The sounds of lyre music drifted across Ponyville Park, blanketing the fields in Lyra Heartstring’s latest composition.
Lyra sat at her usual bench, carefully balancing her lyre with one hoof and strumming it with another. Her eyes were shut and she swayed slightly as she manipulated the instrument, as if she herself were lost within her own music. Her horn glowed slightly, the only visual evidence of the minor spell Lyra was casting that amplified the sound of her lyre so that all in the park could hear it. No ponies spoke, not even foals, and even the birds had fallen silent. All attention was on Lyra and the music flowing gently from her instrument.
Lyra smiled slightly as she entered the cadenza, the improvised section, and began to rapidly strum a high pitched, bird-like melody that drew a few gasps of amazement from the crowd. Distantly, she noted that she was in her element. There was only her, her instrument, and a group of fans who were giving her their fullest attention. And, of course, a few of those fans were extra-special to her. Bonbon, as always, was front and center, and Ditzy was floating just above her, a grinning Dinky on her back. That reminded her, she’d been planning on writing a happy and energetic dance soon, maybe she could dedicate it to Dinky…
But all these thoughts flashed by in a moment and were gone, because she had music to play and she had to focus. The improvised section was ending; the next part was difficult and she had to be at the top of her game to pull it off. She had a rapid glissando along the strings, followed by –
Her ears, sharpened and tuned by thousands of hours of practice, heard hoofsteps approaching her. There were a few murmurs from the audience, a startled tweet of a bird. Lyra pushed this knowledge aside. It wasn’t important if somepony wanted a better view. The music was what mattered.
Anyway, after the glissando was a series of rapid sixteenth notes, then chords in both the lowest and highest reaches of her lyre. She’d been trying to improve that part, because having to play the low notes prevented her from fully manipulating the higher ones, but she hadn’t found a way around it yet. Still, the music was lovely, and –
She heard, faintly, the sounds of somepony opening up latches on a box.
This, too, she ignored. Maybe it was a photographer unpacking her camera, maybe an especially oblivious foal with a lunchbox. They might as well have been on another world. Lyra finished the cadenza with a flourish, strummed a flowing glissando that made all the ponies gasp, plucked out the sixteenth notes, and –
Was that a cello?
Lyra’s eyes opened in shock, her hooves hesitating over the lyre for a fraction of a second, and she saw a gray-coated, black-maned pony standing next to her, playing a cello like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Octavia?!
Octavia glanced at her, expression stern and implacable. The meaning of the glance was obvious. It was the first thing Octavia had ever taught Lyra – when you played, you kept playing, no matter what. A real musician would never give up in the middle of a performance, but would keep going until the end. The audience deserved it, and so did the music.
Lyra grinned and immediately resumed playing. The hiccup was so small that she doubted even the most observant ponies listening noticed it.
Though they had never rehearsed this piece together, they meshed wonderfully, with Octavia improvising the low notes as Lyra’s hooves danced on her highest strings. The light, airy sound of the lyre contrasted beautifully with the rich cello, and Lyra wove intricate melodies around the steady progression that Octavia was building. The Ponyville ponies, none of whom had heard Lyra play in duos before, were floored. Octavia’s music seemed to be laying down a structure that Lyra’s notes could build on, with the result reaching far greater heights than either could construct alone.
Lyra swept her hooves downwards, descending to the lowest reaches of her instrument and approaching the upper limits of the cello. She smiled at Octavia, and inclined her head just slightly. Come on, she thought. Let’s really knock ‘em dead.
Octavia’s glance remained implacable for a long moment… and then she winked.
Lyra’s smile became an ear-to-ear grin.
Octavia began to play higher and higher notes, Lyra descended still lower, and then, with little more than a nod between them, Octavia ‘skipped’ over Lyra and began to play higher notes than her.
