Special Thanks and Author's Notes
Wow, what a ride! It's been many long months since I embarked on this fic, and I'm amazed to see it come to an end!
Don't worry though: although the Symphony has ended, an encore will be coming.
With that all said, this last little bit here is where I would like to first of all give some thanks and shout-outs to a bunch of folks who really contributed to this work.
First of all, Hayfever / Octavia / however else you'd like to be credited: Thank you for crafting such a wonderful personality and character for our beloved cellist, and spending so much time with me on letting her and Sketchy interact. Without you, this story would never have even existed to begin with. I don't have enough words to properly thank you for inspiring me, I seriously don't.
Next up, a huge thank you to everyone at the Equestrian Study for putting up with my ramblings and ravings about this crazy-long shipfic I was writing, and inspiring a few ideas for story and intermezzos. You've got the patience of a bunch of saints, honestly. Why do you put up with me? XD
Thanks is also due to my friends at Everfree Radio, for helping me with editing and development. An especially big thanks to Brushin' Bones for being the most brutal and honest critic I have ever had the pleasure of being friends with - and am glad to still be even in spite of your sharp tongue. ;)
Thank you also to Blacklight Shining for letting me use your character. People seem to have really taken a shine to him! I expect we'll see more of him next time.
Naturally, a big thanks to both FiMFiction and Equestria Daily, for hosting this work and popularising it respectively.
And last but not least, thank you to you, the readers, for making this worthwhile. I have received so much praise, encouragement and delightful comments over the many weeks I've been writing this. That and the support of everyone else who has contributed have helped me keep going all this time.
Now with all of that out of the way, here are some additional little notes!
Firstly, I'd like you guys to know that I am planning a sequel, as I said.
I should also point out that I have plans to make a radio play of Symphony, hopefully with some good friends of mine. I will post more on that on my blog in due season.
Speaking of audio, I plan to also do a reading of Autumn Wind's marvellous fic, To Be A Better Stallion. If you've not read that yet, go do it. Even if you hate Blueblood. Heck, especially if you hate Blueblood.
This fic spans 498 pages in Google Docs. It's the largest piece of literature I've ever written.
Lastly, but by no means least... Here's a guide to what was going on in all the intermezzos in the order they appear in the fic.
1. The night before Sketchy left Canterlot with his mother. Characters present: Sketchy and Sally.
2. A look into the mind of Octavia, and her reclusive lonesomeness.
3. An interaction between Princesses Celestia and Luna.
4. A brief look at Sally and her parents on the morning of the day she brought Sketchy and Octavia together.
5. A look back into the past, on a day when the young Octavia gazed in at the other foals playing at the public school.
6. A reflection on Freeze Pop's several failed attempts to join the Royal Guard. Salad is the voice of comfort.
7. Another look at the Princesses, and Luna questioning the worth of making friends if you are immortal.
8. Octavia learns to play the cello. :)
9. The day Blacklight bore witness to Freeze Pop's Aurora Flare.
10. Sketchy and his mother, on the eve of Sketchy's return to Canterlot.
11. Freeze Pop, on the day of her induction to the Royal Guard.
12. Sketchy, Salad and Freeze Pop discuss their dreams of adulthood.
13. The day that Sketchy's parents finally separated. Sketchy is comforted by his two best friends.
14. Sketchy questions the meaning of his life, with his father.
15. The Princesses once again, set against the backdrop of the Canterlot Royal Memorial Grounds.I picture it as having a huge clock tower, for some reason.
16. Octavia admires another pony from afar, lacking the courage to act on her feelings.
17. Mustard shows Salad the fine art of sandwich making.
18. Sketchy questions the schooling system with Freeze Pop.
19. Celestia broadens Luna's perspective on the arts.
20. Octavia questions her music tutor on the nature of persistence.
21. Sketchy is joined on the long road to home by a fellow traveller.
22. Salad and Freeze Pop discuss whether they will ever find true love.
23. Blacklight sets out on his search for Freeze Pop.
24. The tale of how Freeze Pop earned the nickname Hard-head, and one act of many that sped her promotion.
25. The trio of close friends reflect on the events of the past several weeks, and look forward to the future.
Oh! And one last little thing. If you have any questions to ask me about this tale not answered here, feel free to drop a note in the comments or PM me and I will do my best to reply.
Thanks once again for reading!
