//------------------------------// // 30: Alle Menschen Werden Brüder in F# Minor. // Story: Inverno in F Minor // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// “I don’t get it,” Twilight said, looking around at the top of the Palace with a telescope for the millionth time. “The guards have searched every nook, cranny, and crack of this city, but how can those two have disappeared?” “Wherever they are,” Shining pointed out, “I doubt they even left the Empire. I had that newly arrived train on lockdown.” “Who came here?” Cadence asked. “All I know is that there was a hooffull of curious tourists and that Orchestra from Canterlot.” “Hold on a sec,” Spike said, “An orchestra is here?” “Yeah, that Royal Philharmonic is giving a concert here.” Spike looked over the Empire again in thought, “What if,” he thought out loud, “What if that’s a clue.” All three ponies questioned what he’s talking about. “I mean think about it: that Inverno guy is interested in music, his teacher is a Professor in music, there’s an orchestra in town that’s giving out a concert. That’s it!” Spike cried, “They’re at the concert!” “Oh!” Cadence facehoof, “Why didn’t I think of that!?” “It’s so obvious,” Shining added, feeling like an idiot. “Come on; let’s hurry over there before he gets angry at something.” “Or before the Crystal ponies find out,” the Prince’s little sister pointed out as they all hurried downward. _*_ Ever since the music began with Tchaicoltsky’s Overture, the start of the choir’s solemn opening like a sunrise, Inverno whispered to Key Signature that he sees a field and a fortress where there’re two armies facing each other. “It looks like both of them know they’re going to achieve some kind of glory, but at the same time, they know that they might get killed. “Now I see two ponies stepping onto the field. They look important, maybe kings or… What are they called?” “Generals?” Key whispered. “I suppose so; they’re shaking hooves and look like they’re talking a bit. Now they’re saluting and returning to their armies. It looks like they’re giving orders for the soldiers to attack.” As the music played on, Inverno told him the story of these two armies. Where both sides tried to protect themselves from Pegasi archers that let arrows descend like water. The army in the field rush over to the fortress to open its doors but it was no use. Every so often, the wounded would be taken off of the battlefield to be treated by kind nurses. Then, Inverno saw how the field army went underground to dig its way underneath the fortress. Some the soldiers pop up behind the front door so that they could open it up to let the rest of their army invade the fortress. Near the end of the piece, when it looked like victory belonged to the field army, Key asked, “What’s happening?” “The Fortress's army,” he said pointing above, “They’re whispering about a secret weapon. What secret-” KA-BOOM! KA-BOOM! KA-BOOM! KA-BOOM! KA-BOOM! Everypony in the audience jumped, if not collectively screamed when they saw a red line flying to the middle of the stadium before they exploded. As the strings tumbled downwards, Inverno, along with everypony else, asked, “What was that?!” “Fireworks,” Professor Key answered, “They’re shooting fireworks.” “Well, whatever they’ve done,” Inverno said, “The field army is running away! They’re all galloping away from the fortress. The fortress army is ringing bells for one last attack. They’re calling for anyone who can walk to the weapons to finish them off.” The orchestra went into playing its climax, soon, fireworks above the stadium, exploding eleven times in eleven different colors and effects. There were triumphant bells that signaled a victory, and as the choir sang for the final bars Inverno completed his tale saying, “Now the fortress army is raising their flag in the light of a sunset.” The Crystal ponies, while startled by the sudden fireworks, kindly applauded the orchestra’s performance. Quarter Note went up to the megaphone again, “Thank you. For the last piece in this concert, we will be playing the music to a very unique ballet, while we don’t have any dancers for the music, I guess we might have to make due. But don’t worry; as it stands on its own, the music is pretty intense. I’m of course talking about Strotvinsky’s ‘Rite of Spring’, and I confess, out of all the performances we’re giving, this is the one that I’m the most nervous about.” he paused for a moment. He continued saying, “It’s not because that it’s difficult to play or conduct, nor is it the fact that this is the most recently