Duet of Strings

by Prosopeio

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Babs Seed, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, DJ P0N-3, Sad, Romance, Applejack, Octavia, Braeburn
Length: 7226

What are the true origins of the cellist Octavia? And why does a letter from her Mother bring so much grief with it?

Family is a word Octavia has long linked to emotional pain. And it is that pain that drives her music to the heights it has. For music is both easing balm to soothe, but burning salt that irritates as well, for Octavia has never allowed herself to heal.
Now, a letter from her Mother threatens to reopen barely scabbed wounds... but will her friend Vinyl Scratch be the key to finally bring closure? Or will new wounds open before the old one can mend?
(Cover art thanks to the incredible mod of Ask Lovelace on tumblr)

Published 2012-12-28 22:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-01-18 17:55:47 UTC

The Letter

Dearest Octavia,

I pray this letter finds you well. I apologize I cannot be there personally to make this request of you, but you know how the Circuit goes. Every gig could be your last, and I had to do this one for personal reasons. So let me say this bluntly before I start waxing poetic on you. Your sister, Greensleeves, is sick. Not deathly, but the poor dear can barely lift her head without going into dry heaves. Your grandparents are looking after her, but still the poor dear won't be able to make it to this year's Reunion. I had made arrangements before hoof with this gig, since your sister told me she would perform, but I cannot cancel since I'm already central to the performance...

So it falls on you, my dearest Octavia. Will you please honor the Promise and go to the reunion this year? I know it's hardly the Grand Galloping Gala, but family is family. Whether you can or cannot go, for I know this is sudden, please let your Uncle and Auntie Orange know. They'll be expecting you one way or the other and they can send the notice to your cousin Braeburn.

I miss you greatly, and I know Greensleeves does too.

Your mother,

Jazz 'Jazz Band' Apple

Staring at the letter, Octavia's normally stoic face threatened to crack. She knew the event her mother spoke of, it was a charity concert for... research. She knew because the organizer approached her with the same intent, only she had turned it down. She wanted to ignore the letter, pretend it never existed, save for one glaring detail.

The Oranges.

She got along well with them, to be sure. It was through their kindness that she was able to stay in Manehattan and pursue her career. It was just that they could be so very... insistent... Through them she had many lucky breaks, of course, but it was that self-same insistence, that stubborn streak born of all who were related to the Apple family, that made it oh so difficult to get a word in edgewise, let alone turn down any requests of them.

And they knew she had received this letter.

"Well played, Mother. Well played."

"Who played what now, Octy?"

Jumping slightly, Octavia Brina Apple did her best to school her features, taking a deep breath before turning to face the one mare in all of ponydom who could ever get away with giving her a nickname. Vinyl Scratch, the unicorn with the electric blue mane and ridiculous sunglasses who was also known as DJ-PON3, was arching a brow at her as she waited for an answer.

"Nothing, simply a letter from family, nothing of great import." She said, trying her best to sound nonchalant as she folded up the letter as casually as possible.

"Oh! Jazzy finally told ya bout the Apple Party, huh?"

Octavia's hooves stilled as she held the letter carefully, looking down at the offending paper as if her very glance could set it alight. It was times like this she honestly wished SHE was a unicorn instead of the dubstep loving DJ. Glancing back up at her friend's face, which bore a grin so wide it threatened to stretch her face, Octavia did her level best to make sure the next few words were in an even tone. "You... know about the reunion?"

Vinyl chuckled and wrapped a foreleg around her friend, pulling her into a one-sided hug. "Oh yeah, your mom is like, an inspiration for me, ya know? Heck, I didn't even know she was your Mom till one night me and her went out drinkin after a gig! And lemme tell ya Octy, your mom can really hit the shots! Hay, if I had known you were an Apple, I woulda begged you to take me to one of those reunions, the Apple family always has the BEST grub and... uh... Octy? Why're ya shakin?"

"... you... spoke with... Mother?" Twitch. That was definitely a twitch beneath her right eye. Vinyl Scratch took a few steps away from Octavia, afraid her friend was about to explode.

