The wedding, naturally, was not perfect. In classic fashion, strong winds blew in from the Everfree at the eleventh hour, carrying away many of the banners and streamers. Someone had fallen asleep midway through the cooking of the main course, and as such each guest received a heaping helping of charcoal with the rest of the meal. Worse yet, the podium sank slightly in the mud overnight, such that the ceremony took place at an angle, and the brides’ dresses were smeared.
None of that mattered.
Cinnamon giggled her way through a set of vows that she may have ad-libbed to suit the situation. A few of them had puns. Blossom wept with joy to hear them, and even Cadance was spotted dabing away a tear as she declared them wed, and bid them kiss. The two shone so bright the sun dimmed in comparison. The rest of Ponyville came together under Princess Twilight and her friends, organizing a brand new batch of food, which hit tables just before the toast was due to be given with a mug of hot spiced cider.
After that was the party. Manehattan Music award winner Fiddly Twang treated them to a lively dance set. Cask upon cask of the Apple family’s finest were tapped. Octavia danced her hooves down to nubs. Her cheeks ached from smiling. The celebrations carried on into the evening, only breaking up when dangerous looking rain clouds began to be pushed in by the local pegasi. The brides and their families took the dregs of the party into the cozy living room to watch the rain fall.
The cider came with them, of course. Applejack and Octavia had hustled the barrels inside, tucking them on every available kitchen surface. It was a tight squeeze, but they managed it without getting too soaked. Octavia was now nestled into a heap of cushions by the fire, a steaming mug before her, a pleasant buzz in her head. An exhausted Blossom snored softly, her coiffed mane unraveling as she leaned against Cinnamon’s flank. Cinnamon herself was chattering away with Rocky. Mother was working on the crossword, as always, having set a crackling jazz record to play. Octavia smiled to see the old record player still kicking. After all, it had inspired her own career, so many years ago.
Applejack reentered the room, a trio of mugs balanced on her back. She settled down on a blanket of her own opposite Octavia. The largest mug quickly disappeared in a blur of sky blue, as Miss Dash seized it, practically bouncing with anticipation. She sighed with delight after the first sip, drifting down like a feather to drape herself over the Earth pony. Miss Rarity was more dignified, carefully lifting her own and Applejack’s mug with magic before settling down next to her, hooves tucked beneath her. As one, the two mares planted kisses on each of Applejack’s cheeks.
“Thank you kindly, Darling.” Rarity said, giving Applejack a careful nuzzle. She had already drawn blood with her overly-filed horn once this evening.
“Yeah, thanks for bringing out the good stuff!” Dash was anything but careful, plopping herself down on her back, head whacking into Applejack’s midriff with a snicker. For all her vaunted taste for cider, Dash seemed to be quite a lightweight. Or she had drunk more than Octavia had seen. Or, more likely, both.
“Yow! Watch that thick skull of yers, Rainbow!” Applejack groused, pulling her hat down over her face to hide her rosy blush. “Between you breakin’ my bones an’ Rare impalin’ me with that dang thing, I’ll be lucky to survive the evenin’.”
“I’ll impale you all right.” Rainbow chuckled to herself, taking another large gulp of cider. Rarity and Applejack rolled their eyes, though Octavia chuckled.
“This is all your fault, you know.” Rarity harrumphed loudly in Octavia’s direction, though she could not fully suppress her smile. “None of us would be stuck with each other had you not taken me along on your ill-fated spying mission.”
“Oh yes, truly.” Octavia drawled. Her accent was peeking through, but for the first time in a long time, she did not care. “My spyin’ mission, of course. Definitely wasn’t ya’ll’s idea, Miss Rare. An’ now look at ya. You are really suffering, I can tell.”
“Dude, you-” Rainbow cut off, succumbing to another bout of drunken giggles. She rolled around, wings flailing for a moment before recovering enough to speak. “The look on your face was priceless! Didja think I was that hot drunk filly catching you peeping?” She lost herself to laughter again.
“I cannot imagine why I would think you were Vinyl.” Octavia deadpanned. “Since you are clearly not drunk. Or attractive.”
“Yeah, thats- hey!”
