//------------------------------// // Origins // Story: The Musical Murders // by Saacsa //------------------------------// Canterlot: 20 Years Ago "He is seven years old and has yet to show any musical aptitude!" A grey stallion steamed, "He just sits there and reads those damned books all day. I am sorry, but he can NOT be enrolled in this school." Salineighri said for the tenth time. "Please-" A lilac Earth Pony mare tried to say something, but was cut off by Salineighri again. "No." He stated firmly, his jaw having long been set. "But-" A light blue Unicorn stallion was cut off by the same grey Pegasus. "No. No buts. Now, I am quite tired of your persistence." The grey stallion stated. "Sir, listen to us!" The blue Unicorn said in frustration. "No, you listen to me. Better yet, listen to your colt! He is seven now and still can't even play 'Twinkle,Twinkle, Little Star'! The Canterlot Academy For Gifted Musicians will not accept a colt or filly that can't play that by the age of three and a half! Yure Concerto, you and Moonlight Sonata may be famous musicians, but you have to understand that your colt did not follow in your hoof steps. You yourself should especially know this, Yure. After all, you barely passed your entrance exam!" Salineighri said, his patience long gone. "And look how good I turned out to be!" "You had visible talent that just needed a little molding. This colt of yours has nothing but a coat and mane!" The grey stallion snapped. By the look on her husbands face, Moonlight Sonata could tell they needed to get out of there before Yure did something he would regret. "Honey," The lilac Earth Pony said softly, "We can't reason with him. Let's just go." "But-" "Honey." She said with a little more force, "We'll try again. In Ponyville this time. Besides, I know a few musicians with fillies of their own that live there." Moonlight reasonably stated. Yure sagged his head in defeat and, much to his chagrin, Salineighri smirked. "Yes, love." The Unicorn said and turned his back to Salineighri. "I'd rather him go there anyways. He won't grow up to be a spoiled, bratty snob." The jet black maned Unicorn spat. Salineighri scoffed at the insult as the two ponies exited the room, slamming the door shut behind them. A small, tan Unicorn nervously paced in the living room of his temporary Canterlot home. A billion things raced through his mind, but only one truly worried him. His parents were going to make him go to some stupid, snobby school for high and mighty musicians. And he didn't want to go. He wasn't even interested in playing piano like his father nor singing like his mother. Despite his chagrin for playing or singing music, he loved listening to it. He loved flowing with its beauty and rhythm. He just wasn't interested in making it. But the small colt had never told his parents. He just waited and hoped that they would notice his bordem, but as attentive as his mother and father were, they just didn't want to believe that their only colt didn't want to be a musician. He had finally decided, that night, that he would tell them. But when he came home from playing in the park, they were already gone to that dreadful school to enroll him. "I tell you, Sonata, he could be the next Beethooven if he would practice!" He heard his fathers exasperated voice coming from outside. The colt froze and jumped behind a nearby lamp, the table concealing his view. The plugin was knocked almost completely from its socket, but the colt didn't thing that it was a big deal, so he didn't fix it. The lamp had been off anyway. "I agree. It's a shame that Salineighri turned us down." His mothers sweet, down-to-Equestria voice said as Yure's hoof smacked the doorknob. A massive flood of relief washed over the colt as the door swung inward, allowing his parents entry to their home. His father came in first and cleared the way for Moonlight Sonata. Yure Concerto sighed deeply and closed the door behind them. "We'll just try again in Ponyville." He said in defeat. Fear struck the small colt. "Why wasn't he musically talented like us?" "The same reason that he is a Unicorn. Genetics skipped a generation, love." His wife reasoned. "Don't get me wrong, I love the colt to death. I'm proud off him. He's my colt! Why can't Salineighri see what I do?" Yure said and sat on his haunches. "Because eh can hear what you can't..." The tan Unicorn said softly and stepped out from behind the lamp. "What?" His fathers shocked and confused expression matched his voice. "Dad. I can't play music." The colt uttered. "What? Of course you can, Dust." What makes you think that you can't?" His father said, having obviously convinced himself into believing that his son could play. "Say that I could..." The could responded and steeled himself for