Arpeggio - Chapter 1 (Intro Pt. 2): Breathe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0AcHR_0PzU

>You finish playing and lean your head against the tree looking up

>The stars are difficult to see through the tree, but you can barely make out a few constellations

>They're somewhat similar to ones back home. All without major differences

>You put away Betsy and release a sigh, looking to the moon

>It's beautiful tonight, as it is every night

>You always appreciated the night more than the day

>The night life was always a fun one in your opinion. Being early to bed and early to rise never was part of your agenda

>The same is true in this world as well, it seems

>You scratch your head and begin to think out tomorrow

"I'll more than likely continue practicing...for what, I don't know."

>There's always been a dream of yours to get big in music

>You have no idea what you would do, but you know one thing; music is your lifeblood

>You realized this when searching for an occupation back home

>Hesitation on choosing a major or staying undecided weighed on you before you remembered something taught to you by your father

 

You do what you love, you never work a day in your life, son.

 

>An orange hoof presents itself from the shadows and slowly moves towards you from behind the tree

>It makes contact with your shoulder, causing you to turn to see who it is

>Applejack stands next to you

>"Howdy there, Anon. What brings ya'll here this time-a night?"

"Hello, Applejack."

>She hugs you around the neck

>You gesture to the ground next to you

"Please. Sit."

>Applejack sits, leaning on the tree

"To answer your question, I'm not doing much out here. Just enjoying the night."

>"That's nice. So Anon, you ever think about playing yer music for other ponies?"

>She's brought up this question nearly every day since she warmed up to your talent

>At first she didn't accept the whole music thing, thinking it was a waste of time to work so hard at making music

>Her manual labor filled days more than likely contributed to this

>After hearing you play, however, she became curious of your skills

>Soon enough she's enjoying your music along with your other friends

"Honestly, Applejack...I want to be big."

>You look to the sky

>"Whaddya mean 'big'?:

"You know, big! I want to play my music for the huge crowds. Make people go crazy with the tunes I'd deliver. Get that endless bliss from being on-stage having the crowd go wild. I want it all."

>Applejack looks at you for a few second before looking to the sky as well

>She chuckles

>"Gee, Anon. Ya'll sure got high hopes. I don't doubt fer a second ya won't achieve yer dreams, though."

"As long as I keep focused, ain't nothin' gonna stop me."

>You cross your arms and look to Applejack with a smile

>"Ah know you'll make it big out there, Anon."

"Thanks, AJ."

>You yawn

>"Well ah'm about ta head home fer the night."

>You stand up and stretch

"Yeah, me too. I'll see you soon, Applejack. Take care of yourself, y'hear me?"

>"Ah hear ya. G'night, Anon."

"Night, Applejack."

>She walks off in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, leaving you to your own volition

>You watch her disappear into the distance, the darkness obscuring your view of her

"She really -does- believe I can do it...If that's not motivation enough, I don't know what is."

>You yawn once more and begin walking home

 

>You step in your home, shutting the door behind you

>You look around the dark scene before opening the window a few feet away from the front door

>The room is partly illuminated thanks to Luna's moon

>You release a content sigh and lock the door behind you before walking upstairs

>You open your room door and walk in, taking Betsy out of your pocket and placing her on the desk underneath your window

>You fall on the bed, humming a tune that you've been wanting to practice

>Looking over to Geddy, you think out loud

"Now's a good a time as any, I suppose."

>You crawl to the foot of the bed, flipping your legs over the edge and pulling the keyboard closer

>You switch it on, maxing the volume and switching the tone to that of a normal grand piano

>Your hands slide over the keys before placing the fingers of your left hand into a chord and doing the same with the right

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdKpOLZd53c&feature=related

>You begin an intro to a piece you taught yourself a while back, pushing down hard on the keys as to ring the notes out louder

>These touch-tone keyboards were really something. Geddy's function allowed you to put more emotion in your playing, something you needed especially for this

>A cover of one of your favorite songs

>You let the music take over, feeling happiness from the beauty the notes bring forth

>After a quick transition you begin the first verse, playing the lyrics as notes on the piano

>The chords intertwining within the music made you smile, giddish at the progress you've made on this song

>The basic chords were a bitch to get down at first, but when you mastered the basics of this piece and cemented them into your muscle memory you were able to improvise and make this piece even better

>Learning piano by ear was not an easy task

>Even for a person with your talent, learning the different chords and scales along with key changes and all the things you love about music was not easy. Especially without a teacher

>Soon, though after much practice and repetition, the self-teachings sunk in

>It was a glorious day. You played several tunes in celebration

>Your father was more proud of your performance than anyone else in that room

>You play the last few notes, leaving your fingers on the final chord to let it ring out

>You push the keyboard back a bit and bring a finger to your right eye

>Rubbing it, you wipe off a tear

"Yep...every time."

>You laugh before crawling up the bed and burying yourself in blankets

>The tune dances around your mind as you fall in to a deep sleep...