Octavia was content. Emerging from a deep sleep, she let her eyes remained closed in hopes of returning to her nap. The briefest touch of a gentle breeze caressed her face while a comforting warmth covered her right side, shielding her body from the wind. The soft, soothing sound of rustling leaves and grass reached her ears. She let out a soft hum as she thought about nothing but her blissful rest. Shifting her head, she rested it on something soft.
Octavia’s nose twitched. An itch had started right on her nose, disturbing her rest. Mewling softly, Octavia tried to use her hoof to remedy the problem but found that it was trapped under a heavy weight. She fidgeted around, trying to free her hoof. To her surprise, her movements caused the weight to shift around and was now rubbing into her side. With a groan and a yawn, she slowly opened her eyes. All remnants of sleep instantly disappeared as she felt a blush appear on her cheeks.
Oh right. I forgot about that. Octavia saw that she was leaning her head on Applejack’s. The sleeping mare had a small smile on her face and was barely making a sound with her rhythmic breathing.
Octavia gulped as she carefully scooted her body to the left. Using her free hoof to keep Applejack propped up, she slowly removed herself from the sleeping mare. Just as she was far enough to gently lay Applejack on the ground and escape, she let out a small yelp when Applejack quickly closed the distance, nuzzling into her neck.
Octavia let out a small whimper as she felt her cheeks heat up even more.
To her relief, Octavia saw Applejack’s eyes flicker open. With a yawn, Applejack looked up at Octavia through half-lidded eyes, a smile still on her face. “Hey.”
“Um… hey.”
With a hum of satisfaction, Applejack laid her head back down on Octavia’s shoulder and closed her eyes.
Octavia stared at Applejack with wide eyes, her jaw slightly agape. Did she really just…
Applejack’s eyes shot open. “Wait a minute.”
Octavia watched as Applejack’s eyes darted down and slowly moved up to see her nervous face. “Um… hey again, Applejack.”
With a yelp of terror, Applejack pushed herself away from Octavia and sat facing away from her, her cheeks matching the blush on Octavia’s face.
An awkward silence descended upon the two as they desperately avoided each other’s eyes.
“So…” Applejack began, still facing away from Octavia. “Um… what the hay happened?”
Octavia looked down and started lightly tapping her hooves together. “Well, we were both sitting right here next to each other as you played your music. I’m guessing that since you were exhausted, you fell asleep in the middle of your music. On me.”
“Consarn it.” Applejack groaned as she buried her face in her hooves. “Ah’m so sorry about that. You could have woken me up.”
“You said that you didn’t get much sleep last night. I figured you could have used at least a short nap, so I didn’t disturb you. I must have dozed off as well shortly after.”
“Right, right. Um… Thanks.”
Another silence descended upon the two mares.
Octavia chuckled. “Look at us. Two reasonable mares who are getting all worked up just because we accidentally fell asleep on top of each other.”
Applejack chuckled as well. “You’re right. It’s not like this is the first time Ah slept with another mare.”
Octavia raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Do tell.”
Applejack’s pupils shrank as she waved her hooves in front of her. “No, no, no, it’s not like that! Ah meant Ah just slept with Rarity. No! Ah meant we did it at Twilight’s place.” Applejack let out a loud groan of frustration. “It was just a sleepover!” she finally yelled as she threw her hooves into the air.
Octavia brought a hoof up to her face, hiding a grin.
Applejack sighed. “Ah just made a bigger fool of myself, didn’t Ah?”
“I’m certainly seeing you in a different light,” Octavia replied, mirth clearly in her voice.
Applejack groaned. “What else could go wrong?”
A loud rumble suddenly came from Applejack’s stomach. The blush that was on Applejack’s cheeks burned brighter than ever. “Aw hayseed.”
Octavia could not hold it in any longer and broke down in laughter.
Applejack sighed and rolled her eyes with a small smile on her face. “Yea, yea. Come on and let’s pack up. Ah’m starvin’, and it looks like it’s just about dinner time. Why don’t you join us?”
