//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: The Sounds of Silence // by Asterilos the Star Watcher //------------------------------// The flute was a constant source of tension between us, although at the time I had no idea. Adagio isn’t as musically inclined as me, and it’s one of the only things we had left when the house burned down. Though, being the sly pony he is, he never let me know how jealous he was of me, and me being so young didn’t help, either. I looked up to him, honestly. During those rough times I had to, he was older and my brother. The jealousy didn’t take such a nasty grip on him at first, either. The first few days when we lived in the alleys he was too worried about surviving to waste energy on it. All he cared about was having food, and while there was some here and there, there wasn’t always enough to feed us both. In a good story, my older brother would colt up and give me the food and wait for his turn, but this isn’t a good story. I had to spend many a miserable night as I watched him chewing on some leftover pastry or flower, and I never wished him ill for it. The way he explained it made everything seem right in the world. “I need the food so I can have enough strength to keep you safe,” he told me one night as he devoured a half-eaten cupcake, and I went along with it because it made sense at the time. It was very cruel, but he always spun it in such a way to make it seem tender and caring. He never raised his voice, or hit me, or anything. Unless I tried to play, that is. Adagio never saw the beauty that other ponies say they see in my music. His jealousy and hatred for me tainted it, and to him it was just me trying to be better than him. Of course, it was never like that. To me, there was no way I could be better than him, because he was the pinnacle of pony perfection. But when I tried to explain that to him, he wouldn’t listen. He hit me, and told me that playing my music was bad, because I wasn’t any good at it. But it just made me want to get better, to be something to my brother, so some nights I snuck off while he slept and practiced until Celestia’s dawn. They were those few hours when the world was at peace, when I wasn’t just a homeless pony, and when my stomach didn’t rumble quite as loud. Every night I practiced, until one night I lost track of time. I was playing a quick serenade to welcome the sun when I heard his voice behind me. I slipped a note, and the piercing blast that came afterwards just made him more furious. He was upon me, a hoof raised up about to strike me, when we heard voices calling. My mistake had gotten someone’s attention. When we looked down the alley we saw a family of well dressed ponies, one of them even carrying a musical instrument with her! My brother realized how he looked and began to pat me on the head, telling me how good I had gotten and to not lose focus at the end. I was confused, to be sure, but elated that he had complimented me. The family called us over then, and introduced themselves. The father, a tan colt named August, looked at me with a kindness I hadn’t seen in a while, and asked me to play again. I was nervous, so when my brother glared at me and motioned for me to go ahead, I played just a simple melody that any musician could produce. But when I saw that none of them were going to stop me, not even Adagio, I began to play faster and better, until they began to experience that same experience that everypony does when I play my best. It was a busy street, as well, so before long I had gathered a crowd, all floating along on my notes. It was wondrous, a glimpse of the stage life, and I just continued to play for as long as I could. My brother had other plans, though. His jealousy was eating at him, so in the middle of my performance he pulled on my tail as discreetly as he could. When the flopped note broke the trance that everypony was in, they all stared at me with open wonderment. Despite having made that “mistake”, they all still clapped and threw bits at me. Bits! A rain of little coins, each one clinking on the street, and to my brother, that music was sweeter than any I could have produced. He gathered the bits as the applause began, and his own greed overrode his jealousy. Ponies began to ask if August was my father; apparently he was a major supporter of music, and his daughter was a prodigy all her own. So, when he looked at me and winked, he announced that yes, we were indeed his sons. Both me and my brother were dumbstruck, so when he invited me to the music class he was heading to, I was sure it was a dream. It wasn’t, and even if it was, I never wanted to wake up. His daughter, Octavia, a gray little filly about my own age with a pink treble clef cutie mark, played the cello with a mastery that belied her years, and so we would often spend long nights in the study, conducting private orchestras for an imaginary crowd. My days were filled with endless music, both mine and hers, and it was glorious. My brother, however, wanted more than this. He wasn’t satisfied with his life in the background again, so on some days when class was short, he would intercept us at school and take us down to the theater district, and then force us to play for crowds on the sidewalk and then take the bits for himself. And he would always tell us that if we ever told August about this, he’d break both our instruments and any we dared tried afterwards. Since he was bigger than us, we had to accept that, although Octavia had more fight in her than me and resented every second