Tomorrow Is Another Day
The water looked deep and inviting and Octavia wasted no time jumping into the cool, misty water. She hadn't meant to run off, but visiting her old friend had not been going exactly as she had planned.
She floated on her back, her usually sleek and clean black mane fanned out around her as she floated on the surface of the pond. Sure the water wasn't exactly the cleanest source in all of Equestria, and she doubted she was doing anything good for her immune system, but it was a welcome break from her norm. Instead of being orderly and strict, she was being impulsive, at least for a little while.
This was a vacation after all.
The sky was gray and the air smelled faintly of rain, nopony in their right mind would be coming out here, she assumed. She had heard some pegasi mention some rain, this may have been what they had been talking about.
Octavia did not mind right now though, rain meant that she would be alone. Nopony would try to look for her or talk to her. No, she would be alone with her own thoughts and nature.
Then she heard a wail.
It was far-off in the distance, something easy to ignore, after all the pond was just outside of Ponyville, there were probably many animals that had made their home here. In fact, she recalled seeing a good many of them near a cottage not too far away.
The wailing started to get louder though, instead of being a dull sound out in the distance it began to sound more and more like an animal that was in a lot of pain. She sighed, so much for getting away from everything to relax. This sound was a clear rival against Beauty Brass' singing voice for the most obnoxious sound she has ever heard. Although it did serve as a nice reminder as to why her quartet did not bother to try to sing while they played.
From a group of trees in the distance, a light brown earth pony emerged and wobbled loudly over to the same pond Octavia had been relaxing in. He was clearly the source of the wailing. From the moment he was within range to the moment that he sat down in by the pond he had barely stopped to take a breath, while impressive it was also highly annoying and it had gotten to the point that the gray earth pony could no longer ignore it. She swam over towards the stallion and looked at him. He didn't even notice her through all of his wailing, Octavia winced.
“I'm sorry sir, but is there a problem?” She asked loudly, the brown earth pony jumped when he heard the mare's voice, then quickly went back to sniffling.
“He doesn't love me!” The stallion cried out.
“Excuse me?”
He looked down at her and sniffled, his blue eyes brimmed with tears as he spoke, “I'm sorry... it's nothing.”
“It certainly does not sound like it's just nothing.”
“No really it is... if it makes you feel any better I can just leave I'm sorry to have bothered you.,” the stallion stood up and started to walk away.
“You aren't bothering me... and if it makes you feel any better... In fact, I know exactly how you feel.”
“You... you do?” He asked, stopping and turning to face her.
Octavia nodded, “just a little while ago I let it slip to one pony that I had a small crush on an old friend of mine... she threw a party to celebrate it. My friend did not seem amused by the party, nor did she seem to be impressed by the confession that went along with it.”
She shivered as she thought back to that moment, it had been a few hours ago, but the embarrassment still felt like it had just happened a few seconds ago. This was the second time that pink pony had done something to embarrass her somehow, if she had been a more vengeful pony perhaps that might have meant something bad would follow. All it meant to Octavia was that she would be embarrassed for a little while... and this time she may not exactly be speaking to her friend for a little while.
The stallion giggled slightly then blushed, “sorry, I'm not laughing at your misfortune, I'm laughing because that seems like something Pinkie Pie would do.”
“Oh so that is what you call that Pink abomination...”
“She's really not that bad once you get to know her, she's actually really friendly. She was probably just trying to help, she isn't one to keep her feelings to herself she probably thought your crush should know,” he responded helpfully as he walked back to the pond and sat down on the edge near where Octavia was treading.
“I am sure you are right, but you have to admit it is quite embarrassing. More embarrassing than your story, correct?”
“Well yea... but I never said mine was embarrassing... just heart breaking.”
“Ah, I see well do tell the story. I told you mine so it is only fair that you return the favor and tell me all about the stallion that denied you.”
“I'm not sure I should.”
“It is only fair that you do,” she huffed.
“Ok... you're right. You see, this stallion is one that I have known for years. His sister and I have been good friends ever since we could walk. Growing up, I would spend hours at their farm playing with them and sometimes helping them out when they needed the extra help. As I got older I would try to spend less time with his sister and more time with him whenever I got a chance. I didn't understand why exactly, when I was younger I just figured he was a great role model for me, somepony who was strong, quiet and always willing to help somepony out if they asked.
