The assembled ponies erupted into yet another round of applause as the last of Rarity’s ensembles was paraded down the runway. The yellow earth pony displaying the dress tried to maintain a professional look but Rarity couldn’t help but notice the edges of her mouth turning upwards as the crowd stared at her. She couldn’t blame her, having ones moment in the spotlight was a fabulous experience. Or at least it should be. Rarity couldn’t help but remember when Hoity Toity had attended her very first fashion show, the image of the dresses she had created for her friends still haunted her from time to time. But then again everything had worked out alright in the end. Something she sincerely hoped would happen tonight.
As the yellow pony finished her last waltz and began her return trip up the runway Rarity took a deep breath. The moment was fast approaching and she just hoped that everything was in place. Despite Octavia’s earlier reluctance and shock she had eventually started to relax around the DJ unicorn. Rarity had to admit that she was hard to get along with, always so brash and in your face. The concept of personal space seemingly didn’t exist for her and neither did basic manners and decency…but that said she wasn’t vulgar out of spite and had a heart of gold once you actually saw it.
The pair had been practicing all the previous day, Vinyl only disappearing a few times to rush back to her studio and pick up yet another set of records or mix up a new beat. The afore mentioned items still cluttered Rarity’s castle room, stacked up in piles all over the place. Rarity was sure that Opal had actually been buried underneath one of the stacks that had collapsed at some point over the last few days. Despite it all though Rarity could see a growing confidence in the earth pony and, despite Octavia chastising Vinyl at every possible opportunity, you could see a growing sense of respect between the two ponies based purely on their joint love of music.
Rarity still found herself marveled by Octavia’s strong will. No matter how many times she had been put down, no matter the pain or turmoil she had been through, she always managed to pick herself up and carry on. In part she was slightly envious, in Octavia she could see everything that she had looked for in a stallion herself. A strong determined heart with a deep well of kindness and empathy. Rarity smiled, whoever got her was a lucky pony.
With a final glance at the now empty runway Rarity turned towards the stairs leading up to the stage. She was nervous, not just for Octavia but for herself as well. If everything fell apart it wouldn’t just be the earth pony in trouble, it would be herself as well. Each step felt like her hoof was encased in cement and her breathing shuddered slightly. As she reached the top of the steps and a spotlight fell on her she took a deep breath and set a look of determination upon her face. This was it.
“Fillies and Gentlecolts,” she announced in her usual tone as she took a few steps up the runway, “Thank you so very much for coming tonight and I trust the evening has been entertaining for you.”
The crowd began clapping to show their appreciation but all Rarity had to do was raise a hoof and the applause slowly died back.
“Now then, I have a special announcement to make. As I’m sure some of you will have noticed the music for tonight’s show has been a little different to normal.”
A slight murmur ran through the crowd as the various ponies turned to their neighbour to converse. Indeed the music had been substantially different. Whilst normally Vinyl Scratch would have been playing some of her more mellow beats this time the gentle melody of a string instrument had been playing throughout the whole show. Rarity could tell that some ponies had indeed noticed, ear twitching one way and the other as they had tried to work out what the music had been.
“Well I’m pleased to announce a little something extra not featured in your guide. The musician responsible for tonight’s music has agreed to put on a little performance for you all and I do hope you enjoy it.”
With that she stepped aside waving her hoof backwards as the curtain at the end of the stage lifted. Behind it stood the form of a pony, their features masked by the lack of light that was illuminating them. Another murmur ran through the crowd, who was this mysterious pony? The pony was stood next to a large instrument, it too shrouded in darkness, using it as a support as a spare hoof slowly drew a long bow from her side. Still encased in darkness the pony brought the bow down into contact with the instrument itself and paused. The crowd was silent as they waited to see what would happen.
Then the music started. A slow melodic backing beat provided by Vinyl as an accompaniment to what was to come. With expert precision the pony drew the bow across the instrument, the notes fierce and determined as the pony continued to play the bow across the strings. As the notes continued the backing track began to grow in intensity, growing louder and louder as the playing pony continued to slice notes out of the air.
