//------------------------------// // Chapter 14: Story Time // Story: Fiddling with Her Heart // by Kevinltk //------------------------------// Octavia looked out a window of the train she was riding in, the ivory towers and gilded spires of Canterlot drawing closer by the second. She had lived there for many years of her life learning and playing her music in the capitol. She was returning home, yet it did not really feel that way. Applejack’s odd behavior was nagging her, and after her friend’s departure from her home, Octavia tried to figure out what happened but could not. Putting her curiosity aside, she spent the rest of the day and the next packing and informing the rest of her friends about her gig. When it was time to board the train to Canterlot, Octavia was delighted to see the six ponies and even Spike, who were her new friends, waiting for her to say goodbye to her. Amidst the goodbyes and support, Pinkie, unsurprisingly, had given her a batch of cupcakes and a big hug. Rarity even mentioned that she was thinking of visiting Canterlot within the next few days to pick up some new fabric. All of them were seeing her off with cheers and smiles. When she went up to say goodbye to Applejack, Octavia could tell the orange pony was still acting a bit odd. It was probably her imagination, but she felt the orange pony’s friend was a bit forced. After a quick exchange of goodbys, she gave her friend a quick hug right before getting on the train. She was not quite sure why she did it, but it felt appropriate. Pulling out one of Pinkie’s cupcakes, Octavia began eating the confectionary treat, enjoying the sweet flavor that filled her mouth. Pinkie Pie was right. Cupcakes can make things better. The sweet pastry helped soften the uneasiness she felt. She was already missing her new friends. Thinking about each of them, her mind finally drifted towards Applejack. She remembered the tired look on the troubled mare’s face right before the train pulled her out of view. Octavia coughed as she had difficulty swallowing a piece of cupcake, feeling a lump in her throat. And it’s because of me. With a sigh, she finished the last of her cupcake just as the train pulled up into Canterlot’s train station. Hauling her cello and her other belongings, Octavia exited the train and started walking back to her house. “Octavia!” Octavia turned, recognizing the voice that called from behind her, and saw Fancy Pants walk up to her and accompanied by another unicorn. The other unicorn was a beautiful, lithe mare with a well-groomed white coat and a mane of pink and white. Her elegant body and graceful movements had earned her the recognition of many as one of the most well-known fashion models in the industry. “Hello there, Fancy Pants,” Octavia replied with a smile. She turned her head to the mare at Fancy Pants’s side. “And hello to you too, Fleur. I see you’re here to keep your husband in check.” Fancy Pants chuckled. “Oh, Octavia, it is so good to see you again. I can see you aren’t wasting anytime in joking around.” Fleur raised an eyebrow and turned her head towards her husband. “Who says she’s joking?” “Come now,” retorted Fancy Pants, flashing an innocent smile. “I’m a grown pony. Don’t you think I’m perfectly capable of behaving?” “No,” Fleur replied bluntly before turning to give Octavia a smile of her own. “How are you doing, Octavia? My boorish husband told me about your troubles. Is everything alright?” “Things are looking up. I made some friends in Ponyville, and one of them is even helping me with my music troubles.” “Well, that’s good to hear,” stated Fancy Pants. “I have to say that I have been worrying for you since you left and hadn’t heard a word from you.” “Thank you for your concern, and I’m sorry for not writing. I was busy with all kinds of things,” apologized Octavia. Fancy Pants shook his head. “Do not worry, Octavia. I’m just happy things are working out for you.” Octavia nodded. “Now then, shall we head to my place? I need to put away my things, and I imagine that we have much to discuss.” “That sounds like a fine plan,” remarked Fancy Pants, “and on the way, you can tell us more about your friends and what Ponyville is like.” The walk to Octavia’s house was filled with Octavia talking about Ponyville and its inhabitants. She happily told the unicorns about her new friends, spending extra time to describe Applejack and how she was also helping her with her music. Octavia was so engrossed in talking about her time in the small town, she almost walked past her own house. Unlocking the door, Octavia bade her guests in and set down her belongings to the side. “Do come in although I’m afraid I don’t really have much to offer, considering I have been away for a month.” “That’s quite alright,” replied Fancy Pants as he and Fleur sat down in the living room. “Now then, I must thank you