Considering this was the most emotion outside of a facehoof she ever got from Octavia, she wouldn't have been surprised if she exploded twice. And while Vinyl Scratch was a fan of explosions, she drew the line when it came to her friends. Unless they were into that kind of thing, but that was treading territory better left unexplored. Before Vinyl could open her mouth to ask anything, Octavia simply slammed the letter in her hoof on the table and marched off to her room in the shared apartment. The following tremor that came from Octavia forcefully closing her door caused what picture frames they had on the walls to fall askew. The scream that came after would have likely risen the dead, but thanks in part to both normal sound proofing and magical means provided by Vinyl Scratch, it only bothered the surrounding neighborhood.

"Huh... always figured Octy was a screamer. Never thought I'd find out when I wasn't in the same room." Shrugging, Scratch picked up the discarded letter with her magic and looked through it as she made her way to the kitchenette to get dinner started.

Vinyl Scratch was many things. A sought after DJ, somepony who appreciated music enough to alter one genre to bring to a whole other generation, a self-proclaimed pervert, and a pony who knew how to have a good time. But very few knew that she was also a great cook. It was originally the only reason Octavia put up with Vinyl in the first place as both friend and room mate, since the cellist had a hard time making anything that wasn't coffee or instant soup.

At least, that's what Octavia SAID. Vinyl was also a good judge of character, she had to be to recognize how far she could push a pony before they started pushing back. It was also how she knew the best way to pull Octavia out of her little fit.

Pasta. Specifically, bow tie pasta in alfredo sauce with spinach and cherry tomatoes. Bobbing her head to a beat only she could hear, Vinyl finished grating the last of the cheese on the dish, before bringing two heaping plates to the table.

While Octavia was the supposed 'adult' of the pair, there were times when the stress got too much for the classical cellist. As such, Vinyl found there to be times when Octavia would basically pull out her inner child and let it sulk in her room all day. It was adorable really, completely out of character for those who only knew the bow tie wearing mare in passing. Still, Vinyl knew the best way to get a child to come out of a funk... and that was appealing to two things. The Stomach, and the Taste Buds.

Making her way to Octavia's room, pasta floating beside her, Vinyl gave her friend's door a gentle tap. "Oh Octyyyy..." she called in a sing-song voice.

"Go away...."

"Awww.. I can HEAR you pouting from here! C'mooon.... why doncha come on out and join me for some dinner! I made your faaaavoriiiite"

Vinyl had to stifle a giggle when the mare within tried to state as simply as possible that she 'was not pouting.' That didn't stop her from wearing the smuggest grin she could muster when the door cracked open slightly, revealing a single violet eye glancing down at the plate of pasta floating before the door. "... extra cheese...?" she asked in a small voice.

"Just the way you like it Octy, but ya hafta join me at the table. Bad manners to eat in your room... or at least, that's what my roommate would tell me." Lifting her glasses, Vinyl gave Octavia a wink before heading to the dining table, letting the pasta float behind her as she did. 'Hook, Line and Sinker.' Vinyl had barely set the plate back on the table before she noticed Octavia take a seat and proceed to scarf the pasta like she hadn't eaten in days. "... you skipped breakfast and lunch again, didn't you?"

Stopping mid-bite, Octavia took a moment to glance down at her plate, then back up at Vinyl. Grabbing a nearby hoofkerchief, she wiped her muzzle clean of sauce and had the decency to blush. "... maybe..."

Letting out a long sigh, Vinyl simply glanced at the pot of pasta on the stove, her horn glowing as she cast a small spell on it, before she looked back at Octavia. "Hay, don't stop cause I called it! Eat til ya can't, Octy, plenty more where that came from!" Grinning, Vinyl then dug right in herself. She could only take being the responsible one for so long, after all.

And so, the day was saved, thanks to Vinyl's pasta. Every time a plate was empty, the pot would float to the table and a ladle would dish out another serving, much to the delight of Octavia.

Sometime after dinner, with the two simply lounging around in the living room on theikr respective couches, Vinyl let out a soft sigh and glanced at Octavia. "So, wanna tell me what's up?"

Octavia glanced up from her magazine, her features once again schooled into that stoic mask of hers as she regarded Scratch curiously. "Whatever do you mean Vinyl? If you are speaking about earlier, I simply had a bad morning is all. It's the usual thing, Frederic made an insulting comment in passing, I could not abide by it, Harpo tried to get us to calm down, business as usual."

"The magazine's upside down."

Without missing a beat, Octavia flipped the magazine before her right side up. "I was attempting to read the articles upside-down is all, it's a good mental exercise you know. The more you have to concentrate, the less you're likely to miss!" Octavia allowed herself a slight, congratulatory grin. Perfectly reasonable explanation, after all.

