Octaves Beyond

by GuitarKirby

Chapter 1: Practice

Octavia slid her bow across the amber resin. Her lavender eyes had a hard look, her eyebrows low as she looked at the large instrument sitting in the open case. Although she had a generally relaxed outlook on life, music was her ultimate passion. It demanded her full attention when she did play (which was quite often), and any part of that process felt very involved to her. She put the resin back in its small, cardboard case, and lifted the cello from the leathery holder. The wood felt smooth under her hoof, the metal strings cool to the touch. She tuned the instrument, and lifted the bow to the strings. As she pulled it across, and a low tone sounded, a spark felt as though it shot through her soul. She began to play, the rich tones of the cello echoing throughout her home. The sound was undeniably beautiful. Her heart began to pump and sweat began to drip from her brow as she played faster. Her mane whipped around her face; she had not thought to pull it back as she usually did. She continued playing, her speed quickening even more. Her hoof slid up and down the instrument, the strings pushing back against it. Finally, she began to slow down, the rich tones becoming deeper, until the tune finally ended. She set the instrument and bow back in their case. Her coat shone with sweat. She checked the time; she had played for a full hour and a half, which was actually a shorter time than usual. She sighed, and locked the case. She then trotted from her home, smiling as the sun evaporated the sheen of sweat from her mane and coat.

---

Shady Sound shook his head irritably. The sound of bustling ponies throughout Canterlot wasn't as loud as it was in Manehattan, but it was certainly enough to drown out his thoughts. He walked along, a beat playing though his mind that matched the click-clack of his hooves on the brick beneath. As he trotted along, turned down a street he had not before; he tried to find new routes for his daily walks each time he went out for them. The street turned out to be full of small, suburban homes. He looked from side to side; each was a mere one story tall, but pleasantly colored to match the color of Celestia's castle, which watched over all. As he walked, he heard something coming from one of the houses. He stopped; the unmistakable sound of a cello being played. The piece was fast, and high-pitched for a cello. Despite the complexity of it, the player made no mistakes, so far as he could tell. He turned to the source of the sound. On the front door was a lavender treble cleft, worked into a knocker. He wanted to go see who was playing, but at the same time, refused to walk up to the door and interrupt the beautiful music. He walked closer and sat on the sidewalk in front of the house. He nodded along to the beat of the tune. His back leg began tapping slightly, so that his cutie mark (a music sheet surrounded by the handles of various instruments) wobbled on his black coat. His wings fluttered in his enthusiasm His mane bounced in time with the music. Dark grey, with multiple streaks of a dark violet color. He smiled as the music finally slowed, and ended. Although he enjoyed all music, classical held a special place in his heart. He turned around, and began trotting back home. The noise didn't bother him so much anymore.

When Shady arrived at home, he immediately went to his piano. The tune from earlier was still fresh in his mind, and he wrote what he could decipher from it on a sheet of paper. He embellished some parts, and those he couldn't remember he improvised. He stared at what he had written for several minutes. The piece meandered up and down the sheet, switching from a minor to major key in several places. Complicated, perhaps, but not beyond his ability to play. It just needed a name.
I think I know where to get a name for this piece... Shady smiled, and added the papers to a new folder, which he labeled "The Treble House." It wasn't the piece's name, but he needed a reference so that he could find it again when he was ready.

Comments

[SillyMare]

i think i like where this is going

[Midge]

When I first read "Her heart began to pump and sweat..." I had the strangest image in my mind... Then I re-read the sentence and chastised my brain for putting in random pauses for no good reason. Just felt like sharing that. Good story so far, time to keep reading

[Evil-Lovieness]

Hmmm... Nice start. It's soft, inviting and pretty good for an OC story.