Octavia felt the vibration of strings against strings as she moved the bow back and forth. She didn't need to have the music in front of her; she knew it all by heart. She closed her eyes and played, feeling the wood of her cello against her hoof. The music flowed through her like waves, each note defined in her ears. She saw colors in her mind, and she imagined the slow, sweet music of the song as a silver strand that flowed and pulsed. Music was her kryptonite. When she opened her eyes again, the song was over and the crowd was clapping. She saw Princess Celestia stomp her hooves and smile at the orchestra, nodding her head at each of the ponies on stage. Octavia smiled hugely as Princess Celestia looked her in the eyes and nodded in approval. She bowed to the audience as the curtains closed, ending the show. She moved in a haze as she made her way backstage to pack up her instrument. A unicorn stage worker levitated her cello around back so it would be there waiting for her. She walked slowly, her breath catching in her throat as she remembered the heat of the lights on her face, the sound of the audience's hooves colliding with the floor as they clapped for her. It was like heaven.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She turned to see her best friend, Concerto, smiling sheepishly at her as another stage worker levitated his violin beside him. She turned around and hugged him as hard as she could, burying her face in his chocolate brown mane. He smelled like wood and sweet cologne. She released him and he walked next to her, pulling at strands of her charcoal mane playfully. She looked into his electric blue eyes and saw her own smile reflected back at her. He sighed as they reached the room where all the instruments were put after the performance. He leaned against the doorframe, blocking her entrance, and grinned mischievously.
"So, what did you think of the show, Tavi?"
Octavia grinned back up at him. "I thought the show was great. Your solo was fantastic, as always." She nudged a hoof against his chest.
"As was yours, malady. Shall we?" He dramatically reached out a hoof, and she took it delicately. The two walked together to their instruments and giggled as Octavia stumbled over a stray viola case. The gray mare lay her large cello down in the soft velvet bed of her case, along with her bow, and shut the lid gingerly.
"Hey, Tavi. Hey, Concerto."
Octavia jumped as the familiar voice of a colt spoke next her ear. She dropped the bottle of lotion she was holding, spilling the contents out onto the floor. She turned to see Harpo, the harp player for the orchestra, standing with a smile behind her. He was standing on two legs next to his beautiful harp, which had been placed on a sort of wagon to be moved around easier. He dropped down on four legs, eyeing Octavia's mess with a raised eyebrow. "Oh my. Sorry I scared you, Tavi."
Octavia put a hoof onto her cheek. "I'm sorry I got so frightened. I don't know what's gotten into me. I'm just so jumpy and nervous from being on stage earlier. I guess the feeling hasn't worn off yet." She pulled a handkerchief from her bag and began to clean up the mess, the smell of cherry blossom lotion filling her nose as she worked.
"Well, a few of the bass mares and piano colts are going to the Musician's Thirst pub just down the street, and we were wondering if you guys wanted to come. I mean, you can bring some other friends if you want. The more the merrier."
Harpo talked at Octavia with a charming smile, completely disregarding Concerto next to her. Harpo had been attracted to Octavia ever since he had met her at the Symphony for the Earth program six years ago. She had been young and foolish then, and led him to believe that she was interested in him. He had even kissed her after one of her practices. He had never stopped looking at her the way he did now; looking her in the eyes, then looking down to her lips, then back up, almost hungrily. He never seemed to forget the way her lips felt on his. But she was long over him. He wasn't a bad looking colt, with his dark purple coat and blue mane, electric green eyes, and harp cutie mark. But something about the way he looked at her like she was a piece of meat made her self-conscious.
"Sure." She glanced at Concerto, who gave her a pained look.
It's just for the night, it wont be so bad.
"Cool. Meet us down there after you pack up." Harpo moved over to a group of girls, talking up some ditzy mare and putting his arm around her. She pecked him on the cheek and giggled hysterically, bouncing away to some other girls, who were just as bubbly as she was. Octavia rolled her eyes.