"That's my Playcolt's Monthly you're reading."

The grin fell, only to be replaced by dawning horror as she glanced back down and allowed herself to actually LOOK at the magazine... only to see an advertisement for a Ponyville Confectionery, Sugarcube Corner. Blinking, she lifted the magazine to see the cover, only to find the cover held a rather delectable looking cheesecake on the front instead of some raunchy looking mare with bedroom eyes. 'Daily Sweets' greeted her as the title as opposed to anything raunchy. Looking up, she glared at the snickering Vinyl. "Not. Funny."

Letting out a satisfied sigh, Vinyl shook her head. "Yeah it is. And if you fell for it, it means you didn't even know what the hay you were reading. So pony up, Octy, what gives? This ain't the result of a catfight with Freddy, that usually only needs ice cream and a few hours playing your cello. A pasta level problem means something's eating away at ya." Taking her glasses off, she gave Octavia a pleading look. "Ain't we friends Octy?"

Sighing, Octavia pushed the magazine away with her muzzle before laying her head in her hooves, allowing herself to simply lay on the couch. "... you judge my moods by food?" she asked weakly.

"Octy, you're a glutton. If we both didn't make so much you could eat us out of house and home. You only miss meals when you're focused on work, which makes ya cranky and eat more. You have the Coffee and Waffles level emergency when you had a bad dream and need to wake up, Mac and Cheese level when you've run out of supplies to upkeep your Cello, Apple-Fries level whenever you go off to meet family, and now that I know who your family IS that makes SO much sense, and seven or eight more. Heck, the only time it's NOT an emergency is when you're in a good mood and decide to take me out to dinner, after which its a frozen yogurt level emergency cause the service always STINKS at the fancy places you drag me to!" Panting for breath, Vinyl felt herself shaking. By Celestia she hated those snooty high-end restaurants. "Oh, but don't think you're getting away with this Octy, now spill! What is up with you?"

Wincing, Octavia tried her best to pull away from Vinyl's magenta eyes... before letting out a defeated sigh. "Well.. I suppose there's no getting out of this... You better relax, cause the story is... a bit of a long one."

Author's Note

Right. I blame Wanderer D. He made me do this! He asked the damn question and IT WOULDN'T LEAVE MY HEAD! Any who know where this idea stemmed from, grats to you. Anyone else? Have fun, this one will be a ride.

Catharsis

There are so many starting points, Vinyl, that it's hard to pinpoint what tale to tell. I could talk about my Father or my Mother, but I only know small bits of their stories. They would regale my sister and I with how they first met and I remember how we would both sigh at how romantic it all sounded before making gagging noise at how 'kissy facey' they were being.

So instead, I'll start with my life. I was born along with my twin sister, Harmony Greensleeves Apple, on a mid-summer's evening. By the time we were born, my parents had only just started living in a nice home in Manehattan and, as cliche as it might be, music surrounded my sister and I constantly. Father and Mother would sing us to sleep as children, and during the day we would play on little baby instruments and our parents allowed us to be as loud and noisy as babies can get when they have such things. As we grew, my sister and I would always experiment with the various instruments in the house. Nothing was left untested, percussion, wood winds, brass winds, we tried it all. We also accidentally broke a couple, but my parents were fairly calm about that. Sadly, nothing really stuck until our first family reunion and, ironically, our first hoedown.

I remember it clearly, my sister and I were sad that we couldn't find any instruments that 'clicked' for us. As much as we liked music, neither of us felt comfortable playing the instruments our parents used in their professions. We had all but given up, until we saw them. Grandfather Stayman and his cousins, Summerfree and Sturmer Pippen, were up on stage getting ready for the hoedown. Father was going to join them on drums, while Mother would accompany them on piano, but what got our attention were the instruments the older ponies were using. A banjo, a bass and a fiddle. Rustic, I know, but when everypony got together to dance, the music was just so happy and upbeat, familiar yet so different. Mother and Father never used strings in their music, so they never thought to keep any on hand. But as my Sister and I got swept up in the dancing and playing, we knew we had a whole other world of instruments to try.

