Not Every Song...

by Jhoira

Ends Gently (June 8th, Saturday afternoon)

Octavia raised an eyebrow as Fluttershy veritably galloped out to her, grinning widely. Octavia stood patiently, waiting for Fluttershy outside of Rarity's boutique. She smiled as she looked at the happy mare, Fluttershy seemed to have cheered up rather significantly since this morning. Octavia stiffened slightly when she was greeted with a hug but smiled after a moment, returning it. Fluttershy certainly was one of the more touchy ponies around after she got past the hurdle of her shyness. Octavia turned and motioned down the main road, smiling as Fluttershy nodded and started down it. "Fluttershy, have you thought of where you might like to go shopping?"

Fluttershy frowned a little in confusion, shaking her head. "Uh... No Octavia, I don't..." She blushed a little as she remembered Octavia's offer to buy her something. She had thought about it then forgotten. “Well, I couldn’t really think of anything I needed. But I’d like to hear you play again.”

Octavia opened her mouth to reprimand the other pony, annoyed she’d bring up their agreed-upon secret before she realized what Fluttershy probably was talking about. “You’d like tickets to my next performance?” A few more seconds and Octavia grinned, this was actually a very good idea on Fluttershy’s part. “Ahh! I’ll get you two.”

Fluttershy frowned and tilted her head slightly. “Two? But it’s only me.”

Octavia groaned slightly as her pegasus companion missed the point entirely. “But this way you could invite someone else.” As Fluttershy still stared at her blankly, Octavia could understand how such a cute mare was still single. “Maybe someone like Princess Twilight...?"

Fluttershy seemed, at least from Octavia’s perspective to get it. “Oh! Twilight does like classical music!” Fluttershy giggles gently and nodded at Octavia. “And it’s not like you could sit out in the audience with me.”

Octavia smiled, the joke wasn’t half bad really. “I should certainly say not. The conductor would certainly have a fit.” She chuckled and gave a partial shrug of her shoulder. “But such things cost me nothing. If you are so set against a gift Fluttershy do at least let me treat you to a meal then. Perhaps dinner after shopping?” Fluttershy’s enthusiastic but slightly embarrassed nod made Octavia giggle gently, assuming it was because Fluttershy didn’t get to go out much. “Hm... Well for this special occasion perhaps Pâturage De Fleurs?” Octavia was silently congratulating herself on her cleverness, she never said she'd skip the present.

Fluttershy blinked, she heard Rarity talk about the only Prench restaurant in town. It was by far the most expensive place. “Oh Octavia, that place is supposed to be really expensive...”

Octavia couldn’t stop her eye roll as she shook her head. “Really Fluttershy you shouldn’t worry yourself over such things. I’ll be paying of course.” Octavia was getting a little cross before she paused, shaking her head and smiling a little. She never understood why some ponies got so go in arms about charity but that was their business. Now to deal with Fluttershy’s resistance. “I was going to go anyway Fluttershy. I like to treat myself on Saturdays. But eating alone can get tedious. Having some company would be a very pleasant change for me.”

At that Fluttershy nodded. Glad she wasn’t putting her new marefriend out. “Oh! I’d be happy to Octavia!” She licked her muzzle, blushing brightly as that had come out a little more forcefully than she’d meant for it to. Though she adopted her usual quieter way for the next sentence. “Octavia, can I ask you a personal question?”

Octavia raised an eyebrow at that but nodded. “Certainly, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy hesitates a few more moments before she continued. “Do you have a lot of friends, Octavia?”

Octavia chuckled gently at the question before realizing that Fluttershy was serious. She shook her head. “Not really, Fluttershy.” Octavia looked up slightly. “Hm... Here in Ponyville, there’s Rarity, Filthy Rich, Vinyl, and Lyra.” Smiling She motioned to Fluttershy with a hoof. “Guess we’ll be adding you to that list too.”

Fluttershy giggled and nodded, smiling gently. “Well, I’d hope so.” She turned to follow Octavia into a nearby store only to let out a small, “oooo.” The store was a jewelry store. Fluttershy knew it existed and had passed it many times but she’d never come inside. “Goodness, this is pretty.”

Octavia chuckled gently. “I’d agree, it’s quite, ‘pretty.’” Fluttershy’s frown at the admittedly teasing comment made Octavia flush slightly. Cursing Flitter for putting the ‘kicking a puppy’ metaphor in her head she quickly tried to move on. “So, I do believe I promised to get you something while shopping.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened, the bad feelings from being teased forgotten at the suggestion. Looking around nervously Fluttershy swallowed her ears down. “Here? But Octavia the cost...”

Octavia grinned in return as she looked around imitating Fluttershy, though not mockingly this time. “I do believe your only requirement was that it be small. This store has many small things.”

Fluttershy knew that Octavia was wealthy, she didn’t really know how wealthy this still felt like a bit much. “Well... But... Octavia...”

Octavia rolled her eyes, thankful that the only other pony in the store were the two clerks. “Fluttershy, trust me, this isn’t a big deal. I used to get Rarity presents every week too.”

Fluttershy froze for a good five seconds, her mind racing before it ran the sentences through her head a third time and she latched onto one of the most important words. “Oh, I never knew.” Fluttershy knew she should leave it at that but she couldn’t. “If I can pry, Octavia, how long ago did you stop...?”

