Accented

by Epsilon Project

Back at the Farm

I was nervous. Oh Celestia was I nervous. If I didn't know any better I would have thought my legs had always been made of gelatin. Taking deep breaths to calm down never worked well for me, but I tried it regardless. Perhaps the trick was to remember to let them out.

The barn door before my eyes was never as intimidating in all its half day of existence as it was then. I could hear a jaunty tune playing inside, as well as the stomps of ponies clopping in time with the rhythm. Golden light and the smell of freshly cut hay escaped from the cracks in the door's wooden frame.

Oh Celestia, I panicked, what if they don't like me? What if they think I'm a spoiled snob? What if my dress doesn't match? What if none of them like bow ties? I knew I should have gone with the-

"Octavia, breathe!"

I forced out an exhale and gasped for air like a fish out of water.

"You must calm down, dear." Rarity told me. "Stress is not good for one's complexion."

"Yeah..." I agreed, "Calm...It's...no big deal. I'm just about to tell dozens of ponies that I've been lying to them about who I am ever since we first met."

"That's the spirit!" Rarity said. "I think..."

I turned to look at her. The vibrant purples and reds of her dress and shoes gave the impression that she was off to the Grand Galloping Gala instead of a homely square dance. Dark swirl patterns littered the base, sparkling gemstones forming a trim lining. Her black, diamond encrusted tiara was so large and complex that Celestia herself would have trouble hiding signs of jealousy. The entire ensemble came together with a tan wooden clothes pin pinching her nose.

"You're going to have to take that off at some point. You know that, don't you?"

A look of alarm formed on her face, as if she forgot she was even wearing it. Wrapping the pin in blue telekinesis, she removed it from her nose, took a whiff of the fresh evening air, and immediately put it back on.

"In due time." she replied with haste. "When I am good and ready."

"You know you don't have to do this. I'm guessing this is not a typical setting you partake in." It was obvious that Rarity was only here for my sake, possibly with the logic that having a more out of place pony beside me would make me look better by comparison.

"As I said before, a friend of Applejack's is a friend of mine." She gave me a reassuring wink. "And friends help each other, even if it means having to go out of your comfort zone."

"Well thank you." I gave her a smile of the utmost sincerity. "I appreciate you coming to help fend off my nerves." Looking at the barn, I couldn't help but notice the door strikingly resembled a face. A face that didn't like me very much. "But we might still be loosing this fight."

Rarity put a hoof on my shoulder. "When I develop anxiety about something, I try to relate it to fashion. It calms me down because it's something comfortable that I am confident in. Perhaps you could relate it to your music."

Music...right. I forced my mind to see not a red barn door in front of me, but a crimson velvet curtain. The wavy fabric hid behind it the restless chatter of classical enthusiasts, clinking goblets and speculating on the night's performance. My cello awaited my embrace on stage like a scared foal prays for her mother's comforting touch. The speakers thanked the audience for their patronage before announcing my excessively promoted musical stylings. I straightened my bow tie and took my ceremonial breath before peeling the curtain away to satisfy the hall of eager listeners.

That was when the illusion shattered. The overwhelming smell of hay forced its way into my nostrils as I looked to see the circles of ponies do-sa-doing around each other. Three circles of dancing Apple ponies littered the floor, each attracting a small yet loud crowd cheering them on. The corner housed the band of harmonica, banjo, and fiddle; all happily playing their tune. Bails of straw formed the barn's perimeter for tired ponies to sit and watch, with one section of the wall having multiple bails to support an orange apple pony in a not so simple, cowpony style dress.

"Swing!" she yelled.

All of the dancers complied, taking a partner in arm and swinging around clockwise. Applejack acted as the caller, and probably the closest thing to a judge the competition had. She winced as she saw Apple Fritter and Apple Tart accidentally colliding with each other, creating a chain reaction and turning one of the circles into a pony pileup. The music stopped as everypony stared in shock at the scene in front of them. Some ponies recovered faster than the rest and helped to untangle the mess of dancers. After it was established that they were alright, Apple Fritter and Apple Tart started to laugh. The laughter was infectious, spreading until everypony in the barn was laughing heartily at the silly display. There was no anger, no bickering, and no scorn. There was only a family having fun and enjoying themselves.

This was what I wanted.

I took a step inside, with Rarity close behind me. The second I placed a hoof on wooden floor, I attracted a few stares. Those stares attracted others, until everypony was looking at me with confused expression. Whispers of gossip swiftly replaced the dying laughter.

"Who're they?"

"What's with their getup?"

"That one kinda looks like Fiddles."

"Why's that one got a clothes pin on her nose?"

I have endured crowds of all kinds at my performances. I swam through a sea of squealing fans that couldn't possibly be reasoned with, fended off against angry mobs that were promised to hear a DJ instead of my music, and held my resolve against ponies that expected more than what I gave them. All of them I dealt with the grace and professionalism I was known for.

