The Composer

by Smug Anime Girl

Andante Allegro

"This isn't enough." Andante said again. He had said it several times already, and each time, Schuberry reacted with a slightly more irritated shake of her head. "Do you have something to say, young mare?"

"No, father." She shuffled some sheet music from the back. "Here's another, then."

"Alright, let's hear it." Andante jabbed the air with his quill. He could barely make out the title of the song, 'Rose Thorn' from where he sat.

Schuberry gently played the first notes slowly. She was sight reading the music on the fly, so her choppier playing could be forgiven. The music was pleasant, and while not suited for ballroom dancing, Andante was willing to overlook it.

She paused a moment, and then slammed her hooves down, keeping close to the keys. The room noticeably chilled and while every fiber of his being told him to stop her, Andante was completely enthralled by the terrifying beauty. When Schuberry finally slowed down and brought the song back into a slower pace, huffing from the exertion, Andante patted her. "That's enough. We aren't using that."

"Then..." Schuberry picked out 'Wilting Rose.'

"No, not that either. I know you've put in a dissonant grace note." Andante brushed it aside. "You used to write so many wonderful duets. Those friends of yours, they've made you stupid. Try something new."

Schuberry appeared to consider this. Her ears flattened as she turned back to the keys. "Take that back."

"Uh huh-what?" Andante did a double take. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing." Schuberry responded and quickly played before Andante could speak.

It was another pleasant song, definitely more so than Rose Thorn, but Andante shrunk back, readying for another musical tirade. It never came.

It didn’t mean Schuberry wouldn’t try to stir a reaction from he father, though. The song almost felt like it was folding over on itself, and she couldn’t justify her melodies. Schuberry distracted Andante by throwing in little flourishes, and it worked reasonably well, driving the stallion mad as he tried to figure out why the song sounded so wonderful yet empty.

She went straight on into a second movement without even taking a breath. The tempo was calmer, but it was the same indescribable greyness of the first movement. She bracketed a constant flourish with the melody, creating a very conservative and repetitive sounding piece.

Andante gave her an awkward smile when she finished with a flourish. "That's very...good. Go take a ten minute break."

Schuberry slid off the bench and trotted away, leaving Andante to silently mark his paper. She stopped at the sliding window door and looked outside.

There had been a light snowfall overnight and a soft layer of fresh snow covered the older, harder ice already present. A raccoon pushed its way through the yard, scratching at the ground for food every few steps. Schuberry wandered into the kitchen and returned with a lukewarm bowl of porridge, setting it down by the door. With a great effort, she pushed open the door and placed the bowl in the snow. The little raccoon slowly came over for a taste, then dug into it savagely.

The cold air gently blew in, and both of their breaths formed little condensation clouds. A second raccoon arrived in the scene, presumably the mother. Schuberry jumped back as the second raccoon hissed and grabbed the kit by the back of the neck. There was a disappointed look on her face as the animals disappeared into a bush.

She took the bowl back in and washed it off in the sink. Schuberry balanced her hind legs on a small rickety stool, angrily scrubbing the porridge off. After drying it off, she came straight back to the living room and sat down near the tea table. Andante could see her tail poking out from behind a leg, and the sound of a quill scratching paper replaced the piano.

"Hey, I said a ten minute break." He jabbed the air with his quill again. "You still have several minutes."

Schuberry poked her head above the tabletop and eyed him suspiciously. "What do you want?"

"Every time I do something nice, must I have an angle?"

"Yes." Schuberry's head popped back down. "I'm writing down the sheet music, then I'm going to play a third movement, then I'll be done."

"We'll see. Just play." He watched the filly slowly pick herself up, then force herself back onto the piano. She caressed the piano like a lover, slowly playing a peaceful, gentle tune. It remained slow, mournful, and steady. "Make sure you get that down too." Andante put down his paper and quill and slowly walked into the next room. "I'm going to see some ponies about your music. They're going to approve it for the Gala, and tomorrow, we'll select you as the pianist, and then..." He pulled out a thick stack of sheet music. "...We can start practicing."

Schuberry got off the piano and sneakily grabbed another packet below the tea table. When Andante wasn't looking, she slipped it into the massive stack, then retreated back to the piano.

"Right, well, I'll be off." Andante opened his briefcase and placed the slightly thicker and heavier sheet music tower inside. "You can make your own lunch."

"Are you sure we have the right stallion?" Turca stared blankly at his watch. "He’s going to walk in here with a pile of hot garbage."

"You asked me this already. Shouldn't you know?" Seville remarked.

"I do know, and it still mystifies me." Turca shook his head as he watched the blue unicorn enter the rehearsal studio. "Why did we ever pick that stallion?"

“Ah, Turca, Seville, it’s always such a pleasure to meet you!” Andante grabbed their hooves and shook overzealously.

"How is it that you have so much more pleasure out of seeing me than I do seeing you?" Seville suppressed a smirk.

“Oh, well it’s because you’re such a bigger pony!” He said without thinking. “Oh, sir, not physically of course!”

Seville rolled his eyes. “Let's just get on with it.” He took the thick packet of sheet music from Andante.

“I hope the orchestra is ready to learn as soon as possible. There are some tricky songs in there.” Andante sheepishly said. This elicited a grumble and a flick of eyes toward him, but not much else.

“Let’s try this.” Turca randomly selected a piece and distributed it to the orchestra. "Andante, if you'll please."

"Of course!" Andante laughed unconvincingly. He stood on the podium and paused for a moment.

"Is there something wrong?" Seville yawned.

"Oh, no sir." Andante fumbled about with his baton.

