"Come on, lazy mare!"
I turn in my bed. I know who is invading my sphere of comfort, and it displeases me all the more. "You took forever to get going, so I figured you had given up and I could take a nap," I mutter trying to hide under the sheets. Unfortunately, they catch onto my horn as I try to curl up and get pulled right back off.
"It was literally thirty seconds ago that I told you we were going. That includes you." Somehow, she overpowers my spell by bare hoof and exposes me. Perhaps I forgot to actually pull by magic. Either way, I give up resistance and open my eyes, if only to glimpse the mare of my dreams. "You are as overweight as I am. You know it is necessary."
With a burst of strength, I grab her as she turns to leave. I even manage to mostly stay in bed, with the warmth. "I know another way for the same result."
"Vinyl, no. The outside world is good for you, when you are not stuffing who knows what into you." She pulls forward with me still holding onto her. My accumulated warmth leaves me, though hers stays. "I did the dishes for you. You can at least cooperate."
"For the record, I have always been clean and pure. What the ponies I inspire do, who knows." I follow her into the entrance hall, but I am not yet defeated. "It is raining."
"No it is not. You know what you have to do. You are better at this than I am." She swings open the door, then gives me the same demanding look.
"As the Grey Lady demands." Guided by my magic, her raincloak wraps around her. I always wondered why it had to be just as steel grey as herself. She never gave a satisfying answer. "You could say that for a lot of things." She takes off without an answer. I follow her into the gloom; The sun is still hiding and clouds threaten rain at any second. So far, they are still holding their promise out of reach. She does not break her pace until the dry fountain down the line of houses. Only there does she stop and allow me to catch up. Apparently, she has decided to rest on the plaza around the fountain, or she cannot decide on which of the five paths that lead away to take. "This place has seen better times. Back in summer." I join her in sitting on the fountain's edge. Nopony else is anywhere in sight.
"It feels like it has been months since this thing had water." She takes an unexpected hold of my hoof and refuses to let go. "It was quite brilliant in my youth, fifteen years ago. Do you remember?"
"Lady Octavia, I grew up in Canterlot. We never met until last year. You know that." In return, I grasp her hoof. At least we are now equal.
"Flowers bloomed on every edge and every side. Where they were not, lush grass came up between every stone on the road. It was inconvenient for carts, but living art." Her eyes linger on a point just beyond the horizon. "This fountain is all that remains of what was, and it is not even flowing."
"I can imagine." I cannot handle being still any more. I hop off the edge and walk in circles until she is ready. "Where is your parents' house, anyway? Did you ever introduce us?"
She motions to keep moving, to the south exit street. "I meant to do so, until we were interrupted by her. It seemed inadequate."
"We are alone again now. Nothing between us." I hesitate to step into the cage of buildings and give up the freedom the plaza provided. She pulls me forward as I would pull her. Our hooves never disconnected.
"I never left Ponyville. I never changed. Ponyville changed around me." Does she avoid eye contact or is she just focused elsewhere? "Look, the library tree!" By some miracle of nature – or probably magic – Ponyville's largest tree has managed to keep its leaves until now, when others are already barren. The one lit window at its top draws the attention of both of us as we pass. We come by the library almost every day due to how close it is to our home, but it is fascinating nevertheless in this moment. "There was no magic involved with that. It was planted as a sapling when I was young. They said it would ease the path of this one. Princess's foresight."
Just before we leave the tree behind, I interrupt her, "We know Twilight personally. You do not have to be so mysterious." Maybe I only want to remain out of the tight alleyways. Maybe not. "She and I even met up in Canterlot. I do not think she will object if we go visit her right now."
Octavia bundles together her mane and throws it over her left shoulder. "Keep moving. Exercise exists for its own purpose and should not be interrupted." We move in silence down one road, then another. I cannot think of anything worth mentioning. Eventually, we reach the junction where the school stands. "The schoolhouse is the same. It was already there when I was born."
"Cheerilee likes to brag about how you were as a foal." I send my magic into the distance, to knock a few bird stains off the roof. It reaches its destination, barely.
"She is lying. She is younger than I." Octavia appears to see something that I do not. She moves towards the playground until the fence stops her. Perhap she is looking at something outside of this reality? Something within her mind? "In fact, sometimes I watched over her when nopony else would. Either way. Move, you ball of white fluff! Race you to the next junction!" She takes off running.
Of course, I could match her in speed, but I would prefer a test of skill. Thus, I fill my mind with a spell I was once taught years ago. I appear at the mark long before she can get there. "Do not pick a fight with the magic that runs the world," I tease.
"You trained your magic. I had thought you were nearly inept." Octavia's eyes wander over the buildings we pass. "Some things change, some do not."
She is leading me into the market square. Despite the poor Tuesday weather, it is full of life. Some sell, some buy, and some wander about without a goal. "I had a good teacher. A pureblood unicorn always has skill in magic. It is hers to cultivate. I realised that recently." There are more ponies than I had realised. Even the vertical plane is full as pegasi fly directly to the stands they seek. "Do not bring me into this."
She turns off away from the market. "This used to be half its size. The merchants used to be customers."
"Are you going somewhere?" I am not sure I have ever gone down this road. The night scene is in the other direction. The sun breaks through for just a few rays. Perhaps a pegasus needed a quick way through the cloud cover.
"Here." She stops as we arrive in sight of the chapel. A tiny bit of light sparkles in the stained glass just as in the chapel garden's high trees. "About my parents."
"What? Are you going to tell me they are believers?" I attempt to capture Octavia's expression, but she shows nothing readable. Then she stares down at the ground. "I can handle that. Where on this street are they?"
Her eyes come back up and catch mine. "They do not matter." She takes me into a bottomless kiss. There are no more words.
