One month.
That was how long it had been since the most extraordinary night of Octavia’s entire life. She had performed in a concert that she had put together with the help of her friends. She played a series of songs she had composed herself, putting all of her heart and feelings into the performance. It was her best show ever. Many ponies in Canterlot were still raving about the concert, and Octavia found her mailbox flooded with requests and offers. She knew that she would always look back at that moment with pride.
However, the concert’s success was eclipsed by the event that happened shortly after it. In a secluded overlook, she and Applejack finally took the time to truly talk out their problems and reveal everything that had happened between them. In the process, their feelings toward one another were divulged, and because of that, they promised to stay together and become lovers. At the end, they sealed their pledge of love with a kiss. That magical moment was engraved into Octavia’s memories, and even one month later, it still brought a smile to her face every time she recalled it.
Octavia had never felt so happy in her entire life. She had a wonderful marefriend, along with a whole group of friends that she dearly cherished, and she was the most renowned musician in Canterlot. There was only one thing left before everything was right and complete.
Octavia and Fancy Pants had transferred the proceeds from the concert to Dr. Panacea the day after. The kind doctor promptly got to work in producing Apple Bloom’s treatment. In the span of that one month, he and his team, along with a bit of paper pushing from the princesses, were able to quickly acquire all the necessary materials and equipment they needed to finish their research. The first dose of the medication was produced and administered within a few weeks.
It took a bit of time, but to everypony’s immense relief, Apple Bloom started to show signs of improvement after a few more doses of the treatment. She had to receive a dose every few days, but she was slowly returning to the bundle of energy she once was. Everyday, she got a bit better, spending less time sleeping, and it did not take long before she was able to get out of bed to find stuff to do.
“Ah’m bored!”
Octavia chuckled as the whine of a certain filly filled the hospital room they were in.
Unfortunately for Apple Bloom, she had to remain in the hospital because she still was weak and had many more treatments lined up for her. Unfortunately for everypony else, hospitals were not known for keeping a restless filly entertained, and Apple Bloom could not help but make that fact well known.
“How about this book, Apple Bloom? This one has a lot of interesting facts about the tax codes of Canterlot when it was first built.”
Apple Bloom bit her lip, staring at the enormous tome that was bigger than her and floating in front of a smiling Twilight. “Gee, Twilight… That sounds…”
“Maybe Apple Bloom would like somethin’ a bit lighter. How about that pegasus explorer book that you and Rainbow love so much instead?” Applejack chimed in.
“I would love to share Daring Do with Apple Bloom, but unfortunately, I didn’t see any of her books in the hospital’s book cart. If I knew this would happen, I would’ve brought a few of mine from Ponyville,” Twilight explained.
“Well, since it is quite a popular series, I’m sure that they could be easily found in any bookstore. Maybe you can go purchase Apple Bloom her own copy,” Octavia suggested. “It can be like a get well soon gift for her.”
“Ooh, that sounds like a great idea,” Twilight agreed along with a clap of her hooves. “How about it, Apple Bloom? Do you think you would prefer Daring Do over the tax codes of anci—”
“Yes!” Apple Bloom agreed immediately.
Twilight blinked at the outburst. “Uh, okay. Glad you are interested in Daring Do.” A second later, she let out a gasp as a huge grin appeared on her face. “Oh my gosh, that means that I introduced another pony to Daring Do. At this rate, I’ll get the rest of my friends into it as well and from there, we can move on to other books. We can start a Ponyville book club! That way, everypony in Ponyville will know the joys of reading!”
Twilight continued to just stand in place, her smile growing wider by the second and reaching maniacal levels. She was gleefully rubbing her forehooves together, and her eyes were quite literally sparkling with excitement.
Octavia could not shake the feeling that she and Applejack might have done something wrong.
Applejack cleared her throat. “Uh, Twilight, are you goin’ to get the book or not?”
“Oh, right!” Twilight replied, snapping out of her daydreaming. “Don’t worry, Apple Bloom, I’ll get you the entire set! Oh, I’m so excited!”
Octavia and Applejack chuckled when Twilight rushed out of the room at a speed that would make Rainbow Dash jealous.
