Chapter 7
Silence is Bittersweet, Part 7
The orchestra broke for lunch, all the ponies shuffling out the front doors to venture into the city and their preferred eateries. Hot Air huffed his way out as his pride once more took a blow when his performance that morning was subpar. Pollen Hymn and her compatriot Water Song flew out over the heads of their earthbound fellows to grab a light snack and enjoy a quick cloud nap.
Hearth Song was bubbling and bouncing next to Acoustiana as the two headed to their usual bistro. Acoustiana simply wore a large grin and held her head high as she trotted down the street, fully aware that her friend was trembling with anxiety, awaiting news of how her date had gone.
Once they arrived, Acoustiana sat at a table, waved over the waitress and ordered her meal. Hearth blurted out to the waitress to double the order so that she would leave sooner. Acoustiana just giggled silently as she looked at the overly excited cyan pony.
“C’mon! Will you spill it already!” Hearth did her best to beg, hooves clasped together, and her lips pouty.
Acoustiana tapped her chin and glanced over. After a few moments, she saw that some tears started to build in Hearth’s eyes. Not sure why her friend would get so emotional over her teasing, she let up the act and nodded enthusiastically. Taking out her notepad, she detailed her evening except for how it ended.
Hearth greedily snatched the notepad after Acoustiana finished writing and read it with wide eyes. She cooed a number of times and blushed at others. As she neared the end of the story, she started nibbling on her lower lip. As she read the last of the words, her nibble turned into a bite, and her eyes got even wider than they had been when she started.
“What do you mean ‘and...’ Where is the rest of it? Don’t leave me hanging like this!” Hearth had reached out and grabbed Acoustiana, shaking her vehemently.
After her eyes stopped spinning in their sockets, the pink mare shook her head, frowned, and gave her blue friend’s horn a flick to send the message of inappropriate behavior.
“Ow! What was that for?” Hearth sat back in her seat and rubbed her forehead. She then looked up to her friend as saw the scowl.
“Oh... sorry. Got a little carried away there. But its not all my fault! You’re the one leading a pony on just to cut out the best part. So tell me, what happened after you arrived at your house?” Hearth scooted the notepad over to its owner.
Eyeing the notepad and then her friend, Acoustiana mulled over the idea of refusing after Hearth’s rude behaviour, but ended up ceding to her requests for information. She was right after all─Acoustiana was partially to blame for the outburst. She gathered her notepad and finished the story of her date.
“So after we stopped in front of my house, Scarlet was still on her utmost best behavior. That adorable blush was on her face, and we were both so nervous and saddened that our night was over. Scarlet not so directly asked me out for another date, and I nodded and gave her a hug. At that point she started to melt again, but this time, she suddenly froze up. I felt her go stiff as a board and when I moved to look at her, I could see fear in her eyes. Pastel warned me that in the past, Scarlet was, shall we say, an explicit pony. So when I saw her fear, I just knew in my gut that she must be fighting her usual tendencies. If she were a colt, I would have expected the same thing, with that level of intimacy, to try and get a hoof into my door. Dad said it was a popular technique of young stallion.” Acoustiana nibbled on her pencil for a moment, tapping her hoof against her chin, as a blush formed on her cheeks.
“Anyways, after seeing her frozen there, and looking so scared, I got very worried. Scarlet had done so much for me that night, and here she was, doing all she could to stay a good pony and not push me into something I wasn’t fully committed to. I will admit, after feeling her breath on my muzzle while I stared into her eyes, yeah, I broke down. I totally kissed her goodnight, then flirted up a storm. She flirted back, but didn’t push further. I think I am going to have to admit to loving your sister.” Acoustiana’s face was now bright red as she nudged the notepad over. Hearth looked from side to side as she scooped up the notepad and read it the best she could while hiding its contents from any onlookers.
“Oh sweet Celestia. Scarlet... my little sister Scarlet... didn’t try and get into your bed? By Luna that is... Wow! Just, wow...” Hearth whispered as best she could so as not to cause an undue amount of rumor-mongering.
Acoustiana smiled and nodded, trying her best to hide in her mane as she felt her face get even more flushed with blood. Hearth now seeing that her friend could use a change of subject before she disappeared into herself, chose a topic both could fluff up their coats over.
“Oh hey! With all this dating stuff you’ve had to deal with, we haven’t had time to talk about our big debut at the concert! So come out of there. I wanna talk to you about it and get your side of it in case I’ve missed something.” Hearth used her soothing mother voice to add extra persuasion.
Perking her ears up, the mute mare peeked through her mane and saw her friend’s warm smile beaming back at her. Tentatively looking from side to side for any gawkers, she slowly came back out and sat in her seat properly once more. Her cheeks only had a small shade of red left in them. She let a meek smile form on her muzzle and nodded her approval of the topic change.