once again for filling in on such short notice. The organizers are thrilled to have you, and I’m sure they will be more than happy to give you a nice bonus. Tomorrow, I will show you where the party will be held and introduce you to them. From there, I assume they will go over what they will require of you and then have you meet with the other musicians, so you can get familiar with each other and practice until the party.” “Sounds simple enough,” replied Octavia. “Will there be anything else to do after the party?” “No, I do not think so.” Fancy Pants gave a small smirk. “Why? Already planning your next vacation?” Octavia sighed. “Maybe, I think there are a few things left unsettled in Ponyville that I would like to take care of before fully returning to my music career.” “Of course. Speaking of Ponyville…” He looked at Octavia with a face plastered with glee and anticipations, similar to how a foal would look when they were getting a present. “ So, did you bring any souvenirs from Ponyville?” Fleur let out a groan as she quickly brought a hoof to her face. Octavia blinked. “Well… um… I have been quite busy…” she said slowly, trying to buy herself some time to think. Since she did not actually have a souvenir, she quickly listed the items that were in her saddlebags in her head, hoping something would be suitable. She let out a small sigh of relief when she remembered something that would make a decent gift. Octavia pulled out two objects from her bags and placed them on the table in front of her guests. “As I said, I have been quite busy, so I’m afraid I don’t have much.” The two unicorns looked down quizzically at their gifts. “Cupcakes?” Fancy Pants asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice. Fleur slapped the back of Fancy Pants’s head. “Do not be rude! Please forgive my idiot husband, Octavia. You did not have to get anything for us at all.” Octavia chuckled nervously before clearing her throat. “Like I said, it’s a small thing, but it’s the least I could do for the support you two give me. These were made by one of my new friends.” Fancy Pants picked up his cupcake and inspected it. “It certainly looks delicious, and the frosting smells delightful.” He took a bite, and his face lit up with joy. “So good,” he mumbled as he hastily finished the rest. The two mares giggled at the grown stallion acting like a foal. Fleur picked up her own cupcake and brought it up to her mouth but was interrupted by her husband. “Fleur, maybe you would like me to help you with that? I mean, you do have your job as a model, and you have been getting a lit—” Fancy Pants wisely decided to not finish his comment. If looks could kill, the glare Fleur was giving him would’ve reduced him and everything within a mile radius into a pile of ashes. Fancy Pants cleared his throat and averted his gaze from his silently seething wife. “Carry on, dear.” Octavia rolled her eyes as she watched Fleur, still trying to bore a hole into the back of her husband’s head with her eyes, slowly eat her cupcake. “Honestly, Fancy Pants, I swear that your behavior is worse with your wife around.” “He is,” Fleur stated. “I believe he does it just to embarrass me. At least he has the decency to be polite in public… sometimes.” Fancy Pants gasped, putting a hoof on his chest. “I am appalled. I am the perfect gentlepony all the time.” Octavia and Fleur returned his proclamation with flat stares. Fancy Pants scoffed. “Mares,” he grumbled. Octavia looked at Fleur. “May I?” “Of course, dear.” Octavia whacked the back of Fancy Pants’s head. “Why did you let her do that, Fleur?” Fancy Pants asked with a frown. “I’m sorry, let me fix that.” Fleur slapped the back of Fancy Pants’s head. “It’s supposed to be my job to punish you.” “Why must I be treated like some common punching bag?” Fancy Pants sniffed, wiping away an imaginary tear from his eye. “Because it’s the only reason I married you,” Fleur replied dryly. Fancy Pants raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Oh? Are you sure? What about my dashing good looks? Or my incredible social skills?” He leaned in closer to Fleur with every word. “Surely there must be something else that you love about me.” Fleur let out a small hum as she leaned in to kiss her husband. She pulled back from the kiss with a smile on her face. “You’re right, there is something else that I love about you.” “And that is?” “Your money,” she replied as she stuck out her tongue. “Such cruel words,” Fancy Pants lamented. Octavia chuckled. A thought suddenly came to her mind. “Now that I think about it, I never heard the story of how you two met and fell in love with each other.” The two lovers turned to Octavia, both of them giving surprised looks. “Really?” replied Fancy Pants. “Well then, that can easily be remedied right now. I suppose I should start first.” Clearing his throat, Fancy