"He'd look perfect in a court jester outfit." Turca muttered, and the two critics shared a laugh. Music filled the windowless room, and they quieted down. The song looped every eight bars, and over the course of four loops, gradually added more instruments and increased in volume.

"We haven't had much time to talk about him." Seville began. "So what do you think of him?"

"His conducting is lousy, his playing is over the top, his tempo stinks, and he breathes like a camel." Turca responded. "You?"

"I like him as a pony." Seville explained. "He's blessed with a nice smile."

"And not much else." They shared another laugh.

The loops went on, and on, and on. Some of the orchestra members were starting to look around, and Andante too was becoming uncomfortable.

Turca and Seville slowly looked towards each other. "He's not going to move past that loop, is he?"

"No, I don't think he is." Turca stood up. "Andante, you are mad!"

"Mad?" Andante dropped the baton. "Pardon?" He slowly reached inside his vest.

"You told us you would write music, but you've come to us with a repeating snippet of a circus tune!" Turca raised his hoof to slam it down but stopped.

The orchestra ponies all suddenly stopped and held neutral poses. Andante approached the two stallions. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. Could you repeat yourself?"

"Your music is satisfactory. We'll choose you." The two critics stated in monotone voices.

A cruel smile spread across his face. "Much appreciated, gentlecolts." Andante bowed his way out, and when he closed the door, everypony fell over like dolls.

Andante flipped through the stack of sheet music on his bed. It was nighttime, and the great constellations shimmered brightly outside the window. Downstairs, the piano was being played. Schuberry was repeating the same song over and over. Notes drifted up the stairs and under the door, keeping Andante from diving too far into his thoughts.

What if she slipped that piece in? He entertained the idea for a moment. No, impossible, she's too stupid.

Taking a longing look towards his bathtub, Andante sighed and closed his planner. "She's going to wear herself out at this rate." He slowly went down the stairs, carrying a candle to light the way. The muffler was engaged, and as he drew closer, the scattered notes became more cohesive.

"Schuberry, you should go to sleep now." Andante softly whispered. "Tomorrow is a big day."

"Tonight's Hearths Warming Eve, you know." Schuberry commented, completely ignoring him.

"I'll get you something, like this piano. Come along now." He gently nudged her. "I don't want you embarrassing yourself tomorrow."

"Let me embarrass myself if I'll embarrass myself. I don't need your help." Schuberry grumbled. Andante frowned at this, but chose to listen to the full song.

Despite hardly being the first time he listened to the pegasus play, it still amazed him how such a little pony could change the sound of the same instrument completely. Her song sounded like a summer night, with twinkling stars and fireflies drifting in the sky above.

"Will you be playing this tomorrow? You've been pretty secretive about your exhibition piece." Andante tried to shift the conversation. Schuberry didn't bite. He decided to content himself with her playing. There wasn't time to completely enjoy it, however, because Schuberry suddenly stopped and played a completely new composition. This one was another fast, complex, and difficult piece.

"Luster is playing something like this right now." Schuberry explained.

"Schuberry, you can always make new friends." He sat down on the bench with his back facing the keys. "Let me explain something to you...friends will come and go. Family is always here."

"I’d like to see Mom, then." Schuberry quietly requested.

"Oh!" Andante laughed sheepishly. "I really don't think you should see Miss Celestia. She's not good for you." Schuberry didn't respond. "And she's not even your real mother. What right do you have to call her that?"

"Then where's my real one?"

Andante breathed heavily. "Well, she doesn't want to see you. Oh, cheer up Schuberry. You'll have a much better life than her or me. What's this song you're playing?"

Schuberry looked over her shoulder. "Play Rose."

"I see." Andante nodded. "Hey, why is it that you like roses so much?"

Schuberry slowly looked at him. "Who says I like roses?"

"All of your songs have 'Rose' in the name." Andante pointed out.

"All of your songs are duets, do you like playing with me?" Schuberry remarked.

"I-" Andante stopped. Did he really enjoy playing with her? To him, the natural order of duets called for a smaller instrument, such as a violin or a flute leading with the piano complimenting in the background. Playing with Schuberry, however, was a complete chore. She fought back, tried to take the lead, and went off on her own tangents with blatant disregard for the other musician.

"Exactly." Schuberry finally said.

Andante turned back to look back at Schuberry. For a moment, in the low candlelight, it looked like to him that a much older mare was sitting on the bench, one that was capricious and temperamental, but also caring and likeable. "You're the spitting image of your mother, Schuberry."

"Good night." She closed the lid roughly.

"...Good night." Andante sighed again and retreated back into his room.

Comments

[truenorth14]

This was an interesting chapter though I am wondering what manipulated the critics

[Melody Song]

Poor Schu. I hope she gets to see both her real mother and Celestia again. She deserves so much more than a bad father.

[Smug Anime Girl]

10256559
Ay uh, you should re-read this chapter

[truenorth14]

10256621
oooh, thanks

[Smug Anime Girl]

10258417
Thanks...and I'm going to assume you can do a better job?

[Pensive]

10258669
I've seen you somewhere else on this website but I can't remember where... It was on some story in the comments near the bottom someone said something I don't remember. But I do remember someone had the usename Smug Anime Girl

[Smug Anime Girl]

10268993
Ok

[Pensive]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This just had to be the last chapter... where tensions are high and what I like to read most. To be fair though... I should have tossed this into my waitlist for a few weeks as I do with some stories before I come to read so there are more chapters when I start. Though tbh I don't do that as much anymore though.

None the less it's a great story I'll be waiting for until the next chapters come out.

[Smug Anime Girl]

10269233
Oof

[-Brutus]

Ouch, that dad has a lot to learn about parenting.