Rarity prides herself on her work, and when letters start pouring in from Canterlot after the Royal Wedding she is overjoyed by the enthusiasm for her dresses. Drawing on her friend Fancy Pants, she is able to set up a temporary shop in Canterlot for one month, where she will do her best to turn out as many dresses and outfits as she possibly can.

She swears to Twilight and her friends that she won't fall for the allure of the big city again, and that Ponyville won't have to go long without her... but once there, she is quickly swept up in the grandeur and glamour of post-Wedding Canterlot. Her clients are rich, prestigious and famous, with clout and influence to burn...

...but it is one mare, a simple gray earth pony, who catches her attention. She doesn't behave like the rest- she is quiet, yet when she speaks she is witty and clever, not dull and droll like the others. She dodges Rarity's questions about her artfully, which only piques the white unicorn's interest and nigh-on forces her to dig deeper into the community to find out about this mysterious mare named Octavia.

But what does she hope to find? Why is she so driven to find out more about the gray earth pony musician... and what will she do with the information she gleans?

Soarin' is an accomplished Wonderbolt, but lately he's been making too many simple mistakes during practice. One day, he and Spitfire come to the conclusion that he needs a change of scenery. Through a brief negotiation with their manager, Soarin' is given a week's time to secure a future performance in Appleloosa. He accepts this task and flies to the new town.

However, there's more to Soarin's life than he's letting on. He's constantly battling his inner demons, all while trying to ignore the hounding media. He's kept himself in check, but his past is about to come forth once more, and in ways he isn't prepared for.

All because of a strange colt he met during a stop at a bar.

A refined mare fresh out of high school and a dropout following her dreams find themselves forced to spend a lot of time together.

With the help of a meddling psychology tutor and their new classmates, can they find what they've been looking for?

French Translation!

Fan Stuff!

Soarin' doesn't mind the stallion taking care of him and he might even admit that he's keen on the buck. It's a respite from the starstruck life he's become accustomed to, and he enjoys some of the best pies he's ever had, but, with all things, there's always things that come up. A collection of chapters based on novel prompts.

[on hiatus do to several things but not abandoned]

Braeburn Apple has always been raised in a conservative household, as a member of the Apple family.
Throughout his life, he's been taught what's 'wrong' and what's 'right', who he was allowed to love, and who he wasn't. Above all, he was told what to be, and how to be it.
When he meets a certain blue Pegasus stallion buying pies at Sweet Apple Acres while he just so happens to be staying there, he discovers feelings he never knew he had.
Unfortunately, they happen to be the same ones he was always taught to suppress.
Can Soarin convince him that it's not wrong to be in love, and that, sometimes, in order to be happy, you need to break out of your comfort zone?
A story about discovering who you are, and being that person, no matter what others tell you to be.

WARNING: M/M, SoarinxBraeburn Coltcuddling! Touches up on some serious social issues in the real world, but with ponies, and at least 20% cooler.
If you don't like it, please do not read it.

Featured on EqD!

Cross-posted to FanFiction.NET.

Rated T for alcohol references, crude humour, and slight language.

Cover image is by Mn27 on DeviantART.

Edited by many people, included Carcer, LunaUsesCaps, and Diexna, but none have contributed more than the amazing Smayds, who has been my main editor for almost every chapter.

It's been a long year since Soarin and Braeburn went their separate ways due to Soarin's work, and somehow every opportunity for the two to meet up was canned in one way or another. They keep in touch through letters, trying to keep their pathways of life entangled no matter how far apart they remain. What either pony was half-expecting to be a simple week of passion and discovery grew, in a way, through this connection. But still, it's not enough. This becomes clear when Braeburn's letters one day cease to arrive.

It's hearts and hooves day, and Braeburn is still left without a special somepony. He keeps looking and looking, but can't find any other colts-at least ones that would be interested in him. It seems like searching for a needle in a haystack, and it's going to be another hearts and hooves day alone. But maybe he's searching in the wrong places. Maybe his needle isn't on the ground, but above his head, in the sky.