//------------------------------//
// Octavia's Lost Melody 
// Story: Octavia's Lost Melody 
// by MaudPie21 
//------------------------------//

	A faint melody emanated throughout the halls of an upscale Canterlot suite, as a room service pony with a beige coat and blue mane delivered evening meals to the various residents. The sorrowful, yet powerful tones began to grow deeper and more profound, the closer he got to the far end of the hallway. As he opened a door leading to the room of the final patron of the night, the music stopped.

Octavia was standing in front of a large glass window that looked out upon the city square, where many denizens were enjoying the night out. The moon was shining brilliantly, and in this dimly lit room the only things visible were Octavia and her cello, basking in the radiance as if under a spotlight.

The gray pony briefly turned her head to glance at the pony delivering her dinner, and then turned back to face the window. 

"Thank you." Octavia gently caressed her mane, which seemed to be an even darker black than usual due to the moonlight's contrast. The room service pony slowly rolled a cart into the bedroom, picked up a silver platter, and placed it on a small oval table located in front of Octavia's bed.

After he had left, Octavia resumed playing for a few moments, closing her eyes as she took in the atmosphere. She could feel the moonlight on her eyes, hear the bustling of the Canterlot high society ponies below in the city square, and smell the aroma of the broiled hay she had requested.

Not wanting the hay to get cold, she placed her instrument against the wall and sat onto the bed, the silver platter sitting on the table in front of her. As she lifted the cover off the platter, she could feel the heat from the broiled hay hit her face, it's unbridled heat acting as a stark change in mood from the cold, moonlit night she had just been immersed in.

In between each mouthful of hay, Octavia would gently dab her mouth with a high quality purple hued napkin. She looked down at the napkin, now resting on the table beside the platter, as she slowly and dreamily recalled recent memories.

A year or two ago, after she had performed exceedingly well at a renowned orchestral concert in Canterlot, her fellow band members rewarded her with a gift. Although she never allowed herself to think much of it, the truth was that she cherished this purple napkin. It was the only time anypony outside of her family had ever given her anything.

Octavia finished her meal and summoned the room service pony to remove the platter. As he made his way out the door, she cleared her throat to get his attention, and again said, "Thank you."

Octavia gently stepped off her bed and walked over to the window. She sometimes felt awkward walking on all four hooves. She often had to stand, for hours at a time, on just two, in order to play her cello correctly. 

She dipped her head down into a small black leather purse that sat next to the window, and pulled out a small white comb. As she proceeded to gently comb her mane, she looked out onto the Canterlot nightlife below her. 

There were so many ponies, all doing very similar things. Ponies playing music, ponies enjoying exquisite delicacies at high-end restaurants, ponies enjoying games of croquet, and other activities of the sort. She sighed briefly, closed her eyes, and placed the comb back into the purse.

The room was much darker now, an hour after her meal; Octavia had covered the window with curtains. There was no way she could sleep with such a bright moonlit sky cast throughout the room. As she lay in bed, she contemplated all she had taken in this night. Was there not more to life than this? Her music, however beautiful it may have been, left her feeling lonely.

Life was only ever her and her cello, endlessly pouring notes into the moonlight, and never receiving much in return. She had her praise, she had her admiration, but was that really what she wanted? She was revered as one of Canterlot's elite musicians, yet was that status alone really enough? 

She tossed and turned in her bed, unable to fall asleep for hours. Eventually, she drifted off into slumber, while thinking to herself, 'Why do I play? Why?'

The morning light began to shine through the curtains and beamed gently onto Octavia's face. She slowly awoke, and the first thing she laid eyes on was her cello, leaning against the bedroom wall. As she rubbed her eyes in an effort to overcome morning dreariness, she kept her glance held fast to the cello. The instrument suddenly felt distant to her.

The room service pony knocked on the door and asked, "Would you like your morning tea, Ms. Melody?" 

Octavia yawned, and after a brief stretch, replied, "Yes, very much so."

