Rolando paced the front step of Marianna's house nervously.
"Alright, Rolando...you can do this. This is no different than the other dates you have been on. The only major one is that you are doing the pursuing...which I have never done before..." He said to himself.
"No matter...I will treat her out to an excellent night. No need to worry. I will do fine. I am a Staccato, after all. Staccatos do not fail." He said, boosting himself up.
"No, I cannot act like that...I am positive she does not like self-important idiots. I must be the epitome of a gentlecolt, just as father taught me." He said, clearing his mind.
"How long do you plan on standing there talking to yourself?" Marianna giggled, standing in the doorway watching her date for the night pace back and forth, mumbling to nopony in particular.
He seized up at the sound of her voice. "A-Ah...Marianna. So good to see you." He said, turning to face her. Once again, he felt himself surprisingly short of breath.
Marianna had dressed herself up marvelously. She was wearing a rose-gold necklace with a small sun pendant, her royal blue mane tied up in a knot at the end, the sea of royal blue hair cascading down her left shoulder. She had lightly dabbed on a light shade of purple eye shadow, bringing out her red eyes even more.
He felt like he was in rags in comparison. He mentally looked himself over. He was dressed very nicely, wearing a black jacket with a vest underneath, his jet black mane combed back neatly. He looked great, despite his own opinion.
"I...hope I did not under-dress." He said, gently moving a rock with his right hoof.
"Oh, this? No worries. I may have over-dressed a bit. I had a feeling you would come dressed nicely for the occasion, so I wanted to make sure I did as well. Is it too much?"
Rolando looked up quickly, a small look of surprise in his eyes. "A-Absolutely not! You look absolutely beautiful, and I could not count myself luckier to be accompanied by a mare such as yourself." He said. When he realized what EXACTLY he had just said, his face lit up brighter than the lamps that lit the street.
Marianna blushed as well. "What a sweet thing to say, Rolando. You are rather dashing yourself..." She said, blushing lightly.
"Well...shall we go? I set up reservations at Plume D'Or for eight this evening." He said, extending a hoof.
"Of course." She said, turning to lock the door to her home.
Once they were on their way, they chatted about trivial things, such as their trade and their interests. The pair walked fairly close together, close enough they wondered whether they would trip over one another.
She is so close to me right now, I am certain I can feel her body heat radiating off her coat... He thought, trying to fight a blush as Marianna talked.
"What about you, Rolando? Tell me a bit about the violin. Why do you enjoy it so?" She asked, curious.
"Hm? The violin? Oh, it is very simple. I love the violin, simply because it is an instrument that lets you paint an emotion in a way no other instrument can. It can play beautiful, uplifting melodies, or heart-wrenching melancholy phrases. It is a medium through which the performer portrays his soul, and it is a window to the heart through the music that comes forth from it. If there was ever a way to see into my heart, it is when I am performing. There is no other feeling like it. It is as if I have the ability to move the hearts of my listeners at my leisure...and I intend to show all of Equestria my gift. I intend to bring all the hearts and minds of Equestria together in the most peaceful of ways: through the purity of music." He said, with a smile on his face, his voice brimming with resolve.
Marianna found herself completely entranced. She was completely taken aback by the magnificence of his dream. He sounded so sure of it, that she was convinced he would do it someday.
"That...was beautiful, Rolando...I never imagined you had such an amazing dream." She said, feeling a bit inferior to him. "My dream is not quite as grand as yours..."
Rolando shook his head. "No dream is any less worth achieving than another. Tell me, what is your dream?" He asked.
Marianna blushed as she revealed her truest desire. "I want to create my own breed of rose...a rose that shines different colors when in the sunlight...one that will be so beautiful that Princess Celestia herself will wear one in her mane." She said.
Rolando couldn't help but smile. "That is a beautiful dream, Marianna. I am sure you will achieve it one day." He said with a reassuring smile.
Marianna smiled in return. "Thank you Rolando...you are a true gentlecolt." She said, leaning upward and giving him a small kiss on the cheek.
"We have to hurry, our reservations are almost up!" She said, taking him by the hoof and leading him towards the restaurant. They arrived right on time, trotting up to the host.