The crowd could do little but gaze and Rarity found herself staring aghast at what the duo had created. Just then the tempo increased, the pony on stage increasing her movement as note after note tumbled from the instrument. Then suddenly the backing beats stopped and the pony on stage seemed to start playing even faster. The energy built like a raging inferno, the ponies hoof a blur as she played the bow back and forth with mounting energy. As the backing beats slowly started to build in time once more the pony on stage stopped abruptly.
For a moment a silence resonated through the air before both the pony and the beats resumed although at a slower earlier pace now. The energy was still there though and each note carried incredible weight with it. And so it continued, the rising and falling tempo of both the pony and the music behind her synchronised to perfection. There was no let up, no lull in the tempo, nothing, just pure emotion and spirit that felt like it was reaching into your very soul.
By the time the music finally started to build to a finale everypony was glued to the stage, completely absorbed by the music. As the final note was strung and the backing beats came to a climactic finish everypony in the crowd started to cheer and clap. None of them had heard music like it before and the calls for an encore were quick to begin. The pony on stage remained motionless, still encased in shadow…but not for long.
As the stage lights finally lit up everypony in the crowd suddenly fell silent. Octavia stood tall, resting defiantly against her instrument as she looked out at the sea of faces staring back at her in shock. The moment seemed to last forever, Octavia feeling her confidence waver as the crowd remained silent and unsure. Rarity took a deep breath and stepped forwards.
“Let’s have a big cheer for our mystery musician tonight, Octavia Melody,” she announced with a wave of her hoof.
Again there was a moment of silence. Rarity felt a chill of pure fear running down her spine, it couldn’t end like this could it? Then, from the back of the crowd, a voice run out.
“Woo-hoo! Go Octavia!” it cried, each syllable separated by a dry sounding cough.
Octavia felt her heart skip a beat, it couldn’t be.
“Brass?!” she cried quickly, dropping to her hooves and looking out across the sea of faces.
In that moment nothing seemed to matter to her, not the shocked reaction of the crowd, not her music, nothing…only the single voice that had cried out above it all. She scanned left and right and then back again, the second pass catching something waving in the crowd. Looking at it she found herself locking eyes with her friend and her sister. The two ponies stood side by side, well Quill stood and Brass leaned…on Quill. Brass was wrapped up in a multitude of layers to keep her warm but despite the weight of her illness she was still smiling.
Octavia bolted towards her, racing down the runway and leaping down into the crowd. A gap opened up for her and the eyes of the ponies around her followed her as she scythed through the crowd towards her friend. As she approached she didn’t slow, almost launching herself at the earth pony and throwing her hooves around her neck.
“Brass! Oh Brass!” she sniffed, tears of joy slowly sliding down her cheek, “It’s so good to see you.”
“Couldn’t miss this now could I?” replied Brass with a few coughs.
“But I though…”
“I was too ill? Well I’m probably going to regret this later but I couldn’t abandon you after all we talked about back in Vanhoofer.”
“But how did you know?” asked Octavia slowly as she pulled back from her friend slightly.
“Your friend Rarity sent us a letter,” cut in Quill as she held up a flyer for Rarity’s fashion show with a hoof written letter elegantly written across the back.
Octavia looked back towards the stage, only to find the white unicorn moving towards her through the crowd. She was smiling happily as she approached almost looking like she was on the verge of tear herself.
“Well I couldn’t let everything go without trying one last time,” explained Rarity before Octavia could ask, “Even after everything you’ve been through you were still so determined to go on and it didn’t feel right to let that go un-noticed.”
“Hear hear,” came a voice from the side, calm and masculine.
Again Octavia froze, her head snapping round to find a deep blue earth pony standing not more than a few meters away. He had a slight grin on his face, a beaming look of pride and respect etched into every facet of his expression. He stepped forwards and then stopped.
