“So, why did you get so angry at me the other night?”
The night was beautiful in Canterlot and the waning moon overhead cast just enough light to give the trees in the park a silvery appearance as the two mares sat on a bench beneath a single street lamp, their beautiful dresses arranged delicately about them. Rarity’s heart hadn’t stopped pounding in her chest since she had told Octavia that she loved her and, as they sat together with their cheeks pressed against one another, she honestly didn’t think it would stop anytime soon. Next to her, she heard Octavia sigh and, after a moment, the earth pony nuzzled her cheek affectionately.
“I am sorry that I got so angry, Rarity. I should not have. I… I suppose it was because I had started to believe that you understood me so well that there was no way that you could make a mistake like that, and…” Rarity turned to look at her and, even in the low light of the streetlamp, she could see Octavia blushing. “I suppose… I was angry that you weren’t exactly… perfect. I… I know it sounds terribly stupid, but–”
The unicorn smiled knowingly and touched Octavia’s hoof with her own. “No, none of that, now,” she chided softly. “It’s not stupid, Octavia… because I did the same thing. I got angry at you because you weren’t exactly how I thought you should be.” She met Octavia’s gaze once more and smile lovingly. “But then I received some very good advice from some very good friends and they made me see that the perfect version of you wasn’t what I wanted – I wanted the real you. The one who makes mistakes, and has bad ideas, and… and is a real pony.” She leaned forward and nuzzled the other mare’s cheek gently. “That’s the Octavia I fell in love with,” she whispered, “and that’s the Octavia I want to be with.”
“Mmmm…” Octavia leaned into her nuzzle eagerly and let out a content sigh. “I suppose you’re wondering about Vinyl and about my song?” she asked.
“Only if you’re willing to tell me.”
Octavia’s smile grew and she nodded emphatically. “Well, Vinyl and I dated for a year. At first, I was very much in love with her, but I quickly realized that she was not what I needed in a partner. And that was that.” She shrugged, but after a moment she smiled sheepishly. “As for the song… Il Mio Diamante is all about you, Rarity. It starts before I first saw you, when I was deeply lonely, and goes through the times here in Canterlot that I have seen you: first at the Gala two years ago, then at the Garden Party a year ago, and then earlier this month, when you came here to make dresses.” Her ears folded back against her mane and she turned away from Rarity slightly. “I’ll admit… I first came to your shop to convince myself that you weren’t worth the time. I… I had fallen in love with nothing but what I had seen of you and then what my mind had made up about you. I had decided that nothing would break the ridiculous cycle of my wandering heart faster than seeing you for who you truly were.” She let out a sigh and shook her head. “I was convinced that you couldn’t possibly be as perfect as I’d imagined you, but you quickly proved me wrong.” She let out one of the soft, breathy laughs that Rarity adored so much. “Of course, then you proved me right, but by then, it didn’t matter.” She turned her luminous eyes back to the unicorn. “By then I had truly fallen in love with you, Rarity… and as you said, the real you was more amazing than I had ever imagined.”
The unicorn blushed deeply. “Oh Octavia…” She nuzzled the other pony again before sitting back. “I do have another question, though.”
“And what is that?”
“Well, why don’t you tell ponies you play at the Magical Hat?” Rarity arched an eyebrow at her and gave her hoof a squeeze. “You play so beautifully and with such passion! Why don’t you tell ponies about it?”
Now, Octavia winced, but thankfully she didn’t try to pull away from Rarity as she once would have. Instead, she took a deep breath and sighed. “I hide it because I fear my father will not approve,” she admitted quietly. “He always pressed me to do something that would honor our family and when I expressed an interest in classical music, he was overjoyed, but I do not know how he feels about jazz.” She sighed. “I fear he would take it as a sign that I am following my mother’s Discord-may-care lifestyle and–” she paused and sniffled before continuing “–and I fear that if he believed that, he would withdraw from me.”