—Sketchy Sounds.
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592215
Symphony is going to get a direct sequel, don't worry. :) Now go read the end already! XD
That was fantastic and very touching, and I cannot wait for the sequel.
Once I am home and not reading from my phone I will have to take a better look at the intermezzos.
Oh, hey, you finished it, good job! I'll get around to tinkering on my. Sometime. Eventually. ish.
Bravo Sketchy!
The ending of this story was very bittersweet. It is sad to see a great piece of fiction end but I am glad to hear that you are going to be releasing an encore in the future. Hopefully in the near future. [insert Octavia emotion here]
To talk about the concert a bit, I think that it would be very cool to be able to actually hear the music that you described. I'd offer to compose something myself but my talent is unfortunately not in musical composition. Although that did not stop me from attempting to hear it in my mind.
I look forward to reading the sequel whenever you get around to writing/releasing it.
593064
Ahaha, I'm hardly a god. And you should know, the musical descriptions were actually crafted by my co-conspirator. I have merely taken her descriptions and polished them.
A little addendum as well, she tells me she will be writing and playing "Unexpected Love Song" at some point.
593152
Blahman up there is apparently putting together an entire composition based around this fic. I'm yet to hear any of it at this point however... I'd rather like to hear what he's done so far.
Sketchy, I applaud you. This was a masterfully executed and finished piece. I think you picked a perfect spot at which to end it.
I see now why I thought there might be another two or three chapters, when only one. I see this one's length is substantial over the others, even of its next closest in length. Tying it together though really added for a beautiful finisher. I did notice one typo in the last chapter; where "Time" was "TIme", but that was it.
I look forward, greatly, to what you have in store for the future. An avid fan you have created of me! And I'm sure you get this all the time, but if you ever want a prereader I would be honored.
Again, thank you for this wonderful story!
This was simply amazing. You've created a wonderful, wonderful story here. You set out to write a story, and in my opinion you went above and beyond that goal. Everything throughout was marvelous -- the interactions were perfect and you painted the scenes quite well. I have to say though, the characters stole the show. They were all spectacularly dynamic, fun loving and all in all wonderful to journey with. I do have to thank the awesome people who were the respected personalities though: Hayfever and Blacklight Shining, you guys made this story all the better.
From the charming intermezzos to the well put together plot, all the way to the little sub-romance that I think added so much. Just a spectacular story. It's sad to see it end, but at the same time I'm keeping you to the sequel. The new-found watch will help with that, no doubt.
As much as I would love to keep spouting praise, I have a few things to address.
Firstly, going along with Forest Feather's pointed out mistake, I found a few times in the chapter where you forgot to add a space in between a comma or period. I can't remember exactly were though, sorry for that. Second, you use the word whimper a lot. Especially when you have Octavia and Sketchy kissing, it always seems to escape her lips. Don't get me wrong, it's adorable, but it felt like it was borderline excessive. Just my opinion though.
Lastly, you touched on points in the story and then you just dropped them, never to be spoken of again. Take Freeze Pop and her singing -- it's a quirk about the character, an admittedly endearing quirk, but you just mention it once and drop it. I was expecting it to come back up some time in the story, but it never did. You used it to give yourself a reason to delve into a bit of Octavia's perception of fame, true, but it didn't feel like something you could mention once and then not re-visit it. Same goes with Sketchy's realization that Octavia was the kid that always stood at the fence, watching them. That was a pretty big point, and if I remember correctly, it never came up again, he never mentioned it to her. You just kind of left it. Last part I remember is the sketch of Luna, that didn't amount to anything in the end either. I don't think he ended up showing it to Octavia or the princess, unless I missed that part somewhere, nor did Octavia reveal Luna to be her student -- although I don't think that was much of a big deal. My suggestion, which isn't much, is to keep track of what goes on in your story.
Now, you do have the sequel, and you may very well be saving these points to be addressed then. Which is fine if you are, but I think they should be touched on in the story they are mentioned in.
All in all, this was a marvelous story. You are a wonderful writer, serious skill all over the place, and I eagerly await any of your works to come. I hope good fortune finds you in all your endeavors.
594258
Threads were left hanging on purpose. Freeze Pop's operatic abilities especially will be explored more in the sequel.
