The couple descended the stairs to the jeers of five familiar stallions. Rainbow Blitz recalled there was a feeling of slight embarrassment, but no shame to be found within him. It annoyed him at the time that his friends did not have as much faith in him as he had thought they did. Then again, he knew that he would have succumbed to his instincts had it not been for Butterscotch, who gave him a knowing wink that morning as the others were drilling him on what had happened with the musician the night before.
And then there was the kiss. That morning brought with it many promises, but what Octavia left on his cheek was completely unexpected. Rainbow remembered the warmth of the mare's lips upon her face, practically feeling them all over again. It was when the warmth became most tangible that the pegasus broke out of her trance and had a sudden realization. She was lost.
Rainbow Dash had overshot Canterlot while absorbed within her memories, but by how far she was unsure. She turned around and surveyed the area, trying to find landmarks. All that was visible were shadows as far as the eye could see, none of which she could distinguish from the sky.
"Yeah, I totally need this right now…"
The sun had almost fully set and twilight had begun to fade. It was becoming increasingly difficult for the pegasus to find her destination as Equestria was swallowed by the ever growing darkness of evening. The terrain below began to merge together, becoming an abyss of unknown shapes and proportions. As if this were not enough, she had been flying for a long time and her wings were almost spent. She was just about to vocalize her frustration when she spotted a glimmer of light in the distance between what she assumed to be the crests of mountains.
"Ah ha! Found you…"
She took off, attracted to the illumination which hinted at civilization. There was only one city in Equestria she knew of that was built into a mountain, and that was where she wanted to be. Sure enough, the mountainous shadows began to part, revealing the city that was the capital of Equestria. Rainbow knew she was going in the right direction now. All she needed to do was find the place where she had promised to meet Octavia. Although every feather on her back was screaming to her in agony, the pegasus stayed airborne. She could rest her wings when she got there.
Memories began to flow through her mind once more. Rainbow began to remember the last time she had seen Octavia. She recalled how the meeting was completely unexpected by the both of them. The pegasus continued to rush through the wind of the evening sky, which aided her recollection in numbing the pain in her wings.
She visualized the grey mare walking with him through the street that day. Although he knew that he shouldn't be nervous, he felt like he was. Or maybe he was excited; he couldn't tell the difference. All he knew was that he was now going on a date with a very attractive mare that he thought he would never see again.
"So," Octavia began as the pair trotted down the street, "what have you been doing here in Canterlot? You know, besides window shopping?" She flashed a sly grin as Blitz chuckled in response.
"Nothing much... I've just been waiting for my friends to finish some preparations before we leave."
"Really? It’s taking you all a pretty long time to leave.” Octavia took a playful tone. “You weren’t lying to me the other night, were you?”
“No, no, I wasn’t lying. We should have been out of here by now. It’s just that we have had… delays. There was some unfinished business that we had to take care of.” Octavia considered the stallion’s words.
“Alright, I know how that can be. Do you know how long it will be until you’re done preparing?" Blitz wracked his mind for an approximate figure.
"I’m all ready to go, but I really couldn’t tell you about my friends. It’ll probably only take them a few hours."
"Then we better not waste any time. We still have to get you back to your friend in an hour or so, anyway. Ah, this is the place." It was at that moment that Blitz noticed that they had reached their destination. The pegasus found himself standing in front of a coffee shop. It was a smaller building that seemed almost out of place in the big city. The exterior seemed slightly worn by the elements as far as texture, but was covered by a fresh coat of slightly brown, off-white paint. Not delaying for him to finish his observation, the gray mare opened the door and let the pegasus inside. The scent of coffee immediately began to fill the air.
“Oh, thanks Octavia.” Although he appreciated the gesture, Blitz began kicking himself for the fact that he should have held the door for her.
“No problem.” As Blitz entered the shop he noticed how deceiving the café’s outside appearance was. Although the room inside still seemed bland by his standards, it put forth a calming atmosphere. The walls were an interesting alternation of light brown and pale green, which would have looked horrid were it not for the light brown of the wooden floors.
I’m sure that Elusive would be proud of the choice in colors. Wait, which store was I supposed to meet him at again?
The rainbow-maned stallion then noted that two sides of the store were taken up almost entirely by large, rectangular windows that looked out at the streets that had led them in. While the whole experience was a lot for the cyan stallion to take in, his attention suddenly shifted to a friendly looking barista who had begun to approach him.
“Good morning, sir. Would you like a table or a b-” It was then that the welcoming unicorn noticed that the handsome stallion she was serving was with one of her most loyal patrons. “Octavia! How are you doing this morning, dear?” It was obvious to Blitz that the two mares had been friends for a while now.
“I’m doing well Vienna, yourself?”