I'm not sure why I chose the cello and she the violin. Perhaps it was because there was something about drawing a bow across the strings for the first time, hitting that first, good note, that awoke something within us. My sister thought it was cause we could play swords with the bows. Sadly, I jumped at the chance to do just that as a filly, before we broke our first set of bows and cried about not being able to play our new instruments anymore. Odd... now that you mentioned it Vinyl, I distinctly remember Father giving my sister and I ice cream whenever we broke something. Not as a reward, but because he couldn't stand to see us feel so bad. Mother chided him for it, but he laughed it up. "As long as they know better than to do it next time, why let them wallow over it? Kids are kids, let them play and learn!"

Laughter... yes... Laughter and music always filled our lives. Father was always laughing as he played, his music always making ponies want to get up and dance as he swept them up into his melodies. It helped he could use magic to manipulate multiple instruments at once, which is how he got his Cutie Mark. Somepony was always coming around the house to meet with the famous 'Big Band and Jazz Apple' in hopes of getting them to play some event or another.

Octavia blinked as she looked at Vinyl, the pony sitting where she was with a dropped jaw and a small, almost inaudible squeak escaping her.

"... Vinyl? Are you alright?"

Slowly, Vinyl lifted a hoof up to her face, tapped it a few times to make sure it was still there, then did something Octavia never thought she'd ever see.

Vinyl hit herself. Hard.

"Vinyl! Whatever did you do that for?!" Octavia asked worriedly, almost getting up from her couch before the unicorn held up a hoof to stop her.

"I... I'm alright. I'm cool. This is real, right? You ain't pulling my leg? Your old man was THE Big Band? The One Pony Show? The Musical Manipulator?! The only Unicorn this side of the magical elite who could control multiple different instruments at once and make it sound AWESOME?! HE was your Dad?!" With every title spouting out of the DJ's mouth, Vinyl slowly got more and more worked up, her horn sputtering like a foal just coming into their magic. By the word 'AWESOME' she was standing on her hind hooves, her forelegs spread out as if holding the word in her hooves for Octavia to see, panting heavily as she tried to catch her breath.

Arching a brow, Octavia slowly nodded. "Yes... that would be Daddy. I take it you are a fan?" she asked, a slow, smug smile gracing her features.

Flopping back onto her own couch, Vinyl continued to give Octavia a gobsmacked look. "A fan? A fan? Octy, not just one, but BOTH of your parents were major influences in my life! They kicked traditional music to the curb and laughed at its face! I grew up listening to Peckish Pony over and over until my parents threatened to fling the record out the window! Hay, your Dad's the reason I was able to get my Cutie Mark in the first place! You bet your Apple Flank I'm a big fan!"

Giggling a bit, Octavia shook her head and sighed. "Did you know Daddy had my sister and I record ourselves saying numbers for him so he could use it for the album? We nearly drove Mother mad when all we would do one day is say 'One Two' the entire time while Father played the song. It was all in good fun of course. he had us do it as a reward for gaining our Cutie Marks. It was so that every time we heard that song, we'd always be reminded of that time..." Octavia's smile slowly faded before she let out a heavy sigh. "We're getting side tracked. Give me a moment and I'll continue."

Vinyl's own excitement died down as she realized something, a memory of her childhood hero coming to the fore as she got very quiet.

The laughter didn't last, sadly. I could go on and on about the wonderful things my parents did for my sister and I as we grew up. Putting us through school at the Manehattan School of the Performing Arts, never missing a single Apple Family Reunion, allowing my sister and I to play with other foals and humoring us by allowing us to perform for them on our new found instruments. Life was good... until Father started developing bad coughing fits. You see, all our lives, Father had a habit of smoking from a pipe. It was never constantly, just something he did at the end of a long day, or while we were all relaxing. I admit that the smell of the smoke was almost soothing in its own right, something we grew up with and associated with him. He knew proper spells for making sure the smoke never bothered the family, and he always smoked near an open window or the chimney. But over time, we began to notice that Father rarely played any of his instruments without magic. Where before he was part of the band, he became the conductor. Where he had once pranced about on stage with infectious energy, he started standing still, only swaying to the beat. He also began to get tired very easily. We were worried, but Father kept insisting he was fine.

Except, he wasn't.