The door slowly opened and the tea was delivered promptly. Octavia reached from the bed to the ground and retrieved her black purse. She pulled out a small mirror and analyzed her reflection. Her mane was a bit messy, but she didn't bother to fix it. She was staring deep into her own purple eyes, searching for an answer to her question, 'Why do I play?'

As she made her way out of the suite, she glanced behind her and glared at the cello she had on her back. It was snug tight in a fine leather case and was strapped around her body, like always, yet this time it seemed to carry more of a burden than usual. The weight seemed daunting.

Before Octavia could make more than a few steps away from the suite, a gray pony with large glasses and an even larger yellow hat came prancing up to her. 

"Oh, Octavia! I'm so lucky to have found you! I was planning on hosting a royal banquet tonight for the Wonderbolts, and I was wondering if you could perhaps provide the music?"

Octavia glanced at the ground, sighed, and then looked into the pony's face. Her eyes were glittering with anticipation, and the persistent looking grin on her face showed that she wouldn't take 'No' for an answer.

"Unfortunately, I already have something scheduled for tonight. My deepest apologizes," Octavia said in a deadpan tone as she resumed her walk. She wasn't in the mood to perform for a huge audience of Canterlot's most prestigious ponies, not to mention the Wonderbolts themselves.

The Canterlot pony seemed disappointed for a second or two, until she spotted another musical pony and began to beg them for their services instead. 

'I dislike telling white lies. I need to plan a small concert of some sort for tonight so I don't make a liar out of myself.' Octavia thought to herself as she walked about the roads of Canterlot. She spotted a small flyer pinned onto a bulletin board in the city square.

The flyer said, 'Oak Lavender's filly birthday tonight! Looking to hire Canterlot musician for festivities!' Octavia's eyes skimmed through the paper, 'Perfect.' She thought to herself.





Octavia stood in front of a small Canterlot home, it was only one story and had a roof that looked like giant graham crackers. As she opened the door she heard somepony galloping towards her. A yellow pony with her brown mane in a bun appeared in a flash.

"Why hello there, you must be the musician! Welcome, welcome!" The resident of the house was very excited. She showed Octavia to a large room with bright yellow walls and floorboards, decorated with streamers and balloons.

"This is where the party will be hosted. You will perform on that stage right over... there!" Octavia glanced in the direction the pony was pointing and saw a very small stage-like area, which had just barely enough room for her and her cello to fit on it.

Octavia looked at the pony, smiled, and nodded. She made her way over to the stage and began her preparations. She proceeded with unfastening the leather case, pulling out the cello, and propping it up.

The fillies and colts still hadn't arrived yet, so she decided to spend a little time practicing. Perhaps maybe a whimsical song for the little fillies? A nice song they could perform a slow dance to? Maybe even a fast paced song to get them excited?

She couldn't decide what to play for the birthday party. After practicing all three types of songs for a while, the ponies began to pour in. A few of them gave her a passing glance, but most of them trotted straight on over to the punch and cake.

All of the fillies and colts had gathered after a while, and Octavia still hadn't gotten the opportunity to play anything yet. She kept looking to the pony that had welcomed her earlier, who was standing in the back of the room, but she gave Octavia no queues of any kind.

Octavia began to grow impatient. An hour had passed by this point, and the young ponies were all so energetic and loud that she still hadn't had a chance to play any music yet. Some fillies began to notice her, and asked about the instrument she was holding.

"This is a cello," Octavia said quietly, with a gentle smile on her face. Some of the fillies replied with 'Cool!' or 'Okay!' but most of them just walked away after hearing the answer, off to find more interesting things to do. 

Tired of being forced to do nothing, Octavia began to play regardless of what the ponies were up to. She decided to play a whimsical tune, hoping that it would grab her audience's attention. One small pink filly, with a purple mane and bright yellow eyes, took notice of the music and listened intently. A few other ponies listened as well, but most of them were completely oblivious to the music, laughing amongst themselves and eating cake.

After another hour of this the party had ended, and the fillies had made their way out of the room, back to their own homes. The mother pony thanked Octavia, gave her a payment of bits, and guided her out of the house. 

