16. The Talk
Prince Blueblood marched through the doors to the basement, where he was greeted by his guards.
“Any news?” he asked.
One guard shook his head. “She’s just been sitting quietly this whole time. Hasn’t said a word.”
Blueblood nodded as he looked through the window built into the door. Flanksy momentarily looked up and saw him, and for a few seconds they locked eyes before she slowly looked back at the ground again.
Blueblood scoffed, then turned to the guards. “You are dismissed. I will handle Flanksy myself.”
The guards left in short order, and Blueblood opened the door to the storage room. Octavia looked up at him as he approached, not even bothering to stand up. Blueblood glared down at her, unable to hide the smile on his face.
“You have no idea how good this feels,” he finally said. “Ever since that farce of a public forum, I have been waiting. I knew that rebellious scum like you always go too far, always get too desperate to make a statement, and that eventually you’d do something that not even my forgiving aunt could let slip.” Blueblood stepped even closer as Octavia cowered back a bit. “I should thank you, actually. I haven’t had to make a royal arrest like that my whole life. They’re really quite rare: the captain of the guard is usually quite expedient in upholding the law. You were able to enliven my day a little bit. Now come with me.”
Octavia slowly began to stand up, but Blueblood grabbed her by the hoof and pulled her up the rest of the way. He had only taken a few steps when he paused in the doorway. He slowly turned back around and locked eyes with Octavia again, then stepped forward until they were nose to nose. There was an awkward silence as Octavia’s heart pounded and Blueblood’s eyes scanned up and down before he snorted.
“Take your mask off.”
Octavia blinked and instinctively stepped back. Blueblood closed the gap.
“I have had to look at that disguise for months now, and I am absolutely fed up with it. Take it off right now. I want to see the face of the pony who has made my life so miserable.”
Octavia shook her head. Blueblood’s face quivered in anger as he stepped even closer, pushing Octavia back up against the wall.
“This is non-negotiable. Take your damn mask off!”
Before Octavia could respond, Prince Blueblood’s horn glowed and she felt her bandana being pulled up. She desperately grabbed for it with her hooves, but the telekinesis was too strong and the bandana flew into the air. Octavia fell to the ground and looked at the bandana hovering above her, then felt her face mask being pulled. This time she didn’t bother to fight it, instead she just pulled with it and removed the mask herself. Both pieces floated over to Blueblood, who had a satisfied smile on his face until he looked back down at her. He frowned as he cocked his head to one side.
“Do I…” he began as he scrunched his face. Octavia shivered as Blueblood walked to the side and looked at her, then narrowed his eyes and nodded towards her hip. Octavia’s body shook even harder as she slowly took off her coat and handed it to Blueblood, who snatched it away with an angry hoof as soon as he saw her cutie mark.
“You!” he yelled, causing Octavia to cower back. “You were one of the ponies who performed in the ballroom at the Grand Galloping Gala! And…” he trailed off, then his eyes narrowed further. “I remember you. We talked in the shelter when Discord invaded.” There was a pause. Blueblood’s eyes widened and he stormed forward, getting directly in front of Octavia. “You had the audacity to even ask me about Flanksy!” He grabbed her by the hoof and pulled her forward, nearly dragging her out the door.
Once they had gotten into the grand hallways, Blueblood just walked silently, Octavia right behind him. Octavia didn’t have the energy to say anything, while Blueblood marched forward, making sure she was always in his sight. At one point Octavia looked up to her right at Blueblood, but a single cold glare from the Prince was enough for her to quickly look away. They continued through the castle in silence, the only interaction coming from the few ponies they passed by.
"Let me ask you something," Blueblood said.
Octavia didn’t respond, instead just slowly looking up at the Prince.
"I didn't learn all the specific details on your little excursion to Ponyville," he said, "so let me ask: what did you write on Rarity's house?" Octavia stared at him blankly before he let out a grunt and leaned in. "Rarity. Fashion designer. White unicorn. What did you write on her house?"
Octavia turned back down to the ground. For as distant and hazy as the park had been, she could remember every inch, every detail, of what she had done in Ponyville. It caused the pit in her stomach to deepen as she thought back to Rarity’s house.
“‘Ugly on the outside. Uglier on the inside,’” she muttered.
For a moment there was silence, before the last sound Octavia expected emanated through the room: a chuckle from Prince Blueblood. He quickly tried to cover it up with a cough, but Octavia was sure of what she heard.
"Oh," Blueblood said, putting his hoof in front of his mouth to hide a smirk. "That's interesting."
As Blueblood walked ahead, Octavia could still see the smile on his face. It angered her to see Prince Blueblood happy about something she had done, but the anger gave way to shame as she thought about Ponyville. Her head fell again and she didn't say anything to respond to Blueblood, instead just walking behind him.
After walking through what seemed like an endless array of hallways, they finally came across a set of grand doors that reached almost to the high ceiling of the castle. Blueblood spared one last angry glance down at Octavia before he reached up and knocked on the door.
"Come in," a voice chimed from inside
The voice was pleasant and dignified, yet hearing it sent the pit that had formed in Octavia's stomach plummeting even further. Prince Blueblood slowly pushed the door open and held it for Octavia, a self-satisfied smirk on his face.
The inside of the room was unlike anything Octavia had ever seen before. The far side of the room was one gigantic window that overlooked all of Canterlot, and the other walls were decorated with beautiful paintings and cases full of books and what looked like ancient artifacts. She only got to look around for a second before she saw the only pony there and her body went numb. Princess Celestia sat on one side of a small table, flipping through an assortment of tea bags in a small box, with two tea cups and a kettle sitting in front of her.
Blueblood took Octavia by the shoulder and lead her forward until they were only a few feet away from the princess. Octavia didn't have the energy to even look up.
"Princess Celestia," Blueblood said, his voice ringing with self-importance, "while her normal disguise and supplies are downstairs, I can confirm that this is Flanksy."
Celestia nodded. "Thank you, Blueblood. If you don't mind, I would like to speak to her in private. You can wait outside, I will call you in when I am done."
Blueblood opened his mouth to protest, but a single glance from Celestia caused him to shut it just as quickly. He nodded and slowly backed off, leaving the room quietly and closing the large door behind him. Octavia looked back and stared at the door, realizing that the only thing that had been between herself and Celestia was now gone.
“Come sit,” Celestia said.