But this was different. I played and laughed with these ponies mere hours ago. We shared stories, taught each other so many things, and even raised a barn together. They treated me like family. Now they looked at me like I was another species. Like I was alien. The care they showed me was no longer there.

I can't do this.

I visibly shrank, like I came in on accident. I've come to realize that my discomfort is easily noticeable, since the moment I made the slightest hint of a motion to turn around, Rarity's hoof stopped me. She shook her head to tell me that I can't back out now, but gave me her best reassuring smile to give me the confidence to continue. It worked to a degree, as I gathered the strength to meet everypony's gaze.

Applejack made her way to the front, squeezing through the crowd to get to me. When she saw me she didn't look pleased.

"Ah told ya to not be late." she scolded in a whisper. "Ah wanted to give ya a proper introduction, not to have ya come in the middle of the dang dance."

I didn't have a good excuse, so all I could do was shrug and say "Just count it off my score."

A hoof met her face in frustration. She looked down to see my attire.

"Don't ya think that's a little too...formal?"

My grey coat and black mane was complemented by a long lavender skirt with a black top over it. The entire thing was accented with swirling red trim, with red and black dress shoes and a big pink bow tie completing the image. As a personal touch I added a yellow rose in my ear, despite a certain unicorn's protest.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "I could say the same about you."

"Yeah." Rarity joined in. "Didn't you warn us not to wear a dress we would wear to the Grand Galloping Gala? Well why are you wearing yours?" I didn't realize Applejack went to the Gala. I didn't see her when I performed there, but last year's event was so crazy that I wasn't surprised to not have spotted her among the chaos.

Applejack was taken aback by that comment. Her eyes started shifting in all directions except ours.

"Well Ah figured this would be a lil' hard for ya Fiddles, so Ah just thought Ah would dress up to make ya feel more at home." I have the sneaking suspicion that Rarity is rubbing off on a certain cowpony.

I giggled before placing a hoof on her shoulder. "Thanks cousin, I appreciate it."

"AHEM"

Applejack spun around to meet a crowd of confused, and slightly annoyed, family members. Applejack's grandmother, appropriately named Granny Smith, stepped forward to voice everypony's concerns.

"Would you like to introduce yourself, dear?" She focused on me. "I recognize the white one, but Ah can't say Ah've met you before."

Searching for some kind of prompt, I turned to look at both of my companions. Rarity simply recycled her confidence inducing smile, while Applejack jerked her head in the crowd's direction, cuing me to speak. Closing my eyes, I took a large and prolonged breath inward before letting it out in a quivering exhale.

The hardest part of playing for an audience is the first note.

"My name is Octavia, and my parents are Joules and Staccato Melody."

"Oh," Granny Smith said. "are you Fiddlesticks' sister then?"

"I am Fiddlesticks." I heard gasps come from the crowd as well as some alarmed murmurs, but I continued anyway. "This is what I sound like," I placed a hoof in front of my face to look at my grey coat before splitting my gaze between all of them. "and this is what I look like. I changed because I thought I wouldn't fit in with you. Because I thought you wouldn't accept me for who I really was. I deceived all of you into thinking that I was somepony I'm not, and I'm sorry for that. Is there any way we can start over?"

My plea was met with silence and blank stares. Nopony had a readable face. Some eventually turned to the pony next to them, concern plastered on their faces. The silence was broken by a slowly swelling mesh of whispers. I waited an eternity for someone to come up give me an answer, but I never got one.

They don't like me, do they?

I found myself backing away from them. Rarity frantically looked between me and the crowd. She then fixated her panicked eyes on Applejack, messaging the cowpony to act quickly. Applejack stretched a hoof out to me, but I had already turned around and was in the middle of leaving.

This was an absolute disaster. I told myself. I can't blame them; I wouldn't have accepted me either.

"Ah like It!" a filly yelled behind me. I spun around to find the source of the voice, but it was lost in the mass of ponies.

"W-what?"

"Yer accent!" A yellow filly with a red mane and a large pink bow on her head sprang out. "Ah like it a lot more than yer old one. It sounds fancy!"

Applejack nearly fainted at that comment, as if being posh was a disease and her sister was showing symptoms. "Apple Bloom! Ain't it passed yer bed time?"

Apple Bloom ran up to her sister with huge pleading eyes that would put puppies and kittens to shame."But cousin Babs gets to stay up late and Ah don't wanna miss out on the fun everypony's havin' and I woulda missed cousin Fiddlesticks comin' out and-"

"Fine!" Applejack said as her resolve crumbled. "You can stay up late for tonight. Just get those eyes away from me."

Applebloom gave the biggest grin she could muster in triumph. I saw a twinkle in her eye as she turned to face me.

"Ah really like yer dress, Miss Octavia. It's very pretty."

"Oh..." I replied, taken aback by the complement. "T-thank you."

Apple Tart walked up to join Apple Bloom. "So do you live in Canterlot then?" she asked.

I nodded slightly.

Apple Strudel moved up next. "Do ya play up there?"

"Yes, I perform regularly."