"Bienvenue a L'Plume D'Or. Do you two 'ave a reservation?" The host said with a thick French accent.
"Yes, dinner for two at eight?" Rolando said.
"Last name, s'il vous plait?" The host asked.
"Staccato." He said. Suddenly, the host went pale. "M-My apologies, Monsieur Staccato. Right this way." He said, leading the pair to their table. They sat down, and waited for the waiter, who arrived a moment later.
"A pleasure to see you again, Monsieur Staccato. To what do I owe this pleasant visit?" The waiter said, turning his head to face Marianna. "Oho, what a nice surprise. And you are?" He asked politely.
"Marianna. Marianna Rosada, a pleasure to meet you." She said with a smile.
"Marianna Rosada, as in THE Marianna Rosada? What an honour! We have gone to your parents for floral arrangements many times- we are frequent customers." He said.
"I noticed my mother's new lily arrangement at the entrance. I was wondering where it was going yesterday." She giggled.
"Well, how may I serve you this evening?" He said, taking another bow and waiting for their orders.
"Well, first we will start off with a bottle of your finest pinot noir, and perhaps a basket of bread."
"Right away, monsieur." The waiter said, hurrying off.
~Later~
The pair laughed and talked as they trotted back to Marianna's home, closer than ever. On several occasions, Marianna would find herself leaning against him, to which he did not complain. Rolando reveled in the feel of her soft coat, and the beautiful sound of her laughter.
So this is what it is like...to be in love... He thought, with a small smile. I do not think I would trade this for anything else in the world...
Marianna leaned against his shoulder, her head resting gently against his neck. His shoulders are so broad...they appear so strong. I do not think I would not mind staying like this...maybe for the rest of my life~ She thought with a blush and a smile.
Once they arrived at her home, he walked her up to the step. "Well...this is were we part, I suppose." He said, his heart sinking slightly at the thought of separating from her, even for a short while.
"For now..." She said with a blush, noticing the small drop in his mood. "Thank you so much for an absolutely wonderful evening, Rolando..." She then moved slowly up to him, and shared a soft, passionate kiss with him. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head, his mind instantly becoming mush and his heart nearly beating out of his chest.
They broke the kiss a few moments later, requiring breath. "...Perhaps we can go out again this coming Wednesday? I am free that evening." He said, hopefully.
"...I will do what I can to free my schedule." She said softly, blushing brightly. "Have a good evening, Rolando." She said. She gave him another small kiss and a nuzzle, then entered her home, the door shutting quietly.
"Yes...have a good evening..." He said, breathless.
~FLASHFORWARD~
"...and that about covers it." Vinyl said, her throat dry. "Urgh, I need more juice." She said, popping open another bottle of juice. Octavia had a light blush across her face.
"That was a beautiful story, Vinyl. They really make a cute couple...I would like to think of us the same." Octavia said softly.
"Aww, Octy. You're too cute." She laughed, taking a close seat next to Octavia, nuzzling her.
"Please, do not make this weird." She sighed.
"You know you like it." Vinyl said with a knowing smile.
"...I suppose I do." Octavia said, smirking slightly.
Octavia then looked out the window, seeing the lights of Ponyville in the near distance. "Oh, it seems we are almost there."
"Cool! Maybe Pinkie'll have a place for us to stay." Vinyl said.
"Pinkie? Who is Pinkie?" Octavia asked.
"Oh yeah. She's really cool, she's a total party-goer. I've known her for a couple years now." Vinyl said.
"If you say so." Octavia said.
The two leaned against one another as the carriage pulled into town, Celestia's sun setting over the horizon.
Finding out how Rolando and Marianna got together was cute.
One problem I noticed was near the start when Marianna was being described after answering the door. It ended with "She had lightly dabbed on". What did she dab on?
I can see where this is going, I think. Love it.
So I read it on here instead of DA because my inbox on DA is full to the brim T-T
Anywho, nothing much to complain about this time either, you sure have cleaned up your act alot, either that, or I'm just not noticing anything anymore. Either way, I woulda sworn Vinyl's friend was going to be Lyra, but Pinkie caught me off guard :iconohyouplz:
I like where this is going.
