Morning in Ponyville
It was still dark when Octavia awoke. This was not unusual for her, she always tried to rise before the sun in order to perform for the dawn. She considered it her own personal tribute to Princess Cadence that she made the effort to admire her sovereign’s skill at crafting each sunrise. However, like many of her habits, her early mornings had started to be worn away by her new life in Ponyville. During the six months she had spent in the small town so far, events like Pinkie’s parties or late night jam sessions with her friends had resulted in her oversleeping and missing the dawning of a new day more frequently than she’d wished. She was going to make sure today was not one of those days.
Stretching Octavia rolled out of bed and quickly carried out her ablutions in the bathroom she shared with her landlady. Looking at herself in the mirror her hyper-critical eye picked up a slight convex curve to her belly that had not been there when she had lived in Canterlot. Curse Bon Bon! Octavia was too polite to refuse all of the treats she offer, plus they, of course, tasted too good to ignore. She turned around and craned her neck to admire her reflection, on the plus side her (slightly) enlarged flanks had been receiving a number of admiring glances from stallions and mares around town. Although she was not currently looking for a suitor she would have been lying to herself if she didn’t admit to enjoying being thought of as an attractive mare.
Returning to her room she opened the door to her small balcony and stepped out. Octavia shivered slightly in the early autumnal chill, a dampness from last night’s rain still hung in the air. Light was just starting to spill over the horizon like golden honey and burst into her sparsely furnished room revealing her few mementos; the picture of her family placed proudly on her bed side table, the prototype sol musica device Medley had created led on the dresser while the mane curler Vinyl had invented for her sat in the corner gathering dust.
Centring herself Octavia positioned her cello and took the bow in one hoof, as the sun poked above the horizon she ran through her repertoire in her head until she found the perfect piece. She took a deep breath and began to play letting the music be carried on the breeze into the brand new day.
Many miles away in Canterlot Princess Cadence paused in her efforts to raise the sun. She cocked her head as if listening to some distant sound and bowed her head in gratitude.
My little pony...
Ah ah ah...
(My Little Pony)
Friendship sounded so off-key to me.
(My Little Pony)
But now you're here, and now I see...
A loyal backing
Honest melodies!
Songs to share
With loving harmonies!
Joyous dance --
Such a lovely feat --
And magic makes the perfect beat!
You are my little ponies...
Friends make the best music of all!
Having completed the first part of her morning ritual Octavia carefully packed away her instrument, tied back her mane and prepared to leave the house. It was her habit to go jogging in the post dawn hours, normally a lap or two around the town centre, it kept her body in trim strengthening her for the strains of her craft. More recently she had also found that it was a good way to meet the more early rising inhabitants of Ponyville. Since she had discovered the magic of friendship and realised how good it felt to have friends she had been attempting to broaden her social circle. Currently most of the ponies she met of a morning were more acquaintances than true friends but every little helped.
She made her way downstairs to find that her landlady was already up and preparing today's selection of treats to sale.
“Hot chocolate?” asked Bon Bon hoofing a steaming mug of the dark liquid to her tenant.
For a moment Octavia was sorely tempted, the day was chill and the steaming brew would warm her up but was against her carefully balanced diet. For a moment she wavered then shook her head, “Thank you for the offer but I think I shall just partake of herbal tea and porridge this morning,”
“With Milk and Sugar?” asked Bon Bon hopefully.
“With water and a pinch of salt,” corrected Octavia as she began to prepare her meal, “That is how it is traditionally served in Coltland.”
“At least have a dollop of honey. It’s fresh.” The cream mare nodded at a jar nearby.
Octavia considered for a moment, then agreed, she was not made of stone after all, “Very well, but just a small one.”
“So are you off jogging again this morning?” asked Bon Bon as she scooped out a generous helping of the golden substance.
“Yes, is there anything I can get for you while I’m out?”
“No, I’m fine. Are you going to be competing this weekend?”
“Competing in what?” asked Octavia starting on her breakfast.
“The running of the leaves of course. Oh you probably haven't heard of it, it’s a Ponyville tradition.”
“I have not, what is it? Some sort of race?” Octavia looked intrigued.
