Octavia's Overture

The Love of a Symphony

”It is cruel, you know, that music should be so beautiful. It has the beauty of loneliness of pain: of strength and freedom. The beauty of disappointment and never-satisfied love. The cruel beauty of nature and everlasting beauty of monotony.”
--Benjamin Britten

Editing/Pre-read by: Gunsmith and 59Caddyel

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, fillies and gentlecolts, we now present the Canterlot Orchestra!" an announcer’s voice booms within the palace auditorium you’re in.

There are hundreds, thousands of people residing out within the darkness of the crowd, but you can't see them. In fact, all you can hear is faint clapping, and all you can see is a small light over your sheet music. You hear the sound of curtains sliding, and know it’s time to play.

You grab the instrument sitting next to you. You grip its neck, gently feeling its metallic strings, tuned to perfection. You lift its small, wooden base to your shoulder, clamping your chin over it to keep it steady. You grab its bow, bring it to the strings, and wait for the conductor to start you off.

The instrument you hold is a violin. It is fine and delicate, made back in the 1820's by your ancestors. It has been passed down, generation to generation, awaiting a musical prodigy to play it at its finest. You are said prodigy; but even prodigies make mistakes. Good thing you've practiced for tonight.

One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . you watch the conductor's hands motion to the orchestra, and you slowly begin to play your violin.

You start off low and quiet, the brass instruments taking the main chorus. They play a gentle tune with their trumpets and French horns, and once they reach their higher notes, more of the band begins to play. Flutes, oboes, clarinets, and bassoons join in, sounding perfect in pitch to your ears. Eventually, it is time for the strings to chime in.

The cellos that sit at each corner of the front row start to play their smooth, low tune. Many of the double basses around you start playing low notes, letting you and the rest of the violins come in with a higher pitch. The slow, steady tune the chorus of instruments creates is peaceful and relaxing.

The beautiful harmony continues as you add your own melody to the mix, the strings of your violin vibrating as the bow passes slowly over them. The other violinists start to join in and match your notes, but you know yours is the best in the section.

Four . . . one . . . two . . . three . . . the conductor continues, lowering his hands, fluttering them to signal a decrease in tempo and volume.

Time flies during the performance. A whole hour passes, and you get so caught up in the music you almost forget to stop. Luckily, you catch the conductor’s closing gestures and follow him to the finale. The conductor turns around, bows to the crowd, and earns a hearty round of thundering applause. The lights turn on around you, and the front curtain starts to close.

You sigh, lowering your bow and violin. Your neck aches from the feeling of pushing your chin against the violin's base, but you decide it'd be best to ignore it for now. You stand up with your violin and bow in hand, and escort yourself to the back of the stage.

People and ponies alike are putting away their instruments. A few of the guys you know are talking to each other, stretching and trying to ease their muscles. It’s odd with you being one of the few humans among these creatures, but you enjoy being here nonetheless.

You walk over to your case, which is lying on an oak table. You open it up, placing your violin within it, along with its bow. Tightly locking away your nearly-two-hundred-year-old violin, you turn to see the conductor clasping his hands together cheerfully.

"Bravo, my good players! Wonderful performance. Next Friday, I wish to see you all here for practice! On that note, as well, I want you all to practice at home. We don't perform beautiful music without plenty of practice!" You roll your eyes as he walks out.

"We don't perform beautiful music without plenty of practice!" you say, making your voice high-pitched, mocking the conductor. Everyone around you laughs.

"Don't mock him too much, you might get kicked out." A feminine voice speaks up next to you, chuckling at her own remark.

“Well, he sounds a lot less professional than he should be.” You laugh, continuing to mock your conductor.

“Riiight...” The feminine voice speaks to your again.

You just shake your head, looking at her. It’s one of the ponies you've come to know well in your time here. She has a charcoal black mane and tail, and always wears a plush, purple bow-tie around her neck. Her eyes are a tender purple colour, matching her bow tie, or vice versa. Alongside that, she always dressed very formally, wearing a woman's suit, or a dress of some sort. This girl you knew happened to be Octavia Philharmonica.

"Oh, come now, Octavia, have a bit of fun!" you jest, poking her arm.

"I know how to have fun. Believe me." Octavia gently slaps your hand.

"Oh, really?" you question.

"Yes. I don't need to be stupid about it, either. I think you would be better off gaining a bit of intelligence, as well." The other guys listening in on the conversation laugh, but you just join in with them.

"Pfft. So you're making me out to be inferior, now, eh? I like a dominant woman," you joke; Octavia rolls her violet eyes.

"Puh-lease, you wish. Anyways, are you coming with us to celebrate with a few drinks?" You nod to Octavia. It’s become routine for you to go out and have a couple drinks with other members of the orchestra to enjoy yourself.

"Yeah, obviously." Octavia gives you a gentle smile, and starts to walk past you again, heading towards the exit on the other side of the room.

You follow behind her, along with a few other guys and gals, making your way to a large cart. The cart is made out of a sturdy mahogany wood, and has gilded markings in intricate designs all around it. The cart's roof is shaded by a royal purple colour, and is driven by a well-dressed man on the front of it. If this cart had an equivalent on Earth, it would be a very high-class limousine.

You and the others make your way into the cart, all taking a seat within. You sit at the far back; Octavia sits a few seats away. As you all board, the cart door closes, and you hear an engine of some sort. Although these creatures are a ways away from automobiles, they sure know how to engineer with magic.

"So, tell me . . . " Octavia looks over at you, a curious look on her face. "I'd like to know how you became a part of the orchestra. I've been meaning to ask for a while, but it's always slipping my mind." You shrug in response to her question.

"I guess I'm just that awesome." Octavia shakes her head in disbelief, and a serious look crosses her face. "Fine, fine. I'll tell you," you say, taking a deep breath. "As you know, I joined two years ago. I guess I never really have told you why, though. So, let me tell you the story." You stretch out your arms for a moment, then continue.

"Ever since I was a kid, I've always wanted to become a musician. I didn’t really know what kind, but I knew I wanted to be one. I practiced my little ass off on that violin for quite a while. It meant a lot to my family that I wanted to play violin, since it’s been in our family forever.

"After I actually became good at the violin, during my teens, I went on to study music theory. I graduated high school with a pretty high average in that course, and I enjoyed music more than anything, really. However, things changed when I went to college--"

"You didn't go to a university?" Octavia interrupts you.

"Want me to tell you the story, or not?" She rolls her eyes, but nods.

"Anyways, when I went to college, I wanted to try something new. I minored in music theory, but majored in English. I was hoping to become a teacher or something . . . then that first portal opened, and a lot changed.

"It was weird seeing it on the news. Massive portals popping up everywhere, everyone was freaking out. Then you all started walking out, and it just became plain weird." You chuckle to yourself, and Octavia starts to speak again.

"Yes . . . It was probably a little more odd for all of us ponies, here. We were once equines, but when the portals started opening, it turned all of us into . . . this." She gestures to her body. "The hands are helpful, but it's still been hard to adapt . . . " You nod to her comments, then continue on.

"Now then, I thought it was weird, of course, but I also saw a new opportunity at hand. I saved up a lot of money after I left college to chase a dream over here, in this world. This place is a lot more . . . delicate, and natural, than Earth, and I really wanted to chase my old dream once more.

"I did a lot of research when I arrived here. It cost out the ass to travel here, but I knew it'd be worth it. After finding out more about your cultures and takes on music, I started to play my violin again. I practiced for days on end, to make sure my pitch was perfect. After using the last of my funds to travel to Canterlot, I ended up seeing the conductor for this orchestra.