Octavia left the home disappointed. Not a single filly, she thought, was paying any attention to her music. As she walked back to her suite, a melancholy look on her face, the small pink filly from earlier was leaving the house with her parents.

She stared at Octavia, who was now fading into the distance, the moonlight beaming onto her like a spotlight once again. The light glinted in the young filly's eyes, and she smiled. She looked up at her mother and slowly began to say, "Mom, I want to play a cello!" 

The mother and father chuckled as they exchanged replies of 'Sure, dear!' and 'That's splendid!' whilst the young filly was still gazing at Octavia, who had just now vanished from her sight.

The next day, Octavia decided to check up on the bulletin board again, hoping for something better. Much to her surprise, she found yet another flyer requesting a musician, although not the type of musician she was. It was put up by a pony named Vinyl Scratch, who wanted to gather all of Canterlot's musicians together for an all-out musical bash that night.

Octavia never usually attended parties like these. Her cello playing was much too refined to be put together with rock and techno music. It would never mix. 

'Although...' She thought to herself, 'Perhaps this is the change of pace I'm looking for. Perhaps this will give me renewed enthusiasm towards my music!' 

Without giving it a second thought, she rushed over to the venue as quickly as her hooves could take her, an overjoyed expression on her face. Once she arrived, however, her expression faded to one of reluctance.

All around her were hip, rambunctious ponies with all sorts of odd instruments she couldn't even recognize. She suddenly felt very out of place. As she was about to leave, Vinyl Scratch, otherwise know as DJ Pon-3, came darting through the crowd and grabbed her. 

"Hey, Octavia! So glad you could make it! You'll dig it here. Bring that cello backstage and let's get this party started!" She pulled Octavia into the building against her will.

Vinyl Scratch dragged her backstage behind a large curtain and introduced her to her fellow band members. There were three members, not including Octavia herself, and they all had instruments that she couldn't even begin to comprehend the use of.

One pony had what seemed to be an oversized fork, which he was tapping as if it were some sort of chime; Another pony had a ball of melted candles that had been stuck together, which she was patting as if it were some sort of bongo; And the final pony simply took off his fedora hat and blew into it, producing an odd, low whistling sound.

Octavia blinked twice, and turned her head towards Vinyl. 

"This is my band? What is this, some kind of circus?" 

Vinyl Scratch laughed, "Haha, no way! These ponies are gonna bring about a musical revolution!" She then darted away towards the rope that controlled the curtain and said, "Show starts in ten minutes!"

After DJ Pon-3 trotted away, Octavia looked towards her band members and asked, "Do any of you have any musical experience whatsoever?"

All three of them glanced at each other, then back at her, and replied in unison, "Nope."

Octavia placed one hoof on her head and sighed a deep sigh. What had she gotten herself into? She still tried to make the best of the situation, 'Maybe this isn't so bad. Maybe the audience will appreciate my cello playing in comparison to the rest of these... instruments.'

As soon as she finished arranging her cello, the curtains rose. Before her stood a moderately sized audience of around fifty or so ponies, all of which were fellow 'revolutionary musicians' as Vinyl Scratch had called them. Vinyl took center stage.

"Alright my fellow budding musicians, are you ready to ROCK?!" DJ Pon-3 motioned one hoof next to her ear, waiting for a reply from the audience.

"YEAH!" The audience bellowed in unison. 

"Well then, give it up for Octavia and this other bunch of weirdos!" DJ exclaimed as she motioned her hoof towards the band. The audience cheered in response. Octavia felt mortified.

The performance began. Octavia's beautiful melody was drowned out by the incessant mess coming from her fellow band members. Regardless of how awful it sounded, the audience cheered with delight, as if they would be pleased no matter how bad the performance was.

After a while of playing and contracting a severe headache, Octavia rushed off the stadium the first chance she got. On her way out of the building, a pony with a light brown coat approached her. She had a spiky red mane, and large black glasses that almost seemed to glow due to the night sky's reflection.

"Great job up there! You were awesome!" 

Octavia shrugged and said, "I suppose," in a mumbling tone as she began to walk away from her, looking forlorn.