written music from about a hundred years ago, rather, it’s that I’m hoping that you may like this. This is because when it was performed for the first time, the ballet caused one of the most scandalous riots in musical history. I believe this was, in part because it was so unusual, the topic was so out of the ordinary, and the performance unlike ever done before, the ponies at the time didn’t know what to think of it. Now, about a hundred years after its premiere, both the ballet and the music itself is now considered a work of genius. Which I hope that you may find it as well, but if not, I’m going to give the orchestra the same order as it was given the night it premiered, 'no matter what happens, keep going.'” This got a chuckle out of the audience. “And now, our final piece, Strotvinsky’s ‘The Rite of Spring.’” he finished announcement. As the conductor made his way to the stand, the Crystal ponies stomped their hooves and subsided once Quarter Note took hold of his stick. Once the high bassoon started the first few bars, the Professor turned to Inverno, who was looking around, getting anxious by the second. “W-Where am I?” “Inverno?” Key whispered. “Where is everypony? W-What’s going on?” “Inverno?” his teacher asked out of genuine concern. “I-I can’t see! Where are you?” the colt asked urgently. “What do you see?” “T-There’s nothing but fog, I can’t see anything, not even my hooves! Professor, what’s going on!?” A pony behind them shushed them, “Keep quiet, I’m trying to listen.” “I really can’t see anything!” the young unicorn said frantically. “Professor, where are you!?” “I’m right here,” Key took his hoof. “I haven’t moved.” “P-Professor,” Inverno’s voice started shaking, “G-Get me out, I-I d-don’t want t-to be here no more.” “Are you sure?” the colt violently nodded. The elder Earth pony sighed, “Very well, just lean to my side, I’ll lead you.” The two of them got out of their seats and tried to make their way through the crowd and to the steps of the stadium. But as the music progressed with instruments joining in, the colt got increasingly paranoid. At the playing of the high clarinet, Inverno screamed, “What was that?!” before his hooves slipped off the crystal steps and into the audience below them. The Professor couldn’t help but watch in horror as the colt tumble down. Of course, Inverno screamed as he fell, pieces of his disguise came off from his dark glasses to the saddlebags were just flung off of him. Unfortunately, somepony help stop his fall, “Are you okay?” a Crystal mare asked in shock before she got a good look at who she caught. Once she did, she screamed. Now without anything to hide him, Inverno was exposed. Dizzy and hurting all over, Inverno opened his eyes, but while he couldn’t see anything but fog, everypony else saw his father’s eyes. “Get away!” Somepony yelled as the mare dropped him on the step. Inverno was able to grasp onto something to keep him from falling. Although blind, thanks to the music; Inverno could pick up the sheer terror in the air. As the music took a violent turn, so did the audience. The unicorn felt someone kicked him down the stairs until he was at a plateau. He felt something hard hit his stomach, so in response, he curled up into a ball, covering his front hooves when he felt a thousand hooves raining down on him. “Stop! No! Ow! STOP!” Inverno screamed. But his cries for mercy went unheard as he heard a disjointed choir of, “This is for enslaving us!” and, “Get out of here monster!” and, “This is for my mother!” and, “Filthy dog!” and so on, and so forth. “Get away from him!” Key Signature cried as he galloped down the stairs to the mob beating up Inverno with glass bottles, leftover snacks, and hooves. “Stop it now!” However, the angry mob wouldn’t let the old stallion through. Then, above the mob’s heads, they felt the heat of a green flame. They turned to see Spike there, “Hey! Cut it out!” he pushed and ducked his way. When he got to Inverno, he found his body was covered in bruises and fruit, sobbing uncontrollably. “Come on,” Spike said, lifting the colt on his shoulder, “Let’s get you out of here.” The Professor followed Spike behind him, “Inverno, oh Celestia, I’m so sorry.” “P-P-Papa w-w-wa-wa-was ri-right,” Inverno hiccupped, looking over to the Crystal ponies behind them, for they were staring back. Then Inverno, through his choppy and agonizing speech, said something that made both the dragon and pony look at each other with uncertainty. It was something he repeated all the way back to the Palace: “They really are animals.”