Middle Canterlot
Episode 5 - Prelude in A Minor
Azure lay against an old seat cushion in an alley. She sighed and closed her eyes as she listened to the sound coming from inside the adjacent building. It was a relatively slow classical tune, played with a certain elegance that Azure just didn't hear often enough. She actually found herself tapping her hoof to keep tempo with the song.
"Umm, you all right Azure?" Lyra asked suddenly as she rounded the corner. The blue slump in the alley caught her eye.
Azure woke up from her trance at the voice. In a panicked flail she fell off her seat, scattering bits and pieces of trash everywhere. "Oh, uhh, yeah, I'm fine!" she mumbled from against the dirt.
Lyra looked at her skeptically. "Then what was all that just now?" she asked, helping Azure onto her hooves.
"What was what?" said Azure.
"You looked like you were getting a hoof massage or something," Lyra said with a laugh. "Or at least that you just had a really good dinner, ya know?"
"Oh, that, uhh," Azure stammered. "Well to be perfectly honest, come here," she said, motioning for Lyra to follow her up to the wall. The two pressed their ears against it. Azure closed her eyes again, taking in the sound of the music.
Lyra smiled and nodded. "Wow! Whoever that is really knows their stuff!"
"I know! I've been listening to them all morning, and—"
“Wait,” Lyra interrupted. "You do know that's just one pony, right?”.
"Huh? How? That's like a whole orchestra or something, right?"
Lyra laughed and shook her head. "That's just a metronome and one instrument... I think a cello or a string bass, if I'm not mistaken."
Azure looked at Lyra quizzically, yet upon listening again she heard exactly what Lyra meant. "Well that's all the more impressive then! And honestly a bit less daunting," Azure added with an uneasy laugh. "I'd love to learn to play an instrument like that..."
"Well why don't you just ask her for lessons?" Lyra asked casually. "I know mine can be a bit 'off-the-wall' as Bon Bon puts it, but whoever that is sounds like they've at least had some formal training or something. Ya know what I mean?"
Azure's eyes lit up at the thought. "Maybe, maybe,” she said. “I'm sure I can make friends with them, if I put my mind to it. Then talk worry about lessons. How hard can it be, right?"
Of course as she said this, the two heard a door of the building close from around the corner. Azure reflexively hid behind the pile of trash she had been laying on. Lyra shook her head and calmly turned around to see the musician pass by. Her appearance made Azure's heart sink. She had a straight, well-kept black mane, and, combined with her formal strut, had a thick air of prestige about her.
"O-or she could be a noblepony and I'll be out of luck," Azure mumbled. She flopped over onto her back and groaned in frustration.
Lyra looked down at Azure, concerned. "Don't be like that! You just gotta remember: she's a pony like anypony else. You've been working on making friends, right? Just use what you've learned! It'll be fine!"
Azure stood up slowly, trying to shake off her doubts. "Y-yeah, you're right! I just gotta ignore my nerves, th-that's all," she said.
"Well maybe not just outright ignore them, but—" Lyra stopped. Azure was already running off.
"Thanks Lyra! Sorry I gotta go, but I don't wanna lose her!" Azure called back as she galloped away.
Lyra shrugged and calmly followed her overeager friend. "I sure hope she doesn't overdo it..." she mumbled to nopony in particular.
The musician eventually stopped by a local tea parlor and took a seat at one of the outside tables. There were only one or two others there at this hour, but she didn't even seem to notice their prescience. She looked inside with a sort of lazy glance. Just like that, out came the shop owner.
"Good morning, Ma'am," he said with a small bow.
"The usual, please."
The stallion nodded and said, "Right away, Ma'am."
As he left, she picked up a leftover newspaper and started to read.
Azure watched the entire exchange from around the corner. She hid back around the wall as the noblepony looked up slightly from her reading. Azure took deep breaths, trying to slow her breathing. "All right, you can do this, Azure," she said to herself. With one more deep breath, she finally rounded the corner and approached her target, slowly but surely. Lyra caught up just in time to witness this. With nothing better to do at the moment, she decided to watch the two from the same corner Azure had been hiding at.
