Chapters Apple Bloom - Stuck in the Fiddle
Back at her home, Apple Bloom sat on her bed, looking at her fiddle with a troubled look. She kept staring at it even when the door was open and a small furry creature ran to and lunged at the girl.
The creature was Winona, the family dog, who promptly began assaulting the girl by licking her face.
"Winohohona! Stohohohp!" Apple Bloom cried, her cries for the dog to stop turning into fits of laughter as she kept getting licked.
"Sorry 'bout dat, Apple Bloom," a voice belonging to Applejack spoke as the girl entered the room and grabbed the dog. "ah told Winona not to attack ya with kisses, but ya know 'ow much she loves ya."
"Haha, yeah," Apple Bloom chuckled. "Winona sure knows how t' give someone love, right?"
"Right, hehe, now," Applejack put Winona on the ground and closed the door. "Ah saw ya lookin' sad. Would ya like t' tell me what's goin' on?"
Apple Bloom hesitated as she turned back to her fiddle, and took a deep breath. "When mah friends and ah were at ta park, ah played mah fiddle for 'em, and they enjoyed it, until another melody came outta nowhere."
"'Nother melody, 'uh?" Applejack sat next to her sister. "Care t' keep goin'?"
"Ta melody came from a violin, which was played by one of ta musicians from ta Battle of the Bands. Ah asked her if she gave lessons, just in case Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo wanted t' learn. Then, she asked if ah've played anything before, ah showed her mah fiddle and... ah think ah made her upset."
Applejack rolled her eyes and wrapped her arm around Apple Bloom's shoulder. "And why was dat?"
"Ah dunno! She just took a look at mah fiddle and she didn't seem to like it!" Apple Bloom frowned. "Then Scootaloo mentioned how mah fiddle and her violin looked similar, and dat made her yell. Dat really scared me, but after dat, she kept talkin' with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Then, something odd happened."
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What 'appened?"
"Well, ya know how Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had plans with Rainbow Dash and Rarity?" Apple Bloom inquired, and her sister nodded in response. "Well, at first, it looked like they were gonna do them, but then ta girl played her violin, some weird stuff came outta there, and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle suddenly decided to go practice the violin with her."
"Sounds like ah magical thingamajig's doin' t' me," Applejack scratched her chin. "Ah'll 'ave t' tell Sunset 'bout this. Was dat it?"
Apple Bloom nodded. "We separated after that."
Applejack hummed. "Well, ya know what ah think? Maybe yer takin' this too seriously."
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow.
"Listen, Apple Bloom, not everybody's gonna like every instrument: for example, ah don't like ta drums, but Rainbow Dash loves 'em, and dat didn't mean ta end of our friendship. Granted, there was no magic involved, so-"
"Applejack!"
"Right, sorry, got carried away. Point is, don't worry 'bout it," Applejack smiled and gave her sister a thumbs up. "Ah'll tell Sunset and mah friends 'bout this soon, and we'll figure out what's goin' on. And if necessary, we'll fix it."
Apple Bloom turned back to her fiddle and frowned. "Still..."
Slightly bummed by her sister's sudden sadness, Applejack promptly got an idea and grabbed her arm. "Ah know how to cheer ya up!"
Applejack dragged Apple Bloom out of her room and into the kitchen, where Granny Smith was cutting some vegetables... with her eyes closed.
"'Ey, Gramma!" Applejack raised her hand, and Apple Bloom's entire weight. "Apple Bloom's feelin' a little down! Ah think it's got somethin' t' do with 'er fiddle! Mind 'elpin' me cheer 'er up?"
Granny Smith stopping cutting, and her eyes sprung open. "'Er fiddle? What's with 'er fiddle?"
"Nothin', Grandma!" Apple Bloom stated, freeing herself from her sister's grasp. "Ah was just thinking 'bout somethin' dat happened today and-"
"Say no more!"
The elderly woman spun around, and once she stopped in front of her granddaughters, she suddenly had her fiddle
"Take 'er t' ta garden, Applejack! Let's show 'er what made 'er lova ta fiddle in ta first place!"
"Dat's ta spirit, Gramma!"
So the duet went to the garden, dragging Apple Bloom along even as the girl tried desperately to break free.
"Wait! Stop! Ya don't need t' do this!" she cried to deaf ears. "Ah get it, 'kay?! Ah'll cheer up!"
