Octavia stood upon a small stage with her cello and the other musicians of the party as she watched the first guests of the Canterlot Garden Party arrive. A cool breeze blew through the stage as she saw the sun starting to set, painting the sky in a pale orange and violet mix.
Looking around, she saw the gilded lampposts that would provide a comforting glow as the day’s light slowly faded away. Other than the lampposts, there was no need for additional fancy decorations or elaborate details because the party was held in Canterlot Castle’s grounds. Bushes of blossoming flowers and skillfully-trimmed plants already adorned the surrounding area.
Some servers were loading tables with cakes and sweets while others were finishing setting up the croquet field. There were a couple more waiters walking around with trays full of hor’dourves, greeting and offering the food they were carrying.
She saw Fancy Pants walking in, giving her a smile and a nod when he looked in her direction. A day after Fancy Pants had introduced her to the party organizers, she learned that he met a pony that he found interesting and was only in Canterlot for a few days. Between her practice with the other musicians and him spending time with the new pony, they hardly saw each other until now.
Octavia ceased her sightseeing when she heard the sound of a pony clearing his throat to her side. She and her bandmates directed their attention to the sound to see one of the party’s organizers, a stallion wearing a green shirt with a white sweater draped on his back and wearing a set of pince nez eyeglasses. The stallion gave them a nod, the signal to start playing music, before turning away from them.
Octavia looked to the violinist and harpist to her left, who both nodded at her, and then to the other violinist on her right, also giving her a nod, before raising her bow to her cello. Using one of the hooves that she was standing, she gave four light taps on the ground before the quartet started playing, producing a pleasant, easy to listen to melody.
As they played, Octavia’s eyes constantly flicked to her bandmates, making sure she matched their rhythm and volume. While the others were each proficient in their instrument and not incompetent at all, Octavia could see the occasional lazy move, the slightly slouched shoulders, and the emotionless faces. She knew what they were feeling.
She did not blame them. Playing background music at social events was probably the worst way to perform. Oftentimes, the songs you had to play were not even songs, just simple melodies and repeating notes. Not only that, you had to constantly check to make sure you play at a volume that did not drown out the activities and conversations of the guests but loud enough to project through the entire area. All the restrictions stifled how music should actually be played. She and her fellow musicians were just there to cover any possible silence to make the party seem lively.
Octavia sighed. In other words, she was bored. Being a background pony can be quite tedious at times.
After spending time with Applejack and changing her perspective on music, she yearned for the rush and excitement she felt when playing with Applejack. Even playing by herself had become more enjoyable once she stopped worrying and let the music just flow through her.
It had been at least an hour since they started playing, a few stars appearing in the fading twilight sky. Seeing that she and the other musicians were playing just fine, Octavia scanned the area, secretly hoping that something would come up and liven things up a little. Fancy Pants was too engrossed with the other guests to look her way, but one of the mares that was talking with him caught her interest.
The mare was in a rather large yellow sunhat and dress and had flowers adorning her tail. What caught her eye was that the mare did look awfully familiar with her white coat and purple tail. Unfortunately, not only was she too far away to get a good look to see the face beneath the hat, but the mare had also rushed inside to the ballroom that overlooked the garden party.
Trying to look through the tinted windows of the ballroom, she could see that another party was being held inside. Even though there seemed to be only a few ponies, judging by the silhouettes of the ponies within, the party seemed a lot more lively and exciting than the one she was presiding over.
Octavia raised one of her eyebrows when she saw the mare rush out of the building to once again join Fancy Pants. The mare only exchanged a few words and picked up an hor’dourve before running back into the ballroom yet again. As the party progressed, she lost count how many times the mare rushed in and out, never spending more than a minute or two in one place. All the other ponies were busy with their own things, not noticing her strange behavior. After a while, the odd mare went inside one last time and after waiting a few minutes, it seemed that she was not coming back out.
Guessing that her small amusement for the moment was over, Octavia returned her attention to her cello. She looked down, idly watching her bow move across the strings.
Suddenly, the sound of a cannon firing caused Octavia to jump up, nearly dropping her cello in the process.
What in the world was that?! She heard different music blaring loudly from where the ballroom’s entrance was and turned to see what was causing the commotion. Her jaw dropped when she saw a conga line of five ponies streaming out of the building.
Five very familiar ponies.
