Octaviaverse: Music Tournament.

Canterlot was just as bright and beautiful as ever. The white walls that almost glowed with the sun. The clean streets that were a pleasure to walk. The whole atmosphere of elegancy and regality that anypony who considered him or herself of high class did their best to maintain. All in all, the most elegant place in Equestria was truly a holder of its title.

"It feels good to be back for a while." Octavia mused as she exited the train. Hugin flew out right after her, fluttering around for a few seconds before landing on her head.

"If only we had a better reason to come here other than looking for a fight." he said. Octavia ignored him, instead beginning her uphill walk towards the Canterlot Art Society, located near the Castle. As a city placed in a mountain, stairs and inclined streets were commonplace. Enough for Octavia to get used to walk up and down for quite a while.

"So…let me get this straight…." Hugin said, moving from her head to her back. "Wer'e going to go the CAS, demand to know why you weren't elected lead musician, order them to make you lead musician and then just leave for Ponyville?"

"More or less." Octavia answer. By now, a few ponies had recognized the protege of the princess.

"You know, while I usually enjoy seeing you get in trouble, I have to agree with Berry here. This is a bad idea."

"I will not stand by while they give my position to some pony else. If you are foolish enough to disagree with that, then you can meet me in my room later." Octavia said coldly, giving him an equally cold stare. Hugin blinked a couple of times before his eyes contorted in a frown. Without saying anything, he flapped his wings and flew away, heading towards the castle.

Octavia looked at his form shrinking as it approached the golden roofs of the castle towers, a little surprised that he had actually left like that, instead of shooting his usual sarcasm.

"Lets get back to work." she told herself before resuming her walk. Canterlot wasn't much of a wide city as it was tall. Stores placed on top of other stores was quite normal, as were apartments instead of houses. There were also a couple of small towers connected by bridges that passed over a few blocks, serving as a shortcut when you didn't feel like walking through all the labyrinth that the streets could become.

Luckily for Octavia, that was only the lower market area and middle residential zone. The top of the city, right below the castle, was where all the fancy buildings stood, such as the Canterlot Library, the House of Local arquitecture, The Canterlot Royal Academy and finally, her objective.

The Canterlot Art Society.

The it was a small building compared to most, being only a couple of floors high, but even then, it was nothing to be scoffed at. The entire square building had banners of Equestria placed on every wall, all of the richly decorated, while the large windows were clear enough to appear as if there was no glass at all.

Octavia entered with a firm pace and a stern face. She wanted information and she wanted it now. The poor receptionist at the entrance seemed to have noticed, as she immediately put down the papers she was holding with magic and smiled nervously.

"M-Miss Octavia! How nice to see you again! What can I do for you?" she asked.

"I would like to speak to the ponies in charge of the gala musical arrangement." Octavia said in a tranquil, yet stern voice.

"Uhm, I'm afraid they are not here at the moment. May I ask what do you wish to know?"

Octavia sighed in annoyance. This was not going as she wanted to.

"Who was elected the lead musician for the summer gala?" she asked in a gruff. The receptionist started flipping through the small stack of papers that she was holding earlier. After a few seconds of searching, she placed the stack back down.

"There is nopony elected." The mare answered. "There will be-"

"Nopony was elected!?" Octavia roared.

"Yes, but the-"

"You mean that not only they rejected me, but they that they prefer to have literally nobody than listening me?!"

"But-"

"This will not stay this way!" Octavia stomped her way to the door. "Insulting me is one thing, but this is too much!"

"But you haven't let me-" SLAM."… finish."

Octavia walked through the streets of Canterlot, visibly angry. They chose nopony. If they had chosen somepony, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad. All that she would have to do would be to prove herself better and be on her way. But this meant that they just didn't want her!

"This will not stay like this!" she growled as she approached her destination.

Canterlot Castle.

