My Little Investigations: The Silent Dirge

by Metool Bard

Melodious Meeting

April 8, 5:30 PM
Lincolt Center
Main Floor
***

After telling the concierge about the letter I received, Vinyl and I headed right on over to Lincolt Center where the Manehattan Music Festival was being held. When we arrived, things were rather quiet (at least by Manehattan standards). Honestly, I expected that. For one, we were very early. The festival wasn't supposed to kick off until seven o'clock, so it was going to take a while for ponies to trickle in. Second, those who have been to Lincolt Center before know that all of the music events are held upstairs while the lower levels are reserved for art galleries and department stores.

That being said, I still recognized a few musicians around and about. I suspected that most of them were waiting on other ponies before heading upstairs. And speaking of which, I managed to spot two familiar stallions from my ensemble standing at the information desk: Frederick Horseshoepin and Parish Nandermane. To other ponies, they might not stand out that much, but after being with my ensemble for so long, I can easily pick them out of a crowd.

Frederick is our pianist, and a very good one at that. He usually helps keeps things organized in the most hectic of situations, and I honestly envy how he always keeps a cool head. He does have a rather dry sense of humor, but otherwise, he's a very nice fellow and quite the gentlecolt.

Parish plays the harp, which is probably why most ponies simply refer to him as Harpo. He's a bit more shy than the rest of us, and he doesn't really speak unless he feels he needs to. He also can come off as a cynic, but when push comes to shove, he'll have your back in a heartbeat. Especially if you're a mare. I, shouldn't say anything more. Parish would probably become cross with me if he found out I was gossiping about him.

Anyway, as soon as I spotted them, I wasted no time hurrying over and giving them a wave. They were quick to spot me.

"Good to see that we all had the same idea of coming here early," said Frederick. "I've already made our dinner reservations for six o'clock at the Bent Trumpet. Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, Frederick," I said. The Bent Trumpet is a small cabaret in Lincolt Center. They usually host jazz ensembles, but other musicians have been known to perform there as well. I, honestly don't know why it's called the Bent Trumpet. From what I understand, it has to do with a famous jazz musician from Manehattan bending his trumpet horn to create a unique sound. I don't have any experience playing the trumpet, so I wouldn't know if that works. "How many did you say were coming?"

"Five," said Frederick. "I assumed Ms. Scratch would be joining us."

"Tempting, but I'll have to check in with Neon first," said Vinyl. "We've got a big performance to open up the festival later tonight. He might need my help setting things up."

"Understandable," said Frederick, furrowing his brow. "Although this puts me in a bit of a bind. Those reservations were rather difficult to get. I can't exactly change them."

"Even if Vinyl is going to be joining us, we're still in a bit of a bind," said Parish. "Out of curiosity, Octavia, did you happen to see Beauty Brass on your way here?"

I sighed and shook my head. "Sadly, no. I considered walking her over here, but something else came up and it slipped my mind."

Parish let out a sigh of his own. "Typical," he muttered. "I knew she was going to get lost in a big city like this."

"Ah, don't be such a pessimist, Harpo," said Vinyl. "I'm sure she'll turn up. And if she doesn't, Octy's gonna scour the entire city with a fine-tooth comb to look for her. Right, Octy?"

"Th-that's a bit of an exaggeration, Vinyl," I said. Though to be honest, I was a tad worried. Beauty Brass plays the sousaphone for our ensemble, and she's perhaps one of my closest friends. While she has a good head on her shoulders, she can also be very scatterbrained at times. This coupled with her rather poor sense of direction means that we're almost always waiting on her to arrive, which is why we made it a point to arrive at our performances far earlier than most ponies would expect us. Actually, I admire how lucky she is to avoid trouble while wandering around looking for us. But even so, it's kind of in my nature to worry about these sorts of things.

"Well, on the plus side, we have a good half an hour before our dinner reservations. She's never taken that long to find us," said Frederick with a shrug. "I guess all we can do for now is wait."

"I suppose," I said, although part of me wanted to go out looking for her. After a brief pause, Vinyl cleared her throat.

"So, Freddy. You excited about the festival?" she asked.

"Mmm? Oh, yes. Quite," said Frederick. "Although Lincolt Center is quite an, interesting choice of locale. I was under the impression that they only had jazz concerts here."

"I actually heard that they were considering the Maretropolitan Opera House, but it was too expensive to book," said Parish.

"I imagine that it would be," I said. "Besides, while Lincolt Center is known for its jazz concerts, I've heard all sorts of music being performed here. I actually think this is the ideal location for the Manehattan Music Festival."

"Ah. I stand corrected then," said Frederick. "Well, at any rate, it should be quite an experience."

"Well, that's one way of putting it," said Vinyl. "A boring way."

"Vinyl~!" I scolded.

