Bow Ties and Sunglasses

A mare with a dark mane walked into the room.  She gave the group of people in the room with her a stern look and straightened out her bow tie.

"Alright, let's take it from the top, everypony." Octavia Melody said to the orchestra.  They straightened up as well and started tuning their instruments.  Octavia's cello was ready to play, of course.  She was never unprepared.  Though she was only a cellist, she was practically in charge of everypony.  Octavia was the most organized, dedicated, and hard working musician any of her orchestra mates had ever seen.  However, she never took breaks and hung out with the rest of them.  She was always practicing, sun up until sun down.  Octavia was never found to be in a relationship with anypony; she didn't even seem to talk to her own family that often.  But during rehearsal or any performance, her cello always stood out.  Octavia's music was like a gift from Celestia herself, taking everypony who listened to it away to a magical place of class and grace.

As Octavia played away during that rehearsal though, no pony was taken away.  The piece seemed worn out and tired, as did the mare herself.

"Uh, Octavia, are you okay?" asked a blue colt named Noteworthy.

"Huh?  No, I'm completely fine.  Now continue!" Octavia shouted at him.

"Uh, ma'am, you seem rather...overworked.  Maybe you should take a break." a mint colored mare named Lyra Heartstrings mumbled out.  The words splashed over Octavia like a giant wave.

"Overworked? OVERWORKED?!?  I am DEFINITELY NOT overworked!!  I am JUST fine!!  I...I..." Octavia shouted to the orchestra as they came to sudden stop.

"Maybe you're right.  But this is the Grand Galloping Gala for bucks sake!" Octavia exclaimed to her fellow musicians.  "We know, Octavia, but now it's finally time to let the professionals take this in their own hooves."

Lyra said to her friend, "Go enjoy yourself for once.  If you don't, we just might have to kidnap you and force you to."

"Alright, alright.  I will, but only for a couple of hours, got it?" Octavia said with a rare giggle.  Thus, she reluctantly left the building and her cello behind.

"Maybe I can make a dash to my house to continue practicing.  No, no, I bet they have spies everywhere considering the last time this happened" Octavia whispered to herself, "Well, what if...what if I go to a place they would never expect?  I can slip in there, then sneak out."  Octavia smiled to herself, pleased with herself.  Little did she know that her plan was going to backfire majorly.

Octavia walked into the nearest bar in Ponyville known as the Shindig.  She hadn't been there in ages, it had seemed.  The old stage she had remembered to have the band's instruments now had turn tables where loud dub step music was bursting out to the small crowd of dancing ponies.  The wooden floor where Octavia had been swung was replaced by a bright, multi-colored dance floor.

"It really has been a long time.  Eh, might as well order a drink while I'm here." Octavia thought to herself as she settled into a red, rubber stool that she hadn't remembered being there before.

"Cherry Twist with a sprig of mint, please." Octavia politely requested.

"I haven't had an order like that in four years." the waitress responded with a bit of shock in her voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry.  It's just been a while since I've been here and I thought..." Octavia trailed off, embarrassed and at a loss for words.

"Octavia?  Is that really you?" the waitress asked with awe in her voice.  She turned around to reveal herself as a purple mare with a magenta mane in a sloshing sort of form with matching magenta eyes.

"Berry Punch!  I'm glad to see that one thing hasn't changed while I was gone.  Speaking of that, has it really been four years?" Octavia responded with a bit of relief in her voice.  Berry Punch's smile turned to a frown automatically.

"Yeah, it has, Tav.  I've heard a lot about you from your bandmates.  They say that all you ever do is work.  I couldn't believe it; that sure wasn't the Tavi I knew from her time here.  But after I realized you probably weren't coming back..." she sighed

"Anyway, the drink's on the house.  I haven't been able to make one of these babies in a while." Berry Punch stated as she started to make the drink for Octavia.  Suddenly, all the lights went out for a single spotlight.  A white unicorn with a spiky blue mane jumped out onto the stage.

She shouted "Ponyville, are you ready to par-tay?!?"