“It is now a-days. Most cities make it the responsibility of the weather patrol to ensure that all the leaves are removed from the trees by winter but Ponyville’s a small place with lots of trees. Traditionally everypony gets press ganged to help, like for the Winter Wrap Up. How are the preparations for spring going anyway?” Octavia and her fellow element bearers had been invited to provide the musical accompaniment to the event next year.
“We are not as prepared as I hoped, Bluenote has been busy recently and Lyra frequently changes her mind on what we should play, however we still have six months to organise things.”
“Anyway, like the wrap up, it used to take forever to get all the leaves removed and no one had much fun. So when the Mayor get elected a few years ago she decided to make a game of it all. She set up a race through the woods to knock down the leaves. You can just walk the route if you want or you can pay a small entry fee and the first half dozen ponies to complete the course get a prize. Not many raced in the first year but there was quite an audience, then ponies competitive spirit took over and it’s been a hit ever since. The leaves get taken down and everypony enjoys themselves, one of the Mayor’s better ideas.”
“That sounds intriguing,” said Octavia finishing her meal and starting to clean the bowl, “It has been a while since I ran a serious race, I might join up. Have you ever run?” she asked.
“Me? Oh no I have flat hooves but I like to watch. I’m normally somewhere near the finishing line.”
“I may see you there then, good day” Octavia got up and made her way to the door ready for her morning exercise.
After doing a few warm up stretches Octavia began her jog. Although she would sometimes vary her route she normally ran a lap or two around the town centre; from her home through the marketplace, out into the surrounding houses and then back again via the business district. Sometimes she would go out into the surrounding countryside but today seemed too muddy for that.
As she set out she considered Bon Bon’s words, Octavia knew she was a fair athlete and was quite proud of the condition she kept her body in, her occasional treat notwithstanding. As a foal her parents had made her take part in several athletic events and although her special talent had been music she had wondered if she would otherwise have become a professional sportsmare instead. However, it had been many years since she had run in competition she wasn’t sure if she was still capable.
She was broken out of her revelry by the sound of a deep velvet voice singing to itself, “Che bella cosa e' na jurnata 'e sole, n'aria serena doppo na tempesta!” Surprised she came to a sudden stop and stared at the sounds source, a large red stallion unloading crates of apples from a cart to a stall. Despite his coat colour he managed to redden further at her scrutiny and stopped singing.
“Big Macintosh, there is no need to stop on my behalf,” she had forgotten how beautiful the stallions singing voice was and how self-conscious he was about his talent. “That was from a Neighipolitan opera was it not?”
“Eyup,” replied the shy earth pony, his eyes locked on the ground, to Octavia’s surprise he actually ventured more information, “I’m gonna visit one day.”
“Really?” said Octavia in surprise, “I was not aware that you travelled.”
“I ain't never left Ponyville, Miss.” He matched his gaze with Octavia’s his green eyes sparking, Octavia felt herself tingle and colour a little at the muscular stallions scrutiny, “But you gotta’ have a dream. I’m not my sister, I don’t wanna spend all my life on the farm.”
The grey mare blinked, that was more than she’d ever heard the red stallion say at once before. “Indeed, it is good to have ambition,” she stuttered feeling bashful, “I hope you get to live your dream one day Macintosh. Have a good day.”
“Have a good Mornin’ Miss.” he said as she jogged on past. Octavia felt the need to put a bit more swing in her tail than usual as Big Mac’s eyes followed her.
Octavia continued on her path passing various market stalls and the ponies starting to set them up and then out into the surrounding housing. It was still early and the area was more or less deserted. Maybe she should take part in the race thought Octavia, it was hardly her dream but she should follow Mac’s example and avoid becoming stuck in a rut by trying new things.
Suddenly there was a yell from behind her, “Incoming!” and a white blur passed less than an inch in front of her face before hitting the mailbox of the house she was passing. Her head shot around to find the source of the blur. A grey pegasus in the uniform of the Equestrian postal service hovered in the centre of the street, as Octavia watched she dexterously picked a letter out of her sack with her wing and threw it towards a building where it struck the letter box straight on and vanished into the house.
“Morning Octy,” called Ditzy Doo cheerfully as another letter hit its target dead on, apparently without her noticing. “Sorry about that, I cut it a bit fine.”