Octavia nodded as she continued to laugh. “That would... be… delightful…” she managed to stammer out between giggles.
After stashing away Applejack’s fiddle, the two mares made their way inside the house.
“Ah’m back!” Applejack called out as they entered the building.
“That you, Applejack?” asked a shaky mare’s voice.
“Yep, and Ah brought a friend over for dinner.”
“That’s nice, dear. Dinner will be ready in a sec.”
“Let me help you with that,” Applejack replied. Turning to Octavia, she pointed to a corner. “You can put your cello there. Make yourself at home.”
Octavia nodded as Applejack trotted towards the kitchen. Looking around the house, she saw there were not many decorations and the furniture was mostly plain yet also practical. Overall, the home had a simple and comfy feel to it. She set down her instrument in the corner Applejack pointed out.
“Whoa! What is that?” asked a filly’s voice from behind her.
Octavia turned around to see a pale-yellow filly with a red mane, and upon her head was a dark-pink bow that was almost the size of her head. She could see that there was no cutie mark adorning the filly’s sides. The filly was staring at her cello with her mouth slightly agape.
Octavia smiled sweetly. “This is my cello. I play music for a living.”
“It’s huge!” replied the filly as she walked up to the case and inspected it. “Can Ah try it?”
Octavia looked at her cello case then back at the excited filly with a raised eyebrow. “Don’t you think it’s a tad too big for you?”
“But it’s bigger than you as well.”
“Well, yes, but I am bigger than you. It’s also quite heavy and requires a lot of practice to properly handle it.”
“Pleeeeease,” begged the filly as she frowned, looking up at Octavia with big, wide eyes. “It might help me find my cutie mark.”
“Well… um… you see…” Octavia stammered as she felt a bead of sweat drip down her side. “Please stop looking at me like that.”
The filly stuck out her lips in a pout as her ears flopped down. “Ah promise Ah’ll be careful.”
Octavia chuckled nervously as her eyes darted around.
“Soup’s on, everypony!” came Applejack’s voice.
“Oh look, it’s dinner time,” Octavia quickly said as she pushed the filly towards the kitchen.
“Awww,” groaned the filly, her pout replaced by a scowl.
At the table sat Big Macintosh while Applejack was setting down plates and utensils for everypony. An elderly, green mare with her gray mane and tail done up in a bun was apparently putting the finishing touches on the meal.
“Ah see you met Apple Bloom,” remarked Applejack.
“Yes, she seems really interested in my instrument,” replied Octavia.
“She wouldn’t let me try her cello!” complained Apple Bloom.
Applejack frowned while looking at Apple Bloom through half-lidded eyes. “Apple Bloom, do you remember the last time you tried for a music cutie mark?”
“Uhh… Maybe?”
“You and your friends not only managed to break several instruments, but several nearby windows as well.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” Apple Bloom muttered as she folded her hooves across her chest and pouted.
Applejack sighed. “Point is, you have a tendency to break things, and Octavia’s instrument is really special to her.”
“Alright, alright,” Apple Bloom conceded as she turned to Octavia. “Ah’m sorry. Ah promise not to touch your cello.”
Octavia chuckled. “Thank you. Maybe I can help you with something music related in the future.”
“Okay!” chirped Apple Bloom, her pout instantly disappearing.
Applejack smiled and nodded as she helped the elderly mare bring the dishes to the table. A big bowl of salad consisting of lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes was placed alongside a piping hot loaf of bread. A steaming vegetable casserole lightly topped with cheese was placed at the center of the table which Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh immediately started heaping onto their plates.
“Huh,” Octavia uttered with interest as she raised an eyebrow.
“Somethin’ wrong, sugarcube?” asked Applejack.
“No, no, everything looks wonderful. To be honest though, I kind of expected more apples,” replied Octavia.
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Just because we spend all day growin apples, harvestin’ apples, sellin’ apples, makin’ stuff out of apples, and basically surround ourselves with apples, doesn’t mean they are on our minds all the time.”