“Guess Ah should give Darin’ Do a shot. Scootaloo did say she liked it when Rainbow Dash introduced her to it. Regardless, at least it’s better than what Twilight was tryin’ to get me to read at first,” Apple Bloom remarked, flopping back into her bed.
“Don’t be like that,” Applejack gently chastised. “She’s just tryin’ to help keep you occupied.”
“Ah know. It’s just so borin’ here, and Ah’m gettin’ tired of board games and books. Ah miss Big Mac, Granny Smith, and all of our friends.”
“So do Ah, Apple Bloom,” Applejack said as she gave her sister a hug. “So do Ah.”
There was a knock on the door, and shortly afterwards, it opened, revealing Dr. Panacea.
“Oh hey, doc! Do you know when Ah can get out yet?” Apple Bloom quickly asked before anypony else could speak, looking up at the stallion with huge, hopeful eyes.
“Apple Bloom!” Applejack cried out in a scolding tone. “Be polite!”
Dr. Panacea only chuckled. “Eager as always, I see. Anyways, I have to ask, did something happen? Your friend was running down the hall and almost bowled me over when I was making my way over here.”
“Forgive her, doctor,” Octavia apologized. “She went out to get some books.”
One of Dr. Panacea’s eyebrows started making its way up towards the ceiling. “All that excitement for books?”
“If you knew Twilight, it wouldn’t sound strange,” Applejack remarked with a smirk.
Seeing Octavia and Apple Bloom nod at the statement, Dr. Panacea shrugged before pulling out his clipboard. “Well today, I have some good news. I went over Apple Bloom’s blood test results for this week, and it looks like the treatment is going exactly as planned. Her body recovery is pretty much matching what we have seen in the small scale tests.”
“So does this mean Ah’m cured and can go home?” Apple Bloom asked eagerly.
“Not quite,” Dr. Panacea replied, causing Apple Bloom to deflate. “You still have at least several months worth of treatment to go through.”
That statement caused everypony else in the room to freeze in silence.
Apple Bloom’s jaw dropped. “S-several months?”
Octavia heard Applejack whisper out the same thing. She saw that Applejack was trying to hide her emotion, but Octavia could clearly see she was not happy either, and she could not blame her. While it was great that Apple Bloom was on the track to getting cured, she and Applejack had been away from their home for a long time. The whole endeavor was taking its toll on them, and several more months in Canterlot was not going to help their homesickness at all.
“However,” Dr. Panacea continued, “you do seem to be getting some of your energy back, and there hasn’t been any dangerous side effects. If you continue to show progress, and no complications come up, I don’t see why you cannot just receive the rest of your treatment back in Ponyville.”
“Wait, really?!” Apple Bloom cheered, her chipper mood instantly returning at the good news. “Ah can really go home?!”
“We’ll have to arrange things so that Ponyville Hospital will be able to administer the doses we send them. Not only that, but I need to set up a series of appointments with you so that I can monitor your progress and make sure the medication continues to work properly. Still, all of that should not be too difficult to arrange. If everything goes well, you’ll probably be out of here within the week.”
“Woo hoo!” Apple Bloom cheered even louder as her body bobbed up and down in excitement.
Applejack was over to her sister’s side in a flash to quiet her down before looking up at Dr. Panacea with a grateful smile. “Thanks, doc. Ah really appreciate what you’re doin’ for us. It’s really great to know that we’re finally able to go home.”
Dr. Panacea bowed. “My pleasure. It makes me glad that I made a positive difference in somepony’s life. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll start looking into setting things up with Ponyville Hospital,” Dr. Panacea said as he exited the room.
Applejack breathed out a sigh of relief, even letting out a few small laughs. “Home... We’re finally goin’ home... It’s been so long.”
“Ah can’t wait to go crusadin’ for our cutie marks with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo again!” Apple Bloom said loudly.
“Don’t forget about all the school you missed,” Octavia reminded. “Miss Cheerilee probably has several months of homework waiting for you.”
Seeing the color drain out of Apple Bloom’s face caused Octavia and Applejack to dissolve in a fit of giggles.
“I’m just joking, Apple Bloom,” Octavia reassured when the two mares finished laughing and saw that the filly was silently staring at the wall with her mouth open. “Your teacher understands what you went through. I’m sure she’s not going to force you to make up every single thing you missed.”