"Ah come on, don't be a crybaby!" Applejack replied as she put Apple Bloom on the ground. "Besides, yer gonna love what comes next!"
Apple Bloom turned around to see she was placed right next to a patch of dirt, and when she turned to raise an eyebrow at Applejack, her sister had her own fiddle at hand. And before she could even ask what was happening, both Granny Smith and Applejack began playing them.
They started with simple tunes that, while nothing extraordinary, still did a good job at convincing Apple Bloom to shut up and enjoy. Then, they sped up a little, with Apple Bloom eventually finding herself tilting her head left and right to the beat.
Then she began clapping as the dirt patch next to her began growing vegetables on certain spots. The growth sped up as Applejack and Granny Smith started tapping the ground. They slowed down a bit, their eyes falling on Apple Bloom as the girl reached for her back and took out her own fiddle.
She glanced at both her relatives, who gave her nods and thumbs up of approval. Then she stood up, eyed the growing patch of vegetables... then promptly resumed where Granny Smith and Applejack had stopped from, a wide smile plastered across her face.
Apple Bloom's solo was joined by Granny Smith and Applejack's duet, and with the three Apples playing, the patch became completely covered in overgrown vegetables, whose growth stopped once the trio performed their final, slowest note.
"That certainly took mah mind off ta fiddle issue," Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow at the vegetables. "And replaced it with somethin' else: why did ta vegetables grow so quickly?"
"Music helps anything grow. Dat's all ta explanation ah got for ya," Applejack chuckled. "Anyhow, if ya feel better now, ah'll go take mah leave."
"Where are ya going?"
"Remember when ah suggested that ah could ask Sunset and our friends if they knew anythin' 'bout magical instruments, well, ah'm gonna test dat theory," Applejack brushed her little sister's head. "Ah'll be back 'fore dinner, a'right?"
With her words spoken, Applejack pocketed her fiddle... somewhere, and took her leave, adjusting her hat as she waved goodbye. Apple Bloom waved back, and Granny Smith grabbed her hand and lead her back to the house.
"Well, dat was a nice brief exercise, wasn't it?" the elderly woman asked. "Ah like these kind of distractions once in a while."
Apple Bloom nodded in agreement, and she glanced at the overgrown vegetables and then her fiddle, her smile growing a little bigger upon seeing the instrument. Even when she remembered what happened at the park, her smile didn't falter.
Whatever was gonna go down with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, she probably didn't need to worry about it too much...
Author's Note
A sweet little chapter with the Apples before we get to see the dark, mechanical truth of Octavia's scheme... okay, it's probably nothing that bad, but you should still keep your eyes peeled. XD
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stood dumbfounded in front of what they assumed was Octavia's house: a two-floor house with a monochromatic color scheme, and walls decorated with drawings of musical notes.
"This is the houe, right?" Scootaloo inquired, tilting her head. "I'm kinda worried because we never really confirmed with Octavia."
"There's only one way to find out," Sweetie Belle stated.
She pressed the button on the door, and the duo began waiting for the
"Say, this house is definitely not what I was expecting," Sweetie Belle blurted.
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. "What were you expecting?"
"Well, Octavia did look like an old fashioned musician, so I thought her house would look a little bit... smaller, I guess?" Sweetie Belle shrugged. "I certainly didn't expect it to look like it came out of a black-and-white film, though."
"Well in my case, I expected a mansion," Scootaloo bluntly confessed. "I don't know why, but I took one look at her and I see "Rich" and if I see rich, I see mansion-"
"I'm flattered you think so."
The duo flinched and turned around to see Octavia standing at the other end of the gate, sporting a small, friendly smile. "And truth be told, I used to live at a mansion before, but it became impractical to pay rent, so we moved to a smaller house."
"Yeah, now that you mention it, mansions don't seem like an easy thing to maintain," Sweetie Belle remarked, Scootaloo nodding in agreement.
With that said, the girls walked into the house and followed Octavia to the second floor. Once there, they went through a black door, and inside they saw a collection of instruments that looked like they had recently been dusted off: a piano, a harp, a guitar, and so on.
"Wow, this is a neat collection," Sweetie Belle chirped, eyeing the piano. "Are these yours?"
"Indeed they are," Octavia nodded. "If you want, once we finish your violin lessons, I can teach you to play any of these instruments."
