Chapter 6: A Mistake
Octavia let out a frustrated groan. She was in her room practicing for her upcoming finale concert. She was in the middle of a piece when her mind suddenly decided to wander off, thinking about recent events.
At Rarity’s suggestion, Octavia had made her way to Ponyville’s train station after picking up the beautiful dress Rarity finished. To her surprise, Rarity accompanied her to the station to see her off. It was an even bigger surprise when she saw Pinkie was waiting at the station, wanting to say bye to her newest friend with a bundle of cupcakes which Octavia warily accepted after she made sure they were not of the exploding variety. She boarded the train after giving them both a farewell hug and a promise to visit sometime in the future.
Octavia had spent the train ride trying to occupy her thoughts by planning out an intense practice schedule when she returned to Canterlot. Her strategy was met with mild success. While she was able to focus on her music, there was still the occasional moment where she ended up thinking about Ponyville or worry about her future.
It got worse when she was not practicing. With no practice or music to distract her, it was inevitable for her head to get lost in her thoughts, and so, Octavia relentlessly practiced as much as her stamina allowed, focusing her mind and body into her concert pieces. Her strict regiment continued as the day of the concert finally came. Only through sheer will and copious amounts of coffee was she able to survive her brutal schedule.
Looking at the clock on her wall, Octavia saw that it was only a few hours left until the concert, meaning she would have to leave for the concert hall soon. All her hard work would finally pay off, and she would be able to take a much needed vacation to hopefully take care of her problems.
With a tired sigh, Octavia raised her bow back to her cello and resumed playing.
Just one more night, and then it will all be over.
Once again, it was nighttime in Canterlot. Once again, a horde of the city’s nobles and aristocrats made their way into the illustrious Canterlot Opera House. Once again, they were there to see Octavia Melody.
Behind the stage’s curtains, Octavia stood with her cello in one hoof and her bow in another. Unlike her last performance, she was wearing the dazzling dress that she commissioned from Rarity instead of her usual pink bowtie.
Rarity had prepared an elegant, black dress with a hemline that was the same color as her cutie mark. It covered her chest and most importantly, kept her forelegs free, allowing her to play the music unhindered. A modest amount of sequins were used to draw intricate designs along the dress as it flowed across her body, barely hanging above the floor. Rarity truly had outdone herself, making an exquisite garment that Octavia had never worn the likes of before.
Octavia looked down at her dress, smiling as she thought of Rarity and Ponyville. That smile quickly faded as she shook her head. She needed to concentrate. Octavia took a deep breath, running through the music she was going to play in her head.
The din of the audience on the other of the curtains was rapidly rising. Since it was her last concert appearance of the season, Octavia had no doubt that tickets were sold out. Usually, such a huge, esteemed audience would hardly faze her. Tonight, it did.
The past week had been troubling and brought up many concerns. She was worried that her thoughts would distract her and cause her to miss a note. It had happened only a few times since she returned to Canterlot to practice, but the fact that she did was enough to worry her. Not only that, but her insomniac schedule meant she was already feeling quite tired, and the concert had not even begun. It has been a long time since Octavia felt nervous before a performance.
Closing her eyes, Octavia took several more deep breaths to try and calm her nerves, but images of the orange mare flashed through her mind. She lightly groaned as she desperately tried to refocus on the upcoming performance.
Octavia quickly opened her eyes when she heard the noise of the crowd die down. It was time. Taking one last deep breath, Octavia stood up straight as the curtains were raised. Like usual, the audience gave their quiet, polite applause to let her know they were ready and waiting.
Octavia did her usual small bow, this time more elegantly due to her new dress. Reassuming her position, she slowly lifted her bow to the cello’s strings and began playing.
Once again, she was in her element and performed brilliantly. Despite not being at an optimal state, she played song after song as the concert went on. As time passed, Octavia relaxed. She had played through the music so many times, it was almost ingrained into her body. Swaying slightly with the music, her dress moved with her as though it was an extension of her body, dancing along with the melody.
Reaching the last song of the night, Octavia barely restrained a sigh of relief. Just one more, and I’m home free, she thought.
Usually, Octavia kept her eyes and focus on her cello, but since she was playing through a simple section of the song, she decided to quickly scan the audience to gauge their reactions. Almost everypony seemed to be content, but she could not help but notice a few ponies were nodding off or had already done so.
