All the way to the Gardens, Coutry Fiddle couldn't rid herself of the cold waves of guilt that took over her. She felt that she was over thinking it all, and the latent exertion was making her feel nauseous.
"I guess if everypony does it, in some way or other, it really can't be all that bad," she reasoned with herself. "Hehe... and Tavi, she did say she actually liked that I used part of her piece... Ahhhr! I'm simply thinking about this too much... It wasn't wrong what I did... It wasn't wrong that I won... It isn't wrong--there's--...nothing wrong..." She imperseptively shook, "But then why do I feel like crying...?"
In attempt to distract herself, she began to look around as they walked. Tavi was ahead of her a few paces, walking with their parents. They were talking and laughing. Her father happened to glace back at Country Fiddle, and a singular glint glassed over his eye. He quickly turned back to Octavia and brushed her mane with his magic before brushing it with one hoof, as if to cover up the previous action. There was something distant in the way he did that: her father always used to brush their hair with his own hooves... didn't he? Was he simply distracted, or had something changed? Her mother muttered something to both her father and Octavia, and Octavia turned around and saw that Country Fiddle had slowed her pace and had fallen further behind.
"Come on Fiddlesticks! Giddy-up slow-poke! We're almost to the Gardens!" She giggled playfully, and cantered back to meet Country Fiddle. She hugged her elder sis, slipped behind her, and pushed her rump foward to try to get her to walk faster. "Get along now, big sis. No more moping!" When Country Fiddle showed resistance to speeding up, Octavia thought she was merely foaling around, and pushed harder, using her shoulders now instead of her forehooves. "Come... on... F--hmp--sticks!" Their parents chuckled, watching this cute scene.
"Please do keep up, hunny." Their mother said to Country Fiddle. "Heheheh... Don't make us come back there, you two," She added when Country Fiddle promtly sat down on her rump, making it near impossible for her younger sister to push her any further.
"Fiddllllllestiiiiiiiicks!" Octavia cried, slumping down and sliding down Country Fiddle's back, gently tugging on her mane with her mouth. "I wanna play hide and seek with you in the Gardens one last time before you have to leave!"
"Well, we're nearly there; your mother and I wish to gaze at the flowers. We'll meet you two there, I suppose. Behave and be there quickly, now. Tavi, take care of your bigger sister, you hear," Their father added with a wink. Their mother quickly glaced at their father curiously before turning to her daughters and blowing them each a kiss.
That's odd... Country Fiddle thought to herself.
Octavia suddenly attempted to tackle Country Fiddle, but narrowly missed. "Country Fiddle!" She bit her sister's tail and tried to playfully drag her. Country Fiddle only distantly stared. Octavia jumped in fromt of her and growled, trying to shock her out of her silly contemplativeness. "Come on, Country Fiddle!" Still drawing no response, she thrust her mouth forward, teeth bared, and bit down inches from her nose with a kind of playfully-menacing bark. "Big Sis!" A kiss on the cheek finally elicited a shake of the head. "Please, Fiddlesticks; you really ought to cease these melancholy spells of yours: they're no good for you." Octavia lifted her up to stand. "You'll just have to let things like that go--all those saddening, depressive things..." they began to walk, "and just be happy! Put a smile on--distract yourself from it somehow; that always seems to work best when you've done it before. Find some entertainment to get your mind off it." She nugged her with her rump. "You really did amazing, you know. Did you see the way daddy's face lit up as he was talking about you--the way Beehoofen couldn't stop laughing when he talked with daddy--the looks mommy gives you--Country Fiddle, with that single piece you've made our whole family and everypony who heard you play happy, and glad and proud of you. Even the Princess couldn't stop talking praise of you when we left: I saw it when you and daddy went ahead out the door; she just talked and talked with Beehoofen and turned to her student the whole time saying 'Country Fiddle the Great...' and 'Country Fiddle the Prodigy...' and so many other nice things. You've really made her very happy! And if that's not something to be proud of, then I don't know what is!" She lifted her head up and let out a laugh.
Country Fiddle giggled; Octavia's playfulness, genial smile and laugh, and true encouragement was contegeous.
"That's it!" Octavia laughed. Country Fiddle gave in, and joined her great, sweet little sister, laughing.
The emotion built up, and then--"You're right!" Country Fiddle jumped up and kicked her hooves on the pavement making a cheery little beat. "What am I doing dreading this and pulling myself into the mire of despaire--in something so insignificant?" Octavia smiled confidently: she had once again helped her big sis smile and come out of another depressive mood; it always filled her with a unique pride that could only be produced by doing this. "I won!" She beamed and kissed her little sister, making the latter blush and well-up with self-satisfied pride. "And I'm going to be studying under none other than Beehoofen's horn! I'll be learning so much; and this will, no doubt, bring so much oppritunities into my life in something I love!" She suddenly took up Octavia in a big hug, lifting her up. "Thank you Tavi! Thank you for always being there to cheer me up." And with tears in her eyes, "You're the best sister I could ever ask for..."
Octavia jumped out of Country Fiddle's embrace, wiggling her legs giddily, and tagged her with her nose. "You're it!" Recieving a look from her big sis that said, "It is so on!" She ran off along the public side of the Castle and into the Gardens, giggling.
Country Fiddle didn't chase her right away, but instead took a moment to look up at the castle, magestic and gray with pink windows, that stood almost blending into the stark clear-blue sky. So this was it: this was where she would be tomorrow morning; this was where she would be studying for the next two years--lesson after lesson, recital after recital; setting all the tickled city of Canterlot a-dancin'.... Their father had always told them that they would make it: become famous. She smiled proudly, ear-to-ear, so big that--it didn't hurt, but rather felt uplifting, relaxing, and relieving. And yet, on the threshold of it all... it all felt so cliche. It felt all so expected.
The would-be melancholy thoughts drifted away when she passed into the Gardens and began to chase after her younger sister, just as she always did in talent and in seeking praise, for the last time. After she caught her, they then decided to now play hide-and-seek. Country Fiddle hid while Octavia sought her. Octavia did not find her Big Sis hiding under the statue of Discord before their parents called to them that it was time to go back home.