“That’s enough outta you, Dash. Leave the poor gal alone. You ain’t exactly Cassanova over there yerself.” Applejack whacked Rainbow with her tail. Rainbow seized it with her hooves, hugging the tight-tied tail like a stuffed animal. Octavia smiled. Applejack put a hoof to her chin. “Come to think of it, we used to always be buttin’ heads too. You reckon that’s the key to romance?”
“Ugh, I should hope not. Although I suppose no small number of romantic novels include that in the premise-” Rarity considered, looking somewhat mortified. “. . . That cannot be a universal thing, can it?”
“Can say for sure it’s not.” Cinnamon chimed in, with a mischievous grin. “Blossom and I weren’t ever fighting like that. I was proper romantic, helpin’ with chores and flexin’ my legs, no fighting needed.”
“No reason to not do both.” Octavia took a long sip from her mug, savoring Cinnamon’s namesake cider. “You should wed a pony-or ponies- that both compliments and challenges you, to keep you at your best, no?”
“Oh, look at the expert over here. Heads up Princess Cadance, Octavia is coming for your job!” Rainbow chuckled, pointing an accusatory hoof in Octavia’s general direction. “Have you ever even kissed a mare before?”
“Rainbow, you can’t just-”
“Naturally.” Octavia said, evenly. Every head swiveled to look at her. She took another sip, and did not continue, closing her eyes and humming instead. One did not simply tease Octavia Melody without getting taunted in return. The silence stretched. Rarity was the first to crack.
“And?” She said, pointedly.
“We were at the conservatory. We split up to focus on our studies. It was mutual.” Octavia said, to a collective groan. “She was a wonderful pianist though. Perhaps I have a type.”
“. . . Great. Yep, you’re definitely an expert.” Rainbow tipped her empty mug up, catching a few stray drops on her tongue. “Did you even, you know-”
“I reckon that’s enough cider for you, Dash.” Applejack cut her off, swatting the mug from her grip with a swish of her tail.
“I think we all wish to know the answer, though~” The ruddiness of Rarity’s white fur betrayed her own intoxication as she bounced her eyebrows at Octavia.
“That was most of what we did, actually.” Octavia chuckled, evidently tipsy enough herself to not be embarrassed by such talk. “We had little time or money for dates and sweeping romance, but there were plenty of hidden nooks around the school. It was romantic, in a way, but likely not in the sense most ponies mean.”
“It sounds romantic to me, like a forbidden love, perhaps?” Rarity considered, hoof to chin. “I could see it on shelves, if the writer was talented enough. ‘Amor in Allegro’, perhaps?”
“If anypony would know romance novels, it’d probably be you, Rare.” Applejack gave her an affectionate peck on the cheek.
“Forget that, I wanna hear the juicy details!” Dash said, though the rosy blush on her cheeks said otherwise.
“She was a pianist. That’s all I will or need say on the matter.” Octavia could not fully suppress a snicker, and Rarity joined her. Rainbow blinked and thought for a moment before blushing.
“Apropos of nothing, I should really get home to my husband.” Cadance smiled slyly and stood up. She had consumed a greater quantity of cider than any of them, but she did not seem even a pinch unsteady on her hooves. “It was wonderful to be part of such a delightful moment, and to spend time with both of your families.” Octavia wrapped her in a tight hug, hoping to wordlessly convey how much the Princess had helped her. Cadance squeezed her in return, and departed.
“I’m gonna hit the hay m’self.” Winter Root yawned, tossing aside the newspaper. “Ya’ll should get your overworked wife to bed there too, Cin. Rest of you kids have fun. Gotta get rid of all this cider I bought somehow.”
“Please, ma’am. It’s on us.” Applejack tipped her hat forward. “You were good friends of my folks, an’ now you’re kin too.” Winter grumbled, but did not protest outright. Rainbow Dash lifted all four of her hooves into the air.
“Woo! Free Cider! Get me another, barmare!” She cheered.
“You definitely don’t need any more.” Applejack rolled her eyes, but smiled. Rarity chuckled and gracefully wobbled to her hooves, collecting the mugs with magic that shimmered in the dim room. Rocky slipped off the couch to join Octavia in her blanket nest by the fire.
