I Always Wanted To Play There

Ponies galloped frantically through the city. Cracks in the road, roofs had fallen down, houses had collapsed. Somewhere on the edges of the town there was a fire, or so she overheard two mares talking. Everypony was stressed out and busy. Some were digging through their fallen homes, some were tending to others. Twilight even spotted some pegasi soldiers trying to organize themselves. They were all so incredibly busy that they didn't notice six fillies walking over the roads towards the old end of the city. Derpy complained pretty soon that she hadn't ever gone farther than their hideout, especially not in this direction and without her mother, while Lyra boasted that she had actually taken the train once, all on her own. Twilight felt weird, she stood in the center of the group, leading them. She hadn't  actually thought to be the leader until now and it was a scary thought. Mostly because she knew the city even less than Derpy. She knew the way from her home to the hospital. She knew the shops and the bakery, she knew the signs and the house numbers. That, however, was all she knew of Canterlot.

Octavia trotted close by her side, trying to look dignified, although the panic around them seemed to affect her, as she was growing more and more nervous. Trixie was on the right end of the group, right beside Raindrops, who in return seemed to worry about the downtrodden, piebald filly.

"How do we get to the castle?“ Twilight asked Octavia as they passed the first street. She got a queer look for that question.

"You don't know? Well, just follow my lead then, I know an easy way to get there.“

With that, the grey filly took the lead. The grace she carried herself with was not lost to Twilight, sometimes she would stumble over her own hooves or walk into something she hadn't noticed because she held her nose to high up, but otherwise she seemed to know where she was going. Twilight decided that this was a good moment to get to know the fairly beautiful filly.

"So, why were you staying at Hugh's house? Sleepover?“ she asked. Twilight had read about sleepovers and slumber parties but since she didn't have any friends, having such things was but a faint dream she had.

Octavia looked over to her for a second, trying to figure out how to answer that. "I live there,“ she said finally and added after a pause: "My parents are ministerial agents and we lived with the other ones near the town hall.“

"I've never seen that part of Town,“ Twilight admitted.

"It's beautiful, they have gardeners that tend to the parks there and the houses are old and wonderful.“ Even though she said that, Twilight noticed that Octavia wasn't exactly swooning, there wasn't even a longing in her voice. "It looked best during winter, when the snows covers the roofs and streets and lanterns. The ponies go about in their fancy clothes. I always got good inspiration for music during those times. The cello I have belongs to my own grandfather, one of the greatest musicians that ever walked into the Celestial Hall.“

"That's where the orchestras, operas and all that stuff play, right?“

"Yeah, the biggest musical house in all of Equestria. It's quite grand and since it's from the time of the princesses, even the simpler ponies can go there and enjoy the masterworks of music.“ Now her voice was drifting, dreamingly. "I've been there myself, you know, the last time grandfather played. I remember the name of the piece, too: The Seapalace, a solo dedicated to some kind of water ponyfolk.“

"Seaponies,“ Twilight interjected, "They're part of our folklore.“ Octavia nodded and the unicorn felt a bit smart. It was a good balance to those weakening legs of hers.

"The piece was quite wonderful and it was grandfather who introduced me to playing the cello. My parents tolerated it as a passing hobby but after he died I wanted to become a musician just like him. Little Octavia Quarternote, the neighbours said, dreaming foalish dreams.“

They walked through the alleys once more, through the maze and the shadows but Octavia walked on single-minded. Twilight took the chance to observe how the city had changed from the moment she and Trixie had stepped out of the hospital. Back then she wouldn't have called Canterlot a good looking city but at least it didn't seem too rustic. Now it seemed different. The walls seemed like they were about to crumble and a variety of windows was shattered, although they didn't seem to step into any glass. They trailed through the narrow passages in a line, with Trixie on the far-off end and Raindrops trying to hover above them but failing miserably at it. Derpy seemed to make a habit out of knocking several things down, which on most occasions set of a string of events, which once lead to the fall of a pony from the sixth floor into the dump and another time in the furthering of a small crack, which Twilight figured would probably somehow end in a disaster in the long run. At least the first time the pony had been unharmed, he hadn't even known that Derpy had somehow been responsible for his fall.

Then after a while they came unto another street but the district was deserted. There were no ponies in the street and whichever houses still stood seemed abandoned, the doors and windows barred. Twilight had to stop for a moment to take it all in.

"It's a huge city and built so utterly without plan that they forgot this entire district a long time ago,“ Lyra immediately told her when she noticed Twilight watching.

"How do you know that?“

"Grew up here,“ the white pony laughed. Twilight looked around once more, this didn't seem like a good place to live at. Half the buildings, as it appeared, had collapsed some time ago and the sudden earthquakes had done a number on the rest. They still moved onwards. Twilight didn't quite know how anypony could forget an entire district of a city.

That was when Octavia stopped before another building. Everypony stopped to look at it. Twilight was instantly captivated by it. A house that must've once had white walls stood before them, it looked huge compared to the apartment buildings around it and its entrance, even though broken down, still had remnants of a red carpet coming out of it and the entrance was guarded by stone statues of the solar guard, the first army that had served Equestria.