“That is all right Ms Doo.”
“I keep telling you to call me Ditzy, Ms Doo is my mother. So how are you doing this fine morning?”
Octavia looked up into the mailmare’s crossed eyes, “I am considering competing in the running of the leaves. Have you ever entered?”
“Naah, that whole speed thing is Dash’s gimmick, we both know that precision is far more important,” she struggled to keep up with the jogging pony while delivering more letters. Octavia slowed to allow the grey pegasus to remain alongside, “But I’ll be proving that at the next Wonderbolts try out, I almost got into the academy last year and I’ve been practicing so hard since them. This year I’m going to prove to that Rainbow show-off who’s best!” her eyes narrowed as she tossed out several more envelopes, one of which bounced off a lamp post before arriving in a post box.
The two mares continued upon their path side by side for a while passing the time with small talk. Dinky was apparently doing well in school and would be taking part in a spelling bee next week while Octavia was considering visiting Canterlot next month to go to a concert where one of her teachers from the academy would be playing.
Eventually they separated when Ditzy and Octavia’s routes diverged. The musician continued to think about the race and also the concert. The tickets would likely be expensive and although her allowance from her parents and her stipend from Princess Cadence allowed her to live quite comfortably she still couldn’t go to events like it as often as she wished to. In addition Bluenote’s birthday was coming up in a few weeks and it would be nice to have her own money to purchase a present for her friend.
As she was considering what to buy the music teacher Octavia met a fellow jogger. Few in the town knew that Ivory Scrolls, the Mayor of Ponyville, was also a keen jogger, she claimed it kept her fit and reduced her stress levels. Octavia had discovered the Mayor’s hobby within a few weeks of arriving in town and they sometimes bumped into each other along their respective routes. The mares cautiously exchanged greetings and ran alongside each other in silence for a while, despite the grey mare’s greater age she had no trouble keeping up with her younger companion. Octavia suspected that Ivory was yet to forgive her for her words and actions leading up to the equinox, hence her silent treatment.
Eventually, Octavia spoke, “I am thinking of taking part in the running of the leaves.”
“That’s good,” grunted the tan mare, “I think the whole town should take part. It was one of my better ideas, it turned an official duty into a game which proved quite popular and was a good vote winner. I take part myself you know, although I don’t normally place, that wouldn’t look right, me organising a race just to win it. Still it wouldn’t hurt to have a local celebrity,” she highlighted the word as if she didn’t quite agree with it, “such as yourself take part. Vinyl Scratch is going to be acting as announcer this year, do you know if any of the other element bearers will be entering?”
Octavia blinked at this news, the DJ had not mentioned anything to her about this. “I do not think so. They haven't said anything about it to me.”
“That’s a shame, well if you get interviewed about the race can you remind the press that I organised it in the first place, there isn’t an election for a while but every little helps. Now I think we part company here, I’ve got a busy day ahead and I need to get a shower before getting to my first meeting. I’ll see you around.” Without a further word the Mayor peeled away from Octavia and headed back towards her house.
The last section of Octavia’s route led her back towards the centre of town and the business district. The streets were starting to fill up with ponies and the grey mare nodded to several acquaintances as she passed. She was starting to get out of breath by the time her home was within sight and briefly wondered how long the running of the leaves was, when she heard her name being called from one of the shops nearby. She turned to see Mr and Mrs Cake opening the doors to Sugarcube corner for the morning. “Can we talk to you for a moment dearie?” the mare of the pair asked.
Cautiously Octavia approached the bakers, she was aware that there existed a rivalry between the Cakes and her landlady over who produced the most delicious sweet treats and she had previously found herself caught in the middle of the two sides. “How can I help you?” she asked jogging on the spot to prevent herself stiffening up.
“We’ve heard that Bon Bon has..” began the lanky stallion.
“..Developed a new type of nougat.” continued his more rotund wife.
“You wouldn’t happen to know...”
“..What the recipe is, would you Dearie?” continued the pair.
“I’m afraid I don’t know anything about cooking.” replied Octavia stiffly.
“Well if you do find out...”
“..We can make it worth your while.” The stallion took the covering off a tray he was holding to reveal a large slab of a brown sugary substance.