One night, my sister and I were awoken by my Mother's frantic shouting and ponies running up and down the Hall. We ran to see what was the matter, only to see our Father laying on a stretcher, wheezing as he tried to breathe. We were crying, confused. What happened to Father? Why were they taking him away? The reason became clear once Mother calmed us down. Mother had slipped away earlier to bring an emergency wagon from Manehattan General Hospital, worried about Father. When she got back with the wagon, she had apparently heard Father coughing terribly before spitting out what looked like blood. They had gotten into a loud argument, before Father fainted, causing Mother to cry out in shock.

What my Father tried to pass off as a bad flu had turned out to be something far worse. Lung cancer. Cancer on a whole was something magic could only treat in certain situations, such as if it were found early, or if the tumor that was found was not spreading. Sadly, Father had an advanced case, possibly caused from his smoking. The Doctor went on and on about malignant versus benign and why this and that wouldn't work or would only delay the inevitable, but in the end all my sister and I understood was one thing. Daddy was dying.

We had cried at his bedside, Mother holding us close as we did. We were inconsolable. What can you tell a filly when she is witnessing the slow degradation of a parent? Of course, Daddy being Daddy, he placed his hoof on our heads and ruffled our manes, giving us a weak smile. "Don't cry, my little melodies." he said, but for the first time ever my sister and I couldn't do as Daddy said. He had Mother help us up to rest on either side of him, and we held onto him with everything we had.

In the passing month, as his condition worsened, we did everything we could to make him feel better. We played for him, we told him about things we had done, naively we also talked about things we would do when Daddy got out of the hospital. Did you know we even wrote a letter to Princess Celestia, begging her to help our Daddy? We never got a reply back, but in hindsight were barely knew how to properly fill out an address on an envelope, let alone write or send a proper letter. Mother seemed to withdraw into her music, setting something big up, and we noticed more and more family members dropping by the house to visit and talk with Mother. Before Daddy passed, we were allowed to bring him outside in a wheelchair, and the lawn of the hospital was the sight of an impromptu Apple Reunion. Everypony came to pay their respects, and the entire family got together, picking up whatever instrument they could, and began playing one of Daddy's latest songs. My sister and I clung to Daddy's side as they played. It was a chaotic mess, some ponies getting lost, others rushing the beat, and a few others barely knew how to hold their instruments... but they were having a grand old time. As the song ended, the only thing the Apples heard were two little fillies crying as their Daddy went to sleep for the last time, a bright smile on his muzzle.

The funeral was a large affair. Family, friends and fans seemed to come from all over when news of Daddy's passing was heard. Respects were paid, ponies I never even saw before were crying just as hard as we were. On the one hoof, a small part of me felt happy that so many ponies came to say goodbye. A much larger part of me would have seen any number of them take Daddy's place, just as long as I could hear him laugh again. Afterwards, we were brought to our grandparent's farm to live for a while, the old house filled with far too many memories for Mother or Sister to do anything without crying. As for me... I saw the farm as the final nail on the coffin. They were going to up and leave Manehattan and completely forget about Daddy! I know it's horribly foalish of me in hindsight, but I was young and hurting. Anything involving the farm was a symbol of moving away from everything Daddy ever did. I wanted to hold on to the past and never let it go, no matter how much it would hurt me in the long run. So Mother sent me back to Manehattan. We all had our ways of dealing with grief, and I wanted to wallow in mine as much as possible. She couldn't let me live alone in our old house though, so I was sent to live with Auntie Orange Sherbert and Uncle Gardner Orange, along with their daughters Seleta and Babs Seed. I continued my education at the Performing Arts School and occasionally met Mother from time to time until I was able to stand on my own four hooves and move out.

"And that is that." Octavia said with a bit of finality. Glancing over at the clock, she noticed a few hours passed. She had lost herself in the retelling and felt a yawn escape her. "Well... that was emotionally drai-NGG!" A pair of hooves wrapped themselves around Octavia, and she couldn't help but wonder when Vinyl had moved from her own couch to by Octavia's side.

"It's okay." Vinyl said softly, slowly rocking from side to side as she held her friend.

"What are you talking about? I'm perfectly fine Vinyl." Octavia said incredulously. The tears forming were from the yawn just then, a perfectly understandable reaction. She simply needed to blink them away.

"It's okay. Let go."

"I should be telling YOU that! You're the one who suddenly latched onto me!" She kept blinking but the tears wouldn't stop. Odd, tears from yawns never persisted this long. "I'm just tired is all, a good sleep will... will.." A hiccup. She must have eaten too fast. it was all Vinyl's fault for making the food so tasty. The only reason she was even wrapping her hooves around the stupid unicorn was to pull her off.

