In an unwitting imitation of Freeze Pop, Sketchy found himself waking up on a couch. It was Octavia’s couch, he realised, taking in his surroundings. The living room it was sat in was familiar to him, with its assorted plaques hung on the walls and various instruments collected neatly in the corners. Resting soundly next to him on the couch was the black-maned mare who owned the house, still very much asleep, with her head lain upon his chest. He smiled to himself at seeing her so content, though he knew he would have to wake her if he wanted to get up.
With that thought in mind, he reached a hoof over and gently stroked it through the cellist’s luxurious ebony mane, calling softly to her.
“Tavy, time to get up...”
Octavia, moaned slightly as she stirred, her violet eyes slowly sliding open. She turned her gaze to him, with one eye more open than the other.
“Mm, good morning, mi amor. Mattina maravigliosa, es it no?” she questioned, and then blinked as she realised what she had said. “I mean... beautiful morning, is it not?” she corrected herself, though without hiding her accent.
Sketchy smiled at her as she raised her head to rub noses with him. “It most certainly is.” he agreed.
The classically-trained pony sat up slowly, stretching herself out with a yawn, and rolled her shoulders and neck a bit to loosen them up from sleeping on the couch. She then recalled the promise she had made to Sketchy’s mother the previous day, and a large smile spread across her features.
“Oh my, today is going to be a fun day.” she stated, looking around and down toward the stallion still spreadeagled on her couch. “We had better make sure to be punctual and well-groomed, hmm?”
“We better had.” he agreed, getting up off the couch and stretching out himself. He then flashed her a cheeky grin, before shouting “Dibs on the bathroom!” as he clattered off down the hall to it before she could object.
“Of course, dear!” she called after him with a laugh. “Actually, do you think we have time enough for a bath?”
“Easily!” the stallion’s voice replied, accompanied by the sound of running water.
“If you would sort that then...” she called back distractedly, her attention turned towards the mess of cushions and pillows strewn around the floor next to the couch. She couldn’t deny her compulsive nature, and she promptly set about picking them all up to set them back on the couch.
A little bit of a mess to clear up is a small price to pay, though. she thought to herself with a smile as she recalled the events that had caused both the mess of cushions and her and her mate waking up on the couch to begin with. She then glanced briefly over at an oboe sitting next to the Princess of the Night’s violin, and her smile grew further. There was a reason for that being out too, after all.
The previous day, after they had lazed around for a while, it had been Sketchy that had finally given voice to something that Octavia too had been thinking.
“Mmm... so, perhaps we should get to practicing something, if we’re going to play a few pieces for my mum?”
Octavia had turned her head from where she had been comfortably resting atop him at that, a relaxed smile adorning her features.
“So much music making in one day? But of course, you are correct. We must have something for tomorrow. Trillian must have the best we can pull together in one day!” she declared with a joking giggle, although she was nevertheless serious about what she said. “The Canterlot Park will not know what hit it—well, not since the last time I was there.”
Having said that, she had carefully pulled herself up from where she lay and made her way over to the window. Luna’s magnificently lacquered blue violin rested there on a stand, drawing a wistful look and a fond smile from Octavia as she glanced down to it.
“She is going to need this back some day, and I am going to be sad to see it leave.”
With a small sigh, she reached down to the large case sat nearby, clicking the clasps open to reveal her most prized possession. Carefully removing the cello from its case, she brought it to rest against her shoulder while she saw to latching its black-threaded bow to her specially-crafted horseshoe.
“What kind of music does your mother enjoy the most?” she queried, the accent that the purple elder mare had uncovered so easily still lacing her words as though she had never hidden it.
The stallion smiled lazily, still lounging on the couch as he watched her. “Good question. I know she’s quite fond of older pieces... you know the Four Seasons?”
“Anponio Vivaldi’s, yes?” the cellist nodded, looking back over at him thoughtfully. “Hm, I am pretty sure I could play that range on this monster.” she stated, raising her forehooves in a mock gesture of menace, momentarily resembling how the lunar princess’s older sister might have looked when entertaining her sister at dinner in their younger years.
“Four Seasons... been a while. Let me see.” With that, she picked up her resin block from the cello’s case and dragged it over the strings, setting it back down once she was satisfied that they would give sufficient resistance for a resonant tone. She then adjusted her posture, straightening out her back as she stood up upon her hind hooves to play. Her bow met the strings and dragged across them, the sound in the warmth of day deeper and brighter than it had been in the cooler temperature of evening during the Equinox Celebration. She glanced over to the stallion as he finally got to his feet and shook himself out, flashing him a gentle smile.
“Okay. Complicated, check. Impeccable experience, check.” she stated, before launching into the vibrant solo of the first concerto. The cello’s deep tones sang out the normally higher-pitched violin’s part as her bow sailed over the strings with seeming ease, her hooves moving quickly and skilfully as she hit each note with nigh perfection as she dug through her memory to recall the piece. Her stallion companion looked suitably impressed as he watched her perform.
As she reached the end of the piece, she seamlessly transitioned to a much more relaxed pace, drawing out longer notes. She swayed in time with the music, her bow seeming to move almost on its own, as she quietly intoned “Freestyle” over the longer notes.
While she was doing this, Sketchy trotted over and stood behind to her to one side, bringing his head down a little to rest up against hers. What with the fact she was stood up to play, he didn’t have to bend his neck down anywhere near as far as usual. His display of affection was echoed in Octavia’s music: she fluttered up a scale, skipping several arpeggios as she played almost on auto-pilot. Her head leaned up against his, and she nuzzled him softly as her emotions flowed through her music. He began to hum an accompaniment to her playing, his own deep tones mixing with those of the cello. She in turn harmonised the notes on the cello, her long tail wrapping itself partially around one of his legs with a brief flick as she leaned her body against his.
They remained like that for a while, until a thought struck Sketchy.
“Hmm... I should have brought one of my instruments over...”
Octavia stopped playing at that, turning her head to look up at him.
“You may be in luck today.” she informed him with a smile. She carefully leaned her cello up against a chair and unlatched her bow, dropping back down to all fours as she made her way over to the range of cabinets that adorned the far wall. “There may be something in here.”
Sketchy was rather surprised but no less delighted to see that, as she opened each of the cabinets, they were filled with assorted instruments hung on brackets and sitting on stands. They were mostly strings and woodwind, though there was also a smattering of brass. It was certainly nowhere near as impressive as the collection in the Canterlot Palace Music Room, but Sketchy was pretty certain that no other collection of instruments ever could be.
“These...” Octavia went on, a fond smile on her face as she looked over the collection, “...these are for when I decide that teaching, rather than playing music, is of more importance.”
“Ooh... quite a nice collection!” the artist enthused as he trotted over.
“They are nothing fantastic.” Octavia noted. “They have all been rehabilitated, though I am certain they are not in tune.”
Sketchy nodded, his attention divided between her and the array of treasures before him. Finally, however, he put his hooves on an oboe and lifted it from its stand. “I’ve always loved the sound of these things.”
“Ah, yes, I love how hollow but whole they sound, like a secret pond with clear, still water.” Octavia noted approvingly. She dug a hoof into a box of assorted metal implements, pulling from it a tuning fork of the correct length. “You will need this.” she stated, striking it briefly off the cabinet.
“Give me another ping there?” Sketchy requested, putting the reed to his lips and blowing into the instrument experimentally. He twitched his ears attentively as the fork rung out again, and began to adjust the instrument until it sounded close to the note he heard from the metal.