“Ah, okay. So not all the time.” Octavia smirked. “Just most of the time.”
“Yep!” Applejack replied, her nose raised proudly in the air.
“Stop your jibber jabberin’ and introduce the nice pony, Applejack, so we can get to eatin’,” commanded the elderly mare.
“Uh, right. Everypony, this is my new friend, Octavia. She moved into Ponyville from Canterlot a few days ago,” said Applejack. Pointing to each family member, she continued. “Octavia, meet Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom.”
“Nice to meet you all,” said Octavia.
Apple Bloom and Big Mac mumbled something, unable to say anything because their mouths were too full of the food they were shoveling in. Granny Smith nodded in satisfaction towards her.
“Alright then, enough talkin’. Ah’m starvin’,” Applejack stated as she began digging into the meal.
Octavia smiled as she sat down and joined the rest of the Apple family. Dinner was fabulous. Each bite was delicious and filled with flavor that she had not experienced for a long time. While she was not terrible in the kitchen, Octavia’s cooking skills were nothing to write home about either. With her busy schedule, she mostly bought take-out or ate at a restaurant. Having a home-cooked meal was an enjoyable change of pace.
“Dinner was marvelous. Thank you so much for the delicious meal, Granny Smith,” said Octavia as everypony finished eating.
“Aww shucks. Well aren’t you a polite one?” Granny Smith replied as she got up. “Ah’m gonna start gettin’ ready for bed now. It was nice meeting you, Octavia.” Bidding the others a good night, she trotted out the kitchen and up the stairs.
“Hey, Applejack,” said Big Mac, “you mind helpin’ me finish movin’ some stuff in the barn?”
“Sure thing, Big Mac. It’s the least Ah could do since you covered a bunch of my chores today,” Applejack answered. She turned to Apple Bloom. “Apple Bloom, don’t forget it’s your turn to do the dishes today.”
“Aww,” Apple Bloom moaned as her ears drooped.
Applejack and Big Mac made their way towards the door. “Ah’ll be back in a bit, Octavia. Feel free to stick around as long as you need,” Applejack said as she exited the house.
Octavia let out a content sigh as she remained seated at the table, letting her body continue to process the hearty meal. She watched as Apple Bloom collect some plates and dump them in the sink. “Let me help you with that,” she offered.
“Really? Gee, thanks!” Apple Bloom replied happily.
Octavia chuckled as she gathered the rest of the dirty dishes and joined Apple Bloom at the sink. “So, do you also work on the farm?” she asked as she began scrubbing a plate.
“Yep!” Apple Bloom stated happily. “Not as much as my brother and sister though. Ah still got school and homework to do. Ah also spend a lot of time with my friends crusadin’ for our cutie marks.”
“What do you mean ‘crusading for your cutie marks’?”
“Oh, we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders. We work together to find out what our special talents are, so we can get our cutie marks.” Apple Bloom sighed as her eyes drifted down. “Although, we have tried all kinds of different stuff, but nothin’ ever works.”
Octavia looked down at Apple Bloom with concern. “Don’t worry. Your cutie marks will appear eventually.”
“That’s what everypony tells us,” Apple Bloom muttered, her gaze still focused downwards.
“That doesn’t make it less true. Remember, cutie marks are not just about finding your special talent.”
“It’s not?” Apple Bloom asked, tilting her head as she stared at Octavia.
“No. It’s also about finding something that makes you happy and has a special meaning in your life. Find what makes you happy and concentrate on that, and I guarantee that it will lead you to your cutie mark.”
“Huh.” Apple Bloom replied as she resumed washing the dishes.
Octavia watched Apple Bloom silently work before going back to the dishes herself. For a few moments, all that passed between the two were the clattering of dishes as they were washed and dried.
“Octavia?”
“Yes, Apple Bloom?”
“What does your cutie mark mean?”
Octavia blinked as she turned to look at Apple Bloom who was indeed staring at her cutie mark. “Oh, my cutie mark is a treble clef.”