Good as always!
*Squee* Again, this is what Trevor reads Shipping for: the amazing dates! 8D (Trevor is a romantic at heart, and loves stories like this. Thank you VERY much for this story, and the past chapter and this one especially!)
~ Magical Trevor, Minstrel of Equestria
very good story telling as always!
I'm squeeing.
I can't stop squeeing.
WHY CAN'T I STOP SQUEEING?!?
Because this is awesome, that's why.
Really well written. But there was way to much OC for my licking, I am sorry
28308 it was the eye liner she put on
28365
why were you licking them?
haha seriously though this story is great and the steady flow of chapters is nice. love it. keep up the good work.
Loved it
The Party-er and the Raver... Of course they would know each other. [Insert vinyl scratch emote]
I knew it would be Pinkie.
Pinkie sense then a party? ;)
28365
so you're against OC, but your fine with background characters whose lives and personalities are completely fan-made.
that's ok
28312
Me too, but after reading allegrezza i'm really curious what will happen when they meet Lyra and bonbon in Ponyville and if Ponyfan is adopting Their Opinion of each other from allegrezza.
Woo! We're in Ponyville! It is ON like Donkey Kong!
Maybe it's just because my mom was introduced to my dad on his birthday and the first words he ever said to her were "but I wanted a fire truck", but uber-romantic first meetings like that just don't do anything for me.
I like the rest of the story, though. Look forward to Octavia's reaction to Pinkie.
need...more...drugs...wait? wrong place i mean....need...more....ponies
Fluttershy on the char list?
Midwife ftw!
28412 you raise a good point, why does vinyl not have an emoticons? Also, great story, almost thought the friend would be RD
Great chapter! Such a great flashback, and I usually skip flashbacks in chapters to be honest.
Meh Boi, These stories are whar all young heroes strive for...
Of cource it would be Pinkie Pie. lolz. Do i hear a masive party comming on.
Wonderful! I come back after a couple days expecting an update, and find three!
Every chapter leaves me satisfied yet craving more. I love every word!
I should have guessed Vinyl knew Pinkie, Party animal that she is. What adventures await in everypony's favorite not-so-quiet little town? Will they meet up with Lyra and Bon-Bon? What will Celestia's star pupil be like? Jst how did Vinyl knock up Tavi? Find out in the next exciting installment of Dragon! Ball! Z- wait...
28365
I take it back
I thought she was going to know Rainbow Dash
Epic chapter, liked this one especially.
pinkie party!
no im allergic to adorableness ( heart attack, falls to floor)
true story
NO! Flashbacks are not allowed to be this adorable! In all honesty though, I wish I had cottoned on to this story a lot sooner. The sheer volume of it put me off at first, but as I'm reading it I am steadily falling more and more in love with your writing style. Given the opportunity, I would probably print out this whole story and have it legally declared as my wife.
The flashback was absolutely adorable, it warmed my heart. Then you go and set up a vastly uncomfortable moment like Octavia finding out Vinyl is friends with THAT pony. I think it creates an unneeded cliffhanger, but oddly it doesn't feel out of place.
fabulous
Octavia... Plus pinkie pie... DIS GUN BE GOOD.
28562
I downloaded some new emoticons. How does this look? dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Vinyl_Scratch.png
I spot a typo!!!
It says "were" instead of "where"
when Rolando says: "Well...I guess this is were we part, I suppose." (i purposefully did it wrong)
and of course Vinyl's Ponyville friend just had to be Pinkie
at least it'll be funny/awesome to read
wait til octy finds out who pinkie is
So... Cheesy.
that was great
2367932 dont me mean just enjoy the good story
i cant believe that this story is rated everyone can someone please explain how?!
28562
Even if she did, she lives in a cloud house, Vinyl and Octavia are a unicorn and an earth pony, not flight capable or able to cloud walk.
Pinkie and Vinyl are gonna rock that place tonight!
The backstory was very well written can't wait to read the rest!
Awesoe chapter, and I loved that backstory, very sweet.
Good show! Now let's se what happens in PV :D