Song of Saraneighvo (ATTN: Sole Star, Spotlight)

[Dio]

Saraneighvo was a city that had seen its ups and downs.  What began as a proud center of arts and culture had fallen by the wayside after the trade winds had shifted toward industry and materials.  But with the rediscovery of the Crystal Empire, the flower of Saraneighvo had bloomed yet again.  It was now very much a city in transition.  Old facades were being torn down to make way for new ones.  Rail lines had been laid down and old stations reopened.  Storefronts were being cleaned out and refurbished for renewed life.  But the greatest symbols of Saraneighvo, the concert halls, the amphitheaters, the show venues, and the ballet stages had remained in loving care throughout the years.  They were ready when Saraneighvo bloomed again.

 

It was occasions like this that Daedalus took the opportunity to visit the opera house.  It would forever be a little slice of home for him, nestled in the rich tones of music and tied together with soaring vocal strains.  Indeed, it was probably the last vestige of home that he could honestly say he enjoyed anymore.

 

Daedalus closed his eyes and allowed the final piece of the act to wash over him.  What began as a slow, solemn hymn juxtaposed against a vindictive griffon’s instructions escalated into a roaring chorus replete with brass and the sum voices of both the baritone lead and the chorus.  It was a classic tale of love, revenge, and tragedy.

 

The act ended, the curtain fell, and the lights came up again.  Masses of ponies began to file out of the theater, making their way to the mezzanine for hors d'oeuvres and drinks.  The lines were thick and it would take a bit for hoof traffic to clear.  Daedalus sighed impatiently before taking another look around.  The lone mare to his left was silent, also waiting for her turn to exit the balcony box.

 

“Enjoying the show so far?”

[LysanderasD]

She was a small sort, but carried herself in the way typical of feisty small sorts. The smile on her face and the glimmer in her eye betrayed a certain--well, something like over-eagerness--hidden behind the genteel expression she wore. It was an implicit but understated challenge, as if she dared others to prove she didn't belong.

She had been staring at the stage since the curtain fell, seemingly unaware that the act had even ended. One of her forehooves danced as if conducting some unheard piece. The stallion's question drew her out of this trance, and she turned her head, the smile shifting into something less obliquely arrogant and more polite.

 

"Oh yes," she replied. "It's been far too long since I've been to such a fabulous performance. Such power! I admire anyone who can be so distinctly proud in his voice."

[Dio]

“Indeed,” Daedalus replied.  “Goeren Vanderfalke is quite the baritone.  He delivered a very formidable performance despite this being his first time playing the role of Scarpia.  The Grand Saraneighvo Opera should be proud of its work.”

 

As he spoke, he took time to size up the mare he was conversing with.  She was short, several inches under Daedalus’ full standing height, but when she spoke it was with a strange, barely restrained flair.  Art student, perhaps?  The restraint, of course, was an anomaly.  Most art students, especially those of the music variety, would likely be gushing uncontrollably about Vanderfalke’s performance.  Closeted spitfire, perhaps?  Daedalus chuckled internally at the thought.

 

“Daedalus, before I forget,” he formally introduced himself, holding a hoof out to shake.  He put on his best charming grin. “With whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?”

[LysanderasD]

"Sole Star," she replied evenly, taking the hoof. "Such a gentlecolt, I see."

He was tall, but most everypony was taller than Sole Star and she had long ago accepted the fact that she would always have to look up at others. His thin, lanky sort of look somehow put her more in mind of a pegasus than a unicorn. He did have a certain sort of bookish charm, she had to admit, though bookish charm alone did not mean much. In a place like the Saraneighvo opera house, this Daedalus could have been the everystallion.

"I find myself pleasantly surprised. I didn't think ponies went to the opera to say hello to the other attendees."

[Dio]

Sole Star, hm?  A bit of a pun that one was.  The soul of a star?  A star with soul?  The sole star in the sky?  A star of soles?  Her parents must have had a field day naming her.  Daedalus found himself very amused, though obviously it would be rude to laugh.

 

"Sole Star," she replied evenly, taking the hoof. "Such a gentlecolt, I see."

 

“Of course.  It wouldn’t do to be rude to a pony I’ve just met!”