Her legs trembled as Octavia stepped up to the table and sat down across from Celestia. The princess didn’t say anything; instead, she just continued to shuffle through the box she was levitating in front of her. The tense silence gave Octavia the chance to look around the room, but she found herself fixated on the massive window to her right. She gazed out over the grand view of the morning in Canterlot, surprised at just how clearly she could see everything no matter how far away it was. As she looked over everything, one grey figure in the distance caught her attention: a large object sitting right in the middle of an open area between streets. It only took Octavia a few seconds to realize that it was the statue of Celestia in the middle of Clopperstone Road.
She could see it from here, Octavia thought to herself. The whole time, she could always see it…
"Tea?"
Despite how pleasant and calm it was, Celestia's voice caused Octavia to jump a little. She turned back to the princess to find the box of tea now floating in front of her.
"Would you like some tea?" Celestia asked again. "I always find it's easier to talk when you have something soothing in front of you. Do you have a preference?"
Octavia blinked a few times, then looked over at the box floating in front of her. There was something about the assortment of tea that felt almost familiar to her; it was the only thing in the room that didn't remind her of just where she was. She took a deep breath and for the first time in almost a day, her nerves quieted down just a little bit.
"E-Earl Neigh," she quietly said.
Princess Celestia smiled as she floated the box of tea back over to herself. “That’s a good choice. Earl Neigh is one of my personal favorites.” Her horn glowed brighter as the water in the pot quickly came to a boil. She lowered the two tea bags into the two cups in front of her, then poured the water over them. “Now before we continue, I do want to make sure that Blueblood didn’t make a mistake, so I’ll just ask you directly: you are Flanksy, correct?”
For as quiet and apprehensive as Octavia had been ever since entering the room, the question stirred something inside her. Without hesitation, she nodded her head.
“Good,” Celestia said. “I didn’t want there to be any confusion.” Her horn glowed once again and a small box opened across the room, two ice cubes floating up and over to the two cups. She dropped the cube into the cup, then pushed it across the table.
Octavia quickly grasped the cup with both hooves and raised it to her mouth, waiting a few seconds before taking a sip. The ice cube had only done a little and the tea was still quite hot, but bearable. She closed her eyes, savoring the taste of the tea for a moment and letting it attempt to calm her nerves. When she opened her eyes she looked across the table, to find that Princess Celestia had not touched her tea yet. She was looking right back at Octavia, rubbing her chin as if something was on the tip of her tongue.
“Octavia,” Celestia suddenly said.
Octavia almost choked on the tea, sputtering for a second before lowering the cup as calmly as possible. She stared at the Princess in shock as Celestia just nodded.
“You were part of the ballroom ensemble at the Grand Galloping Gala. I thought you looked familiar. You are Octavia, correct?”
After a short pause, Octavia slowly nodded her head. She took another long sip of tea, and this time Celestia responded with a sip of her own.
“I thought so,” Celestia said before she set her cup down. “Now then… let’s talk.”
Octavia felt herself beginning to sweat again as her throat started to close. She knew there was no stalling, no time, nothing left between her and Princess Celestia. Her eyes turned straight down to the table, just bracing herself for what was to come. She closed her eyes tight, trying to get back to the image of the park that had been her only salvation while being held.
“There’s a lot I could ask you, but really, I want to begin with something that has bothered me from the very beginning,” Celestia said. She gathered her thoughts for a second, then finally continued. “Why was it that I was your first target?”
There was silence. Octavia’s eyes opened.
“W…what?”
“The first thing you ever did in Canterlot was paint that statue of me green. You even called me ignorant,” Celestia said, looking out at Canterlot through the window to her left. “All this time, there has been no indication of what I did to wrong you; I certainly can’t think of anything. So what prompted all of this?”
Octavia raised her head up and looked forward. She just stared at Princess Celestia in shock, her ears ringing with the same sentence over and over: “I certainly can’t think of anything.” For a few seconds, the anxiety that had filled her head and body the whole day disappeared. A spark began to lightly dance about in the back of her mind.
“You never figured it out?” Octavia mumbled. “You never realized what you did wrong…”
Celestia tilted her head to one side. “Pardon?”
Octavia lifted the tea cup to her mouth and took another sip to prevent what was going to come out of her mouth next. She took in a deep breath to calm herself down, then slowly set the cup of tea back on the table. For a second she looked out the window as well, then finally turned back to Celestia.
“Do you remember what happened at the Grand Galloping Gala?” she quietly said.
“Many things happened at the Gala,” Celestia replied. “You’re going to have to be a bit more specific.“
“I’m referring to what happened in the ballroom,” Octavia responded. “The Elements of Harmony ruining the Gala.”
Princess Celestia just blinked a few times. “I mean, I certainly think they got quite rambunctious, but I would hardly say that they ruined it.”
“I would!” Octavia quickly said, then paused to gather herself. “The Gala was the most important night of my life, and they came in and crashed it. But it wasn’t just that they ruined it… it was that you thought it was okay. In fact, you were the one who invited them in the first place!” Octavia stared at Celestia for a moment, the words caught in her throat. She glanced out over Canterlot for a few seconds, the sight of the city calming her down a bit, before she turned back to Celestia and continued. “It was the worst night of my life, and in the end, you were responsible.”
Celestia just looked at Octavia, lost in thought for a few seconds. "Well... I can absolutely assure you that I meant no harm. I just invited them because I wanted to liven the party a bit."
“Liven…” Octavia muttered to herself before her eyes widened. “Wait, did you want them to do that to the Gala?”
Celestia sighed and took one more sip of tea, then lowered the cup down. "I thought that they would bring a little levity to the Gala this year. They are quite different than the usual ponies who attend the Gala, so I believed their own attitudes would help to counteract some of the more formal aspects of the Gala."
Octavia didn't say anything; the last thing she wanted to do was explode at Princess Celestia. She went to drink more of her tea, but her lips met an empty cup. The backs of her teeth were starting to hurt, and she shook her head quickly as if to chase her anger away. She glanced out the window again, and her eyes fell upon the grey statue of Celestia in the distance.
"I thought that they would bring a little levity to the Gala."
“I would hardly say they ruined it.”
"I never meant to hurt anypony."
"It really did look better green," Octavia quietly muttered to herself.
“What?”
Octavia looked back at Celestia. "Regardless of whether or not you meant to do it, it happened. It happened, you thought that nopony was hurt, and I was angry. Something just came over me, and I did… well, you know what I did.”