“I can’t complain. Business has been as good as it usually is. But enough of that; I didn’t know you had a stallion friend.” Blitz felt his face begin to grow red at the comment.
“Oh, stop it you.” Octavia gave a playful glance at the increasingly anxious stallion as she smiled back at her friend. “Could I get my usual booth?”
“Of course dear, follow me.” The couple followed the white unicorn through the maze of tables and booths. Blitz felt out of place as he met the gaze of the other patrons as they watched him file down the aisle. He wasn’t entirely sure if they were shocked that he was in the café, or if they were surprised that he was with Octavia.
Maybe she doesn’t give herself enough credit. It looks like everypony in here recognizes her…
Vienna stopped at a booth situated next to a window on the far side of the shop. Blitz found that the transparent pane of glass held a wondrous view. One could see to the horizon through the plainly visible Canterlot streets. The transformation of the mountains into the outlying region was visible, and Blitz could swear that he saw Ponyville in the distance.
“Well then, I’ll just let you two get settled in. I’ll be back in a moment to take your order.” The two sat down on opposite sides of the booth. Octavia noticed how the stallion was entranced by the view.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Octavia’s voice broke the rainbow-maned stallion out of his trance and stole his attention. “This coffee shop is a hidden treasure in Canterlot. Not only is the coffee here the best I have ever had, it also has this amazing view.” Blitz nodded in agreement. “I sometimes wonder if I would stay here in Canterlot if I didn’t know about this place.”
“Why? Do you not like it here in Canterlot?”
“Canterlot is nice; it just feels like I’m stuck in a rut sometimes. The view here reminds me that there is more to Equestria than this big city. I told you the other night that…” Octavia began to trail off as a new thought came to mind.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, it’s just… I almost forgot to thank you again for the other night.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not worried about it… It’s just that… I wanted to thank you again for putting up with my drunken rambling and not taking advantage of the situation. You were very noble and I appreciate it.” Before the stallion could reply, the waitress returned to their table.
“Hey there you two, are you ready to order?” Vienna stood beside their table, holding a pad of paper and a pen in a light brown glow reminiscent of another unicorn Blitz vaguely remembered.
Wait, was I supposed to meet Dusk Shine after this?
"I'll have the usual." Blitz had completely forgotten to look at the menu on the table, and so decided to take a leap of faith.
"I'll have what she's having." Octavia wore an amused look on her face. The unicorn quickly penned the order down before placing both pen and paper into her apron.
“Alright, I’ll have your drinks in just a moment.” It was after the waitress had left that Blitz picked the conversation back up, using the cheesiest voice he could.
"So, you come here often?"
Octavia giggled. "Probably more than I should.” She pointed to an item on the menu. “I didn’t know that you liked your coffee so strong, though…” Blitz looked at the words that she was pointing at.
‘Canterlot Kick-start: House Blend with crème and 5 shots Espresso'
“What does all that mean? I don’t come to these places often.”
“All you need to know is that you’re going to be awake for a while.” The two looked at each other lightheartedly until Blitz spoke up again with an observation.
“You seem to go to the same places a lot.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you asked for ‘the usual’ at the bar the other night too.” Octavia became pensive.
“You remember that, huh?”
“Why don’t you branch out and meet some new ponies? I’m sure there are other nice places in Canterlot.”
“I guess I just find sanctuary in these places. I mean, I see so many faces in a day that it’s nice to see a familiar one before it ends.” Blitz responded in a gentle voice.
“I’m not saying that you should abandon these places and the ponies you know, just that it might be nice to go somewhere different for a change. You could get yourself out of your rut that way.”
“I appreciate that you want to help, but I don’t want to be the focus of our chat today. I want to learn more about who you are. What do you do?” Blitz quickly adjusted to being the new topic of conversation.
“Oh, well I’m on the weather patrol in Ponyville.”
“Hmmm, what does that entail?”
“Eh, just moving around clouds and keeping the weather on time. Not exactly what I want to be doing for the rest of my life.”
“What do you want to do?” Blitz let a confident smirk spread across his face.
“I’m going to join the Wonderbolts.” Octavia inquisitively raised an eyebrow.
“That’s interesting. I have never seen them in action, but I’ve heard enough about them to know that they’re very selective as far as recruitment. Do you think that you have what it takes?”
“I know that I do.” Octavia’s admiration for the stallion shone through in her expression and in how she responded.
“So do I.” Blitz watched as the mare looked into his eyes in the same way she had the night they first met. The vulnerability they shared in that moment was balanced only by the confidence they found in each other’s gaze.