“So, how did your performance go? Did you feel it went as well as you hoped? From my side of the stage, it sounded perfect, but it was your music, so what are your thoughts?” Hearth tapped gently on her friend’s hooves for reassurance.
“As I started, the sheer level of silence in the theater made the sorrow in my violin that much more vibrant. I could not have hoped for a better setup. Then as the other strings came in, that sorrow just swept over the crowd. I saw faces fall. Then the loneliness came in with the brass. For all his arrogance and idiocy, Hot Air actually did a good job with his group. They flowed perfectly with the strings.” Acoustiana let out a silent sigh as she smiled and let her eyes droop in the pleasant memory.
“That he did, the lucky parasprite.” Hearth scowled off down the street before turning back to the notepad.
“When we started the second movement, the tympani that mixed into the strings and brass just gave that extra bit of energy to help solidify the switch from sorrow to solitude, and loneliness to longing. My body seemed to vibrate with the energy, even more so than usual when feeling the music.” Giving a small shiver, Acoustiana brushed her hoof through her mane and went back to writing.
“Can’t say I share the feeling, but that part did have some energy to it,” Hearth said in a whisper.
“Then my favorite part. The slapsticks kicked in with the bass drums, making the energy of my music surge. Nopony could resist the feel of hope and joy during the third movement, at least nopony in that theater. The tempo changes the conductor suggested for the fourth movement made me weary at first, but like the rest of the piece, it grew into something wonderful. With the accelerando and allargando of tempo, we made that feeling of happiness and acceptance real. Like something I could reach out and hold.” Acoustiana wrapped her hooves around herself and gave herself a hug. With a lazy smile on her face, she settled back down.
“This is way more detail than I expected. But I agree one hundred percent. All of us working together turned your music into something tangible. I am certainly glad I wasn’t the only pony that felt I could reach out and hold the happiness from the end of the fourth movement.” Hearth gave herself a hug as well.
“So, that’s my perspective on my piece. Now you gotta spill yours. How did you feel the singer did for your song? Do you think your message to Luna was heard? Or did I totally mess up and not get the real message of the song?” Pausing at first, Acoustiana pushed the notepad over to her confidante.
“Well, sorta. It’s about Princess Luna, yes, but it’s directed at Nightmare Moon. Technically its the same mare, but to me very different ponies. Ever since I read the stories about Nightmare Night, and the creation of Nightmare Moon herself, I was obsessed with writing this song to show both mares the lives they have affected.” Hearth got quiet and tapped her hooves on the notepad.
“To the point though, the singer was perfect. Her voice carried the message I wanted to hear perfectly. I knew from the first time I heard her singing that her voice would be uplifted by my harp and be carried farther than either of our sounds would alone.” Looking off into the distance, Hearth let out a contented sigh.
The waiter then showed up with a tray of food. She carefully placed the two orders and their accompaning ciders, curtsied, and bustled back to the kitchen. The two musicians took bites of their food.
“My mam merrd...” Hearth swallowed her food blushed slightly. She then cleared her throat before attempting again.
“I am worried that most ponies didn’t get the message, but I know that anypony that heard our performance felt it. I feel sorry for the Princess. She only wanted to be loved like Celestia is. She didn’t know it, but I just know in my heart she had to have been loved by many ponies. The night sky is just too beautiful for nopony to appreciate and love the mare that made it such.” Hearth looked into the sky and smiled.
Acoustiana moved over to Hearth and rubbed her shoulder. Hearth looked back from the sky, her eyes misty, but the smile still on her face.
“Our combined efforts painted the most wonderful of pictures. My harp flowed like water, almost quite literally during the few parts where I reference Luna’s tears. I should try and figure out a full ensemble version of my song. It might make it better. I dunno, I do like the personal feeling just my harp and a singer gives the song. Ugh, I am so bad at critiquing my own work. Especially this song. I have been working so long on it that to me, it can never be perfect. The only way my song would be better is if Luna herself were in attendance to hear it.” Hearth frowned a little before perking back up.
“But hey! Eventually I will get big enough to play in Canterlot, and then she will certainly hear my song. I just hope she hears the right message and not the wrong one. I know a pony can interpret it in a negative light, as Scarlet told me once. She said, ‘Somepony might hear this as an insult to Luna for being weak and practically letting Nightmare Moon win their fight.’ I can see how a pony could have that thought, but I don’t know how to avoid it. Their perspective is their own, and I shall just have to live with those critics.” Hearth’s ears lowered and she hoofed over the notepad. She avoided eye contact as she fidgeted and nibbled lightly on her lower lip.
“If I may, what was that bit you did between the second and third verse? It was different, in a good way. What was the inspiration behind it?” Acoustiana wrote down the question, half knowing the answer, to help get her friend back on track of feeling good about her music.
