“Mares and Gentlecolts,” the conductor said over the megaphone. “We will be going into intermission; we will resume the concert in twenty minutes.”
The Crystal audience got up, some of them to stretch their legs while others walked around to someone selling snacks. Still, the stadium was abuzz of the newly heard music.
“I’ve never heard anything like it,” said one.
“No wonder Equestria made it, its anthem,” commented another. “That was absolutely wonderful!”
“Best music I’ve ever heard as far as I’m concerned.” Praised somepony else.
While everyone around them talked, Professor Key Signature tried his best to comfort the colt. “Come on,” he said, getting up from his seat, “Let’s go find ourselves something to drink.”
Inverno complied, getting up from his seat also; he leaned up against his teacher as he walked him back to the ground level of the stadium. As expected, it was crowded with ponies that were trying to get a drink from a booth that sold only glass water bottles. They found that even members of the orchestra were there too, they were swimming in a sea of praise from the ponies around them.
They finally were able to make it to the booth to where the bottles were sold, above the pony who was selling them was the sign that said three bits was worth one bottle.
“I’ll have two,” Key said, placing the bits on the table, also noticing that another hoof was on the table with bits beneath.
He saw that it was a gray hoof that leads up to- “I’ll have one please,” the mare said before she noticed the other hoof on the table. From her cutie mark to her well-groomed mane with her trademark pink bowtie, Key Signature knew exactly who this mare was.
Unfortunately, so did she, “What are you doing here?” she questioned, her eyes narrowed.
“I… Uh…” Key stumbled. Inverno saw that his teacher looked nervous while the mare glared sharp kitchen knives at him.
“Well?” the gray mare interrogated.
Thinking that his teacher isn’t going to say anything, Inverno thought he might get something going. “Professor Key?” Inverno asks, “Who is that?”
“Octavia,” Key whispered.
“What are you doing here?” His granddaughter asked through her teeth.
“He’s teaching me.” Inverno explained, “He’s teaching me about music.”
Octavia snorted, “No offense child, but I suggest you need to go find somepony else.” She took the bottle of water from the booth and turned away.
Inverno looked up to his teacher, “Well?”
“Well, what?”
“Aren’t you going to go talk to her?”
“But… But I don’t think-”
“Professor Key,” Inverno whined, “She’s right there! Maybe you could tell her you’re sorry.”
“She won’t listen to me.”
“Fine then,” Inverno broke away from the older stallion and made his way across the crowd towards the Cellist’s direction.
“Wait! Stop!” the Professor cried as he tries to push his way through the masses.
Meanwhile, the disguised unicorn was able to go through with ease by going through and under some of the ponies’ legs until he got up to the mare that had her nose pointed upwards.
“Hey! Wait up!” Inverno called out, getting the gray Earth pony’s attention.
“What is it?” she asked.
“It’s about my teacher, he says-”
“I don’t care what he says,” she interrupted, turning away; she started to head back to the stadium.
“He says he’s sorry!”
This got Octavia’s attention. “I beg your pardon?”
“He told me that he made a mistake.” Inverno continued, “But, he said he didn’t think you would listen.”
“Kid, you don’t know him.”
“But I know enough to notice he wants to apologize,” Inverno heard the clopping of hooves from behind and turned to find his teacher approaching.
Key signature slowed down before stopping behind the colt, now the Granddaughter and the Grandfather were looking at each other, both unsure what the other should do.
“Well,” Inverno urged him on, “Go on, she’s right there.”
Key Signature sighed and went up to the gray mare. “Octavia,” he said, “I know that I’m the last pony on this planet you ever wanted to see or talk to no less. But please listen for just a moment in what I have to say… Octavia, I’m… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.”
The Granddaughter’s jaw dropped, “What?”
“For everything I’ve said,” he put a hoof on Octavia, “For every ignorant, prejudice spun nonsense that I unleashed on you that day. For letting my view of tradition cloud away in your happiness, as well as making you move away. Octavia, you were right, I’m an arrogant idiot.”
At first, Octavia tried to figure out how to respond, a minute later, she came up with: “Where did this come from?”
“I ran into her,” Key said, “She was in the same coffee shop that I was at the time, and she said about missing you. I was curious and asked her how she knew you and she said that she was your special somepony. To be honest, I was a bit curious about how she was treating you. You might say that I grilled her for a good hour, but in the end, it became clear that she does, in fact, love you back. Even since then before I came here, I wondered off and on if everything I thought I knew about you guys was wrong.
“Neither of you are bad ponies, Octavia. I don’t think I will truly grasp this, but then again, just because I don’t get it, doesn’t mean it’s wrong. From what I’ve been told by her, you are happy. That’s all I want really, to be sure you’re happy with that pony you’ve chosen to live with. I don’t expect you to forgive, but I hope that you know that I said I’m sorry.”
Ears folded back, the Professor turned back to Inverno, “Come on,” he said, “Let’s go back to our seats.”
“Grandpa, wait,” Octavia called out, the elder stallion turned around to find that his granddaughter was hugging him for the first time in years. “Grandpa Signature, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”
With relief and joy, the Professor hugged his granddaughter back.
“Five minutes ‘til end of intermission.” The conductor’s voice announced.
The two of them broke their embrace, “I’ll be the one playing the Nocturne, I’ve got to go.”
Key smiled, “I hoped you practiced your decrescendos from the last time we’ve met.”
“You’ll be surprised, now I really need to get back,” Octavia said her goodbye and trotted back out to the stadium.
As the elder Earth pony and the young unicorn returned to their seats, the Professor said, “Thank you.”
Inverno nodded, “As Papa said, ‘A late problem solved, is better than never solving it at all.’”
“And now, Mares and Gentlecolts of the Crystal Empire,” Quarter Note said through the megaphone, “Our next piece will be from Horseshoepin. We’re changing things up a bit because instead of an orchestra, you’re going to hear it out of a single instrument that, in my opinion, that Horseshoepin had perfected for the piano. Although published twenty-six years after his death, many would consider what you’re about to hear as his greatest masterpiece.
“So, playing the Nocturne in C# minor is fellow Cellist, Violinist, and Pianist knew as Octavia Melody!”
The gray mare got up from her seat from the Cello section and made her way to the piano, the audience applauded as she waved to them.
Octavia sat down to the open piano that had a microphone sticking in it. At first, she rests her hooves upon the keys but didn’t press any, as if she was meditating something. She took in a deep breath, and soon, the piano sang.