Fiddlesticks sat down on her worn bed and opened the letter, tearing the seal with her teeth. Her eyes were tired, her yellow coat dull and her blue mane disheveled. In a corner, her violin lay forgotten, not been played for months. Dust had gathered in the rundown little house, the owner no longer willing to take care of it. As she pulled the rather lengthy letter out, the smell of lavender filled the room and she coughed, not prepared for the sudden assault on her nostrils. She flipped open the pages and a small spark entered her eyes, instantly recognizing the writing,
Dear Fiddlesticks,
It's been quite a long time hasn't it? For me the ten years we've been apart have flown by, melted into the strums on my cello. But for you dear sister, this time must've gone so much slower. No letters, no correspondence, nothing to even ensure you of my existence. I haven't forgotten you Fiddlesticks, not you nor Vinyl Scratch. I miss you both terribly, every concert and day I wish to see you or her sitting in the audience.
Life in Canterlot has treated me... not as well as I had hoped. When I arrived, I was but a ten year old, diving into the world to see what treasures I could find. Cello in its case, music at the ready, I strode through those gates with pride, so certain that I would make a grand entrance and dazzle those in the upper class.
How wrong I was.
Those nobles, those upper class ponies who have it all, they were snobs. They treated me like gum stuck to the bottom of their hooves, a mere thing they could dispose of. I had no bits, no family and nothing to support me. I felt like absolute rubbish, constantly insulted by the adults and scoffed at by the foals, none of them wanted a simple earth pony to be part of their society. The cold was terrible at night and I barely had any food, so one day I stood and I played, seeing if any passing mares or stallions would throw some bits in. To my surprise, they did. After an hour, I had enough bits to keep me floating, so I continued to play.
That's how I got to where I am now.
A stallion saw me. He was dignified and his nose turned in the air when he saw me. He discriminated me, told me how the screeching sounds of my cello were keeping him awake. He yelled until there were tears in my eyes, when a young mare stepped forwards and shouted at him to leave, telling him he had no taste and was just a high class snob like the rest. He left with a dark cloud over his head and me with tears rolling down my cheeks.
The mare was amazing. She was light pink with an electric blue mane that was rather long, halting just above the ground. Her cutie mark was a blue silhouette of a pony's head with a big smile, music notes surrounding it. She told me she was a music producer and she wanted to take me under her wing, quite literally because she was a pegasus, and make me a musician. Of course I agreed, I could show those arrogant adults that I was somepony!
I didn't know I was about to step on the thin line between dreams and nightmares.
It started out amazingly! I let the melody take control, followed instructions and gradually became what I am now. But it took five of the ten years we've been separated for me to get as good as I am today, but I did it. I felt like I was in a dream when I went and did my very first concert with an orchestra of strings. I had a solo in that concert and I played proudly, not even noticing when my cutie mark appeared. I was thirteen, three years after I left you.
Then it all turned around. My career soared and I left my teacher, ready to challenge the world. I was fifteen, I was proud and I was stubborn as a mule. I played in concerts, my own and with the orchestra. I made friends along the way and made my own group. Me, a piano, a tuba and a harp. We played together so many times, but the spotlight shone on me. Even the Grand Galloping Gala featured me more than them and eventually... They grew bitter. The pianist quit first, tired of being ignored by the crowds. Soon after followed the tuba and then the harpist. I was left alone, but I was headstrong and didn't let my music falter. But after two years without them, I felt depressed and lonely. I went to bars and drunk parties and drank away my sorrows, I was a wreck. Papers flew around, accusing me of drug consuming, which was false. I never touched another bottle, can or glass of cider again after that.
But slowly, my career spiralled downwards. After my drunken state, ponies stopped coming. Soon it was only those who knew me personally, my friends who helped me through my depression. But I only went deeper and deeper until I didn't play, I just lay in bed and thought of you, sobbing my eyes out and regretting everything I'd done.
I'm sorry Fiddlesticks.
