Ode to a dreamer
Ode to a Dreamer
By Fenwolf2003
Features: Lyra, Octavia and Twilight Sparkle
Ponyville was a quaint little village compared to the immense glamour of Canterlot, the gem of all of Equestria. As the beating heart of the arts for the entire country, Canterlot was the place for the best of the pony species to meet and grow their culture into even better places. The elegance, sophistication and genius was palpable in the air of the huge city, you couldn't walk a hundred feet without bumping into one of the wealthiest members or one of the most influential of the species. On the other hoof, Ponyville was tiny and insignificant with little value to the country on a whole or to its cultural advancement. There was only a single reason why Octavia had even ventured to the village. Her little sister, Lyra.
She smiled as she trotted down the centre of the main street, nodding politely to a few of the ponies who were whispering and pointing in her direction. She was well known in Equestria, even to ponies that had little interest in the arts, she was often said to be the best Cello player in the history of Equestria. With her fame came a lot of attention, most of it unwanted and just a nuisance to her, she preferred to be around more dignified ponies that were on her level. In Ponyville it was different; she'd already been approached a dozen times by ponies wanting her autograph but she had hidden her annoyance well. She wasn't going to embarrass Lyra by getting annoyed at her neighbours for their rudeness. It made her more excited to spring her surprise on Lyra though, for a reason to drag her little sister back to Canterlot with her, to show her the real world once more.
Lyra nearly bounced along beside her, the pony was only a year younger than Octavia but acted like an over excited child; but her antics only made Octavia smile fondly. She loved her little sister more than anything in the world, even if she often disagreed with her choices in life.
Like her sister, Lyra had been born in Canterlot, their parents two of the musical geniuses of their time and had pushed the musical tradition on to their children. Both embraced music and loved it but Octavia was something special, a prodigy that had risen to fame in a few short years, playing the Grand Galloping Gala at only 17, the youngest pony ever to do so. Lyra on the other hoof had moved to Ponyville and struggled to even find a job playing at birthday parties or in the local tavern. Octavia was wealthy beyond her wildest dreams but Lyra had refused any offer of charity despite her failing finances. Octavia couldn't help but worry about her little sister.
"Hi Twilight!" Lyra suddenly bellowed from beside her, her cheery voice so loud that Octavia actually jumped slightly. She looked to the pony that her unicorn sister was shouting at, and simply tilted her head to the side in confusion at the sight.
The purple pony moved along slowly towards them, most of her totally hidden under the thick duvet she had wrapped over her back. Her head was low and her eyes were noticeably bloodshot, an obvious dampness of mucus on her nose. She let out a few sharp coughs before offering a smile across to Lyra. "Hey Lyra."
Lyra wasn't fazed by Twilight's obvious sickness and stepped in to hug her forelegs around her friend's neck in a greeting before hopping back to land beside Octavia. "You look sick! You should be in bed." She said with a giggle before sitting herself down beside her older sister.
"I think I still am in bed." Twilight said with a quiet snigger as she nodded her head back towards the duvet wrapped over her body. "Spike's in Canterlot, so I don't have anyone I can send to fetch me more tissues." Twilight turned her attention towards Octavia and blinked twice, ears standing on end as she lifted her head. "You...You're Octavia, aren't you? Lead Cellist of The Canterlot Royal Orchestra?"
Octavia nodded slowly, offering a slight smile as she watched the pony with her magenta eyes; she knew she recognised the pony but wasn't sure from where. "I am." She spoke calmly, her voice carrying a more noble, upper-class tone than her little sister's because of the company she kept. "I'm merely in Ponyville to visit my darling little sister." She said, offering a caring smile across to Lyra before looking back to Twilight who looked stunned.
"You two...are sisters?" Twilight seemed genuinely shocked at that, but both Octavia and Lyra had dealt with this a lot before. The two sisters were amazingly different in appearance, with Octavia as an earth pony with a solid grey on her coat with a dark grey mane while Lyra was a unicorn, her fur light turquoise in colour while her mane and tail were light cyan with a white streak. Octavia had dealt with the confusion more than Lyra had, she'd discovered quickly that Lyra rarely spoke about her to any of her friends.
"Yup! She's my big sister." Lyra beamed from ear to ear as she stood up on her hind legs to hug into Octavia's neck before bouncing down again. "Octavia, meet Twilight Sparkle! She's Princess Celestia's personal student!"
It was Octavia's turn to blink in surprise, ears standing up on her head as she suddenly became interested in the pony before her. She hadn't expected to meet somepony as important as this in this backwater village, and the revelation certainly was a welcome one. She held out her right front hoof towards the purple unicorn with a bright smile. "It's an honour, Miss Sparkle."
"Oh no, the honour is all mine!" Twilight Sparkle nearly squeaked out as a blush spread across her face and a wide smile covered her muzzle. "I heard your No. 1, To my Sister at last month's Prom. It was stunning." Twilight lifted a hoof to gently press it to Octavia's to give a quick shake in greeting.
The unicorn only managed to give a single shake before suddenly twisting her head around to the side and letting out a loud sneeze towards the ground; her horn flaring a bright purple as she sneezed. Octavia blinked as she felt a surge of energy tingle up the length of her foreleg but it had mostly faded by the time it passed into her shoulder.
"I am so sorry!" Twilight blurted out, eyes widening with shock as she looked back to Octavia who just tittered quietly as she placed her right hoof back on the ground.
"That's quite alright, dear. No harm done." Octavia bowed her head slightly and offered a smile when she heard Lyra giggling beside her. "Even the best of us get sick sometimes."
Twilight's blush persisted though and she took a step back to distance herself after the embarrassment. "I should get going...don't want you to catch a cold before tonight's big performance."
"Performance?" Lyra asked with a blink, looking across to Octavia whose ears gave a slight twitch of annoyance.