“Luna’s stars, of course. The plucking was to imitate the twinkling of stars, the rolling strums to depict falling stars. Scarlet and I always enjoyed laying on our backs and watching the stars growing up. We haven’t been able to do it in years, but back as fillies, it was our special thing. Just another reason why I wanted this song to do so well. Luna is important, and ponies need to be reminded of the gifts she gives us every night. Not just the one gift Celestia gives us every day... Bah, now listen to me getting all political.” Hearth chuckled in amusement to herself. Acoustiana followed suit.
“So yes, every interlude was inspired by something I feel Luna has gifted ponykind, but said ponies seem to forget. She protects us against the darkest of threats, she gives us guiding light during the night, she knows what it’s like to falter and make a mistake, and most importantly, she does all these things with little to no praise from the average pony. Her endurance against all the forces she faces is beyond me to know, but I tried to capture in my song. Hallelujah, Princess Luna feels like it did her justice.” Hearth beamed and puffed out her chest. Acoustiana nodded in agreement.
Acoustiana looked to her pocket watch, and her eyes went wide. She hoofed it into Hearth’s face so that the current problem was made evident.
“Oh phooey! Best to eat fast then. If we gallop back we might not be late.” Hearth let out a groan as she looked at her mostly untouched meal.
The two turned their full attention to their plates of food and quickly devoured their meals. Both tossing bits onto the table, the pair then galloped down the street. Hearth complained about her sore tummy the entire way back to the theater.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
True to her word, Scarlet Topiary returned to take Acoustiana out on another date the night after their first. It went better than the night before, as the two were able to enjoy each other’s presence fully without the discomfort of a first date.
The two talked more on their lives growing up. Scarlet talked about her topiaries that caught the eye of many wealthy ponies, only to have them scoff at the art once they found out who created it. She also went and talked about how she came to Foalsdale back when it was half its current size. Her art was well received, and her personal life mostly overlooked.
Acoustiana wrote about her days as a foal and growing up with all her unique traits. She told Scarlet about her days in magic kindergarten and how the other foals made her life miserable with the name-calling, but that no matter how hard things got, the words her father told her kept her strong enough to endure. “Just tolerate those that would hurt you, and if you succeed in this, all other troubles in your life will seem like leaves on the wind.” Scarlet was deeply moved when she read those words, and wanted so much more to be a part of the pink mare’s life.
Over the next few days, the two went on more dates. They talked about anything and everything. The topic of magic was a particularly interesting one for the pair to discuss. Scarlet had a lot of power in her magic, but found that unless the target was organic, she would generally just break it if she tried to reshape it. Her ability to levitate was decent enough, as she had already demonstrated to her date. Acoustiana went over how her trials of learning her skill with magic were difficult until she discovered that her power didn’t come from brute strength, but fine manipulation of the objects she was able to hold in her weak magical grip. She demonstrated this by enveloping Scarlet and braiding her mane and tail while smoothing out her coat, all at the same time. The expression Scarlet gave during the experience exposed her enjoyment of the act.
Scarlet also prompted Acoustiana to start teaching her hooflanguage while they were on their dates, so that the two could bond over yet another thing of mutual interest. Scarlet proved to be a fast learner, but showed that her patience was not all that great, as she would easily get frustrated when she tried more complex motions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On a sunny weekend afternoon, in the rolling fields of grass and wildflowers, a number of families frolicked about. Little foals could be heard squealing in joy as they romped about, carefree as only a foal can be. Butterflies fluttered around the field, and the occasional bee buzzed from flower to flower.
From the city, Scarlet and Acoustiana come walking out, Scarlet balancing a large picnic basket on her back while Acoustiana carried a couple of cushions and a large blanket upon hers. When the two arrived at an empty hilltop, Scarlet magicked the grass into a flat, padded area.
Smiling at her date’s efforts, Acoustiana reached back and grabbed the blanket firmly in her teeth at the corner. With a graceful, fluid motion, she lifted the blanket up, unfurled it, and allowed it to flow gently down over the spot in the grass. Satisfied with her placement, she turned to her date and stifled a giggle.
Scarlet was gawking at the pink mare, and a blush was quickly forming on her cheeks. Acoustiana stepped over and gently nuzzled her to help break Scarlet out of her trance. Seeing the orange mare blink and slowly look around, Acoustiana smirked once more and set about placing the items they had brought with them. She started with levitating the basket off her date’s back and onto the blanket. As she opened it and began pulling out the sandwiches, she felt Scarlet nuzzle into her cheek, a gesture which Acoustiana reciprocated. Scarlet then took out the pie she had baked for the occasion as well as the pie server she packed alongside it.
Setting the sandwiches on the blanket, Acoustiana then chose to place the pair of cushions on the blanket. She placed hers first, and when she turned to place the other, she saw Scarlet concentrating heavily on slicing the pie. The amount of care and precision she was taking in the simple task of slicing the pie amused Acoustiana greatly, and a prank formed in her mind.