"Tavi, are we really going to have a drink with Harpo?" Concerto said his name the way you would say disgusting or rat.
"Yes. Come on, it will just be for the night. Then we can go home." He made a face, but then gave in and smiled.
"Whatever, as long as I can get at least a little drunk before I have to make sure Mr. Hot-Shot over there doesn't start hitting on you."
Octavia punched him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey, Tavi! You made it!"
Octavia strolled into the Musician's Thirst. She did so rather regretfully, because she would rather be home, curled up in bed with her book. Not in this loud, disgusting pub filled with mares willing to do anything for a twenty and drunken colts who would do anything for a mare. She dodged a stumbling colt as he tripped and fell to the floor in a puddle of spilled cider. He stood up, grinning stupidly at her, before his friend grabbed his foreleg and pulled him away. He gave her a look that said Sorry about that and glared at his tipsy companion.
Octavia scanned the pub, finding Harpo sitting with some other ponies at the bar. He patted the stool next to him and she took a seat there, making sure that Concerto sat by her. She sighed, exhausted, and Harpo ordered her a mug of cider as she started to doze off with her head laid on the counter. He shook her gently.
"Hey! We just got here, you can't be dozing off just yet." He smiled at her, and gave her that look that she hated. She tried to smile back, but ended up yawning. She looked up just in time to see her mug of cider sliding towards her. She stopped its journey with her hoof and hungrily brought the golden drink to her lips. She breathed out heavily as she downed half of the mug in one gulp. Harpo laughed.
"You're going to need some more after that one, huh?" He put a hoof on her shoulder.
More than one if I want to get through tonight.
As the night went on, Harpo got more and more drunk, and he soon gave in to the pumping dance music and stumbled out onto the floor to grind on some mares dressed in trashy outfits. They obliged, kissing his neck and chest hungrily. Eventually he disappeared into the bathroom, stumbling along on two legs with a mare making out with him. He was rubbing her cutie mark. There was no doubt at what he planned to do in there.
Octavia, on the other hand, was desperately trying to make conversation with a bass player, but her eyelids kept drooping, and she had to have him repeat things multiple times because she had started to drift off. She politely cut off the conversation and excused herself to the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror. Her charcoal colored mane was disheveled and she had bags under her eyes. She looked at the clock on the wall.
1:00?! It's 1:00?! Octavia shook her head in disbelief. She was ready to head home. It was way too late to be out. She bustled out of the bathroom towards her seat, not bothering to start up another conversation with the bass colt. She turned to tell Concerto she was ready to leave, only to find him to be gone.
No, no no. He did not get drunk and go out there to dance. He is in the bathroom, that's all.
Octavia gave a pained glance at the dance floor, and there was Concerto, the brightly colored strobe lights illuminating his face. He was obviously drunk, and obviously not ready to go home. Octavia growled in frustration. She huffed back to her seat at the bar and ordered another mug of cider. And another. And another. Soon, dancing didn't seem like such a bad idea after all.
Octavia flounced out onto the floor and began to swish her hips to the music. It definitely wasn't like the type of music she played; slow, soft, and beautiful music. This was booming, loud dance music that pounded in her ears. It was annoying when first heard, but it soon consumed Octavia and she began to dance there alone, the lights flashing in her eyes, the pub disappearing around her. It was just her there, dancing solo to this booming music that she had never heard.
Her fantasy was interrupted as she felt two hooves position themselves on her waist. She kept dancing, thinking it was probably Concerto. She giggled, and turned around to kiss his cheek playfully, but the pony she saw was not Concerto. She shrieked, backing away in surprise. A handsome colt stood in the darkness, his smile charming and his mind doing something with her body that he shouldn't. He stepped into the light, and his face was barely visible in the smoke-filled room, but it was easy to see even then that he was incredibly handsome. His coat was a tan color, and his mane was a very light blond. His eyes were the same sort of electric green as Harpo's, but deeper and more mysterious. Octavia saw with shock that he was wearing the same neckpiece as she was. The one that anypony was required to wear if they wear if they were in her orchestra. He moved toward her with graceful strides, moving in and out of her vision as the light and darkness took turns. Soon he was right in front of her, inches away from her face. He didn't smell like wood; most ponies who played the bass, cello, violin, or viola did. He smelled different..the scent was indescribable. But it was pleasing to the nose. He was at least a foot taller than her, and she had to tip her head back to look at him. He gave her a half smile, and bent down to whisper something in her ear.