"He was a nice guy, too. Better than our new one, anyways. I believe he was looking for violin players and more french horn players I fit the violin category and I played for him. Turns out he's never heard such 'wonderful' music in his life, and he just ‘had to have me in the orchestra’." You sigh contentedly. Reliving memories is always a fun pastime. Especially the good ones.

"So, basically, you know the rest. Just in case you zoned out, I joined because I wanted to chase my dream. I did that by showing off my talent to our old conductor." You smile over to Octavia.

She gives another smile in response. A few of the guys have been listening in around you, but it’s mostly Octavia who was taking interest in the conversation. You think you hear an argument about bubble gum and how amazing it was; you decide to ignore it.

Looking at your watch, you notice it’s almost ten-thirty. You stand up and walk to the front of the cart, ducking your head under the roof. You move the cloth partition and lean out to the driver.

"How long 'till we get there?" you ask.

"'Bout five minutes, son," he replies in a gruff voice.

"Awesome." You move back into the cart, bashing your head off the wood post of the partition in the process.

This earns a few laughs out of the guys near you, but you just brush it off. You turn around to see someone in your spot. Every spot is taken except one right next to Octavia. You gaze hesitantly at the spot, unsure of whether or not to sit down. Octavia isn't bad company, but you aren’t exactly comfortable sitting so close to a woman . . . or a mare, in this case.

"Going to sit down?" Her hand pats the seat and you nod after a moment.

"Yeah." You hop down on the seat, leaning back against the wooden baseboard of the cart.

You look over at Octavia to see she's leaned back as well, her eyes closed. Your eyes involuntarily gaze over her body for you. You start at her feet, which are held within black high-heels. You move up her gray-coated legs, to the skirt of her dress. You ease your way up her stomach, and start to gaze at the smooth curves upon he--

"Hey, perv, want to stop making me your eye candy?" Octavia lightly punches your arm, and you shake your head, recovering quickly.

"Couldn't resist!" Goodness . . . what's wrong with me?

"Yeah, sure. I bet you want all my goodies, don't you?" Octavia laughs, and you nod sarcastically.

"Yeah, I think of your body when I'm in the shower. Like, all the time." A few of the guys around you burst into laughter, and Octavia blushes lightly.

"Awww, is my wittle 'Tavi blushing?!" You hook an arm gently around her neck, pulling her close to you. Octavia's hands gently push you away.

"Pfft! You just wish you could get some," she mocks, and you shrug.

"All in good fun," you chide, then go back to leaning against the baseboard for relaxation.

However, the relaxation is short lived, as the cart stops, the driver yelling, "We're here!"

You stand up, making your way out the cart and onto the cobblestone streets of Canterlot. The bar you normally visit with your band-mates is just in front of you, radiating a golden aura. Its marble walls glisten in the moonlight, and the windows upon it shine with light from within. You sigh contently, glancing up at the bar’s name: The Aureus Delight.

The bar had a fitting name, glowing with a golden vibe every time you’ve visited it before; this time, especially so. As you enter, you look around to notice it’s nearly fully packed. You glance to your left to eye the bar counter loaded with patrons, and the waitress mixing cocktails magnificently for them. It's not unusual to see it packed, but the fact that everyone here is a human is what surprises you.

You look around, walking forward with your group, and your eyes fall upon an odd pair. There's a large man with a bald head talking to another man whose hair looks like it was just shaven down. The large man has a thick body, and his arms are quite large. You assume he’s some sort of bodyguard.

The guy he’s talking to is smiling like a goofball, raising a skinny finger to the bald, brawny man. You overhear a bit of their conversation as you pass by.

" . . . and ze patient’s skeleton was missing! He vas never heard from again!" His voice is thickly accented, German from what you can tell. To your mild surprise, the bigger man bellows with laughter, hitting the table so hard you’re surprised it doesn’t break.

“Ha! Oh, dat is good one!” he says in an equally heavy Russian accent.

Weird . . . You move over to one of the last empty tables and sit down. Luckily, there’s just enough seats for your entire group to stay.

Fortunately for you, you have to sit next to Octavia once more! The distraction of the Eastern pair had made you fall behind the others, leaving behind only a single open chair. You take the seat, and look over at her. Her eyebrow raises in question, but you just shrug it off.

"Hello everyone, I'll be your waitress, Cindy!" You jump, nearly falling out of your chair as a voice speaks rapidly behind you.

"Don't have a heart attack on me," Octavia says with a smirk, and you hear the waitress giggle behind you.

"Sorry about that, sir. I've been in a rush, and I have to get all the orders in. So, would you all like to start off with drinks?" Everyone at the table nods.

Most, if not all, of the guys order a beer or ale. When it comes to Octavia, she decides to order a tall glass of Chardonnay. Expensive, but classy, and not unexpected from her. As the decision falls on you, you can't decide whether to get a beer with everyone else, or try some Chardonnay with Octavia.

"Well, going to get a drink?" Octavia pokes your arm, and you nod.

"Yeah. I'll take a tall glass of Chardonnay, as well." Cindy nods, and writes all the orders down. She walks away, leaving your group alone to talk.

Octavia looks over at you curiously. "I didn't expect you to be a wine connoisseur."

"You only live once," you shrug. That earns a shiver from the mare.

"Oh, please, don't say those words. I've listened to that goddess-awful song, and I just can't get the dreadful lyrics out of my head." Octavia shudders again, and you can't help but laugh.

"You've listened to that song? I thought you were only interested in classical pieces. In fact, I thought you'd be a girl to enjoy your own works, not us humans’." Octavia shakes her head at you, and her purple gaze falls upon you once more.

"I listen to a few 'non-classical' songs every now and then to spice things up. I regret listening to that one, along with all the others you humans call 'rap' and 'hippity-hop'." You burst out laughing when she uses the wrong word for the genre.

"It's hip-hop, silly. Snkkt . . . ‘hippity-hop’ . . . " You start laughing uncontrollably once more, laughing so hard you start to cough.

"Oh, shut it, you. It's an honest mistake!" Your laughter dies down as Cindy returns with a massive tray of drinks.

Everyone takes their respective drinks, along with you and Octavia taking your wine. The other guys at the table all collide their beer bottles gently, saying "Cheers!" in unison. Octavia looks at you, lifting her glass. You do the same, and you both gently clink them together.

"Cheers," you both say. Octavia starts to take a sip, while you decide to take a bit of a gulp.

The delicate wine bubbles in your mouth furiously. It isn't what you were expecting, and a sugary sweetness flows across your taste buds, making them rejoice in flavor. As you swallow, the bubbly drink falls down your throat, slightly tickling it. You weren't expecting the wine to taste so good, especially when people have told you it's an "acquired taste".

"Wow. That tastes amazing." You lightly stifle a belch, and Octavia giggles at you.

"It helps if you take sips. Don't down it all in one go." You nod, setting the tall wine glass on the table.

The night goes off without a hitch, and your group starts conversing about the day’s events. As enjoyable as the conversation is, it soon descends into music theory, and eventually an argument on mythical musical notes that could turn a girl on.

“So, apparently, if you hit a very low note, it can make a girl orgasm on the spot.” One of the band members spoke, and you just shook your head.

“Well, there’s a lot of low notes. Which one is it?” You laugh, and another one of the band members speaks up.

“Well, that’s simple: Octavia’s cello plays a lot of low notes. If you play the right one, you’re bound to turn her on.” You look over at Octavia, who just roles her eyes.

Your group continued with suggestions like this, looking at Octavia, and having her roll her eyes, disagreeing with everything you and the other guys suggested. Eventually, Octavia gets up to go outside and get some fresh air. You follow a minute later, a bit concerned whether you pushed it too far or not.

As you walk outside, you can smell smoke, and the dirty taste of tobacco ends up in your mouth. You look to your left, and see the glowing tip of a cigarette between Octavia's fingers. You gasp mockingly, and she looks up at you in surprise.