After laying Scarlet’s cushion in its place, Acoustiana took one last glance to ensure her date was still oblivious of her surroundings. Seeing her date still engrossed in her pie slicing, Acoustiana splayed out her hind legs slightly, flicked her tail over Scarlets eyes, and then slowly let it fall away.
“What the... Did you just...” Scarlet stammered as another blush formed on her face.
Acoustiana was already rolling on the blanket giggling silently, and Scarlet soon caught the infectious laughter. Once the two caught their breath, Scarlet brushed the bit of mane that had fallen into her date’s face and stared into the orange eyes while wearing a loving smile.
Acoustiana smiled back and the two enjoyed their silent moment of just being together. The moment was interrupted by a rumbling sound that was soon echoed by the other pony. They both looked to their tummies and then to the food currently placed on the blanket.
Scarlet levitated the sandwiches, one placed before her date, the other in front of herself. She then took out the cartons of juice and placed them the same as the sandwiches. Giving Acoustiana a warm smile, Scarlet then settled into her cushion and nibbled on her sandwich. Looking up, she noticed her date do the same, but in her own cutely neat way.
Taking the carton of juice in her hooves, Acoustiana took a small sip. It was cool and refreshing. She watched her date chew her sandwich on one side of her mouth and then the other. She found it adorable and giggled silently before going back to her sandwich.
Acoustiana swiveled her ears to the sounds in the field. She heard the lovely sound of birds chirping off in the distance. She then heard some giggling and squealing coming from someplace close by. Turning her head, she watched as a few foals galloped around the hills, chasing a group of butterflies.
The sight reminded her of something she wanted. She slowed her chewing and her ears drooped slightly. She looked back to Scarlet and was also reminded of the love she had for the mare. My love for this mare is great, but oh what I would give to have a foal just the same.
Scarlet, noticing her beloved’s change in mood, and seeing the source of the problem, kept her smile bright while trying to figure out what to do. This was a problem that needed to be handled, and the sooner the better. Scarlet knew she had won the heart of the mare before her, but the sadness she witnessed was unmistakably that of longing. The pain of forcing Acoustiana to choose between becoming a mother and being her lover struck like a powerful buck to the chest.
Scarlet weighed her options: talk immediately on this issue, or start a different conversation to get both their minds off the pain and sadness, and then bring up the topic. The latter had more weight, for she knew both of them had less reasoning power when they got overly emotional, herself especially. I have been wanting to know about the history of hooflanguage. Now is as good a time as any to ask, and that should give us enough time to settle our emotions so we can talk this foal issue out a little more reasonably.
Nodding to herself, causing Acoustiana to look confused, Scarlet then put down her sandwich and levitated out her date’s notepad and set it before her. She then attempted to sign out her request, but couldn't figure out how to sign “history” and let out a sigh, opting just to voice the question.
“So I have been wondering, where did hooflanguage come from? Its so thought out and complex─did the Princesses come up with it?” Scarlet nudged the notepad to show her request for the story via written word instead of a signed response.
Acoustiana’s ears perked back up. She finished chewing her food and smiled warmly as she took up the notepad and pencil. She then began to write out the long story she learned from the ponies that taught her the language.
“Hooflanguage came about not because of ponies. In fact, the Princesses didn’t live in Equestria when it was created. The reason for its creation is actually attributed to Discord, the draconequus.”
“Back during the reign of Discord, he did a bunch of nasty things to ponies. One such thing he did was to silence an entire village. He removed the voices of half the ponies, and the ears of the other half. Needless to say, the ponies of that village became distraught and life became very difficult for all of them.”
“That... I can’t even imagine how awful it would be not to be able to hear. Though, I have to admit to taking the ability to speak for granted too.” Scarlet moved next to Acoustiana and nuzzled into her. Acoustiana nibbled the tip of Scarlets ear, in hopes of reassuring her of no wrongdoing.
“In time, once the panic settled and the ponies accepted their fate of silence, they worked on a way to communicate. Such as I do now, they all wrote everything down at first, but the ability to replace notepads ran dry, and they didn’t have enough chalkboards for everypony to carry around. They tried to set up what boards they did have in common areas so that all the ponies could gather and talk that way. Well, that turned out to be a poor choice, as dozens of ponies tried to use the same chalkboard at the same time. Soon, villagers got fed up with waiting in line to ask for simple things, and instead resorted to pantomime for the simpler things like: ‘buy that,’ ‘take this,’ ‘go there,’ and all other things one can say with a point of a hoof.”
Acoustiana stopped writing for a moment as a butterfly fluttered in front of the mares and landed on the pencil. It flexed its wings a couple of times before taking off, back into the blue sky.
“Soon, the idea caught on. None of the ponies had issues seeing, so the village leaders worked out a system of common signals they could use for everyday usage. Tap the chest, tap the purse, tap the object became ‘I would like to buy this,’ for example. Anything a pony would need to say on a regular basis got a gesture associated with it, and the whole town was shown them.”