It took the ponies listening a few moments to catch on, and even then, they could only stare in awe. Cellos were never played that high; it was too hard to do – but there was Octavia, playing Lyra’s melodies perfectly. And Lyra had taken Octavia’s place, plucking out a solid structure, though she reached the very limits of her lyre. It was new and fascinating; it was music nopony there had heard before. It was music that should have been impossible… and yet they were hearing it. Even the smartest and most observant of the ponies in the audience had to reassure themselves that their ears were not deceiving them.
And once they did, they couldn’t restrain themselves. A wave of applause, of hooves thundering against the ground, resounded from every corner of the park.
Lyra and Octavia exchanged places again, and Lyra gracefully ended the piece with a soft and fast succession of thirty-second notes. She lowered her harp at the same time that Octavia bowed slightly, and then ponies were cheering and screaming her name, and she felt as happy as the day she’d learned that she had received a scholarship to the Magic Academy.
Eventually, the cheering died down, Lyra received a fortune in tips – more than triple her usual amount – and the other ponies slowly dispersed. Only then could Lyra turn to Octavia and warmly tap her hoof.
“I’ve missed you,” she said.
Octavia blushed a little, but she smiled as well. “And I you.”
Bonbon approached. “Hey Lyra. Who’s your friend?”
“Bonbon! This is Octavia Philharmonica. She was my mentor at music school. She’s also the greatest string player I’ve ever heard, and,” Lyra smiled again, “One of my very best friends.”
My little pony, My little pony
Ahh ahh ahh ahhh...
My little pony
Friendship never meant that much to me
My little pony
But you're all here and now I can see
Stormy weather; Lots to share
A musical bond; With love and care
Teaching laughter; It's an easy feat,
And magic makes it all complete!
You have my little ponies
How'd I ever make so many true friends?
“…so Piebald Pianissimo really went to Manehattan?”
Lyra had insisted on ordering lunch for Octavia, as the gray mare had refused to take any of the bits they’d earned (‘Your performance, your tips,’ she’d said). They’d gone to the fanciest café in town, La Fleur Rouge, since Lyra knew that Octavia would probably disdain the more rustic fare that was served in most Ponyville restaurants. After ordering, she began to ask about the other friends she’d made at the Academy. Bonbon was with them, but ate in silence, allowing Lyra to catch up with her companion.
“Yes. She received an offer to play for a musical.” Octavia daintily sipped her daffodil wine. “Personally, I think it’s a very good move for her. She always preferred harmonizing with a singer instead of solos, and she’ll have plenty of opportunity for that now.”
“And yourself?”
“Still a freelance musician.” Octavia smiled. “Granted, my clientele tend towards Counts and Vicerienes, but I don’t have a permanent appointment. Nobles with birthdays, weddings, even funerals hire me, and I perform for them. Nothing as prestigious as a full-time orchestra job, but…”
“It sounds amazing,” said Lyra. “You must get to meet so many important ponies!”
“A few here and there,” said Octavia, still smiling. “But Lyra, we’ve talked about me and our friends for the past twenty minutes. Don’t you think I want to know what’s going on in your life?”
Lyra blushed. “I couldn’t…”
“Lyra, really. I appreciate that you respect my abilities, but you shouldn’t idolize me. It’s not like you’re not worthy of discussion just because I’m in the room.” Octavia took Lyra’s hoof. “We are not just mentor and trainee anymore; we are friends. So please – tell me how you have been doing. I want to know. In particular: are you able to find suitable venues for your performances?”
“You just saw one of them,” said Lyra. “But, yes, I do get asked to play at weddings and parties, that kind of thing. Cute-ceaneras too, especially for the richer families.”
“Good. A musician without an audience, without ponies to perform for, is just a dreamer.”
"And, judging from her, a musician with an audience is a snorer," joked Bonbon.
"Hey!" Lyra giggled and nudged her.
Octavia smiled. “And… what else? Besides your music, what else is happening in your life?”