"I was waiting to surprise you Lyra, but now is as good a time as any. I'm opening for the Royal Cultural Festival tonight." Octavia said quietly, offering a bright smile across to her sister, even though Lyra's ears noticeably sunk on her head. The turquoise unicorn quickly forced a large smile onto her face as she listened though. "I was wondering if you'd like to come...You could bring that friend of yours along. Bonnie, was it?"
"Uh. Bon-Bon..." Lyra said, offering a slightly larger, more genuine smile at the mention of her close friend, but her ears were still flat on top of her head. "She's outta town though, she's delivering her newest sweet samples to Hoofington."
Octavia's ears drooped when Lyra didn't readily agree to come, avoiding making a definite answer; Lyra had always been reluctant to see her shows. "Well...how about you?" She asked as she looked back around to Twilight Sparkle with a small smile. "You could accompany my little sister tonight, if you aren't too under the weather. Front row seats, only the finest luxury for my sister and her friends." She offered a smile across at Lyra but despite the smile on her turquoise face the unicorn's ears remained low, Octavia's drooping slightly in return.
"I'd love to!" Twilight exclaimed loudly before sneezing again, a shiver running up the length of her body as her horn glowed again. She offered a weak smile up to Octavia as she hovered out a tissue to wipe her nose. "I promise I won't sneeze during the recital." She said with an embarrassed little giggle. "Are you playing anything new tonight?"
The question made Octavia blush deeply and she smiled fondly across towards Lyra suddenly, ears standing up as her tail twitched excitedly behind her. "A really special new piece...I call it Ode to a Dreamer." Lyra's smile turned into a sad frown and she had to look away, the young unicorn had never been good at hiding her emotions, from her boundless joy to her lowest points.
"Ohh...that's lovely!" Lyra said finally with a forced smile but Octavia could tell it was clearly a fraud; Octavia dropped her head a little.
Oblivious to the tension Twilight nearly bounced on the spot, she was beaming brightly even when she coughed out again. "I'll have to go and get ready! Ohh, thank you!" She stepped forwards, as if to hug Octavia but quickly reeled herself in and stepped back with a deep blush.
"You are quite welcome, dear." Octavia said with a smile, trying her best to ignore her little sister for the time. "I'll have the seat reserved for you." She stooped into a slight bow before standing upright again and looking back to Lyra with a frown; her sister just offering an exaggerated smile in return.
Lyra trotted away first, leaving Octavia to follow her as she finally took her sister back to her home. The house was regular sized for Ponyville but compared to Octavia's it was nothing, her music studio itself easily larger than the entire bottom floor. She didn't complain though, just following her in and sitting on her couch with a polite smile. Lyra quickly left the room to fetch snacks so Octavia took the time to get up and brush the couch down despite it being clean to the eye.
Lyra appeared a few moments later with a bowl of popcorn hovering along behind her, a bright smile across her face. Her mood had certainly improved now that the conversation about the performance was over. She pranced in like a young filly, tail and head held high, her horn glowing bright as she used her magic.
"Want some popcorn?" Lyra asked with a giggle, moving the bowl across to hold it in front of Octavia's face, but the earth pony quickly shook her head.
"No, darling. I had dinner at Chez Carra before coming here. You must try their Blackwater Mountain grass with the almond and avocado sauce." Octavia beamed even at the memory of the meal she had eaten. She glanced over towards Lyra and couldn't help but giggle when she saw the sly smirk on Lyra's face.
"You're too fancy for your own good." Lyra said bluntly with that sly smirk still on her turquoise face, tail giving a flick. A single piece of popcorn hovered up and rested on Octavia's nose, the earth pony letting out a snort as she stared at it. "I need to common you up some."
"Or rather, I need to fancy you up." Octavia said with a wide smirk, eventually licking the popcorn off her nose when it became clear that Lyra wasn't going to move it. "I don't understand why you live here, darling. You're cultured, you love arts, and you're from one of the best families in Equestria. Canterlot is your place. Ponyville doesn't even have a museum. Or an art gallery."
Lyra cracked a grin at that, hovering up some popcorn to chew on it, quickly gulping it down with a happy giggle. "We're not having this conversation again, sis. I love Ponyville, wouldn't leave it for all the Mountain water and grass around."
"Blackwater Mountain grass with..." She was interrupted as Lyra pressed a hoof against her mouth, the brightly coloured unicorn giggling at her older sister.
"You're a silly mare....I've missed hanging out with you." She removed her hoof from her sister's mouth and instead wrapped her forelegs around Octavia's neck to give a firm hug, immediately getting one in return.
"Me too, darling. I miss playing with you." Octavia said quietly, reaching down to gently pat a hoof against the lyre that was Lyra's cutie mark before dragging her hoof tip across it as if she were strumming the lyre's three strings. "It's been far too long; I really miss making beautiful music with you."
Lyra giggled quietly and nodded, breaking from the hug and relaxing back into the couch, hovering the bowl of popcorn over to set it by her hip. "Yeah it's been too long...was a lotta fun..." A sly smirk suddenly spread out across her face, tail swishing loudly against the couch behind her. "Remember that time we gate crashed Vander Bowen's orchestra?"
A warm blush spread across Octavia's face as she smirked at the memory, her own tail giving a few loud swishes behind her. "You always were such a bad influence on me..." She sniggered as she lifted a hoof to rub her forehead gently, "By Celestia, I still remember the expression on your face when you attempted to crowd surf."
"Those ponies sure did move outta the way fast for a bunch of old guys!" Lyra giggled as she bounced on her seat a few times before suddenly bouncing straight up onto her hooves and leaping from the couch. She spread her legs out as she leapt, seeming to hover in the air for the moment before dropping. With a quick thought she used her magic to tug across a cushion to land on, even though she mostly missed it, only her chin landing on it while the rest hit the ground with a heavy thud.