“Good evening Octavia,” he said politely.
“P-Parish…? What are you…”
“The same reason Brass is here, your friend Rarity sent me a flier in the mail. I must say I did debate on whether I should come but I’m glad I did. Hearing you play again has certainly made your struggle easier to understand.”
“Parish…I…”
“Not another word my dear Octavia, I think you performed splendidly tonight, you should be proud.”
With that Parish started clapping, Brass, Rarity and Quill joining him a moment later. Slowly but surely the clapping began to spread, one pony after another adding their own applause to the growing noise that filled the air. Octavia could feel the tears trickle down her face as she slowly turned to look around her. Where once the faces of the various ponies had been shocked or even disgusted to see her now each of them looked at her with a fresh perspective. Most were smiling, a few of the more excited show goers beaming and clapping a little more energetically. Even Lyrica Lilac, a pony who had until recently simply dismissed the cello player, was clapping although she still managed to keep a straight face…it wasn’t always possible to turn everypony immediately it seemed. Still Octavia didn’t seem to care.
“Thank you….thank you everypony!” she replied, trying her best to keep her voice from cracking as she took a small bow.
-------------------------------
“…and then when you started freestyling during the third encore! Oh man did I ever lose my tail hairs! You seriously nearly got me on that one, had to really mix those beats to keep up! Sick, totally sick!”
“V-Vinyl…I wasn’t ‘freestyling’, I was allowing the music to guide me. There’s a difference,” sighed Octavia as she rubbed a hoof against her temple.
Despite the seemingly never ending stream of words the DJ pony was outputting Octavia couldn’t help but smile slightly. Tonight had been better than anything she could have hoped or dreamed of. Her concert had been a tremendous success and four encores later Octavia had finally found herself too exhausted to continue. The crowd had been disappointed but understanding and as she had finally stepped down the noise of the applause had reached a peak that exceeded anything else that evening.
“Yeah whatever,” continued Vinyl, seemingly unconvinced by Octavia’s explanation, “You’re still a totally awesome musician! Hey, we should totally do this again sometime, maybe at your next show Rare!”
“Well we’ll have to see about that,” replied Rarity with a shake of her head, “Thank you for your assistance tonight my dear, I’ll forward the usual fee to your account tomorrow.”
“Fee? Oh no way! Tonight was on me!” protested Vinyl, “No seriously, it was a treat to help out.”
“Are you sure darling?”
“Totally, besides I have to repay Octi for all the problems I’ve caused.”
“Please stop calling me Octi, its Octavia,” groaned the earth pony as she pressed a hoof to her forehead.
“I think it suits you Octi,” cut in Brass with a grin.
“Oh don’t you start too Brass,” moaned Octavia as she looked towards her friend.
Brass just gave a small chuckle as she looked back with tired yet happy eyes. She looked weary, her illness taking its toll on her physical condition, yet there was a spark about her that hadn’t been present for a long time. Octavia could see it, the childish eagerness, the overexcited joy, there was the Brass she knew; this is who she was meant to be.
“Childish banter aside,” interrupted Parish before the pair started to bicker, “I have to say you performed marvelously tonight Octavia. To think you’ve been through everything you’ve told us about and still be able to play like that. It’s quite a marvel…and I have to say I feel refreshed and revitalised after seeing it.”
“Thank you Parish,” replied Octavia with a nod of her head.
Like Brass, Parish seemed a different pony. In Baltimare he had seemed sharp and a little on edge but now he was relaxed and mellow. He had always been the stable pillar in the ensemble, always there for everypony and always the voice of reason in the midst of chaos.
“Are you sure you won’t reconsider Octavia’s request?” asked Rarity curiously.
“I’m afraid not my dear,” replied Parish with a shake of his head, “Tonight has been amazing and to see Octavia’s determination on show was a true eye opener but…I’ve moved on. I have a new job, a new friends, new commitments and responsibilities. I can’t rightly throw them all to the wind on a whim. Octavia doesn’t need our help any more, she’s already proven her strength…wouldn’t you say Brass?”