Azure stood across the table from the musician, smiling. At first she didn't notice, but she did a double-take after flipping the page in her paper. "Can I help you?" she asked, confused.
"W-well I was hoping you could, at least, uhh," Azure stumbled with her words. She paused, trying to remember something Bon Bon had said about etiquette the last time they had gotten to talking. "Hi. My name is Azure. What is yours?" she said, forcibly separating each word as if she were a reading the sentence scrawled on a wet scrap of paper.
The musician blinked, still lost by this strange pony's actions. "My name's Octavia,” she said. “It's a pleasure to meet you?"
"Likewise," said Azure, again in a forced manner.
After a pause, Octavia spoke again, "So what is it that you are looking for my assistance with, exactly?"
"Well, I heard you playing music earlier,” said Azure, ”and uhh, well it was very nice, first of all, and umm." She struggled to think of the right words to say. This was her one chance at a first impression; she had to make it count.
"Thank you. I would hope so, given the hours of practice I've put into the craft," Octavia remarked with a smile. "This still doesn't answer my question, however."
Azure started to stutter more. "I-I was j-just hoping, er, w-wondering, if y-you could..."
"Yes? Come on, spit it out already!"
Azure smacked herself, knocking the jitters out of her for the moment. "Would you want to just, you know, hang out for the day? I'd love to get to talking about your music, and I—"
"Is that all?" asked Octavia. She scoffed. "Well it certainly seems like an 'interesting' offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass."
"W-what!? B-but what did I do wrong?" said Azure. Her face bore a large frown..
"Oh it’s nothing personal," said Octavia. Her tea arrived on a tray; she lifted the cup for a quick sip. "I just happen to be very busy today. Errands to run and all that, between practicing of course."
Azure's eyes lit up with an idea. "Well can I just come along with you for the errands? I can help out if you need me to!" she said, pressing eagerly across the table.
Octavia backed away uneasily and nudged Azure's nose with her hoof to push her back a little. "Th-that won't be necessary, I assure you, Azure. I can take care of things on my own. It's just some simple tasks after all."
Azure darted around to the other side of the table. "Oh come on! I can carry stuff for you, I can get doors and all that. You won't even have to lift a hoof if you don't want to!" she said, wrapping one of her front legs around Octavia and pointing dramatically with the other. She caught Lyra's eye and smiled in her direction.
Lyra forced a smile in return, then silently face-hoofed back around the corner.
Octavia took a deep breath and shut her eyes. She swatted Azure's hoof, hard, and growled in a low voice, "Don't touch me."
Azure recoiled, ears falling. "O-okay, I won't," she said, "But can I still—"
"No, thank you. I have more important things to be doing than play some game with you," Octavia snapped. She quickly drank the rest of her tea. She scooped up the newspaper and stormed off.
Lyra waited until Octavia was gone before revealing herself. "Ouch," she said. "Tough break, Azure."
Azure shook her head. "I-I just lost my cool, that's all. I mean, I probably just need to try a different approach, right?" she asked. Her teeth gritted into a forced smile.
Lyra snickered. "Yeah, like try not to offer to be her butler for starters," she mocked, nudging Azure in jest. "Maybe try to speak her language? I can dumb-down a few music lessons if you want to start there."
"Hmm," said Azure, "that might just work. I mean, the lyre seems like a bit of a stretch for me, but I can give it a shot."
"Hey, come on now," said Lyra. "Give me some credit, Blue! I know my way around a bit more than just one instrument."
Azure paused to think for a moment, then shook her head. She started off down the street in the direction Octavia went. "Well give me my options on the way then! I don't wanna lose track of her while we go through the ins and outs of plucking strings!" she said.
"There's more than just string instruments, ya know!" called Lyra, galloping to catch up.
A few minutes later, off in some alley, a blue, transparent violin popped into being between the two unicorns. Azure's horn was still glowing.
"I said mandolin, not violin, Az’!" Lyra laughed and shook her head.
Azure focused on her magic again and the violin winked out of existence. She panted after opening her eyes again. "Well I'm sorry,” she said. “I'm not exactly sure what one of those is supposed to look like!" Her legs wobbled a bit as her energy came back to her. Still not quite there. Gotta tell Primrose about the wobbly-legs next time I stop by for a lesson, she thought.