Pants began his story. “It was many years ago when I was still an aspiring businesspony. I decided to take some time off and ended up deciding to vacation in Prance. One day, I decided to have lunch at a nice little cafe. That’s where we first met.” “At the time, I was studying fashion in Prance,” mentioned Fleur. “I was working at the same cafe as a part-time job to help pay for my room and board.” “So I’m guessing Fleur was your waitress and that’s how you started talking with each other?” Octavia asked. “Not exactly. I finished my meal and almost left without seeing her, but Fleur’s beauty caught my eye, and I felt compelled to stay,” replied Fancy Pants. “The buffoon forgot his wallet and had to work off his meal by cleaning tables and washing dishes,” amended Fleur. “I was trying to make the story more romantic,” Fancy Pants complained. “You were trying to make yourself look less of the clumsy fool that you are,” retorted Fleur with a smirk. “Anyway,” continued Fancy Pants, “I was there all day helping Fleur. At the end of the day, Fleur was impressed with my work and came up to thank me for my hard work. After chatting for a while, we decided to meet up again the next day.” Fleur rolled her eyes and lightly shoved her husband. “He was only supposed to work an hour or two, but since he broke several dishes and made quite the mess, the owner kept on adding more hours to make up for his clumsiness. We only started talking because I pitied him and helped him with his job.” “You’re not going to let me get away anything are you?” Fancy Pants pouted. Fleur patted his head with a hoof. “Just stick to the truth, dear.” Fancy Pants huffed. “Fiiiine. Going back to the story, I ended up spending the rest of my vacation days in Fleur’s company. In between her studies, we had meals together, she showed me the sights around Prance, and we spent many days talking with each other into the night. We became very good friends and simply enjoyed having each other’s company. Alas, I could not stay in Prance forever, and eventually it was time for me to return to Canterlot.” Fleur sighed, a much more subdued smile now on her face. “I remember I actually got quite upset when I learned he was leaving. I didn’t really make any good friends when I started studying there. Fancy Pants was the only one I really got to know, and I actually became quite attached to him. But I had to let him go. I had to stay to finish my studies, and he had to return to his work in Canterlot. When he left, I could not stop thinking about him and the times we spent together.” Octavia shivered as she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Why does this feel so familiar? “Octavia, are you alright?” asked Fancy Pants. “Yes, yes, it’s nothing,” she replied, waving a dismissal hoof. “I just felt a bit of a chill. Anyway, so what happened next?” “Like Fleur, I could not stop thinking about her. Even though I was able to continue my work, things never felt quite the same since I saw Fleur. Some time later, I cleared my schedule and headed right back to Prance,” continued Fancy Pants. “I was ecstatic when he knocked on my door out of the blue. Our time apart helped us appreciate each other more, and we spent all our time together. One day, he told me something that made me realize that I had fallen in love with him,” added Fleur. “And what was that?” Octavia asked. Fleur looked to her husband and smiled. “Back then, I wasn’t famous and didn’t look how I am today. I know that quite a few ponies today would say I’m beautiful, but that’s because of the makeup and clothes. Fancy Pants told me I was beautiful before all that. He was the first.” “And I will never stop telling you so,” stated Fancy Pants. The two unicorns gazed into each other’s eyes and kissed again. “That was beautiful,” commented Octavia, a warm smile on her face. “Thank you,” Fleur replied as she turned back to face Octavia. “I’ll hope you remember our story when you find your special somepony. Love can blossom no matter the circumstances, and when it does, you can’t stop thinking about each other. There will be hardships, and there will be times when you have to be away from each other, but the important thing to remember is that you’ll always come back to each other.” Octavia stared at Fleur, her mouth slightly agape, and silently nodded. “Well then, I think we shall leave you to unpack and prepare for tomorrow,” stated Fancy Pants as he and his wife got up. “I shall come pick you up tomorrow morning.” Octavia quickly shook her head out of her daze and bade the two goodbye. She spent the rest of the day unpacking her belongings and cleaning the house from her month-long absence. Her thoughts would often recall Fancy Pants’s and Fleur’s story as well as Fleur’s last words. Later that night, she would go to sleep, dreaming about apples and the sound of a fiddle.