//------------------------------//
// The Middle (or, in other words, the beginning of the actual fanfic) 
// Story: Ponydox x Octavia 
// by Count Paradox 
//------------------------------//

				Ponydox X Octavia Part 1
Everyone in the 5 star restaurant was staring at her. She had just done the unthinkable in a place where the high society of Canterlot expected peace and quiet as they ate their meal. Octavia was a minor celebrity among the citizens of Canterlot, so when she first entered the restaurant, everyone was already aware of her presence. This was not the unthinkable deed, however.
About 2 minutes earlier, Octavia’s sophisticated demeanor cracked. Through the stresses of the day and expectations weighing down on her over time, Tavi’s true colors finally showed.
“You know what Ponydox?? I'm tired of keeping this persona that I'm 'so sophisticated'! Even if we are dining here for free, let's ditch this joint. I'm tired of the 'fancy' lifestyle, and I'm tired of the 'fancy' words I have to use to seem rich. I don't care that I'm in my concert dress, I want to go on an adventure! Are you with me?”
It was at this point everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at Octavia. Not only were they surprised, but they were concerned that perhaps her mystery date had something to do with it. Tavi stood on top of the table, waiting for her date, Ponydox, to respond. Dox was stunned for what seemed to be the longest moment in his lifetime. Finally he said, “W-wow... really, Octavia? I would have never known or guessed that you would want to do that... It's really rather impressive, shattering that mold that others have made for you! Yes! Let's go on an adventure! Let's go out there and explore the world! I'm up for anything as long as you want to do it, Octavia!”
The words he chose to say absolutely flabbergasted the whole restaurant into murmuring with each other. As Octavia and Ponydox where leaving the building, they could hear the whispers, “Who is that with Octavia? He must have done something to make Octavia blow up!” “I just saw her at the concert, I thought she was just like us!” “How does a fancy mare like Octavia make a scene like that?!”
Despite all the neighsayers, none of the comments Tavi or Dox heard bothered them one bit. They were determined to have a true adventure. After they left the restaurant, Octavia spoke up again in her normal voice and tone. “That’s… exactly what I needed to hear Ponydox. Your are really understanding. I have a bucket list of things I’ve always wanted to do but never had the chance. Should we do sky diving, Dragon surfing, castle snooping, party crashing, or some Pranking? Or maybe you have a better idea? What should we do?”
Ponydox was in absolute awe. Here was a magnificent pony he just met a few days ago, standing in front of him asking if he wanted to go on an adventure with her. When Dox did finally meet Octavia, he had to summon up all his courage to ask her on a date. She was literally walking away from him when he did it, and he had no idea what the outcome would be. Octavia said yes, in a manner of speaking, because Dox asked her to attend a concert with him that Octavia actually was performing in, unknown to him at the time. Then in a unpredictable turn of events, Ponydox’s night with Octavia completely changed for the better.
Ponydox smiled and said, “Well, a few of the things that you suggested caught my attention. I've always wanted to go into the castle and look around a bit, so castle snooping doesn't sound too bad. Oh, and perhaps while we're there, the Princesses could be throwing a party, so if that happens, we could knock two of those things on your list out at once and crash that party! And as for pranking... *gives a sly smile* There's a certain blue pegasus in Ponyville that needs a taste of her own medicine, I think. Well, which do you think we should do first, Octavia?”
Tavi’s face lit up. “You really want to do this with me? You weren’t trying to save face at the restaurant? This is very kind of you. I’m… I’m ready to do this! I’m nervous, but ready!”
The two of them made their way to the castle where the Concert afterparty was still going. Octavia commented, “You know, I still have that ticket for that party we didn’t go to because we wanted to go to the restaurant. We can get into the castle that way.”
When a member of the royal guard stopped the two of them at the castle, Octavia showed him a ticket, and let them pass. If they were to attend the party, they would have gone into the ball room where the festivities were taking place. Instead, Tavi and Dox wandered around the castle looking for a way to ruin the party full of snobs. They walked room after room around the castle, and couldn’t figure a way to crash the party.
Ponydox said, “Geesh, this castle is huge! There has to be a way to do this somewhere.” Dox walked into another room, only to find the fifth parlor they’ve run into. Octavia shrugged her shoulders and said, “You know, maybe castle snooping isn’t as fun as I had hoped… Let’s take a break for a while, we can crash the party later because it goes all night.” Ponydox agreed and the two of them sat on a couch in the parlor.
To Ponydox’s surprise, neither of them were talking even though they were chatting it up while trotting around the castle. To him, it looked like Octavia was thinking deeply about something. He didn’t know what it was, but for some reason he was to afraid to ask. Instead, Dox found himself staring at Octavia.
She is a very unique kind of beauty. Tavi had the appearance of one in a million, which made her a popular musician around Equestria. As attractive as Octavia is, her talent is even more incredible. Some say she is only the concert master of the Canterlot Symphony because of her looks, but anyone who hear her perform will quickly forget that notion.
