Where My Heart Lives

by D4ftP0ny

Clouded Day, Clearing Heart

The next three days passed by in a work-filled blur for Rarity, who once again had decided to employ the same strategy she had the last time that any span of time had stood between her and something she wanted: work until exhausted, sleep, then repeat. It was a system that Fleur had frowned upon when Rarity had told her about it, but nothing the older unicorn could say could dissuade the younger. After all, it had worked before – why not again?

And so the whirlwind of creation had once again swept over the Boutique, catching everything and anything in its beautiful, awe-inspiring wake as Rarity poured herself into her tasks with all of the infectious zeal of an eager foal who had only to complete her chores before being given a treat. She allowed herself to be absorbed in each and every stitch, to be one with the needle and thread as the fabric became patterns became garments, and slowly the minutes turned to hours, then hours to days as she toiled ever onwards, heedless of the limited amount of sleep she was allowing herself and the fact that she was skipping every other meal. Thankfully, Rarity wasn’t the only pony looking after her well-being and, by the afternoon of the second day, Fleur took it upon herself to visit Rarity, armed with a large basket of food and drinks and a determination to get the unicorn out of her Boutique and into the beautiful summer day. Rarity had at first declined, but the growling of her stomach made it impossible for her to refuse politely – and despite her drive to work Rarity knew that if she could not decline politely, she would not decline at all. She had reluctantly agreed, but within the span of two hours she had returned to her shop with a full stomach and renewed energy despite Fleur’s insistence that she slow down. “You don’t want to burn yourself out, after all,” she had warned. But Rarity could not, would not be stopped – not now, not yet. Her orders were almost filled, her stamp of perfection here in Canterlot almost complete, and this was her chance to ensure that she finished all of her gorgeous projects with plenty of time to spare.

Yet, even as she did her best to focus every fiber of her being into the tasks at hoof, there were thoughts that pierced the veil of her concentration like rays of sunlight through a slit in the curtain of her mind. Thoughts of shimmering gray silk, coal black ribbon and shining amethysts that were sprinkled with a shining top hat and Vinyl Scratch’s enigmatic words: Three days from now, at 11 p.m. I promise you won’t be disappointed. Her longing to find out what those words meant combined with her desire to see Octavia again and fueled the fire in Rarity’s heart, causing it to burn bright deep into the second night and drive Rarity to work on much later than she had anticipated. The results could not be argued with, however. By the time she finally stopped working very early in the morning on the third day, the unicorn had put every last one of the sketches she’d made into the “finished” pile and had all of her dresses ready to show her clients. It was an amazing amount of work and had pushed the unicorn to her limits, but as Rarity had tucked herself into the comfortable little cot she’d set up in the back of the shop, she had felt a clear and brilliant sense of elation and a warm certainty that the next day would be a perfect day.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day, the ponies of Canterlot were not greeted with one of the brilliant, dramatic sunrises that they were accustomed to. Instead, the darkness of night gave way to a gloomy, dull graying of the sky and, even after the sun was fully raised, the capital city remained awash in faded colors and the scent of impending rain as a deep curtain of clouds kept the sun from sharing its bountiful warmth. This was, thankfully, not a surprise to the citizens of Canterlot who were always kept well-informed about the kinds of weather they would be experiencing by their trio of experienced Pegasus weather teams. The leaders of the three teams always issued their reports via the daily Canterlot paper and told every pony of their schedules for rain, storms, etc. several days in advance so that any events that needed to happen outdoors could be scheduled around the city’s much-needed rainfall.

Rarity had read the paper in the time between her lunch with Octavia and her appointment with Vinyl Scratch three days ago and had been disappointed that their special day would be dreary and rainy, but she had been determined not to let such a triviality keep that day from being gorgeous and amazing. As she left her shop and headed up the avenue towards High Street, however, she swore she could have kissed the Pegasus in charge of the weather for Canterlot. She squinted into the dim light as she walked, her eyes aching and dry from her less than adequate night’s sleep, and deep inside the cotton that had half-filled her head in the night she knew that, if the sky hadn’t been filled with clouds, she would have had to resort to drastic measures to simply be able to see at all.

Rarity, sometimes you can be absolutely incorrigible when it comes to your work, she reflected with more than a hint of irritation towards herself. Fleur warned you, didn’t she? Don’t work yourself so hard, you’ll regret it. Well, that will teach you not to listen to good advice, won’t it? The unicorn let out a heavy sigh as she trudged along the street, her head held low and her ears drooped halfway to her mane. I’m just lucky that I always keep an extra brush on me at all times, she thought as she gave her head a gentle shake that made her perfectly curled mane sway gently next to her face. I would’ve had to hurry back to Fleur’s to brush and run otherwise... She winced as even the subtle shake caused her eyes to throb and her muzzle scrunched unhappily as pain filled the front of her head. …and I’m not certain how THAT would have worked out.

Around Rarity the city bustled as usual with ponies moving here and there along the street as they went about their daily business. It didn’t surprise her that ponies were out and about – the weather report had assured the city that there would be no rain until later, after all – but what did surprise her was the obvious effect the cloud cover was having upon the citizens. She glanced across the street to a mare and her filly as they hurried down the street, their heads held low as they hustled towards their destination, their eyes casting worried glances skyward as if the storm was bound to break at any moment. Rarity’s head rose from its position closer to the ground as her brow knit in curiosity, her ailments dimming slightly behind the fire of her thirst for knowledge. I wonder why they’re fretting, she thought. The weather report said no rain until later, so I would think that they wouldn’t be in such a hurry. If somepony in Ponyville says that we will get rain at a specific time, it will happen within ten minutes of the time announced. Perhaps things are run differently here? The unicorn gave her head another small shake and, this time, she was thrilled to note that the pain was much less than before.