Octavia just watched her sister's clowning around with a warm smile, leaning back into the couch with a happy rumble. "I can't believe they made us pay for the seats you broke."
"Yeah, they really sucked about that..." Lyra smiled fondly at the memory as she rolled over onto her back to stare back across towards Octavia. "That...that was the last thing we did before I came here, wasn't it? By Celestia, that feels like it was years ago."
"That's because it was, darling. Three years next Wednesday." Octavia blushed again at the admission of knowing the exact date of when her sister had left the family home to live in Ponyville. Octavia fell silent as she just stared across at Lyra who offered her a kind, loving smile but her ears just lowered. "You....you really should come back..."
Lyra smiled even though Octavia looked sad, climbing up onto her hooves again to cross over to sit on the couch next to her sister. "It's not for me. I think I'm far too common now to go..."
"You are not common!" Octavia snapped loudly at her, the earth pony actually making Lyra jump with her sudden change of volume from her usual controlled tone. "And it's an insult to our family name by saying that." Lyra stared at her sister with wide eyes, ears flattening out on top of her head, tears appearing in the corners of the overly emotional pony's eyes. "You are special, little sister. You should be shining like the star you are, and you can only do that in Canterlot."
Lyra opened her mouth to try and speak but this time Octavia was ready for her, shoving a hoof against the shorter unicorn's muzzle. "My agent will get you thirty jobs a week; you'll have a mansion, two, three! Whatever you want. You'll never be poor again. I'll make sure of that." Octavia finally stopped when she noticed that Lyra was glaring at her even though she still had the hoof pressed against her mouth. The older sister stared at Lyra for a few moments more before sighing and removing her hoof to let her speak.
"No. Let me live my life Octavia. You might not be proud of me but at least pretend to be happy for me." Lyra was struggling to keep her voice level and calm, her ears flicking around rapidly on her head as she continued her glare.
"I just...worry about you. You could make thousands of bits a day in Canterlot. When was the last time you had a job here?" Octavia asked quietly, ears flat on her head as she frowned across towards her little sister.
"Two weeks ago, fifty bits. It was a birthday party, can't remember the filly's name ..." Lyra smiled even as Octavia looked shocked, she didn't know it had been that bad for her sister. Octavia couldn't understand why her little sister was even smiling. "Then before that was Derpy's birthday..." She smiled warmly at that, clapping her front hooves together in applause. "She paid me in muffins...you should've seen it."
Octavia wasn't as amused as her little sister, a deep frown on her face, ears giving an annoyed twitch. "You were paid in muffins? And you don't consider that an insult?"
"It's actually a great honour...I know how hard it must've been for Derpy to give me twenty muffins, so she obviously appreciated it." Lyra still smiled despite her sister looking so annoyed at the situation. "It's not all about money. Or being recognised. I have a great life here with my friends."
Octavia simply stared at Lyra even as the turquoise unicorn beamed over at her, orange eyes sparkling slightly in the sunlight. She couldn't understand her little sister and that frustrated her more than anything, she loved her sister but sometimes she couldn't believe that they were brought up in the same house. Finally she just allowed herself to smile in return even though it was clearly forced. "Want to hear a sneak preview of my new song? I wrote it for you."
Lyra's expression immediately changed, ears flattening on her head as her bright smile slipped away to be replaced by a frown. She looked off to the side but looked back after awhile, a small smile on her face. "I...guess that'd be nice..."
Octavia beamed brightly and hopped up off the couch to trot across to the huge case of her Cello, quickly undoing the golden latches with a few flicks of her left hoof. She tugged it open to reveal her instrument; the Cello was her pride and joy, a Starava, made by a master craftsman nearly three hundred years ago. It was worth more than every house in Ponyville put together, something that she took great pride in. She pulled it carefully from its case and set it up on the endpin before rising up onto her hind legs. Octavia hooked her left front hoof around the neck to rest her hoof tip against the strings before reaching back into the case to pull out her sheets of music; Lyra could immediately recognise the notes on it were in Octavia's hoofwriting style. She set the music down on the coffee table in front of her before pulling the bow out from the case, hooking it in her right hoof.
"I really hope you like this, Lyra." She said with a bright smile towards her before moving to rest the bow gently against the strings. She closed her eyes and began to control her breathing, ears standing upright on her head as she let herself slip into her zone. She centred quickly, she did it often and it had become easy for her, before slowly sliding the bow across the strings.
A single loud screech filled her ears and she gritted her teeth against the unpleasant sound, eyes snapping open once more. She blinked in shock as she stared across at Lyra, who stared back, the unicorn's eyes just as wide as hers. Lyra however quickly offered a smile and giggled quietly. "It certainly is unique..."
Octavia couldn't bring herself to smile in return, instead just closing her eyes and focusing again but she could feel her heart rate had risen. She brought her breathing back under control and lifted her bow away from strings to move it in the air, trying to get her rhythm back before trying it on the strings again. Something was wrong though, her right hoof wasn't reacting properly, and her movements were sluggish and inaccurate, as if some invisible weight was strapped to her hoof.
Cold sweat played across the back of her neck and she fought to keep her heart rate from rising anymore. I'm just a little nervous... She told herself as she pressed the bow softly against the strings again, taking a few deep breathes to try and force back her nerves. It's been years since I played for Lyra...just nervous... She took her time this time, slowly sliding the bow across the strings once more. The screech this time was equally as loud and horrible as before but she struggled against it to continue playing, hoping to overcome it. She didn't.
She couldn't hit a single note correctly as she continued to play, even when she opened her eyes to stare down at the strings to try to be more accurate. She missed strings, her hoof tip slipped from the neck, her bow strokes were either too short or too long; she could do nothing right.
