Jumping up and down in excitement was not acceptable. At least, it wasn’t here, not in Canterlot. Neither was pacing back and forth with nervousness. It simply wasn’t done. Not if a pony wanted to be accepted into the elite and maintain her station among them. A true lady in Canterlot was always calm, always refined, and always in control of her emotions. She was the picture of perfection; a mare who could stand in the middle of a blistering heat wave and not sweat, or walk through a freezing day and not shiver.
And that was what Symphony was, or at least what she told herself as she waited for her turn to perform. She was completely calm on the outside, but she couldn’t deny that inside, her heart was racing. Finally, it was going to be her turn. Finally, she would get her chance to shine. Finally, she would wow Canterlot—no, all of Equestria—with her musical talent. Octavia Melody had had her turn, but now it was another pony’s turn. Octavia wasn’t the only Earth pony who could play music worthy of Canterlot, and with this show tonight, Symphony was going to prove it. The cellist hadn’t been the only one who had played for Upper Crust’s and Jet Set’s garden party, despite what everypony seemed to believe.
The yellow mare stood off to the side, watching the rest of the contestants—because that’s what they were, even if everypony said this wasn’t a competition—and sizing them up. She really wasn’t concerned about them. There were the typical magic acts, singers, dancers, and more than a few musicians. But she was the only pony there with a violin, and that was all that mattered. Once the crowd heard her beautiful music, they would forget everypony else’s performances, not matter what they were. And then, Symphony would finally prove to everypony that an Earth pony in Canterlot being a famous stringed musician was possible, not just a one-time stroke of luck.
She would make them eat those words…
“You’ll see,” the mare growled under her breath. Her teal blue eyes narrowed ever so slightly as her mind replayed the mocking laugher from the doubters, but she quickly regained control of herself. She pushed the thoughts aside with a deep breath and adjusted her purple bowtie. Her turn was next, and she couldn’t allow those thoughts to affect her now. She needed to be the icon of perfection that she knew she could be.
“Symphony, you’re up,” the stage director said as the pony before her walked off stage.
“Coming,” Symphony replied, trying hard to keep her voice from cracking. She didn’t want to give a bad impression. Calmly, she reached down and collected her violin case with her mouth, the raised her head and tilted it back just a bit—like a true Canterlot mare would—and walked out on stage. She stopped dead center and set her case down, pulled out her violin and bow, and then stood up on her hind legs, ready to play, all without opening her eyes to look at the crowd. That was the sign of a true professional. Let the crowd know that they didn’t upset you and that they couldn’t trip you up. It would make them pay attention.
After silently counting to three in her mind, Symphony opened her eyes halfway and looked out into the crowd. She couldn’t be certain because of the lights shining in her face, but she could see plenty of ponies in the seats, so she decided that it was a full house. Because after she finished her turn in the talent show, everypony would be talking about her, even if they weren’t here.
Taking one more quick breath, Symphony drew her bow across her strings. As she began playing, she wondered if Octavia was out there somewhere. She doubted it—such a famous musician wouldn’t bother coming to such a lowly event as the Canterlot Royal Talent Show—but it was a possibility. And if she was out there, what would she think of Symphony? Would she be impressed? Would she try to find her after she won and ask to play with her? Or would she be jealous, having had an early glimpse of the pony that would soon be replacing her as the talk of Canterlot? Symphony hoped it wasn’t the last one, because she did admire Octavia. She was her inspiration, after all, but she would be replaced. Symphony was going to make sure of that.
As Symphony’s glorious music filled the hall, she felt a smile come to her lips. She bobbed her head slightly as she continued to play one of her best pieces, and for a brief moment she could feel her walls lowering. She felt happy. The worries, the anger, and the shame all melted away as she played her violin. She wished she could feel this way all the time. She wished she could simply play her violin for ponies and be loved for it. She wished she could play with her idol, Octavia, and the two of them could be best friends. She wished her life could be that simple, but she knew it couldn’t. Not in Canterlot, anyway. Not if she wanted to achieve her goal.