I’ll have to ask Octavia, she decided as she turned her hooves onto High Street and headed north. High Street was a hive of activity, just like the rest of the city that day, and even more so because of the time – it was growing close to lunch time – and the street with the best restaurants in Canterlot was earning its lunch hour revenue. She’ll know what’s going on and perhaps she can tell me if I should be scurrying around like that. Her lips slowly turned up at the corners as the single thought of Octavia blossomed into a garden of memories, thoughts, and feelings that filled Rarity’s mind and chased some of the cotton filling the confines of her mind away. I’m certain that if I should be, she’ll tell me in no uncertain terms. She can be very honest in that way, she thought. Her smile grew broader as she pictured Octavia: the small, secretive smile that the other mare wore so well, her brilliant, sparkling eyes, and her breathy, teasing laugh.

In spite of her less than rested state, Rarity found her hooves becoming lighter the farther she walked and, as she passed the first of the restaurants on High Street, they finally felt like they were no longer made of lead. The tiredness that had plagued the first part of her day seemed to be slowly ebbing away as she made her way around the city and, in spite of the dreary dampness that threatened the capital, Rarity felt as though the sun were shining just for her as her thoughts dwelt on the earth pony she was on her way to see and the plans the pair had for this afternoon.

I wonder what her quartet will play, she thought as she hurried past La Cuillère d’Argent, her ears perking up as her thoughts raced. And I wonder how much they’ll play. It would be absolutely marvelous if they played more than one song for me. I mean, I’m not expecting an entire private concert or any such thing, but… oh, a mare can hope, can’t she? The unicorn allowed herself a small, girlish giggle of excitement as she hurried down the sidewalk, carefully skirting around patrons exiting the restaurants as well as random pedestrians on the street as if her hooves were separate entities that controlled Rarity’s path and were determined to see her get where she was going no matter how distracted she became. Oh, I can’t wait to hear her play!

Thoughts of Octavia filled her mind to the brim and, as they did, Rarity felt a bubble of excitement welling up in her chest. It threatened to not only overwhelm the tired, almost nauseous feeling that had dominated the unicorn before, but also to override her common sense and good judgment as the desire to simply break into a sprint to get to the restaurant faster burst to life in her mind. Oh don’t be a fool, Rarity! She chided herself as she wove through a particularly thick knot of ponies who were standing in front of one of the restaurants offering Zebrican fare. That would be reckless in this crowd and the last thing you want to do is look like a crazy mare in front of Octavia! She gave her head a firm nod as she stepped around a pony who had his head craned upwards as he gawked at the skyline. Yet, even as she reaffirmed her ladylike approach to the situation, the bright warmth of her excitement continued to build, growing larger and more brilliant with each step that carried her closer to Octavia.

Finally, after what seemed to Rarity like an eternity of weaving through group after group of diners either entering or exiting their eateries of choice, she spied the top of the White Lily through the crowd and, in spite of her determination to appear calm and collected, she felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight of it. There it is! At last! She felt a smile begin to grow upon her lips as she hurried forward, her excitement swelling up in her chest and pressing it outwards until the unicorn thought she would faint. As she approached the restaurant, a large knot of ponies swarmed out of an establishment right next to the Lily, blocking the entire sidewalk with noisy, bustling motion.

Rarity felt her smile become a frown in an instant and all of the excitement glowing in her chest suddenly fanned into a burst of anger at the blatant disregard for others that this group was displaying. How absolutely abominable! She thought crossly as she moved to the far right of the sidewalk and pressed herself as close to the façades of the buildings as she could in an attempt to circumvent the group. Some ponies have NO sense of common courtesy. Rarity made her way around the crowd as seamlessly as she could, though she had to slow her pace considerably so she wouldn’t bump into anypony else. Several of the ponies in the crowd that had blocked her gave her apologetic smiles and begged forgiveness as their assemblage finally morphed and started down the street and it was all Rarity could do to offer them sincere smiles and polite dismissals without glaring at them. Even so, Rarity knew that the heat behind her eyes could not be hidden completely and at least one of the poor mares who apologized to her did so twice before scurrying out of the designer’s way as if Rarity were a burgeoning storm cloud. The unicorn winced as the mare gave her a tentative backwards glance, her eyes full of fear. Calm yourself, Rarity, she thought firmly. Those ponies didn’t set out to make you angry, they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. There’s no reason to let your own desires turn your excitement to ire, now is there? She turned and offered an apologetic wave of her own to the group, but either none of them noticed or they were too terrified to turn back.

With a sigh, Rarity let her hoof fall back to her side. Oh well done. Nothing like making other ponies feel like they’re scum for no reason. The unicorn gave her head a small shake and turned her body back towards the White Lily even as her eyes lingered on the retreating crowd. Honestly, Rarity, you’ve got to keep your emotions in check or else somepony is going to get – her head finally followed the rest of her body and, as her eyes lit on her destination, the silent chastising that she had been giving herself fizzled and became the barest murmur inside her own head, – hurt, she thought weakly, her eyes widening as they lit upon her destination and the one thing she had longed to see more than anything else that day: Octavia.

The musician stood just outside the door of the Lily, her hooves pointed demurely as she craned her neck to see over the crowd, her eyes searching the street full of ponies eagerly. Rarity watched as she turned this way and that, looking all around the street for several long moments before the gray mare shifted on her hooves and settled firmly back onto her pads as she obviously did not find what she was looking for. Her mouth curved into a slight frown, but her eyes continued to search the crowd with zealous excitement in spite of her less than happy expression and, as Rarity watched her, she felt her cheeks grow warm as realization blossomed in her chest.

She’s looking for me. The thought burst into Rarity’s mind like a flash of brilliant light and the glow of excitement inside her blazed brighter than she could ever remember it having burned before. Even the excitement that she’d felt before the Grand Galloping Gala or Princess Cadence’s wedding had been nothing compared to the flame that flared to life inside her chest, its dancing tongue of eager happiness so bright and forceful that it filled her to the brim and threatened to lift her up into the sky with its heat. Her heart began to pound inside her, hard enough that she could feel its throbbing in her head and hear it in her ears as Octavia’s amethyst eyes swept the crowd again, her face impassive despite the franticness of her searching and, as Octavia’s gaze finally found her own, every sound in Rarity’s world faded away into silence.