Celestia looked out at the statue in the distance, and there was a long silence between the two. Her body was beginning to get weary from the toll of the last day, but she didn’t want to show it. Half of her brain wanted her to stay quiet, take her punishment, and move on with her life; after all, she was sitting across from the Princess of all Equestria who held her future in her hooves. After everything that had happened, everything Octavia had done, perhaps it was best to remain quiet.
But another part of her was angry. Angry that Princess Celestia still hadn’t known what she had done wrong, that Octavia had to be the one to explain it to her. Angry that despite everything, Celestia seemed reluctant to admit fault. Angry that she might be about to lose everything that was important to her; Celestia was still trying to defend herself and her own actions. She was trying her hardest to maintain her composure… to not snap at Celestia, but the more she had said, the harder it had become.
"So, that's what all of this has been about," Celestia finally said, quietly breaking the silence. "Revenge?"
Revenge... The word sounded so dirty to Octavia, but there was no other word she could think of to explain what she had done to the statue. She opened her mouth to agree, but an image flashed in her mind before she could say anything: the park. It had been a half-day since she could clearly picture the park, but now it was back in her mind, clear as ever.
“No,” she said.
Celestia raised one eyebrow. “No? Then what?“
“I will admit, it began that way,” Octavia said. “Against you, against Prince Blueblood, against the Gala… I suppose I’ve been frustrated with the way Canterlot works for a while. I just wanted to blow off steam at first, but then…”
The exhaustion finally caught up with Octavia. Her head began to ache, butterflies were flapping about her stomach, and tears were beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. Yet through all of that, through the exhaustion and the pain and the sudden feeling of isolation, she smiled.
“It became so much more than that,” she said through stifled breaths. “I’ve been performing music my whole life, but the feeling that I get from painting is unlike anything I have ever done. I know some ponies thought it was wrong, I know that Blueblood hated me, but I don’t care. I was doing something I was truly happy with; I was inspiring ponies; I was changing Canterlot. I know I have done a lot, but I will say this: I am proud of every piece of art that I created as Flanksy.”
Celestia just sat quietly as Octavia wiped her eyes clear. She took a deep breath to compose herself again and found herself staring at the table again.
“Octavia?”
She finally looked up and saw something she hadn’t been expecting: Princess Celestia smiling.
“There is nothing I like more than hearing that one of my subjects is doing something that brings her happiness. But more importantly, I agree with some of the things you said… It was quite inspiring to see a pony make such statements in Canterlot. It really was unlike anything I have seen in this city before. Not only that, but I found some of your work quite pretty, and in the case of the park, extremely beautiful.”
Octavia smiled and looked out the window. Although she couldn’t see the park, she could envision exactly where it was and for a few seconds she could practically see how it was: the blue fountain, the colors of the trees blending with the setting sun, the happy smiles of the ponies there…
“But,” Princess Celestia continued, snapping Octavia out of the trance, “you and I both know that art isn’t the reason we are sitting here talking right now.”
Octavia slowly turned away from the window and looked at Celestia. The smile was gone, replaced with a completely serious expression as Celestia stared directly into her eyes.
"This isn't about the art, this is about what you did to the six ponies. The Elements of Harmony."
Octavia nodded. "I understand."
"Painting art is one thing, but throwing paint on ponies, cutting tails off, and breaking into houses are another matter entirely," Celestia said. “What I don’t understand is why you went after them again. The Gala had long since passed, and as you said, you had seemed to find happiness in your art.”
"I had," Octavia replied, "but then the Elements decided to invade again. You are aware of what happened at the Garden Party?"
Celestia lightly nodded. "They joined the party, but from what I heard ponies quickly warmed up to them."
"I don't care if ponies warmed up to them. They made the night about themselves," Octavia quickly said back. "Again. After that happened, something in me just snapped. I couldn't stand to look at them or think about them, and when one of them—the pink one—tried to paint over my art, I couldn't take it anymore."
"Being angry at another pony is one thing," Celestia said, "but breaking into their homes? Slicing off Rainbow Dash's tail?"
Octavia felt nauseous just hearing those words. She looked away.
"I'm..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper as she gulped down the lump that was forming in her throat. "I'm not proud of what I did to them. I was not thinking clearly..."
"Well, that is why we’re here," Celestia said. "The fact is, after all that has happened, given how I seemed to be the primary subject of your anger, I wanted to handle this privately. I understand your frustration, and it truly seems that you are remorseful for what you did to them.” Celestia slowly shook her head. “But in a situation like this, remorse is not enough. You understand, I hope."
Octavia said nothing. She just nodded.
"Twilight Sparkle is in the process of finding out how much it will cost to replace the books you painted over, as well as the windows of both her library and Carousel Boutique. Naturally, you will be expected to pay for those. Since Allegro Sonata has not sent out the paychecks for the Garden Party yet, I will ask him to withhold yours; that will go towards the cost."
Octavia nodded.
"Now... I believe that jail time should be reserved for ponies who truly deserve it, and in this case, I am willing to let you avoid it, but you will have to work community service for the next six months. I'll talk to the captain of the guard and he will arrange a schedule.”
Again, Octavia just nodded.
"And while I do appreciate your musical talent, the fact is that I don't exactly feel comfortable inviting you to perform, at least not until the community service is over. I'm going to ask Allegro Sonata to look elsewhere for performers."
Octavia shivered, as this was a consequence she hadn’t even thought of. As soon as she was seen working community service, no self-respecting theater would bring her in for a performance, not until the service was over. She was about to be locked out of what she loved doing for several months… but deep down, she knew that she deserved it.
"I... I understand," she quietly said.
Celestia took a small sip of tea. "Good. Along with an apology, I believe those should do for punishment."
Octavia blinked, then looked up. "An… apology?"
"Of course," Celestia said. "I expect a full apology to the six ponies for everything you have done to them. Given how much distress you’ve caused, it's the right thing to do."
Octavia turned her head, but didn't look out the window, or at anything in particular; she just stared into space. The word "apology" stuck in her head as she stared, until the world seemed to melt away around her. A thousand images flashed through her head: the Gala, the Garden Party, Canterlot Park, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, breaking the windows of Carousel Boutique and ruining the dresses, smashing the picture of the Elements of Harmony celebrating the Gala...
The nausea began to dissipate and her head cleared. She looked back at Princess Celestia.
"No."
There was an awkward silence, broken after Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow.
Octavia didn't break her gaze. "I said no," she said, her voice confident.