"Well what do you know of then?" asked Lyra, "It might be easier to start from there, ya know?" She was quickly getting frustrated after a half dozen excuses why a given instrument wouldn't work.
"Uhh," Azure thought out loud. "What's that thingy that you stretch out over and over again? An acorn-something?"
"An accordion? I mean, sure it looks simple, but— wait, yes, simple is what we want," Lyra said. She caught herself before accidentally dragging this out much longer than it would need to be. "I can at least teach you how to fake that pretty easily."
Azure smiled. "Perfect! Now just give me a minute to try to get the thing in my head..." She focused intensely, and a moment later something akin to a crumpled up paper bag manifested itself in front of her.
Lyra rolled her eyes. "Okay, try adding the handles, and we'll call it good enough," she groaned.
Azure laughed nervously. "Uhh, right. I uhh, I knew that." Note to self: practice more.
Octavia strode out of the music shop with an absolute glow about her. Just to double-check in the sunlight, she opened the long, thin case she carried with her. The cello bow inside shone almost blindingly bright. She quickly closed the case for her eyes’ sake. "It’s amazing how far a little bottle of wood polish can go," she said. She chuckled to herself and carried on her way.
"Hey, Octavia!" called a familiar voice.
Her face soured. She glanced back to see the source of the voice galloping toward her. She sighed and slowly turned to face Azure. "Yes?" she asked, trying to hide her pained expression out of courtesy.
"Check this out!" said Azure quickly. A crude blue accordion floated out from behind her.
Octavia's eyes lit up. "Oh, you actually play something?" she asked.
Azure closed her eyes. She smiled as she focused on the spell. The accordion started a back-and-forth tune; Azure swayed to the jaunty beat. A few nearby ponies started to pay attention, smiling and swaying as well. At first Octavia was pleasantly surprised, but then—
"By 'something' I was hoping more than just the two notes," she muttered, glaring at Azure.
Azure blushed and frowned. The accordion sagged. Passersby immediately lost interest. They walked away mumbling something or other about cheap tricks and sideshows. "Well I just thought—"
Before Azure could finish, Octavia turned away with a "Hmph!" and continued on her way, ignoring her persistent pursuer.
Lyra sat down next to Azure on a bench. Azure lay her head low while still trying to figure things out.
"Hey, cheer up, Azure!" said Lyra. She pat Azure on the back. "You just need to try something else, right?"
Before Azure could respond, they were distracted by a sweet voice. "There you got off to, Lyra!" said Bon Bon as she trotted away from the crowd. "I thought you were just going for a morning walk. What happened?" she asked.
"Hey, Bon Bon," said Azure flatly.
"Oh, sorry Azure!" said Bon Bon. She chuckled nervously. "I-I didn't see you from the crowd, and I was so focused on finding Lyra that I—"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Azure snapped. She hopped off of the bench and started to walk away.
Lyra glared at Azure. "Hey! what was that for?!"
Bon Bon frowned. "I-I really didn't mean anything by it," she whimpered.
Azure stopped and sighed. "Sorry, sorry," she said. "It’s just that I've been feeling like I'm getting outright ignored by this girl all day, and it’s not even my fault, as far as I can tell!"
"Oh I know how that can be," said Bon Bon. "You just want to be somepony's friend, but it seems like they want nothing to do with you, right?"
Azure nodded weakly.
"Trust me, it just takes a little persistence," said Bon Bon. "More importantly, you have to show that you're interested in what they're interested in."
"And not music this time,” Lyra added. “You might be interested in it, but she knows way more than you do when it comes to actually performing.” She smiled, though Azure was still irritated by the reminder of her recent failure.
"Yeah, sure. What else— oh you have got to be kidding me!" Across the street, Azure caught sight of Octavia again. Hovering next to her was none other than Derpy from the other day. "Oh, sure, she won't talk to me to give me the time of day! But she'll start a nice conversation with Derpy over there!" Azure flopped to the ground and beat her face against the sidewalk in frustration.
Bon Bon recoiled in shock; Lyra merely looked at Azure and shook her head.