"Tell me your name."
Octavia felt the words form on her lips before she could decide if she wanted to say them or not.
"Then let's go somewhere more private."
The room that he had led her to was small, but furnished. It was in the V.I.P area, but it was more closed off. It had a mini-fridge filled with beer and vodka, and a tray of shrimp sitting on a coffee table. There were two leather couches positioned around the coffee table. The colt led her to the couches and they sat down.
"So, tell me your name."
"Octavia. But my friends call me Tavi." Words spilled from her mouth before she could control them.
"I'm Frederic Horseshoepin. But, you can call me Frederic." He gave her that half smile that made her heart flutter. She smiled and held out a gray hoof. "Nice to meet you, Frederic."
"As for you, Octavia."
The two talked into the late hours of the night, discussing where they lived, their likes and dislikes. Octavia found out that he played piano. He even said that his friends told him he smelled like ivory keys. She was interested in the easy way she told him about herself. And he told her things about himself, too. She was glad that she was finally interacting with a colt the way she wanted.
"So, why did you decide to talk to me?" Octavia leaned forward, her eyes sparkling. She scooted closer to Frederic.
"I decided to talk to you because you were so beautiful." His voice was laced with lust. He leaned into her, gazing into her eyes. She gazed back into the green abyss of his irises, lost in the emerald jewels. She looked to his lips, and he looked at hers. He put a hoof to her cheek and filled the gap between them. Their lips met.
She couldn't help but give a soft moan as she kissed this handsome colt. It had been what seemed like an eternity since she had kissed a colt like this. His lips moved against hers, and her hooves found their way to his mane, which she began to tussle hungrily. His hoof had moved to her waist, and he began to rub it there gently. She kissed him there in the dull light of the Musician's Thirst V.I.P exclusive room, a room she thought she would never be in. Not with this colt. Finally he broke the kiss, his eyes glinting wildly.
"That was amazing."
And there he went again, dipping his head and moving into her. But this time, the kiss wasn't as romantic and sweet. Octavia felt his tongue enter her mouth and caress hers. She didn't protest, but she knew what he wanted. He pulled away once more, to her displeasure. He smiled that charming half smile.
"Let's go back to my house."
Octavia's eyes glinted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frederic didn't waste any time getting her back to his place. He lived in Manehattan, like she did, in a nice apartment. As she entered his home, she looked around. His apartment was startlingly similar to hers. They made the same amount of money, seeing as they virtually had the same job. He had a few nice decorations, but nothing truly fancy. She didn't have much time to look around, though, before Frederic had his hooves on her waist again. She didn't pull away this time, she only moved closer into him. She turned around and gave him a look filled with lust. He got the message, because he moved beside her and and moved to whisper in her ear.
"Let's go to my bedroom."
Octavia moaned. His lips against hers were heaven. Their tongues moved together. Octavia was lying on the bed of a colt she had just met at the bar a few hours ago, making out with him. But she was too busy to think about anything. Anything but Frederic's lips on hers. He broke the kiss suddenly, pulling back and looking at her wildly. He positioned his hooves on either side of her head. He smiled.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes."
With those words, she became one with him. He removed her neckpiece and tossed it to the floor. And she closed her eyes as he joined them together. In the darkness of night, she lay powerless and let him kiss her. The night grew on and she didn't think. Her mind clouded.