Octavia felt a small lump in her throat as worrying thoughts started to invade her mind. Ponies are sleeping through my music? What am I doing wrong?
Octavia let out a small gasp when she barely missed a note. No, no, no. Focus, Octavia, focus. Octavia’s eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she tried to brush away her thoughts.
Her eyes once again flicked towards the audience, and once again, she saw the bored ponies and could not help but worry over her possibly declining music ability. Is my music just not good enough anymore? Am I not good enough? Distracted with her thoughts, Octavia was not ready for the next series of notes and did the very thing she had dreaded her entire music career.
She made a mistake.
Only through many years of training and muscle memory was she able to continue playing as though nothing had happened, but inside her head, Octavia was frantically panicking. I… I made a mistake. I never make mistakes. Did anypony notice? What should I do?
Yet again, Octavia dared to look at the audience. To her horror, she saw some ponies were looking confused or surprised. They heard it. They heard her fail.
Despite her encroaching fear and dismay, Octavia knew she had to keep on going. She forced herself to refocus on the music and quickly thought of a possible way to salvage the situation. As the same melody came up in the piece, Octavia made a daring attempt to save the concert.
She made the same mistake.
Unlike the first mistake, this time it was intentional. It was a gambit, but Octavia hoped that by playing it again, the audience would think her mistakes were all just a more bold and different approach to the music.
Playing the same melody and mistake yet again, Octavia took one last look at the audience. To her relief, the ponies that were confused by her first mistake were now back to their usual, passive selves. She just hoped that everypony thought it was all part of the performance.
Finally reaching the end of the harrowing music piece, Octavia finished with her usual flourish, breathing heavily. The sound of quiet, polite applause resounded like the end of every other performance, marking the end of the concert as well as the end of her concert season. She took a bow but remained bent over, so the audience could not see her face as they departed. She was barely restraining herself from breaking down right on the spot. As soon as the curtains were fully drawn, Octavia hurried off stage, rushing past the concert hall’s workers, and into her dressing room.
After quickly setting down her cello, Octavia threw herself on the couch in the dressing room. All the worries and exhaustion she had been trying so hard to keep in check was finally released like a torrent of water gushing out of a broken dam. She cried because she thought she was not good anymore. She cried because she thought her career was soon coming to a close. She cried because she did not know what to do.
Octavia barely heard a knock on the door over the sound of her sobs. “Who… who is it?” she managed to stammer out.
“It’s Fancy Pants, Octavia. Do please let me in. It sounds like you could use some company,” came her friend’s voice.
Octavia bit her lip as she debated whether or not she wanted Fancy Pants to see her in such a dismal condition, but she quickly gave in. There was not much point in appearances if she truly was on the decline in more ways than one. Quickly wiping away some of her tears, Octavia opened the door, letting Fancy Pants in, before flopping back into the couch.
Fancy Pants closed the door to give them some privacy. Looking at the distraught mare on the couch, he awkwardly cleared his throat. “Well, that was an interesting concert,” he began, trying to start things off.
Octavia just lay there, ignoring Fancy Pants’s comment.
Fancy Pants sighed as he looked at Octavia in concern. “I’m sorry, Octavia, but I am just quite horrible at this kind of situation. I thought that maybe you would feel better if we talked about it.”
“I’m a failure,” Octavia muttered.
“Now, let’s stop that nonsense,” Fancy Pants said. “If it makes you feel better, I overheard everypony still praising your music. That was quite a genius tactic you pulled off.”
“Apparently not genius enough if you saw through it,” Octavia quickly retorted.
Fancy Pants walked up to Octavia and put a hoof on her shoulder as he smiled. “That is because I know you. I did not know something was wrong because you played a wrong note. I knew something was wrong because I saw you were distressed. Over the years we have known each other, I have picked up on some of your subtle tells, and I am sure nopony in the audience could tell you made a mistake because they don’t know you like I do.”
“Maybe… but it does nothing to ease my worries. What if that was just the first mistake of many more to come? What if this is the end of my career? What if music is not really my special talent?” Octavia lamented.
“What if you spend all your time worrying about what has almost no chance of happening?” Fancy Pants added as he softly stroked Octavia’s back. “Just because you made one mistake, does not mean your life will fall apart. It will only fall apart if you let it so.”