"Are you sure you need my help with this?" Octavia asked with one eyebrow raised. Across the street, the noise of the crowd kept them from hearing Azure's ranting.
Derpy frowned and nodded frantically.
"Because this address is," said Octavia, pointing to the door immediately to her right, "right here."
Derpy looked at the letter again, then at the door, then back to the letter. "Ohh, right," she said. After a brief pause she smiled, eyes crossed, and slammed the letter into the door's mail-slot. She knocked on the door five times and rang the doorbell, all to the rhythm of "shave and a haircut". "Thanks!" she exclaimed, shaking Octavia's still-lifted hoof vigorously.
Octavia pulled her hoof back as soon as she could. "Please don't—" she started, but was interrupted as Derpy flew away. "Touch me?" she finished, confused. She looked around to make sure nopony was looking, then wiped her hoof on the door before continuing on her way. "What a peculiar pegasus," she thought out loud.
"I should just give up at this. The only thing I seem to be doing is making the whole thing worse every time I try to make friends with her," said Azure. Her voice was muffled against the ground.
Bon Bon frowned and put her hoof on Azure's shoulder. "Don't say that! You just have to keep trying, that's all!"
"Yeah!" added Lyra. "And we'll help you, don't worry!"
Azure looked up, smiling. "You sure? I mean, I don't want to waste your time with anything—"
Lyra stopped Azure's mouth with her hoof briefly. "No! Stop thinking it’s a waste of time! You'll never get anything done with that attitude, right Bon Bon?"
Bon Bon nodded and smiled. "Believe you can do it, and it'll happen," she said in a sort of sing-song voice.
Azure shook her head. "Well you know, that might just be crazy enough to work."
"That's the spirit!" said Lyra. She smiled and grabbed Azure into a forceful hug.
Bon Bon shook her head. "Well, more or less," she added.
"I am so sorry about this morning," said Octavia, "I just stormed off without thinking." She had made her way back to the tea parlor from breakfast and was more or less helping the owner to clean up the trash off of the tables. Of course, she wasn't about to actually touch any of the scraps herself, but she could at least point them out. It was something, after all. "But that girl,” she grumbled. “Ugh, I don't know what it is, but I can't help but think she's up to something."
The owner placed a trash bag beside one of the tables, then tipped the table from the other side, catching most of the wrappers and crumbs. "You might just be worrying over nothing,” he said. “Again."
"I know, I know," Octavia said dramatically. She followed this up with a snide smirk toward the owner.
He simply stared back with a flat expression. "I'm serious, Octavia, I think she was just being friendly. In her own way.”
Octavia rolled her eyes. "Well if she was, she has to be the most socially awkward pony in Canterlot," she said. She thought for a moment though, then frowned.
“You really should at least consider making some friends outside of the orchestra, Octavia,” said the parlor owner.
Octavia groaned. “I’m fine, thank you. I lead a rather happy life with just my self and my cello.”
The parlor owner smirked. "Just think about it."
"Just try it, go on!" said Bon Bon.
"But I'll feel stupid!" Azure whispered sharply.
"You'll never know until you try!" said Lyra.
Before Azure could respond, she was bumped around the street corner by Lyra. Azure glared back, but Lyra just waved her forward. Azure rolled her eyes, took a deep breath, and started to walk forward up the street.
"Oh, no," said Octavia. She stared at Azure as she tried to walk. It wouldn't have been as bad if not for the way she was walking.
At Bon Bon's advice and instruction, Azure tried to learn how to walk like a "proper lady". This would be something that, on any other day, Azure would have laughed at the idea of. But today she was desperate. Unfortunately, as her wobbly tip-hoof stepping was a clear indication of, desperation doesn't mean success.
With a great deal of effort, Azure eventually made it to the railing of the parlor. She quickly hopped up onto it for balance. She smiled nervously at Octavia and the parlor owner.
"Well hello there again, madam," Azure said. As best she could, she tried to hide her accent. Her best just wasn’t too successful.
Octavia gritted her teeth. The parlor owner looked at her and shook his head. She took a deep breath. "Why," she started, "hello again, Azure." Even still, she avoided making eye contact.