“There. That sounds about right.” he stated, and then an idea struck him. “Oh! I just remembered another piece of music she really likes, actually. And now I think on it, your cello and this oboe could probably do a wonderful rendition of it.”
“Oho? And which might that be, dear?” Octavia questioned, smiling to herself both at the sound of the oboe breathing life once more, and that it was her stallion admirer facilitating it.
“Do you know ‘It Was A Very good Year’?”
“Ah, the one by Blue Eyes? I’ve heard it many a time, yes. He has quite the voice.” the cellist replied with a nod as she moved back over to her favoured instrument, latching her bow back in place.
“Right. So, if I play the accompaniment, think you could sing it, so to speak, with your cello?”
“Hmm, I believe that to be within my abilities.” the black-maned mare grinned, giggling a bit. “On your time, mi amor.”
The stallion nodded, blowing a few notes to be sure the oboe was in tune. “Right, here we go...”
With that, he began playing the song’s slow, soulful intro. In perfect time, the cellist came in on her instrument, playing the notes that would normally be sung. It wasn’t quite the same as when the song was sung with words, but it still held its own charm. The cello’s resonant depth made for a very fitting alternative to a voice.
The song came to a close, Sketchy drawing out the last few notes. “Mmm. That worked quite well.” he smiled.
Octavia clapped her front hooves together in appreciation of his performance. “Bravo, dear. Thank you.” She then set down her cello and trotted over to him, wrapping her forelegs round his shoulders in a warm embrace as she whispered softly to him. “Thank you for all that you do.”
The stallion returned her affections, setting down his instrument and hugging her back. “Same to you, honey.” he said softly, nuzzling her forehead. The cellist let out a soft hum of happiness at that, and then released him.
“You know what will be just hilarious later?” she questioned, a mischievous smile playing around her lips as she turned to put away the tuning fork she’d pulled out of the box earlier.
“What’s that then?”
“When we see Luna again. I just know she is going to be surprised when she hears me speak! Or, perhaps she is already aware? Ah, either way, I am sure she will be surprised.”
“Ahahaha! You’re right, she’s only ever heard your "normal" voice before, after all.” Sketchy agreed, a grin creasing his features.
The strings player giggled as she took hold of her cello to stow it away once more. She then glanced over at the violin sat in one corner, and a mischievous look spread across her face as she sauntered over and lifted it into her hooves, picking up its starry glass bow as well. With a flash of a grin to her partner, she began to play a rather lively and jaunty tune on the instrument, going so far as to dance about the room as she played. She skipped over to the large stallion and bumped her flank off of his as she began to sing.
“Ta na caorigh ag ithe an gheamhair, ta an gamhna ag ol an bhainne, tratai sios gan diolachan, 's duine gan mheabhair, na raghta abhaile!” she sang. It was lively and tuneful, even if it wasn’t perfectly pronounced.
A broad smile spread across Sketchy’s face, as he recognised both the style of playing and the language. It was quite close to the kind his home region was famous for; the origins of folk music in both the realms of Trotland and Marelann having some shared roots. It was enough to stir up his Shetland spirit, so to speak, as he joined the black-maned mare in her lively song and dance.
The two of them careened around the room, somehow managing to avoid knocking over or denting anything valuable. The song drew to a close, and Sketchy struck a faintly ridiculous pose as the mare drew her bow over the last note. The two of them grinned at each other, bursting out in a round of happy laughter.
“Ah! What fun... my goodness though, do not tell her I did that!” Octavia chuckled, moving to set the musical relic back down on its stand. She wasn’t being entirely serious about her warning though, and it was difficult to be taken seriously anyway as she was still laughing about the fact she’d just played a jig on a literally priceless instrument.
“Oh I know, she’d be absolutely furious!” Sketchy snickered, joining in on the joke.
“Ah, such a wonderful life...” the cellist smiled, trotting over to her couch and flopping down onto it with a relaxed and happy smile.
Her stallion companion trotted over to where she had flopped down, lowering his head to her neck and roughly nuzzling at her in a playful fashion. “Couldn’t agree more!” he giggled, his voice muffled a bit by her coat.
The stone grey mare let out a little squeak, wiggling a bit where she sat. “My goodness, we are going to have fun tomorrow. I can see it now... I expect your mother will be most delighted with our performance.”
Sketchy settled himself on the floor before her, continuing to nuzzle more gently at his enchanting companion’s neck and shoulders. “Oh, I know she will. I mean, her favourite musician and her own son playing for her? She’ll be thrilled.”
Octavia nodded, settling into the couch on her side. Her head came to rest on its arm, and her long black mane slowly flowed over her shoulders, draping over the stallion’s nose. He twitched, pulling his head back a little.
“Ah... ah... choo!” he sneezed, shaking his head slightly. He looked back down into the mare’s violet eyes with a bit of a giggle. “That tickled!”
The cellist’s smile grew, and she gave him a rather fond look as she laughed in turn. “You, mi amor, are adorable! Ah... what do you have in mind for the rest of today? I figure we should probably get up early so we shall not be late... then you will not have to hear about it!”
“Oh certainly, last thing we need is my mum teasing me about that.” the stallion agreed with a chuckle. “As for ideas... I’m sure we can think of something.”
A grin spread itself across the mare’s features, and her eyelids slid half-closed at that remark. “Why yes, I am certain something will come to mind!” she giggled, well aware of what his intentions were. Still, she certainly had no objections to ending the day’s activities in such a manner...
Octavia’s mind returned to the present as she tidied up the last of the cushions and pillows, tossing them back onto the couch, followed by her tidying away the dishes and glasses that had been left on her table the previous evening. Nevertheless, it was a compulsion she had the time to indulge – a fact she was reminded of as she made her way to the bathroom, the sound of running water having ceased about a minute ago. A smile spread across her face as she entered the room, greeted by the sight of her special somepony swirling a front hoof experimentally in the water. He glanced round at the sound of her entering, and smiled in turn.
“I think it’s about ready, my lovely lass.”
“Mmm, good. I do love sharing a bath with you after all, and there is no way I could look my best without one.”
Sketchy chuckled a little at that. “And we can’t have you not looking stunning.” he agreed, carefully stepping into the tub. He let out a warm sigh as he settled into the water, then turned his attention once more in Octavia’s direction. “C’mon in, beautiful. I’ll give you a hoof prettifying yourself.”
With the poise and practice of someone who had obviously performed a feat more than a thousand times over, Octavia gracefully stepped into the tub, sinking down into it comfortably. After submerging her whole self for a few moments, her head rose again, her long black mane soaked and slicked down against her head and neck.
“Ahhh!” she exclaimed, thoroughly delighted by the feeling of warm water surrounding her. She cast an appreciative look to her companion. “Just perfect, dear. This is bliss.”
“Is it now? So what does it become when I do this?” the stallion replied, reaching over and hugging her to him.
The classically-trained mare let out a small whine of happiness, melting into the embrace. “I take back my previous assessment. This is bliss.” she giggled softly, leaning into him. “Mmm... this is wonderful.”
“Alright, let’s see here....” Sketchy smiled, glancing around the edge of the bath where all sorts of bottles and jars were lined up. “...I’ll admit I’m not that familiar with your choice of cosmetics, my love. Which one’s the shampoo?” he snickered.
A similar amused sound left Octavia’s lips as she sat up a bit, propping herself up against his chest. “Of course, dear. Us complicated creatures have all sorts of strange substances and implements!” she teased, casting her gaze around before picking up a small bottle and dropping it between his hooves.
“That concoction works wonders for both shine and softness.” she stated matter-of-factly, as though she were reading for an endorsement; something which elicited a further laugh from her companion.