Inside said castle, more specifically, the royal bedroom, a certain princess exited her bathroom, drying of her luscious mane with a towel. Her chambers, while smaller than what one would expect for royalty, was just as filled with books as a small library. On the desk, on shelves on all the walls, on the bed, below the bed, all of the periodically changed once they were read, re-read and then properly analyzed.

The perfect hobby for the longed live ones.

"Ugh, Spike needs to stop eating those green opals." she though, placing the fowl back in the bathroom and picking her crown with magic. "I'm getting tired of having to brush his jaws like this…"

She could ask her servants to do it, true. But then again, few could waistband the sulfury breath of the dragon without passing out.

"Maybe I could ask Shiny to do it sometime. Might help them bond." she mused as she placed her golden shoes. With a final wave of magic, her mane was complete ready for the day. It didn't flow or levitated, like many believed, instead it just hung loosely by her side. It was, of course, straightened out and spotlessly clean.

"Okay then…checklist of the day…" she exited her room, a long scroll following her through the air. A couple of guard saluted as she passed by them. Twilight responded with a smile.

Her chambers were located in the third largest tower in Canterlot, the other two being the royal library and the astronomy tower. She had offered Shinning Armor a room in the tower with her, but he declined, preferring something more in the castle.

"Maybe I should start considering one too. I wouldn't have to deal with all the stairs, for starters." Twilight chuckled. She could just teleport, but that would rob her of something to playfully snark about every morning.

"Lets see…" she began reading the checklist, making a quill appear out if thin air. "Meeting with the nobles, again. Find a tailor for the gala. Visit the senior students of the academy…"

Before she knew it, she was right in front of the throne room. Nopony was there except for the guards. The princess sighed. Dealing with the nobles was part of the job. They had a certain level of political power after all. If they just could be a little less obnoxious and self obsessed.

"Then again, not all of them are like that…" she murmured.

"Your highness?"

Princess Twilight turned around. Behind her stood a pegasus guard who, unlike the rest, didn't have a white tone mane, instead by a dark yellow. His blue mane was bare visible under his helmet.

"Ah, Flash Sentry." she saluted, making the checklist disappear along with the quill. "What can I do for you?"

"You are needed in your study." Flash answered, bowing his head. "Royal protege Octavia Is waiting for you there."

"Octavia? What a surprise!" the princess smiled. "I shall go meet with her immediately. Please tell the nobles to wait for me once they arrive please."

"Yes your highness."

Without a single shred of effort, she teleported away, reappearing right in front of said study. She opened the doors and, just as Flash had told her, saw Octavia there, looking out at the landscape through the balcony. It was a large study, with every wall covered in a shelve, each filled to brim with documents, books and other texts.

Octavia, hearing the doors open, turned around to meet her mentor.

"Good morning Octavia! How nice it is to see you again." The princess welcomed her.

"Good morning princess."

The cold tone was all that Twilight needed to determine Octavia's mood.

"Somepony doesn't look too happy."

"Princess. I am here to denounce a terrible injustice." Octavia proclaimed.

"Oh? And what injustice is that?" The princess asked with a smile, while picking a small stack of papers, slowly flipping through them.

"I have been rejected as the lead musician for the summer gala!" Octavia growled. "Not only that, but they even failed to choose some pony else! The knew about my intention and rejected me outright!"

"Ok." The princess pulled a single paper, which was actually an open scroll parchment. "So where is the injustice?"

"Where?! A position like that requires the best musicians in Canterlot!" Octavia took a steep forward. "I am the best cello player in this city. I should be the one chosen to be the lead musician!"

"Is that so?" Twilight's smile dropped a little. "And now you want me to just go toe Canterlot Art Society and make them choose you?"

"Well, no. I mean…thats a rather harsh way of saying it but…" Octavia stumbled a little with her words, but quickly gathered herself once again. "But yes. I need this as a musician."

"You need this as a musician." The princess repeated. "And as your mentor, you want me to help you achieve your best, as you so loudly proclaimed before I sent you to Ponyville."

"Well, I-"

"Because I'm your mentor, and thats what mentors do, correct?" her smile was completely gone at this point. Octavia could feel her earlier anger start to diminish.