Uncle Second Fiddle burst out of the crowd from the back corner. "Are yew tellin' me yew play professionally, and still yew wanted me to play fer tha dance!?" His glare was intimidating enough to send dragons running.

"Y-y-yes?" I squeaked. Fear forced me to cover my eyes and brace for whatever he had in store for me.

Instead I was treated to Second Fiddle's famous laugh. His deep bellow shook the very foundation of the barn, forcing some ponies to look around in fear of it collapsing. I opened my eyes just in time to see him punch my shoulder, which hurt despite being in jest.

"Yer alright with me, lass!" he boomed.

That opened the floodgates. Soon I was surrounded by ponies asking me all manner of question, from what I did for fun in Canterlot to where I got my dress to if I could convince my parents to come to next year's reunion. I tried to answer all I could, but for every question I answered three more would pop up in its place. Even my biggest fans weren't this resilient.

Everypony was silenced by the shrill sound of a whistle cutting through the air. We all faced the stack of bails against the wall to see Applejack standing atop it.

"Ah know this is all very excitin'," she projected, "but ya'll should prolly give Awk-taevia some space. Ya'll are stressin' the poor girl out."

With that, everypony looked at me before taking a step back. I was grateful for the chance to breathe again.

"Now Ah know she didn't come here to be attacked by ya'll. She came here to win a square dancing competition. Do ya think we can add another two ponies to a circle?"

Everypony gave a hollering "Yes!" in response.

"Two?" I asked aloud. The pony to my side cleared her throat. I turned to face her before realizing my mistake and giving an embarrassing grin. "Are you going to dance, Rarity?"

"A lady should try new things." she stated. "Square dancing sounds like it might be fun...in a simple way."

"I think you'll have to take off the clothes pin."

Rarity crossed her eyes to see the pin on her nose. "Right...that."

Using her telekinesis, she lifted the pin off of her nose and cast it aside. She took a deep sniff, which she immediately regretted. The strong smell of hay assaulted her nose, forcing her face to contort in pain. Her eyes and ears twitched at the sudden scent.

"Refreshing!" she lied. The edges of her mouth were forced into a relatively upward position. "I can get used to this..."

"Hey!" I heard Applejack yell. "We're ready for ya Fiddles and Rarity. Hurry up and get in there before I take away points!"

Sure enough she was telling the truth. Everypony was where they were before I stepped into the barn. The band had already started playing, and I could see a spot in the back circle big enough for two ponies. I gestured for Rarity to follow me, and we made our way to fill the spots in the circle.

"Alright ya'll, from the top!" Applejack began. She followed up by giving dance steps, and we tried our best to execute them.

Looking around to see the faces of the ponies that accepted me as family, I couldn't help but smile. I had just told them that I was a completely different pony than who they knew, and they let me in anyway. Applejack and Rarity were right; they didn't care that I didn't have a country accent or that I was from Canterlot. They accepted me for who I was.

My thoughts were interrupted by a flying Rarity tackling me to the floor. I felt her roll off and try to lift me up with her magic.

"My goodness! I'm so sorry dear. I didn't see you there."

I forced myself up and suppressed a laugh. "I think we're going to need to get you some lessons for next time."

Rarity's cheeks grew red. "I suppose so..."

We got back into position and tried again. Eventually Rarity grew accustomed to it, and we did pretty well. That night I had more fun than I thought possible. Our laughter could have woken up ponies in town as we danced long into the night.

All the while I couldn't stop thinking about what an amazing family I had.

Comments

[HeartTortoisePigeonDog]

Haven't read it yet, but will It looks fun! (I skimmed right now)

Adding to Fiddles group!

Good on ya for writtin' one

[Epsilon Project]

2778582

You are going to hate me so much after you read it.

[HeartTortoisePigeonDog]

2778709Pfft! You don't killer her do you? No? Then I won't

I will read it. Too late in my timezone now, though. *yawn*

[TheGreatSako]

I really like this interpretation of who Fiddlesticks is.

[reader238]

the one thing that should have struck her was when she mentioned her parent's were Joules and Staccato Melody and they asked if she was fiddlestick's sister, tells me that they knew about her parentage they just did not care

[Epsilon Project]

2779284

You are absolutely correct. Sorry about that, I should have clarified it better.
The implication was that they didn't care where she was from, but how she acted. The problem with that is that I flat out wrote multiple times that she thought they cared about where she was from, so that's something I need to fix.
Thanks for bringing that up.

[DerpieDoo]

Loved it :) Great story, cheers!

[Aera]

Can't say I've seen this premise done before- and you did a fantastic job with it, too. Definitely deserves a favorite.

[Namara]

I liked it, but it kinda bugged me with the use of 'bails' instead of 'bales'.
It's probably just the hick in me (read: a good 64%) XD

[Raichu]

"Ah like It!" a filly yelled behind me. I spun around to find the source of the voice, but it was lost in the mass of ponies.

I read that out loud in a southern accent as soon as I saw it. And I realized who it was before I kept going.

Nice story.