The other mare’s eyes were dazzling, even in the low light of the cloudy day, and as Rarity watched, she could see as deep into them as she had back in her Boutique the very first day they had met. She could see her excitement mirrored in those amethyst depths: excitement and eagerness that burned together with a deep need that made Rarity’s heart flutter in her chest as her body took an unconscious step towards the other mare.

What is going on? She reflected quietly as her hooves moved her closer to Octavia. I knew that I was excited to see Octavia again, but this… She took another step and this time Octavia moved as well. She took a step towards Rarity, her momentum causing her dark mane to shift and shimmer around her brilliant eyes as she started forward. Rarity felt her cheeks warm yet again and, in the back of her mind, she heard herself whisper.

…this is something more.

She and Octavia drew up to one another, Rarity’s gaze riveted to that of her companion as Octavia’s lips curved into a smile. It was a small, conservative smile and one that Rarity would have put no stock into before she had gotten to know the mysterious mare, but today the unicorn could see that Octavia’s smile was full of joy and the tiny smile the other mare offered her sent a thrill of happiness up Rarity’s back.

“I’m glad that you made it,” said Octavia softly, her voice the only sound in Rarity’s whole world. The unicorn’s ears stood up straight for the first time that day as the flame inside her grew even brighter at Octavia’s words and, even as Rarity tried to maintain some composure, she knew that she was blushing brightly.

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world, darling,” replied Rarity quietly and, as she watched, Octavia’s cheeks colored as well. The two mares stood together for several blissful moments, their eyes searching one another as if they were trying to memorize each other at that exact moment in time. Their ears ignored the sounds of the street and their eyes forwent the buildings and other ponies around them in favor of the pony who stood before them and, as Rarity stood there, she realized that if somepony were to freeze her in place like this and lock her into this moment forever she would be a happy mare.

Finally, it was Octavia who broke the trance. She took a deep breath and shifted on her hooves, her subtle movements shattering the crystalline sphere that had kept the sounds of the rest of the world out and plunging the two ponies back into the real world.

“Well, sh-shall we go in for lunch?” she asked, her voice a touch breathless. “I… I know Blossom is expecting us and if we are going to get back to my rehearsal with time for me to actually play you anything…” Her eyes sparkled as she gazed hopefully at Rarity who took a breath of her own and gave her head a brisk shake to bring herself back to a state of mind in which she could actually form coherent speech.

“Oh, y-yes, of course!” she agreed eagerly. “I wouldn’t want to keep Blossom waiting for us and I certainly don’t want to make you late for your rehearsal!” Octavia’s smile returned and Rarity felt her own grow in kind as the two mares turned and moved towards the door of the White Lily. Octavia reached the door first and pushed it open for Rarity and, as the unicorn moved into the building, she heard the other mare’s voice.

“And how are you feeling today, Rarity?” she inquired.

Rarity thought for a moment and, as Octavia let the door close behind her, the unicorn gave her a brilliant smile. “I’ve never felt better,” she said softly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The hour that the two mares took for their lunch passed more quickly than all three of the days prior, at least it seemed so to Rarity. For her, it felt as though all of the stress, anxiety, and tiredness that she had accrued during the previous days simply melted away into a haze of eager smiles, easy laughter, and coy glances that filled her to the brim with warmth and happiness. The food was delicious as always and, despite Rarity’s brief trepidation at the thought of seeing Silver Blossom again after the strange events of their last lunch, the hostess mare did not treat her any worse than she had before. It was quite the opposite, in fact, and throughout the whole meal Blossom treated Rarity with more familiarity than she did formality, a turn that both surprised and pleased the unicorn to no end. Octavia seemed pleased with it as well and, by the time the two mares had finished their meal, neither of them were especially eager to leave the comfortable environment of the White Lily. In fact, both mares agreed that if they had been left to their own devices that day they probably would have stayed much, much longer in the warm, forgiving atmosphere of the restaurant that had come to mean so much to the both of them, but even as they hesitated in the Lily’s entry way, one thought drove Rarity back out into the street with Octavia:

If we don’t leave the Lily, I don’t get to hear her play.

It was with that thought ringing in her ears that Rarity set off with Octavia down High Street, the sunlight in her heart contrasting sharply with the gathering storm clouds overhead. The two mares walked in affable silence, their soft smiles from lunch lingering on their lips as they passed by the avenue that Rarity usually took back to her Boutique and instead continued on for several more blocks before turning right and moving deeper into the city itself.

Around the pair, ponies moved quickly about their daily business with the urgency and efficiency that Rarity had come to expect from Canterlot, but for the first time in weeks, the unicorn felt none of that urgency in her heart. Her hoofsteps were gentle and even instead of hurried as she walked beside Octavia and, even though she knew that they had somewhere to be with little time to get there, she could not seem to make her destination matter while she walked with Octavia. After all, it’s the journey that makes the adventure, is it not? She glanced sideways at Octavia and smiled brightly as she found the other mare’s gaze on her, Octavia’s eyes glowing with emotion so brightly that they warmed Rarity to the tip of her nose.

“Is there something wrong, Octavia?” the unicorn asked quietly as they crossed a small intersection, their hooves clopping in perfect time with one another as they moved from curb to street. The musician’s tiny smile grew and she gave her head a small shake as they approached the curb on the other side.

“Oh no, there’s nothing wrong,” she replied quietly. Her smile grew again as the pair stepped back up onto the sidewalk and, as they did, Octavia took a step that was a bit wider than necessary so that, when she had finished the simple step upwards, she and Rarity were walking just a bit closer together than they had been before. Rarity felt her heart skip a beat at the other mare’s closeness and to her delight and dismay she felt her cheeks begin to blush warmly as Octavia’s tail flicked against her rear legs in a lingering half-touch. “Quite the opposite, in fact,” Octavia whispered, dipping her eyes demurely before turning them back to the sidewalk as the two mares continued on.