“How’s your song coming along?” She asked, wriggling herself deeper into the pile. “I heard a few snips while I was heading to the bathroom last night.”
“Technically it’s a sonata.” Octavia put a hoof around her sister. “And it is progressing well. The first two movements are completed. The third is the hardest, since it is to convey my feelings in the present. . . Ahem. Yes, it’s going well.”
“It’s gonna be great.”
“It may be the best piece I have written in a good while.” Octavia gave Rocky a squeeze.
“Why don’t you play it for us then, darling?” Rarity returned, with two full mugs and a half filled third. She passed the latter to Dash, who didn’t seem to notice, but nodded along with her words. “Perhaps that will shake loose some creative cobwebs”
“That’d be awesome, dude.” Rainbow chimed in.
“I do not know about that.” Octavia hesitated, holding up a hoof to see if it wavered. “I have had rather a good amount to drink. It would likely be a rather imperfect performance.”
“Don’t know if ya noticed, Octavia, but perfect ain’t really anything a thing can be.” Applejack said, bluntly. “Yer music is real pretty, though, an’ we ain’t critics, just a group of yer friends.”
“Well then.” Octavia was somewhat taken aback.
“She does this. Don’t mind her.” Dash said, ineffectively trying to knock over an unmoving Applejack. “C’mon now, we’re all waiting! We know you’re a gold medal at this stuff, give us a show!”
“Fine! Fine. If you insist.” Octavia fetched her cello and other accouterments, while everypony else took up box seats on the rickety couch. Octavia rested the cello against a chair while she set up a small speaker, attached to her phone. She hadn’t been able to do much electronically, but it felt insufficient to use only what she was comfortable with. Reaching out to another pony, especially in love, meant stepping out of one’s comfort zone. She should do no less musically, if she was to convey what she intended.
She pressed play. It was then a race to get stood up next to her cello. One hindered by her substance intake. She did manage it, though, just in time. She began to play. The first few bars were rough, and her hooves threatened disobedience. But then the beat picked up, and she fell in step with it. The electronic accompaniment was quick, almost frantic, and she wove between it. Alternating quick notes to match, and longer held to contrast. It was mildly discordant, and with reason. It spoke to her first meetings with Vinyl, the turbulence that surrounded them, the arguments, the anger. And yet, the curiosity, the feeling that perhaps they had similarities. That spark that had prompted them to keep clashing. She closed her eyes, allowing scenes to flash through her mind as she played, her hoof delicately pinching each string.
She slowed for the second, reflecting the relative peace that had begun to form between them. A more resonant baseline, to show Vinyl’s growing presence in her life. The discordant themes faded, replaced by neat, elegant sweeps and quick series of building melodies. This part was the hardest to play, her bow ankle growing sore with the alternating rapid and long movements. This was the middle stage. They weren’t fully in harmony, not yet, but something was growing, be it rivalry or friendship. The melody rose and fell in swells, the ups and downs of any new relationship, the electronic elements and the cello growing more in sync as it progressed. It rose to a crescendo, speaking to her own newly discovered feelings. Abruptly, it ended. The baseline fell away, leaving only Octavia’s cello, playing softly, slowly fading into silence.
“. . . That’s how it ends?” Rainbow spoke into the silence, her eyes wide. “That- That sucks!” She was so on the nose that Octavia burst out laughing.
“Yes. . . Yes it does.” She allowed herself to slump against her instrument, her bow slipping from her numb hoof.
“Reckon that was sorta the point, Dash.” Applejack bumped the pegasus, tipping her on her side. “Y’know, symbolic.”
“It is marvelous.” Rarity had a silken handkerchief in her magical grip, gently wiping away at her eyes. It came away black with eyeliner. “Emotional, full of meaning, and from the heart. Miss Melody, you are a true talent.”
“Save that praise for when and if it is successful.” Octavia gently tucked her instrument back into its case. She ran a hoof over the wood grain. “I am still unsure where to take it from there.”
“Well duh.” Rocky said, to thunderous silence. She blinked, and looked around at everypony else. “Well, maybe the next one, you need her to help you with. It’s supposed to be about you together, right?”
“. . . Duh, indeed.”