[Canterlot] (Not) Facing the Music [Complete]

[Dunes]

The show had been, for lack of a better word, a disaster. More accurately, disaster had slammed right into awful, hit its head, and been sick on the shoes of calamity.

What hadn't gone wrong? The backup dancers had backed up right into each other, the lighting effects turned into lighting defects, the duet was more like a du-not, and she wasn't even going to think about the wardrobe malfunction. Whose bright idea was it to put doves in the dress, again?

It might have been hers, she really couldn't remember. A lot of punch went around at that particular meeting.

Sapphire Shores was simply in a bad mood. She knew her die-hard fans would love her no matter what she did, but all the catcalling and booing brought with it far too many flashbacks of her dingy bar gigs back in the day. Besides, they'd all paid good bits for their tickets, and they got... that performance. Shameful. She didn't even want to think about the scathing reviews that were doubtless going to be in the paper that morning.

And so she sat in a tavern, the name of which she hadn't even bothered to catch on the way in, brow furrowed in thought. The tan pony was wearing a simple suit and ruffled tie – far removed from her normal, fantastic feats of fashion – and a pair of sunglasses despite the dimly-lit establishment. She didn't particularly care if anypony recognized her or not; she simply didn't feel like getting her dazzle on tonight.

She hummed to herself as she stirred her otherwise-ignored drink with its straw. As the fresh memories of her recent embarrassment burned in her mind and on her cheeks, she reacted the only way she knew how.

“[colour=#0000cd]Oh honey, you gonna know,[/colour]

[colour=#0000cd]You gonna know disaster,[/colour]

[colour=#0000cd]Sooner or later it's gonna show,[/colour]

[colour=#0000cd]Gonna show its face – it's you it's after.[/colour]

[colour=#0000cd]Hold out your hooves and take it,[/colour]

[colour=#0000cd]Or just smile and fake it, [/colour]

[colour=#0000cd]Either way, oh, either way, peanut,[/colour]

[colour=#0000cd]It's gonna hit you 'fore you know what's what[/colour][colour=#0000FF].[/colour]”

It was relatively quiet. For her, anyway. Less quiet was the glass she knocked over and shattered as she finished her final crescendo. Emphatic hoof motions were not the brightest idea in close quarters with glass around, she realized.

A perfectly awful end to a perfectly disappointing night. Sapphire walked over to the bar, looking for a bartender to ask for a broom, and bumped into somepony. Maybe the sunglasses had been a bad idea, too.

“[colour=#0000cd]Oops. I'm so sorry, sugar. It's been one of those nights.[/colour]”

[daftBLUE]

"It's fine. No harm done." Said Pony Joe as Shores bumped into him. He had been away from the store for some time, by his standards. 20 minutes. He had gone to the bar to ask for a couple of ingredients. He had gotten what he wanted, and was about to leave when Sapphire Shores had bumped into him. Joe looked over his flank at Shores. He thought that he recognized her, but it was hard for him to tell because of the sunglasses.

[FredericHorseshoepin]

Frederic dragged himself in the small hole in the wall. He hated this place. Not necessarily because he compared it down to more classier venues. Oh no, on the contrary, Frederic use to love this place when he first set hoof in Canterlot. It was vibrant and lively; filled with young ponies ready to live life to the fullest. It was Frederic's first paid gig and his first real taste of happiness in Canterlot. But as Frederic enrolled to the Conservatory, he found less and less time to visit this little humble tavern.

He didn't really mind. After all, Frederic's career was improving and he did enjoy the quiet atmosphere of the classical music world. But after the Grand Galloping Gala, things just went downhill for Frederic. His bandmate, Octavia, would start to shine and develop a strong and famous career while Frederic's is starting to withering in obscurity. It wasn't a "quartet" anymore, it's now Octavia and her accompaniments. It made Frederic very uncomfortable at first. He had developed a crush on Octavia but he was immensely jealous at her achievements.at the same time. How can a Cello, nay Contrabello, outshine a Piano? Maybe Frederic just isn't talented enough... this realization broke Frederic's heart. His parents gave their entire lives, both metaphorically and practically, to get Frederic here and he was so scared that their sacrifice for him was a waste. Frederic wasn't going to give up. He couldn't do that to his late parents.