"I would like to formally apologize for my misgivings of before," said Azure, still forcing her accent away. "I fear I have acted most dreadfully." She thought for a moment, then added, "And whatnot."
At the last bit, Octavia smacked her forehead with her hoof. "This is pathetic," she mumbled with a roll of her eyes.
Azure panicked. "Uhh, I'm sorry, did I— er, I mean to say, have I been of the most inopportune misgivings of deed?"
From their hiding place, Bon Bon and Lyra smacked their own foreheads in unison.
"Now do you see what I mean?" said Octavia to the parlor owner. He shrugged. Octavia glared and Azure and demanded, "Please stop this."
Azure hopped down off of the railing and galloped around to their table. "Wait, you don't understand!" she pleaded. She looked around quickly. On seeing the bag of trash, she got an idea. "Wait, watch this!" she pleaded, levitating the bag over to herself. The parlor owner tried to stop her, but couldn't react fast enough. A quick cast of magic and Azure managed to turn the trash bag into an improvised set of bagpipes.
Lyra smiled from around the corner, while Bon Bon winced. Octavia's jaw dropped.
Azure lifted herself onto two hooves and leaned back against the railing. She tried to play the instrument. To be fair, it sounded better than expected, since she remembered something Lyra taught her about the sound-warping spell. Of course, it was still bagpipes.
After a few moments of this, Octavia snapped. "Enough!" she shouted, scaring the focus and balance out of Azure. Octavia stood up above Azure, her eyes wide open and her teeth clenched together. "You...you!" she began. "You have been after me all day without rest, and for what?! I am convinced this is some lame-leg attack on my character— no, on my very being!"
"But I—" Azure whimpered. The bagpipes fell apart onto the ground next to her.
"You what?! I even told you that I was busy. I thought that was clear the first time, but you insisted on hovering over me for the entire day so far! Get this through your impossibly thick skull: You have no concept of personal space, you have the etiquette and proper manner of an untamed bear, and worst of all, your 'music' makes a mockery of the very concept of melody and rhythm! You have single-hoofedly made a flying shame out of everything I stand for in just the few short hours I have even known you to exist, and yet you keep coming back for more?! I will make this as clear as I possibly can, and you had better hope for your sake that I don't have to repeat myself: Leave. Me. Alone!"
Azure winced, her ears pressed firmly back. Her mouth was in the shape of a broken frown. She had to keep her eyes shut to hold back the beginnings of tears.
Octavia stormed off, stomping her hooves furiously. The parlor owner watched her go. He shook his head, then grabbed some of the trash and headed back inside. Lyra and Bon Bon slowly trotted up to Azure.
"That was horrible,” Bon Bon mumbled. She gave Azure a sympathetic look. Her gaze sharpened as she looked in the direction Octavia had gone. "What a jerk," she snapped.
"Remember when I said you shouldn't give up? Yeah, I take that back," said Lyra. She was still dumbstruck from Octavia's outburst.
They both offered a hoof to help Azure stand, but she solemnly refused. She picked herself up and slowly started to walk away.
"Oh come on, Azure, don't listen to what she said!" Lyra called after her.
Azure stopped and shook her head. She still refused to speak.
"I-I'm sorry. We're sorry that it came to this," Bon Bon mumbled softly.
Azure sighed and lifted her head. "Just trust me, I know what I'm doing. I can make things right."
"How?" asked the other two at the same time.
Azure started walking off again. "By doing exactly what I should've done the first time, that's how.”
Back at home, Octavia stole a quick glance inside the case again. She sighed and took the bow out to look it over in the light of home. "I think a little practice this afternoon would do us both some good," she said with a smile. She carried it under her front leg over to where her cello was resting in its stand. "Let's see," she started. She stood up on two hooves, grasping the neck of the instrument with one front hoof and the bow with the other. "I think this will be a good place to start." She pulled a music stand a few inches closer with the bow. She paused, then began to play the same tune she had worked on earlier in the morning.
All in all it was a relaxing experience. That is until a rapping on her door drew her out of the moment. She tried to ignore it, but the second round of knocking started to get to her. She scowled and missed a note, but tried to pick back up with where she left off. It wasn't until the third time that she had had enough; she diverted from the piece she had been playing and picked up into a heavy, galloping rhythm, slowly accelerating as she gritted her teeth. She ended on a literal sour note, then hastily hung the cello and bow back up before stomping away to the door.
