Just one last time.
I walk onto the stage--for what is to be hopefully the last time--to see it filled with empty chairs and instruments. Such a sight was highly unusual for an orchestra, but I knew why they were there. The show was sold out, at it always was, but this time was special.
This was my last show, the conclusion to my young, but spectacular, career. I started my career when I was 14 and toured regularly, earned the title of maestro within five years, and became the youngest of any conductor by at least 30 years.
And I'm about to give it all up.
Some call me crazy or idiotic, but I don’t care. Every hell I've gone through has been because of this damn orchestra, but now it's coming to an end. I never went to a real school, never had a real friend, and never had any of the usual life experiences ponies my age go through. I guess I’ve no one to blame but myself--I wanted to be a conductor so badly that I gave up everything to achieve it.
Well I got what I wanted with a few extra “bonuses”. I've met liars, assholes, and…her. I thought she was the last pony that could keep me sane, but I digress.
I walk up to the stand with the score and baton. With my magic, I pick up the baton and the rest of the instruments to begin playing my final creation (you don’t have to go through the whole thing. Actually I hope you don’t). I fill it with all my anger and frustration. It was the usual grand music, but I put as much emotion behind it as I could. Though it was to be my final piece, I wasn’t going to cut corners. No, I intended for this to be the most dramatic orchestral piece yet.
The music comes to an end and the audience stands to applaud. Of course, I turn around and face them and take my bow. I look to the audience and a smile comes to my face as I see that the Princesses are not in attendance. I can make my final speech. It takes some time for the crowd to stop, but that was to be expected. They had always loved my music. Many of them had stated that they wouldn’t know what to do if I quit. I hope they figure it out real fast, because they are about to recieve a big shock.
“Thank you for that,” I begin, as the last of the crowd put a few final claps in. “Thank you for supporting me for my short, but marvelous career.” I could already see confusion spreading as the implications of what I just said hit them. “I would like to thank those who have loved me and stood by me through these good--but mainly bad--times. Of course, by that, I only mean my parents and my parents alone. To those who lied to me, used me, caused me pain and suffering, and made my love for the orchestra fade into the darkness….Buck you! I hope you rot in the grave sooner rather than later.” And with that rude but to the point statement, I leave the stage. As I was walking towards the back, I could hear the crowd whispering in shock amongst themselves, and I couldn’t help but smile.
I walk to my dressing room to see my mother and father waiting for me. They’d been in the audience, but had been shown to my room upon my request. Probably the last request my manager would ever grant, too. As I walked into the room, I immediately ripped my bow tie off my white coat and threw it on a table in front of a vanity mirror. As I stared into my deep blue, bloodshot, eyes and my ragged yellow hair in the mirror, my parents begin talking.
“I can't say that I'm proud of what you said,” my father says.
“Yes, but you know it had to be done,” I state simply.
“I agree. But it could’ve been handled very differently. Perhaps with fewer insults and more thanks?” I could hear the sarcasm simply flowing.
“It could have, but it wouldn’t have been me.”
“So where are you moving to now?” my mother asks, sensing an oncoming argument, and attempting to stop it before it started. I don’t hesitate to answer.
“A small town called Ponyville. Have either of you ever heard of it?” They both shake their heads. “Good. I don’t want anyone to know where I’m going. They would probably try to track me down otherwise. I already payed the moving company extra to make sure my new location won’t be revealed. And please don’t tell my rat-bastard of a brother.”
“I wish you wouldn’t call him that, Score,” My mother says sadly. Ever since the ‘incident’, I had disowned my brother. He wasn’t worth the fur on his coat.
“Please mother, for what he's done to me, I should call him worse things.” My mother just remains quiet.
“We know he's done some bad things but he's still your brother,” my father says sternly.
“If he was my brother, he wouldn’t have done that to me.” I start to raise my voice. Just the thought of him makes my blood run cold.
“Please, son, calm down,” my mother pleads, “I know you can't forgive him now, but I hope you will later on in your life.”
I scoff. “That will be the day. He could be banished to the moon for all I care. I’ll probably never forgive him, and you know it.”
“But you can’t go on hating him like this! It’s tearing the family apart! Why can’t you just forgive him already? It’s not as if he destroyed you,” my father argues.
“You know I can't do that, dad. Even with what I've gone through, I'm still a stallion of my word. And he has simply done too much for me to ever possibly forgive him.”
“I see. Well when are you moving to…um…Ponyville?” My father, stubborn as he was, knew a lost cause when he saw one. He’d try again eventually, though.
“Tonight.”
“So soon?” my mother asks in shock. She almost looks as though she were about to cry. I hated doing this to her, but it was for the best.
“Yes, I want to move in the cover of darkness so nopony will see me.”
“What about your instruments?” my father asked.
“They’re being put in the moving wagon as we speak.”
“You're taking them with you?”
“Yeah. Even after the hell I’ve gone through, I still love music.”
“Will they fit into your house?”
“Yes, it was just finished being built to my liking. Though, it now is the largest house in the town, so I’ll probably not be leaving the house much. I want to avoid as much attention as possible.”
“Well, please tell me that you're going to enjoy life now.” my mother asks me sadly. She’s always wanted what was best for me.
“I’m going to try. That’s why I'm retiring and moving anyway.”
“Well, I hope we can visit you soon.”
“You can visit me anytime,” I say as I hug my parents. We spend the next hour or so simply sitting around quietly while the moving ponies load the last of my equipment into the moving chariot. As soon as they finish, we exchange a heartfelt goodbye, and then my parents depart.
I finish changing into my casual clothes and head out through the back door. Standing just outside was another carriage meant to carry me specifically to Ponyville. I nod to the stallions pulling the chariot and hand them the money necessary to pay for the move. They nod back and gratefully take my bits. I then climb into the chariot and begin my long flight to Ponyville. I sure hope it will be better than the life I had here. One can only hope, though.
The trip from Manehattan to Ponyville only takes about two and a half hours. As we go through the streets I see that there are no ponies walking about. It’s a relief to see that, coming from a big city there were ponies up at all times of the night. It only takes around five minutes to go through the town. We arrive at my new house, which was even bigger than I originally thought.
Damn now everypony will be wondering who lives here. Well whatever, this is a small town so hopefully no one will recognize me.
I see that the moving ponies are almost done with placing everything inside. These guy are quick, better make sure they get a good tip. As they leave, I light a cigar in celebration of my new life and look up into the sky. “Never saw stars in my old life.”
AN: Disclaimer: I do not own any of the music used.