He suppose that as long as he can still get paid playing the piano, he can still push on. Thus, as the phone calls started to stop, and the ticket sales started to fall, Frederic found himself back at this little tavern. The place looked superficially the same. But it couldn't be more different in atmosphere. Frederic was surprised to find a lot of his old acquaintances still frequent the bar. Broken and beaten ponies whose lives panned out much worse than Frederic's.

No longer is the tavern a sea of gallant and perky ponies, but it has become a graveyard of hopes and dreams. If Frederic could avoid tonight's shift he would. But he needs the money. He trotted up to the tavern's grand and started: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQRXEEZCeBo

But just as he started he heard a loud crack. This jolted Frederic as somepony dropped their glass but Frederic brought his attention back to his work and continued on.

[Dunes]

"It's fine. No harm done."

Sapphire breathed a sigh of relief. Bumping into a strange pony in a tavern, she had half expected to start a brawl. “Glad to hear it. Bit worn out and not exactly runnin' on all four hooves tonight." She looked around, noticing only one barmare struggling to keep up with a cluster of customers at the end of the bar. "Say, you have any idea who runs this place? I don’t see hardly anypony back there and I’ve got a bit of a mess to clean up…”

Sapphire’s ear flicked back as she started picking up a melodic strain on piano. She looked over her shoulder; it was really quite lovely. Lovely, but sad. It seemed fitting for the mood at the tavern tonight. Still, the music, and the pony playing it, seemed a bit… high class for such an establishment. She could swear she’d seen that pony before. Hadn’t she seen him playing with that fancy cello-pony once? What was her name… Octave-something? She didn’t keep up with classical music as much as she probably should. Too much being quiet and sitting still for her tastes.

She tapped the tan stallion next to her, still looking over her shoulder at the pianist. “Hey, uh, what’s your name? This place usually have music this nice? It seems a little more…” she paused as she looked around, “salt-of-the-earth in here.”

Sapphire stomped her hooves as the music finished, calling out, “Fabulous ivory-ticklin’, hon! You know Freeherd?” She grinned at him. Good music always put her in a better mood.

[daftBLUE]

"Manager?" Pony Joe looked around. "I don't really know. I haven't really come here....hey!" He followed Shores over to the piano pony. When the pony commented on the music, he recognized her voice. A very musical voice that could only belong to one musical pony. "Oh, I think I know you." He facehoofed. "You're that singer...oh Celestia, what's your name? I can't remember."

[FredericHorseshoepin]

Frederic's eyes snapped wide open. Was he getting an ovation from a pony in the audience?

“Fabulous ivory-ticklin’, hon! You know Freeherd?”

Frederic blushed. The last time he's heard an ovation was during a large charity event a month ago. Since he's been out of work in the classical music world and coming to the tavern, not many ponies paid a great deal of attention to him. Frederic didn't mind this during his shifts at the tavern however. He's there as atmosphere, nothing more and he understood this. But today, someone stomped for him. It was a very pleasant surprise as a smile grew on Frederic's face. He looked over in the audience to see who it was and caught the sight of... Sapphire Shores?

Now Frederic is seriously confused. Fred never found music outside his world to be too terribly interesting. When it comes to music, Frederic preferred the more cultivated approach. However, during his time at the conservatory, Fred had learned that "cultivated" wasn't necessarily "better". This was all thanks to Octavia and her acquaintance with a DJ pony. Fred realized that assigning an absolute value to two entirely different musical approaches was a bit silly. Therefore, he had recently been listening to and reading into popular music, rock, and techno. He didn't always like what he heard. But Fred has enough respect for music as a whole to not judge. At least he had fun analyzing the music he didn't like using music theory that he learned from Classical. Sapphire Shores' music actually appealed to Frederic. One of his biggest pet peeves in popular music are ponies who can't sing and use an obscenely high volume to cover that up. If you can't sing, scream. Right? But Sapphire Shores actually could really sing and Fred has casually been following her career for a little. Intriguing that she would show up here of all places. Why is she lounging in here and not a massive mansion? No doubt she's been having better luck than Frederic as there's an actual mass demand for her music.