Octavia looked across to Lyra with wide, shocked eyes, mouth hanging open slightly as she finally stopped playing. Lyra stared back at her, just as shocked, ears pressed flat against her head. "Octavia...are you okay?" Lyra asked as she got up from the couch and trotted across to stand in front of her.
"I...I don't know what's wrong..." She stared down at the bow for a moment before peering at the strings to make sure everything was in order but everything was; her instrument was perfect. "My hoof...it just won't move like it should..." She swept her hoof a few times through the air, carrying the bow with it but even Lyra could see that her actions were clumsy and slow.
Lyra frowned and focused, her magic plucking the bow from Octavia's grip and moving it to the strings. She stroked the bow gently across the strings while her magic pinched the strings against the neck. The sound she produced was a perfect note; the unicorn had learnt how to play the Cello, their father's instrument, just like Octavia had also learnt how to play their mother's lyre.
Octavia's ears sunk flat on her head as she stared down at her sister, she had hoped the fault might be with the instrument, something easily fixed but now she knew it was her. She stepped back from the instrument in panic, breathing increasing a little. "W-why can't I play?" She stammered out in shock, her voice losing all of its usual power and elegance.
The Cello was quickly returned to the case by Lyra's magic as she turned to face back towards her sister. "You're probably just tired; did you get enough sleep last night?" Lyra asked, offering a reassuring smile towards her sister.
"No...I was fine this morning when I was practicing..." She panted out in panic, feeling her chest tighten. "Oh Celestia no....I have the Festival opener tonight...I can't miss it." Octavia's reputation was important to her, she was the best but the ponies of Canterlot were a fickle lot, she could lose everything in just a single performance if she upset the right ponies. The right ponies were going to be there tonight; even Celestia and Luna had been confirmed their attendance.
"Relax..." Lyra said, standing up on her hind legs to place her hooves on Octavia's shoulders, giving a comforting squeeze. "It's not the end of the world..."
Octavia pulled back from Lyra suddenly, glaring across towards her, nostrils flaring as she let out an angry snort. "Not the end of the world?!" She cried out angrily at Lyra, the turquoise unicorn shrinking back in response. "You don't understand anything! If I miss this, everything will be ruined!" She stomped her hoof in anger, feeling tears running down her face.
"It'll be okay..." Lyra said quietly, ears flat on her head as she stared across towards her sister, the gray mare glaring in return even as she panted out in panic. "I'm sure you'll be better by tonight..."
"I don't even know what's wrong with my hoof!" She stared down at her right hoof as she said it, it looked fine but any time she tried to make more delicate movements it was slow and clumsy. "It was working fine this morning then..." She froze up, fur standing on end as her eyes went as wide as they could go. She slowly brought her gaze up to stare across at Lyra, noticeably shaking where she stood. "Then your friend used her magic on me..."
"What? Twilight?" Lyra asked, blinking in confusion as she stared at her sister, ears flicking curiously on her head. "But she wouldn't do anything like that...at least, not on purpose."
Octavia wasn't listening to any of it as she took a few steps back from her younger sister, her expression of shock beginning to harden into a glare. "Did you put her up to it?" She asked bluntly, her voice quieter again but still lacking in control, her anger obvious.
Lyra could do nothing for a few seconds but blink repeatedly in confusion, ears perking upright on her head. The unicorn looked around herself quickly but there was no one else in the room with the two of them. "Me? You think I did this to you?"
"You have always been jealous of me....but I thought you'd at least be happy for me and not try to ruin everything!" Octavia cried out at her, taking a step towards her, tears rolling down her face from her magenta eyes.
"I didn't." Lyra snorted out in annoyance, orange eyes narrowing to glare across at Octavia in return. "You're just upset."
Octavia wasn't hearing any of it, just stepping closer to her sister again and glaring down into her eyes. "Do not lie to me Lyra! You led me straight to her."
Lyra glared back up towards her big sister. "I introduced you to a dozen ponies! You can't just blame me for whatever happened to you!" She stepped in closer, forcing Octavia to step back in return, the smaller unicorn snorting out loudly towards her sister. She could feel tears in her eyes, her emotions were flaring up and she knew she couldn't control them. "You can't blame my friends either! Maybe you pulled a muscle playing your stupid cello so much for all your stuck up friends."
The turquoise unicorn had always been a little firecracker of emotion and activity, a sharp contrast to her sister who had great control. If Lyra had been angry at Octavia in the past, the earth pony would just sit and take her abuse with little response; Lyra had never seen Octavia get angry like this before, even when she had told her she was leaving Canterlot. There had been crying, shouting and even begging but she had never glared or tried to physically intimidate her little sister. Their relationship had been on a knife's edge since that day and finally it had fallen apart.
"Get your head out of the clouds, Octavia!" Lyra shouted out loudly as she reached up to prod her sister on the chest with a hoof tip. "Maybe you've just finally lost it. About damn time, maybe you'll finally learn..." Lyra stopped abruptly, eyes widening out as her mind caught up with her mouth and she realised what she was saying. It was already too late. "Octavia, I'm..."
She never got to finish, Octavia slapped her powerfully across the face with her left hoof, Lyra stumbling back to land on her rump; immediately lifting her front hooves to hold them against her burning cheek. Octavia glared down at her sister even as tears ran down the young unicorn's face.
Without a word Octavia turned away from her little sister and stormed across to the cello case, pushing it closed. She pulled it up onto her back and fixed the strap across her chest, even though it was a struggle because of her right hoof. Lyra could do nothing but sit and watch, tears streaming down her face, holding her aching cheek. The earth pony stepped right past her without even a second thought, moving to pull the front door open before stepping out.