of it. On the way home she’d filch bits from his bag and then we’d later go run off for treats, and we found happiness in even the lowest part of our days. Soon we began to look forward to his forced performances and the shopping we’d do afterwards, and each time Octavia stole a little more from him. “Our rightful share” she called it, and each time we came home in such good mirth Adagio began to wonder. We were digging our own graves, as it turned out. Adagio didn’t know that we were taking his bits, but he soon realized that he was coming up with less and less every time. His greed expanded like his bags, and the next time we played and transfixed ponies, he would wander through the crowd and steal entire bags of bits, using his immunity to music as a tool to fill his coffers. His profit tripled overnight, and soon he began to leave late at night and not return until midmorning, always tired but with more and more bits. It didn’t take us long to figure out that he was exploiting performers all over Manehattan, each on a different day, each one a little profitable venture. There’s a reason that Manehattan is said to have streets paved with talent, and Adagio began to concoct a scheme to use that talent for his own personal gain. For months he’d leave at night and bring strange ponies home, always dressed in such sleek and gorgeous clothing that they made August look low-class by comparison. They’d stay in the den all night talking about some business plans they had while Octavia and I sat around the hall corner listening. That was the birth of the Concertos. A group disguised as a musical troupe who stole from those captivated by our music. Of course nopony knew that at first, so when a new “scout” came to the door a year later asking about Octavia and I, August was so pleased he packed our things for us and sent us with him, never looking back when his door was closed. We were taken to a grand theater hall neither of us had ever heard of before, and we had our first performance that night. Ponies from all over town came when they heard that the promising street duo had finally made it big, and the hall was packed as we began to play. We were so caught up in our own music we didn’t notice the ushers picking every pony clean, and later that night a party was thrown to welcome us to the troupe. Our lives were just seeming to begin. We played every event imaginable, even going so far as playing the Grand Galloping Gala once or twice. And each time ponies left with lighter bags and pockets, not even realizing that the price they paid for admission was only half of what they lost. And I was never the wiser, although Octavia thought it odd we were making such a large amount so fast. We never thought to make the connection between Adagio’s late night business talks and our current situation. We never had any reason to. We were famous as famous gets, or at least our music was. Nopony knew us really, but when we were out and about we would always get swarmed and pressured to play, and we loved the attention for a while. It was the perfect validation for two musical ponies. After another year or so of playing music, we were staying late at the concert hall one night to go over another piece we had been working on when we heard a very familiar voice that sent chills up and down our spines. Both of us quit playing immediately and followed the noise back to our dressing room to find Adagio talking to our troupe leader. What we heard then was almost the same as what they were talking about those few years ago, about the theft of so many bits and how it was all thanks to us, and it was then Octavia decided to let all that courage she had bottled up over the years finally spill forth. She devised a plan for us to escape, and within a week we would be free. That was the best scenario, but those almost never play out like we want. When the time came, right as we were preparing for our biggest show to date, they made the mistake of leaving us alone to get ready. Grabbing our instruments and enough bits to get us far away, we made a break for the stage entrance. If we’d been a second quicker, if I hadn’t tripped on my tuxedo, then things might’ve gone as planned. But I did trip, and the ushers and our troupe leader were bearing down on us. Octavia had stopped and came to help me up, but we didn’t have time to get away by then. If something didn’t happen, we weren’t going to make it. So I decided to be the pony I always wanted Adagio to be. I placed myself between them and Octavia and told her to run, that I would be behind her soon. If this was a story, she wouldn’t have ran and we would’ve been through it together, like the brother and sister we’d grown to be. But I thank Celestia every waking moment that it wasn’t a story. She knew that this was her chance and that I was giving it to her, so she grabbed her cello and ran again as I readied my flute. Before any of the Concerto had time to react I played one piercing high note after another, so shrill the lights began to burst and they were forced to cover their ears. I was able to play for an amazing amount of time, but those notes required a lot of effort and I had been running, and Octavia had barely made it away before I dropped to the floor and the Concerto converged on me. The beat me, almost mercilessly, until Adagio appeared and took me to a dark room where they questioned me and beat me over and over. Luckily, I didn’t know where Octavia had planned to go, so I couldn’t tell them. This didn’t keep them from punishing