I’m glad she knows where we’re going, Rarity reflected as she, too, turned her head back to her front, because I have no idea where we are right now! Octavia was so close to her that Rarity could feel the heat from the other mare’s body against her left side and, even though the unicorn’s eyes were on the street, every ounce of her attention was on the ever shrinking space between her and Octavia. The street slowly began to blur around her as every one of her senses honed in on her companion, the world gradual losing focus as every ounce of Rarity’s being reached out to Octavia. With every breath Rarity took, she could smell the other mare’s perfume – a gentle lilac scent that filled Rarity’s head and brought her thoughts to a halt – and with every step, the unicorn could feel Octavia’s tail swishing against her back legs. Every contact causing her heart to pound louder and louder until it began to drive out the sound of the street. Everything that was Octavia was slowly filling Rarity’s head and, after several more minutes of walking in silence, Rarity finally managed to pry her attention from the gray pony. When she looked up at the buildings around her, she realized that, if she was lost before, she was most definitely lost now. Dear Celestia we need to talk to one another. She forced the thought through the hazy veil of lilacs and silk that had filled her mind as she blinked rapidly up at the gray sky. Otherwise I’m going to be a complete gibbering fool by the time we reach the concert hall.

“So, I believe I may be missing something,” Rarity said as her eyes finally refocused on the clouds. “I read the weather reports like everypony else and, according to the paper, there isn’t supposed to be any rain until much later this evening, correct?” She arched an eyebrow at Octavia. “But if that’s so then why does it seem like everypony but you and I are in a horrible hurry today? Did I misread the report?”

To her surprise, Octavia’s smile became amused as she shook her head, her mane flowing gently around her shoulders as she did so. “You did not misread the weather report, Rarity – it said exactly that.” The two ponies glanced as one across the street where a small group of three ponies hurried along the storefronts as if a hurricane were coming down on them. “There is one problem with the reports, however, and that problem is named Captain Cloudflair.”

“Captain Cloudflair?” Rarity repeated, arching an eyebrow. “Is he somepony I should know?”

“You do not live in Canterlot so I would not expect you to know him, but here we have all come to know his name and, more often than not, we end up using it as a synonym for missed appointments.” The musician’s lips pursed together and she rolled her eyes before continuing. “Captain Cloudflair is the commander of all the weather teams here in the capital and he is very new to his position. So new, in fact, that he is having a hard time coordinating the proper weather patterns in so large an area as well as finding great difficulty in causing the weather to happen at the correct and appointed time.” Octavia gestured to the sky with her left hoof. “So, on a day like today, the rain may come as scheduled or it may come tomorrow or it may come in five minutes. He has not missed his schedule by more than a day either way so far, but I am beginning to have my doubts as to the chances that he will keep his job very long.”

Rarity winced. “Oh my, that is quite a margin of error,” she agreed as the pair made a right off of the previous street and onto another broad avenue. “I’m certain that Rainbow Dash would have some very colorful things to say to your Captain Cloudflair.” Now it was Octavia’s turn to arch an eyebrow and Rarity gave her an apologetic smile. “Oh, pardon me – Rainbow Dash is one of my friends in Ponyville and she is a first-class weather pony! We haven’t missed a shower in almost an entire year since she took up her position.” The thought that she’d brought Rainbow up in conversation before tickled the edges of Rarity’s memory, but Octavia nodded without giving any indication that she’d heard of Rainbow before so the unicorn pushed the thought away.

“I see.” Octavia’s eyes twinkled happily. “That must have been the rainbow-maned filly who saved the Wonderbolts in Cloudsdale two years ago. That was the talk of Canterlot for quite some time afterwards, I should tell you. I would very much like to meet her someday and perhaps she would be gracious enough to come and… what is the expression? Perhaps she could whip the Captain into shape?”

“Oh, I have no doubts that she could, no doubts whatsoever!” Rarity gave her mane a shake and opened her mouth to continue the conversation, but before she could do so Octavia stopped in her tracks. The unicorn skidded to a halt and turned back to her companion, her brow furrowed in concern. “Octavia? Is there something wrong?” asked Rarity, her voice tight with worry. To her surprise, the musician let out one of her teasing, ear-tickling giggles before shaking her head.

“No, there is nothing wrong. We’ve arrived, that’s all.” She turned to her left and gestured upwards with her hoof. “Welcome, Rarity, to the Canterlot Metropolitan Concert Hall!”

Rarity blinked in surprise, but as she turned to her right, the surprise in her chest was quickly smothered in a wave of awe as the unicorn’s gaze found the enormous building that Octavia had indicated. She had been to concert halls in the past, but the Metropolitan Concert Hall dwarfed even the largest venue Rarity had ever been to and, as much as she loathed admitting it to herself, Rarity knew that, even with the grandeur of Canterlot sprouting up all around, the scope of the Hall surprised her. The building was huge and squat, easily three times wider than it was tall, with huge pillars in front that held up the gigantic triangular roof to the entryway. The building was constructed out of what looked like pure granite and was complete with the biggest dome roof that Rarity had ever seen, a roof large enough that she couldn’t see past the curvature of the front. In itself, the building was not truly remarkable, but in sheer size, design, and type of material used in construction, Rarity knew that this Hall was a marvel in its own right and that it was something that was made to outlast everything around it.

“I… I can hardly believe how big it is!” Rarity muttered under her breath. “I can’t believe I haven’t been here before!” Next to her, she felt more than saw Octavia stand up just a bit straighter in pride.

“It is a beautiful place, inside and out,” Octavia agreed. “A symbol of the firm desire that Princess Celestia has in preserving and forwarding the arts.” Rarity turned back to her companion and Octavia favored her with a rare, dazzling smile – a smile that made Rarity’s thoughts of the grandness of the Concert Hall fade away into the back of her mind. “Come on, let’s go inside. I’ll get you a seat and you can watch everything.” Without waiting for a response, Octavia darted out into the street, her movements quick and light as Rarity watched her, dumbstruck. The other mare made it most of the way across the street before she turned, gave Rarity another excited, brilliant smile, and gestured with her hoof. “Come on! The others will be waiting on me!”

