//------------------------------// // Instrument // Story: Different Circles // by Anonymous Pegasus //------------------------------// Vinyl hummed softly, tilting her head from side-to-side as she kept in time with the metronome and her own internal rhythm, working the bow over the violin strings, wiggling her hoof against the string to give it that little warble. She winced as the bow screeched on the string as she twisted it the wrong way. “No, no, Vinyl. You’re still doing it wrong,” her music teacher said, for what had to be at least the hundredth time. That afternoon. Vinyl sighed, shaking her head and setting aside the violin before her teacher could correct her stance. “I guess this isn’t my instrument, either.” Her teacher sighed and shook his head. “Vinyl. You change your instruments every other week. You’ll never get good at a single instrument if you keep swapping.” The young unicorn nodded once, pursing her lips. “But...I want to find my one true instrument. And these...none of these feel like it.” “At this rate Vinyl...I’m beginning to think you don’t belong here,” the stallion said with a shake of his head. “You can’t just stay here swapping instruments. You’ve been through all of them already. Twice.” “I know,” Vinyl said, frowning down at her hooves. “But when I find my perfect instrument, I’ll know it.” The teacher sighed and shook his head at her slowly. “You’re impossible. Arrogant. And a trouble maker. But I can’t help but like you, kid.” “Well thanks. I feel better now,” Vinyl stated. The teacher held up a key, jingling it in front of her. “If you’re going to be like that, then I won’t give you the key to the front doors.” Vinyl peered up at the key for a moment, before shrugging, looking away, her tone dismissive, “And why would I want that? It’s not like I don’t spend enough time here during the day.” “I can always just forget about it,” her teacher said, beginning to draw his hoof back. Vinyl swiped the keys from his hoof before he could put them away. “No no. I can use some rooms for a party if I get bored.” “Now you can stop getting in trouble deliberately just to use the music room. But you’re still not going to be put in with the rest of the class,” he said, waggling a hoof at her. “I know. I know. I’m a disruptive influence. Can I go now?” she whined. “Very well. I...wish you luck, Vinyl. I don’t want to see you thrown out of school,” he said gently. “You’re just worried I’ll never pick an instrument and you’ll be stuck with me forever,” Vinyl quipped as she walked towards the door. “That too!” her teacher called after her. Vinyl hummed to herself as she moved down the hall to the music room, pushing open the door. It seemed that now, she would be able to use the music room whenever she wanted. It still didn’t help her predicament though. She still didn’t have a instrument. She liked the sound of the string instruments. And the wind instruments were so poignant. The flute was just beautiful. But the drums! They could put out a beat that a pony could really move to. How could anyone constrain themselves to a single instrument?! Vinyl let the door close behind her as she picked her way over to the stand holding the string instruments, plucking at a guitar string curiously. Of course, she had already tried all of these instruments. But she had to find her perfect instrument; the on instrument she could dedicate herself to. Really, she wanted to please other ponies with her music. Wanted to move them, make them dance, or change their moods. But all of the different instruments had their own moods already. Usually two moods; jaunty or sad. But there were so many shades of grey between them! She wanted to do all the instruments! Vinyl sighed, and then moved over to the piano, beginning to lay out a simple, sad tune to express her feelings. It was on the lower scale, slow and sombre. “Who wrote that?” a voice asked. Vinyl jerked in surprise, eyes widening as she sat up suddenly, removing her hooves from the piano. Octavia was standing beside her. “Oh...it’s you.” “Yes. Me. I don’t deserve a name,” Octavia said with a haughty huff. “Octavia,” Vinyl stated, shaking her head and removing herself from the piano. “Whom composed the melody that you played?” Octavia asked of her again, brow raising. “I would like to study it.” “Composed?” Vinyl asked, head canting to one side. “Yes. Composed it. Surely they covered this in your classes. Or did you just wander in off the street?” Octavia asked, her tone smug and uppish. “No one composed it,” Vinyl countered with a shake of her head. “I just...played it.” “One does not just play an instrument. One learns an instrument and reiterates the tunes they learned,” Octavia stated in a know-it-all tone that instantly got under Vinyl’s skin. “And how do you think that the composers made the songs? Did they read them in the stars?” she asked with pursed lips, frowning. Octavia opened her mouth to respond, and then closed it, looking thoughtful. “I...Touché.” Vinyl gave a smug grin in response. “But I still do not believe that you merely...came up with a tune from thin air,” Octavia continued. “You’ve...never done that?” the unicorn asked, giving the earth pony a patronizing look. “I have never felt the need to press blindly on the keys of my piano hoping they make something resembling a tune,” Octavia replied uppishly, lifting her nose “Geeze. No wonder your music is so flat,” Vinyl stated, shaking her head. “You treat music like it’s a...a mechanical process that can just be replicated.” “You heard me play the piano earlier. You ever said yourself that I am good.” she stated smugly in response. “Therefore, my process works. It is what my family has done for generations.” “I said it was good. But it was flat. There was no feeling to it. You’re just repeating something you heard,” the unicorn explained with a shake of her head. “And that is how music works,” Octavia stated flatly, scowling. “Budge over,” Vinyl said, moving to sit at the stool in front of the piano again. Octavia obliged by moving aside, pursing her lips. Vinyl lifted her hooves, closed her eyes behind her glasses, and then began to play a series of notes, hooves bristling across the keys of the piano with purpose. Her tune melded from dark and sombre, on the low end, to higher and slower, growing gentler and soothing. Octavia watched, trying to follow her gaze, frowning. “But...where are you reading the music from? You memorized it?” The unicorn finished and pulled her hooves from the keys, raising a brow at the earth pony behind her glasses. “You hit some wrong keys,” Octavia stated smugly. “I know,” Vinyl said with a shrug. “Piano isn’t my instrument. When I find my instrument, I’ll be able to play my heart out on it.” “That is so...stupid,” Octavia stated, shaking her head slowly. “How can you play music without a sheet? No one would listen to it. You don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re just a riff-raff unicorn who can’t even find an instrument.” Vinyl turned her gaze on Octavia, and the pony recoiled slightly, withering under the stare without even being able to see her eyes behind the glasses. “And the piano is your instrument?” Octavia nodded cautiously. “And you can’t even play a tune on it without a sheet?” Vinyl asked flatly. “I do not need to be able to play without sheet music to be accomplished at the piano,” Octavia said with a huff, raising a hoof dismissively. “That’s what I thought,” Vinyl said with a shake of her head, turning and heading for the door, nudging it open and letting it close loudly behind her. As she walked down the hall, she heard a series of off-tune key presses, followed by a heavy mashing of keys and a haughty huff. And then came the presses of a familiar tune, an old piano ballad. Vinyl just shook her head.