//------------------------------// // Cake, Clothes, and Catastrophe // Story: A Concert for Ponyville // by GrassAndClouds2 //------------------------------// ”That was a magnificent concert!” cried Baronetess Soft Hoof, a tall and stately mare with a beautiful cyan coat and a flowing pink mane. She swept her forelegs out as if to hug Fluttershy from a distance. “Truly spectacular! I’ve never heard such lovely music!” Fluttershy blushed and bowed as the audience roared their appreciation.“Oh,” said the demure mare, “I had help. My good friend Trixie Lulamoon arranged for a famous musician to come and tutor me.” “Really? That’s incredibly friendly of her!” Soft Hoof turned to the crowd. “Isn't it?" The crowd roared even louder. "Trixie!" Baronetess Soft Hoof yelled. "Come on stage!” Trixie did so, beaming. “Thank you! Thank you!” “Trixie, it’s clear that you’re the best friend in Equestria!” said Luna, who was there for some reason. “I'm going to ennoble you! Everypony, meet the new Grand Duchess of Equestria!" Trixie squealed with glee as she hopped up and down on the stage. "Yay! Hurray for me!" "Here's your new palace from which you will issue your decrees!" Luna pulled a palace out of her mane and tossed it at Trixie. The second-story balcony struck her in the side, causing her to stumble and fall off the stage--" And onto the floor next to her bed, where her horn smacked the ground with a resounding crack. "Agh!" Trixie quickly brought her hooves up to her now-aching horn. "Stupid dreams!" *** But even falling out of bed couldn't wreck Trixie's good mood, not when things were going so well. And so, after a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs and hash browns, Trixie went out into Ponyville to start her day. Now that I've got Octavia and Fluttershy squared away, I should see what else I can do to make sure the show's a success. For food, I can talk to the Union, I'm sure they'll put up a booth. And decorations... maybe I should tell Rarity a noble will be there? Weather shouldn't be a-- Her thoughts were interrupted by Pinkie Pie, who sprang out of a bush and seized her shoulders. Trixie couldn't help but boggle at the mare, who was dressed in a white bridesmaid's outfit and had an expression of panic mixed with relief. "Pinkie! What in the wide world of Equestria--" "I'm so glad I found you!" Pinkie Pie began to drag Trixie along, her usually springy forelegs now iron-stiff as she guided her prisoner away. "We needed another witness!" "Witness to what?" Trixie blinked. "Pinkie, what--" "No time! Every second counts!" Pinkie dragged Trixie into Bonbon's candy shop, which was so spattered with white ribbon, red hearts, and lace that it looked like a wedding-themed bomb had gone off. Bonbon and Lyra were standing at the candy counter, which seemed to have been converted into a makeshift alter, looking very confused. "Okay, you got a 'witness.' Mind telling me what's going on and why you redecorated my shop?" asked Bonbon. Trixie cringed. That was Bonbon's 'I want to strangle you' voice, which Trixie was intimately familiar with. "Um, Pinkie, what--" "Ooh! Missed a spot!" Pinkie leaned behind one of the shelves and picked up what looked like a long-barreled cannon before firing it at a wall that wasn't quite as white and ribbon-ey as the rest of the store. A blast of confetti and lace flew out and spattered all over it. "Good thing I remembered to bring my wedding shotgun!" "Wedding shotgun?" repeated Trixie. "Wedding?!" demanded Bonbon. "Oh, yeah! You know, for shotgun weddings! Hey, aren't those really big in Lunesiana?" asked Pinkie Pie, swinging the wedding shotgun about. Trixie ducked as Pinkie passed the barrel of the wedding shotgun right past her head. "No, Pinkie, a shotgun wedding is... something else. But--" "Excuse me. Wedding?" Lyra frowned. "Pinkie, Bonnie and I aren't getting married yet." "No!" Pinkie looked anguished. "You two need to get married as soon as possible! Now, I'm a licensed marrier-pony, and Trixie can be the witness! We just need to get your families, and..." "Okay, Pinkie, slow down." Trixie hurriedly interposed herself between Pinkie, taking care to avoid the shotgun -- she didn't want to be hit with a blast of ribbons, after all. "Why do you want them to get married so soon?" "Because Octavia said that Lyra can only eat sweets because she's dating Bonbon, and I realized that if she stops dating Bonbon then she won't be allowed to eat sweets anymore! And that would be awful!" Pinkie sprang over Trixie and enveloped Lyra in a gigantic hug. "So they need to get married