Lyra began to rattle off what had happened during the past few months, including moving in with Bonbon and dealing with several of the weirder minor crises that had hit Ponyville. “…but at least they got the griffin out of town, thank Luna. I’d have gone crazy if she and Rainbow Dash had played any more pranks.”
“And that fake secretary you mentioned?”
“Gone. It’s been kind of crazy sometimes, but at least we can usually get through things in one piece. Sometimes, I kind of miss the days back at the Academy, when the biggest scandal was that Jokester set up two tin cans and tied them together with string so that Jester could whisper test answers to him!”
Octavia laughed at the memory. “Yes, and then the invisibility spell failed halfway through the exam, and everypony saw he had a tin can in his ear… perhaps he should have studied instead.” She grinned. “I’ll admit, I haven’t been keeping close tabs on Ponyville. But I did hear that a lot of… interesting things happen here.”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
“Although, I think you forgot one thing.” The cellist chuckled. “Apparently, you helped save the world by fighting off Corona?”
Lyra blushed a deep scarlet. She hadn’t brought that up; she couldn’t think of any way to do it that wouldn’t have sounded like bragging. “Uh… maybe?”
Octavia's laugh was a warm and rich sound, like, Lyra thought, her cello. “Congratulations. I always knew you were special, Lyra. Which Element were you, again?”
“Loyalty.”
Behind Octavia, Lyra saw the door to the café open and Trixie, and the Doos entered. Lyra waved them over.
“Well, that’s most fitting. I don’t think I ever knew you to miss a practice, rehearsal, or show. You were the most reliable trainee I ever had.” Octavia finished her glass of wine. “And it shows. You truly have a prodigious ability, Lyra.”
“Thanks. Coming from you, that means a lot.”
“Hi Miss Heartstrings!” chirped Dinky as the others approached. “How are you?”
“Great, Dinky! Everypony, may I present Octavia Philharmonica, my mentor from my time at the Academy and one of the finest cellists in Equestria.”
Octavia bowed slightly. “A pleasure to meet you all.”
Lyra performed the introductions. Dinky hopped off of Ditzy’s back and beamed up at Octavia. “Your music is really pretty,” she told Octavia.
“Thank you.”
“Indeed. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything so lovely.” Ditzy glanced between the two musicians. “I don’t suppose you have records?”
Octavia and Lyra both chuckled. Octavia said, “Regrettably, I have not yet achieved that level of fame. I haven’t produced a record since my days at the Academy. Although… for friends of Lyra, I see no reason that the two of us could not, perhaps, put one together.” Lyra nodded eagerly. Octavia continued, saying, “That is, if this town has the necessary facilities. Is there a recording studio?”
Ditzy smiled brightly. “Vinyl Scratch has one. I’ll ask if you two can borrow it.”
Dinky asked, “Miss Philharmonica, how could you go to the Magic Academy if you aren’t a unicorn?”
“The Academy, in addition to their music scholarship, had a dual-study program with students from my institution, the Canterlot School of the Musical Arts. We took some of their classes and trained with them, and they with us” said Octavia. “Even though I wasn’t performing magic spells, I was still technically enrolled in their music program during my last two years of education.”
Trixie looked awkwardly at Octavia. “Hello again.”
“Miss Lulamoon.” Octavia’s voice seemed to become a little colder. “How… nice to see you again.”
“Look, I’m sorry I caused that, uh, incident with the Ice Palace… were you able to fix your cello?”
“Eventually.”
Lyra hesitated, not knowing what to say. Trixie was squirming. But then Octavia lowered her head. “Nevertheless. Any friend of Lyra’s is a friend of mine. I forgive you, Trixie Lulamoon. Just… please, be careful around my instruments. They are extremely fragile.”
“Of course,” said Trixie, looking relieved. Unusually, she didn’t even complain about Octavia using her last name. “Thanks.”