 

Her response was heavily measured, her hoofshake delicate, but not limp.  Again the sense of imperiousness seemed to immediately follow each polite gesture.  Closeted spitfire for sure.  A Canterlot noble heir perhaps?  It was difficult to tell without further conversation.  Sole Star’s attire was merely a simple black cocktail dress, a dress that very well could have come from upper crust just as easily as a middle class family with a budget.  Curious.

 

"I find myself pleasantly surprised. I didn't think ponies went to the opera to say hello to the other attendees."

“They don’t, and I don’t.  It just so happens to be the situation we find ourselves in,” Daedalus said with a chuckle.  “Obviously I come for the opera.  It’s quite exciting to see all these up and coming singers rising to challenge the legacy of the old stars.  I only wish I had time to attend more often.  Tosca is the only show I’ve been able to catch this season.  Such is the life of a traveler, I suppose.”

[LysanderasD]

Ooh, he was a professional. Sole had run into stallions like this before, to be sure, ones that kept their secrets close to their vests in order to appear alluring. The charm of mystery, so to speak. She supposed she couldn't fault him for it; she did much the same most of the time. Daedalus, Daedalus... not particularly a pony name, at least not of a style she was familiar. The unfamiliarity of it nagged at her. She felt she ought to know better.

 

"Aw." She put on a playful sort of pout. "And here I was hoping you were actually the social sort."

 

The pout melted into what she meant as a disarming sort of smile. "Still... a traveler, are you? Your travels taken you anywhere exciting recently?"

[Dio]

Ha, that pout.  Absolutely adorable.  This could prove amusing after all!  Excepting that momentary lapse, it seemed that Sole Star was quite content with remaining reserved, not giving much away, at least immediately.  However, the mention of travel seemed to pique her interest, giving Daedalus a hook to pull with.

 

“Well, that’s not to say I’m antisocial.  I come primarily to see the opera, but the socializing that happens I find quite enjoyable,” he said with a smile.  “I was in Manehattan not too long ago, and before that a quaint little town near Canterlot called Ponyville.  The former more exciting than the latter of course, but the latter holding a charm all its own.  You stay there long enough and it’s easy to forget skyscrapers and monuments to ponies of the past.”

 

Finally the crowd had cleared, allowing them access to the staircases out of the box booth to the grand mezzanine, and from there, the lobby.  Gilded chandeliers hung from the ceiling, washing the lobby in brilliant, scintillating illumination.  Below, a bar served drinks and a string of tables accommodated an assortment of small hors d'oeuvres.

 

Daedalus headed immediately toward the bar.  “What about you?  I take it you enjoy travel and fanciful tales of faraway lands?”

[LysanderasD]

The unicorn examined the view from the top of the staircase as she slowly descended, keeping her expression carefully neutral with the barest hint of vaguely-intriged apathy. She followed the stallion as he was drawn—rather predicatbly, by her reckoning—toward the alcohol. It wasn't something she cared for overmuch, but the occasional champagne, a good wine from time to time...

"Ponyville," she said, a little dismissively. "I can't say I've ever been. I'm quite sure I'm not... what do they call it?... a small town personality. I'm always looking for crowds, you know. Energy, movement, ponies—lots of opinions, lots of noise."

She smiled at the stallion. "But yes. Travelling is a bit of a favorite pastime of mine."

[Dio]

“You’d be a fan of Stalliongrad,” Daedalus replied.  “If you haven’t been there already, of course.  I remember the first time I visited.  The city is so big it could pass for a Maretonian city-state.  It’s all movement, all energy, all the time.  For somewhere that’s so close to the frozen wastes of the north, it’s so incredibly alive…”

 

Thankfully, the tickets to the opera included refreshments.  Sole Star had more layers beneath and Daedalus was curious about them all.  Perhaps some champagne would help loosen the lips?  He reached for two glasses, floating one over to his mare companion, along with a small plate of miniature bruschetta that settled in the space between them.

 

“After you,” he grinned, handing off the champagne flute to Sole Star.  He responded to her statement of travel.  “I’ve always traveled for jobs, so I’m fascinated by those who choose travel for leisure alone.  Everypony picks up on different things when they leave home.  So Miss Sole Star, what have you picked up in your travels?”