"I wanna play the drums!" Scootaloo chirped, pointing at the drum set in the corner.
"Okay then. Now, before we begin your lessons, there's something I'd like to know," Octavia folded her arms. "How did your friends react when you told them you were going to practice playing the violin?"
The duo winced and exchanged looks before flashing nervous smiles. "Um, they were okay with it," Scootaloo remarked. "Rainbow Dash was a bit surprised I was going to practice, but she became cool with it rather quickly!"
"Yeah, and Rarity was rather thankful I was going to spend my time doing something else while she worked!" Sweetie Belle said as she rubbed her arm. "She told me this without looking at me, though, so I don't know how much she heard."
"As long as she gave you her approval, it should be fine," Octavia twiddled her fingers. "I wouldn't want to force you girls to do something you wouldn't like."
Then, she got an idea, and looked at Sweetie Belle. "As for whether Rarity listened to you or not, you said she was working, right?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Older siblings tend to be placed on a lot of pressure when it comes to work, and when the younger siblings enter the picture, that pressur ecan cause them to become stressed, and thus, they may end up saying or doing things they didn't mean to."
"And you're telling me this, because?"
"When we first met, you mentioned how you taped some dresses together and how that made your sister angry. Those dresses were part of her job, right?"
"Yeah-"
"It's that same job that allows her to get the money necessary to keep a roof over your head, clothes over your body, and food on your stomach. However, she can lose that job if she causes too many blunders, and even if the blunder wasn't made by her, if it was made by you, she's going to end up taking the brunt from it."
Sweetie Belle frowned and lowered her head. "I guess Rarity wasn't just angry because I ruined the dresses, huh..."
"Don't worry, Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo patted the girl's back. "I'm sure Rarity will forgive you eventually."
.
"Octavia, are you done playing with your fancy fiddle?"
The grey musician shot a glare at the door, while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle turned to it with tilted heads. Their expressions went from confused to shocked, however, once they saw a certain silver-haired girl go through the door.
"Silver Spoon?" they asked in unison.
The girl turned around, and focused on the duo as she closed the door. "Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo? What are you doing here?"
"We could ask you the same thing!" Scootaloo remarked. "What are you doing here?"
"I live here," Silver Spoon casually answered. "This is my house."
"And I'm in the middle of something important," Octavia stated, folding her arms behind her back as she threw a stern look at the younger girl. "I'm going to give these two girls over here a lesson on how to play the violin."
"That was today?!" Silver Spoon whined.
"I literally told you that yesterday!" Octavia groaned. "Were you even paying attention to anything I said?!"
"Should we leave and come back another day?" Scootaloo asked, scratching her head. "I feel like we came at a bad time."
"Nonono, you two are fine, just give me a second to wrap this up," Octavia hastily told the duo before she snapped back at her sister, "Listen Silver Spoon, things have changed, okay? I have a schedule to take into account, so please, wait like an hour or two until they leave, then I teach you how to play the violin?"
Silver Spoon stomped the ground. "And just when are you going to let me play with your fiddle?!"
"IT'S NOT A FIDDLE!" Octavia yelled, her eyes glowing green.
The entire house shook from the shout, though it ended just as quickly as it began. Once done, Octavia looked around to see if any of the instruments or the girls had gotten hurt, and once she could confirm this wasn't the case, she took a deep breath and calmly said:
"Silver Spoon, please... come back later."
The girl looked at the violinist with a saddened expression, then walked through the door, slamming it shut once she was outside.
"I'm so sorry for that little interruption," Octavia glanced at the door with exasperation. "Silver Spoon has a bad habit of barging in uninvited."
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo exchanged looks, then the former spoke, "Actually, we might've barged in, too."
Octavia's eyes widened. "What?"
"Yeah, it seems you had plans with your sister, but had to change them once we made plans for violin lessons," Scootaloo pocketed her hands. "I mean, I don't particularly like Silver Spoon or her friend, but I didn't want to ruin her time with you."
"You didn't ruin anything!" Octavia shrugged with a nervous smile. "Besides, Silver Spoon's very patient, I'm sure she wouldn't mind waiting until your lesson's over."
"Octavia-"
"I'm serious, she'll understand," Octavia took out her violin. "Now, how about we begin the lessons?"