Octavia’s eyes grew wide at the sight of Mysore pak a sweet dessert from her hometown allegedly first made there as a tribute to the princess. She inhaled deeply and although it did not smell quite as good as that made by her mother it still made her mouth water and her stomach rumble. “Whe.. Where did you get that?” she asked.
“We’re branching out..” said Mr Cake.
“...Trying more exotic fare, don’t ya know” continued his wife, “Maybe you can taste test it...”
“...If you can tell us more about Bon Bon’s new recipe.”
It was only her lack of any knowledge of Bon Bon’s new creation that prevented Octavia from grabbing the offered delicacy. “I’m afraid I can’t help you, you will have to ask Bon Bon herself. Now I must be going, good morning to you.” With this Octavia stuck her nose in the air, far away from the delicious smell, and began to jog towards her home, maybe faster than she needed to, but she felt the need to put some distance between herself and sugar cube corner in case her will faltered.
By the time she got back to the sweet shop it had opened for business and Bon Bon was busy serving customers. Octavia used her key to enter via the back door and after her cool down exercises had a shower to wash off the perspiration that had accumulated from her exertions. Once refreshed she searched her wardrobe for something to wear. Like the rest of her room it was spartan; a few formal sari were rolled up on a shelf; an unworn winter coat from her mother sat on a hanger but most of the space was taken up by several dozen of her trademark bow ties. She had first started to wear them when her father had given her his at her first recital for luck and since then her collection had grown. She searched for the perfect one for today maybe pink, or green, she shuddered at the polka dotted nightmare Vinyl had given her for the one month anniversary of her arrival in town, before deciding on a classic black.
Now presentable the musician set out again to sign up for the race, as it was organised by the Mayor she assumed that she could enter at the town hall. The long line of ponies reaching out of the door suggested that she was correct. She noticed her friend Lyra stretched in an uncomfortable looking position over a bench near the government building, and went over to greet her.
“Good morning Lyra” said Octavia.
“Morning Octy,”
“What are you doing here?”
“Well I was looking for the perfect place to compose the six hundred and ninety eighth verse of my ballad to my lady love but then I saw all the ponies queuing for the running of the leaves so I thought I’d perform here to see how generous they’re feeling.” She used her magic to remove her lyre from its case and began to tune the strings. “So what brings you here?”
“I am going to sign up for the race.” remembering the conversation with the Mayor previously Octavia asked, “Will you be running?”
“I don’t think so, a race is too pedestrian for me, these things cease to thrill once you’ve fought dark goddesses and ridden kraken.” she waved a dismissive hoof.
“Bon Bon said should would be watching at the finish line,” interjected Octavia with a grin.
Lyra continued without pause, “Still it would be a good chance to show Equestria my physical prowess and athletic skills. I will enter.”
Octavia smiled at her friend’s change of mind. “We should join the queue then,”
Lyra levitated a purse from inside her mane, turned it upside down and shook it, nothing escaped except a starving looking moth. “I might be a bit short for the entry fee.” she explained somewhat sheepishly.
“Don’t worry, I can pay for you,” said Octavia.
“No need, I came here to play anyway, I should be able to scare up some money quickly enough. I have just the song.” The busker leapt onto the bench and used her magic to position her open case on the ground. Then she reared up onto her hind legs and began to strum her Lyre. Interested ponies looked at her from the crowd. Flashing a smile to her audience the green unicorn began to sing.
With your whack-fa-the-da-for-the-diddle-ee-iddle-day.
As I rode down to Galllopway town to seek for recreation
On the last day of summer me mind being elevated
There were multitudes assembled with their tickets at the station
And me eyes began to dazzle and I'm goin' to see the races.
With your whack-fa-the-da-for-the-diddle-ee-iddle-day.
It was not often that she saw Lyra at ‘work’ so Octavia stood back and examined her technique. Her playing was not technically perfect several missed notes assaulted Octavia’s sensitive ears making her cringe. However, the mint unicorn was doing an excellent job of playing to the crowd. Already several ponies were stomping their hooves in time with the music.
There were passengers from Limearick and passengers from Neighagh
Passengers from Wublin and sportsmares from Cadenceary
There were passengers from the Merry hills, and all quarters of our nation
And our member, Mr. Zippy, for to join the Gallopway Blazers.