The gray mare stopped in the doorway and slowly looked around to Lyra again, ears flat on her head as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Father would be ashamed of you." She turned and left without a second look back.
Lyra couldn't move, her body was locked up in shock, hooves pressed securely against her cheek long after the pain had faded. She stared at the open doorway, just praying that Octavia would appear again and she'd be able to apologise, to say she never meant it; but Octavia never came back.
Lyra finally let out a quiet whimper of defeat as she lowered her hooves from her face and stood up, ignoring her legs as they wobbled uncertainly beneath her. She stumbled back towards her couch, she felt too weak to continue standing, the guilt weighing heavily in her heart. By the time she reached the couch she dropped down across it with a loud sniff, trying to fight back her tears.
She had never meant to be so cruel to her sister, she'd been angry, she'd been stupid and she wished she could have at least said she was sorry. She knew she couldn't go to the performance tonight, and she wondered if it was still going to be on; but deep down in her heart she knew Octavia was going to perform. It was going to be terrible and she was going to get the blame again. She had ruined everything.
"I should've said sorry..."
============================
"I should've said sorry..."
She had ruined everything.
Octavia knew it was true as she stood in position on the stage, feeling the weight of the cello against her side. The bow in her right hoof felt strange and she'd been forced to strap it to her ankle when usually she could grasp it easily enough with just her hoof, but even in her practices it hadn't helped one bit.
She could have cancelled but by the time she had returned to Canterlot there were only a few hours before the show. If she'd cancelled she'd be shamed even more than if she failed to perform to her best, and she just prayed that she could perform to some standard.
The curtain was still drawn in front of her, leaving her in the darkness, alone. No one was allowed behind stage when Octavia performed, this world wasn't theirs, it was her world and her world alone. She had to be alone with her music to ever really enjoy it. She only enjoyed it more when she was with one other pony; and she'd ruined her chances with that unicorn now.
Octavia's ears sunk low thinking about Lyra, even when she heard her announcer beginning to speak she couldn't shake her sadness. The voice was Vander Bowen's, her first true rival, and now he was nothing but her announcer. She had requested him especially when they had approached her to do this job, all as a gift for Lyra; she wanted Lyra to see him made to look small after what he had done to Lyra all those years ago. Lyra would have enjoyed it, and Octavia would have enjoyed it too; just to see Lyra happy again.
The curtains suddenly began to part and Octavia closed her eyes to begin to focus once more, slowing her breathing and clearing her mind. She could hear the applause and cheers from the audience and she knew there must be over a thousand ponies outside; all here to watch her fail pathetically. She tried to ignore the audience as she felt her heart rate quicken once again, panic started to grip her again and she battled to keep it in check. It was now or never.
Her bow screeched loudly against the string, her ears twitched against the painful sound and she heard a murmur of shock from the audience. She refused to give in, moving her right hoof slowly,
sliding the bow across the strings as she moved her left hoof tip over the neck. The sounds were horrendous, squealing out loudly as she continuously hit off notes and even once entirely missed the strings. The murmur was growing louder as more ponies from the audience joined in, some even beginning to talk loudly amongst themselves, asking if this was meant to be some kind of joke.
Octavia opened her eyes slowly to stare out across the audience, magenta eyes damp with tears but they were invisible to the crowd. She stood in the centre of the wide stage, only a single spotlight aiming down at her, leaving the rest of the stage in total darkness. This was her world, she was centre stage and there were over a thousand important ponies watching her. Her world was falling apart.
Her gaze fell down upon the front row of the audience, feeling a tiny flicker of hope in her chest but it wasn't rewarded. She immediately saw the empty seat with a simple sign sitting on it 'Reserved: Lyra'; her sister hadn't shown up. The seat beside the empty one was occupied though, Twilight Sparkle sitting with wide, shocked eyes. Her ears were flat on her head as she stared up at Octavia in return and she tried to force a little smile onto her face. Octavia wanted to glare down at the purple unicorn, to blame her for this, but she remembered her sister's words and just lowered her head in shame.
Octavia glanced up towards the royal box up to her left and could see the two royal sisters sitting side by side. Princess Luna looked concerned, ears flat on her head as she stared down towards Octavia, but Princess Celestia was smiling. She smiled as if nothing was wrong with the performance, a warm, caring smile aimed down towards Octavia. The goddess dipped her head in a nod, that smile never leaving her face. Octavia stared up in return, shocked; the goddess wasn't upset at her even as she butchered her music.
The crowd began to boo loudly, pulling Octavia's attention back down to them and she saw the anger out there. Ponies that she would have called her class and type were jeering loudly up towards her and the clamour was only growing louder with each passing second. She'd never been booed before and the new feeling made her heart sink in her chest.
A tear rolled down her cheek and she was forced to lower her head and close her eyes once more as she stopped playing. The jeers were growing louder all around her and with her horrendous music finally over she could hear them all clearly now. She knew she could recognise some of the voices and the worst of it was when she heard a single chuckle out in the audience. When she opened her eyes again she found herself staring at Vander Bowen, the white furred unicorn stallion was sitting in Lyra's seat and was clearly taking great pleasure in her suffering. That was too much for her, she had to leave the stage.
Octavia tried to step off the stage but she couldn't even budge even an inch from her spot, as if some invisible force was holding her in place. The electrical buzz of magic was obvious across her body, her fur standing on end as she felt the strong magic playing across her body.
She looked down towards Vander Bowen with a glare, she knew this was going to be his final insult to her, using his magic to keep her on stage to endure more heckling but when she saw him it was clear his horn wasn't glowing. Her gaze lifted quickly up towards Princess Celestia but was shocked to see that her horn wasn't glowing either. The goddess sat in the same position as before, that same warm smile on her face as she peered back down at the struggling musician. Celestia held her gaze for a few moments before a small smirk appeared on her face and she nodded off towards Octavia's left. Octavia blinked in confusion before turning her head to look off to her left.
