and just decides to lay there. Soon enough she is deep in sleep, taking a break from the thing that is real life.

*****************************************

After a few days searching for the cellist, Pinkie realized that Octavia is perhaps the first pony that she failed to track somehow. During her tracking, she had apparently helped so many strangers and Ponyville townsfolk alike to the point that it is almost ridiculous. Today, she was searching for Octavia near the vicinity of the schoolhouse, but instead she managed to save one of the foals from being foal-napped by his crime boss father, who managed to discover that the foal and his mother were hiding away from him all these years and had taken over the school to find his son and kidnap him. With help from a very muscular pegasus cop who was undercover in the school as a teacher to protect the foal, they managed to stop the bad pony’s plan.

“YEAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!” The muscular pegasus pony shouted triumphantly in her flashback as the Ponyville police came to put the felon behind bars. Yeah, her flashback vividly recalls the strange accent that the pegasus have. She did not stay however, and was already searching for Octavia instead.

During her many visit Vinyl’s and Octavia’s home, Vinyl had told her that her roommate is nowhere to be seen, and also that Octavia have not replied to her despite the several memos telling Octavia that Pinkie would like to meet with her. Vinyl could only apologize to Pinkie about the inconvenience, and mentioned that Octavia is rarely this anti-social and was wondering what is going on with her roommate. This only make Pinkie even more determined to find this elusive musician to find out what is going on. But the more she searched, the more she realized that it is almost impossible to know where the pony is. Her tracking power is severely diminished if they are not trying to avoid her consciously. It appears that the gray pony is not even bothered with the pink pony trying to seek her out and that indifference caused Pinkie a little bit of a problem.

Pinkie was about to end her search for Octavia until she finally heard the sound she was looking for. Immediately Pinkie could feel that the song was really sad, and perhaps even heart-shattering. But no matter, Pinkie now has confidence about finding the elusive musician. She hops towards the direction of the lake, and she finally saw the light gray pony with her cello at the banks of the lake. However, this time she decides to hide among the bushes surrounding the lake once she noticed that she heard the sobbing from Octavia.

Why is she crying like that? Is she always like this when she plays her music?, Pinkie wonders. The cellist’s music sounds like she is struggling with something, but yet her play was flawless. She kept on sobbing while she played, which made the cellist look pathetic and miserable, and Pinkie does not like to see other ponies being all sad. The other day she managed to make everyone worried when she locked herself in Applejack’s closet, and she does not want to make anypony worried and sad. So mustering the courage within, Pinkie Pie decides to steps out from the bushes quietly to not startle Octavia. Apparently her entrance was not as stealthy as she would have liked, as Octavia stops her music abruptly and now the musician’s attention is now on Pinkie.

“Pinkie? What are you doing out here?” Octavia asked, with her sophisticated accent. The gray pony rubbed her eyes, trying to disguise the lines of tears that now mark her fur. Pinkie then walks towards the gray pony and once she is in front of Octavia, she sat down on her hauches.

“Well, I was just walking around and I heard you, that’s all. You are really good you know that? I wish I could play the cello as you do, but I don’t. But of course, I would like to ask you a question as well, Octy. Why are you doing out here? ” Pinkie gave Octavia a smile. Of course, Pinkie was telling a half-truth, as she wanted to find the gray mare. Pinkie of course is trying to cheer her friend up as well, and thus try not to say anything about that. But apparently as much as she tried, apparently something struck a chord with Octavia as Octavia’s body language was offended by Pinkie's words.

“I am not the best pony there is when it comes to the cello, Pinkie. There are others better than me. I mean if I am the best, I do not have to play out here in the middle of nowhere right?” Pinkie could only give herself a mental facehoof as she heard Octavia’s answer. Good going Pinkie……

“Besides, you will never understand what is going on right now with me.” There was a hint of bitterness in Octavia’s voice, and Pinkie picks up on that. And when a pony is sad, she knows that whenever a pony is sand, she should administered perhaps the best medicine for such a sad mood.

“Well, why don’t you tell me? That is what friends are for right? If you do not want to tell me in words, why don’t you tell me in song?” Pinkie then materializes a trumpet out of air, and started to tune it up. Having heard of Pinkie’s stubbornness, she decided to entertain the pink pony and went along with it. Pinkie smiled back at the gray pony, and went on playing.
Initially the sound of the trumpet sounds really joyful and happy, and it sounds like a person’s voice asking Octavia what is going on, but then Octavia answered her with her own cello telling the trumpet that it is none of her business. But then Pinkie’s trumpet answered her cello play with a rather interesting discordant but yet melodious sound, and Octavia could immediately recognize the trappings of jazz in her sound.

But of course, you have been playing jazz. It has been the talk of town for the past few weeks, Octavia reminds herself. She immediately changed her style of playing. She puts down the bow and started to pick her cello instead to better complement the pink pony’s sound and gave the pink pony a little bit of surprise. Pinkie gives Octavia a look, approving of what she is doing. Octavia smiled back and then played, using her hooves to pluck the strings. The tune sounds rather deep, and frantic but at the same time sounds like someone talking in hums.