“Alright.” he stated with a nod, before pouring some of the stuff out over her head. As he began to work it through her hair, he felt the mare’s smaller body relax against his own.
“Mmm,” she purred, feeling renewed by the stallion’s delicate touch. “You are a gem, my dear.” she stated, leaning forward to let him get at the whole length.
Sketchy smiled to himself, taking the time to work his hooves gently through her mane. Her hair was quite thick and voluminous, something which he knew made it a pain to groom at times for her. But still, he had to admit, the effort was always worth it.
“Thank you, my dear.” he replied. “And you are a most beautiful mare.” He scooped up some water, rinsing the cleansing foam out of her inky black mane. He smiled upon running his front hooves gently through it once more. “Feels much better now.”
Octavia straightened up again, leaning back against him, and tilted her head up towards his. “It is long and can be quite a pain to care for, but I must admit, I do look good.” she stated with a small giggle. She turned and flashed him a wink, pushing herself up to her hooves.
“Going to help with my tail also?”
Sketchy simply grinned at that, nodding. “If my lady wishes for me to do so, how can I refuse?”
A smile spread on the stone grey pony’s features at that, accompanied by a slight blush. She turned, presenting her back end with her saturated tail to him. “A good thing I did not have a braid in there. That would be next to impossible to remove, now!”
“Too true.” her artist companion agreed, laying a hoof firmly on her rump and giving it a cheeky rub, before turning his attention to her tail. “Let’s sort out that gorgeous tail of yours...”
Octavia giggled a bit at his attentions, wiggling her hindquarters a bit and twitching her tail playfully at him. “Oh! Do we need to stop at your place at all before we head to the park?”
“I can’t think of any reason for us to, off the top of my head.” Sketchy replied, emptying more of the little bottle’s contents onto his companion’s tail. Thankfully, it was an easier task to care for it than her mane was, and he soon had it cleaned up.
Octavia turned around once more as he finished up with her tail, leaning up and planting a soft kiss on his muzzle. “Here, allow me to repay your efforts...” she smiled, taking possession of the shampoo. Before the stallion could object, she emptied some of it into his mane and worked her hooves thoroughly through it. He was a little bemused, however, by the silly grin she wore whilst doing so.
“Wait a minute, what...” he started, until a glance in the mirror revealed that the strings player had used the shampoo to style his mane into a rather ridiculous and, it had to be said, slightly pathetic-looking mohawk.
“Ahaha! I am sorry. I just had to!” Octavia giggled, the same ridiculous grin plastered on her features.
Sketchy shook his head at her, letting out a laugh of his own. “You silly filly!” he grinned, before promptly immersing his whole head under the water. He emerged once more with his mane slicked down against his head and neck, much like the cellist’s had been.
“Ooh, that is simply adorable, dear.” Octavia declared, her heart fluttering with happiness. She kissed the stallion’s nosepad and then lunged forward to hug him in a swirl of warmth and bubbles. Her affection was met with equal delight from Sketchy, who wrapped his forelegs round her and squeezed her to him, her head tucking in under his own.
“Mmm... c’mon, lass. We can’t just play around in here all day, fun as that would be.” he smiled, releasing her after a few moments and planting a kiss on her forehead.
“True, we cannot.” the smaller pony agreed, stepping out of the tub. “And we certainly cannot be late for today’s performance, either! This is of the utmost importance to me, after all.”
Sketchy smiled to himself as he followed her out of the tub, helping himself to a large towel as she did much the same. He found it both slightly amusing and at the same time quite impressive how fastidious she was about her appearance, especially before a performance of any kind. Right now, for example, she had wrapped up her mane in one towel and her tail in another, taking yet another towel to dry her coat with. Having taken care of that, she then began to fuss over her eyelashes, making sure every single one was perfect, before then turning her attention to her teeth to brush them nice and clean. Lastly, she took to her hair with a brush, comb, and a hair dryer, and soon she was the usual picture of immaculate refinement he was used to. She turned to him, and took a small bow.
“My dear, the washroom is yours!” she giggled, trotting out of the room to find her collar and bow-tie.
Rather unsurprisingly, it took Sketchy a lot less time to tend to his appearance. Of course, considering that he had less mane and tail to arrange, and that he preferred a look that could be termed as "smart scruffy", it was to be expected that he needed far less time to sort his appearance than the fastidious mare. He did, however, take a bit more care about his appearance than normal. Perhaps it was because he would be performing, or because he was to be seen out and about with Octavia... or most likely, perhaps it was because both of those would be happening at the same time, in front of his mother no less.
Yes, that would be it!
As it was, when he strolled out of the bathroom, his appearance earned him the appreciative remark of “Do you not look fantastic!” from an admiring Octavia, as she pulled on her bags.
“You look quite fantastic as well, Tavy.” he replied with a smile, trotting over to her and planting a kiss on the back of one of her ears. “Shall we grab our instruments and be on our way? I think it’s a nice enough day to grab breakfast en route.”
The cellist reared up slightly on her hind legs, clapping her front hooves together with a nod. “Oh yes yes yes!” she smiled, clearly eager to set out and enjoy the day. “Ah, where are my stagehands when I need them?” she chuckled, heading over to pick up her instrument case. A small groan left her throat as she hoisted its weight onto her back, though she cast a cheeky smirk in her stallion companion’s direction as he too saw to hoisting his chosen instrument onto his shoulders.
“Fortunately for you, that oboe breaks down into small sections. Such cheating!” she giggled, heading towards the mirror to make the last fine adjustments to her appearance. A quick adjustment of her bow-tie and a push of some stray hair out of her face, and she was finally satisfied.
“Right, you good?” she questioned of Sketchy, looking towards his reflected face. A grin spread across his features.
“You know I’m always good, honey.” he replied with a wink, eliciting a snort and a laugh from the stone grey mare.
“Of course, how silly of me!” she smirked, turning towards the entranceway and making her way to the door. She paused, as always, to briefly admire the picture that took pride of place on the wall, before pulling the door open. A warm breeze blew in, and the warmth of the morning sunlight bathed her face as she made her way out, eliciting a contented sigh from her. “Oh Celestia, you do know how to make such wonderful mornings.”
Her brief ritual wasn’t lost on Sketchy, and a warm smile spread across his features as he followed her outside. “One of my better works, that one.”
Octavia turned in her tracks, walking backwards as she spoke up in return. “It is probably one of the best presents anypony has ever given me, and I get to enjoy it at least twice a day.” she smiled, turning back around as she made her way down the path and out onto the thoroughfare. She was soon joined by her taller companion, who let out a small chuckle as he joined her.
“Well, I’m glad you like it so much,” he replied, giving her a gentle nudge to the side, “though I know these days I could draw an even more spectacular image, given time... I’ve seen that much greater a picture of your beauty, after all.”
Octavia felt a rush of heat in her cheeks, one she knew was certainly not due to the weather. She let out a giggle, casting a coy glance at her partner. “Oh you and your flattery, it will get you just everywhere, you know.” she replied, a playful spring in her step as she led the way along the road towards town. “Are we going to our usual spot?”
“Have you any better suggestions?” her companion enquired with a knowing smile.
The cellist shook her head. “Not anything off-hoof. Besides, we love our sandwich maestro!” she chuckled, though her expression became slightly more serious as a small pang of anxiety shot through her. “I would like something light, anyway. Any performance, even if it is only a small venue, honestly makes me nervous... and this is your mother!”