I'm sorry I left, I'm sorry I never wrote, I'm sorry I never kept in touch... I'm sorry for everything! I just left you with but a letter, do you remember that letter? I told you I needed to follow my destiny. Well I know where my destiny is now, dear sister. It's not with the upper class, it's not in the spotlight, it's not by myself and it's not sisterless. I was never supposed to be what I am, what I was. I followed my head and ignored my heart, but it turns out my heart was right all along. I was a fool, a naive little filly who ran away to chase what was never meant to be. My destiny is not being the wrecked, broken and depressed mare I was.
My destiny is with you Fiddlesticks. With you, in the little house, playing the violin and the cello together.
Now turn around.
~Octavia
Fiddlesticks turned around, eyes full of tears. Behind her stood a youthful, twenty year old mare. Her coat was pale grey and her mane a deep shade of brownish-grey. Her eyes were lavender and full of tears, a few stray drops rolling down her face. A cutie mark the older mare had never seen was on her flank, showing her talent for music. Two sets of grey hooves opened and a tearful yellow mare accepted, running and hugging her baby sister, sobbing with joy. "Octavia... Oh Octavia..." She sniffled. She could feel tears running down her back, coming from her baby sister. She only hugged her tighter, bawling like an infant.
Octavia could feel the tears running down her face, thick and many. She kept herself from sobbing, but she let her sister heave. There was a small smile on her face and she gazed lovingly at her older sister, not caring that her back fur was getting covered with tears. "I missed you Fiddle... I missed you so much!" She cried, finally losing control and weeping her heart out.
Fiddlesticks, had a huge smile on her face when she pulled away, looking into Octavia's eyes. "I-I have something to show you." She moved towards her dresser and rummaged through it, pulling out an old letter, faded around the edges with some tear streaked writing, but it was still familiar to the grey earth pony. Hauntingly familiar. With trembling hooves, Octavia took the letter and opened it, tears running down her face.
Memories swam from the depths of her mind and forced their way into the front of the older sister as she watched her sister read, picturing the day she read the letter.
~~~~~
Dear Fiddlesticks,
I have to tell you something. I've thought of this for a long time, a year now, but I've never had the courage to tell you. You won't get to see me after you've read this letter, so I may as well make it quick.
I must go.
I have to follow my destiny.
Ever since I played that first string on father's cello, I began to see what a life of music could mean to me. You and Vinyl had already gotten your cutie marks, though I admit our other sister's talent is a bit... noisy, and I wanted mine too. But years have passed since I played the squeaking note and I still haven't found my talent, so I started suspecting that maybe I was meant for more than our simple little house.
When mother passed away, I could hear father playing the cello day and night, always her favorite song. I could hear his crying as he begged her to come back, but she never did. I could see how much he sank into depression until one day the music stopped. I can remember it as if it happened an hour ago, when in reality it had been five years. I was curious to why he stopped playing so I walked into the bedroom...
"Daddy?" Called the little grey earth pony, knocking a tiny hoof against the door. "Daddy are you ok?" She tried again, but no response came to her. Her hoof hit the door a bit and the door opened. The filly squeaked, she had thought that the door had been closed tight. On shaky legs, she stepped into the room and looked around. "D-Daddy? Where are you? You're scaring me!" She cried, tears swimming in her eyes. Something wet landed on her face and she squeaked in surprise, backing up. She wiped at it with a hoof at when she pulled her hoof back it had something red smeared on it.
With terrified eyes the ten year old filly looked up and saw the rope around her father's bloody neck.
"FIDDLESTICKS!"
Ever since then... I've felt different. It's been a few months, I'll be turning eleven next month, but I can't get it out of my head. I can always hear him playing the music when I go to sleep, I look over at the walls separating our bedrooms and I think of that cello. Then one night I snuck out of our room and went into his, grabbed the cello and played. It wasn't my best, but it made me happier. Then Vinyl came in and yelled at me to go to bed, so I did.
I dreamed of them that night. I dreamed we were all together again; you playing the violin, Vinyl playing her little DJ set, mother playing her flute and father playing the cello. I even had my own cello and I played it.
Now I know what I must do.