“Oh! Oh yes, of course,” Rarity mumbled. She blinked her eyes rapidly and hurried into the street after Octavia, determined not to make her any later than she already was, yet even as the other mare turned to lead the way up the steps to the Concert Hall, Rarity could still see Octavia’s bright smile in her mind and she knew, deep down in her heart, that she would do whatever it took to keep seeing that smile time and time again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If Rarity thought the Concert Hall looked big from the outside, she was absolutely flabbergasted by the size of it on the inside. The center of the dome stood easily a hundred feet above the lowest level of seats and, with the lights in the building low as they were, it felt as though the ceiling were miles away, even from the box that Rarity had been directed to by Octavia. The unicorn allowed her eyes to rove the massive structure as she tried to grasp the sheer size and scope of what was easily the largest theater she had ever been inside. It’s almost hard to believe that this structure isn’t supported by some kind of magic, she thought as she sat back into her chair and turned her gaze upwards towards the balconies opposite the one she sat in. I don’t know much about architecture, so this whole place seems almost… implausible, I believe is the word. Her eyes wandered the beautiful pillars that accented the walls from level to level as well as the curtains and tapestries that closed off the balconies and decorated much of the empty space in the room. The theater was so dark in its upper reaches that the trappings and trimmings looked almost black in the dimness, but the lights near the stage revealed them to be a rich dark red trimmed with gold. The designer smiled broadly at the color choice. So beautiful! That color is absolutely perfect for a theater like this. Her eyes swept back up the far wall where they found a single banner that did not match the rest of the building’s color scheme. It was brilliant white and trimmed in the same gold as the rest of the decorations, but instead of being plain it bore the bright golden sun of Celestia at its heart. At least we can see that our Princess of the Sun has good taste!

The unicorn gave a contented sigh and savored the cool, musky scent of the theater itself as she sat forward again, her gaze moving back to the stage at the center of the room. I’m certain that, if Twilight Sparkle were here, she would have a never-ending supply of facts about this building: when it was built, who Celestia commissioned to build it, et cetera, et cetera. She settled her elbows onto the edge of the balcony and allowed her weight to settle comfortably onto them, her shoulders rising as she sat forward, her eyes on the as-yet empty stage expectantly. Although I’d be willing to wager that Octavia knows just as much about it as Twilight does and maybe more.

The mere thought of her gray coated companion caused Rarity’s heart to thump loudly in her chest and the unicorn’s smile grew slightly. The earth pony had bid her a hurried farewell in the entry hall and had given her an exact place to sit before dashing off towards the main auditorium, her mane and tail trailing elegantly behind her. It had all been very abrupt, but if there was one thing Rarity understood, it was not wishing to be late for an appointment. So she had watched Octavia hurry off as excitement had welled up inside of her, but now that she was nestled safely up in her box seats she felt a strange sense of anxiety that she couldn’t exactly explain: a niggling, persistent feeling that sat in the middle of her enthusiasm and slowly began to turn that bright excitement into muted trepidation.

I’m certain it’s simply the building, Rarity reassured herself as she fidgeted with a piece of the sash that decorated her balcony. While Octavia did give me precise directions, finding one’s way around a new place is difficult and often taxing on one’s emotions. I’m certain that’s it. She nodded her head, determined to convince herself that she’d found the answer to her question. Yet, as her eyes darted back to the still-empty stage, she could feel the trepidation grow in her chest.

The mare let out a sharp sigh and sat back into her chair, her hooves dragging across the edge of the balcony before falling away to thump against the plush padding of her seat. You need to relax, Rarity, she thought. It’s just the stress from the past few days coming to a head. Just sit back and be calm, take deep breaths. She breathed out gently, expelling all of the air in her lungs before sitting up straight and inhaling deeply, steadily filling her chest with air until she could take no more. Once she had inhaled all she could, she forced herself to hold it for a brief moment before opening her mouth and exhaling slowly, trying to allow all of her negative emotions to flow outward from her like water from a vessel, but even as the trepidation vanished, a new sensation rose up to fill it: a hard, unmoving lump in the sea of Rarity’s emotions that bobbed to the surface and refused to be moved. The unicorn frowned. What in Equestria is going on with me? I knew this was going to be a lot of work when I decided to do this, but this doesn’t FEEL like work stress. She allowed herself a soft snort and a wry smile. I know exactly what work stress feels like, and this is NOT it, but if that’s not it, then what IS it?

She took several more relaxed breaths in the same fashion as the first one, but no matter how much negative emotion she tried to give up, the lump inside her would not go away. It remained where it had appeared, unmoving and immovable at Rarity’s center, and no manner of poking, prodding, and positive thinking could assuage the strange pit in her center.

Just when Rarity was beginning to feel her stress level start to rise once again, she heard a sound that rescued her from her inner workings – the tell-tale clop of hooves across a wooden stage and not just one set of them, but several congruent cadences of hoofsteps sprang to life in the empty cavern of the theater – their obviously different rhythms breathing life into the formerly still and silent Hall. As the sounds of other ponies fell on Rarity’s ears, she forgot all else and darted to the edge of the balcony, her forelegs grasping the railing as she leaned forward, her eyes trained on the stage once again.

The first pony to appear was a stallion with a soft brown coat and pale blond mane who carried himself with an almost imperious level of importance as he made his way from the curtains at stage right across the stage towards the grand piano that sat to the audience’s left side. His hoofsteps were firm and measured and he never once glanced back at the side of the stage from whence he had come. The second pony was one that Rarity recognized immediately as Beauty Brass, the exuberant mare who had called upon her more than a week ago. She trotted eagerly across the stage, her movements measured yet so alike to Pinkie Pie that Rarity could not help but think that perhaps the two were related. It would be distant, though I could very easily see it… but perhaps that’s simply due to having spoken to her before. Rarity smiled as both the piano player and Beauty Brass reached their instruments – the piano and a tuba respectively. It’s hard to believe that someone so excitable could have the patience for music, though, come to think of it, Pinkie Pie DOES play instruments…