“It wasn’t long before the town began to run almost as if nothing had ever happened to them. Ponies would come up with new gestures for something and approach the leaders with it. Many of the signs we use today came from these ponies’ ideas.” Acoustiana looked up, smiled, then rubbed her chest in a small circle and pointed to Scarlet.
“I love you too,” Scarlet whispered back into Acoustiana’s ear.
“So over the course of many years, the ponies of the village refined and tweaked their gestures into a formal language, as the historians put it. When the Princesses defeated Discord and harmony returned to the land, the villagers didn’t change. It’s not clear why, or how, but the villagers didn’t regain their voices or hearing. I think it’s because they all accepted what Discord had done to them, and lived their lives normally despite his attempt to sow chaos.”
“Ha, take that, you beastie you!” Scarlet hopped to her hooves and kicked at an invisible enemy. Acoustiana giggled silently at the antics. Once Scarlet felt she had soundly defeated her opponent, she settled back down in front of her date to continue reading the story.
“The Princesses found the village, and finding it unchanged from the removal of Discord, it is said they tried to investigate, but the villagers declined any assistance in curing their ailments. They all felt that without the clamor of ponies talking, they were better off. They found that a touch was preferred to a shout. A hug was better than a hello. That ponies fighting would find it hard to hurt one another when their hooves were busy making gestures to speak rather than free to hurt one another. The Princesses accepted the villager’s wishes and even asked if they would teach others their unique language.”
“So that’s the history of hooflanguage. What I know and you are learning is called Canterlot Hooflanguage. Basically, it’s a refined and streamlined version of the original gestures used by the village all those years ago.”
Acoustiana pondered further points of interest, but just shrugged and settled into her cushion, basking in the sunlight. Scarlet continued to read the notepad and satisfied the curiosity that had bothered her for the past few weeks.
Upon finishing, Scarlet scratched her chin and came up with a few questions she felt were left unanswered. She figured it would be best to keep things to yes-or-no answers so that her next important topic to discuss would make for a smoother segue.
“So did you learn hooflanguage after magic kindergarten?” Acoustiana nodded in response.
“Is there a school just for this?” Another nod was a response.
“Are all ponies that have no voice or hearing descended from these villagers then?” This time, Acoustiana shook her head.
“Did ponies have these issues before Discord’s rule? I don’t remember my history class ever going over Pre-Equestrian disabilities, or even a mention of anything of the sort.” Acoustiana smirked, leaned over and kissed Scarlet on the nose, then nodded in response.
Scarlet blushed, then folded her ears back and bit her lower lip. She looked timidly over to Acoustiana and took a deep breath for the topic she needed to bring up next.
“Love, I need to talk to you about something very important now,” Scarlet said in a low voice.
“I saw you get sad when you heard and saw those foals playing. It wasn’t just a sad look though, it was longing. Dear, tell me honestly, do you wish to have your own foal?” Scarlet had to gulp down her fears before asking the question, but ask it she still did.
Acoustiana, concerned with the sudden change of mood in her date, became terrified at the question. She had hoped never to have to talk about this issue, as she could not answer them to herself. She started to tremble, and her eyes began to glisten with tears.
“Hey there, it’s okay.” Scarlet cooed as she stepped over to Acoustiana and curled up against her.
“Don’t worry, love. If you’re not ready to answer that question yet, it’s okay. I was probably being too direct anyway. Listen, I used to want a foal too. I thought it would be cool and awesome to have a little me running around causing mischief and raising heck.” Scarlet nuzzled the top of Acoustiana’s head while she talked soothingly.
“But once I did a little bit of foalsitting for some older friends of mine that went and got knocked up, all my desires for a foal disappeared. My friends only told me that they suffered discomfort and pain bearing the foals, and that birthing them was the worst pain they had ever been in. Couple that, with all the work and cleaning that was involved in caring for the foals... Well, suffice it to say that I was glad that I only liked mares at that point. No worries of accidental foaling when your partner lacks the equipment.” Scarlet chuckled nervously as she looked to see if her words had any beneficial effect on her beloved mare.
Acoustiana dried her eyes and levitated her notepad over. She knew it was only fair to talk about this issue, as it was a very important one for their relationship to continue though she was still unsure how it would turn out.
“All my life, or at least since I was a filly, the idea of my own foal has always brought with it a warm and tingling feeling. The thought of my own foal always excited me, like a present I would be able to give all of Equestria. As I got older, I knew that the warm feelings I got when I thought of a foal growing in me were more or less biologically driven more than a sense of romanticism. Nonetheless, the feelings were there, and I enjoyed them.” Acoustiana felt a soft nibbling on her ear, a sign that Scarlet was watching her words being written, and a way to reassure her that the love they shared was still strong.