Octavia stared with her eyes wide open and her mouth agape as she watched Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Twilight move their conga line around the party, blissfully unaware of the faces of horror, confusion, or disgust the other guests were giving them. She did not need to see the odd mare who was now watching the party crashers in dismay to figure out it was actually Rarity. She winced when Pinkie shot out a spray of confetti from the cannon she was pushing around before she and the other members of the conga line dispersed.
Rainbow Dash tried her hoof at croquet as she grabbed a mallet in her mouth. She swung the mallet with so much force, it flew out of her mouth and forcibly removed the wig of an unaware mare. The pegasus tried again and again at the sport, sending mallets and balls flying through the air. Many hats and wigs were shorn off the heads of many guests, and several of the ballroom’s windows did not survive the onslaught.
Fluttershy was flying from tree to tree, feeding seeds and greeting all the birds that flocked to her. Consequently, many guests were showered with seeds and feathers, and an unfortunate few even received unwanted gifts from the birds.
Pinkie Pie attacked the tables of sweets, condemning many of the party’s sweets to her stomach, to the disappointment of many hungry guests. At least a few partygoers got a few splashes of frosting and cream land on them as the pink mare slammed her face into the cakes.
Applejack was digging holes and uprooting weeds in another section of the garden. The guests watching her reeled back in fear at the dirt being flung around and clinging to her hooves. Octavia brought a hoof to her face when she heard Applejack complaining why there was not any gardening in the garden party.
Twilight was in a simple yellow dress and was carrying around a record player, blaring its loud music. She set down the player before proceeding to do… something. Octavia watched Twilight thrust her hooves out and let them flail around. She was not sure if Twilight was dancing or having a seizure, but regardless, it was both horrifying, yet fascinating to watch.
Seeing her friends pretty much make a huge mess and interrupting her music, stirred something within her. Unable to hold it in, she let it out.
Octavia laughed.
She had wished something interesting would happen, and her friends delivered. Despite the rather awkward and messy situation, it was great to see her friends once again. She had gotten used to the more lively and fun times she had in Ponyville, and the good memories she accumulated in the small town came back to her.
Coming down from her mirth, Octavia looked to her fellow musicians, each looking at her with confusion. She cleared her throat as she stifled the last of her giggles. “Um… I do think now would be a good time to take a break.”
The other players slowly nodded as they followed Octavia off the platform and stow away their instruments.
Octavia turned around to see many of the guests had crowded around her friends as they talked with Fancy Pants. Seeing the looks of horror, disgust, and even anger on many faces, she rushed over.
Reaching the edge of the crowd, she let out a sigh of relief when Fancy Pants proclaimed he found them charmingly rustic, effectively defusing the situation as the other guests agreed with him. It was amazing to see Fancy Pants wield his authority. The crowd thinned out, leaving just her friends and Fancy Pants alone.
“How about you introduce me to your friends?” Fancy Pants asked Rarity.
“With pleasure,” Rarity replied with a beaming smile. “These are my good friends, Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie.”
“And what about me?” Octavia asked as she approached the group from behind.
Everypony turned to her. The mares gasped when they saw her. “Octavia?!”
“Hello, everypony. You girls sure do know how to make an entrance.”
“Octavia, darling, whatever are you doing here?” Rarity asked as she walked up to her and gave her a quick hug.
“I thought you were playing at a party today,” said Twilight. The pupils in her eyes shrunk. “Just… like… this… one… Oh…” She and the other mares suddenly found a fascination with either their hooves or the sky.
Octavia chuckled. “Happy Birthday, Twilight.”
Twilight chuckled nervously. “Um… thanks. Sorry for… you know… trash—”
“NOOOOO!” shouted Pinkie, tackling Octavia to the ground in a hug. “I did it again! I ruined your music playing!”
“Pinkie…” said Octavia as she squirmed out of Pinkie’s grasp.
“WHYYYYY?!” yelled Pinkie, lying on the ground as tears shot out of her like a water fountain.
“Pinkie.”
“I’M A BAD FRIEND!”
“Pinkie!”
The crying mare continued to bawl, thoroughly watering the grass with a frightening amount of tears.
Octavia sighed and grabbed a cupcake from a nearby table, shoving it into Pinkie’s mouth. “Pinkie.”
The pink pony finally stopped crying as she chewed on the sweet. She looked up at Octavia, her big round eyes still glistening with tears.
“It’s alright, Pinkie. I’m actually happy to see you here. I have gotten a bit too used to your kind of parties, so this party was getting a bit too boring for my tastes.” She rolled her eyes when she heard Fancy Pants cough, trying to conceal a laugh. “Point is, you don’t have anything to be sorry for.”