It took a few seconds for Apple Bloom to recover and let out a huff. “Don’t even joke about homework. That ain’t funny.”
Octavia noticed that even though Apple Bloom turned away from her and had her hooves folded across her chest, there was still a faint smile on her face. She could not help but snicker, but she made sure to hide it, deeming that the filly had enough teasing for the moment.
“Octavia is just being silly, Apple Bloom,” Applejack added. “Still, she does have a bit of a point. You did miss a lot of classes, and gettin’ a good education is important. Ah still want you to take it easy, but once you feel up to it, you’ll probably have to work a bit harder to catch up to your classmates. Don’t worry, Ah’ll be sure to help you with that.”
“Yea alright, Ah guess that’s fine.” Apple Bloom paused for a second before speaking up again. “So does this mean Octavia is goin’ to help me too?”
Applejack gave a huge gasp. “What? You don’t think Ah’m good enough to help you with your schoolwork?” She stuck her nose in the air. “Ah’ll have you know that Ah am very learned… ed.”
Octavia and Apple Bloom snickered before Apple Bloom continued. “That’s not what Ah really meant. Ah um… Ah wanted to know if you two are still special someponies. Ah haven’t really seen you guys do much together except stayin’ here with me.”
“Don’t worry, Apple Bloom,” Applejack assured with a smile. “We’re marefriends for sure.”
“We just have been busy taking care of other things first,” Octavia added. “Once things settle down, we plan to spend a lot more time together.”
After that fateful night, they had planned to tell everypony else about their new relationship later, when Apple Bloom was all better. In a way, things went according to plan when Applejack inadvertently let the secret out when Dr. Panacea first told them Apple Bloom’s treatment was working. Applejack could not contain her joy and had swept Octavia up in a hug, peppering her with words of thanks and kisses. They probably would have been able to pass it off as getting caught in the moment if it was just Twilight in the room with them, but Fancy Pants and Fleur just so happened to drop by at the same time. It did not take them long to piece together Octavia and Applejack’s newfound relationship status. Octavia could see in their grins and eager eyes that she was going to be subjected to endless teasing for a very long time.
When they told Apple Bloom the good news later on, when she was wide awake, the filly was pretty much bouncing off the hospital walls. Applejack and Octavia had to calm her down because her shouts of joy were disturbing the patients in other rooms.
Other than being a bit more affectionate with one another, Octavia and Applejack had not set aside any additional time to themselves since the night they professed their love. Applejack still spent all her time pampering Apple Bloom, but now that the filly was out of critical condition, Octavia was able to accept a few performance requests without worrying too much about the two of them. While part of the reason was to maintain her appearance, Octavia mainly wanted to accumulate some bits in case she or Applejack were going to need it in the future. With everything that was still going on and not wanting to risk putting too much pressure on their relationship, Octavia and Applejack elected to play it safe by taking things slow.
“So then does that mean Octavia is goin’ to come back to Ponyville with us this time?” Apple Bloom asked.
Octavia was taken by surprise at the innocent question. She looked at Applejack, and when their eyes met, she saw that her marefriend was looking at her inquisitively and wondering the same thing.
“Honestly, I have been too occupied to think about that, but now that we know the two of you will be able to go home soon, I guess now is a good time to discuss the possibility,” Octavia reasoned.
“You are comin’ back with us, right?” Apple Bloom asked again. “You and Applejack made up, so that means there’s nothin’ stoppin’ you, right?”
Octavia took a moment to quickly run through everything in her head. When she first confessed to Applejack at the royal wedding, she was dead set on moving to Ponyville, only to abandon that notion when Applejack pushed her away.
“She’s right, you know,” Applejack added. “Back then, the only thing stoppin’ you was me bein’ too dumb to face my problems with you. You don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
“So, does this mean you want me to go to Ponyville?” Octavia asked.
“It would be great if you do decide to do that.” Applejack’s gaze went down to the ground. “Ah also know that you’ve become really popular because of that charity concert. Music is a big part of your life, and Ah wouldn’t blame you at all if you wanted to stay in Canterlot to continue chasin’ after that.” She looked back up at Octavia with a smile. “Ah would be lyin’ if Ah said Ah’m not hopin’ you would move to Ponyville to be with us… to be with me… but what Ah want most of all is for you to be happy. Whatever you choose, Ah’ll support you one hundred percent.”