Octavia's eyes widened as she stared into the darkness at the single figure of a pony that stood in the cover behind the gathered curtains at the side of the stage. The figure was masked in the shade, hidden from the view of entire audience; Octavia could only make out the mare by the soft purple glow emanating from her horn. Two orange eyes stared out at her from the shadows and the whites of the pony's teeth were obvious as the pony beamed out a bright smile. Octavia could recognise that smile anywhere.
Lyra however stood in a strange position, up on her hind legs with her right front hoof held across her chest while her left was hooked up in the air to the left of her head. It took Octavia a few seconds to notice that Lyra was mimicking her exact position; then she realised she was wrong, she was standing in Lyra's position. Her little sister lifted her right hoof above her head and rotated her ankle as a standard warm-up exercise; Octavia blinking in surprise as she felt her own right leg copy her sister's exactly. The sluggish movement in her leg was gone now that her sister's magic was moving her. Lyra was her puppet master and the idea of that made Octavia smile even as a tear rolled down her cheek; she was saved.
Octavia let her eyes close again, making it look like she was preparing to focus once more. She relaxed her muscles but felt her sister's magic keeping her standing in place, the feeling was unusual, as if she were weightless. She could feel her body moving though she had no control over it, if the pony trying to control her had been any other pony she would have struggled but Lyra was in control so she knew she was safe.
The bow moved expertly across the strings and the note it produced was flawless. Octavia recognised the song before the third note even sounded and she felt a warm smile tugging at the corners of her lips. To my Sister, one of her own pieces, she never knew that Lyra had learnt any of her pieces; she'd always assumed Lyra had hated her work by the way she froze up whenever the music was mentioned.
The audience had stopped jeering by the time she'd finished the first bar and silence gripped the huge crowd of elegant ponies. Their opinions didn't matter to her anymore; she didn't even open her eyes to look out at them like she usually would after grabbing their attention. She was making music with Lyra again and that's all that mattered in the world right now.
Octavia loved that song more than any other piece in the world; it was one of the first scores she had ever written and it held a special place in her heart. It was dedicated to Lyra, like a dozen of the other pieces she had written throughout the past three years, a way of trying to repair the shattered relationship with her little sister but none of them had worked. Seeing her in Ponyville had been the first time they had spoken in well over a year, Lyra simply refused to come back to Canterlot and Ponyville wasn't a place for a pony like Octavia.
By the time she'd started her second song, the crowd were applauding loudly. The upper-class ponies were a fickle bunch, but she'd never known them to be as erratic as they were tonight; but she had never hit such a low before. They roared out their approval, stamping their hooves or clapping them together as the first song finished but then quieted down again for the second.
To perform was to live for Octavia, she never felt more alive than when thousands were watching her and enjoying her gift. Tonight was different; this was a chore, even when she knew that Lyra was the one making the music with her. Lyra was mere meters away from her and she wanted nothing more than to throw down her cello and rush to her sister, to tell her how sorry she had been for being such an idiot. She couldn't though, even when she tried to lower her right foreleg she felt Lyra immediately fight her back under control to finish the song.
Then the third song finally came, her last piece of the night, and Octavia's eyes opened wide with surprise. She recognised the cords already and she knew she should have been the only one to know them, she had only written it a few weeks ago. She glanced across towards Lyra again, trying to be as subtle as possible in the look.
Lyra's eyes were barely open and she was clearly fighting to keep it that way as she squinted down at a few sheets of music that she kept levitating in front of her face. Octavia could recognise the sheets from where she stood, the ones she had left in Lyra's house when she had stormed out. It was her newest masterpiece, her newest gift to her sister, Ode to a Dreamer. Her sister was the dreamer, the young filly who escaped from the real world of Canterlot to live in a dream world. To live outside her class, to experience a world that never was meant for her, to mingle with the lowest of the low and to still consider it a dream. It never once had become a nightmare. Octavia couldn't understand it, to her that life would be a nightmare but her sister never wanted to leave it.
Octavia could see the look of pain on her sister's face, Lyra's teeth gritted tightly as she struggled to keep from clamping her eyelids shut. Her horn was glowing brighter than she had ever seen it before, the occasional spark of loose magic igniting in the air above her head as she channelled far too much for her to bear. Octavia felt her left shoulder give a twitch but felt no pain from it, but she could see that it was different for Lyra. A muscle in the unicorn's left shoulder had cramped and she jerked in place but quickly recovered her position even as she let out a sharp gasp of pain. This was too much for Lyra to handle, to control another pony like a puppet in such a delicate and accurate way was an incredible strain on her body and magic but she struggled on.
The song was a long one but time passed quickly for Octavia as she just focused on the music. Lyra was a great cellist but was nothing compared to her, she didn't care even though she knew the reviews in the morning's papers would be dire. Finally the song came to an end and the audience began to clap; a quiet, controlled applause compared to what she usually got.
Her body nearly collapsed beneath her weight as the magic suddenly left her, relaxed muscles struggling to clench again to take her weight once more. She was happy her weight was mostly supported back against the cello, so her position didn't change much; the ponies in the audience were unlikely to have noticed. She dropped into a low bow as soon as her body had recovered, sweeping her right foreleg out in a wide arch beside her.
Octavia couldn't help but glance ahead of herself when she was down in the long bow, staring down towards Vander Bowen with a superior smirk on her face. He was still smirking up at her even though she had recovered well, he knew this wasn't her at her best and was expecting the reviews to be just as bad as Octavia knew they'd be. He didn't clap; he just sat there and watched her, forelegs folded casually across his chest. Octavia blew a raspberry across at him in reply and noticed his eyes widen in shock; their battle had always been a battle of elegance and grace, but Octavia had finally decided to take a leaf from her little sister's book.