“Indeed,” replied the sousaphone player with a nod before turning to Octavia, “I know you did all this to try and make up for what happened but I think I speak for both of us when I say that we forgive you. It’s been a hard year for all of us but none of us need to suffer anymore…especially you Tavi.”
Octavia gave a small sniff and looked back at the two ponies in front of her. She had been dreaming of this day for so long, the relief of being forgiven, the sense of pride for what she had accomplished. Her eyes began to water, the pony looking away slightly to rub her eyes. As she did her breathe caught in her throat. She felt a chill run down her spine and her eyes shot open. Those stood around her noticed and frowned before looking in the same direction. The frowns deepened as everyone locked their gaze on a brown coloured pony standing half hidden behind a doorframe.
“You…you didn’t…?” snapped Octavia with a tone verging on sheer panic as she looked round at Rarity.
“Yes, yes I did,” replied the unicorn, “Despite everything that’s happened I didn’t want to exclude anypony…even Frederick.”
The pianist didn’t speak, instead he just looked at them all with one eye, his expression filled with defiance and yet mellowed with…fear? The silent moment was quickly broken by Parish, the earth pony stepping forwards a few steps as his expression flickered with loathing.
“How dare you show your face here you despicable pile of cowardice!” he snapped harshly, “Don’t think for one moment that we don’t know what you said to Octavia, she told us the whole story.”
“Woah, things just got real,” commented Vinyl with a chuckle.
Rarity and Brass quickly exchanged a look of intolerance before Brass turned to Quill and motioned towards Vinyl. The energetic writer quickly grabbed the DJ and started to drag her across the room towards the far door.
“Aaaaw, but I wanted to watch,” complained Vinyl before Quill shut the door and left the others alone.
Parish didn’t even seem to have noticed the shenanigans going on behind him. Instead he continued to walk slowly towards Frederick, all the time his tone becoming louder and angrier.
“I’m ashamed to think I ever considered you a friend! Despite everything that has happened it gives you no right to speak to a mare that way.”
He stopped in front of Frederick, the pianist still looking away with one eye fixed on the approaching harp player. The defiant look in his eye held firm and yet it seemed to flicker like grass in the wind. There was a moment of silence, a moment in which Octavia and Frederick locked gaze. The defiant look melted away to reveal what was behind; regret, sorrow and pleading wishes of forgiveness. As Parish raised a hoof to strike a blow Frederick’s eye snapped shut, the pony recoiling and shivering where he stood.
“Wait!” cried Octavia suddenly, Parish halting in mid strike as he looked back at her.
“What? Octavia?” asked Parish, unsure if what he had heard was actually correct.
“I said wait,” replied Octavia as she took a few steps forwards.
Parish opened his eye nervously, everypony now able to see the slight shaking of his body.
“Look at me Frederick,” instructed Octavia slowly, “…please?”
For a moment he didn’t move and simply shut his eye once more. As he opened it again he turned to look at them properly, the hidden side of his face coming into view. Everypony gasped at the sight. The entire side of his face was bruised his eye encircled by a deep purple ring. Octavia faltered slightly, recoiling back slightly at the sight before taking a deep breath.
“Frederick…what happened?” she asked quietly.
Yet again Frederick was silent, each of the ponies around him waiting with baited breath for an answer.
“It…it was Silver Service,” replied Frederick at length with a sullen tone, his eyes closing as he began to speak, “he must have been listening when…after you left he…turns out that despite his age he still has a nasty right hoof.”
Frederick paused to raise his own hoof to his bruised eye, wincing slightly at the contact.
“He said I’d disgraced the family and that he’d had enough…he quit his job a moment after striking me. After that I spent the next day thinking about everything that had happened, about everything that I’d said and done. I…I thought I was justified, I thought I was acting rashly as anypony else would…turns out I wasn’t. I don’t expect you to forgive me Octavia but I hope you can at least find it in yourself to not hate me, I’m just sorry I couldn’t do that for you.”