"Octavia, you cannot just say ‘no’ to discipline," Celestia said. "This isn't exactly something you can—”
"I am not talking about the punishment," Octavia said, interrupting Celestia. "I will do my community service. I will pay the fines and repay for the damage that I did. I will even accept losing performing music—the most important thing in my life—for several months. But what I will not do is apologize for what I did, and I will especially not apologize to those ponies."
"I find that to be distressing," Celestia remarked. "After everything you did to them, you aren’t going to apologize?"
"I know that what I did to them was wrong. But I'm not going to apologize. After everything they did to me, I don't think they deserve one."
"That is a rather selfish way to look at it, don’t you think?" Celestia replied.
"Maybe, but it's what I believe."
“Perhaps. But there are other ponies to think about, too. Ponies besides them,” Celestia said. “After all they have done, public opinion of them is quite high. I understand your hesitance, but how will it look if you don’t give such important ponies some form of apology?”
"I don't care how important they are!" Octavia snapped back, loud enough to even surprise her. "In fact, I think that they especially don't deserve an apology because of who they are! They have been given nothing but love and attention from so much of Equestria, why can't there be one pony out there who doesn't like them?!"
“Because of everything they have done for Equestria,” Celestia responded. “They have saved us from danger countless times, they saved my sister from corruption… I believe they have done wonderful things for Equestria.”
“They haven’t made it wonderful for me!” Octavia yelled. “All anypony does is shower them in love and let them do whatever they want to without consequence!”
“They are given love because they proudly represent the very idea of harmony.”
"Well I don't want their damn harmony!”
Neither pony said anything; they just stared at each other in complete silence. Octavia knew that there was nothing she could do to calm down, but then, she didn’t want to calm down. She began to pace back and forth at one end of the table, ever being watched by Celestia. She could feel her eyes burning again, but she didn’t care.
"Their 'harmony' ruined the most important night of my life, a night that was the affirmation of everything that I have worked for. Their 'harmony' interrupted the Garden Party, a night I needed to reaffirm my love of music. Their 'harmony', when it saved Canterlot from Discord, also erased every piece of art I had put up. That tells me that their idea of harmony says that what I was doing was chaos that doesn't deserve to exist. What possible reason could I have for wanting anything to do with those ponies, let alone the harmony that they supposedly represent!?"
Octavia looked up at Celestia, but the Princess didn’t say anything.
"I know it is a strong word, one that not a lot of ponies enjoy using... but I hate them," Octavia continued. "I hate who they are and I hate what they represent. It's not just that they have done so much to affect me, it's that they have done so while remaining completely ignorant of how they affected my life, as if they think everything they've done has been fun. Well it hasn't! So no, I won't apologize. I know what I did was wrong, but it was a wrong that I think needed to be done to show them that their harmony isn't perfect. That their harmony is something that some ponies don't want!"
Tears were now flowing freely from Octavia's eyes, her voice was going hoarse, and her throat was burning. She didn't care. She didn't break eye contact with Princess Celestia, who sat quietly on the other side of the table, listening.
"I don't want their harmony," Octavia said. "I don't need their harmony. Because..."
For a moment, the words lingered in Octavia's head. She finally broke her sight from Celestia to turn once again out the window overlooking Canterlot. There was complete silence as her sight went from building to building. She walked up in front of the window, just looking at the buildings. She turned her head back towards Princess Celestia, managing a smile.
"I don't need their harmony because I found my own."
She turned to look back out the window. Octavia could hear the sound of Princess Celestia standing up, but she didn't pay it any mind. When she spoke again, she wasn't addressing Celestia; she was just speaking to the air.
"I know that some of what I have done is wrong," she said. "And while I am not proud of what I did to them, I don't want to apologize, because though they were wrong, they stemmed from something that has brought me more happiness than anything I have done in my life."
The sound of hoofsteps behind her told Octavia that Princess Celestia was now standing right next to her. She didn't bother to look up at her.
"So, I'll accept my punishment," she continued. "I'll work community service, I'll pay for the damage, I'll even accept losing music, something so important to me, for however long I have to. But I won't apologize. I do regret what I did to them... but I do not regret why I did any of it.”
The buildings that Octavia had been looking at seemed different to her; each one was now a grand blank canvas, crying out for something new. She admired each one, wanting nothing more than to be down on the streets, a can of paint in hoof.
"I don't exactly agree with your decision," Princess Celestia quietly said. "But I suppose I can respect it. You and I both know that if I forced you to apologize, it would be meaningless.”
Celestia turned and walked back to the table, and this time Octavia followed her. They sat again on opposite sides of the table in silence for a few seconds.
“However,” Celestia finally said, “while I understand that you do not like them, I believe there is goodness in all ponies. And I truly believe that the Elements of Harmony are good ponies. Perhaps it is just that the times you have met them have been under bad circumstances. So I'm going to have your first few sessions of community service take place down in Ponyville."
"What?"
"As I said, your only interaction with them has been in less-than-ideal circumstances. I think if you had a chance to meet them in a neutral environment..." Celestia paused, then smiled. "Well, we'll see what happens, I suppose. If you won't apologize, the least you can do is try to get to know them a bit better."
Octavia didn't say anything at first. She wanted nothing more to do with the Elements of Harmony. The last thing she wanted to do was help them... but she knew there was no way to get out of this. She had already said no to Princess Celestia once; there was no way it would happen again.
"I understand," Octavia replied.
"I'm glad we are in agreement."
Princess Celestia paused; there was something on the tip of her tongue that didn't seem to want to come out. Octavia sat, trying to hide her own surprise; she didn't expect Princess Celestia to be searching for words like this. Finally, Celestia let out a sigh.
"I know this question is going to sound surprising coming from me, especially after everything I said, but... do you plan on continuing?”
“I-I… what?"
“I believe that some of what you have done was quite good,” Celestia said. “I will admit, despite everything, I have never seen anything quite like what you did to Canterlot Park. But after all of this, I need to know if you plan on continuing.”
Octavia opened her mouth but quickly closed it again, then thought back to what had happened less than a day before. The idea of cutting off another pony’s tail, assaulting them like that, was a depth that she never wanted to sink to again. But she thought about the buildings outside; the blank canvases.
“As far as the Elements of Harmony are concerned,” she began. “I think I have gotten it out of my system.”
She tried to hide it, but Octavia could have sworn that Celestia had a slight knowing smirk on her face before nodding. “I’m glad to hear that.”