"Octavia! You know smoking is bad for your health?" you joke, patting her head.

"Uhg . . . " She sighs, immediately putting it out in a small bowl of sand next to the bench.

You take a seat next to Octavia and look at her. "What made you, a classy girl like you, smoke?" She shakes her head at you.

"I do it once or twice a month to relax. It helps ease the stress away. It's not like I do it every hour. Not that addicting for me, really." You chuckle softly, and look at her eyes.

"Well, what's got you so stressed out?" Octavia looks over at you and glares.

"You." You're taken aback a bit, but just before you speak, she continues.

"It’s your jokes, mostly . . . We both joke together, yes, but why do you joke so harshly? I mean, I do it lightly, and then you turn it into a big joke-fest." You hold back a laugh, seeing she's trying to be serious.

"I joke to get a smile or two out of you. I know I push my limits, and I'm sorry for that, but we've been friends for like, what, a year and a half? I don't see the problem with a couple of jokes here an' there." Octavia nods at your explanation.

"I understand. But if I ask you to tone it down, will you?" You nod to her.

"Of course. I just want to see you laugh, and it's fun when we joke together. Besides, you're not the only one stressed out." Octavia raises a brow, and you explain.

"Well, for starters, my neck has been killing me the past few months. It's gotten especially worse with these recent performances. I've decided to go out to a massage parlor to relax my muscles a bit." Octavia smiles at you as you finish.

"I can help a little, if you'd like." You raise a brow.

"Whoa, slow down, kitty. I can only take so much of you." You chuckle, and that earns you a giggle.

"I meant I can just rub your neck a little. Not like it'll kill you. It'll probably help you." You hesitate a moment, then nod, turning around.

You raise a hand to the left side of your neck, and slide your finger to where the back of your head meets your shoulders. Octavia places a warm palm against it and softly starts to push her fingers against the surrounding areas. Her palm heats up as she does this, and you can feel some of the pain dissolve from the relaxation.

Unfortunately, that's not the only thing you can feel. Down in your nethers, you are getting a bit . . . excited. You close your eyes, not noticing, and your brain pleasures itself with images of a naked Octavia. You imagine her perfectly curved body, her delicious, plump arse, her beautiful brea--

What the fuck?! You cringe the thoughts away, noticing you were actually getting an erection from this small massage.

Jesus Christ, I want to relax, not get turned on by some anthropomorphic creature. She used to be a damn horse, anyways! You let out a sigh, and Octavia leans in over your left shoulder.

Oh God, please don't notice. "Feel a little better?" She coos into your ear.

"Yeah . . . " You sigh contently, and feel your member prodding against your dress pants.

"You're getting turned on, aren't you?" Octavia says flatly, and you nod, wincing.

"Somewhat, yes. Sorry, it's involuntary, y'know!" You laugh, and Octavia's hands slide to your hips.

You feel a trickle of sweat fall slowly down your forehead,and onto your shirt. Octavia's slim hands slide against your thighs, softly squeezing them. You hear her voice whisper erotically into your ear:

"Just imagine me, with no clothes, in your home . . . lying on your bed. I bet that turns you on . . . I bet you want me right now, don't you?" Your brain says no, but your body says yes, and you nod.

"Well, good!" She stops, removing her hands. You turn to face her, seeing she's standing up.

"Let's get back inside, shall we?" Octavia giggles, walking back inside the bar.

"Oh, come on! Don't leave me hanging!" you yell back to her.

Dammit. God damn tease, she is. What am I going to do with this thing? You look down at your pants, and see your erection desperately trying to escape your pants.

You look around the empty streets to make sure no one is in sight. You stand up, adjusting your erection so it isn't so “out there”. You walk to the side of the bar building, whistling softly, and find a dark alley. Upon seeing no one in it, you walk back there, and immediately unzip your pants.

"If there's one thing she can't do, it’s stop me from jerking off." you joke to yourself, and immediately begin your work.

* * *

After a good couple minutes of letting off some steam, you make your way back into the restaurant. Your seat is still open, but Octavia has a devilish look upon her face, and you grit your teeth together in frustration.

"Five minutes. Must be some record, huh?" she chortles, and the other guys laugh in unison.

"Oh, shush-up." You take your seat, and notice there is still some Chardonnay left in your glass.

You take the last gulp from it, watching a bit of foam slowly slide out of the glass and down into your mouth. The sweetness swirls in your mouth for a good ten seconds before you swallow, allowing yourself to savour it. As you put your glass down, you see something crimson enter your vision. You look to your left and notice that a woman is standing at your side.

Her hair is a bright red in colour, and it matches the dress she's currently wearing. She wears large, white, sleeved gloves that travel all the way to her upper arm, stopping just near the shoulder. Her eyes are a dim, green colour, but she wears a smile on her face, staring at you.

"Ah . . . You must be the violin player in the orchestra. How marvelous to meet you." You blink at her, confused. "I was wondering if I could get an autograph from such a terrific violin player such as yourself?" You shrug to her half-question, half-compliment.

"I guess." She immediately pulls out a white, plastic-like sheet, turning it over to you.

It's actually a picture of a violin resting in dim lighting. You start signing it, placing your name in the corner of it in the best cursive writing you can manage. You write a saying at the bottom, like some artists did back on Earth, and you need her name.

"To the beautiful . . . What's your name?" You look up at her; she still wears a delicate smile.

"Amanda. Just put Amanda." You place her name after the sentence, and hand it back to her.

"Thank you so much," Amanda says, pulling out another piece of paper, handing it to you, and walking away.

The paper is tightly folded in two. You glance at its blank sides, and assume something is inside it. You turn to face the table once more, and open it up:

Perhaps you'd like to come back to my place for some fun. I just live a few doors down from this bar; 21-Chesterville, house number 208. Meet me there tomorrow.

<3<3 ~~ Amanda

"What's it say?" Octavia tries peering over you to look at the note.

"Her address. Apparently she wants some 'fun', or something . . . " A few of the guys around you snicker.

"She's a fine piece of ass. You should take her offer," one of them suggests.

"Nah. Maybe another time." You put the note within your dress pants’ pocket, and lean back in your chair.

You feel a hot breath blow against your right ear, and glance over to see Octavia as she whispers, "You're not actually going to go with that, are you?" You look to her and just laugh.

"I might. Depends on the mood I'm in."
Octavia growls at you, but you just laugh it off.

You take a look at your watch, noticing it's nearly twelve o'clock. You look up to the group, and see that they've noticed the same thing, all of them beginning to stand and put on their suit jackets. You stand up yourself, and notice the waitress, Cindy, coming over and placing the bill before you. It's roughly one-hundred and twenty bits, so you pull out your wallet and place down your share of the cost. Everyone else does the same.

After paying the bill and thanking the waitress for a wonderful evening, your group makes its way outside. The cart waits to take all of you home, but some of the others start to walk. Usual routine, you think. A few of your fellow musicians always walk home because they live so close. You and Octavia always seem to end up riding in the cart together.

Octavia sits across from you, at the back of the cart. You sigh, exhausted and in some degree of pain. Octavia has her arms crossed on her chest, glaring at you. You stare back at her, questioning, "What? Did I do something wrong?"

"Yes. I can't believe you're considering having . . . intercourse with such a . . . a--"

"--an amazing woman? I know. Crazy, right?" You laugh, interrupting her.

"No! Such a whore! She clearly wants you so she can just use you to her advantage! Like . . . getting V.I.P. tickets to the orchestra, or something!" Octavia is yelling a little, but you brush it off.

"Aww, is little Octavia getting green-eyed?" You see her blush, and can't help but smile.

"N-no! I am not jealous!" she retorts.