As for excessive use of whimpering... that's just me not taking the time to use a thesaurus to find an appropriate simile. ^^;
Formatting errors? Point 'em out, i was pretty sure I nailed most of them, but it's inevitable that a few will slip through the net. If they're highlighted I can resolve them :)
And again, I've deliberately not tied together all the loose ends so that I can pick them up in the next story. What you've read is mostly adapted RP log material - and what's here is maybe only a third, if that, of the total amount I have. Of course, if people really want to know what happened with this, that or the other, I'll happily tell them - so long as they don't mind potential spoilers.
The fact that folk are wondering about these things though is good - I wanted that to happen, so that things can flow from this tale into the next. I want it to be the case that, when people pick up the next story, they can then say to themselves "so that's what happened with that!" about the assorted plot points.
Anyway, I've prattled long enough about that. Thanks very much for your comments and compliments, and I look forward to more feedback with the next one!
What a wonderful, incredible story! I have been following this very closely chapter by chapter. Every night when I came home from work, the clock was showing late I would quickly check my list of fics to read for the next day, but if I saw SSS I would be sure to stay up late and read it anyway because it is just that good :) The format is excellent with the intermezzos, never seen that before and I have read a vast amount of literature. This is a style I really like!
This story has got me to laugh, got me to cry, got me to think but most of all? It has made me happy. I for one cannot wait for the sequel! Please please keep up the good work, the news of a sequel has cheered me up immensely, as I felt a bit sad when I saw the final chapter had been written.
Thanks again :)
- DD
594964
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595397
Thank you so very much! :)
I can't say much I haven't already, but i'll try my best.
This fic was awesome. It wasn't some flashy drama or action-filled adventure, but rather a simpler story about the lives of a few ponies in Canterlot. Yet it captivated me as much or moreso then any drama or adventure fic. That's how awesome it is.
The characters are engaging, the setting is interesting... UGH GOD, how do I put into words how much I enjoyed this? I loved it. Without a doubt one of my top three favorite fics of all time.
I'll comment again if I find more words I haven't already said to speak my thoughts. :p
And there's going to be a sequel?! *SQUEE*
Meanwhile, here's a gif that I feel represents my overall reaction to the ending quite well.
theflintgirl.blogg.se/images/2011/simon-cowell-happy-gif_175984935.gif
We put up with you because your awesome.
have an ultimate array of approval from mnyself, and (hopefully) by extension, the entirety of the study.
derpy.me/BpenApproves1 derpy.me/BpenApproves1
derpy.me/BpenApproves1 derpy.me/BpenApproves1
derpy.me/BpenApproves1 derpy.me/BpenApproves1
derpy.me/BpenApproves1 derpy.me/BpenApproves1
Congrats on a job well done
I await your sequel
I discovered SSS relatively recently, so I had the good fortune of reading through the 20th movement or so pretty much in one sitting (I was on vacation, and since you can upload HTML into e-readers... well, you get the idea
) I've been itching to read the remainder of the story and now that I have... fantastic stuff, just fantastic.
Thanks for writing this.
Also, sequel/encore ansering some of the story threads? Awesome, looking forward to that already!
595805 BOOYAH! With a completed seventh movement too.
Sketchy this was a wonderful story, I enjoyed it more so than many other fics. I cannot wait for your next story. One bad thing is that now I have to reread it during the offseason. Brohoof? /)
Also I love your radio song cast, you are a wonderful artist in all fields of artistry.
599511
*(\
600001
Nope, it's from something decidedly more recent. :)
600005
I got nothing...
595805
+100500 to every word of DerpieDoo comment. 100% my case including late evening readings :)
Cant wait for next story, will it be sequel or something new, I am sure it will be awesome.
As to the questions: does anyone know any art related with this story ?
I found only these two pics:
http://silver--shadow.deviantart.com/art/Freeze-Pop-and-Blacklight-286308466
http://endlessnostalgia.deviantart.com/art/Freeze-Pop-Royal-Guard-Sketch-290226954
May be someone has more ?
Or author has some ?
I see you took my begging you to stop updating so fast to mean "hurry up and finish"... man, I have sooooo many chapters to catch up on!
601505
Try this. :D
605928
That would explain it... I don't play video games.
All that remains is to ship Salad and Luna.
Bravissimo.
623980
Grazie!
567819
> Didn't realize you were trolling
577166
> Freeze at work
Blacklight with Freeze at work
577324
hehe, thanks…
578324
?