Octavia just lay there in silence as she mulled over Fancy Pants’s words. Even though what he said was true, it was easier said than done.
“Come now, Octavia. I’m also here to help you plan your vacation. Goodness knows you definitely need it. What do you say?”
Still, Octavia lay in silence.
Fancy Pants sighed. “Octavia, please, this is not healthy for you. Surely you have a nice place that you always wanted to go to. You cannot just—”
“Ponyville,” Octavia interrupted.
Fancy Pants blinked. “I’m sorry?”
“I need to go back to Ponyville,” Octavia stated as she slowly got up.
“Did something happen there? I was surprised when I heard you came back to Canterlot after only two days,” said Fancy Pants.
“In Ponyville, there is a mare,” Octavia replied, looking up at the ceiling as she recalled that night. “I did not get to meet her, but I heard her music. There’s just something special about her music that I have not heard before, and I cannot figure out what. Ever since I saw her, my mind has been occupied about her and my own music.”
“Then it seems a meeting with this mare is of the utmost importance,” remarked Fancy Pants.
Octavia nodded as she finally got up off the couch and turned to Fancy Pants, resolve etched into her eyes. “I must find out who she is and what makes her music so unique.”
Fancy Pants chuckled. “That’s the Octavia I know. I’m so glad you are feeling better.”
Octavia nodded again. “I have you to thank for that. If you did not come, I probably would be wallowing in my despair all night.”
“It is my pleasure. Now, have you figured out what you’re going to do and where you’re going to stay?” Fancy Pants asked.
“I already know when and where I am going to find the mare but…” Octavia trailed off as she realized staying at an inn was not very practical. She also recalled not seeing any hotels in the simple town.
“I’m guessing you need a place to stay,” Fancy Pants said.
Octavia looked down on the floor. “Um, yes. I don’t think I would be comfortable staying at an inn for an extended period of time, and I did not see any hotels while I was there. It looks like I will probably need to find a house.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that,” Fancy Pants stated. “You see, I had heard about some interesting events happening in Ponyville, and I predict that the town will grow sometime later in the future. With that prediction, I had purchased several houses in Ponyville in hopes that the property value will rise later on. If you would like, I can easily set things up, so you can stay in one of them while you take care of your business.”
Octavia’s eyes widened in shock. “Th-that’s so generous of you. Are you sure?”
Fancy Pants smiled at Octavia. “Of course. I would do anything to help. You are a dear friend to me, and I will always be there for you.”
Octavia rushed towards Fancy Pants and embraced him in a hug.
Fancy Pants eyes widened in surprise at the sudden physical contact, but his face quickly adopted a smile. “I guess I must’ve said something right.”
I’m so lucky to have made such good friends, Octavia thought as she started to plan out her return trip to Ponyville.
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so according to fancy pants twilight hasnt gone to ponyville yet, interesting
4106923
Where does he say that? This story starts off during Season 2.
4106933 oh thats right i forgot about that in the summary i had assumed because he said that he expected big things from that city which made me think she hadnt gone yet and they hadnt gotten the elements since i would assume that they would be famous unless its not public knowledge that rarity and pinkie are element holders
Im still loving this, I could not find anything wrong with it.
Still looking forward to the next ones.
This don't look like it's going to be a short story, and I sure hope its not going to be short.
Keep up the amazing work!
4107728
I already made myself a rough outline of the whole story. We're roughly around 30% in.
A word went missing there, I think.
Damn you, this story has me on the edge of my seat. I want to know how AJ and Octavia get along right now!
4108236
It should be "practiced" instead of "practicing". Thank you for pointing that out.
What about Ponyville captivates her? This is news to me. Actually not, but it would be worded better as "the mysterious mare" instead of Ponyville.
So, if anypony else saw others distressed, they would think otherwise? And I thought the audience did pick up on her making mistakes in her music. Is Fancy Pants telling white lies to her face? I thought this was above him from his previous characterization.
Is Fancy Pants hitting on her? You're starting to make me dislike him in this story.
4106933
I'm wondering what happened to make Applejack sad.
Good Guy Fancy Pants. Always.
I'm not sure who made the bigger mistake Octy during her concert, or Fancy buying property in a town that's about to start getting half destroyed once a week
7289350
A princess will also end up there living in an out of place Crystal Castle