“As a grown mare, I knew of all the issues one would have raising a foal. Food, clothes, furniture, toys, and if needed, a foalsitter. The logistics and financial burden worried me and scared me to a degree. However, my feelings and desires to have one are greater still.” Acoustiana paused a moment before finishing her last thought, and looked to Scarlet after finishing it.
“I can only wish to understand the feelings you have. But the way you describe them, they must not be easily forgotten, nor easily ignored.” Scarlet folded her ears back and leaned away from Acoustiana.
“I need to know something. Do you think... is it possible that these feelings and desires will one day drive you into the hooves of a colt, if for one night, in the hopes of having your own foal?” Scarlet looked into Acoustiana’s eyes, both mares now on the verge of tears.
Acoustiana stared into the gorgeous rose eyes as the question reverberated in her mind. She started to shake her head, but then closed her eyes and looked down. Shrugging, she then gave a small nod and began to cry.
The nod, small as it was, struck Scarlet in the heart. Her own tears started flowing, but she controlled herself. She knew that was the answer. She knew her mare was not like her. Once more she found herself the cause of tears coming from the pony she loved so dearly. Then a small voice in her mind echoed something she had long since forgotten.
Thinking harder, she tried to recall the voice, and what it said. With a flash of inspiration, Scarlet remembered something that she heard as a young mare. Something that she had since ignored as she had no desire for the effects of it. Now, in this moment, it was the most important thing in her life, and a smile crept upon her face.
“Hush now my desert epi.” Scarlet lifted Acoustiana’s face so that their muzzles touched.
“Open your eyes, lift your ears, and feel my love.” Scarlet stroked the green mane of her date.
Acoustiana opened her eyes, still feeling miserable for admitting she would ever cheat on the mare she loved so dearly. When she saw the warmth and love in the eyes staring back at her, much of her guilt melted away.
“What if there were a spell that the two of us could create that would allow us to conceive? Would that fix this? Would that make you happy?” Scarlet tapped her horn against Acoustiana’s and let her devilish grin show itself upon her face.
Confused, Acoustiana nodded the best she could in her current position. In response, Scarlet hugged her tightly and whispered into her ear.
“There is a spell, one I heard about many years ago. If you are patient, I will find it, and when I do, we can discuss when we wish to ‘do the deed’ as it were.” Scarlet then pulled back, waggled her eyebrows and snickered.
Acoustiana was not sure what she felt most strongly: embarrassment, love, or excitement. All the emotions came pouring into her, and even though she felt the burn of a blush on her face, she tackled Scarlet and gave her a long passionate kiss.
“My shining star, you always lead me to my place of happiness. I shall never know how to repay you for all you have done to make my life as good as you have.” Acoustiana wrote after letting Scarlet catch her breath.
“Well, you can promise to marry me one day, and we can call it even,” Scarlet cooed in response.
The two enjoyed the rest of their day practicing hooflanguage, and every time Acoustiana heard the foals playing and she turned to watch them, the knowledge that one day her own little one would be galloping around chasing butterflies caused her to lose all track of her surroundings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the days went on, and the pair’s dates grew more romantic, Acoustiana knew that whatever hurdles life threw her way, she would leap them. Should she stumble and fall, she knew her beloved Scarlet would be there to lift her to her hooves, and no hurdle would be too big for them to overcome together.
Acoustiana set about a plan to prove her love. She knew Scarlet never doubted when she told her she loved her. However, Acoustiana wanted all of Equestria to hear her words. The only way she could speak, though, was through her music. For more than just her friends to hear her music, it had to be very good. For it to be very good, she had to make it note by note. Each note needed to carry with it a part of her, and a part of her love.
With all of this in her heart, Acoustiana searched for a way to tell all of Equestria. She toiled long hours in her house, trying to find a way to sing the song of love that lay in her heart and searching for the elusive notes that would carry her words for all ponies to hear. Her shining star was Scarlet Topiary, and nopony else’s.
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I loved the discussion about where hooflanguage comes from and Tiana's desire for a foal. Nice world building and a very lovely scene all in one. The ending hinting at a new musical piece makes me giddy inside. I so wish that there was a real composition of the musics that you've described throughout the story. If I was able, I'd have long ago tried to write scores for Acoustiana and Hearth Song. But I'm not able, so I'll have to substitute things like Ponyphonic's 'The Moon Rises', or what I can find on Youtube.
Also, a quick question; I was wondering if I could use Acoustiana and Scarlet in a story I am working on. It's currently mostly in the plotting stages, though the prologue has been posted. Their role would only be for a few chapters near the middle, and briefly in the finale.
Really good work.
I wnjoy every word of this story :)
Can´t wait till more is published
986556
Thank you!
well, for Acoustiana's concert performance, the original violin solo is only in my head...BUT...I found a song that parrallels it, SO well, I turned her solo into an orchestral piece as it is so friggin
AWESOME
...Makkon - Deae Lunae...i was trippin ballz for a month after hearing what essentially was the violin part of my characters song.