"Octavia, don't worry about it. I'm not stupid, and I don't even know her. Like I said, tomorrow I'm going to get a massage, so I can relax my sore muscles, and then head off to practice my violin." You rub the left side of your neck, wincing as pain flows through your nerves.

"Hrmph . . . " You raise an eyebrow at her, confused.

She's never acted like this before. What's up her ass? You decide to leave it alone, and start idle conversation.

"What about you? What're you doing tomorrow?" Octavia looks at you, her purple glare still affixed to your face.

"I'm going to go out, get some breakfast, visit an old friend, and then practice my cello. Why?" Octavia grunts to you, and you raise your hand to stop her.

"Easy, kitty. Just asking a question. Listen, if you get to the Orchestra Pit at the same time, want to practice together?" Immediately, you see Octavia's mood swing from pissed-off mare to cheery little school-filly.

"Yes! I'd love to . . . ! I mean . . . " She coughs, skillfully concealing her excitement. "Of course. It'd give us a bit of an edge at the next practice." You shake your head at her.

"Try not to have an orgasm next time I suggest practice." That earns a swift kick to the shin; and she knows how to kick. Pain swells at your shin and shoots up your leg to your stomach. You lift your leg and rub your shin.

"Ow, Jesus Murphy!" Octavia smirks devilishly at you, and you both notice the cart has stopped.

"We're 'ere!" The driver calls out, and you wave to Octavia as she moves out of the way.

"See you tomorrow, 'Tavi."

Octavia waves politely back. "See you," she replies, and you hop down out of the cart.

As you step out, the cart starts to drive away down the long cobblestone street. You look back at it for a moment, then peel your eyes away, turning to your house. You gaze at the door before you, slowly gripping the handle and opening it.

You step inside to the small foyer, immediately kicking off your dress shoes. Your feet begin to throb with pain as you do so, and you slowly make your way to the left of the room. Everything is dark, so you place a hand on the wall and slide yourself to the doorway of your bedroom.

You jump forward, landing on the plush, springy bed. The sheets bounce around you, and you feel a moment of bliss for the first time in the night. You sigh contentedly, grabbing a pillow and resting your head on it.

Tomorrow . . . going to be a wonderful day . . . You sigh to yourself, and vision begins to fade in and out of darkness. Soon, you enter the land of dreams, from which you'll awake in a few hours.

* * *

Your eyes seem to take in an odd brightness as you roll in your slumber. They're still closed, and you can still feel the warmth of the blankets around your body, but the light shining in your eyes is becoming a nuisance. Slowly, you roll over, away from the light, and take in a darker shade. You open your eyes to see your not-so-aesthetically-pleasing bedroom, and sigh.

Your entire body is relaxed from quite a few hours of sleep. You enjoyed the revitalization of your slumber, but your neck still aches with a deep pain. As you adjust your head, it makes your entire body clench up painfully. The pain from your neck is crippling, and you find yourself unable to even think of getting up from the bed.

I really need a massage . . . your mind suggests, and you agree wholeheartedly.

Eventually, the pain slowly eases away, and you start to push yourself up with your elbows. You sit crossed-legged for a moment, putting your fingers to your sleepy eyes. You rub the sleep out of your eyes, sighing and glancing down.
You’re still wearing your suit, but you decide not to bother taking it off. Whatever you were going to put on would be taken off at the parlour, anyways.

You make your way to the foyer, slip on your dress shoes, open the door, and walk outside. You took a breath of the fresh Canterlot air, enjoying the deep scent of the rich environment around you. You gaze over to your right, and start to make your way forward.

Thankfully the parlour is close by . . . You sigh, putting your hands in your pockets. As you walk, your mind wanders to the events of last night.

Octavia has been acting weird . . . I don't know what her problem is, but it’s probably something to take note of. You look upwards, seeing the cloudless, blue sky. You give a content smile, continuing your pace forward.

All well. Girls are weird. Wonder if that Amanda girl wants to hang out today... As you remember the letter she gave you, thoughts of wild and crazy things enter your mind.

After walking a couple blocks, you find yourself just outside the parlour. You look to check if it was open, and the sign in the window agreed confirms that it is. The parlour has a peculiar purple-pink colour, standing out amongst the white and grey/gold buildings around you. You glare up at its name, eyeing the golden letters: "Aloe and Lotus -- Dreams Will Come True."

Catchy phrase. You walk up to the door, gripping its handle.

You open it to be greeted by the delicate shades of blue and yellow, making your body feel cheery and at ease. You smile, and stare over at a mare sitting at a desk. She has a pale-rose coloured mane, along with a gentle blue coat to match. Her large eyes gaze upwards at you, and a smile crosses her face.

"Hello, sir." She spoke in a calming voice. "My name is Lotus, one of the owners of this establishment. Have you made any reservations, or would you like a 'quick massage'?" You realize you didn't make a reservation.

"Just a quick massage. My neck has been killing me for a few months." Lotus gasps, and stands up immediately, walking around the desk and gently grabbing your wrist.

"We must sort that out! Don't want a sore neck, do we?" She gently tugs you into a curtained room at the side of her desk that you didn't take notice of before. "By the way, what's your name?" You give her your name, and she giggles softly.

"Cute, cute. Here we are!" Lotus gently pulls you (a bit harder than expected, though) into a room, and nearly making you trip.

The room is dimly lit with candles, and it smells of lavender incense. A velvet bed stands at the center, and you can't help but sigh in relief. You've always wanted to lay on something velvet, but, it's too pricey! Lotus moves over to the bed, patting it.

"Take off your clothes, and lay down." She smiles eagerly, and you feel yourself blushing..

"Uh... Is it really necessary to get naked for a neck problem?" Lotus laughs softly before nodding.

"Of course. It's mandatory, and it'll make you relax more. Besides, I won't be covering just your neck. Don't worry, I'll look away." She smiles, immediately turning around.

You sigh and remove your jacket. You set it on a stand next to you, and then take off your dress shirt. As you do so, you realized you still had a white collar on, and wrist braces still wrapped around you. You remove those as well, and set them down.

Next, you unbutton your pants. Seeing as she isn't looking, you immediately take off your pants and underwear. You see a towel next to you, wrap it around your waist, and walk over to the table. You lift yourself up yourself, just enough to stop your privates from showing, and lower yourself upon the table. You rest your head on a plush pillow, and take in its comfort.

"Okay... Ready." You hear Lotus turn around, and giggle.

"Wow, for a human, you're quite fit." You just chortle at her response.

"Not really. Thanks for the compliment, though." You hear another giggle, and then the clipping of her shoes across the floor.

She enters your vision, her back turned toward you, presenting quite a glorious sight. As much as you knew you should look away, your brain wanted to stare. It was plump, and held tightly within a type of spandex-cotton material. You gaze longingly at it, almost feeling like a nosebleed could come on any minute.

Thankfully, she turns around, and doesn't notice you eye-boggling her ass. Lotus has a bottle of lotion within her hands, and gently pops its cap off, pushing some of its contents out in a golden stream. She sets it down, rubs her hands together, and slides her hands immediately to your bare back.

Lotus' thumbs pushed gently into your spine, softly vibrating against each vertebrae. You can feel her palms push into the area around it, and a warm sensation spreads outwards. You let out a groan of content, and feel her hands push downwards toward your lower back.

You hear her move, and feel her hands move as well, as they slide directly up to your shoulders, and she gently pushes her thumbs against the back side of your neck. The pain is already dissipating, and you can almost feel the muscles contract to relax. You sigh gently, as the wretched pain is finally gone.

"Now, the next part of a quick massage is to target your stress points. I've got one, but, you seem to have a few others." You hear Lotus speak, but you can only let out a blissful sigh. "I'm going to call my sister, Aloe, into here, so she can help me." You nod absently, sighing once more.