right away so Lyra won't have to give up the sweet, sweet embrace of chocolate!" Everypony stared at Pinkie for a few moments. "Be right back. Knocking some sense into Octavia," said Bonbon, starting for the door. "Wait!" Lyra hurriedly tugged her back with her telekinesis. "Pinkie, that's not what she meant. Octavia's on a very strict diet, but I'm not, and I won't be, even if I can't be with my Bonnie anymore for some reason. There'll always be room in my stomach for a chocolate bunny or a big strawberry muffin. Okay?" Pinkie blinked. "But... Octavia said musicians had to eat really healthy." "That's her belief. Mine is different." Lyra smiled. "I don't believe everything she does. Or do you believe everything that Mr. and Mrs. Cake say about how a baker should live, just because they taught you baking?" "No, of course not! Sometimes they're really silly. I mean, they never eat any of the chocolate chips straight from the bag when they're baking cookies, but that's half the fun!" Trixie carefully took the wedding shotgun away from Pinkie's hooves and laid it behind the counter where she couldn't get at it. "Did you two argue about it?" she asked Lyra. Lyra was leaning back on the counter, one hoof now draped over Bonbon's neck. "Not really. We talked about it shortly after we met, when I invited her out for some ice cream and she declined. But we've both accepted that we feel differently about it, and that's okay." "I guess you gave her some reason why chocolate helped you play music better?" asked Bonbon, who still sounded bitter. "Nope." Lyra shook her head. "I mean... sure, I could say that I think eating things I really enjoy makes me happy, which helps me play happy music. Octavia's more of a 'rational' player; for instance, when she played the Symphony for Moon and Sun, it was because I was able to help her understand intellectually how Luna was feeling when she fought her sister. I'm more of an emotional player; I feel the music more than I think about it. So I could argue that eating really delicious sweets could help me get in the mood to play really happy music. Or, I could say that the sugar and caffeine in candy could help give me bursts of energy so I could play longer. Or that I might perform better if I reward my best performances with candy. But honestly, it doesn't have anything to do with music at all." Lyra smiled wistfully. "Music's really important to me. It's my special talent, and I love when I can play something beautiful. But there's other things important to me too. Like Bonbon." She leaned over from her seat on the counter so her head was resting on Bonbon's shoulder, and the confectioner's frown faded as she smiled warmly. "I love Bonnie, for example. She means the world to me." She nuzzled her marefriend's shoulder. "And I like other things too. I like that warm, cozy feeling I get when I'm inside, sipping delicious hot chocolate in my warm and furry robe, while it's a cold, rainy day outside. I like the taste of a fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookie on a bright, cold fall day. I like how Hearts & Hooves Day candy always makes me feel happy inside. "And so, Pinkie, there's no need to worry." Lyra swept an arm up to the roof. "Even if Luna decides to appoint Bonbon Baroness of Chocolate--" "Hey!" Bonbon was openly smiling by this point. "I would at least be a Marchioness of Candy." "Even if she appoints Bonbon the Archduchess of All Things Sugary, and she has to go far away to manage Equestria's candy supplies so that each and every pony can have their daily allowance of tasty treats, I'll still have hot chocolate when its raining out, and chocolate-chip cookies when it's chilly out, and red- and purple-colored candies when its Hearts & Hooves Day." Lyra nodded her head in an oddly formal manner, considering the circumstances. "I Pinkie-Promise you, Pinkie." Pinkie smiled in a relieved manner. "Wow... that's a big load off my mind. Thanks for telling me, Lyra. I was really worried you might never be able to eat even a single piece of candy again." "Well, now that that's all cleared up, perhaps you could fix my walls?" Bonbon gestured. "I mean, it's a nice wedding theme, but I don't think the foals are going to want to shop here." "No problem!" Pinkie sprang over the counter, grabbed her wedding shotgun, and quickly loaded it with different shells. A few blasts later and the shop was back to normal. "How..." began Bonbon. "Actually, I've learned not to question you." "Most ponies do." *** "That went rather well, considering" said Trixie. "Yeah. Pinkie was a little