Neither pony said anything, but it didn’t feel to Octavia like an uncomfortable silence. Her body was relaxed for the first time in almost a day. She knew that she was being punished, yet none of it felt wrong to her. Celestia calmly took one more sip of her tea, finishing the cup and placing it down on the table.
“Well, I suppose that’s it,” she said. “That’s all I wanted to discuss with you. I’m glad we could do it in a private setting like this. I will be letting the captain of the guard know of your punishment, and he will send you a letter detailing when you will be beginning your community service in the next day or so.” Celestia stood up and walked halfway around the table, stopping to look down at Octavia. “It really has been quite informative speaking with you.” Celestia said, and she held her hoof out.
Octavia stared at the extended hoof. She remembered once previously when she had been that close to one of Princess Celestia's hooves, back when she had stood in front of the statue. She glanced back out the window in the direction of the statue. When she had stood in front of it, it was as though Celestia was taunting her over what had happened at the Gala. Octavia had felt lower than she ever had in her life, Celestia's eyes almost mocking her. It was where everything had began.
Now, she stared into Celestia’s eyes once again. This time, something was different; there was a sincerity to them. With a slight smile, Octavia reached out and shook the hoof of Princess Celestia.
“Yes, this has been quite the illuminating talk,” Octavia replied.
Celestia walked to the door to the large room, Octavia following close behind her. She opened the door, revealing that Prince Blueblood was still standing on the other side. He immediately gave Octavia an ice-cold stare that sent a chill down her spine, then looked up at his aunt.
“Blueblood, if you’ll come in, I’ll go over what was discussed. Octavia, please wait outside.”
—————
Octavia sat quietly outside the grand doors, lost in thought. The only other pony in sight was a single guard who stood stoically and watched her.
In the minutes that she had been waiting, Octavia was surprised by how alert she was; running on only a few hours of sleep, she figured that she would be at least a little more tired than she actually was. She chalked it up to the fact that the conversation with Princess Celestia had sent a few bursts of adrenaline through her body, and they hadn't quite worn off yet.
She knew how much trouble she was in, and she knew that she was being punished for it. There wasn't a lot to look forward to, and she knew that she deserved what had been handed down to her...
Yet she smiled. For some reason, everything that had happened just felt right to her. She was as calm as she had been in a long time; ever since the park, as far as she could recall. It was a feeling of peaceful euphoria that she hadn’t expected to ever feel again, especially not after everything that had happened.
"Is everything alright?"
Octavia looked over at the guard, who was staring at her with a quizzical look on his face.
“Yes,” she said quietly as she smiled. “Everything is fine.”
“Alright,” the guard said. He started to turn around, but stopped himself halfway. “Pardon me if this is intrusive at all, but Prince Blueblood did inform me of who you are...”
“Oh,” Octavia replied. “I suppose that was inevitable…”
“I don’t think he has informed anypony else, though,” the guard continued. “I assure you, I won’t tell anypony.”
“Well thank you, I—“
Her response was interrupted when the the massive doors opened and Prince Bluleblood trotted back out. He glanced down at Octavia with a sneer, then nodded his head to one side, beckoning her to follow. She did, and the two of them walked in complete silence. They eventually came to a smaller door and Blueblood just gave Octavia a glare, then stepped inside. Octavia waited for just a few moments before Blueblood came right back out, this time carrying Octavia’s black duffel bag. Blueblood dragged it behind him down the hallway until they had reached a door back to the streets of Canterlot.
Octavia was about to reach out for the door, but paused. She looked back at Blueblood, then down at her bag of supplies.
"Um, I—”
"Shut up," Blueblood snapped back immediately, causing Octavia to cower to the side. "Don't say anything. Celestia had her talk with you, now it's my turn."
Blueblood turned and stepped forward, dragging the duffel bag behind him. Octavia stepped back, pressing up against the wall as Blueblood walked forward, hatred burning in his eyes.
"If it were up to me, I would throw you in jail and keep you there. You wouldn't be walking out of this castle, you'd be dragged out by guards." He snorted. "My aunt is too lenient; she always looks to the good side of ponies. She believes that there is good in the hearts of all ponies, that even the ones who do horrible things can be redeemed." He leaned in even closer, getting right in Octavia's face. "I do not share this sentiment."
"But—“
"I said shut up!" Blueblood yelled, drawing the attention of a few ponies in the area. He looked around at them, then back at Octavia, this time speaking in a lower tone. "I cannot overrule Princess Celestia's decision. However, what I can do is add my own caveat to it."
There was a pause and as his face scrunched in anger, Octavia could tell that Blueblood was taking great satisfaction in what he was saying. He reached back and pulled up the duffel bag, holding it out slightly to Octavia's side. She glanced at it for a second, then back at Blueblood.
"That caveat is that this is over," he seethed. "I'm finishing this right here, right now. I'm done. This”—he said as he held the bag up a little higher—“is now mine. I'm taking that pathetic little disguise of yours. The moment that you leave this castle, I will be gathering several guards and we are going to go and remove every last trace of the disgusting display you call 'art' from Canterlot. As far as I am concerned, as of right now, Flanksy is dead."
The last three words sent a numbness through Octavia's body. She reached out limply for the bag, almost out of pure instinct, but Blueblood just pulled the strap up around his shoulder and shook his head.
"And if I ever see anything like this again... if I see some modified disguise, if I see you out there putting some new 'art' on the walls of my city, if I even so much as see you glance at a can of paint..."
He trailed off. Octavia waited with bated breath. Blueblood looked at the bag over his shoulder, then over at the hallway they had just walked down, towards where Celestia had been. He slowly turned back to Octavia.
"I can't throw you in jail. But I can end your career," Blueblood said, his mouth curling into a smile. "Celestia didn’t mention anything about your identity, so I’m taking control of that aspect. I’m not going to reveal to anypony who you are… yet. But if Flanksy shows up again in Canterlot? I doubt that any self-respecting theater in this city would ever be willing to book a pony who seems to have a deep-seated hatred for the way Canterlot works. I can personally assure you that you will never perform on a stage in this grand city again. And if you move away to work elsewhere?" His smile grew. "Well, then you'd be out of Canterlot, which is a victory for me anyway. Do you understand?"
Octavia stared in stunned silence at Blueblood. There were a million things that she wanted to say to him, but she realized that she was in absolutely no position to say any of them. She just thought about what it would mean to lose her music on top of everything else that she had lost... The risk was too great, and she realized that there was nothing she could do.
Blueblood had her cornered. He had won.
"Y-yes, I do," she quietly said, her head dropping down.