"Aloe! May you please come in here? I need help with this quick massage." You hear another beautiful voice call out in return, but can’t make out what it says.

The sound of shoes clipping into the room appeared, and whispering started to invade the silence. You can't hear the conversation, but you can feel four hands against your body now; two hands at your left side, and two at your right.

"We need you to turn over, okay?" You nod, slowly gripping the towel and making sure it doesn't fall off.

As you turn over, however, something unpredictable happens. A large lump is protruding out of your nether region, tenting the towel. You didn't realize until the two gasped and started to giggle. You look down and mentally punch yourself for failing to notice your own erection. You then look up to see Aloe's azure eyes gazing down at it, and her light-blue mane gently complimenting her pale-rose coat.

"S-sorry! It's completely involuntary, I swear!" You feel heat rise to your face, and the two keep giggling wildly.

"No worries. It happens quite often. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't happen. At least we found your second stress point." You sigh, and then your eyes nearly burst out of your pocket.

"... Whaaaaat?!" You half-yell, half question, and the two just giggle together.

"Didn't you read the sign outside?"
You nod, remembering it clearly. "Lotus and Aloe -- Where Dreams Come True."

"Underneath it, it says 'those over eighteen may enjoy a quick massage'." They both giggled, and you mentally punched yourself.

"Uhm... C-can we skip it?" Lotus and Aloe give two of the most adorable pout-faces you've ever seen.

"Aww... But... Why would you pay us to not pleasure you? Are we not pleasing to your eye?" They both mope.

"Yes, of course, but -- It's kind of wrong, you know? I'm a human, and you're... Anthropomorphic horses!" They both shrug with indifference..

"We've dealt with plenty of human customers over the past two years. It wouldn't phase us any."
You sigh. This is hopeless...

"Can I just leave...?" They both shake their heads.

"Nope!" Lotus giggles as she rubs your right leg. Aloe does the same with your left.

"If I ..." Oh, God, I'll just think of some hot pornstar, or something... "... If I let you do it, just a little, will you let me leave?" The duo's faces lit up and they started giggling together.

"Of course! Aloe, get the door." You watch Aloe follow Lotus' command, closing the door to the room.

Lotus and Aloe were both at your sides now, glaring down at you. As much as you hate to admit it, they are quite gorgeous for 'ponies'. You feel their hands gently start pressing against your chest, and a watch as Aloe leans down and starts to kiss your neck.

The point of no return... Fuck... You surrender to their charms, and something starts poking at your erection.

You look down, seeing Lotus slowly poking it with her index finger, and sliding the towel off of you. As your erection is revealed, you watch her head sink to it. You see her lips part and her mouth open wide. Just as the head is about to enter your mouth, something startles you.

"Excuse me, sir?" Your eyes shoot open.

You're still laying on your stomach, your head resting on the headrest of the massage table. Lotus is looking at you, crouching at your eye level, trying to get your attention.

"Sorry to wake you, but, I just need you to turn over so I can get the last stress point near your neck." Lotus gave you a faint smile.

You sigh in relief. Thank the fucking Lord it was only a dream. Holy shit... You start to turn over, but you realize this was a bad idea. That dream may have not been real, but your erection still is.

"Uhm... Not to startle you, or anything, but I don't think me turning over with a, uh... an erection is a good idea." You chuckle, and you can hear Lotus speak up.

"No worries. A lot of you humans seem to get one of those when we give quick massages. In fact, stallions get them, too. So, really, don't be worried. It's not like I'm going to look at it, anyways." Wow, that was a bit unexpected. You say to yourself.

But, her reasoning was solid. You turn over, and your erection protruded against the towel. Like Lotus said, she didn't take notice to it, and had her hand on your shoulders. Slowly, her thumbs push deep into the skin that connects your shoulders and neck. It feels very relaxing, and she continues to do this for several minutes.

After Lotus was finished, she pats your chest and you look up at her smiling face.

"How did that feel?" she asks.

"Good. I wish I could have this more often,” you say, smiling weakly.

"Well, with the amount of stress your neck is undergoing, I say you should come in once a week. But not for a quick massage, for a much longer one. That way, you won't be so tired, and your neck can relax." You nod at her suggestion. It seems reasonable to come in here once a week, and you wouldn't mind an extra expense if it helped eliminate the pain so well.

"Anyways, get dressed, and I'll be waiting at the front desk for you to pay the bill." Lotus makes her way out, and you do as you were told.

You’re just putting your wrist cuffs back on as you approach the counter, and Lotus slides the bill over to you. You stare at it, nearly struck dumb by the number in front of you. One hundred and thirty bits. For a quick massage? Jesus Christ. You sigh mentally, and open your suit jacket. You always kept a bag of emergency coin in the pocket, just in case something was a bit more expensive than you thought.

You place the bag before her, not caring that you gave her extra, and walk out. She thanks you as you leave, and when you step outside the cool and tranquil lobby, the sun is blazing overhead. Jeez, time flies when you're getting a massage. You immediately start trekking off towards the Orchestra Pit.

"Well... Time for practice." You announce to yourself.

Quite a few minutes of walking in the sunlight, and looking over the landscape made you think about quite a few things. Especially about last night. Octavia seemed so dead set on stopping me from that girl... I wonder why? And what was up with that girl, anyway? Where did she come from, and how did she recognize me?

Passing by the many buildings, streets, and few market stands and stores on your way to the Orchestra Pit, you slide your hands within your jacket. Something pokes at your fingers within your right pocket, and you pull it out to see what it is. You realize it was the note from last night, the one Amanda gave you.

You open it up, seeing the address once more. You look around and find that you already stand on the corner of Chesterville. Glaring up at the signs to your left, you determine that Chesterville is just down the street to your right. Hrm... I think Octavia wouldn't know... She never said when I have to be there. You think to yourself, and begin walking down the path of Chesterville.

As you do, you take notice of the numbers on the houses. You find yourself in the one-hundreds, and the house you’re looking for is two-zero-eight. You start to speed-walk, finding yourself at another corner of the street. You eye many of the marble-gold houses around you, and find that the two hundreds were just to your right.

Turning once more, you slow your steps, and make your way through the street, "two-zero-two... Two-zero-four... Two-zero-six... Two-zero-eight." Finally you arrive at the house of this 'Amanda'. You look at the house and gazed it over. The entirety of it was marble, like the other houses, but this house had golden vines running through and around it in many intricate spirals.

"Must be some rich bitch. Jesus." You walk up the steps leading to the door.

You raise your hand, balling it in a fist, and bang against the door lightly. The sounds of someone yelling "Coming!" echo inside, and the door is soon opened to reveal the crimson-haired woman. She wears pajama pants as if she just got up, and a tank top to go with it which revealed quite a bit of her busty chest.

"Oh, it's you." Amanda smiles at you, and you can't help but smile back.

"Yeah. I wonder what this 'fun' thing was about." You lean against the door frame, eyeing her.

"Well.. Come in and find out." She giggles

You walk in, as Amanda steps out of your way, and you hear the door close behind you. The inside of the house is quite neat and tidy, but just as small as yours. There is a bedroom at your right, a kitchen at your left, and ahead of you looks like some sort of closet for coats.

Amanda grabs your hand and pulls you over to her bedroom. Her bedroom was tidy, and filled with recordings of a lot of musical artists from Earth. Mostly of the classical genre. Beethoven, Bach, Wagner, Chopin, and quite a few more. Her bed seems to be just made, but you have a feeling that it will get rustled in a minute or two...
Like when she tosses you on the bed and jumped on your torso.

"Ready for some 'fun'?" Amanda gazes in your eyes as her body was sitting on top of you. Her knees were at each side of your waist, and her nethers were just hanging above yours. Her busty-ness was pushing softly against your chest.