Before the duo had a chance to answer, Octavia played a single note in her violin, unleashing the green magic from before that once again went through the girls' ears. They blinked twice, then sat down and said in unison:
"Sure, let's do it."
"Good," Octavia replied, her smile gaining a hint of smug satisfaction. "Now, let's begin."
Octavia sat down as well and handed a pair of violins to the girls. As they began their lesson, though, Silver Spoon watched with shock through the window.
That's not her violin...
Silver Spoon left the window and walked away, scratching her chin as she got an idea.
And magic doesn't come out of violins, so it's probably Equestrian... if that's the case, then there's only one person I can ask: Sunset Shimmer.
Author's Note
Okay, so we didn't even get a hint of Octavia's plan, but Silver Spoon has realized something's wrong with the violin, and is hopefully going to be helped by Sunset Shimmer.
Let's just hope they get there before she gets corrupted...
Battle of the Bands - Aftermath
At the public park of Other-Questria, the trio of Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom were having a peaceful time amongst the flowers. Apple Bloom was playing a little tune on her fiddle, while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle moved left and right, the latter clapping to the beat of the music.
Apple Bloom's little music finished soon after, and her friends promptly clapped and cheered.
"Thank you! Thank you! Ah'll be 'ere all week!" Apple Bloom giggled as she put her fiddle down. "Anyway, that was mah fiddle. What do ya think?"
"It's really good, Apple Bloom," Sweetie Belle remarked, Scootaloo nodding in agreement. "Heck, I might even say you could become a professional musician!"
"Nah, ya're crazy, ah'm not dat good," Apple Bloom replied, snapping her fingers as she added, "Ah know! Ya should see how Applejack and Granny Smith play it! They taught me everything ah know!"
"Really? That's-"
However, before Sweetie Belle could finish, the trio heard a quiet, yet calm melody in the air, one that brought a serene feeling to the atmosphere. And while Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo began humming to the tune, Apple Bloom just looked around confused.
"Ya guys 'ear dat too?" Apple Bloom asked, earning no response. "Guys?"
Once she turned around, she saw Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo walking away towards the source of the noise. With them leaving undeterred, Apple Bloom saved her fiddle and followed the duo towards the source of the quiet melody.
They eventually found it came from a certain grey-skinned musician, sitting on a bench. The most surprising thing about the musician was that, even though her eyes were closed, she managed to play her violin as if she had them open.
And if memory served them right, the girls remembered her for her performance at the Battle of the Bands.
"She looks familiar," Apple Bloom remarked, scratching her chin. "But ah can't fer the life of me remember her name."
"The name's Octavia."
The melody finished and the trio saw the musician looking at them with half-open eyes. "And if you don't mind me asking, do you need something?"
Apple Bloom walked up to the musician, who stood up and backed away a little. "We just couldn't help but follow ta melody yer violin was playing. It was really good."
"You think so?" Octavia got a little smile. "I do consider myself a classically trained musician, so being noticed like this makes me happy."
Apple Bloom glanced at her friends and asked, "Say, do ya do lessons?"
"Depends," Octavia tilted her head. "Have you ever had any experience playing instruments before?"
"I play ta fiddle," Apple Bloom answered, revealing the instrument to a shocked Octavia. "Does dat count?"
"Well yes, but actually, no," Octavia waved her hand. "It's a very common misconception between musicians and people who wouldn't know what's music if it was played right in their ears, but the fiddle and the violin are not the same thing."
Scootaloo glanced at the two instruments. "They look similar to me-"
"BUT THEY'RE NOT!" Octavia snapped, pausing to take a deep breath. "But... they're not. Sorry, you have no idea how frustrating it is to have to explain the same thing to someone repeatedly."
Apple Bloom frowned. "Sorry 'bout dat, miss."
"It's okay, little one," Octavia sighed. "However, knowing how to play the fiddle isn't the same as knowing how to play the violin. You could join us, but you'd have to leave the fiddle behind."
"What? Why she would she need to do that?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"A musical mind, no matter how good it is, can only hold so much knowledge at a given time. True, that can apply to any mind, but let's stay focused," Octavia pointed at Apple Bloom's fiddle. "Surely, learning how to play the fiddle can't have been an easy task. And while I don't like the idea of a violin and fiddle being compared, they do have a similarity in that neither of them are easy to master."