"What? I can't help it if Fred's a bigger buzzkill than you, Tavi," said Vinyl.

If Frederick was offended by this, he didn't show it. Then again, he's not exactly the most emotional pony out there. Still, what Vinyl said was uncalled for.

"Let's, change the subject," I said, taking the itinerary out of my saddlebag. "Have you guys gotten a chance to see who's performing?"

"I have, actually," said Parish. "It's quite an impressive lineup. I even heard that Sapphire Shores is doing a duet with none other than Pan for the finale."

"Pan?" asked Vinyl. "You mean the guy who invented the panpipes?"

"Do you actually believe that?" I said, rolling my eyes. "That's just an urban legend."

"Hey, that guy can rock those pipes like no one else, pony or otherwise. It might as well be true," said Vinyl with a shrug. Her lips then curved into a seductive smile. "Speaking of rocking pipes, I have to wonder if that particular finale is gonna end with a bang. If you *ahem* get my meaning."

I groaned and smacked my face with my hoof. Sometimes I have to wonder if Vinyl has any concept of tact whatsoever. "Vinyl, just because he's a satyr doesn't mean he goes around trying to sleep with every woman he meets. That's an unhealthy stereotype. He's a well-respected musician and should be treated as such."

"Okay, okay. Sheesh, Tavi. Lighten up," said Vinyl. "Boy, if I had a bit for every time I said that..."

No comment. "Anyway, that actually sounds rather unique. I wonder how they're going to blend Sapphire Shores's pop music with Pan's minstrel style."

"Indeed," said Parish. "The other performances sound quite promising as well. However, there's one group on the docket that I've never heard of."

"Well, that's not a big surprise," I said. "The Manehattan Music Festival is for all musicians, regardless of fame or popularity."

"That's true," said Parish. "Still, there's something about this group that intrigues me."

"Oh really?" I asked. "What might that be?"

Before Parish could answer, I heard a clattering of hooves from behind. Assuming it was Beauty Brass, I turned around, bracing myself for her to apologize at the top of her lungs.

"Tavia~!"

It, turned out not to be Beauty Brass. The second I turned around, I was tackled into a hug by a yellow pony dressed up in a rustic green tunic and a white stetson. I was not prepared for that.

"Oof~!" I grunted. "F-Fiddlesticks?!"

"Aw, y'all remember me!" said the pony as she gave me a tight squeeze. "It's great t'see ya, Tavia!"

"I, do believe we're missing something here," said Frederick.

"Indeed," said Parish. "Care to explain, Octavia?"

"J-just a moment," I said. "F-Fiddle, do you mind?"

"Mmm? Oh, right," said Fiddlesticks, releasing me from her hug. "Sorry 'bout that. Got a bit carried away there."

That was an understatement. I had to pause for a moment to catch my breath and regain my composure. Truth be told, I was half-expecting to see her. Just, not like this.

"I, do believe some introduction are in order," I said. "Parish, Frederick. Allow me to introduce you to Fiddlesticks. She's my twin sister."

"Howdy," said Fiddlesticks with a tip of the hat.

Frederick raised an eyebrow. "Well, I certainly see the resemblance," he said.

"Ah would certainly hope so," said Fiddlesticks with a laugh. "Lookey here. We've even got the same Cutie Mark!"

Parish looked over Fiddlesticks's flank with a critical eye. Indeed, Fiddlesticks's Cutie Mark is a treble clef; the same as my own.

"Hmm. So you do," said he. "That's very interesting."

I feel that the word "ironic" is more appropriate. See, when we were young, Fiddlesticks always felt that her destiny had to be separate from mine. Because of this, she avoided me every chance she could (truth be told, the lengths she would go to got pretty ridiculous), and eventually ended up moving out and disowning herself. She found her true calling with the Apple family as a fiddle player, and she's been traveling all over Equestria ever since. I was very young when she left, so I honestly didn't remember her until she dropped in out of the blue to pay me a visit and make up for lost time. To this day, I'm still not entirely sure why my parents didn't tell me about her. Fiddlesticks doesn't really know, either, but we can sort that out when the time comes.

"So, ain't ya gonna introduce me to yer friends, Tavia?" Fiddlesticks asked.

"Oh, right," I said, clearing my throat. "Fiddle, these here are Frederick Horseshoepin and Parish Nandermane. They're part of my ensemble."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," said Parish with a bow.

"Charmed," said Frederick.

"So, y'all are here for the big festival, eh?" said Fiddlesticks.

"Indeed," said I. "We're actually scheduled to perform."

"Ah know. So am Ah," said Fiddlesticks, brandishing her own copy of the itinerary.

Parish chuckled. "Actually, we were just talking about you, Ms. Fiddlesticks. I was about to tell Octavia about this bluegrass band on the docket with a fiddle player that looks just like her."