"I ain't going anywhere Octy. Just let it out..." Octavia felt a hoof stroke her back comfortingly and she felt a shiver pass through her. How could she be cold? Vinyl was so warm... and...

And then, for the first time in years, Octavia Brina Apple's carefully built mask completely broke. The tears fell and a wail of grief escaped her. And through it all, Vinyl Scratch rocked her friend gently, whispering soothing words.

When no more tears came, Octavia slipped into the first restful sleep she had in years. Though the couch was hardly comfortable, Vinyl simply laid back with her friend, floating a blanket over the two of them before she herself slipped off to sleep.

Author's Note

I still blame Wanderer D. Celestia's flaming hindquarters, I need a kerchief.

And you guys have NO idea how annoying it is to physically copy youtube links (or any links at all) on a Vita. None. Unless you do, in which case, power to ya.

Finally, LUNA'S BLUE MOON! Where in the blazes did you all come from?! Wherever it is, thank you for giving me the chance and sharing this tale with me. I know I'm only two chapters in, but I feel like I'll be in for the long haul ^^ Your comments fuel my artistic fire, and I can only pray I get some C&C on my writing. If anything stands out in a bad way, lemme know and I'll try and adjust things.

until next time, all, fare thee well and Happy New Year!

The Harmony

Dearest Greensleeves,

I pray this letter finds you well. I apologize I cannot be there personally to tell you this news, but you know how the Circuit goes. Every gig could be your last, and I had to do this one for personal reasons. So let me say this bluntly before I start waxing poetic on you. Your sister, Octavia, is coming to the next Reunion. Likely the confirmation hasn't been sent yet, but I have it on good accounts that she will arrive, possibly in the company of the Oranges and a friend or two. I know it has been forever since you or any Apple have seen her, but please don't harbor any ill will towards her. She suffered, same as all of us, at your father's passing and needed to go about things in her own way. I wish I could be there to see you both side by side for the first time in years, but this benefits concert should help prevent other ponies from ending up like we did.

I must confess I MIGHT have puled the Promise on her by exaggerating a few things. Which reminds me, did your cough get better? I know it was only a light cold, but you really should look after yourself a lot more. And you simply must go out and meet other ponies dear, as active as I am, I may see your Father any day now. When we do meet in the great beyond, I do hope to tell him about the kind of stallion that would take care of our grandfoals and yourself.

I love you dearly, and I know Octavia does too.

Your mother,

Jazz 'Jazz Band' Apple

Striking the latter part of the letter from her mind with the ease of years of practice, Harmony Greensleeves Apple read and re-read the letter in her hooves before letting out a loud whoop of joy that rang throughout the Apple household. "Granny Apple Rose! Grandpa Stayman! Mama has great news!" she cried, galloping through the farmhouse on hooves that seemed lighter than air. "Octavia's finally coming to a reunion!"

As she galloped into the dining room, she noticed Grandpa Stayman was sitting at his usual place, reading the latest newspaper from Cloudsdale. Letting it drop slightly, he gave Greensleeves a steady look, before letting out a snort and going back to his newspaper. The elderly stallion proved that Apples grew strong, his old body as large as cousin Big Mac, and if Granny Apple Rose was to be believed, his hide was stronger than tree bark. His coat was a dusty oak brown, while his proud mane and tail, grayed with age, still carried a few wisps of the bright red of his youth. The mark on his flank was that of a checkerboard, black on white with a crowned apple sitting in its center.

"Stayman, ya old fuddy duddy! Yer mute not deaf, give yer granddaughter a 'good mornin' or else!" shouted an older mare from the kitchen. As she did, Harmony could see her grandfather mouth the warning word for word, eyes rolling as he gently set down the newspaper. "And don't ya mock me, Stayman!"

Shaking his head, the old stallion held his forelegs wide, nodding at Greensleeves before getting tackled in a hug and kissed on the forehead. "Good morning, Grandpa Stayman." Greensleeves said with a giggle. Pulling away from her grandfather, she glanced about curiously, hearing nothing but the elderly mare in the kitchen going about her business. Frowning, she perked her ears up and strained her hearing, before looking to the elder before her in confusion. "Have you seen the girls? They weren't in their beds, so I hope they are doing their chores!"