All these thoughts raced through Frederic's head quickly just on the sight of a pop singer. "No matter", Fred told himself. He gave a polite and grateful nod to Sapphire in return. The tavern manager clopped twice to let Frederic know that he needs to continue playing. Frederic, went back to the piano but was a little distracted. The thought of Sapphire Shore appreciating his work here in a tavern brought a little warmth to Frederic's dark and unhappy month.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D47reYzmHSE&feature=channel_video_title

[Dunes]

((Sorry, this is just a placeholder post! Finals are this week for me and I've been crazy busy. I'm going to try to write something today, but if I don't, it's because I'm busy with schoolwork and not because I've forgotten y'all! ))

[FredericHorseshoepin]

((Sorry, this is just a placeholder post! Finals are this week for me and I've been crazy busy. I'm going to try to write something today, but if I don't, it's because I'm busy with schoolwork and not because I've forgotten y'all! ))

((good luck with your studies. I'm going through basically the same thing so it's understandable. =) I'll be around))

[daftBLUE]

(Again, good luck. Looks like we all seem to be going through something similar at the moment. Let's all have good luck in our studies. )

[Dunes]

((ME: 1, FINALS: 0. Victory! Thanks for your patience!))

"Manager? I don't really know. I haven't really come here....hey!"

"Oh, I think I know you. You're that singer...oh Celestia, what's your name? I can't remember."

Sapphire Shores was more than a little oblivious to the fact that she’d walked off in the middle of a conversation. Music had that effect on her more often than not. She would've considered herself more easily distracted than rude, if she'd had any idea that she did this sort of thing.

The other pony had followed her over to the pianist. He apparently knew of her, but not her name! A little grin crossed her face. It was kind of refreshing. It also meant he hadn’t been at that embarrassment of a concert. ... Mostly she liked that he hadn’t been at the concert. A memory of a lost, incredibly unhappy dove trapped in her dress flicked in her mind. She tried not to grimace.

“Sapphire Shores, the one and only.” She posed for effect, flipping her mane over her shoulders. It was the kind of thing she used to find a little ridiculous, but the fans ate it up and by now it was just habit.

She offered a hoof. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, mister…” She noticed the pony’s cutie mark. A doughnut? “Say! You wouldn’t happen to own that li’l doughnut shop down the street, would you? I keep meanin’ to try that place.”

Sapphire applauded again as another song came to a close. She leaned over at the piano pony, conspiratorially. “Seems like the pony in charge is a little tetchy, but does he let folks feed the musicians? I feel like I ought to buy you a drink or a doughnut for cheerin’ up my evening.”

She grinned at the doughnut pony too. “You too! This place’s got some fi-i-ine apple cider straight outta Ponyville. Should I go get a round?”

For all her artistic talents, Sapphire Shores was not very good at keeping up a bad mood for long. She’d have to leave brooding to other artists.

[daftBLUE]

"Yeah, I own that place. I'm Glazing, but you can call me Pony Joe. I'm the real owner of Pony Joe's doughnuts. The Heart of Canterlot." Joe smiled. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Shores and, um...music pony. And I would love a drink right now. I only popped in for some ingredients, but what the hay? I might just stay on for a bit."

[FredericHorseshoepin]

Frederic raised his hoof to play another piece.

“Seems like the pony in charge is a little tetchy, but does he let folks feed the musicians? I feel like I ought to buy you a drink or a doughnut for cheerin’ up my evening.”

"Oh"... Frederic was caught off guard. He didn't realize Sapphire had already made her way up to him. Frederic paused awkwardly as Sapphire's remark sunk in. He turned around and gave a cheeky smile. "I'm not sure Ms. Shores... after all, we're treated little more than zoo animals" he whispered. Frederic thought about Shores' offer and decide he would take an early break. Frederic sat up and waved for the manager's attention. He crossed his hooves signaling that he would like to start on his break now. The manager rolled his eyes but waved a confirmation back.