bit... silly, but she meant well. I'm glad that didn't escalate," said Lyra. "Got anything else planned for the morning?" "I was going to do a little shopping, then work on getting the rest of the concert set up. I need to get Rarity to provide decorations, and maybe talk to the Union about some food stalls." "What's the budget for this thing, again?" Trixie grinned. "The Great and Powerful Trixie needs no budget." "Unless she has some Great and Powerful bank accounts, I'd like to know how that works." "Oh, ye of little faith." Trixie smiled. "I have my ways." "Lyra!" The two mares turned to see Octavia walking down the main street. She looked calm and happy, with not a hair out of place even though her cello was on her back. "Good morning!" "Morning, Tavi!" Lyra trotted over. "Sleep well?" "Yes, thank you. I had a very relaxing evening. And it was an interesting experience to wake up to the sounds of Ponyville... they're so different from Canterlot mornings, but they work just as well as musical inspiration." "We should play more later," said Lyra. "If you have time." Octavia nodded. "Speaking of time, though, I should be stopping by Fluttershy's now--" She froze, then looked at the bush next to them. "Who's there?" Pinkie Pie sprang out of it, a silver platter with a fresh-baked banana-nut muffin held in one hoof. "I baked you a muffin!" she said, waving it under Octavia's nose. "Just one bite and you'll realize how good desserts are!" she yelled with a bright smile. "No, thank you," said Octavia, pushing it away. Pinkie shrugged. "Okay! I'll be back later with an even tastier one!" "Wait, give me that." Trixie yanked the muffin off the platter and bit into it with gusto. "Mmm. Now you can go." "Okay-dokie-lokie!" And she vanished into the bush and was gone. Octavia shook her head slowly. "Anyway... she glanced up at the sun. "Fluttershy mentioned last night that her birds sing best in the morning, and they should be warmed up by now. Please excuse me." As she trotted off, Lyra looked nervous. But only when she was long gone, and they were likely out of range of even her superlative hearing, did the mint-green mare speak. "...you are going to look in on them, right?" "Of course." Trixie nodded. "I'll just pop on over later and make sure everything's going alright." Let's see, I think I know how to approach Rarity... "If you need help--" "Nope! No help needed. I'm a good friend, remember? A real friend doesn't burden another pony to help her do a good deed." Trixie chuckled. "Please, let me handle this." "If you're sure. Just let me know if you change your mind. Carrot Top too, she's one of Fluttershy's best friends." "Will do." Lyra split off from Trixie soon, wanting to get to the park while it was early and begin playing her lyre. Trixie waved as she went, then headed over to Rarity's. She didn't need to check on Octavia and Fluttershy any time soon; she knew them well enough to know that they'd be getting along fine, with Octavia instructing and Fluttershy demurely taking her advice. Her time could be better spent making the rest of the concert go just as well as the music. *** "Trixie!" Carrot Top poked her head outside Carousel Boutique. "Good morning!" "Morning, Carrot Top! What brings you here this early?" Carrot Top grinned. "New apron!" "Apron?" asked Trixie as she entered. "Remember that whole farm competition I competed in a few months back? The Union wants to mention that in a press release they're putting out. So I need to look like a cook. Hence, apron." Carrot Top giggled. "I think it's kind of silly, but on the other hoof, I'd kind of like to have a nice apron..." The two mares entered Rarity's showroom, where the fashionista was busily setting a few different aprons on the dummies. "Now!" she said. "I do believe this one goes best with your coat and mane. It's got two big pockets to hold utensils and -- oh, Dame Trixie! Be right with you, dear. I'm just finishing up with Dame Carrot Top, here." "It's okay." Trixie winked at Carrot Top, then sat down on one of the nearby cushions. "Just when you have a chance, I need as much plaid fabric as you have." Rarity froze. "Er. Plaid?" "Yes. And anything neon-green too. The kind of color Vinyl likes." Trixie could see Rarity's eyebrow twitching and fought to hold back a smile. "Um... dearie... just what do you need it for?" "You heard about that concert in a couple of days? The one that a noble is coming to hear?" "I did here something about that." Rarity levitated a magazine over to her. "Ah, here it is. Baronetess Soft Hoof, the new noble in charge of the