Erm...
I am, aprehensive about letting these characters be placed in another story. But I also dont want to stunt your creativity. So how about this, you can, but dont publish the parts they are in so I can take a gander to check for them being IC and your not having them do anything I disapproave of? Its nothing personal I assure you, just been having these ponies run around in my head since October so I kinda wana make sure they get treated right *nods*
988244
Deae Lunae is on my playlist for when I am writing one of my stories. To me it's like the intro theme for the entire story. I have other pieces that represent themes for the various characters. Twilight for instance uses After the Fall by Two Steps From Hell. I've loved that piece since I first heard it used for the Thessalonica Legacy.
Well, I have the chapters partially plotted, but I'm probably months out from when they'd be posted, or ready to be posted. 'Before the Fall' is a story close to my heart and I want to get it right. I'm a bit more loose with some of my other stories, more willing to except a bit of sloppy writing just to get something out. I'm also trying to get ready for a posting of chapters from all three stories I have on the go. I could write the chapters with Tiana and Scarlet now (and by now, I mean over the next few weeks, I write slowly generally speaking) and pass them along to you.
I could e-mail you the plot notes I have at the moment so you can get a general idea of things and if you'd feel comfortable with the characters in the story or not. Being apprehensive about someone else using a character you created is understandable. Thank you for considering it.
988363
either case is fine with me. you can PM through FimFic, is easiest and allows for less email spam i might get now that I have...what 50+ readers when i update...man that just floors me...
so yeah, thnx for being understanding of my apprehension...I hoped you would understand
Look forward to seeing what shinanigans you have my little ponies goin through
990482
Shenanigans doesn't begin to describe things.
Best way to describe the story; It's a dash of Independance Day, two cups of Macross, mixed in with a helping of Titan AE, and seasoned with Battlestar: Galactac (80s version). 
I thought about using some diced Firefly, but figured it wouldn't go well with the Macross. 
Expect the outline in a few minutes. I just want to give it a quick look again. 
another really awsome chapter :> did some reactions like the other comment on the previus chapter it was preatty fun to do :P
Acoustiana splayed out her hind legs slightly, flicked her tail over Scarlets eyes, and then slowly let it fall away. holy shit O.o
“I love you too,” Scarlet whispered back into Acoustiana’s ear. I dont know why but that made me so happy! :D
Shrugging, she then gave a small nod and began to cry. amg D:
Her shining star was Scarlet Topiary, and nopony else’s. The feels man sending shivers down my spine!
1008519
well hopefully this makes up for the arse long wait...
speaking of which...part 8 is gonna be a while as well...its...rough...yeah...rough...
anywho, thanky for all the fun comments!
1009067
well to me the chapters were so good it made up for the long wait :P so i dont mind waiting for part 8 :)
988244
im really glad i read this comment cuse that song "Deae Lunae" is amazing!
1105760
wow...thanky!
by all means, spread the word, I put alot of work into this, and it would be nice (especially for my reviewers that sift through my typos of DOOM) to have it more widely appriciated.
Admittedly, part 8 is going to be delayed due to writers block and a sheer lack of energy atm. Life sux, and I need a job.
By Ten, I LOVE THIS!
Good Luck on.
1105796
(I have to repost my reply because I am a simpleton apparently.)
Tenbatsu, I thought I asked my settings to notify me upon being replied to.
(Or I might have misread.)
Though indeed, you deserve a vaster fan base. And also, good luck with your life.Though quite honestly, TO JIGOKU WITH JOBS! Flynn became The Librarian by wasting his life in the libraries.(A very lame pointer to an excellent movie my mother made me watch mere hours ago. I am not in the very least serious.)
Thank you for taking the time to reply!
I enjoy it when a person does just that.
I shall try to, though at the moment all I can do is being an other watcher and favoriter sadly.
So, very good luck on with your life, online and offline.
This is totally underrated.
It's a very deep and intense story, it needs to be featured or something.
I'm on ~chapter 5, but so far I rate it 10/10 :D
1366219
I thank you very much for your kind words and support.
I hope to finish this bugger before the end of the year >< thus far, I am not making this quota...
1368936
Hey, don't sweat it. It's done when it's done.
I am going to finish off some more work then I'll nail the rest of this-I'm anticipating some awesome stuff! :D
1368936
Okay. I finished it and I must admit; that was a powerful story. Brilliant! While I was reading, all that went through my head was "conflict conflict oh damn this is sad conflict conflict ahhhh!" but as I finished it, 'twas very good. I have so many thoughts on this amazing story.
I feel bad for Acoustiana because she really wanted to have a coktfriend, but was shattered etc and ended up with Scarlet. Ohh, the conflict; also, Pastel made me think she was bi and all sorts of weird stuff...