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Shores and, um...music pony. And I would love a drink right now. I only popped in for some ingredients, but what the hay? I might just stay on for a bit."

Frederic recognized the doughnut pony. It was the manager of Pony Joe. Frederic's bandmates would always discuss about Pony Joe's amazing doughnuts but he's never found the time to enter the shop before. "I'd be delighted to spend my break with the two of you." For the first time tonight, Frederic's mind was off Octavia. He hoped off the bench and bowed "Please to meet you both, I'm Frederic Horseshoepin."

[Dunes]

“He-e-e-eyy, barkeep! Could we get a round of apple cider up here, sugar?” Sapphire belted in a singsong voice.

She grinned. Drinks! She never could get into drinking by herself, but drinking with a pair of pleasant ponies? Perfect!

“I’m sure the shop’ll get along fine without ya for a little bit, Pony Joe. All business and no play makes for a dull pony, or somethin’ like that,” she said, patting his shoulder. “I gotta ask – what’s a doughnut shop need with a tavern? Makin’ wine flavored doughnuts?” She grinned. “That sounds tasty, actually.”

Sapphire turned her attention to Frederic, and wrinkled her nose at the manager, rolling her eyes so that Frederic could see. “Treatin’ ya like zoo animals, yeah, I remember those days. It’s hard climbin’ your way outta little bars like this.” She looked somber, thinking back to when she was still a nopony. A broke, hungry nopony. She sighed, and then giggled at a thought. “But hey, if you have a rough night, you can start being as awful as you can. If they throw vegetables at you, there’s your grocery shoppin’ for the week!”

A tired-looking barmare brought them their drinks, and then hurried off again to tend to the mass of patrons. Sapphire raised her glass. “Gents, what should we toast to?”

[daftBLUE]

"Wine flavored doughnuts? Hmmm...not a bad idea. I might add that to the specialist line." Joe said. "I was actually just borrowing a few ingredients for doughnuts. Nothing too important." He happily recieved his glass of cider. "A toast, eh? How about...a toast to the nice ponies of Equestria."

[FredericHorseshoepin]

Sapphire turned her attention to Frederic, and wrinkled her nose at the manager, rolling her eyes so that Frederic could see. “Treatin’ ya like zoo animals, yeah, I remember those days. It’s hard climbin’ your way outta little bars like this.” She looked somber, thinking back to when she was still a nopony. A broke, hungry nopony. She sighed, and then giggled at a thought. “But hey, if you have a rough night, you can start being as awful as you can. If they throw vegetables at you, there’s your grocery shoppin’ for the week!”

Frederic smiled at the remark and joked, "Never thought of it that way Ms Shores. I shall consider the option."

"Wine flavored doughnuts? Hmmm...not a bad idea. I might add that to the specialist line." Joe said. "I was actually just borrowing a few ingredients for doughnuts. Nothing too important." He happily recieved his glass of cider. "A toast, eh? How about...a toast to the nice ponies of Equestria."

Frederic raised his glass to Pony Joe. Fred remained quiet on the doughnut discussion as Frederic didn't find much opportunity to visit the well known little shop. Since Frederic's work has died down, he suppose he might actually drop by soon or in the near future. Might be a lot better then spending most of his time in this little bar. "Indeed... Cheers, Mr. Pony Joe"

Frederic's mind wandered a bit, he did enjoy the local atmosphere even if it wasn't his native environment. However, Frederic would prefer to socialize around local unassuming ponies rather than the rich snobs he was use to. Then Frederic realized something. "Curious... what are the two of you doing at a place like this anyway? I imagine a high demand music pony like yourself and a well known doughnut vendor must have better places to socialize in." Fred then turned to Pony Joe. "Are the two of you... an item?" Fred didn't mean to pry but the two ponies were a little different than the usual customers.

[daftBLUE]

"Thanks, but at the end of the day, it's only just vending doughnuts. It's nothing special." Joe said, drinking a bit. "I just needed to borrow a couple of ingredients from the barpony because I ran out at the store." When Fred asked if he and Shores were an "item", Joe looked puzzled. "What do you mean "an item"?"