Before Stayman could respond, Apple Rose's voice carried from the kitchen, heralding her arrival before she walked in with platter on her back, a rather tall stack of apple pancakes resting on it. "Now don't ya fret none, Greenie. I simply sent the girls out to help buck some apples. After seein that letter was from Jazzy, we decided ta have a chat with ya away pryin ears that don't know no better." Easing the stack of pancakes onto the table, Apple Rose moved to give her granddaughter a hug. "Good mornin, sweetie."

The bespectacled mare smiled as she pulled away, her mane and tail impeccably curled as always as she looked over Greensleeves. "Ya been sleepin okay? Wouldn't want ya catchin another cold before the big Reunion. Have a seat Greenie, and eat some pancakes. That is, if that pig of a husband I've got would kindly leave ya some!" Quickly, the look of kindness on her features morphed to a glare as she turned to Stayman. Already, more than half the large stack of pancakes were on his plate, drizzled with syrup and already being consumed. Hearing his name, the silent stallion perked his ears, paid Apple Rose a simple glance, before motioning to the rest that he thoughtfully did not add to his plate before eating again.

Giggling at the back and forth between her grandparents, Greensleeves allowed herself to sit down at the table. "Oh Granny, Mama says Octavia will finally be coming to the Reunion! I can already imagine what it will be like! When we go to the big Reunion, Apples greeting each other after so long, we'll suddenly see each other through the crowd! It would be a slight glance, after all, our mane colors are rather rare in the Apple Family. But after locking eyes, it would be as if finding an old friend again, the bond we share as not just sisters, but twins, pulling us towards each other. We would be hesitant at first, unsure what to say to each other after so long... but then, words would not be needed, would they? Tears would well up as years of unspoken feelings and missed opportunities caught up to us, and before all of our Family we would break down and cry, one clinging to the other as we wailed like fillies." Dabbing at her eyes with a napkin, Greensleeves tried to keep herself from breaking down then and there at the imagined meeting. "Oh and how we would catch up, she telling me all about her amazing life in Manehattan, me telling her all about the girls and the farm. And then she would bring out her cello, and I my violin, and we would play the song we earned our Cutie Marks with, and the Apple Family would dance about, cheering and hollering in joy as Octavia rejoins the Apple Family! Oh it's such a beautiful scene I can't help but tear up right now!"

An angry rumble from her stomach pulled Greensleeves from her daydream, reminding her she had yet to eat. Glancing at her plate, she looked at it curiously, before turning to Apple Rose, who seemed halfway done with a stack of her own pancakes. "When did my stack get so tall?" she asked, the previous stack only reaching her snout, where the one before her now seemed to go past her eyes.

"Oh, bout halfway through yer tearful reunion. Yer old stack was gettin cold, so Stayman ate it, and I had plenty o' time ta make more." Apple Rose said with a smirk. "Now eat up before yer stomach makes the neighbors think we're keepin a wild bear in here."

Chagrined, Greensleeves poured a healthy helping of syrup over her breakfast before attacking the pancake stack with a gusto. After making sure Greensleeves was dedicated to the task of eating her fill, Apple Rose slid her remaining pancakes to Stayman. The elder stallion's eyes lit up brightly at the offer and nearly inhaled the pancakes. Shaking her head at the sight, Apple Rose let out a sigh, before turning to focus on the task at hand. Namely, Greensleeves.

"Now child, I know how much ya wanna see yer twin sister again. I do, I'd give mah left kidney to see mah favorite cousin again, if just fer a day. But what ya gotta do is be realistic. Ya know what happens when ya get overworked over somethin, ya start livin in a dream. Ya get yerself all hot 'n bothered with high expectations that, if anything isn't just right, ya either deny it was supposed ta happen or break down." As Greensleeves tried to make some kind of argument, Apple Rose held up a hoof and gave a stern look that only mothers could ever truly master. "Don't talk with yer mouth full, and keep eatin, I ain't done yet!" Cowed, Greensleeves nodded and continued eating, her ears perked to listen to what the older mare wished to say.