sub-province of Fillydelphia, will be touring the North Everfree province to raise funds for a large veterinary clinic." She smiled. "And Noble Times is one of the most reliable gossip magazines out there." Carrot Top blinked. "That's a very... specific magazine." "My dear, in this business, networking is everything. I must know every detail about every noble and high-society pony. Suppose one of them walked by my shop! Knowing what colors go with their coats and manes, what styles they like, everything about them could mean the difference between a meteoric rise thanks to a noble recommendation, and watching that opportunity slip away." She looked wistful for a moment. "For instance, you might hesitate for one single moment, and the next thing you know the most handsome, fashionable, and eligible bachelor of the Night Court is dating the town baker instead of yours truly... but I digress." She shook her head. "My point is, the nobles are important, even the baronets. I must be ready to impress them at a moment's notice." "I agree," said Trixie. "That's why I'm taking a personal hoof with the concert decorations!" Rarity hesitated. "Now, just so I'm clear... you don't really intend to use plaid fabrics to decorate the stage, do you?" "What? No! Of course not!" Rarity let out a long sigh of relief. "Good. I think--" "Plaid fabrics with neon-green highlights!" said Trixie. "That'll really look good!" Carrot Top's eyes widened, and then she hid her smile. Trixie winked at her again and waited for the inevitable. And it came. "Well," said Rarity. "Actually, I do have some free time in the next couple of days. And you must be very busy, Dame Trixie, as a knight, and the town Representative besides. Why don't you let me do the decorations?" "I'd love to," said Trixie. "Really. But we don't have enough funds in the budget to hire an outside designer--" "I'll do it gratis." Rarity said. "I'm doing well enough that I can afford a little charity work, and it's for such a good cause!" She nodded briskly. "I'll design and make the decorations, and the concert-runners may borrow them for free. You won't need to worry about a thing!" "Really? Thank you so much!" Trixie beamed. "I'll have Pokey get you the dimensions of the stage and the specific theme as soon as I can. And when I write the Princess later and tell her about the concert, I'll make sure to mention your name." Rarity beamed. "Why, it's no problem at all, Dame Trixie. Anything for a friend." *** Trixie relaxed in an indoor cafe and sipped her orange juice. It was just after 1, a good time for lunch, and Trixie had a lot that she felt was worth celebrating. The set designs were a go, at no additional cost to Equestria or Ponyville. The music was fine too. And she'd just checked with Carrot Top and verified that the Union would have food stands. Everything was going great! Maybe I was too hard on myself. I really am a good friend, Trixie thought as she sipped her soda. Hey, I wonder if the Baronetess will recognize me? I don't think we've ever met, but my picture was in the paper. Maybe I should mention my role to her... As she looked out the window, she saw Octavia trotting into the market and going to a stall to buy what looked like a bowl of oats. Trixie frowned; she knew that Fluttershy's pantry was well-stocked and wasn't sure why Octavia would take a break. But then she remembered her restrictive diet. It was possible Fluttershy didn't have anything that measured up its standards. As Trixie watched, Octavia turned to look into a mailbox, and then Pinkie burst out of it with a chocolate donut as big as her head. Octavia pushed it away and walked off, but Pinkie seemed undeterred. She just scarfed the donut and ran away, presumably to try again. Trixie chuckled and turned back to her meal. If the worst that would happen was Pinkie being Pinkie, then things would still be perfectly fine. *** "Hey, Rainbow Dash!" yelled Trixie to the Weather Team's headquarters. "Can I talk to you?" After a few moments, the bleary-eyed pegasus poked her head out a window and over the cloud's edge. "What's up, Rep?" "There's a concert in a couple days. What's the weather going to be like?" Rainbow Dash glanced inside to check the calendar. "Uh, sunny. Why?" Trixie beamed. "Well, it's just, I heard that if you get a thin cloud and raise it really really high, the sun sometimes refracts through it and almost sparkles. It looks even brighter than a regular sunny day!" "Yeah, but you need a weather pony there constantly holding it in place so it doesn't drift off. And you have to specially treat the cloud so it's thin enough." Rainbow Dash blinked. "It's also not actually in our description. I mean, if you want to buy one of our clouds and ask Raindrops to do it, I can't stop her, but..." Trixie wanted Raindrops at the concert. Because she'd like the music, of course, and not because she wanted to show off what a good friend she was. "I was hoping you could do it! But, um, we can't really afford a cloud, so..." "What?" Rainbow Dash blinked. "I can't just take a cloud from storage, Trixie. That'd be theft." "Can't you go into the Everfree and catch a wild one?" Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her head. "Yes, Trixie. I could technically go into the Everfree forest, and -- since weather magic doesn't work there -- get a big fern or something and wave it at a cloud and try to blow it into town where I could touch it, and then thin it out and hold it up over the concert. But, no offense--" "What if I could get you a meeting with a Wonderbolt?" Rainbow Dash froze. "...how?" "Knights of the Realm are given automatic passes to a few events in Equestria, including the Best Young Fliers competition. The Wonderbolts always open that. In fact, as a Knight, I -- and one other guest of my choosing -- get to sit in the skybox with them." Trixie beamed. "Or rather, sit in a hot air balloon by the skybox, in my case. But you'd be right next to Spitfire and Soarin. How about it?" Rainbow Dash, of course, accepted. *** "Everything's going great," Trixie told Carrot Top and Lyra over dinner. "Seriously, this is going to be the best event of the year! Nothing's going to compare to this!" Carrot Top smiled. "That's wonderful. I'm looking forward to the music. Speaking of which, how are Fluttershy and Octavia doing?" "Ah..." Trixie realized that she had neglected to check up on them. She didn't much see the need to, since those two were set already, but she knew her friends would insist. "I was actually going to look in on them after dinner. But I'm sure they're fine." Both Carrot Top and Lyra looked concerned, but Trixie said, "Hey, trust me! I know what I'm doing." She beamed. "I'm the Great and Powerful Trixie!" As she trotted to the cottage after dinner, she mentally rehearsed the spell that she’d worked out. The last time Octavia had been in Ponyville, Trixie had tried to sneak past her, but had failed miserably. No matter how good her invisibility and inaudibility spells had been, she hadn’t been able to get past the cellist. This had been humiliating; Trixie could handle her magic failing before a strong mage, but not a cellist with no magical training. So, once Octavia left, Trixie had decided to design a workaround. The result had been the advanced inaudibility spell that she'd used at the Gala. But even that was incomplete. There were ponies and animals who could smell through her illusions, and in tight quarters she'd be liable to bump into somepony and spoil the effect. So, at least for situations in which she only wanted to eavesdrop (as opposed to actually moving through some area), she'd still wanted a better spell. She’d been stuck for a while until she’d stumbled upon Dinky and her friends one day. They had been playing hide and seek, and Scootaloo was it. As Trixie had watched, Scootaloo had taken a small ear horn out of her saddlebag and held it to her ear while turning in a circle. Soon enough, she’d stopped, and begun sprinting in one direction – where, as it turned out, Sweetie Belle had been hiding behind a thick bush. She’s using that horn to hear things from further away, Trixie had thought. Clever foal. And then, Wait a minute… So, as she approached Fluttershy’s cottage and all of its keen-nosed animals, she stopped well out of even Octavia’s earshot and Angel's nose. Her horn glowed as she began to conjure up the equivalent of an ear horn; a spell just outside the window, to collect all the sound in the area of a wide dish, and then a sort of magical ‘pipe’ to pass it back to Trixie’s ear. It took a few minutes -- conjuring wasn't Trixie's strong suit -- but the spell was created. Trixie put it to her ear and smiled, expecting to hear beautiful music. “…play it again.” Trixie blinked. Octavia’s voice sounded… strained. Like she was at the end of her rope. “Okay,” murmured Fluttershy, almost inaudible despite Trixie’s spell. The birds began to sing, but even Trixie could hear that something was wrong. One of the birds was off key. “Stop!” said Octavia. “The yellow bird is still a semitone off.” “…sorry… I’ll fix it…” There was a silence. “Well?” asked Octavia. “Uh… er… Miss