Octavia waved this off, and Lyra grinned. “Octavia’s only in town for a few days, so I’m going to help her get to her lodgings and get unpacked. Can we meet up later?”
Ditzy nodded. “Of course.”
Lyra helped Octavia balance the cello on her back, and they began to leave the restaurant. “So, how’s old Professor Eighth Note?”
“Getting on in years, but he can still play ‘Dance of the Ursas’ better than any other pony in Canterlot…”
Several hours passed, during which Octavia and Lyra reminisced and exchanged all manner of stories. Lyra found herself increasingly eager to visit Canterlot; so much was happening there on the musical scene that she could barely believe it. New venues, new musicians, and a new music competition Luna was sponsoring with a thousand-bit purse to the winner. Maybe she would enter, she thought. She probably wouldn’t win, but she was sure she could put in a good showing.
But after the catching up, and after dinner, Octavia asked if she could have an hour to herself so that she could practice her scales. Lyra agreed and opted to take a quick walk around the city. The sun was setting and casting a warm, red glow over the fields and flowers of the village. Lyra smiled – everything was so beautiful. It was like music for the eyes.
“Hey, Lyra?”
“Hmm?” Lyra turned. “Oh, hi Trixie. What’s up?”
Trixie shrugged. “Nothing really… how’s Octavia doing?”
“She’s fine. She really likes Ponyville.” Lyra grinned. “She says I’m even better than when she last heard me! She told me that she knows of a couple groups she can recommend me to! Trixie, do you realize how amazing this is? She’s, like, one of the most famous cellists in Canterlot!”
Trixie nodded. “Yeah… about that. Um, who does she usually play for?”
“Nobility, I guess. Social events for the rich ponies and the politicians… I think she played at the Night Court’s Gala one year. She’s not quite at the level of giving Luna herself recitals, but give her a couple years and she’ll be the Court Musician.”
“The Court…”
Lyra frowned. “Is something wrong?”
“Lyra, how many ponies do you think know my last name?”
“Oh, come on, Trixie. There’s no reason to be embarrassed—“
“I’m not embarrassed!” But Trixie did look a little flustered. “Isn’t it weird that Octavia just knew it? We’re not exactly friends. In fact, I don’t think we’ve ever spoken.”
“What does it matter?”
“Maybe nothing, but…” Trixie sighed. “If she studied up on me before coming here—“
“Trixie, seriously—“
“—She might be planning something. If she deals with the Court, they could be influencing her. Be careful, okay?”
“Planning something? Trxie, she’s a musician, not one of your Night Court enemies. Stop worrying.” Lyra smiled. “Wait. Are you jealous?”
“What? No! I’m—“
“Trixie, just because I have another friend – one who didn’t pressure me into a performance I didn’t want to do – doesn’t mean I’m going to abandon you. I’m the Element of Loyalty, remember?”
Trixie looked annoyed. “I’m not jealous! But this is the kind of thing Luna taught me to look out for.”
“I’ll be careful,” promised Lyra. “Now – I really should get back.”
Trixie frowned, but nodded. “Alright. Just… watch out, Lyra. You haven’t dealt with the Court, but they use proxies all the time.”
Lyra rolled her eyes. “I get it, Trixie. I’ll make sure I don’t get pulled into any political turf war. Good night.” And she quickly walked off.
Jealous, she decided. Trixie was just jealous. Ah, well. The blue mare really was trying hard to be a good friend now. Hadn’t Trixie saved her at that performance a few weeks back? She could forgive a little jealousy.
Lyra heard ‘Sonata of Grass and Snow’ as she approached Octavia’s door, and paused to listen. It was one of her favorite cello works. Eery and melancholy, yet ending on an uplifting and hopeful note. The grass reached through the snow, the sun poked through the clouds, and the notes faded away like the last gusts of winter.
“Lyra, you can come in,” called Octavia.