[Dunes]

((Sorry for the late reply, folks. I got the christmas flu and I pretty much spent the past five days sleeping. ))

Sapphire raised her glass. "Cheers!" She brought it back down, and chugged it. Now this was more like it! She raised a hoof to wave down the barmare. "Hey, sug, can I get another cider over here?"

After the incident with the party and the paparazzi in Manehattan, she was normally a little more careful about her 'punch intake', as she called it. But this place needed a little party in it, she reckoned. Besides, nobody in there looked like they were likely to have a camera on them.

"What do you mean "an item"?"

Sapphire stifled a giggle. She leaned over at Pony Joe. "I think he's askin' if we're datin', sug." She grinned. "Nah, I'm afraid I just bumped into this handsome hunk tonight. Coordination and I don't seem to be friends tonight, but I think it worked out just fine." She wrinkled her nose. "Well, except for the show. Wish I'd been more coordinated for that."

She sighed, doing her best to look inconsolable. She broke the facade almost instantly as soon as her drink came, grinning like a cheshire cat. "Worst show of my life tonight. I'd tell you what went wrong, only I think it'd be shorter to tell you what didn't go wrong." She took a sip of her drink and rolled her eyes. "Kinda a professional embarrassment. 'S why I came in here, to drown my sorrows or something artsy like that. Except I'm not very good at keeping up with sorrows, much less drowning 'em."

Sapphire's face felt pleasantly warm and tingly. She started wiggling to the songs in her head. "Man, I can't believe there's no one dancing in here. Dancing's even better than drinkin' for a sour mood. You know any ragtime, Fred?"

[FredericHorseshoepin]

Sapphire stifled a giggle. She leaned over at Pony Joe. "I think he's askin' if we're datin', sug." She grinned. "Nah, I'm afraid I just bumped into this handsome hunk tonight. Coordination and I don't seem to be friends tonight, but I think it worked out just fine." She wrinkled her nose. "Well, except for the show. Wish I'd been more coordinated for that."

She sighed, doing her best to look inconsolable. She broke the facade almost instantly as soon as her drink came, grinning like a cheshire cat. "Worst show of my life tonight. I'd tell you what went wrong, only I think it'd be shorter to tell you what didn't go wrong." She took a sip of her drink and rolled her eyes. "Kinda a professional embarrassment. 'S why I came in here, to drown my sorrows or something artsy like that. Except I'm not very good at keeping up with sorrows, much less drowning 'em.

Frederic listened to Sapphire speak. He didn't know ponies in Sapphire's line of work knew the word "embarrassment". Since he'd been following up on popular music, Fred was shocked to see what ponies would put themselves through just to get massive publicity. Fred often wondered why he didn't see Sapphire in these scandals but now Fred knows why. She cares. She honestly cares about music for music's sake. Fred gave a little smile listening to Sapphire speak. He's starting to respect her more and more.

Sapphire's face felt pleasantly warm and tingly. She started wiggling to the songs in her head. "Man, I can't believe there's no one dancing in here. Dancing's even better than drinkin' for a sour mood. You know any ragtime, Fred?"

Fred nodded. Sure, but if you don't mind Ms. Shores, I think Swing might fit a little better with this crowd. Not as old fashioned but still classic. He hopped off his chair and galloped over to the piano:

((sorry no music from me this time lol but i suppose this'll do to illustrate what Frederic is playing))

[Dunes]

"Sure, but if you don't mind Ms. Shores, I think Swing might fit a little better with this crowd. Not as old fashioned but still classic."

"Oh, you just know I'm down with that swing thing. Put a little life back in this place!" Sapphire grinned. As the music started, she tapped her hooves and started bouncing, getting a feel for the rhythm. "Aw yeah! This pony knows that old-timey groove." She shouted, unconcerned with the confused and incredulous looks she was getting.

It had been a while since she'd danced to music that wasn't being coming out of speakers three times taller than her, or out of a DJ's turntable. Sometimes she lost sight of how simple and wonderful it could be. All it takes is one musician to make the music, and somepony to dance to it. Spotlights, pyrotechnics, and legions of adoring fans didn't have to always be involved. Almost always involved could be enough for her. Probably. Possibly. She did really like having adoring fans.

