"One night only" was plastered all over the Fillydephia Theater. Mares and colts from around the city of brony love came in tonight to see the up and coming classical star Octavia's first concert out of Canterlot. She was only here for one night, and it will be the best night ever in the history of Fillydelphia's music scene.
Except that's not actually the case. The reason why Octavia was only booked for one night wasn't because she was only available for one night. Oh, no. She hasn't been getting very many gigs after the disaster that was the Grand Galloping Gala. She was here for one night because that's exactly how much room the theater had to fill between the end of the long-running musical Chicargo (which was about a mail pony who was accused of dropping a load of cargo on Princess Celestia's favorite student [and rumored marefriend] and banished and then imprisoned) and the beginning of Brannie Get Your Pie, a new opera about a cowpony out west or something like that. Regardless, they needed space to fill and couldn't afford Sapphire Shores so they hired a second rate classical musician from Canterlot and played it up in advertising. The crowds grabbed their top hats and monocles and fancy Carousel Boutique (latest fashion in Canterlot!) dresses and headed down to the fancy opera house for a night of culture and refinement.
Octavia, in the meantime, is hyperventilating backstage. I can do it I can do it I can do it I can do it, she repeated to herself. She was trying to do her usual warmup exercises. She straightened her spine in anticipation of standing in an unnatural position for an evening-the cello was a wonderful instrument but some egghead has to figure out how to fix it so that a pony can play it on all fours, or at leas threes. She took seventy-seven deep breaths. She rosined her bow (made with her sister's tail hairs, a graduation gift she'll forever cherish) and she checked her strings one last time. I can do it, she thought one last time. After all, she was the best student of Yoyo Ma-whose name means Friend Horse in an ancient language, by the way-the greatest cellist Canterlot has seen. She has studied years for this moment, her first concert out side of Canterlot. She has one night. She will not screw this up. It will be perfect.
Hopefully.
"Look at this, Pinkie," Twilight said from her table at Sugarcube Corner, holding up the arts section of the latest Celestiaday Equestia Daily. "Didn't we see her at the Gala?"
"Ooo, you're right, Twilight! She played the Pony Pokey with me!"
"The what?"
"Oh right, silly me. You weren't there. You were busy dancing the Pony Pokey instead!"
"I don't get it."
"Never mind. So, is this about a… party?"
"Not exactly. It's… let me see… 'a refined night of culture and classical music'."
"Boooring!"
"I think it's simply charming," Rarity chimed in, "it's too bad we didn't learn of it until now; it's surely to have sold out by now. We'll never get six tickets in time for it. Oh, whatever shall we do?"
"Beg pardon, Rarity, but we ain't exactly short of banjos here."
"That's right, Applejack, we could have our own concert! Ooo! Ooo! I think I have a book on that! Spike!"
"Yeehaw! Some down home country music is what we need 'round these parts!"
"Oh, if we simply must. But at least let me put a feather in your cowpony hat so we maintain some minimum resemblance of a fancy gathering."
"Deal. Hey Pinkie, you comin'? Pinkie?"
For the first time since recorded Equestria history, Pinkie Pie wasn't paying attention to party planning. Instead, she fixed her eyes on the headline in Twilight's abandoned Equestria Daily. "ONE Night Only," it said. "SOLO PERFORMANCE" "SINGLE Most Spectacular Performer" "...the ONLY musician to leave the Grand Galloping Gala unharmed…" Oh no, thought Pinkie, she must be so lonely, especially after we ruined her party. "She must feel do sad."
"Beg pardon?"
"Oh, Applejack, I was just feeling bad about how we ruined the Gala. Octavia must be really sad. I mean, it was a boooring party but she's one of those fancy ponies who like that stuff and now she's all alone in Fillydelphia and the newspaper said she's never been there and she has no friends and-"
"You could always throw her a party, right?" Nopony actually knew that Fluttershy was around until now.
"Oh that worked out soooooooo well last time," Rarity said with her eyes rolled in maximal rolled position.
"Maybe you can send her a gift? Friends love gifts. I give my little animal friends gifts all the time. Isn't that right, Angel? Oh, sorry, you have that look again. I'll be quiet."
"A gift! Fluttershy that is the best idea ever! I'll wrap it up and just ask Rainbowdash to deliver it and she'll be there in a jiffy! Yay!"
"Gee, Pinkie Pie, I'd love to do that for you if sooooomepony didn't spike my breakfast cupcake this morning with poison joke."
"Oops, silly me. Sorry Rainbow. You look good as a chicken though."
"Isn't Rainbowdash the best chicken ever?"
"Scootaloo, shut up and carry me over to Zacora's already."
"Yes Rainbow, I mean, ma'am! Ma'am Rainbow! Dash, sir!"
(Scootaloo and Rainbowdash (as a chicken) exit stage left.)
"Now what am I going to do?"
As if some celestial force heard Pinkie's plea, the shockwave from Scootaloo's scooter crashing through the door flipped Twilight's now-forgotten newspaper to the classified section.
"Derpy Mail," read Pinkie, "the only guaranteed same-day delivery (including the Everfree Forest) service available in Equestria; low rates; will accept muffins as payment. This! This is the answer to all my problems! Bye gals!"
Applejack and Rarity stood in Sugarcube corner, dumbfounded as Pinkie disappeared upstairs. Derpy Mail, they thought. It sounded familiar… where have I heard…
As only the bestest of BFFs can manage, Applejack and Rarity did a simultaneous spit take of their cupcakes into each other's faces.
"Oops, forgot my muffins!" Pinkie reappeared, upside-down, through the ceiling. "What is going on? Oh, you silly ponies! Don't you know that cupcakes are for eating and not for smearing over your faces?"
As the curtains opened that night, Octavia was ready. Her trusty cello stood upright as she did, defiant against what may come her way. Tonight, she thought, will be perfect. Nothing will stop me. Not even Nightmare Moon herself will ruin my performance.