With your whack-fa-the-da-for-the-diddle-ee-iddle-day.
There were multitudes from Gallop, and members from Mane hatten Shore
Colts from Connemare and Canterlot unmarried fillies
There were people from Clop city who were loyal, true and faithful;
Who brought home foreign prisoners from diverse nations.
By now several of the crowd were singing along with the chorus and passing ponies were stopping to listen.
With your whack-fa-the-da-for-the-diddle-ee-iddle-day.
And it's there you'll see Bon Bon with sugarsticks and dainties
The lozenges and oranges, the lemonade and raisins!
The gingerbread and spices to accommodate the fillies
And a big crubeen for thrupbits to be suckin' while you're able.
With your whack-fa-the-da-for-the-diddle-ee-iddle-day.
Out of the corner of her eye Octavia could see a white unicorn stallion with a short red mane, Red Tape the Mayor’s assistant, stick his head out of the town hall’s door. Upon noticing Lyra his ears shot up, a wide grin appeared on his face and front hoof began to tap along in time with the music.
It's there you'll see the gamblers, the thimbles and the garters
And the spotting Wheel of Fortune with the four and twenty bits
There was others without scruple pelting wattles at poor Maggy
And her daddy well-contented and he lookin' at his daughter.
With your whack-fa-the-da-for-the-diddle-ee-iddle-day.
It's there you'll see the pipers and the fiddlers competing
The nimble hoofed dancers a-tripping over the daisies
There were others shouting cigars and lights and bills for all the races
With the colors of the Wonderbolts and the prize and ponys ages.
With your whack-fa-the-da-for-the-diddle-ee-iddle-day.
It's there you'll see the Wonderbolts and they're dressed up so stately
The yellow, the blue, the purple, and pink, the emblem of our nation
When the bell was rung for starting, all the ponies seemed impatient
I thought they never stood on ground their speed was so amazing.
By now most of the area was singing along and coins had started to pile up in the open case. Octavia found her hooves tapping along with the music. Suddenly Lyra became silent for the chorus and the crowd continued without her until she restarted singing for the final verse.
With your whack-fa-the-da-for-the-diddle-ee-iddle-day.
There was half a million people there from all nations
The Griffin, the Dragon, the Ewe, and Saddle Arabian
There was yet no animosity, no matter what persuasion
But "failte" and hospitality inducin' fresh acquaintance.
With your whack-fa-the-da-for-the-diddle-ee-iddle-day.
With your whack-fa-the-da-for-the-diddle-ee-iddle-day.
With a final flourish Lyra’s song came to an end, the audience immediate broke out into a round of applause and the gentle patter of coins striking coins could be heard. Red sidled up to the performer unnoticed and smiled up at her bashfully, before tossing a hoofful of bits onto the ground and scuttling back into the town hall. There were calls of encore.
Lyra gave a deep bow, which Octavia was sure should have made her overbalance, and addressed the audience, “Thank you! Thank you! I’ll be in town all year if you want more. You can normally find me at the park. Plus I’ll be at the running of the leaves, so I’ll see you all there.”
She hopped down from the bench and joined the back of the queue before starting to count out the money she had just collected. Octavia trotted over to join her, she was about to offer her own praise of the performance when somepony else beat her to it, “Wow, Lyra that was an awesome performance,” said Vinyl Scratch who seemed to materialise beside her two friends.
“Thanks Scratchy,” said Lyra, “Are you going to be running as well?”
Octavia remembered what the Mayor had said earlier, “I have heard you are announcing this year.”
“Well it was supposed to be a surprise but yeh I am. DJ Pon-3 be playing some sick beats while telling all the ponies how the race is going.” said the white unicorn.
“Isn’t the race too long for all the spectators to hear you, will be at the start or the finish?”
“That’s part of the surprise but I should be at both, I’ve worked out a mode of transport to get a bird’s eye view of the race and still be able to make sure everybody hears how it’s going.” She gave a grin, “You’ll find out how on the day, needless to say it’s going to rock.”
By now the queue had moved on so that the three friends had entered the town hall, there was still a long line of ponies ahead of them, at the front a few volunteers were collecting names and entry fees overseen by Red Tape.