Lyra chuckled. Surprising Octavia was near impossible; the musician’s ears were some of the best in the country and she could identify most of the ponies she knew by their hoofsteps alone. Lyra had never managed to sneak up on her, despite dozens of attempts. “Did the practicing go well?”
“Quite.”
Lyra opened the door and entered Octavia’s lodgings. The mare was setting her cello back in its case and wrapping the bow into its wax sheath. Lyra set down the little basket of hot cocoa mix that she’d balanced on her back. “Just like old times, huh?”
“Fewer whiny underponies,” said Octavia. “No drunken revelries interfering with our practicing… no whiny applicants to our quartet who think that their social lives are of a higher priority than perfecting the music they will play with us.”
“It wasn’t so bad,” teased Lyra. “We had a lot of good times there. And, admit it – that one weekend Timpani Tapper snuck in and hosted that huge party for all the string players was pretty fun.”
“Every musician I rehearsed with was hungover for two days,” said Octavia crisply. “My cello was scuffed. I myself have little memory of the evening; I probably lost several hours of practice time, and—“
“But you had fun,” interrupted Lyra.
Octavia paused, then smiled. “Yes. I had fun.”
Lyra began to brew the hot chocolate as Octavia reclined on the couch. “Anyway, Lyra. I have to confess that my visit here was not entirely for pleasure. There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”
Lyra wondered briefly if Trixie had been right. “Yes?”
Octavia bent, graceful as always, and carefully took an advertisement out of a pocket in her cello case. “You are familiar, I trust, with the Song Cycle Extravaganza?”
“Of course.” Lyra nodded. “Every three years, the Canterlot Symphany Orchestra spends three months playing music with one particular theme and travels all over Equestria. I think last time the theme was ‘Nature,’ right? I remember you playing in one of the sections. Youngest ever to play in the Extravaganza, if I’m remembering it correctly.”
“I was then... but not anymore” Octavia slid the paper over to Lyra. “Because this year, the theme is the music of Concerto Forte. The most famous lyre player of the Classical era.”
Lyra stared. “You… you don’t mean…”
“They need lyre players. After they selected me to be second cellist chair, they asked if I knew any available ponies. I recommended your name.”
Lyra didn’t know what to say. She ended up not saying anything.
“The conductor is a close friend of mine and trusts my judgment. If you want the job, Lyra, you can—“
Lyra realized she was hugging Octavia. “Thank you thank you thank you! This – this is the biggest music event of the year! THANK YOU!”
“Personal space!” gasped Octavia.
Lyra released Octavia. “I can’t believe it. I’ve never held a position in a full-time orchestra, I—“
Octavia held up a hoof, and, just as in their days at school, Lyra quieted instantly. “Believe it,” said Octavia. “This is not a joke. If you want it, it’s yours.”
“Of course I want it!”
Octavia smiled. “Wonderful. Come back to Canterlot with me. Pack all your bags, and—“
“All my bags?” Lyra frowned. “Canterlot’s not that far from here… will I be staying overnight?”
“Well, during the Extravaganza, there’s concerts every night and rehearsal every morning. You’ll have to commit to staying with the orchestra for the whole period.”
Lyra hesitated. “I couldn’t go home? At all?”
Octavia shook her head. “No. The schedule is too demanding. But surely three months is a small sacrifice for such an opportunity.”
“It is, but…”
She was thinking of Carrot Top, who she’d promised to help fix a fence the next week, and help with some irrigation problems the week after. She thought of the foals, who by now expected her in the park each Saturday that it didn’t rain. Then there was Dinky, whom she had offered to start teaching music lessons next month. And, of course, Bonbon would miss her terribly. She was the Element of Loyalty; even for such an opportunity, could she really just up and leave for three months?
But, then again, wouldn’t her friends understand? That was part of what being a friend meant, after all. Supporting one another.
“…when do you need an answer?”
“By the time I leave,” said Octavia.
“Alright. I’ll see if I can clear my schedule.” Lyra nodded. She could probably get things squared away enough that she could go perform. She’d make every effort to do so.