Blueblood scoffed. "Don't pretend like you're sad," he muttered. "You know damn well that this could have been worse. If it were up to me, I would have let you rot in jail."
Blueblood continued talking, but Octavia didn't hear any of it. The last three words that he said were ringing in her ears. They seemed familiar to her, but for a few seconds she couldn't place where. Then suddenly another voice went through her mind: her own.
"You can just rot in hell!"
Octavia's breath left her body. The talk with Celestia, Flanksy, spray paint, her cello, everything in her mind vanished in an instant, replaced with a single thought: Vinyl Scratch. She looked up at Blueblood, who stopped talking.
“What?” he seethed.
“I-I have to go.”
Blueblood glared at her. For a moment they just stared at each other, until he snorted. “Fine. I’ve said my piece. Now get out of my sight.”
He had barely finished the sentence before Octavia took off, running out the nearest door and into the streets of Canterlot, galloping as fast as she could. Blueblood shook his head, then turned to the nearest guard.
“Flash, I want you to get Ambrose and Damien and meet me back here in twenty minutes. Bring cleaning supplies; we have important work to do.”
—————
The skipping noise of the record player was finally getting on Vinyl’s nerves. The album had finished minutes ago, but she hadn’t had the motivation to get off the couch, instead she chose to stare at the ceiling in silence. Eventually, she rolled off of the couch and walked over to the player, and moved the needle off of the record. She turned to the shelf and started to flip through her collection, trying not to pay attention to the scattered records on the floor next to her.
She had just settled on a new record when she heard the door open and close behind her. She glanced behind her just enough to know who it was.
“So, you’re finally back?” Vinyl muttered. She waited for a response, but all she heard was deep breaths. She turned toward Octavia to find that her hair was a mess and she was panting, sweat pouring down her face. As soon as she was looking at her friend, Octavia’s mouth closed and she just stared quietly.
“What, you don’t have anything to say?” Vinyl said. “That’s shocking. You know what? I’m glad you’re back, because I have something to say to you. I cannot believe that you—hey!”
She was interrupted when Octavia leapt forward and wrapped her hooves around her. Vinyl tried to pull away, but Octavia just held her tighter. Vinyl opened her mouth to say something, but paused and closed it again when she felt something: the gentle shivers of Octavia’s body. Vinyl stopped moving and just stared quietly forward as Octavia held her, the only sound in the room coming from a few muffled breaths from Octavia.
Octavia finally let go of Vinyl and stepped back, and the two ponies stood in silence. Octavia couldn’t take it and she looked to the side, unable to meet her friend’s gaze.
“I… I don’t want to talk about art,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t want to talk about music, about Flanksy, about anything I’ve done. Right now, I don’t care about any of that. The only thing that I need to talk to you about is you, and wh—“
Octavia’s lip began to quiver, unable to even finish the sentence. She choked back a lump in her throat, then finally looked back up to look her friend directly in the eyes.
“I-I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m sorry for e-everything. For what I s-said to you, for how I acted, for t-treating you like d-dirt. You are my best friend, you have always been there for me, you supported me through everything… and I t-threw it in your face. Y-you didn’t d-deserve that.”
Vinyl didn’t reply; she just quietly contemplated. Octavia reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes.
“I’ll… I’ll understand if you don’t forgive me,” she continued. “I’ll understand if you want me to leave, if you never want to see me again. I’ll understand if you…” she trailed off, the words caught in her throat. “I’ll understand if you hate me. I know, I deserve it. I j-just need you to know how sorry I am for what I said.”
Octavia stopped talking. Vinyl was still seemingly deep in thought. Vinyl finally looked away.
“This whole thing got way too out of control for me,” Vinyl said. “It stopped being about art… It was about anger. That ain’t cool with me, never has been. And I sure as heck didn’t like what you said to me. You made me feel like what I said didn’t matter, like anything I’ve done didn’t matter.”
She looked back up.
“You know what? I’m just gonna say it… I hate Flanksy. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive her for what she said, and I sure don’t want to ever see her again.”
Octavia went numb. She closed her eyes and nodded, unable to even say anything. She had only begun to turn around when she felt a hoof on her shoulder.
When she opened her eyes, she was looking straight at Vinyl Scratch. And Vinyl was smiling.
“But you? Hate you, Octavia? You’re my best friend in all of Equestria. No matter what happens, I could never hate you, ya know?”
Octavia could feel tears forming in her eyes again. She immediately leapt forward and wrapped her hooves around Vinyl again in a hug, but this time, it was returned. The two friends remained embraced, the only noise coming from Octavia’s sniffles as she tried to hold in her tears. Finally, Vinyl broke the silence.
“Welcome back, Tavi,” she said. “I missed you.”
—————
End of Chapter 16: The Talk
Special Thanks: Propscho The Dolphin, Raztorman, Wardic The Hedgehog, and Worster Hiryu
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Ah, a solid climax... of sorts. I'm sure there's more to come, but this is what I've been waiting for.
Excellent.
Blueblood is a flankhole...
Cool. Although Blueblood didnt win, he just allowed Octavia to finally step in the light as herself, not Flansky.
still, the Elements wont be happy with her, I doubt she would care about it. As far as she is concern, she would just thank them for setting her on the road, but she could take the apology and shove it up their plots if they push for it.
still, a good ending, nothing really stands out for me to rip intomor debate about, other than a little more confusion for Celestia on Octavia rejecting them.
still, someone is going to complain about something.
This chapter looks good... but I think you should have Celestia throw in something like 'I'm sorry" for having havoc at the gala with good intentions but Octi was hurt...
But Blueblood is gonna add insult to injury... leading to his own demise I think.
The elements may make things worse for Octavia causing them to reflect.
UPDATE WOO!
media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m72iibXaBw1ql98vi.gif
Damn you, Blueblood.
Still, it's incredibly refreshing now that Octavia and Celestia had a face-to-face talk. And she made up with Vinyl.
She could also just go full alpha and paint without the mask.
Typo there. Just thought I'd point it out.
In other news, great chapter. I think I especially appreciated the (certain measure of) closure between Octavia and Vinyl.
I can only imagine Octavia doing her community service in Ponyville going so smoothly.
Nah, just kidding, she's a marked mare the moment she steps in town.
I'd agree that I think Celestia should have apologized. After all, if she really wanted a zanier Gala, she could have said that and advocated for that from the beginning. Bringing together a bunch of ponies who like formal dances and balls, then hoping that a few other ponies would wreck everything and that everyone would suddenly realize that they like chaos more, was still wrong of her.
