Inverno in F Minor

by CrackedInkWell

25: Tochter aus Elysium, in G Minor.

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“What do you mean you can’t find him!?” Both Cadence and Twilight asked in alarm.

“I mean what I’ve said,” Shining replied, “I can’t find the little guy anywhere. He’s not in his room, the music room, his old room, or anywhere else for that matter.”

“But he can’t just disappear like that,” Cadence pointed out, “He must be somewhere in the Palace.”

“Maybe, we could organize a search party,” Twilight suggested.

The royal couple nodded, “Agreed, you and Shining do that, while I go find Professor Signature,” Cadence added as she headed towards the direction of the elderly stallion’s suite.

_*_

“So what happened after Beethooven?” Inverno asked, nibbling on something called a cinnamon roll.

“Well,” the old Earth Pony explained. “Beethooven had created a new era in terms of both music and art in general, called the Romantic Period, to put it in a nutshell in this time.” He took a sip of water, “All you need to know is what the mindset was about, it all has to do with size and intense emotion. Here’s what I mean, in music, for example, orchestras got bigger playing music on an epic scale that demanded more for both players and listeners than ever. On the other end of the scale, you can use only a single instrument to unleash one’s innermost thoughts and feelings.

The Professor paused for a moment to take a bite from his cinnamon roll, “For instance, there was one composer by the name of Paganeighni, who reinvented how the violin sounded. Although he mostly wrote variations of what was popular at the time, his music is the kind of music where you have to have years of discipline and skill to even attempt to play anything from him.

“Another example is from Horseshoepin... Although he never wrote anything outside of piano music with the exception of his two concertos, his music is highly emotional from his Preludes and Nocturnes.”

“What’s a Nocturne?” Inverno asked, finishing his roll.

“It’s a word meaning ‘Night’, or in this case, Horseshoepin composed Night Music. Now that I think of it, the size of the audience had changed too. You see, the audience had increasingly become more open to even the poorest of ponies. Why for a few bits, you can go into a theater to see an Opera from Rossineighi, the highest form of entertainment of its time. It was a time where the subjects of these Operas, or a play where everypony sings from start to finish, had become down to earth. Gone were the tragic legends and some myths, now there were about common, everyday ponies. Like a barber, or a soldier who fell in love, or even a bunch of bratty teenagers with their family trying to find out what life is about.”

“So… Something like what Moztrot did when his Papa died?”

The Professor nodded, “I think that’s enough breakfast, let’s keep moving.”

While the disguised Inverno walked close by Key Signature, he was getting lost in his thoughts. He had learned so much before breakfast then he had in a week in the Palace. For example, he’d learned about a plant called grass, the system of trading bits, a thing called a cinnamon roll and the fact that these Crystal Ponies looked as if they were genuinely happy all the time.

“A bit for your thoughts?” Key asked.

“Huh?”

“It’s an expression meaning, ‘What’s on your mind?’” Signature clarified.

“Oh, uh… Do you have a Papa?” Key looked down, with a look as if he was asking him, ‘Where did that idea come from?’ “I was just wondering if you ever had one.”

“Oh,” Key nodded as he continued on, “I did once.”

The colt’s ears folded back, “Sorry.”

“No, you’re alright. To answer your question, yes, I did have a father... but he passed away many, many years ago. I’m actually a grandpa, which means that I have children, who they themselves have children.”

“Where are they?”

“Most are in Canterlot, but I have a granddaughter that lives in Ponyville.”

“Why does that one live in Ponyville and not Canterlot?”

The elder stallion sighed, “It’s a long story.”

“Can you make it short then?”

Key laughed at that, “I don’t see why you would be interested in that.”

“Hey, you sometimes asked me about Papa,” Inverno pointed out.

“I see,” at this point, they turned a corner and started walking towards an area where there’s cheering ringing out. Inverno looked down to see that there was a mob of Crystal Ponies down the street. “Well, to make a long story short,” his teacher said, “When I started teaching, to see what worked and what didn’t, I had my granddaughter who was one of my students. At first, she was interested in playing the piano, and always looked forward to my lessons. Well, one day, I found out from her parents that she has taken interest in a particular pony that, while they were happy over, I on the other hoof wasn’t. I didn’t exactly approve in her special somepony, and... I confronted with her during one lesson. And… I just lost it, you thought that yesterday was extreme,” Key Signature shook his head, “That was nothing compared to what I said to her. The argument got so intense to the point that I told her that I didn’t want anything to do with her and she soon felt the same with me. So, from that day she moved away and that was the last time either of us had ever spoken to each other.”

There was a pause for a moment until Inverno innocently asked, “Do you still hate her?”

“Not exactly,” the Professor sighed, “Now, whenever I look back, I do so with both regret and embarrassment. I had met my granddaughter’s special somepony just recently by accident, in which I was proven wrong about both of them. Inverno, I suppose you haven’t heard the phrase, ‘The older you get, the wiser you’ll become?’ It’s not true. You may have more experience when you’re old, but that doesn’t make you wise. There are things that even to this day that I don’t fully understand. But just because you don’t understand it, doesn’t make it bad.

“I confess, there have been times where I wanted to go down to Ponyville, find her and apologize, but…”

“But what?”

He shook his head, “Inverno,...” Key said softly, “...you’re not the only one in the world who thinks they’re a monster. Ah, here we are.” The young unicorn looked up, and through his dark glasses, he saw the crowd up close, they pushed through to see what was going on.

The colt saw two crystal guards in full armor, each holding a stick and a shield, running towards each other at top speed. There was a collective disappointed moan from the crowd when they both missed.

“What’s going on?” Inverno asked his teacher.

“This is a sport known as jousting,” Key explained, “It’s where two colts run at each other as fast as they can to knock the other one down.”

Inverno saw both of the guards making another round the track; once again, galloping towards each other... until one of them was suddenly knocked backward, making the crowd cheer loudly.

“Doesn’t that hurt?” the colt asked. “I mean, what’s the point of this when you’re trying to push someone over?”

“It’s all out of good fun,” Signature replied.

“Are you sure?” he questioned, “I’m not sure my idea of fun is to have a few broken bones.”

The Professor laughed.

Comments

[HB_DS2013]

I was sure that Inverno's name would be somesorta musical term. When's the next chapter and why the heck is Shining Armor talking like Phil!?

[CrackedInkWell]

6131274 I'm trying to write up a chapter a day, and I have no idea why, but that's what I've heard in my head.

[HB_DS2013]

6131869 Have you tried Phil talking in Shining Armor's voice? On a side note, have you heard of the Disney Hercules? You do know who I'm talking about, right?

[CrackedInkWell]

6132478 Oh! That Phil! To be honest, no, that wasn't my intention. I just write down whatever came to mind. But I suppose you might be wondering why he just calls him "Kid?" It's connected as to why he really calls him his actual name, it's because, to him, he doesn't really have that strong of a connection yet.

[Luckyfanisaac]

It’s all out of good fun,” Signature replied.
“Are you sure?” he questioned, “I’m not sure my idea of fun is to have a few broken bones.”
The Professor laughed.

I really thought Inverno was going to ask "what is fun?"
And then they start singing the fun song.

[Fireeaters]

... back, I do so with both regent and embarrassment.

I think that should be "regret".

You also put "an sport" right near the end of the chapter.

[CrackedInkWell]

6673822 Thanks for catching that. Those have already been fixed.

[Ice Star]

...or even a bunch of bratty teenager with their family trying to find out what life is about.”

Teenagers.

[Camolot the Creator]

I wonder, is his granddaughter Octavia or Vinyl? I'd lean towards Octy, but that doesn't mean Vinyl is out of the running.