A small chuckle escaped Sketchy’s throat. It was so very like Octavia to be this way: regardless of the size of the audience or the venue, she was always determined to give it her best.
“Alright lass. But honestly, don’t be too worried. She’s going to love whatever we play, you know.”
The cellist nodded, unconsciously quickening her pace as her thoughts began to swirl a bit. The thought that she should be more relaxed served only to increase her anxiety a little. “I know... but still! First impressions, second, third...!”
She skidded to a halt as her panicked pace almost carried her straight past the turn they were meant to take, and she glanced back round at the stallion with slightly wide eyes as he caught up to her.
“Easy there, lass.” he called, his expression a mix of calm and concern.
Octavia took a breath, cleared her throat, and gave a polite nod to the ponies she had almost run into. She let out a small sigh, and then a smile spread across her features once more as she focused her attention back on her companion.
“Ahem. As I was saying. Food.” she stated, looking at him as though the last few minutes hadn’t happened.
Sketchy shook his head slightly, an understanding smile spreading on his face. “Come on.” he beckoned, heading for the door of the nearby sandwich shop.
The cellist’s eyelids flicked a few times as she followed after him. “I am sorry, I know I need to relax more... I just get very worked up when something is important to me, and now I have to worry about you, too! Not that I mind, I am just not used to that...” she explained, stepping past the stallion as he held the door open for her. She took in a deep breath, the familiar smell of fresh baked bread and delicious vegetables wafting through the air serving to calm her mind somewhat.
The door swung shut as Sketchy let it go, and he sidled up alongside his smaller companion. She felt his breath on her ear as he leaned his head down and gave it a playful nibble. “As I always tell you, Tavy, you’re going to be brilliant.” he cooed softly.
Octavia let out a small squeak and a giggle, pleased by the attention though trying not to look too silly in public. “Ee! That tickles!” she exclaimed, bumping her flank against his before leading the way towards the counter where their mutual friend stood with an expectant smile.
“Ah, good morning Octavia! And you too, Sketchy! How delightful to see you both!” Salad enunciated, her tone proper and refined due to the presence of ponies aside from her friends in the shop.
“Good day, madam.” Octavia replied, nodding her head politely. “Can I have a light greens salad?”
“Indeed you may, dear lady.” Salad replied with a nod of her own, her purple irises then flicking towards Sketchy. “And I take it you will want your breakfast special, sir?”
Sketchy nodded, a smile on his face. “Yes please, Sally. Thanks!”
“Very well then. Please go ahead and find yourselves some seating.” Salad nodded.
“Thank you, dear.” Octavia smiled, flashing the unicorn a brief wink as she turned to look for a table. It wasn’t missed by the unicorn, as she in turn winked briefly to the pair of them as she got to work.
The two musicians soon found seating at a table towards the back of the shop, out of the way of the other customers. Octavia still wore a slightly nervous look, though her anxiety was eased somewhat by the look of calm her companion wore. She glanced around the shop a bit, then back to Sketchy.
“I wonder when... you know... may stop by. I bet this place will be packed after that occurs. I should probably send her a letter some time... just to remind her nicely, I mean.”
“Hm? Oh, you mean her.” Sketchy chuckled. “I’m sure that’ll drive the crowds wild, so to speak. But it’s already a little busier of late, I’ve noticed. Word must have gotten out that there are famous and beautiful ponies eating here.” he stated with a conspiratorial wink.
A soft laugh came from Octavia at that, her tail flicking slightly with amusement. “Point them out if you see them!” she smiled, eliciting a small laugh from the stallion in turn.
“Honey, I see one every day lying next to me when I wake up.” he intoned smoothly.
For the second time that day, the black-maned mare felt her muzzle and cheeks turn red, earning a further chuckle from her companion as he regarded her with a slightly cheeky smile.
It was then that Salad arrived, a tray carrying their dishes floating before her in a soft yellow glow of magic.
“Here you are, you two. Enjoy~!” she smiled, setting the tray down on the table before them.
Octavia swiftly sat up straight, smiling to the unicorn caterer as she tried not to giggle. “Thank you, madam~!” she replied, spinning the words back to Salad as she trotted away from them.
The unicorn glanced back briefly in their direction, flashing them both a big wink over her shoulder as she returned to the counter.
The cellist returned her attention to her companion and the food before them. Her mouth watered a bit as she looked at the delightful arrangement of greens on her plate. “Just delightful, every single time. That filly is incredible.”
“She is, at that.” Sketchy agreed with a grin, lifting the sandwich off his plate and taking a hearty chomp of it. “It’ll be a lucky colt that gets to be with her.” he added, swallowing the bite with a pleased look. “And he better be good himself. Else he’ll have me to deal with.”
“Hear hear! She has a lot of muscle behind her!” Octavia chuckled. She knew full well that he was entirely serious, of course. There was a bond between her earth pony partner and the unicorn filly that was as good as kinship, and it was one she had seen both the good and the bad sides of. She took a bite out of her salad, chewing it happily as the luscious flavour filled her mouth.
“You’d know, lass.” Sketchy grinned, taking another bite out of his breakfast. “But heck, it goes both ways. I’m sure you don’t need me to remind you how she looks out for me.”
“Not at all.” Octavia smiled, swallowing another mouthful of crunchy greens. “I have told you before how I am ever so slightly envious. You have had Sally and Freezy both watching your back for most of your life. Whilst I have not been without acquaintances throughout my days, I would be remiss to consider any of them to be as close to me as they are to you—or, indeed, as you are to me, nowadays.”
The stallion grinned a bit at that last remark, narrowing his eyes slightly in a cheeky fashion. “Well I’d certainly hope there aren’t any other ponies as close as I am.” he winked, causing Octavia to giggle once more and shake her head at him.
“You know what I mean!” she playfully scolded, finishing off the last of her meal. “Mm. I am so ready to tackle this little performance.” she exclaimed – perhaps a little too emphatically, as she raised a few strange looks from some of the nearby patrons. She ducked her head slightly at that, lowering her tone to a whisper.
“Heh! I do not think some of those who know of me have heard or are comfortable with my renewed tones, yet. This is rather good fun.” she giggled quietly.
“Seeing ponies’ reactions, you mean?” Sketchy chuckled. “I can’t blame them though. Hearing your natural tones was a surprise to me, too.”
Octavia giggled a little, sitting back up. “I still can not wait to see Lu—uhm, her. What with her not having yet heard me, and all.”
“Should be fun!” Sketchy nodded, rising from his seat as he had emptied his plate. “Shall we be on our way?”
“Absolutely!” the cellist nodded in reply, picking up her bags and adjusting them properly. “Let us not keep your mother waiting!”
With that, the two of them set off out of the shop, Sketchy once more holding the door open for his smaller companion. They made their way along the road, heading towards the park where they had agreed to play for Trillian.
“You know, I hope there are not too many ponies out today,” Octavia mused aloud, “though I fear this lovely weather may prove a crowd.”
“Ach, who cares if it does, lass?” Sketchy replied with a grin. “There’s only one pony we’re playing for, after all.”
A giggle emanated from the black-maned mare, and she nodded an agreement. “True. And I must admit, I would be lying if I said I did not enjoy it. It is quite exhilarating, especially when I finish a piece and raise my head, and all I see are amazed face. It makes me glad for my parents’ pushing me when I was little.”
She skipped a bit in her step, her hind hooves clicking together, raising a hint of a laugh from her companion.
“Same here. You have quite the amazing talent, after all.” he stated, then leaned his head in close to hers and added in a low whisper “In more ways than one.”