The next pony hurried out onto the stage as if wasting another moment of their practice time would absolutely ruin the music. His coat was a delicate periwinkle and his mane a brilliant blue and, as he flung himself bodily at the large golden harp that stood at stage right, Rarity knew without doubt that he must be the one Beauty Brass had called Harpo. That means the piano player is Frederick, she recalled as the three ponies readied themselves at their instruments. That makes three of the four ponies accounted for. Now where is-

She didn’t even have time to complete the thought before the pony she had come to see made her way sedately onto the stage, her face a perfect mask of poise and grace. The lights from the stage seemed to illuminate Octavia’s entire body and, to Rarity, it appeared as though she were glowing of her own accord as she made her way to her cello which stood just to the left of center stage next to Frederick’s piano. As soon as Rarity’s gaze settled onto the gray coat and charcoal mane, she felt her anxiety ease and, as it did so, she felt the strange lump in the middle of her chest give a strange yet undeniable twitch. The unicorn frowned as Octavia reared up on her hind legs, took hold of her cello in her left hoof, and drew her bow like a saber with her right. What is happening in there? She asked herself silently. What are you trying to tell me?

“All right, now that Octavia has deigned to join us–” Frederick’s voice was low in the enormous space, but the irritation in his words was impossible to miss even from Rarity’s distance. He turned on his piano bench and gave the gray mare a withering glance, “–perhaps we can get some rehearsing done today?”

“By all means, Frederick,” replied Octavia, her voice cool and perfectly smooth. “I apologize for the late start. If we had started when I arrived twenty minutes ago we would have been only slightly behind, but I understand the need for all of you to hear my reasons for being late in great, exhaustive detail, so I’m afraid that the fault is all mine.” Rarity’s eyes widened and she brought a hoof to her mouth to suppress her knowing snicker as Frederick straightened indignantly on his bench.

“I didn’t need to hear your reasons,” Beauty Brass chimed with a smile as Frederick and Octavia stared at each other. “It was Frederick who kept going on and ON about how you couldn’t be doing this and even when you told him we should just go practice he kept going on and ON and-”

“Point taken, Beauty!” Frederick snapped. Rarity’s smile widened as she turned her eyes back to Octavia and, even though she couldn’t see her eyes very well from this distance, the unicorn knew that they would have subtle, almost imperceptible satisfaction in them at Frederick’s reaction. After a moment of tense silence, the blue stallion at the harp spoke up.

“If it’s not too much trouble, Frederick, would you mind starting us off?” he asked pointedly. “I’m afraid that all of this arguing is going to make my harp strings sound a bit sadder than usual if we don’t start soon.”

Even from her box seat, Rarity could see Frederick roll his eyes. “Ugh… fine. Harpo is right, of course – we need to practice for the audition next week. The spot for the Grand Galloping Gala this year is open again and I want US to fill it. So let’s have no mistakes this time through, all right?”

Harpo ran his hooves lovingly down the golden sides of his harp. “No arguments from me, Freddie.”

Frederick made an annoyed sound deep in his throat that reverberated through the room much more loudly than it should have, but with a shake of his head he turned back to his piano and placed his hooves gently onto the keys.

“One, two, one two three four…” he counted off, and on the next unspoken ‘one’ the quartet began to play.

At first Rarity could hardly hear anything different about the room – it was still as silent as it had been to her ears and, with a frown, she strained her ears for the telltale sounds that would herald the music starting. After a few moments, however, the unicorn realized that the quartet had started playing exactly when Frederick had directed them, but so softly that, from this distance, Rarity could barely hear it. Slowly the music rose in a steady crescendo, cresting like a wave in the sea as it flowed up from the stage and filled every space in the theater. The forceful piano swirled above the surge, rising and falling tempestuously while the harp plucked a sorrowful counterpart, bowing and scraping before the piano’s commanding presence yet still managing to subtly duel it for dominance. The two instruments danced with one another in a coursing tide of sound as the tuba filled the spaces that they left behind with its low, mournful call, echoing like the hollows of forgotten coastal caves as the tide thrashed to and fro.

And then, below everything else, there came the sound that Rarity had longed to hear, the sound that had drawn her to this theater today and a sound that sent a wave of goosebumps down her neck: the deep, throaty rumble of Octavia’s cello, lifting and moving the other three instruments along their winding paths as if it were a riptide sweeping the entire song away into the abyss of the sea. It rolled and purred as the other instruments tinkled, strummed, and hummed away above it and, as the unicorn sat forward, she could feel its powerful depths calling to her more seductively than any siren ever could. Her gaze locked onto Octavia as the quartet played and, to her surprise, the earth pony’s eyes were closed, her face relaxed. Rarity’s brow furrowed, but before she could wonder too intently about Octavia’s technique, the upwelling of sound calmed, the instruments falling away into tentative softness. All of them, that is, except Octavia’s cello.

The earth pony’s expression never changed, her eyes remaining closed as her bow wove back and forth across the strings of her cello as if she knew that she played better by instinct than by sight. The deep thrum of her cello sang into the open space of the Hall, its melody lifting from the depths of the sea where it had started to soar upwards until it danced amid the life of a forest, weaving back and forth easily, almost playfully, as Octavia wielded it with expert precision. Rarity’s vision slowly blurred as tears formed in them, tears drawn out by the beautiful sounds of Octavia’s cello – it was deep and rich like the finest chocolate, soft and strong like Neighponese silk as it wrapped around Rarity’s whole world and held her tightly in its embrace.

It was within the folds of the cello’s song that Rarity noticed movement in the strange lump that had taken up residence in the center of her emotions: a shifting, shuddering movement that stirred her emotions to a boil as the sounds of Octavia’s playing filled her being to the brim. Rarity felt her breath catch in her throat as the tumult inside of her rose higher, sending waves of excitement and deep, wholesome satisfaction washing over her as she watched the stage.

No, not the whole stage, she thought to herself as she leaned forward again. Just one very specific part of it… She settled her gaze firmly onto Octavia and, as the other instruments of the quartet rose again into the musical fray, the unicorn could not help but smile at the earth pony. She truly is magnificent, so at home on the stage, so elegant… Heat slowly blossomed in her cheeks and, after a moment’s hesitation, she finally allowed herself to admit something that she had long thought but never voiced.