I will go to Canterlot and I will rise, I will become a star! I will play the cello and make sure that other ponies know who I am, hear me play. I'm not one for rock, I play classic and slow music that could impress the high class. I want to play for ponies like Princess Celestia and leave an impression on the world.
But I can't do that from our house.
Goodbye dear sister, I hope one day to see you again. By the time you finish reading this, I'll be gone.
With love,
~Octavia
Fiddlesticks took her eyes off the paper, blue orbs filling with tears. "Tavi?" She called.
No response.
"Tavi!?"
Silence.
Fiddlesticks took a run for it, pretty much knocking the door off its hinges. She could see a retreating figure in the distance, but she could make out the distinct shape of a cello. "TAVI!" She shrieked, running after the form. But as she ran, the form seemed to get further until it disappeared from her sight, her little sister fading away from her. One of her forehooves caught a dip in the ground and she fell, all of her weight going onto her shoulder. There was a horrible crunching noise and she screamed in agony, all her tears falling from her eyes as she sobbed, both in pain and despair. She couldn't open her eyes and she could faintly hear Vinyl Scratch's screaming as she sank into darkness.
~~~~~
Fiddlesticks had a bittersweet smile on her face. "I didn't play violin for five years. Vinyl had all the work and pressure on her shoulders, along with her budding DJing career. I was held up because my shoulder was broken, but even after that I just couldn't get over it. Vinyl was always there, always supporting, always-"
"Always waiting for her baby sister to come back."
Both earth ponies turned around to see an alabaster unicorn mare standing in the door, her electric blue shock of a mane frazzled. She ruffled her mane affectionately, hiding the tears pooling in her big red eyes. "Just got home and I saw the cello, figured she finally... She finally..." Vinyl was starting to sob now, biting her lip, "I was gonna be cool. But I saw the cello and realized you'd come back, you'd come home. I told myself I wasn't gonna c-c-DAMMIT COME HERE!" She wailed, grabbing Octavia and pulling her into a hug. "Don't you ever leave again! Don't you leave me Tavi..." She was pretty much begging, tears flowing down her face.
Octavia felt her own tears dripping down her face again. "I promise Vinyl... Never again." She whispered, embracing her sister tightly. Soon the two younger mares were wrapped in Fiddlesticks's long forelegs, the eldest and the younger sibling finally reunited with their baby sister. It was a tearful reunion, followed my much music playing from the three sisters. All three of them were as happy as could be, dark days of Fiddlesticks's depression finally over now that she had her little sister back. Across the night sky, two shooting stars soared overhead, reflecting in the eyes of the three mares as they watched the sky, eyes full of amazement.
The entire family was together again.
~~~~~
Derpy Hooves flew away from the house when she saw Octavia step into the yard. There was a tearful smile on her face, crossed golden eyes brimming with liquid. She'd delivered the letter that would bring a family together again and she felt proud; this was one of the perks to her job. On quiet wings she flew back to her home in Ponyville, wincing as her wing stiffened up. She landed and rubbed it with a hoof, letting out a soft grunt. "That's not gonna be fun tomorrow..." She murmured, flinching as memories of what had happened flashed inside her mind. Blue eyes full of anger and regret, a stallion's voice crying for her to come back and the racing of her own hooves as she fled, a bundle held securely in her mouth.
Shaking off the wretched memories, Derpy entered her house and noticed her daughter asleep on the couch. A soft smile lit her face and she scooped up her daughter, placing her gently on her grey back. She put Dinky Doo to bed and smiled warmly, tucking her in and giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight my little muffin." She whispered sweetly, closing the door as she exited.
Derpy walked into the living room and saw a letter on the table. With a quick hoof she snatched it up and sat down on her couch, opening the seal and pulling out the letter. She instantly recognized the stylish scrawl and dropped the letter like it burned her hooves, eyes wide with horrible memories. She looked at her wing, seeing the old scar his strike had left, the scars his teeth had made. With hesitant hooves she picked up the letter and opened it fully, fearful eyes reading the first two words,
Dearest Derpy,