At the door, she took a moment to collect herself before answering. "Yes?" she said, looking through the peephole. "Oh. You," she grumbled upon seeing the distinct blue on the other side.
Azure hung her head low and asked, "Can we talk? I'd like a chance to explain myself."
"And why should I give you another chance, after everything you've done?" asked Octavia.
"Because I acted like a fool, without any respect for you, and I am truly, sincerely sorry."
Octavia paused for a moment. Her friend from the parlor’s words echoed in her mind for a moment. "And why should I believe that?” Octavia asked. “Why did you really want to talk to me, if you're telling the truth?"
"I wanted to get to know you, after hearing your music,” Azure replied. “It should've been simple, but I was just too nervous to remember how to talk normally to ya."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Azure," Octavia snapped.
"It’s not flattery! It’s true!” Azure insisted. “Your music is amazing, and I'd love to learn how to play like that!"
After a few seconds of silence, the door slowly creaked open just a hair. "So," said Octavia, peering around the door, "you only wanted a chance to learn from me?"
"Well," said Azure, finally daring to look up at Octavia, "pretty much."
Octavia thought for a moment, then sighed. "You do realize that there is absolutely no way I will be going easy on you. Even more so than I would with anypony else."
Azure nodded.
"Are you sure you're still interested? I'd hate to deny anyone the opportunity to improve musically," said Octavia. "Especially one who, in all honesty, desperately needs it."
Azure nodded firmly. A determined look slowly formed on her face.
Octavia chuckled softly to herself. "Well then, Azure, you'd best be prepared for what you're getting yourself into," she said. She slowly opened the door the rest of the way for Azure. “Oh, and if you do anything stupid, I will not hesitate to remove you from my house by way of excessive force.”
Azure gulped, then immediately focused. She tread lightly as she went inside.
"Okay, first lesson. Stand up straight!" shouted Octavia, snapping her bow on Azure's legs.
Azure yelped sharply, then straightened her stance. "Yes ma'am," she answered firmly.
"No, no, no! On two hooves! How do you expect to play the cello while standing on all of your hooves?"
"Well I—"
"And don’t say with magic!" Octavia yelled. She glared at Azure and flicked her horn with the bow. "If I can play without magic then so can you!"
"Yes Ma'am," Azure repeated. She slowly forced herself up onto two wobbly hooves. After another snap from Octavia's bow, she focused enough to hold the stance. "H-hey, I think I got it!"
"Splendid. Now onto the actual lesson," said Octavia as she backed over to her own instrument. "Grasp the bow comfortably, then repeat after me."
Azure did so. She was still shaking nervously.
Octavia played a single, long note on an open string, then looked to Azure with skepticism.
Azure tried to mimic the motion. She winced as the note started sharp and shaky, but eventually it came through as something remotely recognizable.
Octavia cracked the smallest of smiles. "Honestly, that wasn't that bad... again!" she said, repeating the note briefly herself.
This exchange went back and forth for a while. Eventually, Octavia even had them move on to two notes, but by then it was about time for dinner.
Bon Bon gasped. "You're kidding!" she said.
"Nope. She's really not all that bad," Azure insisted.
"What ever happened to that fuss she made yesterday?" said Lyra.
The three of them sat around the table in Rose and Azure's home. Rose carefully levitated a plate of sandwiches onto the table in between Lyra and Azure. "Who was this again?" asked Rose.
"Her name's Octavia, and you all just need to give her a second chance," said Azure. She smiled and took a bite from one of the sandwiches. "Like she gave me."
“Oh, I think I know her! Famous cellist, performs with the Canterlot Orchestra?” asked Bon Bon. “What changed, exactly? Yesterday she seemed so strict and uptight."
“I believe the word is ‘scary’, Bon Bon,” Lyra chimed in.
"Well that's because none of us really got to know her," said Azure, "She just has 'high standards'. She's really not that different from any of us. She even has some kinda lifelong dreams and stuff like that that she worries about."
"No kidding?" asked Lyra, skeptical.