"Well, if that don't beat all," said Fiddlesticks with a chuckle of her own.

"Hang on. You have a band?" asked Vinyl, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you traveled alone."

"Ah do," said Fiddlesticks. "It's jus' that Kazooie and Pitch Perfect happen to be mah most frequent employers. Of course, Kazooie always gets annoyed when Ah keep refusin' to join his band officially. Ah jus' don't like to be tied down, y'know?"

"All too well," I said. "So, is this your first time coming back to Manehattan?"

"Yeah," said Fiddlesticks sheepishly. "Truth be told, Ah almost got lost tryin' to find this place. Ah never really liked the city, an' the fact that it changed so much didn't help matters."

Parish then furrowed his brow. "Speaking of which, you didn't happened to see a blue mare with a bass clef for a Cutie Mark running around, did you, Ms. Fiddlesticks?"

Fiddlestick struck a thinking attitude. "Hmm. Ah'm not sure," she said thoughtfully. "Can ya describe her a bit mo...?"

"SORRY I'M LATE!"

Well, that answered that question. We all recoiled as Beauty Brass's apology echoed throughout the floor. She stopped before us to catch her breath.

"Sheesh, BB. Could you speak a little louder next time?" asked Vinyl. "I don't think they heard you in Saddle Arabia."

"Pot, kettle. Have you two met?" I said sardonically. I then turned to Beauty Brass and sighed. "It's alright, Beauty Brass. You're not late. That being said, I should've walked you over here."

"Ah, it's fine, Octy," said Beauty Brass. "Not your fault."

She then noticed Fiddlesticks. It took a moment, but when she connected the dots, she did a double take.

"SWEET CELESTIA, I'M SEEING DOUBLE!" she boomed.

We all winced again. This actually happens all the time. Beauty Brass can't really control her volume when she gets excited. It doesn't help that she developed powerful lungs from playing the sousaphone.

"Sorry, sorry," she said.

"I-it's fine," I said as I recovered. "Beauty Brass, this is my twin sister Fiddlesticks. Fiddle, this is Beauty Brass. She also plays in our ensemble."

"Nice to meetcha," said Fiddlesticks, flicking her ear a bit to clear it out.

Vinyl then looked up at the clock. "Well, I'd better go check in with Neon. I'll see you at the performance, Octy."

With that, she walked over to the elevators.

"We'd better head up ourselves," said Frederick. "Although I don't know how long they'll hold Ms. Scratch's seat."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" asked Beauty Brass.

"Frederick made dinner reservations," I explained. "He assumed that Vinyl was going to join us, but that's not exactly a certainty."

Fiddlesticks paused for a moment, and then smiled. "Well, y'all mind if Ah join ya? Ah'd certainly like to get to know yer band better."

"It's an ensemble," I corrected.

"There's a difference?" asked Fiddlesticks with a shrug.

I suppressed the urge to groan. That's, one of my pet peeves: Ponies calling my ensemble a "band." You can blame Vinyl for that one.

"Well, whatever the case, I have no objections," said Frederick. "Does anypony else?"

"Nope," said Beauty Brass.

Parish simply shrugged.

"In that case, I don't either," I said, giving Fiddlesticks a warm smile. "I'm sure my ensemble would love to hear all about you."

"In that case, we shouldn't waste anymore time," said Frederick. "Shall we?"

With that, we all made our way over to the elevators. Truth be told, I was giddy with anticipation. The performances lined up were enticing, and of course, that wasn't the only music that was going to be played. If I had Vinyl's level of self-restraint (which I'm glad I don't), I would've been like a foal in a sweets shop. And experiencing it with the ponies that I'm closest with was just the icing on the cake. This was setting up to be one of the happiest weeks of my life. And I couldn't wait to watch it unfold.

Author's Note:

((OOC: If you're confused about my headcanon regarding Fiddlesticks, it's explained in greater detail in my previous story, Hey Diddle Diddle, A Visit From Fiddle. I'll, try not to make a habit out of this. ))

Comments

[Ice4smaster]

Oh shall i put it. MOAR
Please

We need Octavia smilies

[MariusIoannesP]

Second, those who have been to Lincolt Center before know that all of the music events are held upstairs while the lower levels are reserved for art galleries and department stores.

Yeah, that's Lincoln Center.

"SORRY I'M LATE!"
Well, that answered that question. We all recoiled as Beauty Brass's apology echoed throughout the floor.

"SWEET CELESTIA, I'M SEEING DOUBLE!" she boomed.

Beauty Brass talking REALLY LOUD IN ALL CAPS! Definitely from The Vinyl Scratch Tapes.

[mylittleponyfan12345]

Beauty brass is quite the character. Hmm... Sapphire Shores is going to be one of the main characters, Octy received a death threat, why do I think Pan and Sapphire are going to have a hard time?