Octavia x Rarity

by Ryan Hambrick

Chapter 2 After the Grand Galloping Gala

Chapter 2 After the Grand Galloping Gala
Octavia walked around the streets of Canterlot, taking the back alleys just to walk off her stress and anger. She knew that getting as mad as she did wasn’t kind at all, but she truly didn’t like unicorns, always using their magic for the most wonderful things in the world, while Earth Ponies sat and had to do such meaningless tasks that were degrading. Octavia knew that she couldn’t possibly just blow off all of the steam so she went to her favorite bar. They had the finest Brandy in all of Equestria, and knew her face well.
She walked in looking at the bar as she placed her cello down in a corner that was dedicated to her beautiful instrument. She went and sat in her usual spot as she waited for the barcolt to stop cleaning the lower counters and coughed slightly to get his attention. She noticed a faint scent, one that was somewhat familiar but not completely, and one that was very familiar. She smelled fresh vodka, straight from Cloudsdale. Vodka was one of the few things that Pegasi made that was better than what Earth Ponies or Unicorns could make, and was a rather nice drink. A pony’s scent lingered near the glass of Vodka, but did not give off a scent strong enough for Octavia to actually determine who it was.
“Octavia, did you have a good show tonight?” the barcolt asked her. She nodded her head as he poured the usual Brandy from the back room.
“Yes, I had a lovely crowd tonight, they all were very polite, but there was one thing.” She trailed off as she picked up the dish of brandy and sipped it.
“You wanna talk about it?” The barcolt asked, looking at her sympathetically. She nodded slowly, taking another sip quickly before she began to speak.
“There was a unicorn in the crowd, but she arrived too late to see my performance.” She looked down, “She asked me if I would play for her, or even tell her when my next concert was but I just thought she was being a regular unicorn- oh- no offense.” She said, quickly apologizing to the barcolt in case she struck a nerve.
“No worries, Octavia, some Unicorns can be real snobs sometimes.” He nodded wiping down the counter with his horn and swiftly switching to his hoof, as to not offend her any further. She shook her head as she began to speak again.
“It was rather nice that she liked my music enough to run to the ballroom, but I guess I just messed it all up huh…?” She took another sip, hoping that the strong, smoky taste of alcohol would help her forget all about this terrible blunder that she had gotten herself into.
“Octavia, you are a loving soul, I’m sure if that Unicorn really loved your music that much she would come back to see you preform if she found out where you played, and if she really likes your music then she’ll find out, I’m sure of it.” The barcolt reassured her. Octavia ran her hoof around the brim of the glass making a slightly airy note that rang through her ears, a soothing and mellow note that didn’t seem to change anypony else’s mood in the bar.
“I suppose you are right.” Octavia said, “I really should get home and put my cello up though, thank you for the drink.” Her tone was still somewhat bleak and sorrowful. She went to get some bits from her cello case and the barcolt called out to her.
“Don’t worry, Octavia, this one’s on me.” She looked at him and gave a fake smile, even though she was very happy that he would be so kind. The amount that he had given her was probably the most expensive drink they had in the entire bar, perhaps even in all of Canterlot. She picked up her cello and exited the bar into the cold streets again. She fixed her pink bow tie, and then her gorgeous black mane that flowed in the light breeze that was now rolling through the town. She hurried along home, not more than a few blocks from where the bar was and opened the door.
When she arrived inside the smaller apartment, she began to look around. The pony that she had seen tonight, that Unicorn she was so rude to, she was the only interesting thing that had happened to Octavia in a few months aside from random drunkards trying to hit on her for her money and looks. She placed her cello down carefully in a spot on the carpet where it had indented into the floor from being placed there for years. She walked over yawning loudly, not needing to keep personal appearances up in her own apartment. She walked over and grabbed a glass of water in her mouth walking back over to her bed. She placed in on the nightstand and fell on her back, lying down on the fluffy comforter.
“I hope that I didn’t offend that Unicorn too much…” she sighed loudly and covered her face with a pillow talking into it. “I’ve never been so rude in my life, and at the Grand Galloping Gala, how could I?” she rolled over looking at the white pillow, picturing that unicorns beautiful and flawless smile, wishing she had been nicer. “I’m sure she’ll come around again eventually, I just wish I knew when so I could look my nicest for her.”
Octavia rolled around in her bed, not able to get comfortable and kept taking sips of water every now and again as she began to get very hot moving around under the blankets. Finally she found a nice soft spot next to the pillow, something she’d never done before, but found it surprisingly comforting, and finally fell asleep.
Octavia had gotten out of bed rather late that morning and hurried into the kitchen. She made a quick salad and didn’t bother cooking any of it, but ate it with as much dignity as she did when she ate in public. She then hurried off and took a shower, even though the last performance at the Gala wasn’t as strenuous as some of the other’s such as the time she performed in the stadium of Cloudsdale for seven hours straight without even a drink of water on a sunny day. She finished her shower and dried off, making sure her mane was in perfect order before she left the apartment. She never knew when she would see that beautiful unicorn again and wanted to look her best when they did meet, so she could give her a proper apology.
She wondered around a bit with her cello on her back yet again, wondering if anyone would pay a few bits to hear the famous Earth Pony, but the streets were rather empty. It wasn’t so strange after the Grand Galloping Gala for Canterlot to be empty seeing as most of the ponies would have stayed out until dawn or later. After walking for about an hour and reaching the center of town near a fountain, she couldn’t take just walking and thinking anymore. She put her cello on the ground and opened the case, taking out the cello and bow. She balanced the cello on its side, taking out the endpin enough so that it would maintain itself while she sat on the fountains wall.
Many ponies opened their doors and windows to hear what was going on outside and what they heard was beautiful beyond compare. Behooven’s 5th Symphony, mainly just the intro as it was written specifically for cello, and actually was written for a unicorn to play it, due to the difficult string crossing and bow movements it entailed. Octavia had always revered that someone would go as far as to say only unicorns could play something, and always strived to prove composers like that wrong by showing them any pony could play it. Ponies around her gasped at the grace and eloquence that she demonstrated while playing, as if she were part of the instrument.
However, this time she wasn’t playing for the crowed or even the money that was now being tossed in her cello case. Octavia found herself playing to express emotions that she didn’t quite understand, that she may never come to understand, and she loved the feeling. She tore at the strings, on every accent pushing the strings down, pulling them with the bow hairs and having the notes ring through the entire town. She increased the tempo, even though it wasn’t marked and played furiously with passion that she had never played with before. Hundreds of ponies from all through Canterlot were now listening in on the spectacle and many had even walked from nearly the palace just to see this. They would be surprised if they could not hear the sounds that Octavia was making all the way down in Ponyville and maybe even further.