“Thank you, Applejack,” Octavia replied along with a smile of her own. “I’m grateful that you’re letting me choose and willing to sacrifice your happiness for my own.” She gently bopped Applejack on the nose. “But do you really think that after all that we have been through, I would want us to part ways again?”
Applejack chuckled lightly. “Fair point. Still, Ah just had to make sure if that was what you really wanted.”
“It’s true that with everything that has happened, I would always find a place to perform here in Canterlot, not to mention the lucrative pay.” Octavia gave Applejack a quick peck on her cheek. “But that’s not what I want. I want to be with you. What’s the point of having everything if you can’t be with the pony you love?”
Applejack’s grin grew even wider, and she wrapped Octavia in a hug. “Ah’m so glad to hear that. Ah promise you that you won’t regret it.”
Their embrace was swiftly interrupted by the sound of cheering and the squeaking of abused bed springs.
“Yay! Octavia is finally coming back to Ponyville! Octavia is coming back to Ponyville!” Apple Bloom cried out in joy as she jumped on the bed.
“Calm down now, Apple Bloom,” Applejack said, even though she was still smiling. “We don’t want the nurses to tell you to be quiet again. Besides, you don’t want to get hurt and stay here even longer, do you?”
That got Apple Bloom to instantly halt her bouncing and simply settle on sitting in her bed, vibrating with excitement.
“So, what do you plan on doin’ in Ponyville?” Applejack asked, turning her attention back to her special somepony. “If you can’t find anythin’, you can come work at Sweet Apple Acres. We could always use a bit of help. You can even live with us if you want. It’s the least we could do after everythin’ you done for us.”
“Already trying to get me to move in with you, I see,” Octavia, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
“Got to admit, it sounds pretty nice,” Applejack stated with a smirk.
Octavia laughed. “It certainly is tempting, but let’s take it one step at a time. No need to rush things. Besides, don’t you think we should at least go out on a few dates?”
“Alright then,” Applejack got down on her haunches and held up one of Octavia’s hooves with her own. “Miss Octavia, would you do me the honor of going out on a date with me when we go back to Ponyville?” she asked in an overly dramatic tone.
Octavia could not help but roll her eyes.
“Uh, guys?” Apple Bloom spoke up. “Ah’m glad that you two are havin’ fun, but it’s gettin’ kind of weird watchin’ you guys.”
Applejack got back up on her hooves, giving her sister a deadpan face, while Octavia merely let out a sigh of amusement.
“Anyways, back to discussing what I should do in Ponyville,” said Octavia, “I still have that place Fancy Pants let me stay in. Also, while I don’t mind working at Sweet Apple Acres, I would still prefer to do something with music.”
“Then what do you have in mind?” Applejack asked.
“Well, I still am going to play in Canterlot every now and then. It also gives me a good excuse to visit Fancy Pants and Fleur. I just have to figure out what to do between those performances.”
“Why don’t you just put on concerts in Ponyville?” Apple Bloom asked.
Applejack shook her head. “Ah hate to admit it, but Ponyville isn’t really the best place for Octavia’s concerts. She can put on a show every now and then, and Ah’m sure she would be a big hit, but the bottom line is that the ponies there don’t really have the bits and time to see too many of her performances, unlike Canterlot.”
“It’s better than nothing,” Octavia remarked with a small frown. “I could always take on more requests in Canterlot, but it would defeat the purpose of living in Ponyville if I end up spending more time on the train and in Canterlot.”
“Apple buckin’ ain’t soundin’ too bad now, huh, sugarcube?” Applejack asked with a grin.
Octavia sighed. “It’s not like I don’t want to work with you. In fact, I was already planning to set aside time to help out at Sweet Apple Acres, regardless of my schedule, but like I said, I want to also continue performing music. A concert every now and then isn’t going to quite cut it in the long run.”
Applejack nodded. “Ah understand, sugarcube. You’ve been playin’ music and performin’ all your life, and you love it. While you can change things around, you can’t completely cut it out of your life. It’s kind of like how workin’ on Sweet Apple Acres is to me and my family. You grew up with it, and you can’t ever let it go.”