"What building is that?“

"The Celestial Hall,“ Octavia answered, "It burned down after my grandfather died. It must've been a year or two. The rest of the district was already falling apart and with the fire, everypony left to the other parts of the town. Father and Mother even told me to forget about it. Funny thing. I always wanted to play there and now I can't, not ever.“

Twilight looked at the sad little pony. "Can we go in?“

"I, my parents. . . No, it's dangerous.“

A moment later they heard Lyra's voice from across the street: "Are you coming or not?“ She waved at them from before the house and Twilight had to giggle. A few moments later they all decided to follow the small pony in.

It was dark inside. So dark that Twilight could barely make anything out. The sun was already moving down outside, so only small rays of light reached here, too. The few things she did notice when they came in were the old counters and burned pictures on the walls. They probably had depicted the princesses. She would've loved to see them. Other than that there was a stairway up and hallways leading to the bathrooms. They decided to take the stairs.

Old wood creaked beneath them and Twilight held herself close to Octavia, who tried to stay close to Derpy who tried to stay close to Raindrop who tried to stay close to Trixie who tried to stay as close as possible to Lyra. Still, they somehow managed to not trample on each others hooves. Twilight deemed their teamwork excellent as of that moment.

Then they entered the biggest door they saw and came into the biggest room Twilight had ever seen. The roof had given up long ago and had fallen down, leaving only a ring on the edges of the walls. The large stage stood empty and desolate, its curtains had become ashes and were scattered in the wind. The filly noticed the rows and rows of chairs. So many chairs, she figured that the entire city had to fit in here. She was in deep amazement as she walked through the gate into this weird new world. The others followed her suit, as amazed at the size of it all as much as she was. It was Octavia, though, who moved intently through all the rubble and the chairs up to the stage.

She then positioned herself in the middle of the stage and just stared at the hall before her.

The hall was quiet.

Arpeggio Quarternote looked at them all, all the nervousness he had expressed to his family beforehand gone. He smiled so sure at the audience, so completely without fear. He took a deep breath and his gaze went over to his family. His own child and his wife, together with theirs. While his son seemed distant and disinterested and the wife was unusually busy with her purse the little grey filly stared at him with wide eyes. No, rather she was looking at his instrument. That old wonderful cello he had once bought at an auction in Manehatten. She looked so excited it filled him with joy.

Most ponies hadn't had a sense for music. True musicians were slowly dying out, just like unicorns. Writers and artists persisted through sheer stubbornness but magic was long since gone and with it the colors and the words and the music. The notes could still be played but few ponies could get the heart of the piece right. Nopony sang anymore and when they tried they would get angry because they didn't 'get' the music.

Arpeggio Quarternote lifted the bow to the strings of his instrument. He was well aware that there were few ponies could still create magic and just as few who could feel it. The magic of music, the rarest thing. Like writing or drawing, anypony could do it but his long studies had brought him to but one conclusion. The magic of Harmony was needed to create real music. Harmony was gone.

He pulled the bow and the melody began to resonate throughout the Celestial Hall. A song, a prayer, a ray of hope. The magic was still there, in his bow. He was a musician and nothing else. His heart was with his instrument and he had lived his entire life just like this. Playing the cello for everypony. He closed his eyes and let his heart do the work for him. Guide him from note to note as the seaponies journeyed from their lake through the rivers and into the sea, searching the palace of their queen.

He asked himself if he'd find Celestia's palace if he kept playing like this? The bow hovered across the cello, the sounds came out so fluidly and the magic worked. He didn't open his eyes, he pictured it. The little seaponies, going deeper and deeper into the darkness, where no light would reach. They ran from sharks and whales, needed to solve the eight riddles of a squid and needed to help a lost frogfish. In the end, he heard the orchestra entering his play, playing a glorious fanfare as, at long last, the group reached the palace of seashells and pearls.

The bow went off the cello and he opened his eyes, although they were a bit watery. He was happy for the seaponies, so happy. Even more happier it made him that it had reached everypony around him. They all stomped their hooves on the ground and cheered like foals. Everytime he played they were so giddy afterwards. The magic had gotten to them and they all felt the harmony. All but his son who had never forgiven him.

He looked at his family but his son and his wife had left. The little grey filly had stayed, though, her eyes glittering with tears she herself hadn't noticed, so intoxicated she had been by the music. She wasn't even aware it had ended, she was just happy that they had reached their goal. Like him. He smiled a smile reserved for her.

"Octavia,“ he would later tell her, "you know there's magic in these strings and few are talented enough to unleash it. I think you can do it, though. You're a Quarternote and the most musical pony in all of Equestria. We've been since the dawn of the earth ponies. Never forget who you are, Octavia and do what your heart tells you to.“

Octavia took a deep breath and looked down at the other five ponies. They were all good friends of hers and they would need her. She was sure of it. The filly stepped down from the stage and moved towards her friends, ready to continue their journey.

So you're done then, my little champion? Remember, you are the only pony that matters, only you can bring magic back. No matter what this journey will bring, I trust you completely.