…and she is so very beautiful.

The thought seemed to explode into Rarity’s mind like the first light of a new dawn spreading over the dark, eager land and it was in that moment of solitude, with Octavia playing below her and the seemingly infinite expanse of the Concert Hall stretched above her, that a bolt of realization struck Rarity squarely in the chest. A blazing epiphany so brilliant that the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and caused her heart to race wildly as she gripped the edge of the balcony with her forelegs. She is beautiful, she thought again and, as the words formed in her mind, the unusual hollow spot inside of her suddenly burst in an explosion of feelings that caused a thrill to run down Rarity’s spine all the way to her tail. Relief, excitement, hope, and an unreadable mess of ten thousand other emotions threatened to overwhelm the unicorn as she realized that when she thought of Octavia as beautiful, she did not mean it in a friendly way, or a professional way, or a platonic way.

No, she found the other mare beautiful and, as the lights of the stage danced across Octavia’s unblemished gray coat and perfectly combed charcoal mane, Rarity finally realized that any thoughts she had about the cellist were not platonic in the least.

That’s… that’s why ‘meeting’ seemed so hollow when I thought about getting together with her for lunch, she realized with a rush of fresh heat to her cheeks, her eyes glued to Octavia half the room away. I stopped thinking of them as meetings after our second one and without knowing it I started thinking of them as dates.

Inside of her, the small seed of emotion that had burst forth continued to grow outwards, filling the unicorn with an unusually warm and fuzzy feeling from her nose to her hooves. She is so beautiful, she thought again, the words coming more quickly and easily now that the walls of propriety had been broken down. Beautiful and talented, smart and witty, clever and coy, she’s incredible and I…

Rarity allowed that particular thought to fade away into the blissful miasma of emotion inside her as the quartet finished their first song and quickly leaped to the next. Frederick directed them once again as they started and, as soon as he put his hooves to the piano, the soft, sweet refrains of the new song seemed to grab hold of Rarity’s heretofore ignored exhaustion from the night before and encourage it to be ignored no longer. The unicorn gave staying awake her most valiant efforts, but the song seemed to accentuate the warmth of the building around her and, wrapped as she was in the exquisite silk of newfound feelings, Rarity quickly found it impossible to resist the pull of sleep.

Slowly, inexorably, the gentle melody of the sonata drew Rarity down into a warm, gentle darkness as she lay her head down onto the seat to the left of her own, the voluminous curl in her mane falling elegantly over her eyes as she tucked her hooves up onto the cushions of the chairs and nestled down comfortably. I’m certain that Octavia won’t mind… she thought groggily. She… she really is… wonderful…

The unicorn let out a single yawn and allowed her eyes to close, surrendering to the needs of her overly-taxed body, but even as she slipped into the realm of gentle sleep, visions of Octavia danced in her mind. The cellist’s gemlike eyes, glittering in the abyss of Rarity’s dreams as the world faded away around her, were replaced by the flowing, supple reality created by the music that filled her head and heart.

It seemed to Rarity that she drifted for only minutes as the music moved her along, her soul adrift on the boundless black silk of sleep as thoughts of her newfound feelings filled her mind. Flickers of dreams danced behind her eyes as she rested – dreams of Octavia playing, of the other mare sitting opposite Rarity at the White Lily, of Octavia walking beside her as they went about their day – images so real and full of burgeoning emotion that Rarity felt as though she could reach out and touch them.

Reach out and touch her… Rarity thought as the mirages slowly filtered away into a single image of Octavia’s smooth features that hovered above her. With a slow, blissful smile, Rarity reached out with her hoof towards the ethereal visage of the mysterious mare to brush the dark mane out of her face and to Rarity’s absolute astonishment, her hoof met not the ghostly emptiness of a dream but rather the soft, warm coat of a real flesh-and-blood pony.

The unicorn’s smile shrank as the dream faded around her, the façade of her subconscious falling away to reveal the Concert Hall balcony where she had fallen asleep as well as Octavia standing over her, her eyes wide and unreadable as Rarity’s hoof pressed gently against her cheek.

“Oh!” The peacefulness of Rarity’s sleep shattered around her as the unicorn withdrew her hoof rapidly from Octavia and bolted upright in her seat, her cheeks immediately flushing deep crimson. “Oh Octavia, i-is your practice over already?” she asked breathlessly, her heart pounding in her ears as she experienced the strange rush in her head that sitting up too quickly out of a sound sleep can cause. “I, um…” she stuttered, but even as she struggled to recover from the awkwardness of the situation, a slow, creeping horror spread through her chest as she realized that she had just committed one of the cardinal sins of any proper socialite: she had fallen asleep at a concert. And what’s worse, Rarity, is that this wasn’t even a concert – it was a private rehearsal that a friend had to essentially sneak you in to! You ridiculous, thoughtless mare! “Octavia…” she stuttered, but even as she tried to find an excuse she knew it was pointless. The elation and emotion of her earlier epiphany quickly rose back to the forefront of her mind in Octavia’s presence, flustering her in a way that she could not remember ever having felt before. A teasing, fluttering sense of pressure rose in her chest and quickly combined with her shame to create a wall through which any words that may exonerate her simply would not pass and, as the hush between the two mares stretched, Rarity’s hooves darted to her mane, the action of straightening and primping it from its slightly rumpled state at least giving the unicorn an excuse for remaining silent.

Finally, she opened her mouth to say something, anything, to fill the silence between them, but just when she thought that she may be actually able to get something out, Octavia smiled at her, a smile so gentle and so happy that Rarity again felt her words vanish at the tip of her tongue.

“Oh Rarity,” Octavia whispered, her voice carrying easily in the perfectly silent Hall. “You must have been exhausted.”

The words that Octavia spoke were simple and to the point, but the emotions in them were anything but simple. The deep, genuine concern that filled the other mare’s breathy voice made Rarity’s skin prickle with goosebumps and the unicorn gasped silently as the brilliant wave of emotions inside her welled up into her mind, filling it to the brim with feelings that made forming a coherent sentence almost impossible.