The curtains began to slide shut and Octavia held the deep bow until they were totally closed, sealing her in the darkness behind the stage. The moment the curtains were sealed she laid her cello out across the wooden floor of the stage, dropped her bow and rushed to her sister; arriving just in time for her sister to drop heavily across her back. Octavia didn't complain as she stood under her sister, letting the unicorn rest her full weight onto her back.
Lyra was panting out loudly, chest pressing down against Octavia's back repeatedly as she sucked in quick, deep breaths. Her fur was cold and wet to the touch but Octavia could feel the intense heat of her sister's body through the dampness. Lyra had overstrained herself; she had used too much magic for her mediocre skills in it and was paying the price.
"I..." Octavia heard her little sister mutter, voice quiet and weak, barely enough to be heard over the sound of the ponies talking out in the auditorium. "I....didn't do...it to you." Her sister wheezed out, her voice dry and raspy from dehydration.
Octavia felt a tear on her cheek as she lowered her head, gulping down some excess saliva before speaking. "I...I shouldn't have blamed you, Lyra...I'm sorry."
A quiet giggle sounded in response, ending with a short gasp of pain from the brightly coloured unicorn. "No problem, sis...I knew you were just being goofy..." She felt Lyra's left foreleg slip around her neck to give a gentle squeeze even as the muscle in her left shoulder gave another powerful clench. "Probably was just all that black grass and water you were eatin'."
A smile tugged at the corners of Octavia lips and she lifted her head again, pressing the back of her head against Lyra's burning cheek. "Blackwater Mountain grass." She said softly, letting a quiet giggle out into the darkness around them.
"Don't forget the almond and avocado sauce." Lyra added, bumping her nose gently against her bigger sister's left ear.
Octavia smirked this time, turning her head to look up at her little sister, staring into those bright orange eyes. "And imagine, I thought all hope was lost with fancying you up again." She leant up to bump noses with Lyra, feeling her sister's hot breath washing over her face. "Climb onto my back, darling. I'll run you a cold bath."
"Not your butler?" Lyra teased with a grin at Octavia before slipping her right foreleg around her neck as well, hoisting herself up with an exasperated grunt. She burnt against Octavia's back, the little pony was far past any safe limits for her body temperature and the residual glow on her horn was a clear sign of her overuse of her magic. Octavia knew little about magic but she had never seen her sister get in this condition before, though she had seen others; mainly artistic unicorns that had worked for far too long.
"Of course not darling...he's got the night off." Octavia giggled to herself as she struggled to hold up her sister's weight. The earth pony was the taller of the two by a few inches but her sister still weighed more than she did, the unicorn's diet mostly made up of sugary foods because of her fillyfriend's job as a sweet maker. On the other hoof Octavia's diet was strictly controlled, she had dieticians to make sure her food was calorie controlled and low in fat; she had to look her best at all times, and her dozens of would be suitors were a testament to her high standards of appearance.
Octavia quickly trotted away, she had to clear the stage before the next performer arrived for their selection of songs. She slipped away into the brightly lit back hallways, passing assistants and show organisers without even stopping to listen to their praise or questions. Even when the festival master stepped out in front of her she just stepped around him, slowing only long enough to say. "Have somepony bring my instrument to my dressing room. And there had better be no damage when it arrives." She shot him a hard stare and he shrunk back, nodding quickly but she didn't give him a chance to speak.
The cellist was the lead act for the festival; tonight's show was merely a line up of the various performers to give a taste of what was to come throughout the festival. She had given the audience little to be truly excited about but she was already planning to have her secretary play it as a story. She could play the bad luck as her growth as a musician, starting with her first ever piece, struggling to begin and then growing into a true artist over time. That all depended on if she could get her right leg fixed before her next performance. She'd run the story anyway, it would be a good way to deflect criticism for a few days at least.
Octavia's dressing room was closest to the stage, another requirement she had demanded when she was signing her contract. She had used the excuse that her cello was the largest and heaviest instrument to carry but the honest reason was simple laziness; ponies of her class weren't designed for manual labour. The position came in useful when carrying Lyra back though, the earth pony knew she would've struggled to carry her little sister much further than that. She was already panting loudly when she slipped in through the door and kicked it closed behind her.
The room was large and had originally been slated for three artists, easily enough room indoors for five however, but Octavia never shared unless she was performing in an orchestra. It was a large room, several dressing tables set up along the walls with a seating area in the corner and a buffet table covered in a variety of exquisite food. Usually her butler would have been waiting with her meal and wine but she had sent him away when it looked like her performance was going to be a disaster. She was glad she had, it gave her privacy to look after her sister without anyone finding out the secret.
Octavia crossed to the attached bathroom and stepped inside, moving immediately to set her sister down by the single bath tub. She reached across to turn on the cold water, adding only a little hot water to make sure the change wasn't too drastic to her sister's overheating body. There was little to do as the large tub began to fill, so she sat herself down in front of her sister and watched her sit there.
Lyra was panting loudly still and her fur glistened in the artificial light, mostly matted down against her body under the amount of sweat. Her eyes were closed but her laboured breathing made it obvious that she was still awake, fighting to hold in each breath to try and slow her breathing rate down. The glow on her horn had faded but was still visible, and by the steam rising off it Octavia knew it must be burning even worse than the rest of her sister's body. She couldn't pull her gaze from her sister though, questions bubbling up in the back of her mind, about her sister's health, her reasons for helping and even about the performance itself.
"Lyra...I'd like to ask you a question..." Octavia started quietly and slowly, offering a smile over to her sister when Lyra opened her eyes to look back across towards her. The little unicorn returned the smile before closing her eyes and resting her head back against the side of the bath.