Natailey? Could you please, uh, go up a semitone, if that’s alright?” There was an annoyed chirp. “She says she’s trying her best—“ “It is not optional,” said Octavia. Her voice was strained, as if she had been over this many times. “She is not singing correctly. The audience will hear this. As the musician, you must ensure that she is in tune so that the audience can appreciate the consonance of the melody. You do want that, I trust?” There was silence again. Finally, there was a very quiet, "Yes..." “It has been,” said Octavia, now clearly attempting to throttle back her anger, “A long day. You have already spent substantial time resting silently. I am not trying to be… impatient… but we have no more time for you to hide in a corner. You must have your birds sing again.” “But I’m…” began Fluttershy. “I can’t…” She lapsed into silence. "I'm sorry..." "I don't want you to be sorry. I want you to follow my instructions." Octavia seemed to be getting angrier. "This is still the first piece, Fluttershy, and we are far behind schedule." Fluttershy said nothing. "Well?" Trixie winced, she could hear real anger in Octavia's voice. The cellist continued. "Do you not care? Is this some lark to you?" More silence. "Say something!" There was still nothing. After a long moment, Octavia stood. "I am going to the bathroom," she announced. "Use this time to get your birds in order. When I return, we will play it through, and I expect your birds to -- at the bare minimum -- play all the right notes." She stomped off. As soon as the bathroom door shut, Trixie heard Fluttershy began to cry. "I'm sorry, bird friends... I"m trying, but I'm not good enough. Oh, why did I think this was a good idea? I should have said no at the beginning." A bird chirped, and Fluttershy sobbed a little more. "I know. I need to... I need to tell her I'm not going to perform. I can't. But she's so mean and scary... maybe I'll just hide under my bed and won't come out." The bathroom door slammed open, and Trixie realized, with a sick feeling, that Octavia had heard every word. "Is that so?" the cellist demanded. "Is that how little you care for the time and energy I have expended? That you would literally rather HIDE from me than at least tell me, to my face, that this means nothing to you?!" "I--" "You have committed to a musical performance! You have an obligation to your audience, and to your hosts! That you would abandon them all is a disgrace, Fluttershy." Octavia's voice was a low hiss. "Forget your offense to me. What you propose to do to those who wish to hear you... is absolutely shameful. How would you like it if you went to hear a concert and you learned that the featured musician hadn't bothered to attend?" "It's just... I can't..." Fluttershy's voice was almost inaudible even to Trixie's magic. "You said I did so many things wrong and I can't--" "Would you rather I lie, and have you present a mediocre performance to Ponyville?" Octavia sounded even more enraged now. "Why do you think I am here? Just to tell you that you are wonderful, no matter how you actually sound? To give you an official endorsement, music unheard? How dare you try to use me and my title that way!" Trixie couldn't move. Every time she heard a new sentence, it just got worse. It wasn't supposed to be like this! "When I criticize your performance," Octavia continued,"It is a sign of respect. Both that I have taken the time to thoroughly analyze it and determine how to improve it, and in that I believed you capable of making such improvements. But every time I tried to help you, you refused to respond! Did you think that if you were stubborn enough I would come to accept your errors as 'good enough?'" No! Trixie wanted to yell. She just isn't good at being criticized! Damn it! She knew that ponies like Lyra would interpret criticism as Octavia wished, and that they would be honored that the Court Musician had taken the time to dissect their performances and found them to be capable enough to make her exacting changes. She also knew that Fluttershy would not. "I'm sorry if you don't respect me anymore," whispered Fluttershy. Octavia did not respond to that for several moments. "If you will not perform, I will notify City Hall, and will arrange for a new musician. I will not allow you to ruin this concert. Hide under your bed if you wish, Fluttershy. You need not worry about me returning here ever again." Trixie felt herself running down the path before she knew it. The door slammed open in front of her and Octavia left, slamming it shut behind her. Then her ears twitched and she