Octavia nodded. “Very well.”
Lyra poured her two mugs of the now-finished hot chocolate. She added a few marshmallows, offered one cup to Octavia, and then drank from the other to hide her silly grin. This was shaping up to be one of the best days of her life.
For those who aren't familiar with the Lunaverse: http://www.fimfiction.net/index.php?view=group&group=760 . It's an AU world where Celestia went evil instead of Luna. Trixie is the Element of Magic, and other background characters from the show are the other Elements. It's a shared universe started by RainbowDoubleDash, and there's plenty of other stories in it if you're interested.
Fic stuff:
Hmm. Is Trixie right, or being too suspicious? Or maybe just selfish? Only time will tell.
Octavia is fun to write. She's such a serious character in such a whimsical universe. And she has a past with Trixie, who maintains her perfect record of irritating everyone in Canterlot she meets.
Note: fic is probably inspired at least in part by all the Dvorak and Smetana I've been listening to lately. Czech classical music is freaking amazing.
Octavia is serioues, isn't she? That's her thing, I guess.
The only complaint I have with this chapter is that I don't think Bon Bon got a single line. She was just kind of...there.
766949: Well, classical music players and aficionados are all very stern. (Actually, no we aren't. :-) But Octavia is, I guess).
I was worried about letting Bonbon detract from the Octavia/Lyra scenes. But you raise a good point... I'll probably go back and add a couple of lines from Bonbon. She's fun, and she shouldn't be left out.
I'll be reading! :D This has some nice potential!
Loved the musical intro. That stuff is hard to write, but you made me almost hear it.
La Fleur Rouge, eh? Wonder if this should be the same café Trixie and Raindrops went to in my story. Guess that depends on just how fancy it is. Oh, wait this place has an indoors. The one in mine was only supposed to have outdoor seating, which was why business was a little poor near noon. So I guess not, pity though, I liked the name.
but at least they got the griffin out of town
Awfully presumptuous there. I seem to recall once saying I was making Gilda a permanent resident of Ponyville, but no, I was only joking then and still am now. Nothing said in this story is untrue to what I've been writing, though I really need to get that chapter finished so folks who want to can properly reference the fallout.
“Lyra, how many ponies do you think know my last name?”
Considering she is not only Luna's personal student, but also responsible for saving the world, which probably made headlines in every paper across Equestria, I would wager the answer would be just about everpony. Plus even as not friends, the story already made it clear that the two have met before, even if only on poor terms.
if this town has the necessary facilities --- that one weekend Scratch snuck in
Given that Ditzy named dropped Scratch in response to the former, I'm finding it hard to also reconcile the existence of the latter statement. If both are really true, it would seem the name should have incited at least some reaction from Octavia, and would also probably make more sense if Lyra was the one that knew Vinyl rather than Ditzy. There's no reason both lines can't be true, I just find it awkward, makes everything feel too small-world to me. Ponyville is sorta near Canterlot, but it's also an out of the way hick-town on the edge of the wild Everfree. We've already got both Lyra and Trixie, having too many folks that used to live in Canterlot now residing in Ponyville just doesn't feel right. This is the town that Rarity is struggling to get out of after all.
Anyway, a those last two gripes aside, this is off to a pretty good start and looks like something I'll really be able to get into.
767157: Sure, Trixie did save the world. But:
1. It's strongly implied that the Night Court both dislikes her and fears her potentially gaining more influence, and wouldn't want that to happen. The papers would report it, but the nobles would probably try to limit Trixie's gains as much as they could. That would probably include trying to bury her name (or at least her last name), maybe just mentioning it once, briefly, near the beginning of the articles. Then, later, it won't be as politically hazardous to say no to 'the savior of the world,' they'd just be saying no to that brat Lulamoon, whom most ponies won't connect with the former. It was also a while ago, I think, which is plenty of time for folks to forget her last name
2. Trixie doesn't like her last name anyway, and has taken pains to ensure that no one calls her that. Others might know that a 'Trixie, student of Luna' saved the world, but not that she's a Lulamoon. At the party where she met Octavia, for instance, she would have insisted on being called just 'Trixie' as much as she could.