Vinyl Scratch came running out of the building and shouted to her, "Wait up! Don't you want your pay?" She waved a bag of bits in the air.

Octavia stopped and looked behind herself, towards Vinyl, and replied, "No, that's quite alright. It was... my pleasure." She rolled her eyes and finally faded from view, as she walked into the dark blue shadows that were cast across the city square.





The gray cellist pony lay in her bed, staring out the window. She looked intently at the moon, waiting for an answer to come to her. Why was she questioning her musical career now, of all times? The familiarity with high society Canterlot garden parties was something she had taken for granted. She needed to return to where she belonged.

The birthday party and 'concert' were unique experiences to be sure, but she soon realized nopony there was sophisticated enough to appreciate the nuance in her music. It hampered her ability to play efficiently. 

She slowly raised her head and looked at her cello, propped up against the wall. Would another night pass without her playing it beneath the moonlight's glow? Her cello used to feel like her only companion, yet now it seemed more akin to a stranger.

'Tomorrow,' She thought to herself as she lay her head back down onto her pillow and shut her eyes, 'Tomorrow I will play for the proper audience again.'

As luck would have it, the next morning, she ran into the gray pony with the large yellow hat and glasses again. It appears she was holding yet another banquet for the Wonderbolts, and this time Octavia was eager to provide the music.

This time, she would get to play with her usual band members; Parish Nandermane, Frederick Horseshoepin, and Beauty Brass would all be there. She knew she belonged with them. Only together could their music truly shine. 

She arrived at the Canterlot Gardens, a venue she performed at quite often. The last time she was here was for Jet Set and Upper Crust's event in which they had invited Fancy Pants and Rarity.

'Those are the kind of ponies that truly understand my music,' Octavia thought to herself as she set up her cello on the stage. The garden was peaceful, only a few ponies were stirring about and having quiet conversations with one another.

Her other band members gradually arrived and set up their instruments on the stage. They greeted one another with a quiet 'Hello' and 'How have you been?'

A purple twilight sky was shining down upon the partygoers. Octavia looked up at the colors above her and smiled. She glanced towards her band members, and then towards the Canterlot ponies, her glistening purple eyes fixated on their every move.

'It's only been a little over a week since my last true performance, yet it feels like I haven't been on stage in ages.' She mused to herself as she closed her eyes and began to play the soft, quiet notes on her cello.

The rest of the band members began in unison, and soon their instruments were creating a harmony that even Octavia herself found more soothing than usual, compared to the recent messes she had found herself in. 

Then, something happened. As she continued playing, she could feel her notes running dry. She could feel the force in her melody dropping. The images of energetic fillies and flippant concert goers filling her mind. A frustrated, agitated expression soon began to form on her face. 

She opened one of her eyes to observe the other band members and party attendees, wondering if any of them had noticed her slip up. Nopony noticed. For some peculiar reason, this upset Octavia. 'They're not even paying attention,' She subconsciously thought.

Against her will, she continued to play stale notes, but not a single member of the Canterlot garden party gave so much as curious glance. Indeed, most of them were busy tasting the food or participating in idle chit chat. Only a few stopped and admired the music, which they did only casually, nodding their heads and whispering 'Mhm' to themselves.

There was one young colt at the other side of the garden with a white coat and a golden mane that was listening closely to the music Octavia had been playing. He could see the look on her face, he could see her stress and agitation. Still, he listened, intent on hearing the performance through to the end.

Octavia couldn't wait for the performance to be over. After the guests had left and the other band members began to pack up their instruments, Octavia approached them. She cleared her throat to get their attention. They looked at her inquisitively.

"Attention, everypony. I have an important declaration to make." 

Octavia closed her eyes and tilted her head towards the ground, then lifted her head back up with a determined expression and said, "I'm quitting the cello." 

The band members all gasped. 

"I know, it seems sudden... but my performance tonight was just terrible."