"Who isn't?" You chuckle and she immediately sets in to kiss you.

***

"That... That was amazing..." That's all you could pump out of your system when Amanda finally rolled off your naked form.

"Yes... Yes it was." She giggles, kissing your neck softly as an arm lays across your chest.

You and Amanda had probably been going at sex for an hour or so, it felt, and it was truly extraordinary. She was wild, hot, busty, and had the knowledge of a MILF, even though she looks like she's nineteen. You never bothered asking her age, and you really didn't care. It was just a fling, and you decide you’re ready to leave.

"Well, I think I should get going. I need to go and practice." You slide off the bed and start to put your clothes back on.

"Aww. Alright. Well, if you ever need some company I'm here for you." Amanda giggles behind you.

Nah. You're just a fling. Like every other girl. You think to yourself, as you slide on your suit jacket.

You stand up, walking out of her room to the foyer. You look back into her room, and see that Amanda has already fallen asleep. You shrug, turn to the door, open it, and walk out. You are greeted by a dimming afternoon sunlight, but you think nothing of it.

You rush to the Orchestra Pit, which is only a couple more blocks away, and start thinking about what you'd practice on. You always seemed to struggle with adjusting from a low G to a high B. Working on expanding your range would be a good place to start..

Maybe if I toss in another note, it'd be a lot easier. That idea sparked some more, making you think of ways you can change your music to harmonize properly.

Time seemed to fly as you neared the Orchestra Pit. You see Octavia sitting on the bench, her right leg over her left, and her arms crossed at her chest. Her face is scrunched up in what looked like anger. You walk up to her.

"Hey. Ready to pra--"

"Oh, look who decides to show up..." Her eyes shot open, and the most vile tone exited her mouth.

"Uh... Sorry, got sidetracked." You apologize. But, that didn't seem to work.

"I came here, hoping to have a great day. I was expecting you to be here early. When you weren't here, I went over to your house and found that you weren't home. I remembered you had a massage planned, so, I came back and started to practice, knowing you would show up soon. That took about three hours."

Three hours? What time is it?

Just as you try to speak, she interrupts, "On top of that, I waited another three hours--" Wait, what?! Six hours?! How long was I at the massage parlour and Amanda's place? "--to find that you didn't show up. So, where were you?" Octavia's eyes glare upwards at yours, and you just shrugged.

"Like I said, I got sidetracked. I didn't think the massage would be that long." You explain.

"You were with Amanda, weren't you?" Why is it all girls know where I am?

"I might've been, but that was because I wasn't sure when you'd show up here. We never had a time set for practice. So, want to go inside and get started?" Octavia's glare turned into fury.

"You blew off our date for that stupid bitch?" She was standing up, now, but that didn't concern you.

"Whoa, whoa, I never said this was a date, that's for sure. And anyway, why do you care that I had a little fun with Amanda? What's the big deal?" This seemed to spark something in Octavia's eyes, making a glimmer appear in them.

Not the kind of good glimmer either. Not the glimmer that a child gets when they see a new toy on Christmas day, or the glimmer a woman gets when she finds a diamond ring in her champagne. Not the kind a father gets when they see their newborn, or a guy getting a new set of tools. No, this glimmer wasn't of happiness, surprise, or joy. It was sadness, desperation, and sorrow.

"I..."
That's all she says. She picks up her cello case and runs off, pushing by you.

"Octavia, where are you going?!" You yell at her, but this doesn't seem to do anything.

"What the hell is wrong with girls these days?" you say to yourself, sighing.

You decide to just ignore it. Yeah, sure, you didn't show up, but she never said what time she wanted you there. It didn't matter, now. Instead of dwelling on the past, you make your way inside the Orchestra Pit. You enter the wide-open, theater-like surroundings and head to the stage.

You hop up on the stage, go to where the musical instruments are stored, and find that the lights are out, even though the rest of the building is lit up. You place your hand on a wall next to you, and slide it around until you find something that feels like a light switch. You flick it, and a light overhead turns on.

As the room lit up, you find your violin sitting on a table, surrounded by two roses at each side and a small card sitting in front of it. Confused and curious, you step forward and open the card. Inside is a picture of Octavia smiling.

"Hrm..." You don’t know what to make of this. Was this a gesture on her part to show something? Or was it just an act of kindness? Unsure, you put the picture in your pocket, grab your violin and its bow, and walk out to the stage.

You place your violin against your shoulder, and clamp your chin on its base. You raise the bow to its strings and delicately start playing. You play a multitude of notes and pieces of music for a couple minutes to begin a warm up. You soon start to compose small pieces yourself, to see how you can adjust certain notes to flow much better. Especially your G and B's.

You get so caught up in your playing that you lose all track of time, and you forgot to look at a clock before you started practice. You stop for a moment, feeling the beads of sweat sliding down your face. The heat from the lighting above is bugging you. Maybe it's time to stop. Your body agrees with you as you stand up and bring your violin and its bow back to instrument storage. You place it in its case and lock it up tightly, putting it away.

Gazing over a clock above, it reads "8PM". You left your house at, most likely, ten. If Octavia was correct, your massage lasted about three hours, and your sex was another three. So, that adds up to four 'o'clock. You've been practicing for four hours.

"Jesus... I need to go shower and rest..." You declare, making your way out to the stage again, hopping off of it, walking up the steps leading to the exit and making your way outside; in turn, you'd make your way home and fall asleep.

***

The week goes by quite fast. It started out with quite a regular routine: get up, do your morning cleansing rituals, go out for a walk, cruise the city, practice, grab a bite to eat, and then head on home. It's how it usually was for you, and you enjoyed how it worked out.

During the course of the week, however, you started to worry about Octavia. Mostly over how she cried when you didn't refer to the practice as a date. You were so confused about it. The confusion made your practice time a little wonky, since it always descended your happy-tuned music into angry, and frustrated, slides of your bow against your violin. You almost broke your bow with how hard you slid it across the metallic strings.

Other than that, though, the week slithered on up to Friday, and you just arrived at group practice as usual. Octavia was there, but she didn't seem to glance or even acknowledge you. You were hoping she got over it, but, things never go your way.

"Ah, you're here, good. Go join the other strings!" The conductor instructs you, tapping his conducting stick against your arm.

You quickly make your way onto the stage and walk up to where you normally sat. Your violin is there for you already, and you pick it up. The violin goes into its proper place on your shoulder, and you ready yourself for play. The conductor was slowly flicking his little stick to count out the beat.

"One, two, three, four..." Fast. Quick. High. That's what he wanted.

You all begin playing, and you all become lost in the harmonic bliss. The tones and beats of each section slowly changed as the conductor pointed to different sections, and it would bring a new emotion out of you. Music was a bastion of calmness to you, but every time a new, louder, sound of a section went through your ears, your emotions flip flopped.

When the bass section would play, your mind would think about being angry, and regretful. When your section played, the strings, you'd be happy, and joyful. As the clarinets, sax's and accompanying trumpets would play, it'd bring a sorrowful and dread to you. It was an odd feeling, which never came to you before, but it didn't last long.

"Good, good. Very good. Meet here next Friday, as per usual. We have a performance two weeks from now. So, keep practicing." The conductor stopped everyone in the heat of musical play. It was unusual, but, you needed the rest from such a rollercoaster.

Standing up with your violin, you walk backstage. You see your case sitting on a table, where many others were spread out, and make your way towards it. You place your violin and its bow firmly inside of it, close it, and lock it up tightly. You sigh and turn to your right. Octavia is putting her cello away just next to you.

She locks it up and then looks at you, seeing that you are looking at her. Something builds in her eyes, and she shot her upwards to her feet to try and run away. You grab her wrist before she gets far enough..