Pinkie sniffed. “Really?”
Octavia nodded. “You’re my friend. I can’t be mad at you. Come on, I would rather see you smile.”
“Okay!” Pinkie chirped, instantly bouncing back on her hooves with a big smile.
Fancy Pants chuckled. “Seems you know these ponies rather well, Octavia.”
“Of course I do. These are the friends I have told you about,” replied Octavia.
“Wait, wait, wait,” interrupted Rarity. “You mean to tell me that you are actually friends with Fancy Pants?” She pointed at the stallion. “This Fancy Pants?”
Octavia nodded. “He’s not only the one who got me this gig, but he helped me decide to visit Ponyville and allowed me to live there. We have been friends for many years.”
“But why didn’t you say he was your friend?”
“You never asked.” Octavia giggled when she saw Rarity’s eye twitch. “In all fairness, I prefer to not go around advertising I am his friend. Other ponies tend to skew their opinions of me if they find out about it.”
Rarity opened her mouth but quickly shut it, instead letting out a sigh. “Fair point, I see what you mean. Sorry about that, darling.”
“Do not worry about it.” Octavia turned to Fancy Pants. “So, Rarity is the interesting pony you have been spending your time with?”
“Yes indeed, I bumped into her one day, and she told me that she was staying in a castle suite. You know I can’t turn down meeting a pony that caught the attention of Princess Celestia,” replied Fancy Pants.
“Mmm hmm… So a friend of mine was here all week, without my knowing?”
Fancy Pants brought a hoof to his chin. “Hmm… I suppose she was.”
Octavia rolled her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me she was here? It’s not like I was spending all my time with preparations.”
“To be fair, I did not know she was a friend of yours.”
Octavia raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t I talk about them when I came back?”
“Well, yes and no. While you did mention them, you were a bit too occupied to describe them or even give me their names.” Fancy Pants leaned towards her, a small grin on his face. “I vividly recall you were quite occupied going into a very detailed description of your times with a certain orange pony just like the one who is standing right over there,” he whispered.
A light blush appeared on her cheeks. “Did I really?” she whispered back.
“You did.”
“I… see…” Octavia replied. “I suppose you are excused.” Clearing her throat, she turned back to her other friends. “So, what are you all doing in Canterlot? I thought you girls would be celebrating Twilight’s birthday in Ponyville.”
“Well, we did plan to do that, but while Rarity was visiting Canterlot, she could not make the trip back because her cat, Opalescence, got sick. The rest of us decided to move the party here, and we only arrived today. If we knew where you were, we would’ve found a way to invite you,” explained Twilight.
“It’s alright. I understand it was a last minute change. Rarity, I do hope your pet feels better soon,” said Octavia.
Rarity let out a nervous laugh. “Um… do you girls mind if we talk in private a bit? I’m afraid I have a bit of a confession to make about Opal. Excuse us, Fancy Pants and Octavia, this should only take a moment.”
Octavia nodded, watching Rarity lead the others away to talk.
“My, my, I can see why you enjoyed your time in Ponyville. They’re quite the energetic bunch,” remarked Fancy Pants.
“They may be quite unorthodox, but there’s just something about them that makes them such good friends.”
“So, any reason you keep staring at Applejack?”
Octavia felt her cheeks start to heat up a bit. “I just spent a lot more time with her because of my music. It’s only natural for me to feel a bit closer to her than the others.”
“Mmm hmm…” replied Fancy Pants, giving Octavia a deadpan look.
“Trust me, we’re just friends. There is nothing else going on between us,” answered Octavia.
“Mmm hmm…” repeated Fancy Pants.
“You’re infuriating, you know that right?” huffed Octavia.
“Excuse me,” came a voice from behind them, “are you Octavia Melody?”
Octavia turned to see a white unicorn with a dark-brown mane standing before her. She donned a red tie affixed to a white collar and wore a pair of eyeglasses. Floating beside her was a clipboard. “Yes, how may I help you?”
“My name is Raven, and I am here on the behalf of my boss. She is organizing a big event that will occur in about two months. I heard you were making an appearance here, and I wish to ask if you would be interested in auditioning for a part in the event,” answered the unicorn.
“What is this event, and when would I have to audition?” asked Octavia.
“For the time being, we wish to not disclose too much information until we are ready to announce it to the media. I can assure you, though, that it will be a celebration that will be far more extravagant than even the Grand Galloping Gala. As for your audition,” Raven brought her clipboard in front of her, “you are one of the last ones to be scheduled, but I can get you a slot in three days.”