"If you ask me what scented salts I want in my bath you're beyond even being a snob..." She wheezed out with a short giggle, a big grin playing across her face.
"Very funny. No, I want to know...why do you keep freezing up when I talk about my music around you?"
Lyra opened her eyes again to glance over at her sister, that big grin still on her muzzle. "'Cause you're a genius. Always waiting for you to suddenly ask me about my music." She giggled out quietly, eyes closing over again. "Just...just worried you'll be ashamed of me again." Her grin faded and she looked back across at Octavia, tears obvious in the corners of her eyes. "Just like earlier."
Octavia's ears sunk on top of her head and she got up to turn off the taps, just standing by the bath for a few moments before speaking again. "I'm sorry...just...you should be doing so much more with your life." She offered a hoof to Lyra even as she continued to frown down towards her.
The turquoise unicorn lifted her left hoof to hook it against Octavia's, pulling herself up onto all fours before stepping into the shallow pool of water. She sank down onto her back with a soft grunt of irritation as the cold water spread across her burning body but she quickly relaxed. "Have you..." She grunted out softly, sucking in a few deep breathes before continuing. "Have you ever been chased by an Ursa Minor?"
Octavia blinked in confusion at the strange nature of the question before slowly shaking her head. "No...What's an Ursa Minor?"
"Have you ever spoken to Princess Luna?" Lyra opened her eyes again to stare up at her big sister, a mischievous smirk spreading out across her thin muzzle. Octavia simply shook her head in reply. "I have. Had coffee with her last week when she was visiting Derpy, she's certainly an interesting pony if you can get past her whole Nightmare-ishness."
Octavia's right eyebrow rose at that, the earth pony trotting over to sit at the edge of the bath, hooking her front legs over the side of it to dip her hooves in the water. She watched her little sister suspiciously before finally offering a small smirk. "Well, you haven't had the sheer privilege of dining with Vander Bowen for the previous two weeks. He's wanted to join the orchestra and I'm his tutor."
Lyra giggled at that before sweeping her right hoof through the cool water of the bath to splash some up over Octavia's face. "Well, you clearly have the more exciting life..." She let a sly smirk spread across her muzzle as she slipped deeper into the water, folding her forelegs behind her head with a slight whine of pain. "You should order him to crowd surf at your first performance."
A dark blush spread out across Octavia's wet face as she stared down at her sister, turning her head to look off to the side as she tried to fight back a giggle. "I already told him he had to...I do not believe he saw it as a joke though."
Lyra let out a loud chuckle at that, her cheerful laugh echoing off the tiled walls of the small bathroom. "Is that why you blew that raspberry at him?"
"Me? A pony of my elegance and beauty would never do such a thing. I'm certain you must have still been in control when that happened." She smirked towards her sister, reaching down to gently prod her on the nose. "It certainly was humorous to see his face though...definitely worth it."
"Looks like you were right, I am a bad influence." Lyra wiggled her nose against her sister's gentle poke but remained in place as she peered up at the gray earth mare. "Thanks for looking after me..."
Octavia grinned down at her little sister and reached in to pet her gently on her horn, feeling the intense heat still radiating from it. "I believe I should be the one saying that to you, darling. But you are most welcome to stay here for as long as you need..." The earth pony suddenly let a sly, dark smirk spread across her muzzle as she stared down at her little sister. "And poor darling, you certainly seem incapacitated. I assume I will have to look after you and feed you. Care to try and deduce what's on the menu?"
Lyra pouted up towards her big sister before turning her head away with a loud huff, like a child would do when told they couldn't have what they wanted. "I'm not eating your mountain water!"
That dark smirk remained on her sister's face as she stared down at her sister, tail swishing loudly across the tiled floor behind her rump. "You certainly will, little darling. It would do you a world of good to eat something other than Bonbon's sweets."
Lyra stuck her tongue out at her big sister, moving her forelegs around to fold them across her thin chest even though her head mostly slipped under water because of the change of position. "No way! How can I keep up my cheery attitude without my precious sugar?"
Octavia giggled quietly as she reached behind her neck with her left hoof to undo her bowtie, letting it drop down onto her right hoof before she tossed it to the side. "Oh, I'm sure you'll manage somehow...who knows, it might convince you to stay here. A taste of the luxury you can have if you come to live in Canterlot." She saw Lyra's expression change again, but not to anger or depression, just an exhausted, drained look. "Bonbon can even come and stay, until you get a house of your own, of course."
A cold, wet hoof gently patted Octavia on the cheek and she felt a smile on her face when she felt that it had drastically cooled down. Lyra's expression had turned back to a warm, caring smile and this time it was genuine. "Thank you; but no. We're from different worlds now Octavia." She waved a hoof around in the air before reaching up to poke her sister gently on the forehead. "This is your world. Ponyville is mine. We just aren't the same anymore."
The earth pony's ears drooped on her head and tears gathered in her magenta eyes, forced to look away from her sister's kind smile. She felt the wet hoof against her cheek again but this time it stayed there, pulling the older sister's face around to look down at her again. "But we don't have to be. Send a letter anytime you want me and I'll come running. Or come down to Ponyville yourself. I'll introduce you to my friends, it'll be fun. You didn't even get to meet Bonbon this time." Lyra leant up from the bath to wrap her forelegs around Octavia's neck, pulling her into a tight hug. "I love you, I'll always love you. No matter how snobbish you get."
Octavia smiled even as she felt the wet fur being pressed into her, her chin resting on her sister's turquoise shoulder. She slipped her own forelegs down against her shorter sister and gave her a powerful squeeze in return. She just held her sister in her arms for a few minutes, just enjoying being close to her again, life just hadn't been the same without her little sister. Finally she leant back and just beamed down towards Lyra, happy tears on her gray cheeks.
"And I love you too...no matter how common you get."