//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 : The Crystal Concert // Story: Three Keys // by Noble Theory //------------------------------// Octavia took a deep breath as she peered out from behind the stage door that lead into the open air of the Crystal Concert Hall. A few butterflies began to make their presence known from within her diaphragm. Giving meaning to the words that a single flap of there wings could cause chaos on the other side of the world. Quickly she caught and caged them to the furthest reaches of her mind. This is it -she thought. As she gazed out to meet the plethora of faces before her. Her eyes stopping to fixate on ones of noble decent. Everypony is here Oh Celestia I hope this goes well! Months had been spent rehearsing for this moment not to mention the years of work Octavia herself had spent creating the score. She had focused a considerable amount of time and energy into working out the melodic subtleties of individual harmonies that arose within the intervals of her music. Carefully pruning the half tones and full tones like a shepherd tends to her flock; Octavia reflected on all the past work, meticulously reviewing the score in her mind. She knew she had accounted for every unknown. Well every save one-"Oc-TA-vi-ah!!"-and here it was right on cue, she sighed. "Oc-TA-vi-AH!?", again came the shrill cry that resonated throughout the backstage of the concert hall in a sing song like manner. Quickly Octavia shut the stage door before the cry could pierce the ears of the audience beyond. "Oc-TA-vi-Vinyl keep you voice down!!", came the sharp reply as she turned to face her friend. "Oh hey there you are Octavia!" her voice dropping a few decibels, "I was looking all over for you." "Yes well here I am.", she answered in a short horse whisper of a voice. "What are you doing here?", asked Vinyl. "I was just-" Octavia started before being cutoff. "-You are having stage fright aren't you?" Vinyl had an incessant way of being direct and to the point. A trait that Octavia found both endearing and infuriating at times. "Well aren't you?" Answered Vinyl to her blank stare. Right now Octavia felt like Neighthoven's 5th symphony was reaching its crescendo within her brain. "No Vinyl I am not having any stage freight I was just contemplating the varying harmonic intervals that are present within the score" She stated matter-of-factly. As the 5th began to diminuendo. "Oh, well that's great because I was hoping you could help me out with mine" Vinyl said . Octavia caught herself, "You!? You have stage freight?!" Vinyl's face said nothing. "I'm sorry but is this the same Vinyl Scratch that once did a flash-mob performance in front of her Royal Highness on her coronation day?.. While all of Equestria was watching? Not to mention the fact that you were lucky her Highness joined in. Otherwise you could have been jailed! What were you thinking anyway!?" Vinyl's face remained as hard as stone, Octavia continued to pontificate. *Sigh* "I mean of course every performer experiences a little stage freight its only logical in fact its completely scientific. The thought of performing in front of a large crowed triggers a fight or flight response within the sympathetic nervous system which then intern causes a calcium ionic exchange of electrons between the dendrites of the brain cells. Which then induces a.... " At this point Vinyls attention had long since been focused elsewhere. However she kept a keen ear peeled for when her friend would finally reach the conclusion she wanted her to, and come up for air. The increasingly hyper rant from Octavia continued. " ....And that's why we rehearsed as many times as we did. Using the classical 4:2 method to build muscle memory so that in the end we wouldn't even have to think about notes since they would just come naturally and... uh Oh wait" Octavia paused and drooped her head. "You did it to me again didn't you?" She said sheepishly. Vinyls long stoic face burst into laughter "Ha Ha!! Yep it works every time! I come to you with a 'problem' and it ends up solving your own!" "You'd think I'd learn already wouldn't you?" said Octavia smiling weakly. "But you never do" chuckled Vinyl, "Now come on we got a concert to perform!" she began to turn and trot away. Octavia now humbled by her friends form of Socratic questioning felt safe in reveling the full extent of her fears. "Vinyl wait a moment please." Vinyl stopped. "It's true I do have a little stage fright but that's only part of the problem.The other part is... well, you know the idea" Octavia said. Vinyl's face went white. "You have got to be joking" she said. "Well if you're going to take it that way." "No no" said Vinyl. "it's just that I can't believe you would doubt yourself that much. I mean you've worked on this for years." "I know it's just that- " "Nope not another word sister" said Vinyl. "~But" "Not another word the audience is going to love it!!" *Sigh* "you're right" Octavia said. "That's the spirit! Now come on are we going to go out there and drop da Bass or what!?" "Indeed we shall." smiled Octavia.