"Well, it may surprise you Octavia, but as your mentor, I have other duties apart from spoiling you." the princess explained. "For example, making sure you grow to be a cultured and smart mare. Not necessarily a scientist, but that you know the basics…"

She gave a step forward, getting closer to Octavia.

"I also have make sure that you grow up to be a kind, ethical and respectful pony. And I like to think that I succeeded for the most part…" she gave another step, stopping right in front of Octavia, who suddenly felt very small. "But apparently, I was wrong."

And with that, she levitated the scroll until it was right in front of Octavia. She gave a small shake, signaling her to read it.

"This…this my friendship report. The one about Vinyl."

"Yes. In here, you tell me about how you allowed your temper and your pride to get the best of you, and how you ended up causing a lot of trouble for everypony, but that you were trying to make amends."

"I did!" Octavia replied.

"Really? Then please, tell me, what are you doing here, in front of me, telling me to go the Art Society and force them to give you your supposedly rightful position as the lead musician?"

"I, uh…I was…"

"You wrote this letter Octavia. But how I am I supposed to believe that you learned anything, if you come here just a couple of weeks later, making the exact same mistake? What is the point of you sending me these letters, if you learn nothing from them?"

Octavia suddenly felt very small, and while the princess wasn't using any harsh tone, one could tell she was upset by her grimace. The fact that she didn't look angry, but disappointed, was what hit Octavia the hardest.

"Being talented in something, Octavia, is a wonderful thing, but it does't automatically make you superior to others or entitled to anything. Just like you said, you are indeed the most talented cello player in Canterlot. Nopony is denying that Octavia. But think this..." the princess leaned down on her, making sure that they were at eye level. "What good is being able to produce the most beautiful sounds…if nopony wants to be near you to hear them?"

And with that, she stood fully again. Moving to the desk, leaving Octavia to wooly sit down, stunned but the words she had just told her.

"You weren't elected Octavia, not because you lacked skills, but because nopony wants to hear a jerk, not matter how good they are." she continued. "As for why nopony else was elected, that has nothing to do with you. In fact, many ponies tried to apply for the position as well."

"And…and what happened?" Octavia asked, trying to gather her thoughts as best as she could.

"Well, while most were either rejected or changed their minds, a small group of them was deemed to talented to be thrown away. You are part of that group too, though I can't say that the idea was welcomed."

"Oh…"Octavia answered quietly. "But there can be only one lead musician, right?"

"Well, not necessarily, but you have a point there, so we are going to have a little competition, and whoever wins, gets to be the lead!" The princess smiled once more. "Isn't it exciting?"

"Joy…" Octavia murmured.

"Oh, cheer up Octavia. You still have a chance to be the lead musician. Except now that you now have to work for it." the princess headed towards the door. "Now, if you excuse me, I have to go save poor Flash from the nobles before they eat him alive."

And with that, she was gone, leaving Octavia alone with her thoughts, which were filled, for the most part, with shame. It had been a while since the princess had made that face. Small mouth, slightly closed eyes, looking down on her.

The disappointed face.

She walked to the balcony and looked at Ponyville, which was little more than a stain on the late valley that surrounded the mountain where the castle stood. She could see some colored stains move about, though they were barely visible.

Had she been tike that with her friends? Treating them like that, insulting them, acting arrogant and short tempered?

She completely lost her temper when read the letter. Flitter was there to witness the whole thing. Did Octavia even notice her? Or was she too busy raging about the stupid paper?

"Do you need to write a letter now?" a voice said from above her. Octavia looked up, finding nopony else but Hugin hovering above her.

"I thinks so." Octavia answered.

"Well, I took the liberty of bringing ink and paper to your old room. Meet me there?"

"Of course…" Octavia answered. "Thanks Hugin."

The crow flew up, leaving Octavia lone once again. She took a deep breath and sighed.

"Lets go…" she thought as she turned to leave.