Lyra grabbed a few forms from a pile near the door and handed one to Octavia who scanned it, it seemed simple enough. She looked around for something to write on but there didn't seem to be anything near.
Vinyl noticed her confusion, “Here use my flank, its rock hard,” boasted the white unicorn wiggling her hind quarters at the grey mare.
Octavia glowered at her companion before turning to Lyra, “Do you mind if I use your back?” she asked. The green unicorn indicated she did not and positioned herself next to the grey mare.
“You don’t know what you’re missing. I don’t let just anypony use my flanks,”
“That’s not what the graffiti in the mare’s room at the bar says,” quipped Lyra.
Octavia raised her eyebrow at this statement as she laid the form out on the buskers back and took the pen in her mouth. She started to write but her platform began to shake as Lyra giggled, “Sorry, that tickles,” she explained. Octavia continued to write although her usually immaculate mouth writing was left rather untidy, her tutor would now have approved. By the time the forms were completed they had reached the front of the queue.
“Ah, Miss Philharmonica,” said Red as Octavia stepped forward, “I see you have chosen to enter our little athletic event. Have you put down any medical conditions you might have, Ponyville will not be held responsible for any injuries occurring if we are not informed.”
“I am in good health, thank you,” replied the grey mare stiffly as Red took her form in his aura. He quickly scanned the papers before stamping them and returning them to Octavia.
“Here’s my form Red,” said Lyra thrusting it forwards.
The stallion brightened, “Ah. Ms Heartstrings, good to see you, you are looking particularly lovely today. I did enjoy your song outside just now, it brightened up my day.” The stallion’s slight blush went unnoticed by the bard, “Do you need any help with the paperwork?”
“Nope, all done. I’m going to show Bon Bon what a great runner I am, I’d run a thousand miles for her then a thousand more just to be the pony who ran two thousand miles to fall down at her door.”
Red’s smile faltered somewhat at this, “I’m sure she’ll appreciate you for that,” he muttered, “As always.” He stamped her form and returned it.
“Hiya Reddy,” called Vinyl stepping forwards.
The stallion scowled, “Ah, Ms Scratch. I understand you are comparing the event this year?” Octavia was still to find the origin of the public servants feud with the DJ but Red seemed to get some joy out of making Vinyl jump through hoops to get anything done. She had asked her friend about it but the DJ had been vague, only stating that it had started a long time ago and that ‘The fire hadn’t been that bad’.
“Yep, I’m going to be pumping out my sounds from the air and keeping everyone up to date on the runners, it’s going to be awesome.”
“I’m afraid I’m going to need to see your pilot licence to operate a lighter than air vehicle before I can allow..”
“There you go,” Vinyl levitated a form in front of the bureaucrats face.
“And you will also need a public speakers permit.”
“Check,”
“Certification your ‘equipment’ will not interfere with the vehicle.”
“Here.”
Red was starting to sweat, “Permission from the owners of the land you will fly over?”
“What all of them?” asked Vinyl looking worried.
Sensing victory Red Tape leaned forwards, “I’m afraid so, otherwise you could be accused of trespass. I’m afraid if you don’t I’ll have to cancel your appearance.”
“What a minute, what are these?” a further pile of papers floated forwards, “One, two, three, four and five, separate permission slips. Is that all then?”
“Yes,” the stallion hissed.
“Then I guess I’ll see you at the race.”
The three friends walked out of the town hall and blinked in the bright light compared to the rather gloomy office. The paperwork had taken longer than Octavia had expected and now the sun hung almost directly above their heads. The grey mare was just about the bid her friends goodbye and return home to begin her afternoon rehearsals when she noticed Medley swooping across the town square towards them.
“Hi,” the blue pegasus called as she got closer.
“Hi Medley,” said Lyra as the blue mare arrived, “Are you going to sign up for the race as well? I’m going to prove to my Bonny that I’m a great athlete and worthy of her heart.”
“That’s nice,” replied the pegasus distractedly, “I’m entering for the money. Some of the planking in the store could do with being replaced and that doesn’t come cheap. Plus I need some specialised materials for the next instrument I’m designing, I’ve got some ideas about using waves. I’ve studied the races results in the last few years and I figure unless there are any surprises I can make third place, maybe even second. I could use that prize money, or it could be ages before I can afford to make my new instrument.”