As Frederick finished speaking a silence fell upon the room. All eyes were on Octavia, the grey pony stunned at the words that he had spoken. Was it really true? Had she heard correctly? For a moment she felt rage building up inside her, a year of struggle and pain boiling to the surface and threatening to spill over. At the same time though her mind managed to keep itself above the seething mass of emotion, the only betrayal on her otherwise emotionless face being the slight twitching of her right eye.
What was the right thing to do? Should she forgive him? Frederick who had done nothing but blame and insult her ever since it had all started happening? The pony who had disowned her as a friend and didn’t care if she died? And yet despite everything she felt sorry for him. Anger and hatred could twist even the most steadfast pony and Frederick had always been prone to being emotional.
She took a step forward, the room falling even more silent as she approached Frederick. Her face remained emotionless, void of any reaction at all. This only seemed to unnerve Frederick even more, the pianist casting a glance at the door behind him as Octavia approached. She stopped in front of him, pausing for a moment before raising a hoof slightly. Frederick flinched and shut his eyes expecting to feel the cold impact of rejection. Instead he felt a hoof fall across his shoulder and a moment later the warm embrace of the cello player as she nuzzled into his neck.
“Oh Frederick, I’m so sorry for everything I’ve put you through,” sniffed Octavia, tears threatening to spill over as she spoke, “I could be angry with you for how you’ve treated me and…someponies would think I was justified in doing so. Despite everything that has happened though I…I still consider you a friend and more than anything I want us all to be together in this moment like we used to be. I…I may not be able to forgive you just yet but I don’t hate you Frederick. You’re my friend and always will be no matter the circumstance, just like Parish and Brass. It’s…it’s just good to see you.”
“And you Octavia…” replied Frederick as his own tears began to slowly pool in the corner of his eye.
“Glad to see you’ve come to your senses at long last,” added Brass as she took a step forwards.
“I’m sorry Brass,” replied Frederick as he pulled back from Octavia’s embrace, “I haven’t been acting as I should. I got so caught up in my own emotions to even realise what I was doing to every pony else.”
He paused to rub a hoof against his bruised face once more, “It took this to finally snap me out of my own head for a while. Silver has always been like an uncle to me ever since I was little…hearing those words from him…it…struck home rather heavily.”
“Emotions can be a powerful thing Frederick,” spoke Octavia as she took a step back and shot a glance at the pony next to her, “Can’t they Parish?”
The harp player gave a small cough and nodded, “Indeed they can, my apologies Frederick, it would seem that my earlier actions were a little too hasty.”
Frederick gave a small smile and nodded. Meanwhile Rarity watched the scene unfold before her. The heavy weight of doubt and uncertainty that had been resting on her shoulders throughout the entire day finally gave way and allowed her to breathe normally. Everything had worked out; the show, Octavia’s performance, reuniting the cello player with her fellow musicians. Everything had gone to plan, everything but…
Rarity shook her head, perhaps her final wish was too much to hope for but it would have been the cherry on top of an otherwise perfect day. Still, she had managed to accomplish what she had set out to do. She had brought light back to Octavia’s world and as she watched the four musicians begin to laugh and chatter she couldn’t help but shed a few tears of her own.
At length Octavia turned and trotted over towards Rarity. She was smiling, her cheeks damp with a seemingly constant flow of joyful tears. She didn’t speak, she didn’t need to, as she put a hoof around Rarity’s neck and hugged her tight. Behind her the other three musicians walked up and watched silently as the pair embraced. Octavia couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so happy. Her life was indeed different to what it had been before but now she had hope and direction. She could look forward to the future without being weighed down with the mistakes of the past. She felt free.
“Rarity, I…”
“Hush darling, you don’t have to say a thing,” interrupted Rarity with a gentle squeeze, “I only did what I felt was right, there’s no need to thank me.”