Octavia flashed him a smirk at that, a snort of a laugh escaping her. “You... are silly.” she stated, bumping her flank against his. Her attention then turned to the path before them, as they drew near to the park. “Where will she meet us, you think?”
Sketchy craned his neck slightly, glancing towards the park entrance. A smile spread across his face as he caught sight of a familiar face within. “I would say just inside the entrance, on that bench to our right.”
Octavia glanced in the direction he’d indicated, then with a smile and a bit of a giggle, dropped behind her companion slightly. Whether it was nerves, manners, or a combination of the two, it was clear enough that she wanted Sketchy to break the ice.
The stallion’s smile grew as he led the way over to the bench where the familar form of his mother sat waiting. “Hi mum!”
His greeting was echoed shortly thereafter as Octavia slid up beside him, tilting her head slightly in a small bow of greeting. “Good morning, Trillian!”
“Ah, there you are! Good morning, you two. What lovely weather we have today!” the elder mare smiled, then lowered her voice to a conspiratorial tone. “Do say a thank you for me to your friend Celly if you happen to see her!” she added with a wink.
Octavia clapped a hoof to her muzzle, suppressing a laugh at the older pony’s easy-going comment. Her earlier anxiety swiftly began to melt as she was reminded once more of Trillian’s pleasant demeanour.
“I take it you know somewhere nice to play?” the bespectacled mare went on with an expectant look.
“We do indeed. In the eastern side of the park there is a small theatre, and if nopony is using it then we can play for you there.” Octavia confirmed.
“Well then, by all means lead on, my dears.” Trillian nodded, rising to her feet and drawing alongside Sketchy’s opposite flank.
Octavia found herself once more leading the way to her chosen performance stage. She held her head high and kept her posture dignified, as much as she would if she were about to lead a performance of an entire orchestra. Still, she felt more at-ease just now than she would in the other case, and her eyes roamed as she led the way, taking in the scenery of a blue sky dotted with the occasional wisp of cloud, punctuated with the sound of birdsong wafting through the air mixed in with the laughter of foals playing in the grass. All in all, it was a beautiful day, and here she was enjoying it with her favourite pony in the world at her side along with his ever-entertaining mother.
“She paints quite the picture, does she not?” the cellist mused.
“She sure does.” Sketchy agreed. “We are but dilettantes compared to the master artist, though I daresay she’d be quick enough to say that our additions are what make the masterpiece.”
“You may be right.” Octavia nodded, drawing to a stop in front of the small open-air theatre. It was mostly empty, save for a few ponies milling about the seats or lounging there to enjoy the sunshine. “Madam Trillian, in this venue, you get the front row.” she stated with a graceful bow of her head, then looked up to the purple-coated pony with a giggle. “We had a short practice yesterday, and I think you will enjoy this duet. Did you know he plays oboe?” she questioned, indicating the tall stallion.
“I wasnae aware of that, no, but nor can I say I’m that surprised. That young fellow’s been making a racket with whatever he could get his hooves on since he was just a foal.” Trillian replied with a grin, having raised an eyebrow at the cellist’s revelation.
“Oh, I am sure my parents can relate.” Octavia replied with a giggle, recalling for a moment her own early forays into the world of music. She then turned and led the way down to the front row of seats, depositing her baggage on an empty chair before setting her instrument’s case down on the platform. Taking a look around at the other gathered ponies, she put on her best smile and raised her voice to an announcing tone.
“If you fine ponies do not mind, we are going to play two songs here for a lovely lady on this beautiful day.” Her announcement was met with no objections, and so she set to the task of freeing her prized cello from its case, then set to tending the instrument itself along with its bow.
Whilst she was tending to her tasks, Sketchy had joined her and was himself attending to putting the oboe together from its component parts. He and his partner both were watched over by his mother, who wore a relaxed smile on her face, her eyes twinkling slightly with anticipation.
The cellist soon had her instrument prepared, and she made a small show of running up and down the scales on its strings a few times, emphasising the triads and quadrats in such a way as to make the simple act seem almost like a song in and of itself. She cast a brief wink to her companion as he finished putting his instrument together. “Need help with that?”
“I think it may have gone a bit out of tune when I put it back together here.” he replied, blowing a brief note on it. “Can I get a C?”
Octavia nodded, drawing the black hair of her bow across the cello’s string, easily sustaining the note until she got an assenting nod from the stallion that he was tuned.
“I believe we’re prepared.” he smiled. “Let’s start with the older piece first.” he added with a wink. His fellow musician snickered slightly and nodded, readying herself.
“Madam Trillian, I hope you enjoy.” she stated, turning her attention back towards the mare sat in the front row. She then closed her eyes and took a breath, then struck her bow to the strings, the introductory part of the song calling for vibrancy and life. The theatre was soon filled with the sound of her instrument, and she glanced towards her fellow musician for accompaniment, a smile on her face as she swayed in time to the tune as though it was playing itself.
On cue, Sketchy took the oboe’s reed to his lips and blew life into the instrument. The notes flowed forth, mixing together with the bright and deep tones of the cello, creating quite the aural delight. At the very least, their intended audience seemed to think so, as she sat in her seat with her mouth hanging open a bit in a huge smile. It was to be expected, of course: one of her all-time favourite pieces was being performed just for her, by two of the ponies she loved the most.
As they continued to play, more ponies gathered in the seats before them, drawn by the lively sound of their performance. Octavia’s hooves raced expertly over the strings, finding every last note required of her. As they reached the end of the tune, she managed a brief curtsey to their VIP guest, before turning and blowing a kiss to her fellow performer as the final note resonated through her cello’s strings.
There came a round of applause from the gathered audience as the noted faded, though none were quite so exuberant as Trillian, whose shouts of “Bravo, bravo!” echoed above the other ponies’ hooves.
Octavia clapped her hooves together in a small bit of applause towards her companion. “You were amazing, dear! I am impressed you can play that contraption!” she giggled.
“Why thank you, my love!” he replied with a chuckle. “You were spectacular as ever. My mum certainly seems to have been impressed.”
The cellist smiled, turning her attention back to the foremost member of the audience with a brief bow of her head. She then raised her voice once more as she spoke up.
“Thank you, everypony. Sketchy and I wanted to put on an impromptu concert for his lovely mother, and I am glad you all are here to enjoy it.” she smiled, taking an extra bit of amusement from the assorted expressions of the ponies before her. Her gaze shifted back to her companion again. “Onto the next piece?”
“Aye, lass.” Sketchy nodded, a grin creasing his features. “They seem a tad surprised at hearing your natural tones.”
Octavia giggled a little at that, striking the strings of her instrument briefly with a high, sharp tone. “I think they will learn to love it!”
“I know I do.” the stallion replied, setting the reed of the oboe to his lips.
The cellist shook her mane out a bit and then turned her attention back to the audience once more, her voice calling for attention again. “We are going to play one more piece, something a little different and a little more recent than most pieces I would usually play. Sketchy suggested this as something his mother would enjoy, and I do hope the rest of you will as well.”
With that said, she briefly checked her scaling and glanced to the elder mare in the front row with a smile, before turning her attention to Sketchy again. “On you, mi amor.”
A smile briefly creased Sketchy’s features, and he then began to play. It took Trillian barely a moment to recognise the melody of the song’s introduction, and her face lit up with a delighted smile once more.
As the song moved into where a vocalist would usually take the lead, Octavia instead voiced the notes on her instrument’s strings. The slightly melancholy sound was a fitting substitute for the words that would normally have accompanied the music, and the notes resonated around the small theatre. It was certainly a different atmosphere from the previous piece, though no less appreciated.