Symphony sped up the strokes of her bow, picking up the pace of her music. Her happiness dimmed a little, but it was still there as she continued on toward her finale. She could feel it coming now, and she closed her eyes again, striking the final notes and listening to them echo out over the audience. She held her breath as the echo faded and remained perfectly still for six seconds, making it clear to her new fans that she had finished, and then she took a deep bow.
The sound of applause flew back at her. She set her violin and bow back in its case and she allowed the glee she felt in her chest to show on her face as a small smile. She closed her case and looked up at the audience, her smile gone but the feeling of pride still strong, and bowed again, closing her eyes as she did. Then she collected her case and walked gracefully back behind the curtain.
“Take that, mother and father,” Symphony said as she set her case down. “I told you I could do it.” Her smile returned as she continued to listen to the applause and she allowed herself a small giggle of happiness. Her time had finally come. Tomorrow, Canterlot would be abuzz with word of her beautiful performance at the talent show, and soon ponies would be talking about her instead of Octavia.
“Fiddlesticks?” the stage pony called. “Fiddlesticks, are you here? You’re up.”
“I’m here!” a pony called from somewhere in the crowd of backstage ponies. “I’m coming. One second! Excuse me, pardon me—ooaf!”
Symphony stumbled as a pony bumped into her. She nearly lost her balance, but she managed to stay standing. She whipped her head around, her eyes wide with anger, to see who had dared to bump into her so carelessly.
“Oh, I’m so, so, so sorry,” the pony said as she straightened her…was that a cowboy hat on her head? Why in Equestria was she wearing something like that in Canterlot?
“It’s…quite all right,” Symphony said, baffled. Who was this pony? She was dressed in a green…thing, because Symphony wasn’t about to call it a shirt, and she had a red piece of fabric tied around her waist and a matching bandana around her neck. Did…did she not know she was in Canterlot? Did she think she was still in the backwoods of Equestria or something?
“Ooooooh, you’re that pony that just finished playing, aren’t you?” the mare said as she looked at Symphony with wide eyes. “You were really good. I loved it.”
“Thank you,” Symphony said, pride swelling in her as she tapped her chest and closed her eyes. “My name is Symphony.”
“You’re really good, Symphony,” the pony said. “I hope I can play as good as you did just now.”
Symphony’s eyes snapped open. “Excuse me?” she said, not sure she had heard correctly.
“Fiddlesticks! You’re needed on stage. Now!”
“Coming!” the pony yelled. “Nice meeting you, Symphony. Maybe we can hang out after the show? I’d love to get some pointers from you.”
As Fiddlesticks turned toward the stage, Symphony felt a hole open in her chest. Fiddlesticks was carrying a violin case! Symphony looked down to make sure the country pony hadn’t stolen hers, but it was still down at her hooves. No! No, this couldn’t be happening! How could there be another Earth mare who played a violin? And just to add insult to injury, she was yellow, just like Symphony!
“Calm down,” Symphony said to herself, running her hoof through her purple mane to regain her composure. “You saw how she’s dressed. There’s no way she’s better than you. You have nothing to worry about. She probably doesn’t even know how to play that violin.”
The familiar sound of a violin drifted to Symphony’s ears. Okay, maybe she did know how to play it. But what were the odds she could play it as well as Symphony?
“Zero, that’s what!” Symphony said, her fur bristling as she thought about that ridiculous pony in her ridiculous outfit and her ridiculous hat. How dare she try to upstage Symphony! Her coat probably wasn’t even yellow. She had probably dyed it just so she could be like Symphony. Well, she’d show her. There was only room for one yellow mare violinist in Canterlot.
Just as Symphony’s breathing began to threaten her calm composure, Fiddlestick’s music changed. Symphony cocked her head to the side slightly and raised an ear, not sure what she was hearing. It was still a violin, of that there was no doubt, but it wasn’t like anything she had ever heard. It was too…fast. Too much twang. This wasn’t music. This…this…this was hoedown music.