“A what now?”
“It’s one of several different music symbols that is written at the beginning of songs to indicate what pitch to use.”
Apple Bloom stared at Octavia with a blank expression.
“It helps tell what notes to play for a song.”
“Oh. So how did you get it?”
Octavia smiled. “Ever since I was young, I loved music, and I wanted to play an instrument of my own. One day, my parents took me to a music store, and I got to try out a bunch of different instruments. We were there for quite a while as I moved from one instrument to another, not finding one that I liked. That changed when I saw a violin.”
“Let me guess, you started playing it and you were really good with it?” Apple Bloom asked.
Octavia giggled. “Goodness no, I was actually quite terrible. But that didn’t matter to me. For some reason, I refused to give up on it, and I ended up picking the violin anyway. After spending some time practicing with it, I managed to play a short song. It wasn’t that good, but I was so happy, and even my parents had big smiles on their faces. That’s when my mark appeared.”
“Wait, if you got your cutie mark because of a violin, why do you play a cello?”
“Well, the treble clef is usually used for the violin. I got my cutie mark when I was playing the violin. Even though I was not good with it at the time, it made me happy. Later on, I wanted to try other instruments and ended up really liking the cello. So even though I now play the cello, the violin has a special place in my heart. Like I said, a cutie mark isn’t just about your special talent. It’s about something that makes you happy.”
“Wow,” was all Apple Bloom said as she stared up at Octavia.
“Oh look, all the dishes are done,” Octavia remarked as she stacked the last clean plate with the rest of the cleaned dinnerware.
“Yay! That went a lot faster with your help,” Apple Bloom gave Octavia a big smile. “Ah gotta go finish the rest of my homework now, but thanks for helpin’ me, and Ah really liked talkin’ with you.”
Octavia smiled back. “Anytime, dear.”
Octavia walked with Apple Bloom to the stairs and watched the filly scamper up the steps. The two ponies waved goodbye to each other before Apple Bloom turned towards her room.
“Sure seems like she has taken a real shine to you.”
Octavia turned her head to the side to see Applejack with a smile on her face and seated in the living room. “I’m glad. She seems like such a sweet, little filly.”
“You haven’t seen some of the stuff she has done with her friends. Even though they’re just tryin’ to get their cutie marks, those three sure can cause a load of mischief. It can be pretty frustratin’ sometimes.” Applejack sighed. “But still, Ah love her with all my heart, and Ah would do anythin’ for her.”
“Well, she’s lucky to have such a great big sister,” Octavia replied. “I suppose I shall be leaving now.”
“Ah’ll walk you out.”
The two mares moved outside, the fading twilight sky providing a few remnants of light before night would blanket the land. Bidding Applejack goodnight, Octavia started walking away but suddenly stopped. She stood there for a few seconds before taking a breath and turned back around. “Applejack?”
“Hmm?” Applejack replied as she stopped in front of the door and faced Octavia again.
“I just want to say that I’m very happy with how today turned out.”
A small smile appeared on Applejack’s face. “Ah don’t see why not. We did manage to get a breakthrough with your music.”
Octavia shook her head. “Not just that. I meant everything. Spending time with you has just been wonderful.”
Applejack chuckled. “Can’t argue with that. Ah feel the same way.”
Octavia did not move as she lightly bit her lip.
“Is there somethin’ else, sugarcube?”
Octavia nodded as she looked down at the ground. “It’s about yesterday.” Hearing no response from Applejack, she continued. “I recently learned that having a friend around to listen to your troubles can do you a world of good. Applejack, you done so much for me. If there is something bothering you, I would be more than happy to help.” She looked up to see Applejack staring at her with a blank face.
“Ah… Ah’ll think about it. Not anytime soon, but maybe… maybe sometime later on down the road.” Applejack sighed before giving a small smile. “Thanks.”
Octavia smiled and resumed her walk back home. For the first time in quite a long time, Octavia was content.