looked up at Trixie. "Was this a plan of yours, Lulamoon?" she hissed. "Some political scheme to draw a rift between the Poseys and myself?" Trixie felt her stomach turn. "No!" she almost screamed. "No, really! I thought -- I just wanted to help!" "She is obviously unwilling to put in the effort this performance requires. She clearly expected that I would simply accept anything she did and endorse it so that everypony who does not understand music would simply assume that it must be good. She is unworthy of this craft." Octavia brushed past Trixie. "And you knew this, Lulamoon." "No!" Octavia swiveled around with a hoof raised, and Trixie thought for a moment that Octavia would punch her. But the blow was to her left, and when Trixie looked, she saw Pinkie poking her head out of a bush. In her hoof was a large cake, which Octavia had just flattened with a blow. "Not. Now," the cellist hissed. Pinkie seemed to get the hint. "I'll... come back tomorrow." And she was gone. Octavia turned to Trixie. "Music is the world to me. It is one of the most beautiful things ponykind has ever created. I cannot and will not work with a musician who cares so little about music that she refuses to correct herself when called out on an error, much less goes into a sulk. I will find a replacement for her, and then I will be returning to Canterlot. Good night." "But -- but --" Trixie's voice caught. Wait. Luna asked her to be here. She can't just leave, anymore than I could run away from my job as Representative. I can use that to at least slow her down! "But Luna asked you to be here! If you come back early, she'll know you gave up--" "Oh? You think I should stay here too, do nothing, and then lie to her?" Octavia's eyes blazed. "Perhaps that is your way, Lulamoon. Not mine." Trixie wanted to yell at her, but she heard something else in Octavia's voice. "Octavia--" Octavia looked away. "I will at least be honest with her, even if I fail her. I can do that much." "Fail?" "I would not expect you to understand." Trixie thought back. Lyra had mentioned this cropping up in one of Octavia's letters. "You told Lyra you wanted to be as... reliable as Luna is." "She is the Princess, the pony who controls the astral bodies." Octavia looked into the sky -- now a gorgeous starlit sky -- and her face seemed calmer for just a moment. "She raises and sets sun and moon each and every day, and has done so for time immemorial. She cannot take a sick day, or a holiday, or a moment's rest if that moment overlaps with the rising and setting of sun and moon. When I became her Court Musician, I vowed to myself that... if at all possible... I would be as reliable as she is. She gives that much to all of us. She deserves that much." Her voice caught. "Until now, I have met every obligation and request. I have played at every rising and setting of sun and moon that she has performed in Canterlot, even when ill. I have performed at every concert she has asked of me, and written every composition. I have done everything in my power to promote good music. And now... now I have failed, and I must tell her I was not able to perform my duties." She shut her eyes. "I was misled about Fluttershy's dedication, but there is no excuse for failure. Still, I will tell her, Trixie. I will not lie to the pony who protects us all." She looked at Trixie again, rage dancing in her eyes, and Trixie felt that Octavia would hate her forever for her part in getting Octavia to fail the princess. "Octavia, please..." "I will say my farewells to Lyra tomorrow, and then I will leave on the next train. I will likely not return." Octavia turned on her hoof. "That is all, Lulamoon. I sincerely hope never to talk to you again." Trixie couldn't think of anything to say, and she only watched her go. I should... no... I have to talk to Fluttershy. Get her back in the game, raise her spirits, fix this... I have to, if I want to be a friend... and not some horrible jerk who's only liked by the other Elements, by other ponies who are such good friends they can overlook... no! No, I can fix this! She reached Fluttershy's door and opened it, only to be confronted by a hysterically sobbing pegasus. "Um, Fluttershy--" "Go away!" Fluttershy buried her head in a big pillow. "Go away, Trixie! I don't want to see you anymore!" "But--" Angel Bunny hopped in front of the door, scowled at Trixie, and slammed it shut. "But I--" Trixie looked around. "No! No, this wasn't supposed to happen!" Nobody responded. Lyra and Carrot Top were right. Trixie looked down, tears falling to the ground. I'm a terrible friend...