3. I seem to recall that the Lulamoons aren't esp. important politically anyway, so it's not like her name would trigger recognition.
In short: quite likely that someone like Octavia would know that a Trixie had saved the world. Not so likely that she'd know Trixie's last name.
As for the Scratch thing, that's a good point. I'll edit the name to be some random other pony.
Sad's not my genre, but that cover picture is awesome.
An electric Lyre...... BRILLIANT!
767234: As soon as I saw that picture, I knew I had to use it for this story. It was just so perfect. I love Lyra's expression too, as well as Octavia's confusion.
767215
Some nobles might see Trixie as a threat but a few would also see her as an easily manipulated puppet to get themselves closer to Luna. More Importantly though we've seen in the Boast Busted epilogue that Luna makes a big deal out of a free press, so I doubt she'd let the nobles bury Trixie's name.
Is it reasonable that Octavia wouldn't know the Lulamoon name, yes. But it's not some big secret so I don't think it's the kind of fact that should be tripping Trixie's mental alarms, it's just far too trivial a detail.
767258: I got the opposite impression from the epilogue. Luna convinced all the papers to bury the story on page 17 or whatever. She didn't totally squelch it, but she likely couldn't. The Ursa leveled a large part of Ponyville; even if no papers reported it, news would leak via word of mouth or whatever, and it could blow up into a big PR disaster if it somehow leaked that Luna asked the papers to completely hide the story.
Besides, maybe Trixie's just a little paranoid. :-)
767265
That seems a very pro-free speech statement to me. And she certainly could have buried the whole incident completely had she wanted to.
Let me repeat, Ponyville is an out of the way hick-town on the edge of the wild Everfree. It's a major outpost for the Apple Trust, since that family founded it, but for most of the rest of Equestria it might as well not exist. General attitude would likely be something like, who cares if those crazy inbreds lost home and livelihood to a giant star beast, that's what they get for being stupid enough to live anywhere near such a monster in the first place. Sure being the daughter of a noble family makes it more of a story by Twilights involvement, but again who's word is to be more trusted, that of a bunch of inbred hicks or one of the oldest and most well respected noble clans.
Honestly I'm surprised Luna even had to take such quicksteps to knock it off the front page. Seems to me the type of thing that should have likely taken days if not weeks to hit a reputable paper. Especially as no one in Ponyville, including Trixie, seemed to realize that the nomad that wrecked the town was a pony of any importance. Heck most of eye-witnesses probably didn't even know her name.
Anyway I agree that Trixie is quite capable of being paranoid, but having somepony's use of your last name setting off that paranoia though is way too extreme. She is the personal student of the royal Princess, official liaison to the Night Court even if only for a small town nowheresville, and most importantly savior of all Equestria. Trixie is a celebrity of a more than reasonable caliber and she has the kind of ego that revels in it. She might hate ponies using her full name but the fact that they know it should fill her with boundless pride, not half-backed paranoia.
767369
Luna believes in a free press, but the nature of Equestria is such that the noble families (or Luna herself) can still manipulate when something gets released and where it gets released.
Ponyville may have been a hick town, and it still is to some extent, but the six saviors of Equestria live there, one of whom is also personally conntected to Luna. Information in general probably doesn't travel to or from Ponyville fast, but information directly concerning the L-6 would.
Total isolation of the Element of Loyalty from her friends for a period of three months?
Yeah, I think Trixie's paranoia sense is on to something here.
770110: Indeed. Seems a bit suspicious that this particular, uh, opportunity would come up for this particular Element...