“Aaaaah… I see.” Rarity gave Octavia’s hoof another squeeze, her heart thrilling at the touch of her velvety coat against her own. “I understand… and–” now it was Rarity’s turn to look embarrassed “—and, by Celestia, I am so sorry for what I said that night! I didn’t mean a word of it, and–,” suddenly, Octavia’s hoof rose from the bench and pressed itself gently against Rarity’s lips, stifling her words.
“It’s all right, Rarity,” Octavia whispered, her smile gentle. “I know that we were both… out of sorts, as my father would say. And I forgive you… as long as you will forgive me?”
Rarity smiled and brought her hoof up to Octavia’s so that the pads of their hooves pressed together. “Of course I do,” she whispered.
“Though, I think you were right,” Octavia admitted after a moment. “I do keep other ponies out… and perhaps that is not a good thing as I first thought it was.” She lowered their hooves back to the bench and smiled warmly at the unicorn. “Perhaps… perhaps I should make more of an effort to be a friend to Beauty… and perhaps I can meet your friends, as well.” Rarity giggled happily.
“Oh, I would love to introduce you to them! I’m certain that they’ll love you!” The unicorn’s smile shrank slightly. “But even if I was right, I was also wrong. Choosing to be alone and choosing to be more private are not bad things, and I shouldn’t have overstepped my boundaries and tried to force you out of your comfort zone before you were ready.” She met Octavia’s gaze again. “Perhaps you can show me the wonders that a more private lifestyle can afford a mare? I’m certain that everything is much more peaceful.” To her surprise, Octavia’s cheeks flared with color at the mention of a private lifestyle, but before she could press the occurrence, the earth pony nodded.
“O-of course I can… gladly.” She smiled, but after a moment, her smile dimmed. “And… I suppose that brings up the one question looming over us, Rarity. If you want to be together… how shall we do it? I have my career here in Canterlot, but you have your friends, family and career in Ponyville.” She shook her head. “I do not know what we can do.”
Rarity chuckled lightly. “Oh, my darling Octavia,” she cooed. “That’s trouble for another day. Tonight we have each other and that is more than enough.” She giggled and snuggled closer to Octavia, who rubbed her muzzle beneath Rarity’s chin. “I’ll come to Canterlot as often as I can,” Rarity whispered. “And you can come visit me in Ponyville whenever you want… and we’ll take this slowly.”
“…thank you, Rarity,” came Octavia’s whispered reply. “I hope that you know how much that means to me.”
“And when the time comes,” Rarity continued, giving Octavia’s hoof yet another squeeze. “I can always move to Canterlot. After all, my dresses seem to sell quite well here.” To her surprise, Octavia shook her head slightly beneath her chin.
“If that is your decision, but I would be more than willing to move to Ponyville with you–” she slid her muzzle out from beneath Rarity’s and locked eyes with the unicorn, “—because, wherever you are, that is where my heart lives and that is where my home shall be.”
The unicorn smiled brightly and nuzzled Octavia once more, her heart soaring to the stars above her. “We’ll be together and that’s what’s important,” she agreed softly.
Silence fell between the two mares for a long time, though how long it was neither of them could ever say, but finally, Rarity’s head came up with a jerk.
“Oh, that’s right!” She turned to Octavia, who blinked at her sleepily. “I’m so sorry, but I completely forgot! I met a pony at the concert who wanted me to tell you something.” The earth pony yawned delicately and rubbed her eyes.
“And… what did she say?”
“She said that… she said that ‘Rhapsody of the Spring Dawn was overrated, anyway’. Does that mean anything to you?”
Octavia’s eyes flew open in surprise, but after a moment, it melted into a soft, gentle smile. “Oh… is that what she said?” she muttered with an airy chuckle. “Well, I’ll remember that.” The earth pony let out a sigh and nuzzled close to Rarity’s neck once more. “My mother always did have a strong opinion on my music…”
~THE END~