“Intriguing, to be bigger than the Grand Galloping Gala, it must be organized by somepony high up in the government. Octavia, you cannot pass up an opportunity like this,” stated Fancy Pants.
Just as Octavia was about to respond, she felt a hoof tap her shoulder. She turned her head to see Applejack.
“Hey, you mind if Ah talk with you for a bit?” asked Applejack.
Octavia nodded and then saw Applejack’s dirt-caked hooves. She looked at her now smudged shoulder then back at Applejack, giving the farmer an unamused face.
Applejack returned a nervous grin. “Sorry,” she muttered, trotting off towards a table.
Octavia turned back to Raven, brushing the dirt off her. “Do you mind if I have a few moments before I give my answer?”
“Of course, I’ll be waiting right here.”
Octavia walked towards Applejack. She rolled her eyes when she saw the orange mare was wiping her hooves clean on the table cloth. “I suppose since you girls made such a big mess, it doesn’t matter if you make anymore.”
Applejack chuckled. “Yea, we sure let ourselves loose. Got caught up in the moment.” She turned to face Octavia. “It’s good to see you again, sugarcube.”
Octavia smiled. “Likewise.”
“Ah was hopin’ to find you after the party. Crashin’ your party sure saved me a bit of work.”
“First the Grand Galloping Gala and now this, it feels like you girls are following me. Judging by the things you girls do, I’m not sure if I should be flattered or scared. Maybe we can work on the whole disaster thing for next time.”
“No promises,” Applejack replied with a smirk. “So listen, um… the Apple Family Reunion is coming up, and Ah was wondering if you would like to come.”
“But it’s a family reunion,” stated Octavia. “Is it really alright for me to come?”
“Don’t you know? Friends are considered family as well.” Applejack looked down at the ground and scuffed the ground nervously with a hoof. “Also, Ah really would like you to come.”
“If there really is no problem with me being there, then I don’t see why not,” replied Octavia with a smile.
Applejack perked up. “Great! It’s being hosted at Sweet Apple Acres this time, so Ah’ll be makin’ sure everythin’ turns out fine.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” replied Octavia. She looked back at Raven who was conversing with Fancy Pants. “Applejack, not to be rude, but is there another reason you interrupted me? An invite doesn’t seem like an urgent thing to ask about.”
Applejack sighed. “I kind of overheard what you two were talkin’ about.”
Octavia slowly nodded. “She was offering me the chance for another job, and it sounds like a grand event. I would be a fool if I didn’t at least try to get a position.” She looked at her friend with a raised eyebrow. “This is about what happened when I got the letter to come here, isn’t it?”
Applejack sighed, using one of her hooves to rub the back of her neck. “Yea… about that… Ah’m sorry for that. It’s just that even though we only really met about a month ago, it feels much more than that. All the time we spent together and talkin’ about stuff has been great.
Ah’ve been keepin’ my spot a secret for a long time, but then you came along. Ah have to say, bein’ able to share that spot with you and knowin’ that you’re there to help me out has taken a load that Ah didn’t even know Ah had off my shoulders. When Ah went there while you were away, somethin’ just felt… off.
Applejack took a breath. “Point is, you’ve become a really good friend to me.” Her head bowed slightly. “Ah guess Ah was havin’ so much fun with you, Ah kind of forgot you played your music in Canterlot. When that letter came, Ah got kind of nervous…”
Octavia cocked her head. “Nervous of what?”
“That you would go back to Canterlot and never come back.”
“Oh, Applejack.” Octavia wrapped her forehooves around Applejack’s neck, embracing her in a hug. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
She released Applejack from the hug and leaned back, giving the orange mare a smile. “Before I visited Ponyville, I was obsessed with perfecting my music and being proper. I thought as long as I had my music, it would be enough. You know how that eventually turned out. When I went to Ponyville, I was hoping to fix my music troubles. Instead, I got so much more. Meeting you and the girls turned my life around. I don’t think anything can keep me away for long.”
A big smile appeared on Applejack’s face. “Thanks, Ah really needed to hear that. Ah’m glad that you’ll be around even when you have to go back to playin’ full time.” Applejack gave Octavia a hug. “Good luck on your audition, sugarcube. Ah’ll be waitin’ back at Ponyville for you.”
Octavia silently nodded as she returned the hug. She could not recall how long they held each other. She just knew it felt right.