me, but I was content that she was safe and I couldn’t harm that. The Concerto have quite a long reach, though, and were about to begin the search for her when Adagio forced me into a deal. If I continued to play, never getting paid, a show every week, then I could make up for her and they would let her leave. And I took his offer for half a year. But things had changed. The stage no longer brought me pleasure, so long as I knew that I was playing for ill purposes, and I made the choice to run away, this time making it out much quicker than Octavia had. I left my brother a letter and all the bits I had saved so he could find somepony to replace me, and wished over and over that this was it, that Octavia and I were forever safe and that we could finally live away from the manipulation and thievery. But I should have known my brother was not going to let me win, and while Ponyville is a bit out of the way, he found me again and is probably looking for Octavia as well. I feel that the grace period he gave me is so that he can find and use her as bait for me. I was hoping to spend my life here in Ponyville, but if he finds her, I’ll have to go back. I can’t put her at risk for myself. He finished his story and looked at them, trying his best to not falter and break down. “I should’ve guessed, and now I’ve put you all in danger. I should try to catch up with Adagio before he-” Fluttershy put her hoof gently over his mouth, getting his attention as she laid her forehead on his. “No, Allegretto, this isn’t your fault,” she said softly, acting the part of her Element very well. “It’s Adagio’s fault. You just wanted to be happy, he’s the bad guy.” Pinkie Pie actually had a serious look on her, eyes darting to each pony’s. “I dare that big meanie to come back and take away our new friend. He’s in for a Pinkie Pie pummeling if he tries!” She stood up and began boxing the air with her hooves before smiling a bit maliciously. “I’ll give ‘em a Jelly Jab, and a Cupcake Chop, and a Turnover Toss! Hiya!” she yelled, swinging at the air and raising the mood slightly. Rainbow Dash shot up into the air above them and puffed her chest out again. “I’m right behind Pinkie! That loser tries to come back here, I’ll rain down the fury of Rainbow Dash! He won’t know what hit him!” She flipped once and hovered above him, flashing such a confident grin that his own confidence was boosted. Applejack jumped up and straightened her hat, tipping it slightly to him. “Ah’m behind ya, too, pard’. That varmint tries to mosey his way back into our town, and he’ll hafta answer to the Apple family! You got the entire orchard on yer side, now!” Rarity also rose, clearing her throat. “I can’t say I’ll be much good in a fight or anything so barbaric, but I have a few ponies in high places I can rely on to find Octavia for you. I’ll make sure she stays safe as can be, don’t you worry at all.” Twilight joined them in standing, Spike on her back. “I’ll send word out to Princess Celestia that Manehattan has a shady music business she should put a stop to. Though, Allegretto, I think I should warn you that this could destroy your chances of being on stage. Once ponies find out that you were a Concerto, even if you didn’t know what they did, nopony will want to take you on.” Allegretto thought about this, then looked at the friends he had assembled around him. He loved his music, truly, but right now he wouldn’t trade anything in the world for these ponies, especially the one nestled up against him. “Twilight, I choose you ponies over the stage any day. Besides, who’s to say I still can’t play for entertainment?” They all nodded in agreement, elated at the decision he’d made. They wanted to celebrate at the party, but it had long since winded down and the night air was beginning to nip at them. They all said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, except Fluttershy, who pawed the ground timidly, and Allegretto, who laid on the blanket a while longer and stared at the night sky. “Allegretto, I’m… I’m happy you decided to stay here in Ponyville,” Fluttershy said, and flashed a smile that rivaled every twinkling star. Despite the cold they both felt warm, and the stars pulsed with a cold fire as the moon began to sink. “I have to go back to look after my animals… Are you going to be alright finding your way home?” she asked with a yawn, slowly moving towards her home. He smiled and suppressed his own yawn, lowering his head. “I think I’ll be fine for just one night,” he said, then sent her on her way with a taxed smile. Trying to fight his sleepiness for a little bit longer, he watched as the stars began to fade and the moon almost fell behind the horizon, feeling a peace he hadn't known for years. When the morning did come it found him asleep on that blanket, with another thrown over him by Pinkie Pie when she woke up and saw him outside her window. Even outside in the cold and damp with dew, his first night in Ponyville was one of the best Allegretto had ever had. Author's Note: Phew, hopefully I fleshed out Allegretto's backstory enough to allow the story to continue on. I hope this chapter doesn't seem as rushed as the last one, but if it does seem that way, I apologize. Also, if the romantic/touching scene with everyone assembled outside seemed cliche, the reason is I don't have a lot of experience with that sort of writing, so I'm trying to build that. Hopefully as the rest of the characters make their way in and the story goes on it'll all become more refined and fall into place. Anyway, enjoy!