"I'm back!" Vinyl announced as she entered her apartment, closing the door behind. She saw her room mate laying on the crouch, who gave only a grunt in response. "I bought some fritters, thought they'd help cheer you up...uh, who's in at the moment?"
The mare on the couched paused before looking down at her yellow coat. "Looks like Fiddlesticks, ah suppose."
"Great, you'll probably appreciate apple fritters more than Octavia would." Vinyl set the box down on the coffee table and sat next to her friend. She opened the box with her magic, and floated a fritter each to Fiddlesticks and herself. "Dig in."
"Thank ya' Vinyl." Fiddlesticks grabbed the treat out of the air and took a bite, but the down trodden look on her face didn't change.
Vinyl frowned at this, and set her fritter down. "Listen Fiddlesticks, I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier."
"It's alright Vinyl. Ya'll were right, this whole thing has gotten out of control."
"Well if it makes you feel better, I have another surprise that I think will cheer you up."
Fiddlesticks smiled at the kindness of her friend. "Aww, what else did you do for me Vinyl?"
"I ran into Applejack and Applebloom outside the bakery, I invited them to Octavia's recital."
"WHAT!?"
"Octavia relax, you've played hundreds of shows, this is no different." Vinyl comforted the nervous cellist as the two of them stood back stage at the Canterlot City Music Hall. Around them stage hands were bustling, ensuring everything was ready for the upcoming performance.
"I know, I know," Octavia responded with a slight voice crack. "But what if Applejack and Applebloom don't show up because they hate me? Or what if they do? What if they yell at me again, it could mess up my concentration. Or what if they don't like my cello?"
"Octavia, you have literally played for the most powerful and well known pony ever, and I've never seen you this nervous."
"That's completely different! Celestia isn't my family!"
"I know but...wait, what did you just say?"
Octavia rolled her eyes. "I said Celestia isn't my family. Honestly Vinyl, I am freaking out enough without you not listening to me."
"I was listening, I've just never heard Octavia call them her family."
Octavia stared wide eyed at her friend, not quite sure what to say. "I...uh..."
"Fiddlesticks, over here." The musical duo turned towards the familiar voice. "Uh, ah mean Octavia." Applejack trotted over to the cellist, with Applebloom by her side.
"Hiya cousin, uh, Octavia!" Applebloom shouted, slightly louder than was really appropriate in such a setting.
"Applejack! Applebloom!" Octavia greeted back, with another voice crack. "It's, it's so great that you could come."
"Of course we came Octavia," Applejack began. "Ah may not completely understand this whole thing, but ya'll are family, and we're here to support ya'."
"That's right!"
The cellist was stunned by how forgiving her family was. "I...I..." Tears grew in her eyes as she lunged towards the farm ponies and threw her legs around them. "Thank ya'll. That means so much to me."
"Uh, Octavia," Vinyl said, looking around to make sure none of the stage hands were paying to close attention. "I'm really glad you're making up, but don't forget where we are."
"Oh!" The cellist shot straight up and took a step back. "Of course, thank you Vinyl." The cellist looked at her two cousins. "You two really seem to have a way of making me drop my guard," she said with a chuckle.
"You're on in five Octavia," a passing stage hand said.
Applejack glanced at the stage hand. "Well it looks like we need to take our seats."
"It appears so. I would love to see you after the show."
"Course Octavia." The farm mare smiled.
"Come on girls, I reserved the three of us seats together." Vinyl said as she began to walk away. "Good luck Octavia." The two farm ponies followed the DJ, shouting back their own wishes of luck.
"Thank you all!" Octavia shouted at her leaving friends, waving goodbye to them. "Thank you for everything..."
"Mares and gentlecolts, Octavia." The theater was filled with soft applause as the announcers voice faded, and Octavia made her way on stage. She breathed deep, clearing her mind of all outside distractions, making herself aware of nothing but her cello.
"WOOOO-HOOO!" Octavia visibly stumbled as her concentration was broken. She looked out into the audience to see Applejack cheering loudly.
"Go Octavia!" Applebloom joined in.
Octavia waved nervously before setting her cello up on center stage. Well I suppose I couldn't expect anything less. The Apples...my family are a lively bunch. Octavia took one last look into the audience, and noticed many patrons glancing at the farm ponies and whispering to each other. Oh no...
Just stay calm Octavia, everything will be fine once you start playing.
The mare nodded in confirmation, not bothering to tell which of her selves was the one nodding. Octavia took another deep breath, and slowly began playing a slow melody with a practiced mastery. Her left forehoof slid up and down the neck of her cello, as her right controlled the bow flowing across the strings. She lost herself in the notes, for a moment she forgot that she even had an audience.
"Yeah! Octavia!" Unfortunately that moment did not last very long. She could barely keep from playing a bad note as her cousin shattered her focus, but she kept playing, determined to remain professional. However, she couldn't help but hear the murmurings going through the audience.
"How uncivilized."
"Must they be so loud?"
Oh no, this can't be good. Octavia kept playing, but the worry on her face was obvious. She noticed a blue mare walking over to her cousins. Please just sit down, just sit down.
"Excuse me, but would you two mind being quite?" the mare said.
"Oh, ah'm sorry," Applejack responded. "I was just trying to cheer on Octavia."
There, she apologized. Everything's alright. Octavia didn't notice her playing was speeding up due to her anxiety.
"This is a classical recital, not some sort of country hoedown," the mare continued. There's no need to continue, please just calm down. "Honestly, what are you even doing here, do you hicks even like classical music."
SCREEEECH! "WHAT!?" Every eye in the theater shot to Octavia as her cello wailed a horrid tone. However Octavia ignored them all, her eyes, aflame with rage, were locked on the mare talking to her cousins. She dropped her cello and bow, and began advancing towards the mare. "What did you say to them?!"
"Octavia, calm down," Vinyl said as she walked towards Octavia. She tried to put a comforting hoof on her friend, but Octavia walked straight passed her.
"Uh, um..." the blue mare stammered, not sure what was going on.
"Really Octavia, it's alright." Applejack tried to calm the cellist down, but was ignored much the same way that Vinyl was.
"What did you call mah cousins?" Octavia stopped mere inches from the blue mare, their faces practically touching.
"You're cousins? These two?"
"That's right." The cellist's voice began to change with those words, sliding away from Octavia, and becoming Fiddlesticks. "Mah cousins!"
"Octavia, you're voice!" Vinyl shouted. The cellist turned to look at the DJ. When she realized what Vinyl said, her face grew surprised for a second, but only for a second.
"Vinyl, change my fur."
"Octavia, are you sure?" The mare only nodded in response. "Alright then...Fiddlesticks." Vinyl charged the spell, and unleashed it once more, engulfing the cellist in a bright light. When the light faded, the entire theater gasped in shock, and the performer slowly began to make her way back to the stage, stopping when she passed Applejack.
"Cousin Applejack, may ah borrow your hat?"
"Uh, sure thing." Applejack hoofed her stetson over, and her cousin put it on. As she continued her way back to the stage she untied her bow tie, and retied it as a kerchief. She climbed back on stage, and picked up her cello and bow.
"Mah name is Fiddlesticks, and if ya'll would care to listen, ah would like to play mah cello for ya'."