The final few notes of the song echoed quietly around the theatre, and there was a moment’s silence. It was broken, however, as Trillian rose to her feet with a shout of “Bha sin dìreach à lainn!” and began to stomp her hooves in applause. She was soon joined by the majority of the other gathered ponies.
Octavia smiled, setting down her instrument and moving across the stage to where Sketchy was sat. She took one of his hooves in her own, and the two of them bowed to their audience.
“Thank you, Trillian. And thank you, everypony!” the cellist declared, before turning to her fellow musician and kissing him on the lips, her shorter height forcing her to put her weight solely on her hind legs in order to reach his muzzle with hers. He was a little surprised but certainly by no means upset at such a public show of affection, one which he happily returned. He broke from it shortly thereafter, however, upon noticing his mother approaching the stage and gesturing for his attention.
Octavia watched with a slightly bemused expression, as the elder mare whispered something in her son’s ear. She raised an eyebrow as he exclaimed “Sure, I’d love that!”, followed by him looking round to her with a smile.
“Would you like to take a seat, my love?” he enquired, a twinkle in his eyes.
The black-maned mare tilted her head slightly, but decided to play along with whatever it was he was up to. “Of course, absolutely.” she nodded, moving down off the stage to occupy the seat Trillian had been sat in as the latter clambered up on the stage in turn.
Trillian parked herself on the stage, and focused her gaze on Octavia. “As a little thank you for such a wonderful performance, I’d like to sing you a song from home, with my son. I doubt it’ll be so brilliant as what you both laid on, mind.”
“Ooh! Yes yes, please do!” the younger mare enthused. “I would love to hear it!”
Trillian nodded her head at that, and glanced to the tall stallion sat next to her. “Alright. Ready?”
“Lead on, mum.” Sketchy grinned with a nod.
There was a moment’s quiet as the dark-haired elder mare drew in a deep breath. She then began to sing, her voice soft and clear in the early afternoon air.
“O, chì, chì mi na mòrbheanna;
O, chì, chì mi na còrrbheanna;
O, chì, chì mi na coireachan,
Chì mi na sgoran fo cheò.”
The song was one Octavia had heard before, albeit an instrumental thereof. She knew it by the name of The Mist-covered Mountains, but had never had the opportunity to hear it sung in its native language.
As the song continued, Sketchy joined in, harmonising on the low end of the scale. It obviously wasn’t the first time he and his mother had sung this song together, as their timing and harmonisation were almost perfect.
Octavia sat, enraptured by their performance as they continued, quietly trying to mouth the lyrics phonetically as the duo continued their song. The very last note was drawn out by both Sketchy and Trillian, both of whom had closed their eyes to focus on their singing throughout. As they finished, however, both slowly opened their eyes to glance at Octavia with a smile, Trillian bowing her head slightly.
The cellist stood to her feet, applauding the pair of them. “Lovely! Simply beautiful, the both of you! Such magic, even unicorns would have to agree. Listen to me gush!” she exclaimed all at once, rather delighted by the rare treat she had been given.
“Why, thank you, my dear.” Sketchy intoned, stepping down from the stage and moving to hug her. She was quick to return his affection, planting a kiss on his cheek as well.
“Absolutely stunning!” she repeated.
“That’s what I think every time I look at you.” the stallion whispered to her with a cheeky giggle. It elicited a blush from the cellist, and she shoved at his chest playfully.
“Oh, you!” she giggled, shaking her head. Her attention then turned upon Trillian, who had stood watching the pair’s antics with some amusement. “Trillian! That was simply mind-blowing! I have had little chance to listen to the music of the Shetlands, but should clearly remedy this. Such a rich musical history they must have, I am jealous!” she exclaimed, her voice alive with enthusiasm.
“Oh come on, I’m hardly the world’s greatest singer.” Trillian playfully retorted, though her purple coated face bore a red tinge regardless. “If you want to hear that kind of thing done properly, you ought to take a trip to Shetland some time. Have this big lug take you there some time and introduce you to his father, or something. It’s as good an excuse as any to make the journey.”
The cellist let out a laugh at that, pondering it thoughtfully. “You know, there is a concert series in the works that may take me close to there, perhaps that is possible!” She turned to look at Sketchy, her eyes large and twinkling. “Would that be interesting to do?”
A warm smile spread across the stallion’s face. Given a look like that, he could hardly refuse her. “Sounds like the perfect plan to me, honey.”
Octavia clapped her front hooves together excitedly. “Fantastic! This, I cannot wait for! Even right now, I am thinking what to pack! My goodness!” she laughed, tending to the task of putting her cello away in its case before grabbing her bags and tossing them over her back.
“It’ll be quite the long trip you know, lass. You’ll have to think carefully what you will and won’t need, depending of course on how much space we’ll have for luggage.” Sketchy pointed out. He was a little surprised to see her smile at that and chuckle to herself. She was quick to explain, however.
“Dear, if we are travelling with the orchestra, we could pack both of our homes and they would be waiting for us when we got there. Not to play my own fiddle, but they do tend to treat me very well when we travel.”
“Well, alright then! I guess it’ll be no problem.” Sketchy chuckled. His voice then dropped a bit in volume as he remembered something the cellist had mentioned earlier. “Do you think we should enquire about returning Lu-Lu’s violin to her?”
Octavia pondered that for a moment, and nodded. “I doubt she would be available right now, of course. It is still rather early in the day. That, and I do not have it with me... but, certainly, we could pass on a message at the least. Perhaps we should stop by the gates and ask, if neither of you would mind?”
Trillian shook her head, smiling at the younger mare. “Not at all, dear. A little more time spent with you two will be nice.”
The stone grey pony shook out her mane, a fond smile on her face as she took a last glance around the small theatre. “Well then, let us see what trouble we can get ourselves into.” she smiled, starting back up the hill that the theatre’s seats were built into. She paused at its crest, taking a moment to admire the scenery and the refreshing breeze that went with it. “I wonder if Freezy is working at the gates today. Ha! Did you tell your mother of that incident?”
“Nope, I didn’t.” Sketchy laughed, recalling the memory himself as he glanced round at his mother with a grin. “Though, no doubt you want to hear all about it now. You of course know how Freezy’s a Guard nowadays. Well, when we had to make a stop by the palace one day, Freeze was on duty and Tavy here didn’t recognise her. ‘course, given the armour and all, it’s not that surprising. She was still pretty embarrassed, though!”
Trillian suppressed a small snort of laughter at that tale, an amused grin painting her face. “Oh my, I can imagine. Still, I know Freeze quite well. I’d wager she wasn’t too terribly upset by it. She was probably more amused than anything, knowing her.”
Octavia let out a laugh of her own, her face going slightly red at the memory. “Well! You know, it is not so often there are filly guards. My assumptions certainly got me into trouble that day!” she stated, shaking her head a bit. “She is a tough girl, certainly. I have to admire that, there is no way I would be capable of putting up with the kind of rigours she endures.”
By now, they had reached the main road leading up to the gates of the Royal Palace, with Octavia leading the way.
“Well, you know our Freezy.” Trillian piped up. “Cool as ice, soft as snow...”
“...tough as a glacier: and that’s how I roll!” Sketchy finished off, letting out a laugh.
The cellist stopped, turning to stare confusedly at her two companions. “What... the... what?”
“Ahaha, I guess I should’ve mentioned it to you before, Tavy. That’s a motto of Freeze Pop’s, one she’s had ever since she was a little filly. So you know she’s had it some time.” Sketchy explained with a grin.