Even when I would screw up the easiest of tasks he wouldn't berate me like some of the other stallions, heck it seems like every year I lose some kind of seeds during Winter Wrap Up and he never gets angry with me. His sister sure does, but never him.
You probably don't know him seeing as how you're from out of town and all but this stallion is probably the nicest guy in Ponyville. Everypony loves him especially the mares... they all just seem to fawn all over him. It may sound funny, but for some reason I thought he didn't care about them. I thought that if I could just talk to him and tell him how I feel... he would return the feelings.”
“I gather he did not.”
“No, he just looked me in the eye and said, 'Caramel...'” he paused and looked at his companion, “that's my name by the way. Caramel...”
“Good to know, I am Octavia.”
“Nice to meet you Octavia,” Caramel smiled, but his smile quickly melted away as he continued telling his story to the gray earth pony. “Anyway, he looked me straight in the eye and said 'Caramel, you're a great stallion an' all, but I jus' don't think of ya like that.' He told me that he would always think of me as his sister's first friend, more like a brother than anything else and then he explained to me that he wasn't into stallions, he liked the mares... especially one in particular.”
“It sounds like he was very cordial about the whole thing.”
“It's because he's such a great guy,” Caramel sighed, “even when he's turning somepony down he is a perfect gentlecolt. That may have been what hurt the most, knowing that even though I humiliated myself by telling him everything I feel about him he was still so nice when he turned me down. It doesn't help that the next time he sees me it will be as if I had never said anything to him in the first place.”
He was right, it was worse than hers. While Octavia had been embarrassed in front of a large group of townspeople, she had not been out-rightly rejected but it had felt like it and her first instinct had been to run from it. Here was somepony who was hurting more than she was, somepony who was in love and was flat out rejected and ran from the situation just as she did.
The two of them weren't so different.
“Perhaps it's for the best,” she finally piped up. “After all, now that you know this stallion is off limits, you'll open your eyes to all the other fish in the sea.”
“Fish? But...we're ponies...”
“It is an expression. What I mean is that you have so many opportunities with other ponies out there, and now that the blinders have been removed you may be able to see them.”
“I still don't understand what you're getting at...”
“You'll meet somepony else. That's what I mean. You and I, we are birds of a feather...”
“What's with all of these animal analogies?” Octavia shot him a silencing look, “sorry, please continue.”
“You and I are both sad right now, we both lost out on great opportunities with ponies we thought we loved. What we need to do right now is pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and walk into town and make a change.”
“Wow... you are really smart.”
“I would not consider myself to be smart per se, more like determined. I am determined to find a pony out there who will make me happy... and, also one who will not be too frustrated by my schedule. As a musician those tend to be very hectic and sometimes abnormal schedules... my last special somepony was always frustrated by my schedule. That is what you need too.”
“An abnormal schedule?”
“No! Perhaps I worded that wrong, what I meant was you need to find a stallion that loves you. I am sure there is another stallion in Ponyville who cares about you and perhaps now that you aren't so busy falling all over that one stallion you will notice that there is somepony else out there for you. Now, if you will excuse me,” Octavia began as she pulled herself out of the pond, “I have a friend that I need to speak with.”
She shook her mane out a bit to get some wetness out of it and started to head towards Ponyville. Her friend may not have been exactly thrilled about the party thrown in honor of the crush, but Octavia was determined to fix it, however possible. Perhaps things would go well for the two of them, and if not she would be heading back to Canterlot in a few days. Who knew what could happen after that?
Caramel looked at the pond his legs were dangling in, the water looked deep and inviting and just as he was about to dive in, it started to rain. For a moment he stopped and thought that this was just another sign that his day was going downhill another omen that his life was taking a turn for the worse. Then, he started laughing, at himself for sitting out in the rain, for pitying himself for no reason, and for getting so worked up over a stallion just because the feelings weren't reciprocated. Sure it had seemed bad, but it wasn't as terrible as he had made it out to be. After all, he had made a new friend and because of that he didn't feel as bad as he did an hour ago.
No, this rain wasn't terrible, it was quite the opposite.
It was the start of something new.
