Octavia Melody

Octavia Melody, or simply Octavia, is a background Earth pony who appears in the episodes The Best Night Ever and Sweet and Elite and in IDW's comics. She is unnamed in the series, but she is named in merchandise. She has a dark gray mane and tail, a light gray coat and light purple eyes, and wears a pink bow-tie with a white collar. She shares her eye design with Rarity, the spa ponies, and several background ponies, except for the iris. Her cutie mark is a violet treble clef, though the cello is most often notated with a bass clef. The cello is also normally played sitting down, although she plays standing, like a double bass. If it were a double bass, the cutie mark would still be conflicting because double bass is also usually written for in bass clef.

Development
The origin of the name "Octavia" is attributed to Alex McG in a [ comment] on May 7, 2011. This fan-given name was officially adopted in Enterplay's trading cards and in Gameloft's mobile game each in 2012 and used in one of Little, Brown's chapter books, being expanded to "Octavia Melody" in Hasbro's toy line and in Funko's vinyl figure line each in 2013. The name "Octavia" likely refers to the musical concept of octaves, whereas "Melody" refers to the term of the same name.

While the show does not specifically identify Octavia Melody's instrument, the trading card states that it is a cello. William Anderson, the show's composer, has relayed to Equestria Daily that the music playing at the garden party in Sweet and Elite features a harp, two violins, and a cello, which pegs Octavia as a cellist. The show's director, Jayson Thiessen, figures the instrument is a cello as it's "more sophisticated and appropriate for the gala".

Appearances
She plays a cello as part of a four-pony musical ensemble at the Grand Galloping Gala in the episode The Best Night Ever. She retains an apparently calm dignified expression when in costume, except when Pinkie Pie disturbs her. At Pinkie's request, the orchestra plays the Pony Pokey. Octavia Melody eventually falls over when Pinkie tries to make her play faster.

Octavia appears briefly in Sweet and Elite in the garden party scene, playing with a mostly-different musical ensemble.

Re-use of character model
Octavia Melody's character design is reused with a different color scheme for a character, Fiddly Faddle, who appears in Luna Eclipsed and Apple Family Reunion, the first time playing at Ponyville's Nightmare Night festival and the second time playing in Raise This Barn at the Apple family's reunion.

Her coat is yellow, her mane and tail are dark blue, and her eyes are light blue. She has the same treble clef cutie mark as Octavia has, except that hers is light blue instead of purple. (It is also more appropriate for her instrument, as the fiddle, unlike the cello, is invariably notated with a treble clef.) She plays the fiddle in a pose similar to the one used in The Best Night Ever, though her positioning is slightly altered, grasping the bow and neck of the instrument with the hooves instead of the pasterns, or "wrists". The rest of the band similarly uses the designs and poses from The Best Night Ever, with different color schemes.

Unlike Octavia Melody, this pony wears clothes: a green shirt with a red rope for a belt, and a stetson hat. In the former episode, the band are dressed like scarecrows for the night, so her shirt has patches added to it, her mane and tail have pieces of straw scattered throughout them, and she has two lines of stitching on her face and neck. In the second episode, she wears a white stetson instead of a blue one.

Other depictions
An upcoming Octavia Melody miniature collectible has been displayed at the 2013 New York Toy Fair.

Octavia, along with a host of characters from the show, appears on the Comic Con 2011 promotional poster. She is wearing her collar and bow tie and holding her cello and its bow.

An image of Octavia holding her cello and its bow was added to the Hasbro website's Card Creator game around January 25, 2012, named "MLP_CharV_WhomeverThisIs.swf". The file was included with the same name when the game was added to the Hubworld website around February 2, 2012.

Octavia, wearing her collar and bow tie, is one of the available playable characters in Gameloft's mobile game. The game's icon of her used depicting her as a filly until June 13, 2013, though her in-game character model matches her usual appearance.

Octavia appears in the comic book series. Her human counterpart appears in the My Little Pony Annual 2013, as a student of Canterlot High and member of the jazz club.

Octavia is mentioned twice in the book Pinkie Pie and the Rockin' Ponypalooza Party! In chapter 8, "Pinkie-less Party Planning", Applejack says "I heard that Octavia might know the bassist from Nine Inch Tails." In chapter 13, "Pinkie Takes Action!", Pinkie Pie mentions Octavia as being a musician.

An Octavia Melody vinyl figure was released.

Base collectable trading card #27 of 84 is DJ Pon-3 & Octavia, with the description "DJ Pon-3 and Octavia may both be at the top of their musical games, but their careers are very, very different! You can find Octavia at garden parties and galas performing prim and proper classical music on her cello. On the other hoof, DJ Pon-3 feels at home behind her turntable, laying down sick beats and wearing her trademark sunglasses. Are these two bitter rivals, or are they long time friends? Will they ever perform a duet? Only time will tell!"

Octavia also appears in Enterplay's collectible card game. α #103 U, A Touch of Refinement, attributes to her the quote "There are few social engagements not improved by the proper musical accompaniment." α #205 UR gives her the description "Octavia has many acquaintances in the musical world, but never expected to meet one of her closest friends performing at a Canterlot night club."

WeLoveFine.com carries T-shirts and other merchandise of Octavia, often wearing her collar and bow tie and holding her cello and its bow. One of the T-shirt designs, released prior to the trading card, refers to her as "Octavia".

An Equestria Girls doll of Octavia, displayed at the 2014 American International Toy Fair, is scheduled to be included in the Rainbow Rocks line.

My Little Pony mobile game description
Part of a four-pony musical ensemble, this talented cello player can be seen performing in Ponyville’s most sophisticated celebrations.

Quotes
"*grumble* I can't believe someone ran off with our cart. Don't they know that some of us can't use magic to carry these things around?"

- Friendship is Magic Issue #9 page 9


 * Friendship is Magic Issue #9 page 9
 * Octavia Melody: I can't believe it, we're going to be late for our gig...
 * Parish Nandermane: So you're allowed to complain and I'm not?
 * Octavia Melody: Fine. Tell me more about your gold leaf.

"Pinkie, you are one swingin' cat!"

- Annual 2013

"There are few social engagements not improved by the proper musical accompaniment."

- Enterplay collectible card game α #103 U card A Touch of Refinement