770114
In all honesty, if it weren't for the whole 'no outside contact whatsoever for three months' part, I'd be of the mind that Trixie was probably over-analyzing the whole thing and the offer was on the level.
While I understand that certain sacrifices have to be made to meet obligations in life, deals that require you to give up everything you had to get something you want tend to sit poorly with me. I don't like to burn my bridges so readily.
770164: Well, to be fair, Octavia didn't quite say she couldn't talk to anyone. She said that Lyra would have to stay in Canterlot for three months, but not that no one from Ponyville could visit her.
Granted, visitors would be at the discretion of whoever would be in charge of Lyra's lodgings (and also, to an extent, the orchestra). We'll be learning more about Lyra's prospective host next chapter.
770207
Exactly. Being able to control where she stays for three months is just a step away from being able to control who she interacts with in that same time frame.
Octavia says 'no going to Ponyville for three months' and my inner paranoia hears 'no talking to any of your friends for three months'. I'm willing to bet my inner paranoia is more accurate than Lyra would like at the moment.
770273: Well, hopefully Trixie will be smart enough and savvy enough to think of these things and communicate them to Lyra in a calm, respectful, yet persuasive manner. Surely Trixie Lulamoon can manage that! :-)
770336
I almost read that with a straight face!
The only problem I had was the chapter name. It's not properly capitalized. i know that's small, but it's such a pet peeve for me.
770345 Ditto!
An excellent beginning. I got swept away a bit.
And yeah, color me suspicious too about the whole 'three months' thing. I ponder that... something's going down, methinks.
Oh wow, this is really tough for Lyra! It's like the usual Element of Loyalty getting an offer to join the Wonderbolts but finding out she has to spend three months in Cloudsdale, away from Ponyville.
Loved the musical intro, the spontaneous duet was very well written. I could almost hear it.
770336
Who wants to place bets on it?
Wouldn't there normally be an apostrophe here?
3212990
Would that have an apostrophe in it?
Apostrophes are either possesive or for contractions. It is not 'Doo is' (As in one Doo) or 'This is the Doo's muffin'
Trixie
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I like this fic so far. I hope everything goes well for Lyra. She's a good pony.
What the fuck was that about? Where did that reminder of one misstep Trixie took come from? It happened at least a month ago! I can't imagine bringing that up for some unrelated occurrence for any reason than trying to hurt Trixie. Is that how Lyra thinks you're suppose to comfort insecure friends? By laying on a guilt trip?
Late to the party as I am, I still cannot allow this to go unremarked.
Control+f and look for eery
This is not a word. The word you are looking for is EERIE as in weird, strange, haunting or abnormal.
Either connect to above paragraph or move down a line.
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Re-reading this fic. I like Octavia as a character after this utter fiasco of a visit.
Edit:
Same as last time. Trxie needs to be Trixie
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Three months seems... over-the-top...
i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/000/284/529/e65.gif
767157
Its weir reading about past plans, when you are rading this stuff in order. On the one hand, it feels natural in the read, but on the other, it becomes fun to rmember some of these have been going on concurently.
Ps. I love Octavia, no matter what.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=lyrics+6+string+orchestra&&view=detail&mid=FE891A8C497CFBCB3C4AFE891A8C497CFBCB3C4A&&FORM=VRDGAR
3767738
Both Lyra and Bon Bon claim to have forgiven Trixie and acknowledged that is was mostly not her fault. But they never really did. It's honestly one of the worst things about both of them. They should at least admit that they never forgave Trixie instead of holding it over her.
Again Lyra and Bonbon's actions and thought processes make sense. It's just really shitty and wrong. I wonder in my rereading whether I'll see Lyra and/or BonBon actually come to terms with the fact they never forgave Trixie and change how they treat her. Maybe there is an apology scene I forgot about or at a minimum they stop holding it over her head(and we can assume the Apology happend offscreen)
Also I'm commenting on a 8 year old comment. But I am rereading this for the first time in 8 years