No need to thank me…the mare had repeated those words so often over the last few days. It didn’t seem right though. Rarity had risked a lot to help her, had bent over backwards to do everything she could, and still asked for nothing in return. It was like she was an angel sent to watch over her, her angel! A feeling began to blossom in Octavia’s heart, a need and a pull so strong that it couldn’t be resisted. All her life she had longed for this, to have somepony to look out for her, somepony that cared about her more than anything in the world, somepony that would move the world just for her. Would another pony have done everything that Rarity had? In that moment a cascade of emotion swept over her, a burst dam that had been threatening to overflow for days. She loved Rarity!
“Oh Rarity…”
She pulled back sharply, the earth pony having but a brief moment to catch the puzzled look on Rarity’s face before she leaned in and planted a long and firm kiss right on Rarity’s lips. Behind Octavia a set of surprised gasps sounded but Rarity herself didn’t notice, the unicorn stunned in frozen shock as the kiss continued. After a few moments Octavia pulled back, her face awash with unbridled joy and happiness. However as Rarity watched the expression faded, her face going white and her eyes widening in shock over what she had just done. She pulled away sharply, spinning round to face her friends. They all wore slightly shocked expressions but to Octavia they looked more like evil glares. She glanced back at Rarity, the unicorn also looking back at her with stunned silence.
In that instance Octavia felt her world fall apart. What had she done? Why had she done that? Why now? Why?! For a moment she cast terrified looks between her friends and Rarity, edging backwards slightly with every look. She felt the room closing in, the light in the room fading to nothing but a spotlight centred on her. Fear and doubt rushed into the space in her mind previously occupied with joy and happiness.
She bolted. With a flurry of hooves and a rather graceless dive Octavia galloped from the room, tears flowing freely from her eyes. Her friends barely had time to glance towards her as she ran, each of them unsure on what to do. Rarity meanwhile had managed to pull herself together slightly and the sudden movement drew her attention immediately.
“O-Octavia! Octavia wait!” she called as the earth pony vanished around the doorframe.
She looked back at the other musicians, each of them looking at her in surprise as if they were expecting answers from her. She shook her head and looked back at the door.
“Wait here!” she said firmly as she took off towards the door herself, “Octavia wait!”
Octavia didn’t wait, she simply continued to run. Down the corridor towards the emergency exit she fled, throwing herself against the double door as she reached them and tumbling out into the alleyway behind the theatre. She looked both ways, quickly choosing a direction as she took off at a gallop once again. Panic raced back and forth around her mind, urging her ever onwards. Rarity was close behind but she knew she wouldn’t catch the earth pony if she didn’t slow down.
“Octavia, please stop!”
The words did little but spur Octavia on, the earth pony not slowing for a moment as she rounded the end of the alley and fled out into the moonlit streets of Canterlot. There was no other pony there, the time easily after midnight but the position of the moon above them. The clip-clop of hooves on the cobbled streets echoed between the buildings, each one sounding a hundred times louder to Octavia than they actually were.
Why had she done that? Why had she just thrown it all away? One moment of weakness, just like before, one moment of weakness. So wrapped up in her own mind was she that Octavia failed to notice the uneven lay of the ground beneath her. Her hoof caught on a jutting stone and a moment later she found herself crashing to the ground. The impact hurt, her head bouncing off the stonework as it in turn knocked every last bit of air from her lungs. She coughed and choked, gasping for air as she tried to focus on the present. As she did she heard the sound of galloping hoofsteps approaching. Slowly they changed to a canter and then to a walk, the noise seeming to get louder as it approached. Finally it stopped, Octavia sobbing onto her hooves as she lay motionless on the ground.
“Octavia?”
“Go ahead, tell me you hate me!” replied Octavia, the pony staring down at the ground as she spoke, “Tell me that I’m disgusting and don’t deserve your help anymore! How could I do that? After everything you’ve done for me! After all the trouble I’ve caused you I…I…I’m so sorry!”