“So sorry to interrupt...” Both ponies jumped slightly as Vienna approached the table. “Oh, I didn’t mean to startle you two. I just thought that I would bring you your coffee.” The pair watched as their drinks levitated through the air and were placed gently onto the table in front of them. “Just let me know if there is anything else I can get for you.”
“Thank you, Vienna.” Octavia picked up her cup and took a sip of the brew held within. Blitz hesitantly picked up the drink he had ordered and took in a whiff. It smelt heavenly; the aroma of morning incarnate. He took a sip and was immediately immersed in an experience unlike any he had ever had. The drink was sweet and relatively smooth, yet offered a somewhat bitter aftertaste. It soothed him as it travelled to his stomach where it happily radiated a feeling of energy throughout his entire body. He would have gulped the whole thing down were it not so hot.
“How is it?” Blitz looked up from his drink, which he now held with a slight sense of reverence.
“I have never had coffee before, but… this is good.”
“Glad you like it.” The pegasus looked out the window for a brief moment as he took another sip. He now understood why Octavia came to this exact booth every time. The drink and the view complemented each other perfectly. It was very peaceful. Looking back at his date, he picked up the conversation once more.
“So, uh, why do you do what you do? Play the cello, I mean? It seems like it would be difficult to have to stand on your hind legs for hours on end while you play.”
Octavia smiled and gave a knowing nod.
"It's the same reason that you are able to fly for hours on end without giving in to exhaustion. I love what I do." Blitz took a quick gulp of his drink. "I know that the cello seems like a strange instrument to most ponies. There are very few who try to learn it, and even fewer who are able to master it." The pegasus leaned toward his date as she took a quick sip before starting again. "I remember choosing to play cello back when I was a filly. I have always loved music; the fluidity of it. I love how it can express emotion and beauty without words or visual cues. That was why I dove into music at a relatively early age."
"I practiced numerous instruments at first. There were so many to choose from, and I didn't know where to start. My parents decided to start me on an easier instrument, so I began by trying to learn the piano. Actually, that's an understatement because I did learn the piano. I just got bored with it after a while. While it taught me how to read music, it just didn't feel right." Blitz leaned closer, expressing his increasing curiosity.
"From there I tried out other instruments that I thought I would like. There was the flute. I tried the trumpet. At one point I even got desperate and tried to learn the recorder."
Blitz chuckled. "Are you sure that you weren't just forced to try that in school?"
Octavia laughed at having been found out. "Alright, I was, but I'm pretty sure that I was the only one who actually tried to learn it."
The two exchanged empathetic smiles. Blitz knew that she was probably right.
"The strange thing is that I enjoyed playing all of those instruments. It just felt like there was something missing. I didn't connect with them. At this point my parents were getting tired of buying instruments that I would never learn how to play. When they asked me why I never practiced with any of them for more than a week, I told them that they weren't challenging enough." Octavia started to snicker, "When they looked at each other after I said that, I thought that I had made a mistake." Her snicker had become contagious, and Blitz started to chuckle with her.
"They were out to challenge you now, huh?"
"Oh, in the best way." Octavia gained control of her laughter and began to turn meditative once more as she continued her recollection. "They took me back to the store with them and brought me to a section I had never seen before. It was filled with string instruments. I had never imagined playing one of these instruments, since they are the instruments that are the hardest to learn. Only true masters could ever hope to sound competent with them. I knew that my parents wouldn't set me up to fail, though, so I went along with it.
Although there were so many instruments to choose from, my eyes fell on the violins. They seemed manageable to me since, as a filly, there was no way in my mind that I would be able to play some of the other, larger instruments. Back then they all just seemed so unwieldy.
When I told my parents that I wanted to learn violin, they looked skeptical. They told me that if I wanted to learn how to play violin, I would also have to learn how to stand on my hind legs for extended periods of time. I knew that I could manage to stand like that for a few seconds, but anything longer than that and I would collapse.” Blitz nodded sympathetically. There were very few ponies who could stand like that for long. "I think they saw the hesitation in my eyes, because they asked the store clerk if there were any string instruments that would be easier for me to learn. It took her a while, but she eventually came back with a cello. She explained that it was like a violin, except I could use it for balance while I played. It would still be difficult to play until I built some strength in my hind-legs and learned the technique but, after I did, I would be able to play any string instrument, even the violin. That's what she said at least. I still don't know if she was right or not." Blitz understood the meaning behind these ominous words.
"You connected with the cello, huh?"
"I never wanted to move on. Just like the clerk said, it was difficult to learn how to balance with it, and it was almost harder to learn how to play it. Once I learned how to do both, though, there was no way that I would ever think about playing anything else." Octavia took another quick sip of her drink. "I fell in love with the instrument. It holds so much grace, yet there is power behind it. For all of its size and intimidating features, it has a calming sound to it. I have also found that its versatility is almost unmatched as far as range is concerned."
