It was a warm summer night in Canterlot, Luna’s moon having just been raised mere moments ago. At the heart of the bustling capital, throngs of the city’s nobles and aristocrats were making their way into the illustrious Canterlot Opera House, playing host to many of Equestria’s finest and biggest cultural productions and events. Tonight was no exception. One of Canterlot’s most renowned musicians was playing one of her last performances of the season. Any noble knew that missing such an experience, for whatever reason, would risk social ostracization, at least until the next performance.
Within the building and behind the stage’s curtains, a lone mare was standing on her hind legs and waited with her cello in one hoof and her bow idly swinging back and forth in another. Her gray coat complemented her charcoal-black mane, and around her neck was a collar with a pink bowtie upon it. The attire gave her a rather regal appearance despite its simplicity.
The mare glanced at a clock as it ever so slowly ticked closer towards performance time. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the music performance. As she ran quickly through each song that she was going to perform tonight, the sounds of many ponies, conversing with one another and shuffling into their seats, pierced through the curtains and reached the gray mare’s ears. It meant the opera house’s doors had just opened, and judging by the noise levels, hundreds or maybe even thousands of ponies were attending the concert. The increasing volume only meant the crowd was still growing, possibly filling up the building to full capacity. Such a large audience would make almost any pony nervous. But Octavia Melody was not just any pony.
Ever since she was young, Octavia found she possessed an extraordinary amount of talent and love for music. A violet treble clef as her cutie mark was proof of her prowess. Through vigorous training and dedication to the craft, she was frequently considered a musical prodigy by many and was a prominent figure in the musical community.
Having played her music on so many occasions, Octavia had become almost immune to the anxiety many performers often felt. To her, every performance was just part of an almost daily routine.
Octavia opened her eyes and snapped to attention when she noticed the crowd’s murmurs were starting to die down. Standing up straight, she took another deep breath as the curtains separating her from the audience started to rise. The sound of quiet, polite applause greeted her when the curtains revealed her to the audience.
Scanning the audience, she saw that almost every seat was filled with ponies staring intently at her. It was just her standing alone in front of the aristocratic masses. Without any hesitation, Octavia took a small bow and brought her bow to her cello. With a small nod to the crowd, she started what every pony was here for.
She played her music.
Her bow gracefully glided across the cello’s strings, creating a deep, resounding tone that reverberated through the concert hall. It was followed by a series of notes that Octavia had meticulously memorized in both her mind and body. Because of countless hours of practice, she was able to visualize the music in her head and plan out her movements. Her left hoof was almost a blur as it darted around the neck of her instrument, precisely landing on each note.
The performance continued as the quick and complex sonata reached its end and moved onto the next part. Octavia’s rapid movements shifted into long, artful strokes as the music changed to a slow and poignant elegy. Like water, her bow and hooves elegantly moved through the song, seemingly going through the piece in one fluid motion. She slowly swayed to the beat of the music as though she was dancing with it. To the audience, it was the display of a master musician and was a rare treat for some. To Octavia, it was just another performance.
Song after song Octavia played as the show carried on. Not a single member of the audience had made a sound or move as they watched the performance. Breathing heavily through her nose, Octavia felt her hind legs starting to ache from standing on them all night. Fortunately, while she was reaching the end of her stamina, she was also reaching the end of her performance. Playing through the last notes of the finale, she mentally breathed a sigh of relief. At the last note, Octavia finished with a mighty flourish, a small smile on her face.
Another show flawlessly performed. Octavia had lost count of how many times she had successfully played in front of others, not once marred by a single mistake. She made sure to always give it her all. Anything less would only bring everything she had worked so hard for crashing to the ground.
Like its beginning, the end of the performance was met with more polite applause, only slightly louder than its predecessor. Octavia gave a small bow, her smile remaining on her face. The sounds of shuffling hooves and voices filled the hall once again as the audience started to get up and make their way towards the exits.
Octavia continued to stand there on stage as the curtains started to draw, watching her departing viewers. As soon as the curtains hid her from the public eye, her smile instantly dropped. With a weary sigh, she made her way off the stage and towards her dressing room. As she trotted through the building, she passed by a few of the theater’s workers who praised her brilliant performance, replying to each with a polite ‘thank you’ and a small smile. Finally entering her dressing room, Octavia carefully set down her instrument and slowly dragged herself to a couch, unceremoniously flopping herself onto the cushions.
Octavia let out a sigh as she rubbed her temple with her hooves. She did not know exactly when, but recently, she had begun to feel tired after almost every concert, something that used to only occur once in a blue moon for her.
As she rested her weary self, her thoughts shifted towards her warm, comfy bed at home. She wished she was already back at her place, snugly wrapped under her blankets. Unfortunately, a walk through the nippy night stood in between her and her rest. Groaning, she got up and brought her instruments to her music case.
As she delicately packed away her bow and cello, Octavia thought about all the things she had and achieved. Playing for many wealthy ponies and extravagant events made enough money to cover her rather large and luxurious home as well as not ever having to worry about paying the bills. She was also able to regularly set aside a portion of her income and send it to her loving parents.
Most importantly, she had a career in playing music. She played in many concerts as well as social gatherings for numerous important ponies and even members of other species. Countless hours were spent perfecting the art that she loved since she was young, and all the hard work paid off. She was able to make a living doing the thing she enjoyed. Music was her talent and the love of her life.
Fame, fortune, and a loving family. I should be happy, Octavia thought, finally finished with packing away her instrument. Slinging the case onto her back, Octavia made her way out of the dressing room and towards the opera house’s back exit. She opened the door and stepped out into the night. With a deep sigh, she quietly closed the door, one final thought lingering in her mind.
Then why do I feel like something is missing?