Medley’s words settled into Octavia’s mind and seemed to echo around for a second. ‘Unless there were any surprises’ wasn’t she herself a surprise? She hadn’t run before so Medley would not suspect what she could do. She had never seen Medley run but she suspected she might be better than the shopkeeper. She could well knock her friend down the placings maybe even prevent her getting a prize at all. How would the prickly pegasus take such a defeat, would she blame Octavia for her financial woes? Would she stop being her friend?
And what about Lyra? The green unicorn wanted to use the race to impress her love, if Octavia showed her up would she feel bitter? Octavia already suspected that Lyra was jealous of her living in the same house as Bon Bon, could this be the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, driving a wedge between them and destroying their friendship.
Would beating her friends breach some unspoken rule of friendship? She shivered when she thought of how she had been before she moved to Ponyville. Until she had friends she hadn’t realised how lonely she had been, she didn’t want to go back to that. What had she gotten herself into?
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There's a lot going on this first chapter! The idea that Cadence can hear or sense her faithful student playing in her honour, even from a different town, is really sweet.
I like the idea that Octavia is loosening up on her bodily regime just a little bit. Fitness and health are very important, of course, but I sort of get the impression that her previous regime was more about "I have to be perfect in every possible way" rather than actually "This is good for my health and my musical career". Living with Bon Bon must make it difficult, though. I sort of suspect that ponies metabolise sweets differently from humans, because, well, Pinkie Pie.
Oh, so the Cakes are being sneaky? Yeah, good luck trying to bribe the Element of Honesty, even with food from her home province. I've never been fond of Indian sweets myself, but it does sound tasty.
So Red Tape likes Lyra, but won't say anything to her... just like Lyra won't say anything to Bon Bon! Clearly, they're a perfect match.
The central conflict here should be interesting. Octavia really is worried about screwing up her new friendships, and I feel sorry for her.
Wow, so far the lessons and conflicts in the Cadanceverse seem to stem from expectations of oneself and concern about how you reflect in the publics eyes. Very nice theme we've got going on here.
Hmm, good take on the Running. Also,
That's probably one of my favorite songs of all time. So, awesometastic.
Technically, if ponies require permission of landowners for flyover, pegasi could not legally fly at all. In our world it used to be that trespass technically occurred if one somehow flew over the property of others. Then we developed lighter-than-air-craft:
With the advent of balloons, it is not trespass if one travels reasonably high above property. Reasonably is context-sensitive:
If I would fly less than 1 meter above the rooftops of my neighbors, I would certainly get in trouble, but if I would fly over 1 kilometer above the rooftops of my neighbors, I certainly would not get in trouble.
I mention trespass here. I would surely violate many other regulations if I flew less than 1 meter above the rooftops of my neighbors. If I flew over 1 kilometer above my neighbors, but I did not have a Pilot-License, did not file a FlightPlan and the airspace is restricted, I would get into trouble.
In 1946, this went to the Supreme Court of the United States of America in http://wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Causby.
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I guess I didn't think that though entirely.
In my defence it's quite low, is playing loud music and Red Tape is clutching at any possible interpretation of legislation to try and stop Vinyl.
Dammit, reading acadenceverse story on my phone, where I can't lusten to the music, feels like a deadly sin.
I can't help but think Vinyl Scratch doesn't take that feud with Red Tape seriously. I think it's just a game to her. Red Tape gets frustrated with Vinyl and tries to do everything in his power to stand in her way, but Vinyl sees that as nothing more than him challenging her. And she's eccentric enough that she probably doesn't even realize how much she frustrates him.
And then there's Octavia, still new to this "friendship" thing, so she doesn't realize that it's just friendly competition between friends. It's unlikely that Octavia will make a big difference in how Lyra feels. After all, it's not exactly trying to get first place, just trying to get Bonny's attention. And Medley would like to win the money. But it's not like it'll be a big deal if Octavia beats her. Because Octy doesn't know what Medley means by "surprises".
It's also kinda sad how Red Tape has a crush on Lyra, but Lyra only has her attention on Bon Bon. Let's just hope that Bon Bon doesn't develop a crush on Red Tape. That actually would cause problems.