This is what intrigued Ponydox about Octavia, and why he was staring at Octavia at that moment of silence. Finally, Octavia caught Ponydox looking at her and asked, “Is there a problem?”
Ponydox shook himself out of his trance and quickly replied, “Oh! Um, no, its nothing.”
“Oh come on, you were staring at me! You can tell me, it’s quite alright.” Said Octavia, reassuring.
“Well, I don’t know if I should tell you right now…”
“If you’re not sure, then maybe I can tell you something?”
“Okay, what is it?”
“I was just thinking while we were sitting here, why did you ask me of all ponies on a date? What I mean is, I just so happened to pass by when you started to talk to me. What makes me so special?”
Octavia hit the nail on the head. The answer to her question was the exact thing he was hesitant to say just a few seconds earlier. Ponydox thought for a moment before answering. The last thing he wanted was for Octavia to think he was a stalker, but he also didn’t want to lie either. “I’ll be honest with you Octavia, and I hope you don’t think any less of me, but I’ve sort of…”
Dox paused. He really didn’t want to ruin this night they were having by pouring out his feelings on the first date. During this pause, he knew he had already gone past the point of no return. He had to finish what he was saying. Finally gathering up the courage he had, Ponydox said, “What I mean is, I sort of…”
*BAM*
Two guards barge through the door of the parlor. “What are you two doing here? You are in a private part of the castle and are trespassing!”
Dox and Tavi were busted. The guards found them and they were going to most likely arrest the two of them. Octavia had her hooves over her head, most likely because she had never been in this kind of trouble before. Ponydox on the other hoof, immediately came up with a plan that could possibly get them out of trouble.
Dox stood up, and told Tavi, “Follow me!” just as he used a magical spell to trip both guards. Before the guards could get up and chase them, Ponydox and Octavia ran away in order to get out of the castle.
“Keep running!” Panted Ponydox. Both of them ran and ran down the stairs of the castle and through the hallways between the rooms. 5 minutes of straight running passed when the two of them finally had the exit in sight. The problem was, they had to go through the ball room where all the guards and guests were congregated. “Just keep running!” Ponydox said again.
Before entering the ballroom floor, they had to run down the famous grand stairs where everyone in the room can see. As soon as they were on the stairs, every guard in the room recognized that they were the intruders. Dox and Tavi ran through the crowds of ponies, trying to weave their way between them. Dox looked up and saw six guards flying above, ready to strike once they had a clear shot. Thinking quickly, he decided to run on top of the long stretch of rectangular tables where the finger foods were being held.
Dox then used his magic, picked up all the food he could, and started to throw dishes and hors d'oeuvres. This have the two of them just enough time to hold the guards off for their escape. They ran outside, ran past the gates, and went into the night. Fortunately, it was raining very heavily to the point that visibility was very poor and the guards couldn’t find them.
The two of them started stood there in a dim part of the street trying to catch their breath while getting soaked. A moment later, both of them started to laugh, realizing how they just got out of trouble. Octavia said, “Well, it looks like we managed to crash that party, huh?” Ponydox chuckled some more.
Octavia continued, “Thanks for saving us with that food throwing back there. I’m not sure we would have got away if you hadn’t done that.”
Blushing, Ponydox replied, “Oh it was nothing. It’s all part of the adventure, right?”
“It is part of the adventure,” said Octavia, “that was very silly and very heroic at the same time. Well, now that we have a chance to talk again, what were you going to say before we were interrupted?”
Dox froze. It was only a mere 10 minutes ago that he was about to confess his feelings, and he had already forgot during their mad dash out of the castle. “Oh yeah, that. Um…” This is it. Thought Ponydox. It’s now or never. “I’ve actually seen you around a lot, Octavia. We’re both from ponyville, but I we haven’t officially met before I asked you on this date. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I developed somewhat of a crush on you. You should have seen how nervous I was when we first talked! I thought I was going to die by butterflies…”
Octavia stood there for a moment, not saying anything while the rain continued to pour down on her mane. She was expressionless as she looked at Dox. The only word she used to respond was, “Why?”
Ponydox’s heart sank. This was possibly one of the worst reactions he could have received after he confessed his feelings for her. After all they went through together that night, all she had to say was ‘why’. Ponydox thought to himself again. She doesn’t like me… Why did I have to jump the gun and tell her on the first date? I lost the best chance of my life with the mare of my dreams. What do I say now?
“Why was I nervous, you ask?” said Ponydox, trying to remain cool.
“No, not that. I could tell you were nervous the second I saw you! What I mean is, why do you like me?”
This gave Ponydox a little hope. Maybe she does like me? Maybe all she needs to know is why I like her and she’ll reciprocate the feel? It’s worth a shot… I just hope I’m not wrong.



You'll all see what happened in the next section, and trust me, it's great!