Does that make acoustiana bi also?
Find muck. So let me get this straight. Scarlet used the magic flowers as a sort of date rape?
Thanks a bunch for writing, it struck me as wonderful and now I will be thinking of is for the next week straight lol.
I think it has changed my life and given me a new perception to mute and deaf people. I never teased or made fun of anyone, though.
1377965
Social commentary? Guilty as charged.
Yes
No. Smell a fresh rose. Notice how it makes you feel. It might take a few sniffs, but you'll notice the calming feeling eventually. Thats what the flower does, just calms and relaxes (magic enhancement makes it more potant than normal flower) and as such, Scarlet's normal visitor tends to be "that way"
and as such, the effect of the flower makes them drop their gaurd. I made it a point to have Hearth admit to using the flowers herself to relax after a very stressful day of work. I know its overshadowed, but if you reread, its there. I get that the way I portrayed it comes off as a date rapeish drug, but I assure you, Scarlet is far too kind to do such a deplorable thing.
I am glad you have enjoyed my story so far. I just wish I could get back to finishing it. I have the final love song Tiana writes for Scarlet all planned out an what not...but just no fire in me to write anything at this point.
Thank you again for all your supportive words.
1379192
Yeahp, saw that.
Honestly, this is the first fimfic I've read that deals with deep emotions relevant to bi(?) ponies and such.
It was really good. And I see what you mean with a rose. Also, you're right, Scarlet is too nice of a pony, but even at the end I still sensed a hint of regret in Acoutsiana for going out with the mare; I don't blame her, as she is a polite pony and didn't want to crush Scarlet.
Sorry if I'm rambling, it's the morning and I am like a zombeh.
1379279
OMG Zombeh broneh! Quick, arm the Fluttershy canon! She will
his soul till it rests once more!
1384374
Reminded me of the pirate pony I drew a while back. Lol.
This hasn't updated in a REALLY long time, but I hope it will soon.
1832714
I do too...
saddly, my house cant afford to run a heater, so its generally around 60 degrees or lower...and my hands are generally half frozen...not the best environment for writing.
spring...I am hoping to finish this in the spring *nods*
Heyy, just checking in on you. Is everything all right? How's next chapter coming up?
i noticed their are no tags, what type of story is this?
2401278
The universe keeps kicking me while I'm down. I do, however, have the remainder of the story in short hand rough draft written. So as soon as something in my life goes RIGHT, I will finish this sucker. Till then, I dont have the fire to even try. Sad state of affairs, but thats life.
2401357
Oi! Sorry about that, but thank you for pointing that out to me. Its a Slice of life/Romance fic. I fixed the tags, so It should show up now.
2412000 Thank you ! ^.^ dont worry an honest mistake is not a just cause for a 'sorry' just helping a friend out
2411989 Aye, I understand and I shall be patient like always! Don't let life push you down ya' hear?
2414528
One step at a time. Thats what I do. So long as I dont stop, I will make it through anything. Its how I got through the rough parts in my story.
Granted my life issues are infinantly greater in difficulty, but the concept is the same.
AND, I may have good news on the way by the end of the month. It would be nice if it happened before I turned 30...but hey, something is better than nothing.
2525185
Thank you.
But...what should I rewrite it to? This summary, while yes it lacks the depth of the story, says all the things the story is about.
If you give me some ideas as a reader, Ill be happy to modify it accordingly, as I dont dispute your point *nods*
Hey there.
It's been awhile since I last commented on this thing, but I wanted to know how you're doing. 
And not for the story, though I won't lie and say I wouldn't love to see an update on this great story, but you're more important then that. 
Okay, okay...
Im gettin muh flank outta the gutter and back into the workshop
No ETA on the next chapter though, but I am starting back up again
will this update?
5340480
Between my full time job, girlfriend, and her 4 y/o daughter, I am finding a severe lack of free time.
However, I have not given up on this, and am still planning to finish it. I have recently found my rough draft of the final parts so, with luck, I will have it finished before the close of... 2015... yeah i know, but that's the best I can do right now.
I needs to win the lottery and be done with it ;D
5350813 lol, Real life is Tiring sometimes
I shall wait til' the day you return with your glorious update!
One of your best fans!
-Morfonious
5501574
just got onto page 3 of Part 8...
It will be slower going as I only have an hour or two of free time a day, and that isnt always going to be used for writing.
Need.......MORE!!
6087873
Im trying, but being a grownup with a soul crushing Job makes it hard to find time to write pony.
Trust me, you dont want my job bleeding over into my writing... not goin for grimdark here...
6105998 fuck.....that's scary
Update:
Yeah yeah, I fail.
But not only do I have work stress, but also life took a right turn in the middle of me turning left. So writing is even further on the back burner...
I wish I won the lottery >_< would fix many of my problems.
*poke* You alive? :D