“Aha! I see!” Octavia giggled, nodding as she was clued in to the joke. “That is rather funny. Somehow I can see her saying that, too.” She cast her gaze back towards the palace gates, trying to see if there were any familiar faces among the seemingly identical Guards stood to the sides of the gateway.
“It fits her, though.” Trillian pointed out. “She’s got a cool head, a strong will, and a lot of muscle... and yet, she’s a big softy on the inside. Well, and outside too; I’ve always adored that coat of hers. She and her parents are polar ponies through and through.”
“They sure are. I can’t tell if any of those on duty are her—” Sketchy began, but he was interrupted by his mother’s voice calling a single word.
“Litla!”
The guard on the left suddenly perked up, stared in their direction, and smiled. “Well well!” she called back, her voice immediately giving away her identity to the three of them. “Fancy seeing you here!”
Sketchy and Octavia both were somewhat impressed, the two of them blinking a few times in surprise.
“How the heck did you know that one was her, mum?”
“I had a feeling.” Trillian replied with a bit of a cheeky grin. “That, and I know there’s only one Royal Guard who recognises that word; or at the least who’ll respond to it like that.”
“Gaman að sjá þig, Trillian. Although perhaps for the sake of these two, we should stick to a tongue we’re all familiar with?” Freeze chuckled as the three of them approached her station.
“What... was that you just spoke?” Octavia enquired, both surprised and fascinated at the same time.
“Hmm? Ah, that was the language of the Frozen North, Tavy. You could say I’m a first generation immigrant to this part of the world... I spent the first few years of my life growing up on a snowy mountain in the middle of nowhere. I just have very little call to use the language around here.”
“Of course, I’m sure you can already imagine how, when I noticed how her folks sounded, I spent a lot of time conversing with them whenever possible.” Trillian chuckled. “It’s hardly a coincidence that she and Sketchy became such good friends... or, well, perhaps rivals would be the better term, considering how boisterous those two were when they were little.”
“I see!” Octavia nodded, somewhat delighted to have learned yet more about her friends’ earlier lives. “Oh, before we get you into trouble, Freezy... I was wanting to make an enquiry of Her Highness, Princess Luna. I, well... I think it is past time I let her take her violin back.”
The sturdily built pegasus nodded her head briefly. “I’ll handle that personally.” she replied, casting a brief glance toward her colleagues. “So long as you don’t mind holding the fort here?” she added with a smile. Her fellow Guards simply nodded an assent, at which she returned her gaze to Octavia. “I’ll go and ask just now, if she’s awake.”
Octavia bowed her head graciously. “You have my thanks, Freezy. I have been so worried that something may happen to it, you have no idea how out of my mind I have been going. Rest assured, however, she has been well cared for and is in perfect playing condition.”
“I’m sure Her Highness would have expected nothing less of you, Octavia.” Freeze Pop smiled, spreading her wings. “You needn’t trouble yourself to wait, I expect it’ll take a little while to get in to see her even if she is awake. I’ll catch up with you later on, or she’ll send you a letter I expect.” She then glanced over to the elder of the two earth pony mares, and smiled. “Lovely to see you again, Trillian!” she said, before launching herself into the air and up over the palace gates.
Octavia smiled as she watched the pegasus vanish off into the gardens. “Pegasus ponies. Always so... yes.” She had no words for her feelings towards that particular tribe of ponies. Love them or loathe them, there was no denying that they could really take your breath away, sometimes. “Thank you, sirs.” she added with a gracious nod of her head to the other Guards. She turned and began to walk away, turning her gaze on Trillian once more.
“You... are full of tricks, madam.” she giggled, a smile lighting up her face.
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it, my dear.” the bespectacled earth pony replied, smiling the devious little smile she had worn quite often. “What were you two planning for the rest of the day?”
“I... do not really have anything going on. I was generally taking today as it comes.” Octavia replied, looking over to her stallion companion. She couldn’t help but smile, and she moved to kiss him on the cheek softly, before asking “Anything on your mind, dear?”
Sketchy lifted a hoof to his chin thoughtfully, nodding a bit. “...I do have some artwork that I shouldn’t put off finishing any longer if it’s to meet the deadline.” he replied. “Thankfully, it’s a perfect day for sitting out on the balcony with the ol’ drawing board and some good company.”
The cellist clapped her front hooves together briefly, a smile spreading on her face. “That sounds like an excellent idea! I just love your home, and I think I could stand a change of scenery besides. A good thing I packed a few extra things just in case.”
“Well then, I think I’ll leave you two to that.” Trillian nodded, a fond look on her face as she regarded the pair. “I have a few other ponies I ought to go and catch up with today while I still have the time – and I don’t much fancy trotting up all those steps!” she added with a knowing grin in Sketchy’s direction.
“Oh, those infernal stairs! I had to have new shoes fitted just for them, you know.” Octavia chimed in with a laugh. “Though, it was worth the cost and the slight inconvenience.”
“Aye, that doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.” Trillian affirmed. “I’ve only been up there a scant few times in my life, and it wore me out each time. Anyway, I shall be on my merry way to catch up with a few more familiar faces. You two enjoy the rest of your day! And thank you again for such a lovely performance earlier. I couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful memento of my visit.” she stated warmly.
Octavia bowed her head towards the older mare. “Madam Trillian, it is always a pleasure... and no, you will not ever get that habit away from me.” she added, flashing the linguist a wink as she looked back up. “You have a fantastic day, and enjoy what remains of your visit.”
“Well, I can’t say I didn’t try, Miss Octavia!” Trillian giggled, shaking her head slightly. “Ah... I’ll see you both later.”
With that, she trotted over to the larger of the two younger ponies and put her forelegs around his shoulders. He smiled, returning the embrace happily.
“Love you to bits, mum.” he said softly, briefly rubbing his nose against hers as she released him.
“You too, son.” she replied in an equally tender manner, before turning and approaching Octavia. The cellist was happy to embrace her as well, hugging the older mare tightly.
“Thank you for your wonderful son.” she whispered quietly, so only Trillian would hear. “If you should need anything, do let me know.”
Trillian nodded to Octavia as the two released each other, a warm smile on her face. “Will do.” she nodded, then raising her voice to its normal level. “You two have fun, now!” she continued, offering a wave of her hoof before turning and making her way down the road.
The two musicians watched her go, the smaller of the pair leaning her weight a bit against the larger.
“Have I said it today, Sketchy? Your mother is... incredible. Your friends must have a wealth of stories to tell... my, I dare say I am jealous!”
“There are the odd few.” Sketchy nodded, then snickered slightly. “Though I have to say, it feels rather weird for you to be jealous of me.”
Octavia made a thpbtpbt sound as she blew a small raspberry. “Want to know the synopsis of my childhood?” she stated, turning to face him as they began their walk along the road. “Octavia, you must play! Octavia, you must play better! Octavia, you must go to practice! Octavia, you must go to concert!” She rolled her eyes a bit, then smiled. “I never really had proper friends, it was just ponies I knew from orchestra, or from class, and then, school work. So much schoolwork. Not enough to out-play any other pony, I had to have perfecto grades.”
Sketchy nodded, frowning a little. “Sounds like it was rough.”
Octavia’s expression softened as she regarded him, and her tone became lighter as she went on. “Oh, do not get me wrong, mi amor. I do love my parents, for it was they that drove to to do something that I truly love, and now that I have met you and other ponies besides, my world has changed so much. And so, now I have both: ponies I can truly call my friends, and something I can pour my heart into.”