Octavia nodded as she headed toward a counter where she laid her saddlebag. All this discussion was getting her a bit peckish, and she remembered she had packed some snacks. Digging through her bag to find something to sate her hunger, she spied a letter that she had nearly forgotten receiving quite some time ago.
As the contents of the letter resurfaced from her memories, an idea slowly began to form in her head. There would be a lot of work learning new things and setting it up, not to mention a bit odd, but the potential results were too good to pass up.
“I think I got it,” Octavia stated.
“Got what?” Apple Bloom asked.
“What I could do in Ponyville. Rather, what I could possibly do. There are quite a few things that I need to check out, and I will have to travel back and forth between Ponyville and Canterlot for a bit, but if everything goes according to plan, I would not only be able to play my music often, but I would be able to share it with ponies all over Equestria.”
“Really? That sounds great, Octavia,” Applejack replied. “What’s the plan?”
Before Octavia could speak, the door flew open and a box floated in within a pinkish aura. A very happy Twilight trotted in shortly after, announcing, “I’m back,” in a sing song voice.
“Uh hey, Twilight,” Applejack greeted as she and Octavia stared at the box that was as big as them. “What’s in the box?”
“Oh, I picked up all the Daring Do books I could find,” Twilight answered nonchalantly as she opened the container, revealing nothing but books.
“There’s that many?!” Apple Bloom cried out, her eyes bulging out at the sight.
“Actually, there’s only like ten of them somewhere in here. The rest are mine,” came Twilight’s muffled reply as she stuck her head into the box. “I thought that I could catch up on some studying while we’re still here in Canterlot.”
“Well, you’re goin’ to have to find a way to bring all those books back with you to Ponyville because we’re goin’ home in a few days,” Applejack explained. “Dr. Panacea said that he’s lookin’ into settin’ things up so that Apple Bloom can finish her treatment back in Ponyville.”
Twilight’s head immediately emerged from her digging. “That’s wonderful news! I can’t wait to see all our friends again, and I hope Spike has been doing alright. Since Apple Bloom is recovering, I actually was thinking of making a quick visit to Ponyville, to check up on everypony, but this is even better.”
“And that’s not all,” Apple Bloom added. “Octavia is going to come back with us.”
Twilight tilted her head, staring at Octavia. “Really? But aren’t you getting dozens of performance requests? I thought it was your dream to be the best musician.”
“Dreams can change,” Octavia replied. “I don’t need to stay in Canterlot to keep on loving music.” She glanced at Applejack. “Besides, I think I found something even better.”
Applejack grinned and threw a hoof around Octavia’s neck in a simple hug.
Twilight smiled at the couple. “I’m really happy for the both of you. It always seemed like you two were at your happiest when you were together. We all suspected that you guys were going to do something, and now here you are.”
“It’s been a really long time comin’, and Ah’m glad that we finally did it,” Applejack remarked. “With Octavia comin’ with us to Ponyville, we’re goin’ to have all sorts of fun.”
Twilight giggled. “Better watch out for Pinkie then. No doubt that she’ll throw a big party. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if we were pulled into one before we can even unpack.”
Octavia gasped. “Oh my goodness, we were so caught up with other things that I forgot I actually have to still pack! I need to figure out what to bring to Ponyville, and I also need to tell Fancy Pants and Fleur what’s happening. I have so much to do if I want to leave at the same as all of you.”
“Don’t worry, sugarcube,” said Applejack. “You go do whatever you need to do. Even if Apple Bloom is ready to go before you, she and Twilight can go back first. Ah can wait for you.”
Octavia smiled and gave Applejack another quick kiss. “Thank you, but it would be better if we could all go back together. I’ll see you later,” she bade, making her way outside.
Out on the streets, Octavia let out a happy sigh. There were still some matters left to resolve, but bit by bit, things were wrapping up. In just a few days, she would be moving back to Ponyville, where all the craziness and happiness started.
It seemed so long ago that the only ponies she really knew and cared about were her parents, Fancy Pants, and Fleur. Now, she had new friends, a new life, and most of all, a special somepony to call her own. It had been a long and arduous journey, but the things she had discovered and gained made it all well worth it. The future still held many unknown things, but she knew that as long as they stuck together, they’ll be able to overcome anything.
Life was good.