I liked the talk, but I feel that it was still missing an acknowledgement from Celestia of what kicked everything off--that she screwed up and hurt Tavi (and other ponies), and hasn't yet done anything to actually make up for that.
Plus, Tavi was in part right about the Elements, as depicted in this story. They were thoughtless at the Gala and the Garden Party, and most ponies didn't care because they also saved the world. But that doesn't make it right for them to hurt Tavi or other ponies who like formal music/dances/etc, just because they did more good than bad overall. (i.e., no matter how many lives you save, it doesn't make it right to go out at night and kick puppies).
Beautiful. Truly beautiful.
Much as I want to be mad at Blueblood for what he pulled after her meeting with Celestia....honestly part of me understands it. I'm surprised that Octavia didn't just march right back to Celestia and tell her that Blueblood threatened her. But honestly, I don't really care. She got off way too easy in my opinion, so again, much as Blueblood acted like an ass here, he's justified, even if it's for the wrong reasons. He doesn't much care about the actual wrongs she's done so much as that she got to do what she wanted instead of him for so long. The way he acted when he found out what she did to Rarity speaks volumes on that. But putting an end to Flanksy is actually a good thing. The fact that Octavia herself still says that the girls actually 'did' anything to her at all proves she hasn't really learned her lesson anyway. I can only hope the girls don't just go the 'easily forgiven' route when she turns up in Ponyville. Though unless Celestia tells the girls who Octavia is, her doing community service in Ponyville is likely to mean next to nothing to them. They, if nobody else, deserve to know the truth, and I notice neither Celestia nor Blueblood is too keen on letting the truth out. Blueblood just to have something to hold over her, and Celestia..well, who the hell knows why she's doing it.
All in all....it had it's moments. I think Vinyl let Octavia off too easy, to be truthful. But enh, it gives her a bit of a bittersweet ending for Octavia's art life. I think that's the one I can let slide a lot more than Celestia letting her off so easy.
Paint a mural tomorrow, you've got nothing to lose.
4025253
I sense something is gonna happen to Octavia and the Mane 6 are gonna be responsible for it, with Blueblood pleased and Celestia upset
Is it just me or did Celestia's speech on the Elements being good ponies kinda seem like favoritism to me? A leader of a nation should not be incline to favour a few civilians over the rest (though in today's world, that does unfortunately happen...)
Man... Long time in coming, but something that was desperately needed. Cathartic, for Octy in particular.
Now to pick up the pieces...
Man that was a good chapter. Lots of self-reflection, reveals, and reconcilliation. I really liked how Octavia refused to give a half-hearted apology, though it would've been better if she could have somehow let go of her hate. The ends didn't justify the means. Hopefully she'll see things differently after she gets the chance to understand the pain that she's put others through.
This end of this chapter is a bit weird. I mean, the whole story was leading up to a climax, and I think we got it here, but the resolution seems to be leaving a whole lot of things hanging. Blueblood has the upper hand, Flanksy is pretty much universally hated, and Octavia's not got much of a chance to practice either of her loves (unless she can spin a repainting gig in Ponyville). It feels like we had the big finale, but that the story's not over yet. I can't quite predict where this is going, but I am interested in finding out!
Hmm i wonder when she will snap again and have a very sharp thing near Hehehe try to imagian the blood flowing after she has cut twilights neck over and take all the organs out of her and the rest ohhh im shaking of joy....
4025293 Why would Celestia be upset?
4025399
Inflicting harm when harmed does not bring about 'harmony'
4025145
agreed.
the <censored> needs to get what's coming to him.
No mention of how the Gala wrecked Octavia's career? So now she can't perform music AND she can't do art. No apology from Celestia's part; she doesn't even seem to understand why Octavia believes she's ignorant.
4025431
I just want to point out... The Gala did NOT wreck Octavia's career. It wasn't the kind of thing that ended her music career, not in the least.
The story has focused more on the art aspect of what she was doing, but she never gave up/was stopped from performing music. I mean, until this punishment, that is.
4025409 So Blueblood's plan is to make Octavia go all berserk and attack the Mane 6 or the Mane 6 to attack her?
4025494
Nah... I just have the feeling that Blueblood is going to make Octavia's life worse than it already is and the Mane 6 will be used by him in some scheme (without their knowledge)
4025506
I'm... not sure I follow, haha.
4025502 I think I see what you mean. He knows her true identity and can easily reveal it to the world, shaming her and making her an exile.
The Mane 6, on the other hoof, will most likely be scapegoats and probably be manipulated into getting revenge against Octavia for what she did to them, allowing Blueblood to do whatever he wants with the EoH distracted.
Somehow, I was expecting Octavia revealing Celestia her talk with Discord, about chaos, harmony and change.
You need a space after the period. But overall, I really enjoyed this chapter.
PREPARE YOUR ANUS FOR;
gamersushi.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/homefront-hype.jpg
4025267
Look at all the Downvotes for something right.
4025267
So we meet again my good chum Warwolf.
I will say that I agree with you for the most part, except on one point. You claimed that since she still hated them that she learned nothing from this. You see, anger isn't an easy emotion to deal with. Anger isn't something that can easily be ignored, and it causes you to do things that you wouldn't normally do. Like lashing out against those that the anger is directed at. You can't tell somebody not to get angry over something. Anger is in each and every one of us. So, I ask, did she really learn nothing from all of this? In my personal opinions, I say she has. She learned that even if there is anger or hatred, it can be managed. That it doesn't have to control her life. This is revealed the moment that she reflected on her argument with Vinyl. She realized that she just needed to let go. Is there still anger? Yes. Is there still hatred? Yes. Is she going to act on them? If this chapter has any indication, then I would have to say no.
Hmmm... Octavia isn't sorry for why she did it...
Is Octavia proud of her hatred?
4025506
This is what happens when you read pony
Should be "Flanksy".
Double periods at the end.
4025502
4025526
Do you see the parallels here, too? Maybe it's just me...
You see, Blueblood, right now, is where Octavia was. He's ruled by anger and lashing out, uncaring about consequences, pushing ponies away because he feels they don't share his 'vision' or look down on him. He wants to punish the party responsible for his anger, tear down what she stands for. He's letting his grudge and wounded pride get the better of him. And in the process, he might do something very, very foolish.
They even share the animating force of Flanksy's art. Celestia commented how Blueblood seemed more energetic, more focused, more alive than before; and the original drive behind it was to make Canterlot beautiful.