Rarity didn’t respond, instead she slowly approached the ground bound pony. Octavia tensed half expecting a kick to land any moment. Instead something warm and soft pressed into her side and a hoof brushed against the side of her face. Daring a look she slowly glanced round to find Rarity lying on the street next to her. Her face said a thousand words; there was no malice or hatred, no cruelty or disgust. Instead all she saw was the same caring smile and pair of soft loving eyes that she had seen on her face many times before.
“I don’t hate you Octavia,” replied Rarity finally, “I will admit I was a little shocked but…to think that I would abandon you now after all we’ve been through together is such a foolish thought.”
She leaned in, gently planting a soft kiss on Octavia’s forehead.
“We’ve both been so busy preparing for tonight that our personal feelings have taken a back seat,” she said before giving a small sigh, “In truth I have found myself feeling a little envious lately, thinking that any pony that got you would be a lucky one…I never considered for a moment that it would be me.”
“Y-you mean…”
“Octavia darling, you’re a wonderful mare and I would be honoured to…well…”
Rarity felt a blush cross her face, it felt so odd to be saying this. Truth be told she had felt herself getting closer and closer to Octavia ever since their meeting. Her desire to protect and help her was unlike anything she had encountered before, even amongst her friends. Even now, helping her to overcome her doubts and fears, she couldn’t help but smile at the earth pony. She had spent most of her adult life looking for the perfect stallion, a white knight to pick her up and whisk her away to a fairy tale castle…it never occurred to her that she herself would be the white knight for somepony else.
“It’s just that after I found out you never…did anything with Vinyl…I didn’t want to push the subject, I didn’t know if that’s truly how you felt or if it was just a lax of judgement. And I don’t want to ruin our friendship by…well, getting involved in such a way and…well…”
Rarity was interrupted as a hoof grabbed the base of her chin and spun her head towards the earth pony. The next thing she knew she was once again locked in a kiss with Octavia. Whilst there was still a mild amount of shock this time it felt easier. She felt herself relaxing, the gentle exchange saying a thousand words as the tension and doubt slipped from her mind. After a moment which seemed to last a thousand years they both pulled back, each giving a nervous smile as they did.
“Well, I suppose that erases the doubt somewhat,” commented Rarity with a small chuckle.
“I’m so glad I got to meet you Rarity,” replied Octavia, “I’ve been living in fear for the last year…but now, when I’m with you, I feel like I could take on the world.”
Rarity blushed and sighed heavily. She looked up, the clouds above drifting slowly across the moonlit skyline causing rows of tiny stars to glimmer. She yawned, the pent up exhaustion that had been building over the last few days finally getting chance to make itself known.
“I hate to break the moment darling but…maybe we should get inside, lying on a cold street in the middle of the night doesn’t help ones complexion.”
Octavia chuckled as she slowly rose to her feet with Rarity quick to follow. For a moment they stood in silence, the gentle night breeze the only sound that disturbed the…
“…L-Little Octave? Is…is that you?”
Octavia felt every hair on her body stand on end and every muscle tense. Her breath caught in her throat and the little that squeezed through only caused her heart to race. She knew the voice; it was one that she would always remember despite their time apart and one that she thought she would never hear again. Slowly she turned to face the voice, her eyes locking on the silhouetted form of a pony half hidden behind the wall of a side street.
The pony stepped forth as she turned, their body held low to the ground as if nervous or scared to approach. As the light of a street lamp finally caught the lines of his face the pony came into view. He was old and frail looking, his brown face lined with many furrows and scars. His eyes looked tired but at the same time held a fierce determination hidden beneath years of toil. He stared in awe at Octavia, unable to speak further.
“P…Papa?” murmured Octavia quietly, her voice filled with astonishment.
“Octave…” replied the pony as he looked back at her.
“But…how…”
“I see you got my message,” spoke Rarity quietly as she stepped forwards.