"Octavia, wait." You feel a tug, as if she wanted out of your grasp, but then she stopped, and turned to you.

"Can we talk?" You let go of her, having her attention.

"Not here, no." Octavia says quietly.

"Well, want to head outside, then? Decent night out there." You smile at her, and she just nods, a plain look on her face.

You lead her over to a back door that was labelled 'EXIT'. It was one of those doors that had a handle on the inside to open it, but once it was closed, it was closed, with no way of getting back in again. Doesn't matter, though. Octavia is behind you as you lead her outside into the small courtyard behind the Orchestra Pit.

The courtyard has a few ponds, benches, and a couple flower gardens along a set stone path. The courtyard isn't guarded by anything but low cobblestone walls, and it is pretty easy to lead your way out of if you forget that the door was one-way only.

Bringing Octavia over to a bench, you sit down, and gesture for her to sit next to you. She hesitated a bit, but soon did so. You look over at her, ready to speak.

"Octavia," you start. Her eyes are gazing over the small pond near the bench, but her ears perked over to you, "Remember when we first met?"

"You mean when you first joined the band? Or when we actually talked?" Her look was still plain and emotionless.

"When we actually talked. I believe it was at a bar. I saw you sitting there, and I was kind of tipsy that night. Can't believe I still remember it." You chuckle to yourself.

"Yeah, you came up to me and kept telling me how beautiful I was, and how much you wanted me. I thought you were a bit of a pig, but something came off of you that was... Different." You were hoping for a smile, but, her look was still unchanged, and her gaze never moved from the pond.

"Then I asked you to buy me a drink. Vodka, I believe. It was just carbonated water." You laughed a little bit, but this earned nothing from her.

"Mhmmm. The next day I saw you show up for practice, late, and couldn't believe you were a part of our orchestra." You let out another chortle.

"Yeah, I came in, playing my violin behind the door. I think I scared the hell out of the conductor back then." This earned a laugh from Octavia, which made her smile. You finally felt a little better, but her gaze was still unaltered.

"Was quite funny. I even remember you, a few months after, walking in on me in the changing room." Oh, God, that incident. The memory flooded your mind like it was yesterday.

You remember every detail of it. The other orchestra members played a joke on all of the 'newbies'. They'd always rearrange the sign on the change/shower rooms and make it appear as if the girl change rooms were the guys and vice versa.

As your mind began racking the memory again, you remember yourself opening the door to the change room. As you did, you were in an oddly pinkish-white room, which was very abnormal for a guys’ change room. It didn't seem to register to your mind until your say the naked form of one of your orchestra mates leaning over a sink adjusting her charcoal mane.

You remember she didn't take notice at first, and you were too stunned to leave. You looked over her rear, seeing it sticking out quite prominently, and covered by a dripping wet tail. Her buttocks were stamped with a treble-clef marking, which you found very peculiar. You remembered how your eyes moved to her chest, and that's when she screamed, turning away and yelling at you to get out.

You ran out of there, and a bunch of the guys were laughing their asses off. You played it off like nothing happened, and really didn't care.

"Yeah... Was quite embarrassing. To the both of us, I mean," you say to Octavia, as the memory passes.

Octavia is silent for a moment, and you can see a blush appear on her cheeks. She turns her head away, and a bit of her mane curtains what you could've seen, "What did you think of it...?" You heard her murmur.

"Think of what?" You asked, confused.

"Uhm... When you saw me like that. What did you think?" Wait, wait, what? Your mind whiplashes at that question, and your eyes shoot open a bit more.

"What I think of your naked body...? I can't honestly answer that, Octavia. You used to be a horse, how am I supposed to comment on something like that?" She immediately whips her gaze at you, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Then tell me from a human perspective... If... If I was human." You heard a little sniff come from her snout.

"If you were human..." You think it over. The past weeks events have been crazy, and, to be honest, your opinion changed quite a bit on these anthropomorphized horses.

"If you were human, I'd say you'd have a beautiful body," you answer as honestly as you can, a bit unsure on how she meant her question, though.

"Then why can't you see it?" Octavia's eyes give a slight glare, but a gaze of emotions return back to it.

"See what?" You question.

"I've been giving it off for a year in a half. Every time after that moment, when we started talking, drinking together, going off alone... When I wanted to practice with you... Why don't you notice it?"

You think about what Octavia meant by noticing something. You've known her for a year and a half, true, and it's been an exciting year and a half. The drinking, small assorted parties, practicing, et cetera. You start thinking about the latter part of her statement; thinking about after you saw her within the change rooms.

Octavia did change a bit after that. She was quite forward and formal with everything beforehand, but after that she always seemed... Closer. In a literal sense, too. Octavia would frequently ask if you wanted to go out drinking with the band members, and you'd usually say yes. You always found yourself quite a distance between her within the cart as you made your way over to the bar, but, she'd somehow move closer to you every time she'd invite you.

When you said 'no', and mainly wanted to get home, she usually convinced you to walk her home first. You didn't mind, even if you were tired, since it could be dangerous walking the streets of such a big city. During the walks, you two would have frequent discussions about musical theory, how bad some performances were during those times, and how much you needed to improve your playing.

When you lightened up to Octavia, seeing her as a friend, she'd often question you as a human. Her questions were mostly relating to what styles of music you create, and the many famous artists that live on Earth. But, they soon moved in on your family, her asking how your home life was like.

You honestly answered, saying it was strict, but worth it. Your parents were harsh, but, you knew they wanted the best for you. They were always proud whenever you'd come home from a performance and win second or first place. They were very upset when your career choice changed, but, that wasn't brought up at the time.

Octavia's family was much like yours, except they appreciated nothing she did. Her parents never gave a smile. never acknowledged her as a daughter, or even let her do anything but play music and stick to books. She never wanted her 'cutie mark' to be related to music when she was a kid, anyways! You felt bad when you talked about her family, but, it always seemed to make her better. As if you were a vent releasing steam slowly from a factory, it'd cool her off.

These trips always ended with you bringing Octavia to her doorstep. She'd always give you a weird look, as if she wanted to say something important... Or even do something important. But, she was just too shy or unable to push herself to do it. That's when you realized what Octavia meant.

"You..." You softly speak, getting a hold of the idea for a moment. "You love me...?" You can't believe you say that, but, she nods, turning her face away.

How does one fall in love with another species?... It's wrong. Like... Having sex with a dog, or something. This isn't right. You look at Octavia, her snout is pointed downwards, along with her eyes.

... But she is a sweet girl...

"You probably think it's stupid... It's fine. You don't need to bother with me, anyways." You gently turn her head towards you, so you can direct her attention away from the earth below.

"Octavia... The idea to me is weird. I don't think it's easy to date something that is a completely new species. Even if it looks human." You hear her sigh, but, you give a faint smile.

"But... It doesn't mean I can't change." That immediately makes Octavia's gaze dart to your eyes, and her arms wrap tightly around you -- embracing you in a hug.

"Hey, easy, lady." You get push her off of you, and look at her.

"You haven't even asked me out, yet." You laugh, and she lets out a sniffling giggle.

"W-well... Do you want to go on a date sometime?" A blush creeps on her face, and you can't help but nod.

"I'd love to, Octavia." You wrap your arms around her, Octavia's doing the same to your body.

***

One Year Later...

Dating with you and Octavia started out quite rocky. Octavia was a girl who wanted to be very close to you. You didn't mind the invasion of personal space, but, it was hard to adjust to, since you just got used to the idea of dating another species other than human. You even had to push Octavia away sometimes for how clingy she got to you, and you'd have to remind her that she can't immediately dive into other's personal areas when they're just getting comfortable.