To me, it looks like he's where Octavia was. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Celestia pulled some strings to try to stop him from making the same mistakes. Maybe send him to Ponyville, too...
4025700
I think you misunderstood what I mean. When I say that she hasn't learned her lesson, I mean that she hasn't realized that the girls have never actually DONE anything to her. She can be angry at the circumstances that lead her to where she is now, but she has no cause to be angry at the girls. or to claim that they did anything to her when it is in fact the other way around. She did multiple things to them, and did so willfully and with full knowledge and understanding of what she was doing.
Seems like a kick in the teeth. Octavia loses almost everything and no one that caused any of it has to apologize or live up to it. Pretty one-sided, but that's how life works. Octavia lost her chance at closure a long time ago.
4025441 : Early on, there was the impression that performing at the Gala was what could really 'make' a musician's career. Gala players got noticed by other big patrons of the arts. It was the ticket to success--except not this year, because the Elements ruined everything.
So it didn't ruin her career, but at the same time, it did it real damage, was my understanding. If not for the Elements, Tavi would be a household name among music lovers. Now she's a footnote in the story of "Pinkie Pie does something silly."
4025734 : Yeah, this. Great chapter, but I do think Cel still doesn't get how badly she hurt Tavi.
Extra period.
4025845
I don't think she really needs to care anymore. A while back, Octavia was certainly justified, but all she ultimately accomplished was becoming the criminal Blueblood thought she was. She just justified his attitude towards her, and Celestia's quiet disdain for this inharmonious, angry pony. What does she know? She lashes out at others for their ideals, she's no better than some backwards, backwater uneducated asshole.
4025992 : Octaiva's crimes don't lessen the harm Celestia did. Regardless of Octavia's subsequent actions, Celestia did wrong and owes Octavia (and every other pony whose night was ruined) an apology.
4026007
Of course, but Octavia's crimes make her less deserving of that apology, whether Celestia should offer one or not.
Her reaction is a little disappointing, though. She really does seem to be convinced that she and the mane 6 are capable of no wrong.
Okay. Seriously. Dude.
I was waiting for an introspection moment here. Where is it?
Octavia was never harmed. I've skimmed the early chapters and the only thing that happened is that the parties ended EARLY for her. I can't find any mention of lost income, lost reputation, lost work, nothing. She. Is. Being. Petulant. Man, correct me if I missed something tangible there.
For a while there she was making an artistic statement, and one that is apparently legal in Equestria. Great. Super. But after that she committed five burglaries, with destruction of private property. In nearly every right-thinking society on earth that is a very, very serious felony offense.
Okay, so Celestia is lenient. Fine. But why the crap are we still indulging the possibility that Octavia is in the right in any way here? She's being a petulant whiner. Is Blueblood any better? Shit no. He's a dick. But the fact of the matter is that Octavia has not been correct in any way in a long time.
Six months community service isn't even leniency. It's a gift. Nobody gets off that light, ever, under any circumstance if they're not twelve years old.
4026099
Do no wrong? They literally haven't done anything to her directly, sure an indirect cause was a ruined night but that doesn't warrant what happened at all. Most people don't go crazed and start attacking people, especially those who have kept an eternal night and slavery from happening to them, along with pure unfettered chaos.
She sounds like she 'deserves' something, despite them saving her life twice over, her actions show that unless they directly polish her hoof their actions didn't matter to her at all.
4026174
Well, we've all been talking as if ignorance was a crime, and it's not. In some cases it probably should be, but the mane 6 didn't consciously do any harm to anyone, and Celestia, for all she knew before this, didn't ruin anything for anyone. And in her shoes? If the one person whose night I DID ruin was this angry, petulant, petty brat, I wouldn't be inclined to apologize at all. If Octavia wanted that, she should have confronted the issue directly and just talked to Celestia. She's mean and spiteful, and it bit her in the ass.
4026218
Oh I know, I don't think she deserves a thing, I'm just saying she's acting like they need to bow down and kiss her hooves and then she'll think about spitting in their direction.
And as one person mentioned before, she never lost a thing.
Y'know, I agree with Octavia. It reminds me, one time this guy in a mask came up to me and punched me in the stomach. He went on to vandalize my house, left threatening messages, bullied my friends and family... dude tormented me for weeks.
But I later learned through a third party that I had accidentally run over his cat a few weeks earlier. The mechanic found it under my car. No wonder he despised me! And it wasn't so much that I had killed his pet, it was my continued ignorance of having done it. And he was right! It was cruel and insensitive of me not to know that I had killed Mr. Snookums. I should have used my psychic abilities to peer into the past. I certainly had no right to expect HIM to tell me. When you make a mistake you have a clear responsibility to exercise your omnipotent powers to tell yourself what mistake you made! That's why God gave us cosmic awareness. Who ever heard of a person causing another person distress without being aware of it? Inexcusable! Humans weren' t meant to be fallible!
So now whenever I meet that guy I happily accept his spit on my face. Sometimes my friends suggest that he should be made to apologize for his disproportionately violent revenge, but I say no. He was right to hate me for my accidental slight, and for not knowing about what he wouldn't tell me. After all, people clearly like me more than he thinks they should. Just because I'm a heroic firefighter orphan saving terrorist hunter, doesn't mean I should be beloved by those I've saved! Ain't no one gotta give ME a free pass.
Okay I'm sick of this comment now. To summate, yeah, I think Octavia owes them all apologies. She could have simply demanded an apology from THEM, but instead she launched a campaign of vengeance, using circular reasoning as a flimsy excuse.
And I think she will! I think the Elements will apologize to her and I think... well, I hope that she'll apologize to them in turn when the whole story ultimately comes to light. Because that's all that's really needed to start things healing, y'know? Disclosure. Honesty. There's no better cure for grudges.
I'm so tired of typing. Why is it so hard to stay off that soap box where this fic's concerned?
What's sad is I see the Mane Six being horrified that their actions had such an effect on some pony. Especially Pinkie. I really hope to see some of the community service in Ponyville, maybe Octavia will have to paint art as punishment.
The story's not over yet. Octavia still has her community service to fulfill, which is in Ponyville of all places. No doubt she'll be running into the mane six, and while grudges will be had, I think in time they'll at least come to understand each other to some degree. Then, perhaps, apologies to and from both parties will happen.
Or Octavia can go all Flanksy 2: Flank Harder and start strutting around like a pigeon.