“M-Message?” asked Octavia as her vision flashed round to face the unicorn.
Rarity nodded slowly, “After hearing all about your childhood in Ponyville I…I just couldn’t let things go as they stood. When I wrote to invite your fellow musicians to the show tonight I…I also wrote to your father. It wasn’t easy to find where he was living but I didn’t want to say anything about it in case…”
Rarity trailed off, looking away as a wave of insecurity washed over her. She hated going being a pony’s back but in this case she had decided it was the only way, “I…I’m sorry if I did wrong…”
Octavia didn’t even seem to notice half of what Rarity had said, her attention had shifted back towards the pony stood in front of her.
“Papa…I…”
“…I…I’m sorry Octave…”
Octavia fell silent in surprise, her father had never once apologised to her for anything. Everything had always been her fault or that of her brother…never his.
“You…you were right to run away,” continued the pony as his head sunk towards the floor, “I…I was never a good parent, all I ever did was upset you and Pitch. After your mother died I just…I couldn’t cope and I lashed out. I didn’t mean to hurt you…I was afraid…afraid I would lose you too.”
He paused, his gaze now directed at the floor as he sighed slowly, “You meant more to me than anything in this world…and yet whenever I looked at you all I could see was your mother. When you started playing her fiddle…it nearly broke my heart all over again. I’m so sorry for what I said, all I wanted was for us all to be happy but all I did was drive a wedge between us. When I found your note that morning I…I almost…I almost…”
He stopped, his words catching in his throat. Octavia started to make a move, her hoof barely making it off the ground before she froze in place once more.
“I couldn’t even do that…I’m such a coward,” he continued after a moment, “When I received the letter from Miss Rarity I couldn’t even bring myself to read it when I realised what it was about. All the old wounds got ripped open and I…I ran away again. I didn’t want to believe it was you, I couldn’t bring myself to face it all again but part of me refused to let it all go. When…when I saw you playing on stage I…”
“You…you saw…?”
“I watched from the back. A part of me wanted to come forward and congratulate you when all those ponies started clapping but…I couldn’t. I was afraid you wouldn’t want to see me…that you’d still hate me for everything that I did…”
Octavia made another slight move forwards. All these years she had lived with the guilt of running away when she did. She had always thought her father would be mad at her, that he wouldn’t want to see her. And yet here he was; not angry or mad but regretful, timid and scared. She knew how he felt, after her mother had died Octavia had felt nothing but fear from her father and yet now he was at her mercy. She could yell at him, tell him how much she hated him and how he never cared for her.
She felt a tear form in her eye. Without warning she quickly stepped forwards and threw a hoof around his shoulder. The pony tensed, expecting some kind of physical blow but instead all he felt was the steady drip of tears as Octavia broke down on his shoulder.
“I don’t hate you papa! I could never hate you!” balled Octavia as the tears turned to waterfalls, “I’m so sorry for what I did, you’re not a coward…I’m the coward! I should never have run away like that. I shouldn’t have left you alone! I was just so scared that you wouldn’t let me go.”
“You-you were my only light Octave, I just didn’t want to lose you like your mother and Pitch. I’m sorry I made you feel that way, I’m sorry I made you feel imprisoned like that.”
Octavia didn’t reply, instead she simply tightened her grip on her father and buried her head in his shoulder. Her father followed suit, holding her tightly and shutting his eyes as his own tears threatened to spill forth. For a time they both stood still, locked in each other’s hooves. Rarity stood quietly to one side watching the tearful reunion. She had taken a risk when she had written the letter to Octavia’s father, a risk that had, at least in this case, paid off. She let herself relax a little, her body sore and exhausted from the previous day’s struggles and turmoil. She found herself musing on what she had said earlier about being a white knight straight out of a fairy tale. Most tales like that aimed to teach a moral and one could never tell if the ending would be happy or sad. As she watched the two ponies still locked in each other’s embrace she knew one thing was certain, this story would have a happy ending.