"Octavia?"
She looks up from her sheet music, then back down. "Twilight."
Twilight steps into the practice room and closes the door behind her. Amidst the mess of papers and instrument cases littering the floor, she hones in on a clear patch of floor and takes a seat.
Octavia spares another glance at her, clutching her cello a little tighter. Twilight catches her gaze, and Octavia quickly looks back to her music. She lifts her bow to the strings and begins to play, slowly.
The room's walls absorb every note. To her, she might as well be playing in an open field.
"Octavia, I—"
"I'm practicing right now, Twilight."
"..." Her wings ruffle nervously.
The notes come quicker. Her heart beats with it, but not from the music.
"Can we talk?"
"Can't."
"...fine."
Faster and faster, the notes slide off the strings, staying in tempo to the pounding in her chest.
"...I didn't know." Quieter, this time.
"..."
The bow slips off the string but recovers, a single loose note sneaking into the harmony. A drop hits the cello's surface. A lip quivers.
"I thought he just wanted to hear your performance again. Like I did. And... you did."
"..."
The music gets louder in her ears, the bow grinding harder against the strings. Maybe, if it gets loud enough, it'll drown out that memory of silence. That deafening silence filling the theater.
"That's what he told me too. That he saw you in the practice room with the crystal, just listening to your music. That he wanted to have one too."
"Well, we both know he wanted more than that now, don't we?" Octavia hisses, her bow falling to her side.
Twilight flinches.
Octavia sighs and raises her bow once more.
"...I'm sorry."
The bow screeches painfully against the string. Twilight's ears splay back.
"I know you are!" Octavia cries, barely resisting the urge to throw her bow. "But what will that do now?! All I wanted was to hear my notes played back to me so I could fix my mistakes easier! And maybe, once I perfected them, fall asleep to them under my pillow! My music and my marefriend's magic, together!"
"...I—"
"How do you think I felt when I showed up to my next recital, ready to play a better performance of my last piece, only to see all the seats empty?!"
"I would've—"
"I thought 'Oh! Maybe Sharp Note accidentally messed up the time or date of the recital! Mistakes happen!'. Then I went outside and saw dozens of ponies clutching crystals just like mine, all playing the same music from last recital, just like what your spell does!"
"But I—"
"Then I went to each of them, asking where they got it from, and they all pointed to my manager, who was selling them, each with a copy of my music, using your magic, right in front of my face!" Octavia lifts her bow and points it at Twilight. "Why couldn't you just give him a crystal too?!"
"I— I was going to! N— no, I did!" Twilight sputters. "But after that, he became so curious about how the spell works, trying to understand its intricacies and underlying spell matrix and—"
"And you got carried away and explained everything about it, didn't you! Especially how to cast it!"
"How could I not?!" Twilight rises to her hooves. "You never told me you wanted it kept between us! I may have created that spell for you, but I am proud of what I accomplish with my magic, and I don't believe knowledge should be kept locked away in secrecy. At least when harmless."
"Well, good. For. You." Octavia snorts. "So where does that put me, huh? My favorite recital piece is now getting mass-produced across Canterlot through your crystals. Did you know those ponies would rather synchronize a bunch of them with my music and spread them throughout a garden party than actually listen to me?"
"I'm sorry!" Twilight screams, a trace of alicorn magic seeping into her voice. "I... I didn't know. I didn't know he'd go behind your back like that. I didn't know you wanted it to be something special between us. I'm... sorry."
Octavia glares into Twilight's regretful eyes, tears of sadness barely visible through her own tears of rage.
A symphony of breaths and sniffles fills the air, hungrily absorbed into the walls.
She sighs tiredly.
"...no."
Twilight's eyes widen. "But I—"
"No, Twilight." Octavia raises a hoof to wipe at her eyes. "You... shouldn't be sorry. You're right, you couldn't have known. I'm the one that should be sorry."
"N— no, but, if I hadn't taught him the spell, then—"
"How could you not?" Octavia chuckles softly. "You love magic. You're so passionate about it, about exploring the old and creating where there was once nothing. Like me with music. It's how I fell in love with you in the first place. I... shouldn't blame you for being what makes you you." She laugh dryly. "Besides... I was the one who told him how I got my crystal. And I was so proud of... you, that I told him anyway."
She puts down her cello and walks over to Twilight, wrapping a hoof around her. Twilight practically dives on her.
They embrace silently, eyes closed, time becoming a distant thought.
"Are..." Twilight begins hesitantly. "Are we good?"
Octavia sighs with a smile. "Yes, Twi."
"I'll... I'll track him down and... order him to halt production. Then I'll track down all the crystals. It's my magic, I can sense them wherever." Twilight's wings flare wide.
Octavia giggles. "I thought you hate pulling princess."
"Would you stop me?"
"...no."
I stand alone.
Cello and bow.
Lights blinding.
Empty theater.
I close my eyes.
Feel the music.
In my heart.
Breath in.
Bow raised.
A bang.
A flash.
My eyes open.
Twilight smiles.
I smile back.
The theater in my heart, filled.
I lift my bow to the strings.
And I play.
Author's Note
Overall premise originally conceived for May Pairings, but my ass got lazy and oopsie there went the deadline. Decided to compress the idea into 1000 words as a self challenge for the drama category, and I personally am really happy with how this came out ^^
Hope you enjoyed!