"So, Pony Joe, do you dance? Swing ain't hard. It's got a lot of swingin' in circles. I reckon you know your way around circles well enough, all that time you spend making doughnuts! I bet you're a natural!" She did a little twirl to demonstrate, tapping her hooves to the beat. She took a quick bow and offered Pony Joe a hoof.

[daftBLUE]

Joe smiled and chuckled a little bit. "Making doughnuts and dancing are different things entirely." he said, taking Shores' hoof. "I can't remember the last time I went dancing. I think it was at the Gala 2 years ago. Maybe 4. It's easy to lose track of time." He had to admit, Fred's music was making him a little more energetic. Maybe he would try dancing. Just this once. "Lead the way, Miss Shores. I'm sure you're a better dancer than me." he said.

[FredericHorseshoepin]

Joe smiled and chuckled a little bit. "Making doughnuts and dancing are different things entirely." he said, taking Shores' hoof. "I can't remember the last time I went dancing. I think it was at the Gala 2 years ago. Maybe 4. It's easy to lose track of time." He had to admit, Fred's music was making him a little more energetic. Maybe he would try dancing. Just this once. "Lead the way, Miss Shores. I'm sure you're a better dancer than me." he said.

((Oh so sorry I actually forgot it was my turn. Very sorry about that folks))

Frederic continued to play. He took his mind off Sapphire and her new friend for a moment and just focused on his music. It's certainly not "high art", but it did require a lot of skill and "rhythm feel" to it. In fact, the music is actually lightening up Frederic's own mood. The Ivory maned stallion might be enjoying himself for once playing in this bar.

((Ok, since Fred's playing as Sapphire and Pony Joe are dancing. I'm going to sit this out and lurk for a bit while the two of you interact. I'll rejoin in the RP when or if Sapphire or Joe interacts with Fred again))

[Dunes]

((It happens! No problemo. I've been kinda busy with student teaching and didn't notice this topic got bumped, either. ))

"Making doughnuts and dancing are different things entirely. ... I can't remember the last time I went dancing. I think it was at the Gala 2 years ago. Maybe 4. It's easy to lose track of time."

"Lead the way, Miss Shores. I'm sure you're a better dancer than me."

Sapphire perked up at the mention of a premier pony party. "Ooh, you've been to the Gala? How was it? I've always wanted to go, but my manager has always told me something like, 'Under no circumstances are you to go to the Gala.' Pfft." She rolled her eyes. "Acts like I can't take a step without getting put in the tabloids."

She led Pony Joe to the small, cleared area in front of the stage. Frederic certainly didn't disappoint when it came to swing music, either. Sapphire was practically beaming -- good music, nice ponies, and dancing? This was a better night than she could've hoped for. With a hold of Pony Joe's hoof with one of hers, she stood up. "It's a little funny to get used to if you don't dance on your hind legs a lot, but the beauty of this is you can lean on me if you need to." She placed her other hoof on his other arm, and looked down at their legs, motioning for Pony Joe to look as well.

"Okay, it's like this." She took a step to the right, leaning into it, and took a step to the left, leaning the other way. "Step-lean left, step-lean right, and once you got that, we can start spinnin' circles!" She grinned, practically bouncing with every other beat. "You sure this ain't like making doughnuts? I'm pretty sure I'd have to dance if I got to be around those tasty things all day."

[daftBLUE]

"Not really." Joe said. "It's much nicer getting complements. Okay, step-lean left..." Joe kept repeating this to himself as he got used to the steps. "So yeah, I went to the Gala once. One of the few times it actually went right. Never again, I said. It's so...what's the word....dull, mostly." He felt himself getting into the swing of the beat. "What do you know? This is great."

[Snowshoe]

[i kinda wanna join in, but is this thread still active enough to do so?]

[Dunes]

((Sure! Feel more than free to hop in. I'm catching up on my replies today, this one's on my list. I'm student teaching so the opportunities I get to catch up on RPs are mostly on the weekends. I'm still here though, promise!))