“W-well, yes… yes I was,” she muttered finally, her cheeks flushed so brightly that she felt like she should be lighting up the booth. Even though Octavia seems to be the one glowing, she thought wistfully. “And your music was so beautiful and soothing that… well, I suppose I couldn’t help myself, darling.”

Now it was Octavia’s turn to blush brightly and Rarity couldn’t help but look at the mare differently now that she had admitted the level of her interest to herself. She truly was attractive and the way that she dropped her gaze when she became embarrassed made Rarity’s heart pound so loudly in her chest that the unicorn was surprised that Octavia couldn’t hear it.

“I… I’m glad that you liked my playing so much, Rarity,” she said breathily. “And… and I am also glad that you found rest amid my songs, but please, let us go – they have to lock the Hall soon and… and we have to get you home.” Octavia stepped away from Rarity and gestured towards the door, her eyes sparkling in the lights of the theater. “This way, please…”

Rarity stood from her chair and took a moment to stretch her back before stepping up to the gray pony, her heart still pounding in her ears as the two mares rounded the back row of seats and exited the box together. Silence reigned between them as they hurried through the building, both of them eager to not force anypony else to wait on them, but as they approached the exit, Rarity glanced at Octavia from beneath the curl of her bangs.

“Why did you call them ‘my songs’, Octavia?” she asked quietly as they approached the exit. “Surely, you didn’t write all of those, did you?” To her surprise, Octavia blushed and dipped her chin low enough that a large lock of her mane fell across her face.

“I did, actually. Most of them, at least – Frederick enjoys my compositions, even if he would deny his reliance on me. Did… did you truly like them?” Her head came back up and her gaze met Rarity’s, the amethyst depths of her eyes rippling with thrilling desire and excitement as the pair turned and stopped at the door of the Hall. Rarity’s breath caught in her throat and, after a long moment of gazing into Octavia’s eyes, she smiled gently and nodded.

“Yes. I loved them,” she said emphatically. “I only wish that I could have heard more of them.”

The earth pony flushed even brighter, if that was possible, and, after a moment, she gave a brisk nod and hurried out the door into the open air. Rarity grinned broadly and followed, pushing the door open and exhaling in relief as the cool air from the cloudy late afternoon washed over her flushed form. The sky was even darker now than it had been before, but the rain that had been promised for Canterlot had still not fallen, if the dry cobblestones outside were any indication. The unicorn inhaled deeply of the moisture-laden air as she tried to steady her hammering heart, but one glance back to Octavia, who stepped forward and allowed the door of the Hall to close behind her, told Rarity that she would no doubt be flushed long after she went home.

“Well,” said Rarity, giving Octavia a happy smile, “I’m so grateful for this, Octavia. I couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful afternoon.” The earth pony smiled broadly back at her and from somewhere in the back of Rarity’s mind came the almost unbearable urge to be closer to Octavia and Rarity flushed as the thought left exactly how close they should be completely up to Rarity’s willingly overactive imagination. Now, let’s not be too hasty, she reminded her inner thoughts vehemently. I-I mean, I haven’t even told HER how I feel! I haven’t really even figured out how I feel myself!

But, as Rarity’s eyes met Octavia’s again, she could not deny that she felt something for the mare who had brought so much excitement to her life in the past two weeks and, after a moment of silence, Octavia stepped towards Rarity, her movements slow and deliberate as she reached her leg out and gently slid her foreleg around Rarity’s own. The touch of the other mare’s silken coat sent a thrill through Rarity’s body and in spite of herself she let out a small gasp as Octavia’s muzzle came tantalizingly close to her own.

“Nor could I,” she whispered, the depths of her eyes rippling with emotion as she held Rarity’s foreleg. Then she let the grip go, her hoof sliding delicately across Rarity’s own as she withdrew hesitantly. As soon as their hooves no longer touched, however, the earth pony turned and hurried to the door, disappearing through it without any further words.

For Rarity, however, more words would have been completely irrelevant for in that simple touch she had received the one thing that she had needed more than anything else in the world right then: confirmation. The unicorn could not keep the smile on her face from growing in proportion until she was certain she was grinning like a fool, but for once in her life, she would not let that stop her. She giggled aloud as she turned away from the Hall and started down the street, her heart light enough that she felt like she would surely lift off the ground and fly with the Pegasi.

So giddy was she, in fact, that she was three blocks away and humming a gentle tune to herself before she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide.

“I have no idea where I am,” she murmured.

Comments

[Cotton Sweet]

Really looking forward to part deux.

[D4ftP0ny]

5155211
Unfortunately, it's going to be a little bit- I wasn't able to get the pair of chapters done the way I wanted, so I made the decision to go ahead and post this chapter before I was finished with the second part. Hopefully the next part won't take as long, but hey, how many times have I said that, right?

[Cotton Sweet]

5155599 Don't feel rushed on our accounts.
After all, a finished chapter is much better than a rushed one, especially when said chapter is the climax of a story.

[Night Spark]

I am at work right now... So I can't properly freak out about this. I read it. I loved it. Get ready for a freak out.... Omfg so much yes.

[D4ftP0ny]

5156071
Bless you, Argeri. Bless you. X3 I consider myself extremely lucky to have readers who are intelligent and understand like you are, instead of being the opposites. Thank you again for reading, I really hope you're enjoying it so far. :3

[D4ftP0ny]

5156983
Oh man, I'm waiting for the freak out. X3 Can't wait to hear what you thought of this chapter!

[Cotton Sweet]

5157250

[StarPaladinMilk]

I rarely find very 'easy-to-relate-to' moments in Romance fics. I mean, the love, the adoration, yeah. But when it comes to the build up, I'm usually one of those readers who is more loving the spectacle, rather than one who connects. This is a MAJOR exception. I know full well the feeling of realizing how head-over-heels you are for someone, and the long, drawn out process of getting to that point. And you've captured it perfectly here.

And no. I'm not biased because Octy is my favorite character. X3

Ok. Maybe a bit.

Just a smidge.