Symphony snorted as she tried to keep her laughter in. All her worries melted away. She was safe. There was no way this crowd of Canterlot ponies was going to enjoy this. Why, she almost felt bad for Fiddlesticks now. She was going to be laughed off stage at the end of her performance. Perhaps Symphony should talk to her afterward. It would help Symphony’s reputation, that was for certain. Ponies would see her as sympathetic and understanding, willing to help another musician who was so clearly beneath her level of talent. Yes, that would—
The stage started rumbling under Symphony’s hooves and a loud noise began to bang in her ears. She winced and flattened her ears against her skull as she tried to figure out what was happening. She had suspected that poor Fiddlesticks was going to get a bad reception, but she hadn’t expected it to be this bad.
That was when Symphony’s brain finally sorted out the sounds she was hearing. The shaking wasn’t ponies rushing the stage, but stamping their hooves in applause. Harder than they had for her! And the loud roar wasn’t booing, but screams and cheers!
“They…they loved it?” the Earth pony said, her mouth hanging open in shock. “Why?” This was Canterlot! That backwater music didn’t belong here! Classical music belonged here! Symphony’s music belonged here. This was her night to shine. How dare this Fiddlesticks try to steal the spotlight from her.
Fiddlesticks came prancing backstage—She prances! Who prances at that age?—with the biggest, dumbest grin on her face. Why was she so happy? The audience didn’t love it. They just…they just felt sorry for her. Yes, that was it. They just felt sorry for her because she was so out of place here.
“Wow, Symphony, did you hear that?” Fiddlesticks asked as she walked up to Symphony. She dropped her violin case on the floor and bounced up and down on her hooves in excitement, like a little filly. “I was so worried that they wouldn’t like my music, but I guess they do.”
“Uh-huh,” Symphony said between clenched teeth. “They sure do.”
“But it wasn’t as good as yours. Yours was so beautiful, so calming. Mine was just a little tune I came up with. It was nothing special.”
That’s right! And don’t you forget it!
“It was certainly…different than mine,” Symphony said, struggling to keep her anger in check. A true Canterlot mare didn’t get upset like this. She didn’t allow her rage to be seen. She didn’t, she didn’t, she didn’t!
Symphony felt her hooves beginning to tremble. She needed to get away from this mare, or she was going to snap. She bent down and grabbed her violin case with her teeth. “If you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment I need to get to.”
“Aw, that’s too bad. I was really hoping we could talk after the show.”
Not on your life!
Symphony struggled to strap her case to her body. She decided it was because of her anger and forced the strap, pinching herself in the process. She let out a small yelp, then turned and swished her wavy tail toward Fiddlesticks as she made her way out the door.
She just needed to get home. Yes, that was all. She just needed to calm down, and then tomorrow everything would be better. Everypony would forget about Fiddlesticks and her disgusting country music. They would all see that Symphony’s music was clearly the superior choice, and then she would be back on track to her goal. Yes, that was it. This was just a small bump in her road to the top, nothing more.
That thought kept burning in her mind all the way home. As she threw open the door to her small apartment, the strap holding her violin pinched her again. She stomped her hoof and twisted around to yank the strap. She clenched it in her teeth and pulled as hard as she could. The strap snapped, part of it slapping against her face and leaving a stinging sensation. She let out a small scream of frustration and the violin case fell to the floor.
“Great,” she said as she spit the broken cord out of her mouth. “What else could go wrong?”
The Earth mare glared down at her violin case. It had popped open when it hit the floor, and she was worried the fall had damaged her precious instrument. But as she looked at it, she felt all her anger melt away. At first it was replaced with shock, and then panic, but as those emotions faded, a new emotion began to take hold of her. A grin came to her lips and she narrowed her eyes.
This wasn’t her case. This wasn’t her violin.
“Imagine that,” the Earth pony said as she continued to stare at the instrument, the beginnings of a plan forming in her mind.