what he had to say, "Mom, Dad. I don't want to play or sing music." The colt said, a huge burden having finally been lifted from his chest. There was a slight pause before his mother spoke up. "We know, Dust." She said, causing his father to sigh deeply. "What else we know is..." ======================= "That you're a wizard!" Dust Star jokingly exclaimed. "Hey! That's not what happened!" A white mare accused. "Forgive me for having a sense of humor..." The tan stallion muttered, flipping his lilac mane out of his smirking face as he knocked back another drink. "You put those away quite well." A midnight blue Alicorn pointed out, worry skirting at the edge of her voice. "After what I went through, you would too." The stallion retorted. "Yes, I hear Hoofwarts was dreadfully cold that year." A grey Earth Pony mused while swirling her drink with a smirk. "That, and Dracolt was in all of my classes." Dust chuckled, inciting a laugh from everypony else. "Thanks, 'Tavi. I needed that." "By what they told us all those years ago, I think we all do." The blue maned, white coated Unicorn said. "They told you a lie. My parents never died in an electrical fire." Dust Star said darkly and bought another round of drinks before continuing his story. ======================== His father sighed deeply and stood up. "Yes. In the back of our minds we did. We just didn't want to believe it." Yure said and knelt to his sons level. "Are you mad at me?" The teary eyed colt asked. "No son. In fact, we are proud that you finally told us the truth." His father said. The small Unicorn visibly brightened and threw his fore-hooves around his dad. "Thank you! Does this mean that you won't try to enroll me in anymore of those snobby music schools?" The dusty colt asked. His father sighed heavily and looked his colt in the eyes with a warm smile. "Yes. We'll enroll you in a normal school with normal, non-snobby ponies." His father smirked, making the colt near exuberant. "But we are still moving to Ponyville." The father said, still trying to assert some authority as to not be trampled. "That's fine by me! Everypony here is a snob anyways." The excited colt said and hugged his father again. "Now, Dust Star, I think it's about time for you to hit the hay." His mothers voice mused. The colt and his father shared a laugh, but he was way to excited to go to sleep. Then again, he was also way to grateful to argue. The colt opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the sound of shattering glass. The family snapped their heads towards the broken window and saw a flash of silver shoot across the room between Moonlight and her family. "Your voice is silenced." The figure said coldly. Moonlight Sonata's eyes widened and she let out a strangled gurgle before, much to Dust Star's horror, the muscle and flesh on the front of her throat tore open. Blood covered her son and husband as she fell limply to the floor, her eyes a dulled grey. "NO!" Yure bellowed and charged at the black latex covered assailant. "And you have played your last note." The chilling voice said and broke a bottle over Dust Star's fathers head. The horrifying mare turned and bucked his chest, sending Yure into the half unplugged lamp. There was a sickening crackle as the smell of scorched hair and skin invaded the terrified colts nostrils. "D-Don't h-h-hurt m-me!" The colt stammered as the black mare approached him in the burning house. Smoke filled the air and made Dust Star's eyes sting as the murderer stood over him. "You, lucky colt, shall be spared. For the sins of your guardians are not those of your own." She spoke in the same chilled voice as she disappeared in a flash of black. The colt looked over at the smoldering remains of his mother and father, feeling a rush of anger, along with something else, well deep inside of him. Something powerful. His horn glowed a translucent white aura as his most powerful magic swirled into his horn. He clenched his eyes shut and set his jaw, focusing his magic into getting him out of there and to... Anywhere but there. He felt a larch, and then the chilled night air through his mane. It was a sudden, but nice, transition from the sweltering heat. He breathed in deeply, taking in the apple scented air and ridding his olfactory bulbs of the smell of burning flesh and smoke. He opened his eyes and unclenched his jaw. He looked into a large orchard of apple trees that were bathed in the beautiful moonlight, crimson apples gleaming against the pale glow. His mother came to mind. He felt his hooves quiver on the ground, throwing his balance off as a tsunami of saddness washed over him. he hit the ground as wave after wave of salty tears gushed from his eyes. He lie there, quivering in an ocean of solitude for the rest of the night.