Octavia lowered her eyelids. "In other words, if you want to learn how to play the violin, you'll have to forget how to play the fiddle."
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo exchanged confused looks, and eventually, Apple Bloom calmly replied:
"Dat would be a tough decision t' make... if ah wanted t' learn how to play it."
Octavia blinked twice. "Excuse me?"
"Ya 'eard me, ah'm not interested in learning ta violin," Apple Bloom shrugged. "Mah friends might, but ah don't."
"B-B-But, you were the first to speak up about how you liked my music!" Octavia pointed out. "A-And you also asked if I gave lessons!"
"Dat was just outta curiosity, and 'cause ah thought mah friends might wanna learn," Apple Bloom explained, pointing at the nervous Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. "Tay enjoyed ta music more than ah did."
"Oh..." Octavia glanced at the duo, then smiled a little. "Were you now?"
"Yeah, we're guilty of that," Sweetie Belle giggled, scratching the back of her head with a sheepish smile. "Once we heard your melody, we couldn't help but go after it."
Octavia's smiled widened. "You don't say... would you be interested in learning how to play it?"
"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle chirped. "Well, I do. I don't know if Scootaloo would want to, since she doesn't seem like the type to practice instruments."
"I'm not, but if you're going to be around, I don't think it'd hurt to give it a shot," Scootaloo folded her arms. "Maybe another day, though, I made plans with Rainbow Dash to watch a sports movie she likes."
"I'll need to practice another day, too," Sweetie Belle blurted. "I have to go help Rarity at the Carousel Boutique."
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. "Ah thought she never asked ya for help?"
"Just 'cause she doesn't ask for it doesn't mean she doesn't need it."
Octavia hummed, and her smile faltered. "Alright, I get the hint, I guess I'll just keep playing here for a little while before going home."
The trio nodded in agreement, and Octavia turned around, playing a long note on her violin as her smile gained a hint of malice. From the strings of the violin, green magic came out, and entered through Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo's ears, and out the others.
As for Apple Bloom, the magic flew around her before dissipating. The girl looked confused at this for a moment, but she quickly shrugged it off as Scootaloo spoke:
"Actually, you know what? I think I could ask Rainbow to watch the movie another time. We've seen the movie several dozen times already."
"And maybe I should wait until she asks me for help, before I make things worse," Sweetie Belle frowned and lowered her head. "I don't think she's forgiven me yet for tapping those dresses together that one time."
"Yeah, speaking of which, are those still around?" Scootaloo asked.
Sweetie Belle shook her head. "Rarity managed to split them and then threw them into the trash."
Octavia turned around and raised an eyebrow. "That was rather mean of her, wasn't it?"
"No: I tapped the dresses in such a way that once they were split apart, they got ruined and Rarity had to start all over again." Sweetie Belle sighed. "I'm pretty sure steam was coming out of her ears from the frustration." then she chirped up. "So, while she calms down, I guess I could learn some violin!"
"And what about you... Scootaloo, right?" Octavia tilted her head. "Would you like to learn how to play the violin?"
"Sure, let me tell Rainbow Dash we'll have to see the movie another day and I'll come with you," Scootaloo replied.
"I'll go see if I can get Rarity's permission, too!" Sweetie Belle chirped.
The girls promptly ran off back to their houses, leaving the satisfied Octavia and confused Apple Bloom behind. "Dat's weird, ah've never seen them change opinions so quickly."
"Well, life can be weird sometimes," Octavia shrugged. "Anyway, you're the only one who doesn't want to learn, so I'm gonna go take my leave now."
"Huh? Eh, sure," Apple Bloom flashed a little smile. "Ah hope we get t' see each other again."
Octavia eyed Apple Bloom's fiddle, then turned back to the girl with a forced smile. "I hope we meet again, too."
Octavia walked off, and as she left the horizon, Apple Bloom couldn't help but notice her previous statement had a hint of... animosity? Towards her. She looked down at her fiddle, the object she felt was the receiver of the animosity, and she couldn't help but wonder...
Was there something wrong with her fiddle?
Author's Note
What's this? An Apple Bloom-focused story? While I'm in the middle of writing another story? That's more likely than you think.
I just had this idea to have some kind of fiddle versus violin story, and this is what I got. I hope you enjoy it, because things are gonna get crazy down the line.