She eventually got used to it, after about two months of dating, and so did you. You started greeting her with hugs, holding hands as you walked, sitting close to each other in the cart, and eventually kissing. When you first kissed Octavia, you knew it was her first time kissing a guy, since she wasn't very coordinated with her lips. You taught her, though. So, that helped her out quite a bit.

As your relationship together escalated, it started leaning into more serious things. About six months in, Octavia wanted you to move in with her. Of course you knew she was rushing it, but, you didn't mind. She was making you happy, and the house you currently placed residence in was getting hard to afford. Alongside the move in, you also took the liberty of having Octavia teach you to play the cello.

You admired her instrument, and you wanted to branch off into bigger pieces, which made a much lower harmonic resonance with your ears. Octavia gladly obliged, and that sparked your relationship even more, seeing as the two of you musicians could connect with such an instrument. Octavia showed you how you hold the cello, where you place the bow, and what notes you should start off with, as a beginner, anyways.

As time went on, for another four months, your playing became exceptionally good. Octavia came home to you, ready to play for her, as you wanted to show her a new piece you've been working on. She took a seat on the couch before you, and you were sitting on a chair, within the living room.

The lights were dimmed overhead, and two candles kept the space between you and Octavia lit up, with a flickering flame. You readied your bow to the large instrument that you spent two hours tuning beforehand. You then began playing.

Your playing started out very low, and after about fifty seconds, started escalating to a much higher pitch. You slowly slid your bow back and forth upon the cello's strings, letting the notes fly in and out of her ears. The pitch ascended a crescendo of notes, and you continued to repeat a few verses, as per your piece.

Once you began coming in to the end, however, you messed up on a note. The original note was supposed to be a high A, but came out to a much lower note. When you released that note, you heard Octavia gasp, and releasing an odd noise. You looked at her, curious, and started playing the note, continuously.

She gasped again, but it descended into a harmonic moan. Not the moan of delicious food, or happiness. Not a moan of cheer and delight. But a moan of pleasure and ecstasy. You watched Octavia moan further, her gray coated face covering itself with a red hue.

"Ah... Wh-what's going on?" Octavia spoke, continuing to let out moans.

"I guess that theory wasn't a lie, huh?" You smile, as you watch one of her hands pull at the dress she was wearing, and sliding it to her nethers.

You continued to play the note, and just watch what she did. Octavia's hands had pulled her dress up to her waist, and revealed her black panties underneath. A hand-form was within the panties and slowly moving around in circles. Octavia's breath was mixed with pleasurable moans, and bashing comments at you.

"Ohhh... I'm going to get you ba-ack for this..." She moaned again, and you couldn't help but laugh.

You stop playing, but she continues to masturbate before you. You gently set the cello down, along with its bow, and walk up to her. Your eyes were gazing at her one opened eye, and you smiled, Leaning downward, you started to plant kisses upon her mouth, and she didn't give any resistance.

Octavia's moaning slid into your mouth, alongside her tongue. Your tongues clashed against each other, fighting for dominance in your mouth. You pushed her tongue back, and started battling it out within Octavia's mouth, and soon won over when her tongue started to slither instead of clash.

Pulling away from the kiss, you smiled, and looked downward. Octavia was still pleasuring herself, and you couldn't help but feel bad.

"Would you like some help?" You smirked at Octavia, and a blush burned further on her face.

"Y-yes, please..." She softly spoke, and you slowly descended down her body.

Not one to tease, you gently placed your hands at the lip of her panties, and tug them downwards, off her legs. You revealed a bright pink slit between her legs, and it was glistening with delight and euphoria. Wow, didn't think that theory would make her so horny, you thought to yourself, as you moved close to it.

You wrapped your arms around her legs, and slid her nethers closer to the edge of the couch, and making it easier to pleasure her. You stuck your tongue out, slowly colliding its tip against the delicate lips of Octavia's marehood. You moved your tongue in small circles against her lips, and making the mare above you let out soft moans. Your hands slid gently to her buttocks, and slowly started to give them a squeeze; the bristles of fur provided an extra softness to the already plump arse.

Octavia continued to moan as your hands explored her rump, along with your tongue toying with her senses. You eased your tongue upwards to the small, pink, button that was exposed, and started vibrating against it. Octavia let out higher pitched moans, and a hand was on the back of your head, sifting through your hair.

Your tongue played with her delicate clitoris, warmly sliding under it and caressing its underside, and then pulling out to caress its small exposure. Your lips would softly kiss her needing sex, and absorb some of the juices she was letting off. You felt a gentle push against your forehead after several minutes of doing this.

"I... I think I'm ready for more." Octavia let out a smile, and you nodded.

You stand up, leaning over her again, as you did before, and look into her eyes. They said they wanted more, and Octavia even spoke the words. But, you were worried she wasn't ready.

"Are you sure, Octavia? I don't wan--"

"Yes, I'm sure." She interrupts you, letting out a small giggle, of nervousness and laughter.

You let out a smile, and slowly lean downwards, gently kissing Octavia's cheek. You hands slithered away from her rear, and to her scrunched up dress, slowly lifting it up her curvy and delicate body, and bringing it over her her head. You reveal her delicate, gray coated body, and your eyes gently poke at it.

Letting out another smile, your hands gently make their way back to her body, to where her chest is. They slide against the large orbs that are before you, and gently squeeze them, feeling their soft and tenderness. You slowly pull off her bra, having to slide your arms around Octavia's body and unstrap it, and then start to caress her tender breasts once more.

Your move in close to her, and feel her hands at the dress pants you wear. You continue to caress her breasts, and you bring your lips to her neck, gently kissing along its delicate curving. Octavia's hands pulls off your belt and unzip your pants, letting them slide to the floor completely. Your boxers are all that keeps you from diving into her, as you fondle her breasts and toy with her neck.

As if on queue, you feel your member pop out of your boxers, and be gently pushed near her marehood. You pull out from her neck, and look at her, still giving her breasts a massage within your hands.

"Ready, Octavia?" You smile, and Octavia nods, a blush burning on her face.

You tenderly push your sex within her wanting pussy, warmly letting it be caressed in viscous fluids. The playing from your cello, and the massaging of your tongue has really warmed her up for the onslaught of sex. You give her neck more kissing as you gently push yourself deeper into her, until you can't push any farther.

Octavia lets out a long moan as you first push into her, and her arms tightly wrap around you in a fit of passion. Her arms cause you to push into her farther, and much faster than you expected, causing Octavia to scream in pain and joy. You swore you heard her say to "Do it again", so you did, and she continued to scream and moan.

Each time you gave a slow, but hard, thrust, her screams pitched down, and you couldn't help by start groaning at your pushing. You start to speed up your thrusts instead, having the tenderness of her vagina clench around your sex, and her moans encourage you to push more.

Pushing into her, faster and faster, you feel more fluid caress your member, giving it a thick coating of lubricant to work with. It was very smooth and prominent, as you let out moans of delight, and Octavia giving off pitches of euphoria. However, you two both knew you were close to that point.

Knowing this was fresh in your minds, you slowed down, and that caused Octavia to lose control. A rush of fluids contacted with your sex, and caused you to respond with the same. You gave off a loud groan, and pushed once more into her. Unable to keep yourself inside her, you pull out, and gently collapse at Octavia's side.

You were both breathing heavily, enjoying the blissful moment. It was the first time you had sex in quite a while, and Octavia sure seemed to enjoy what passion you could give. Her head turned, and gaze staring within yours. She let off a soft smile.

"I think we should shower..." She giggled.

"Really? I wouldn't mind one." You laugh.

"Besides... We could try something like this in there." Octavia gave off a sly wink, and you just chuckled in response.

The End

The Love of a Symphony

by Shadowflash

Important Notes to Start (Do Read)

Octavia's Overture