Halp! How do I react to all these ponies who say they enjoy FreezeLight more than SketchTavia?
…
…how about I just sit here and go
587278
)
> Right now, I got this kind of happy feeling inside me and I just want to giggle like crazy.
Me too! (Except not really anymore because it finished and I already read to the end…late comment is late!
592218
> Now go read the end already! XD
Hay! Shamelessly promoting Symphony is /my/ job!
593152
> I think that it would be very cool to be able to actually hear the music that you described.
This.
> Although that did not stop me from attempting to hear it in my mind.
This, too.
Except in my case, I failed horribly.
593320
> Blahman up there is apparently putting together an entire composition based around this fic. I'm yet to hear any of it at this point however... I'd rather like to hear what he's done so far.
This, and this, and this.
593352
> Why do books end?
I know, right?!
“All good things must come to an end”—why must it be true??
594302
> Freeze Pop's operatic abilities especially will be explored more in the sequel.
I can has deafening aria?
594396
That just means you haven't subscribed to the sequel yet!
594899
lolz
595245
What…I…
…
599931
Darnit, now I'm hungry >.<
Why must this be fiction?? I want one of those sandwiches…
599942
Blatant reference? Where?
602139
602534
These.
606232
SalLuna?
Interesting idea…
…I don't think it's going to happen, though. Sorry…
610422
This too.
596650
Curse you for having a comment longer than mine!
…actually, it's mostly that same image…I don't think that counts.
624879
"Blatant reference? Where?"
Have a look at the particular intermezzo that was being commented on. Then, go and watch this.
647666
Or you could just ask. :)
655849
Thanks for reading! :)
720248
Don't worry about it. These things take time.
728314
Once you get to the very end of the fic you'll find some Author's notes, part of which is an explanation as to what each and every Intermezzo was :)
837839
This chapter was Luna making first contact with Octavia. Yes, at heart Luna is most certainly quite child-like in some regards and a lot of fun to be around. However, this was her first attempt at making friends with someone outside of her normal life. It's safe to say she was terrified of making a wrong move, and she has her image as the Princess to think about. As a result of that, she was making sure to be very proper - she knew, after all, that Octavia is considered part of Canterlot's upper crust so to speak. Last thing she'd want to do is make a social faux pas or make a bad impression.
839649
I would say a touch of realism is what makes it great. And thanks!
840961
Some of them are. The Arias in the sequel are probably giving me more bother though. Why did I decide to be poetic? XD Glad you're enjoying my work!
853270
Not to my mind.
I just read it all again for kicks. This is definitely one of the most underrated fanfics on the site. I don't really get how this only managed to reel in 1/7th of the chapter views that Anthropology has, even though this is just as well written!
890726
I'll admit I've not read Anthropology, but I know of it. That's a very big compliment, thank you!
891550
Honestly, I might even say this is better. Anthropology dragged on for the longest time until people actually started complaining, that never happened here.
729320
Gotta love the armor ^^
…
…wait a sec…
837839
Oh, don't let that stop you. I reply to things late all the time.
>> author's notes
> 22. Salad and freeze Pop discuss whether they will ever find true love.
> freeze Pop
*blinks* Um…
899843
You saw nothing.
900294
…oh…um…okay…
That was incredible.
This is the story that made me come to Fimfiction originally. It's the first story I tracked. I've been waiting FOREVER for it to be finished so I could read it. It was well worth the wait.
I rate this up there with Eternal, which is the best story I have ever read in my 37 years of my life, and I'm a voracious reader.
Very well done, sir. Very well done!
937538
I may further re-work this chapter at some point. It's probably the only one I wasn't wholly satisfied with after it was done, although the following chapters go some way to explaining what's really going on.
When is this coming out as a hardback book?
I think you should write a story with Blacklight and Freeze Pop to expand on them more. That would be awesome.
1077446
Apparently somepony didn't start on the sequel yet. :3
Serenata is going to show a lot more of Freezy and Blackie. I'm also going to be giving Sally more to do too, but that's a little later down the line ;)
1080398
Sweet.
Was awesome hearing you read this at B.U.C.K when the speaker wasn't crackling. I'm gonna give this a read shortly but thought I'd drop 5 moustaches of awesome in appreciation for storytime :)
1135902
My thanks, good sir!