Sketchy’s expression in turn brightened on hearing that. “Well then, I’m glad to have helped bring that sort of completion to your life.” he intoned happily, trotting up alongside her. “C’mon, let’s be on our way. I think we’ve earned our lazy afternoon.”
Thus, a short while later, the two ponies were once more within the familiar confines of Sketchy’s apartment. The two of them deposited their bags and belongings to one side as they entered, with Sketchy then promptly trotting over to a pile of papers sat in one corner. He picked up a sketchpad from on top of it, one which held both a pencil and an eraser threaded through its ring bindings, and headed up the stairs to the balcony window with it. Setting the pad down, he pulled open the window before turning his head to glance back down the stairs.
“Tavy dear?”
“Yes, Sketchy?” the cellist replied, glancing up in his direction as she carefully laid her cello to rest against a wall.
“Would you do me a wee favour and bring my drawing board up with you? It’s the big bit of wood next to the desk down there.”
“Certainly, just... uhh, hold on a moment...” Octavia called back, locating the slightly unwieldy looking board in question. She frowned a bit, then carefully grasped it in her teeth and picked it up. It was a little heavier than she’d expected, and she had to fight with it for a moment to properly balance it in her grasp. She rather carefully made her way to the stairs, doing her best to not run into everything en route, and then slightly clumsily made her way up the stairs, almost tripping over the top step. She finally arrived alongside her mate, regarding him with slightly wide eyes as she panted a bit through her nostrils, carefully setting the board down next to him where he sat. She brushed her mane back a bit and cleared her throat.
“Grace, poise, perfection.” she nodded, getting an amused grin from him at that.
“Thank you, my love.” he added, setting his pad down on the board. He then raised a foreleg invitingly. “Now then, why don’t you come sit here with me, and I’ll shield you from the wind while I work?”
Octavia gave a soft chuckle at that, stepping up to him and clambering up into the generously-sized seat, settling herself with her back against his underside. She curled up a little as the stallion’s foreleg came back down to hold his drawing board in place, making herself more comfortable against him. She cast her gaze out over the scenery, taking a deep breath of the fresh afternoon air, littered with the scents of late-blooming flowers.
Sketchy meanwhile began to flip through the pages of the pad, his neck bending down over one of his companion’s shoulders. He had soon found an occupied page of the pad, one which had on it a drawing that was clearly going through the last stages of refinement. It was a pencilled rendering of a photograph, and the subjects of the picture were instantly recognisable to any pony who hadn’t been living under a rock of late. All six of them wore expressions of happiness: clearly, this was a close-knit group of friends.
The stallion picked up his pencil carefully, beginning the painstaking work of the last bits of refinement to the image. Octavia, meanwhile, had turned her attention to the page, eyeing it carefully.
“I recognise those ponies. Especially that frizzy-maned one.” she stated at length in a dry tone, though she couldn’t really bring herself to feel too deep a feeling of upset or resentment as she snuggled close to the warm body of the artist. “You do make some fantastic artwork, dear.” she stated, gingerly stroking the soft part of her hoof over the edge of the page to feel the texture of it.
“Mmm. Fankf, hon.” Sketchy replied with a smile around the pencil he held between his teeth. “Diff here’f acshully a requeft from vun ov duh ponief Freeze knowf. Feemf dey’re a big fan ov rhe Elementf, and it’f dheir birfday foon. Diff if ngoing coo ge a furprife.”
Octavia had to suppress a giggle at how silly the stallion sounded as he spoke with a pencil stuck in his mouth. “You are so cute sometimes.” she smiled, looking from the page to him and back again. “You know, if it was not for those ponies, the Grand Galloping Gala would have been as boring as ever it was.” she stated with a lazy flick of her tail, quite comfortable where she sat.
“Mmhmm?” Sketchy chuckled, laying down his pencil and picking up the eraser to carefully smooth out the lines some more. He then set that down in favour of a brush to sweep away the graphite and rubber residue. He then set that down too, and lifted his head a bit to rest his chin gently atop Octavia’s head. he let out a sigh of contentment from both the feeling of having more or less finished a piece, and from the current company he had as he wrapped his forelegs a bit more snugly around her. “It’s good they livened it up, then. What would life be without some excitement, after all?”
His companion yawned a bit, the slowly waning light combined with the day’s activities taking its toll on her. “Uh-huh, though... still, rudeness.” she stated idly, letting out a small chuckle. “I am over it, though. It is honestly more of a joke for me now, and I have made my peace.”
“That’s good.” Sketchy affirmed, carefully closing the pad once more. “I’d better put this back inside, you know. Would you mind grabbing my board again?” he asked, nuzzling the smaller pony’s ears gently.
Octavia’s ears flicked playfully at the attention, and she slowly slid out of his lap before trotting over to the railing. She took a long look out over the scenery below, taking it in with a contented smile and a deep sigh, before turning her attention back towards Sketchy. “Sure thing, dear.” she stated, stepping over and taking a better grasp of the board this time as she followed him inside.
“You can just set it down here by the table for now, lass.” Sketchy instructed, having dropped his sketchpad on the same table. “I’ll probably want to bring it outside again some time soon... that, and I’ve a sneaking feeling you might end up doing yourself a mischief if you tried carrying it back down the stairs.” he added in a slightly teasing tone.
His sentence earned him a raspberry from Octavia—or rather, it would have done had her mouth not been full of wood at the time she attempted to blow one. She rolled her eyes, set the board down, and then directed a playful pthpbtpbt in his direction as she trotted over and bumped her flank against his. “You teasing me, dear?” she inquired, locking eyes with him in an attempt to appear menacing.
Sketchy couldn’t help but find his mate’s attempt at intimidation anything but adorable, and he let out a giggle as he leaned his face down towards hers. His nose pressed up against hers, and he rubbed the end of his snout firmly against hers. “And if I am?” he questioned, a mischievous look in his eyes. “What does the terrible Octavia plan to do to me if I am being so bold as to tease her?” he went on, a tone of mock fear in his voice with a huge grin on his face.
The grey mare bared her teeth—an act which would probably have been a lot more scary were she not a herbivore—and growled. She then leapt forward as though pouncing on prey... and kissed the taller pony on the nose. “Ha! Take that ruffian!” she laughed.
Sketchy raised a forehoof to his head in mock lament. “Oh, how terrible! She kissed my nose! The horror! I’m terrified!” he chuckled.
Octavia shook her head at him with a knowing smile, flashing him a wink as she trotted over to the bed and parked herself on the edge of it. She stretch a bit, letting out a yawn. “It has been a good day, has it not?”
Sketchy followed her over and pushed his head into her chest, gently toppling her over onto her back. His head stayed close to that area as she lay there, and he nuzzled gently at her. “A wonderful day, I’d say. Though it’s not like it’s completely over yet.” he replied in a warm tone.
There was a subtext to the way he said it that wasn’t lost on the mare, and she let out a soft giggle, wrapping her forelegs loosely around his neck. The relaxed smile she wore as she did so told him she knew what he was thinking, and also that she had almost been anticipating this. He lifted his head a bit and rubbed noses with her once more.
“Have I ever told you that you are simply adorable sometimes, Tavy my love?”
Octavia’s eyes locked with his, and her smile stretched further on her features. “Today, or within the last, hmmm... ten minutes or so?”
The stallion let out a hearty laugh at that and buried his nose in her neck, nuzzling at her playfully. She in turn wrapped her forelegs tighter around him, closing her eyes and immersing herself in the warm affection being given her.
All in all, it was a perfect end to a perfect day.