"Now... yer twin sister ain't never been to any of the previous Reunions since yer Daddy was taken from us. Nopony blames her fer it, but who's ta say this Reunion's gonna be any different? I know how much it means ta ya, and Jazzy ain't one ta make promises she can't keep... but ya gotta promise that ya ain't gonna get too excited bout this. It'll just kill me if ya get yer hopes up only ta spend the entire Reunion constantly lookin fer somepony what ain't there! And I ain't just thinkin bout ya, but the little ones. Think of what it'll do ta them if ya spend the entire Reunion cryin and mopey bout somepony they ain't never met. Then how do ya think they'll react whenever they learn that the somepony that made ya feel sad at a Reunion is yer own sister?" Letting out a long sigh, Apple Rose shook her head, her curls bouncing slightly as she did. "I don't mean ta bring ya down, Greenie. It's juss... the last time ya got this way, ya were heartbroken for months." Glancing meaningfully at the door, Apple Rose slowly left the table. "Maybe I'm wrong and she'll come. Juss think bout what I said."

Greensleeves looked down at her empty plate and licked her chops clean of syrup, though the normally sweet taste of the apple pancakes seemed dull from the tone of the talk. Before she could come up with any kind of response, Apple Rose had pulled the door open to cause three young fillies to fall in a colorful pile. Jumping slightly at the sight, Greensleeves blinked in confusion as she glanced from the pile of fillies, to the door, then back again, as if trying to make sense of the situation. "Sweet? Spice? Cinnamon? Dearest lights of my life, brightest Apples of my orchard? Why, exactly, did you all fall through when Granny Apple Rose opened the door?" she said in an even, sweet tone. One that carried with it a hidden promise that all children knew to fear when used.

The first to pull herself free was a soft pink filly whose mane and tail were a bright lime green, disheveled from a day of playing about outside. "Um... we finished helpin the Apple Buckers and they told us to go back inside." Apple Sweet said softly, looking embarrassed for having been caught as she did.

The second to pull herself free from the tangle of limbs was a golden orange filly, her mane a darker shade of green than her sister's and just as messy as Sweet's was. "Yeah, Granny said she wanted to talk to ya all private like, so we decided to stay outside til she finished!" Apple Spice smiled brightly, whether to show pride in how grown up a decision they made or pride from coming up with that on the spot, it was unclear.

The last filly, Apple Cinnamon, was a crimson red filly whose mane and tail were the brightest shade of green of the triplets. She also had the hardest time getting up, having been at the bottom of the pile. "Y'all are heavy..." she groaned, slowly pulling herself back up to her hooves to stand by her sisters. "And we didn't hear nothin bout no sister Mama, nope!" Spice groaned at her sister's choice of words, while Sweet decided to make her displeasure known with a swift hoof to the back of the head. "OW!"

Standing up from the table, Greensleeves closed her eyes and took long, deep breaths, doing her best to keep calm. "Kids are kids, let them play and learn..." she muttered to herself. The words of wisdom from her father were a mantra to her, calming her nerves before she dared open her eyes again. "Girls, eavesdropping is wrong. You can't listen to other pony's conversations like that! If I ever catch you doing it again, all of you will have matching flanks, and I am NOT talking cutie marks. You get me?"

The girls all swallowed and nodded in unison. "Yes Mama!"

Nodding, Greensleeves smiled, before moving to her girls, pulling them in a big hug. "Good! Now, since you all are curious, I guess it's high time I tell you about my twin sister. Your Grandma Jazzy told me she might be coming, so you should hear some stories about your Auntie Octavia, right?"

With the danger of punishment passed, the three fillies started to fire off question after question. Smiling softly, Greensleeves lead them off to the sitting room to tell tales of her youth. Despite Granny Apple Rose's warning, Greensleeves couldn't help but keep her hopes up. After all, no Apple would break the Promise.

Author's Note

Finally, we get a glimpse of Harmony Greensleeves Apple and her current situation and personality. It took me a while, since I had to build a completely new computer and wait even longer for replacement RAM sticks. In the end, I finally got this out.

What's that? Where did the triplets come from? Well, when I decided that I wanted to use Granny Apple Rose, I rewatched the Reunion episode a few times to try and catch any mannerisms (which thankfully, she has few). I noticed, as she was leaving the carriage, that three similar looking blank flanked fillies collapsed out of the carriage first, followed by Apple Rose. Grandchildren (or in this case, Great-Grandchildren) and so we have three young fillies, born of Greensleeves, sired by an as of yet unrevealed stallion.

Sorry for the wait, and to all of you who waited and all who are just joining us, thank you for giving me a chance ^^ C&C, as always, is appreciated!