Completely missing the unfortunate misunderstanding that Fluttershy has worked into the statement, Octavia considered. “Oh, it’s been... Years now. I made the decision right after she opened her third boutique.”

Fluttershy nodded, that made sense. Rarity had been extremely busy about that tone, maintaining a relationship would have been hard. She smiled, that had been a long time ago and Rarity hadn’t batted an eye when she found out this morning. Fluttershy would double-check later but she assumed Rarity didn’t have an issue with Octavia’s new relationship. “Ok, Octavia, but it’ll be something small.”

Octavia smiled at the reiteration of the meaningless restriction but nodded. Octavia turned to browse the display cases as well. She still needed to get Lyra something this week. It was, of course, expected for ponies of certain social and economic standing to get gifts for those on significantly lower economic rungs. Even if they had the proper breeding as Lyra did.

Fluttershy turned and spent a few moments looking at the pretty necklaces in the case before hearing a gentle clearing of a throat above her. “Hello madam. Might I help you find what you’re looking for?”

Fluttershy flushed ever so slightly as the stranger addressed her. A stallion she’d only ever seen in passing. She wasn’t nearly as bad with strangers as she used to be, but they still made her a little nervous. “Oh, I was just looking at these necklaces.”

The stallion smiled, nodding as he looked over at Octavia then back to Fluttershy. “I see madam. Is this one of the cases where we should put it aside for pick up later, or does she know?”

Fluttershy tilted her head slightly, unsure of how to answer the question. “Well, she’s buying it for me...”

The stallion nodded, the moment of uncertainty leaving his face as he once again felt he understood the situation. “Ahh, I see. Very good madam. May I offer my congratulations to you then.” At another confused tilt of Fluttershy’s head confusion started to creep back into the stallion's expression. “On... Your engagement madam?”

Fluttershy flushed to crimson instantly and shook her head. “W-We... We’re not...!” Pausing for a few deep breaths the stallion dipped his head in apology.

“Oh, my apologies madam I thought with her buying you one you two were...” He cleared his throat, cutting himself off. “My apologies again for such an assumption, madam. Did one of the necklaces catch your eye in particular?”

Fluttershy swallowed, nervous but she didn’t want Octavia to think she was ashamed of their relationship. “Oh no we are... A couple. But we’re not getting engaged!” Fluttershy resisted adding the word yet.

The stallion stared nonplussed before something seemed to click in his head. Despite his professionalism, he couldn’t stop the small smirk from forming on his muzzle. “I see madam. I apologize if you already noticed but this display case is for engagement necklaces.”

Fluttershy took a step back like the stallion had threatened to slap her. After the moments' shock, she couldn’t stop blushing brightly. Adding to her embarrassment ware the three supremely obvious signs stating the same information she’d just received from the stallion. She turned and cantered quickly over to Octavia, gently prodding her in the side with a hoof and saying quietly. "O-Octavia? Can we go?"

Octavia had to raise an eyebrow, Fluttershy was shy, but she wasn't usually this bad. At least, from what Octavia heard from Rarity she used to be really bad, but she'd gotten better. Still, Octavia had no vested interest in staying so she could certainly give into her companion's desires. "Certainly Fluttershy." She looked back to the clerk she'd been speaking with. "Home delivery, if you would." The mare nodded and took the bracelet off to wrap it and set it aside for delivery later. Octavia spared a look for the stallion who had been helping Fluttershy who shook his head in genuine confusion.

The stallion watched the two mares in a rather confused state. It had been an embarrassing blunder on Fluttershy's part but that was an extreme reaction. He shrugged it off, it wasn't his fault, and Octavia obviously wasn't offended. Losing Octavia as a customer would have gotten him yelled at, but she was obviously still fine with shopping there so this likely wouldn't even be mentioned. But he did grin as he walked over to his coworker with his new bit of gossip. "Hey Little Treasure, guess what I just heard?"

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Before I read this, I must know: How does Vinyl Scratch feel about all of this?

[Jhoira]

9864858
Well Vinyl and Octavia aren’t a couple in the story so she doesn’t have a strong opinion on it as of yet. (She’s not shown up yet.)

[Lore Horse]

And the gossip mill begins to turn. Can't wait to see Fluttershy's reaction to octavia's parents and their reaction to the rumors that Octavia is dating Fluttershy.

[Jhoira]

9870273
Hehe, it'll be fun! But I realized I might have to give this one a bit of an accelerated timeline; because I'm not sure how long I can plausibly keep Octavia in the dark.

[Lore Horse]

9870389
You might be able to go with one more chapter and then at the end of it have a small snippet where Snooty Noble number one talks "gossip" to snooty noble number two. And Snooty Noble number two is one of Octavias parents. Instead of actually giving a reaction to the gossip just have a basic conversation revolving around different gossip and then have one of them say shoot "by the way have you heard about the scandal going on in ponyville, apparently a high-born is traipsing around with some strumpet." And let that pretty much be a to be continued moment where that's the hint that Octavias parents find out and that would send them to ponyville to stop whatever is going on with their daughter. It would make for an interesting confrontational chapter or two later having Octavias high class wealthy parents showing up in ponyville to tell their daughter what to do.