“The problem is she hasn’t really had the chance to be ‘social’ for a long time. All it took was a few hours of lessons, otherwise known as getting yelled at while holding up an instrument, to get her to loosen up.”
The door opened behind Lyra and Bon Bon. "Oh, hey Octavia," said Azure.
Bon Bon and Lyra screamed in unison, hugging as they dove under the table to hide.
"Well, it’s good to see that I'm welcomed with open hooves here," said Octavia. She reached behind her and brought inside a lavishly decorated basket. "I was hoping to apologize for my ghastly behavior yesterday, but if you'd rather play hide-and-seek, that's fine too."
Rose pushed the two friends out from under the table, laughing at them. "I think she's funny!" said Rose.
"Now come on, all of you, play nice!" said Azure with a snicker.
Lyra and Bon Bon slowly rose from where they were. They smiled and laughed uneasily. Seeing the scene, Octavia couldn't help but chuckle to herself.
"W-well, nice to meet you, Octavia," Bon Bon stammered. She extended a hoof for a shake.
Octavia looked at the hoof, then gently pushed it back to the ground. "Charmed. From what Azure’s told me, I take it you're Bon Bon?"
Bon Bon nodded slowly.
"Then you must be Lyra," added Octavia, nodding towards her.
"Uhh, yup," said Lyra. "Sorry we kinda freaked out like that, but you get where we're coming from, right?"
Octavia laughed at the comment. "Oh, I expected a bit of a negative reaction, just not as extreme as to turn you two into a pair of little fillies."
Azure stepped in between the group. "Now, come on, let's try to stay positive for a bit. Go on, Octavia, tell them about that big performance you have coming up."
Octavia raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You mean the Gala?"
"So you are that Octavia!" Bon Bon exclaimed.
Octavia backed away uneasily. "Well I assume I must be then."
Bon Bon jumped in excitement. Lyra stared at her friend oddly.
“Who is she again?” asked Lyra.
Bon Bon shook her head and frowned at Lyra. “You know, big time classical musician? I thought we just went over this!”
Lyra rolled her eyes. “Classical music bores me. You know that.”
“How about the part where she plays in the royal orchestra? You know, exclusive access to the castle and everything?”
Lyra turned to Octavia. “She’s joking, right?”
Octavia smiled proudly. “Not in the slightest. I can come and go from most of the castle as I please.”
Lyra and Bon Bon looked at each other, then at Octavia, both with the same massive smile on their faces.
"How'd you get to play in the castle?"
"What's it like at the Gala?"
"How fancy is the dress code?"
"What kinda food do they serve?"
"Have you ever gotten to talk to the Princess before?"
Azure smiled as the two continued to bombard Octavia with their questions. Octavia smiled a bit too, if weakly. She was a little uncomfortable with how close they were leaning in.
"Hold on, hold on, one at a time!" Octavia insisted. She motioned for the two to back off a bit. They immediately sat down in front of her, eyes glued and waiting. They looked just like children waiting to hear the end of a bedtime story.
As Octavia rambled on about her exploits, and after the sandwiches had been passed around and eaten, Azure and Rose went to clean up the dishes. Well, it was only one plate with bread crumbs on it, but still.
"You know, Rosey, I think I learned something today."
"Yeah? Congratulations," said Rose, roughly imitating Octavia's formal accent.
"Stop that. We don't need more snarkiness outta you!"
Rose shrugged, smiling.
"Anyway, what I take away from today is how I shouldn't have to lie to make friends with somepony. If I just tell the truth about myself, and don't try to act like I'm someone I'm not, things just go smoothly. Otherwise, well, it gets a little messy."
Rose thought for a moment, then smiled. "Hey, thanks Azzie!"
"For what? Are ya finally starting to see my point about friends being important?" Azure asked. It wasn’t without her doubts.
"No, but I just remembered I have a homework assignment about friendship tonight, thanks to Ms. Primrose being all worried," said Rose with a wide grin. "And you just gave me all the answer I need!"
"Rosey!" Azure glared toward her sister, but Rose had already run off to find her books. Azure rolled her eyes. "Someday she'll get it," she said, "or at least I hope she will."