Beauty Brass walked up to Octavia and placed a hoof on her shoulder, "Now, now dear, your performance was excellent. We didn't notice anything wrong," She looked back at Nandermane and Horseshoepin, who nodded in agreement, "Plus, we all make mistakes from time to time. It's nothing to fret over."

Octavia cut her off, "It's not just that. For the past week, the cello has been feeling distant from me. I haven't able to... connect with it as well as I used to. For example, I used to play it every night before bed, but now I go to sleep as soon as I enter my suite, and I toss and turn for hours!"

The band members looked at each other, concerned. 

Octavia sighed and looked towards the ground, "It won't be a permanent retirement of the cello, I just want to try a different instrument for a little while. I think I need a change of pace..."

Together they came to the conclusion that Octavia should try playing the piano. It was different from the cello, yet she was used to hearing it played by her fellow band members. That knowledge could help her ease into it more quickly. Octavia hugged them and thanked them deeply.

"Perhaps this is my true calling! Thank you so much for your advice!" She galloped over to a nearby music studio and signed up for a single class of piano lessons scheduled for the next day, then galloped back to her suite.

As she entered her suite, the room service pony was tidying up. 

"Good evening, Ms. Melody. Are you going to play any cello tonight?"

She shook her head, "Oh no, I've had enough of that. I'm going to try playing the piano!"

"Oh, I see." His expression dampened a bit, "It's just, that cello reminded me of back when I was a young little colt and... oh, nevermind."

He gathered up his materials onto a silver cart and started leaving the room, "Have a pleasant night, Ms. Melody." 

"You as well," she replied as he shut the door behind himself.

Octavia placed her cello up against the wall, and sat on the ground in front of it. She stared at the strings, the wood, and placed her hooves on them. She gently, slowly, tried to sense something from the instrument, but nothing came. 

She got into bed, took one last look at her cello, and went to sleep for the night. Before she drifted off, she had faint memories of one of the first times she ever played a full song on the cello. She remembered how her mother told her it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. 





Octavia's eyes shot open, and she looked out the window. The sun had already been up for quite a while. 

'Oh no! What if I've missed my class?!' She leapt out of bed and rushed out the door, ignoring the room service pony and leaving her cello behind. 

She quickly navigated through the Canterlot pathways, making sure not to bump into anypony. She saw an elderly pony with a beret on his head outside of the music studio she had signed up for. 

"Excuse me, but have the piano classes for today started yet?" Octavia asked the elderly pony as she tried to catch her breath.

"Oh, why, they're about to start in a few minutes. Say, aren't you that famous cello player?" 

Before he finished his sentence, Octavia had already darted into the studio and into the room she had been assigned to yesterday. She burst open the door and found only two ponies in the room, the teacher and one other student.

Feeling embarrassed, she gingerly walked over to her assigned piano and cleared her throat, trying to convey an apologetic message for being so rude.

Before the teacher began his class, she took some time to glance over the classroom. There were three large rectangular windows to her left on the other side of the room that presented a beautiful view of Ponyville in the distance, a quiet village nestled amongst the hills.

The class began, and Octavia was eager to learn. The more she played, the more she began to feel accustomed to the piano's feel. The keys, the pedals, they all felt so natural to her. 

Yet, something still didn't feel right. Sure, the piano was a joy to play, but it wasn't giving her a sense of satisfaction. By the time the class had ended, Octavia had lost her enthusiasm altogether.

"Good work, Ms. Melody! Will you be signing up for a full class course?" 

Octavia stepped down from her bench and walked towards the exit of the classroom, then turned and faced the teacher.

"While I enjoyed this experience, I do not think I will be continuing," A tear rolled down her cheek, "Thank you." She galloped out of the building, trying to cover her face so nopony could see her tears.

Before she could make it back to her suite, she spotted her fellow band members waiting for her at a nearby restaurant. Rather than avoid them, she cleaned up her tears using her purple napkin and went to join them.

She breathed deeply to regain her composure, then greeted them.

"Hello, everypony. How are you all doing this fine afternoon?" 

They exchanged greetings, and motioned for her to sit with them at a table. Parish Nandermane cleared his throat, "In honor of your study of the piano, Octavia Melody, we have decided to have you participate in a piano concert this evening!"