I do play Jazz from time and time you know, I need to put food on the table you know and I will take any gigs. Octavia thought, and the tune she plays sounds like a person playfully mocking a friend. Pinkie of course managed to pick up on the vibe and plays her trumpet back to Octavia. The tune is similar to the tune that of her first play to Octavia, but this time it sounded a little less cheerful.

I wonder why Octy is out here playing all by herself, and that sound…..it is so sad, Pinkie wondered as she plays her trumpet. Pinkie soon heard Octavia’s cello replying to her trumpet, and it sounds rather muffed, as if trying not to reveal something. So Pinkie decided to press on, and see if she could get something out from that muffled voice.

Why does she persist?, Octavia asked herself as she heard Pinkie’s trumpet. It sounds like she really wants to know, but at the same time the tune is more reserved than before. Octavia feels like Pinkie’s trumpet is trying to be courteous to her. So Octavia lets a little bit of her emotions flow through her cello, hoping that her reply would keep her off the topic.Pinkie immediately recognized that little bit of sadness in the cellist’s tune again, but it is still rather muted. So Pinkie went on ahead, making her trumpet sound a little pleading, but at the same time making sound like it was laughing. At least Octavia is opening up, so Pinkie thought.

Octavia’s plan backfired and now the trumpet playing is longer than it was before. Damn it Pinkie,, Octavia thought to herself and now she will have to play a little bit longer to keep the sense of tempo consistent and that means she would have to keep the pace going. She then plays a more aggressive tune on her cello. She will not reveal everything to Pinkie.
Pinkie could interpret that aggressive play immediately, but then she replied back with a calming sound, as if to apologize. But of course, there is a tint of seriousness in her trumpet’s voice, as she will not let go of the issue. When a musician plays her song in such a primal manner, she must have something on her mind or so Pinkie reasoned. Unbeknownst to the pink pony, Octavia managed to pick up on Pinkie’s body language. Octavia could only admire this particular pony’s understanding of pony nature. So Octavia plays a more deflective tune back at Pinkie, trying her best to not sound too aggressive with her sound. But the trumpet sound is more piercing with every moment, as if trying to prod into her cello’s sound. It was then that Octavia anger blasted through her cello, surprising the trumpet sound.

However, the trumpet kept on going somewhat sympathetic with the cello’s sound and the trumpet gave off a rather metallic but warm sound as if to comfort the cello’s angry sound. It was then that Octavia understands that Pinkie was trying to comfort her through her music, and before long Octavia’s cello sounds a little more apologetic towards the trumpet. Soon, she played on her cello with a much less aggressive tune, but this time she can’t deny her frustrations, fears and anger seeping through her music, and it was then that Octavia could feel more tears coming down her eyes and running down her cheeks. It was then that the trumpet stopped, and Octavia opened up her eyes to see Pinkie now looking at her with caring eyes. Finally, Octavia puts her cello down and biting her lips, she hugs the pink pony as hard as she could, and finally lets it all go and cry as loud as she could.

After a while, the gray mare is now feeling much better and this is when Pinkie decided to ask her the question that she had always wanted to ask the mare; would she be willing to join her and Spike in playing jazz? Once Octavia heard that question, she sniffed a little before answering the pony with the pink puffy mane.

“I would be happy to join you ponies, and I do have a double bass back home. Besides I need to stay away from the wubs. But I would like to know if this could actually help me earn some bit.” Pinkie is now caught off guard by the grey mare’s inquiry. Pinkie was expecting to just play jazz for fun, but faced with a rather stoic Octavia she wonders if it would be wise to tell her an answer that might disappoint. It was then that Octavia puts a foreleg on Pinkie’s shoulder.

“Forget that I asked that question. In return for not asking for bits, you will not ask me more about what troubles me. This is a problem that I will have to solve myself. Is that a reasonable promise?” Octavia suggested her proposition to Pinkie, managing a slight but warm smile on her face.

“"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Pinkie replies with a smile on her face, and accidentally jabs her hoof into her eye, and Pinkie shouted in pain. Octavia snorted and was trying to hold back, but she could only laugh out loud at the pink pony. Nothing like a class act from Pinkie, Octavia said to herself as she packs her cello into its case , preparing to leave the lake. Pinkie had already put her trumpet away to some place that Celestia would not even know. As Octavia looks at Pinkie with appreciative eyes, the pink pony looks back with a smile on her face, glad that somehow she could be there for somepony.

“You know, Octy, this is a beginning of a beautiful friendship.” Pinkie said as both ponies walks side by side back into Ponyville, the night sky began to sparkle brightly with stars lighting their path back home, and perhaps their future as band members.

Author's Note:

What the author was playing when Pinkie was remembering her professors in Manehattan - This Particular Theme

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