“I guess that makes sense…” Blitz hesitated momentarily before continuing to say, “…it actually kinda sounds like you’re describing yourself when you talk about the cello like that.” Octavia looked at Blitz, slightly confused at what he meant.
Great. Where am I going with this?
“What I mean is that, well… um, you are an attractive mare.” The couple blushed in the awkward silence that was Blitz thinking of what next to say. “At the same time, though, I know that you have an amazing sense of… resolve. You’re music is your life and nothing will stop you from living it.” Octavia smiled modestly.
“What about the rest of what I said? Do you find me intimidating?”
“No, I don’t think you’re intimidating, it’s just… I don’t always know what I should say around you. You remember how nervous I was when we first met.” The mare giggled at the memory. “But I’m not as nervous now. I feel as though I’m at peace when we talk like this.” Blitz pushed himself to say the next sentence. “I guess that what I’m trying to say is that, well… I like you.”
Wait, what did I just say?
He watched as Octavia’s face changed into one that would have told him exactly how she felt had his mind not been too busy running over what he had just said. The stallion felt his heart throb violently as he waited for the musician to voice her thoughts.
“Rainbow, I… feel the same way about you.” The pounding in the stallion’s chest began to lessen. “I knew that you cared about me from the moment we met, no matter how much my attitude may have thrown you off.” This statement confused Blitz.
“Really? How?” The mare stared intently into the stallion’s gaze.
“It was your eyes, Rainbow.”
“My… eyes?”
“I saw something in them that I haven’t seen in a long time.” Again, Blitz was at a loss for what she meant.
“What was it?”
“Compassion.”
“Compassion?”
“That’s what I felt when we met that night. It was after I saw it in your eyes that I wanted to learn more about you. I wanted to see where the night would go.” Blitz didn’t know what to feel. “I know that I can trust you now, and that you understand me. It’s nice to know that you feel the same way.” Octavia looked submissively at the pegasus. “Sorry, I’ve been rambling again haven’t I?” Rainbow gave a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry about it. I like listening to what you have to say.” Both ponies smiled with their eyes as they took sips of their coffee. The truth was out, and neither pony could be happier.
The two talked for a long time after that. Rainbow told her humorous stories about stallions he knew in the weather patrol. Octavia told him about random things that had happened when she was younger and performed across Equestria. Although both delighted in the regaling of tales, it was not long before Octavia noticed a quick streak of purple in her peripheral vision. She recognized the unicorn who quickly darted out of the café. It was Rainbow’s friend. They didn’t have much time left to talk if they were searching for him.
“…and then he dropped a piano out of the sky! Can you believe it? I’m surprised he’s still on the postal service…”
“Rainbow, I want to see you again after today.” Blitz straightened his back, somewhat confused by the conversation’s sudden change in direction. "I have a performance in two weeks here in Canterlot. It’s going to be huge for me. It's the first time that I have played with an orchestra with as much renown as this. They gave me some tickets to give to friends, and I have this one left over." The pegasus looked at the purple slip of paper in Octavia’s hoof. "I want you to take it." The mare reached toward him and placed the ticket in his hoof, holding his in hers. "If I'm going to play for all of Caterlot, I want there to be at least one pony in the crowd who I know is there for me. Can you make it?"
"I'll be there"
"You promise?" Rainbow looked into the purple eyes he had come to adore.
"I promise" The mare let go of his hoof.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rainbow Dash descended onto the cold streets of Canterlot. As she folded her aching wings back toward her body, the pegasus determined where she was. Before her stood the Canterlot Concert Hall, a massive building toward the edge of the city. It was a giant silhouette only slightly illuminated by the light coming from within its interior.
“I hope I haven’t missed too much…”
As she walked toward the entrance, Rainbow remembered the more unfortunate parts of her last meeting with Octavia. She remembered Octavia’s response to Elusive telling her who she was; how she was really a mare in a stallion’s body. Just remembering the facial expressions the musician produced made Rainbow cringe. The pegasus now stood but inches from the door. Octavia’s words still resonated within her.
“Blitz... you should go and have that spell cast…”
Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, savoring the cool air of the night.
“…you shouldn’t try and be somepony you aren’t…”
She reached out and grabbed the handle of the door before her. As she held the ticket she had been carrying since her journey began, the pegasus remembered the last thing that Octavia had said to her. The thing that she knew meant there was something left between them.
“When you change back, Rainbow... come and find me in Canterlot…”
“I’m here, Octavia.” As she pulled the door open, Rainbow Dash was bathed in both melody and light. It had been two weeks since they had last met, and now it was time for Rainbow Dash to face the past. She only hoped that she was ready.