It took every bit of willpower Octavia had to prevent her jaw from dropping. 'Oh no!' She thought.

Beauty Brass placed one hoof on her back, "Don't worry, dear. It's a very small concert. It's for some visitors from Ponyville, that's all. I'm sure they'll love your playing."

'That's not the point,' Octavia thought, 'I just can't play the piano the same way I play the cello...'

The time for the concert had rolled around, and Octavia showed up at the concert hall ten minutes ahead of schedule. She was greeted by Beauty Brass.

"Now, just give it your best shot, and you'll be fine. We'll be rooting for you. Getting this place to book us for tonight sure was a hassle, but it was worth it! Good luck, Octavia!" She gave Octavia a pat on the back as she trotted away.

Octavia gulped. She could not have foreseen this turn of events a week ago, that was for sure. Here she was, about to play piano in front of citizens from Ponyville on the same day she first learned how to play!

She went through the big, red double doors that led to backstage and sat at the piano bench. She gently placed her hooves on the piano keys, feeling them, trying to sense a feeling from the piano.

It didn't feel the same. The feel of the strings and wood that she was accustomed to; this wasn't it. How could she impress an audience with an instrument she wasn't connected to emotionally?

Yet, that was the same dilemma she had with her cello this past week. Her disconnect with her cello had ruined her capabilities as a musician. Was she not fit to be a musician at all? A sad, defeated expression made its way onto Octavia's face.

Suddenly, the curtain rose, and a loud applause filled the tiny stadium. Without thinking, Octavia began to play, and the audience went silent in  response.

Twilight Sparkle and Rarity were sitting next to each other in the audience. 

"Absolutely beautiful!" Twilight whispered to Rarity.

Rarity whispered in response, "Isn't it? It's stupendous!"

Octavia began to feel beads of sweat appearing on her forehead, a panicked look in her eyes.

'This is terrible! I don't know how to properly play the piano! What were they thinking, signing me up for this?!' She thought to herself as she wildly tapped her hooves against the piano keys.

She finally stopped, and the second she did, the audience roared in applause once again. She quickly hopped off her bench, bowed, and ran off stage. 

'They actually enjoyed that performance? How could they? My piano skills are awful!' 

She walked out of the building and looked out again at Ponyville in the distance, now with a full moon hanging overhead. It made the entire village appear as a faint, dimly lit blur to her eyes.

'I suppose... that's all anypony has ever done. Listened to my music, had a merry time, and went on with their day.' Octavia solemnly thought to herself as she walked through the grass, kicking a tiny pebble with her hoof. She was making her way through a tiny cliff that overlooked Ponyville.

'Perhaps my music was never anything more than that. Just sounds to be heard and then forgotten in an instant...' She kneeled down into the grass and began to cry. Just then, she remembered last night. The memories of the first song she had ever played on the cello.

She galloped back to her suite and slowly creaked open the door to her room. The moonlight was shining in, with only her cello visible, as if under a spotlight. She walked up to it, and placed one of her hooves on the strings. She picked up her bow, and played a single note on the cello before going to bed. That single note seemed to echo in her mind for the rest of the night until she fell asleep.





The next day, Octavia had packed up her cello in its usual leather case and trotted to the train station. She planned on boarding the Friendship Express and traveling to Ponyville. 

The way it glistened in the moonlight; it was as if it were calling out to her somehow. The train pulled up, and various ponies entered and exited the train. 

In front of Octavia was an energetic, hyper pink pony bouncing up and down and yelling quite loudly, "Oh my gosh, I can't wait to get back to Ponyville and tell Mr. and Mrs. Cake alllll about the concert last night!"

"Well, that won't be for a while, so simmer down Pinkie." An orange pony replied as she tipped her hat to block out the glaring sun.

Octavia smiled in response to these events, and took another glance out towards Ponyville from the train station. Before she made another major decision with her music career, she wanted to perform one last time with her cello, and she felt Ponyville was the place to do it. A nice quiet, secluded village.

