//------------------------------// // Cadenza // Story: Strings Attatched // by Chickenscratch //------------------------------// Octavia finished her outstanding solo and the crowd went wild. Everyone stood up and stomped their hooves on the ground with great excitement for her. I don’t know if any of them applauded louder than I did. Probably not. As she was walking off the stage we made eye contact for just a moment, and I waved at her. She did not wave back, but nodded slightly and disappeared. “She was incredible, wasn’t she?” Golden Glissando asked, taking her seat again. “I want to meet her.” “Pardon?” My friend looked at me strangely. “You want to meet Octavia?” “I don’t know why,” I stuttered, squirming back into my seat. “She seems like she would be an interesting mare to know. I mean we’re both musicians, right?” The rest of the concert passed slowly. Octavia did not appear on the stage again, much to my disappointment. She had been incredibly talented. All I wanted was to talk to her. By the time the performance was over, it had grown late into the night, and my eyes were beginning to droop. In my drowsiness I forgot all about meeting Octavia, and returned to my dorm and fell asleep. When I awoke the next morning I suddenly remembered what I had wanted to do, and was very upset with myself the rest of the day. “Are you still upset, Vinyl?” Golden Glissando shut the door to our room behind her. “Maybe.” “Don’t get yourself so down, you’ll probably get another chance.” I rolled over in my bed, clutching the novel I was reading close to my chest. “Vinyl, haven’t you started your paper yet?” “No, mom.” “Come to the library with me, we’ll work on it together. You can’t sit in here reading all day.” I reluctantly rolled out of bed and walked to the library with my friend. Most everyone was at lunch, so the library was fairly empty. I helped Golden Glissando find her books for her paper, but got little work done myself. I checked out one or two books before heading back to the room. “You know,” Golden Glissando started, climbing into the top bunk of our bed, “you could just go to another concert if it mattered that much.” “Hm?” “I think that mare is in the junior symphony, I’m not sure though.” I heard my roommate drop onto the mattress and throw her blankets about. “You should check the roster at the hall.” “Why, are you gunna take a nap?” No reply. I left the room. I wandered the campus for a while, talking to a few of my peers about little things. By the time it reached one in the evening, new classes were starting, and the campus cleared. I think the strings classes were going on, I’m not sure. I found myself ambling away from the campus and into the streets of Canterlot. I had brought my saddlebags with me, and was relieved to find a few bits in them. I soon found myself in a café and ordered a pastry for lunch. As I stood by the counter I noticed a small colt eyeing my cutie mark. “Good evening,” I said, looking down at him. He returned my gaze, surprised. “Hullo.” There was a small period of silence. “Do you play music?” “Yeah, you could say that. I’m going to the music college downtown.” “That’s where I’m going to go.” I looked at the colt in surprise. “You play?” I asked. “Flute.” I was about to say something to him when my name was called and a tray placed on the counter. I took it with my magic, and as I walked away said, “Good luck kid. I’ll see you out there.” I took a seat by the window and ate slowly, watching the ponies of the city meander by. Soon enough I was back in the streets. Golden Glissando would be asleep for a while yet, and I soon found myself at the concert hall. I lingered outside for a moment before entering. There was a single receptionist loitering about at the desks, and upon my entry she looked up idly. “What’s up?” she asked, leaning over the counter. “Oh! Um…” I wavered a moment, slightly embarrassed. “Actually I was going to check something. Do you have a roster for the junior symphony?” “In one of the programs I think. One sec.” The receptionist disappeared into a back room, and returned with a small packet. I flipped through it quickly, and scanned through the cello section. “Hmm, Strings…Strings…” I muttered, scanning the row of names on the paper. “Ah, there she is! Octavia Strings!” I grinned, closing the program. “Find what you needed?” the receptionist asked, taking back the program. “Yeah. Are you selling tickets for that concert?” The receptionist looked surprised. “Yes, but it’s tomorrow night,” she said, settling down in her chair. “That’s awful last minute.” “I can deal with that. How much?” Soon my bits were spent, and I left the hall with a ticket in my bag. The sun was beginning to sink, and I made my way back to the campus. Upon entering the dorm I found that Golden Glissando had cleaned it. Often when she was stressed she would end up cleaning out our room completely. “You were out late,” she said, dropping a stack of books on my bed. “I was busy.” “You were going to miss your evening class.” “Oh! I almost forgot! Thanks,” I said, grabbing my book from the bed. “Thanks for cleaning up, by the way.” The night of the concert came up quickly, and I hurried to get ready. Fortunately, Golden Glissando was out, and I could leave without any trouble. I found myself at the hall an hour early. “Go on into the auditorium when you’re ready,” the usher said, taking my ticket. “You can sit wherever you like, Miss.” I entered the large room to find the musicians set up on the stage, tuning. I quickly spotted Octavia, who was seated at the end of one of the rows. She was talking to the pony beside her as she played. I made my way to the front row and sat as close to her as I could. Octavia glanced towards me momentarily, but returned her attention to her instrument. She did not look back at me again. The concert was wonderful, and the applause at the end thundered through the hall. As the audience cleared out I remained in my seat, waiting to get a chance to talk to Octavia. Ponies left rather quickly, but when I was finally able to get up she was gone. I reluctantly returned to the front desk, tapping the counter. The receptionist that had served me before appeared. “Can I get a ticket to the next junior concert?” I asked shyly. She raised her eyebrow. “Sure thing.” This was the beginning of a long strain of concerts. I attended every single one, each time sitting as close as I could to Octavia. After the third or fourth time she began to notice me, and looked over once or twice during her concerts. I never got a chance to speak with her. Another concert was ending. I listened to the applause ring out across the hall. Slowly it died down and everyone left. I approached the stage eagerly as the last musicians exited, hopeful that perhaps she would wait for me. She did not. I climbed awkwardly onto the stage to find it empty. I looked out over the audience seats. There wasn’t a soul left in the hall, and I could see everything. Even without anypony there, the great mass of seats was already a little overwhelming. It was unnerving to imagine them filled with ponies, all listening to every noise you made. I walked slowly towards the piano. It was very large and looked to be in better condition than when it had even been bought. I placed a hoof on one of the keys, and the sound rang through the hall. In a moment I was seated on the bench, pouring into the keys. I hadn’t played a piano like this since I had been home in Manehattin. It was beautiful. Quite suddenly, the sound of strings could be heard behind me, and soon I was playing a gorgeous duet with a cello. It was unlike anything I had done before, and it sounded incredible. I struck the last notes and let them ring out in chorus with the cello. I removed my hooves from the keys, sighing. “You are a very talented pianist.” I turned, and my heart stopped. Standing there, clutching a cello to her side, was Octavia.