A little while later, the Friendship Express finally arrived at its destination. When she stepped off the train, she found Parish Nandermane, Frederick Horseshoepin, and Beauty Brass waiting for her, much to her surprise.

"W-What are all of you doing here?" Octavia asked with great disbelief.

Beauty Brass walked closer to her, "We didn't realize what kind of situation we put you in last night, until we saw you out on that cliff staring down at Ponyville. We thought you probably wanted to come down here, so we took an earlier train hoping we could meet you here and apologize in person."

Octavia placed one hoof on Beauty Brass' shoulder, "Thank you, all of you, but it wasn't your fault. It was mine. I just need a break from all musical instruments for a while..." 

She slowly walked away as her friends looked on, a concerned yet relieved look on their faces. 

Later that night, after having spent the majority of the day visiting candy shops and taking some time off, Octavia decided to take a walk.

She walked for quite a while in this unfamiliar town. Being bathed in the moonlight above her, she felt at peace. 

'No more Canterlot parties, no more pressure, no more music,' She thought to herself, 'No more music...'

Suddenly, a small stage became visible to her. It looked like the kind of stage small school ponies would perform on. It was filled with all sorts of props and backdrops made by young fillies and colts.

She found herself being drawn to the stage, and she walked up to it without even realizing it. She climbed atop it and stood on the stage, looking down at the small patch of grass below her.

Octavia unfastened the leather case, pulled out her cello, and propped it up on the stage. She had a sudden burst of inspiration. Here, alone, under the moonlight and surrounded by only the trees and grass, could she begin her final performance.

Slowly, she raised the bow to the strings, and began to play. The melody that emerged from the instrument was like none she had heard before, and yet it was oddly familiar. Soon, she began to realize she had unconsciously started playing the first song she had ever played on the cello, the one that impressed her mother all those years ago.

As the melody began to ring out through the trees, it made its way into Ponyville, where the musical notes and beautiful sounds filled the air. Octavia could feel the presence of other ponies as she continued her playing, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Her playing slowed down when she saw the audience members below her. She recognized all of them; the young pink filly with a purple mane from that birthday party, that odd pony with the spiky red mane from the rock concert, the young white colt with a golden mane from the Canterlot garden party, that elderly pony with the beret from the music studio, and the beige room service pony from her suite. 

They had all been drawn to her music, and had traveled to Ponyville as well, somewhat knowing that she would be here. The pace of her playing quickened as she smiled, and tears began to form in her eyes.

She closed her eyes again and let the tears fall as she continued playing. Finally, her cello felt like a part of her again. It wasn't just a musical instrument, it was an extension of herself.

Octavia had been unaware of it, but her uncertainty of her purpose as a musician was integrated into her music; At the birthday party, at the rock concert, at the Canterlot garden party, and even at her own suite. These ponies had connected to the beauty of her music, and most of all, to the beauty of her feelings.

Her playing gradually became more intense, as she could feel her emotions taking her over. Soon, other ponies began gathering around the tiny stage, being drawn in by the beautiful music. 'Whimsical, slow, and then fast paced,' She thought to herself.

Octavia looked at the audience once again. This time, she saw all of her fellow band members watching her, with smiles on their faces. She even recognized Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack from the piano concert and the train station.

Her music could reach out to other ponies like nothing else could. She remembered the day she made her mother overjoyed using only the sound of her cello. She could make dozens upon dozens of other ponies experience that same kind of happiness through the power of her music alone.

She was finally able to answer the question that had been bothering her all this time.

Octavia took one final look out across the crowd before playing the final part of her song, and fixated her gaze onto the small pink filly from the birthday party, whose bright golden eyes were sparkling in awe.

'This is why I play.'

When her song finished, the audience remained silent. Some ponies were so taken aback they could not speak, and some even had tears in their eyes.

When Octavia saw this, she noted her own tears streaming down her face. She took her purple napkin out of her purse, dabbed the tears away, and bowed.

"Thank you."

The crowd erupted with an outburst of applause and cheer. Octavia looked up at the full moon, and whispered, "Thank you."