Then it was over. Octavia felt herself fall backwards onto the bed, detaching herself from the tan pony. He gently moved himself to the side of her. She let out her breath in short staccato notes, panting from her experience. She stared up at the ceiling above her, not really seeing the white painted surface. She glanced over at Frederic, who was looking right back at her. She smiled and rolled over so that she was facing him. His hoof moved to push her mane from her eyes, and it rested on her cheek.
"You are so incredibly beautiful." The words slipped from his lips in the candlelight of the bedroom. She closed her eyes and felt nothing but the caress of his hoof. She breathed in the smell of ivory keys and shampoo.
"Frederic," Octavia's eyelids fluttered as he leaned forward and gently kissed her neck. "that was amazing. Thank you."
Frederic pulled himself back to look at her and she blinked sleepily and laid her head down. She snuggled herself close to him, and he wrapped his forelegs around her protectively. He kissed her forehead.
"Frederic," Octavia repeated his name. The words were muffled as she pressed her face into his chest. "when i saw you tonight at the club..I think I knew."
Frederic gave her a puzzled look, which she didn't see due to her closed eyes. "What?"
"I knew that I loved you, then." Frederic looked down at the beautiful mare curled against his chest with new eyes.
"I love you too, Octavia," he replied, but Octavia was already asleep. Frederic lay there with the most delicate creature he had ever seen, her pointed features glowing in the dim light of his bedroom. Her coat was a silvery color, her charcoal mane coming down to her eyes. He closed his own eyes with the image of her forever burned into his brain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The smell of him. That's what she awoke to. The smell of ivory keys mixed with shampoo. She opened her eyes to see his face in front of her, his green eyes hidden behind closed eyelids. She smiled at the gentle half smile that still remained on his face. Octavia slowly took in her surroundings, the ones that she had missed in her haste to feel Frederic's lips on hers last night. She lay on the white sheets of his bed, the romantic feeling still wafting around her. She sat up, taking in the ruffled bed, crinkled from their weight, and the pillows that had been strewn across the room. She spotted their two white neckpieces resting on the floor together. She lifted a hoof to her neck, remembering the feel of his lips there, a place where lips had never been before. It had always been safely protected by her neckpiece, but all the walls had come down last night.
Octavia pulled herself from the bed gingerly, making sure that she didn't wake her sleeping love. She moved over to a dresser on the far side of the room, finding folded robe in one of his drawers. She pulled it on to shield herself from the draft that had found it's way into the room. She glanced back to Frederic. Octavia glimpsed his peaceful face one last time before he rolled over and snuggled the blankets closer around him. She smiled and trotted out of his bedroom to the kitchen. She rummaged around in the cupboards for a few minutes before finding what she was looking for; a coffee mug. She began her search for the beans. Octavia spent a good ten minutes looking before giving up and trotting back to the bedroom. She peeked her head through the doorway and saw Frederic's shape beneath the sheets of the bed. She moved a bit closer to the bed, standing beside it.
"You awake?" She whispered the words as quietly as she would to a newborn foal. She was surprised to see him shift beneath the blankets with a grunt. His head appeared, wrapped in white sheets, his blond mane tousled from sleep. Octavia smiled at his ability to melt her heart in the simplest ways.
"Morning, babe. What do you need?" Frederic pulled himself from the bed and walked over to her, planting a kiss on her cheek. He smiled at the too-big robe around her shoulders.
"Coffee?" She asked, nodding her head to the door.
"Crap, I forgot to get coffee at the store." Frederic put a hoof to his head and let out an exasperated sigh. Octavia noticed that he was even cute when he was mad.
"That's alright. I can run to the store and get some. I need to get something, anyway."
"No, let me." The handsome colt brushed her mane out of her eyes, a gesture she liked very much.
"No, really. I'm going anyway. I can pick up some coffee, no big deal." She shed her robe, shivering slightly in the chill of the room. Frederic saw her discomfort and ran to the opposite side of the room, closing an open window. He returned to her side in a heartbeat.
"Fine, but at least let me give you some money. And when you come back, I will have breakfast waiting, hot and ready." He smiled that charming half smile and gave her a short kiss. He then turned and led her to the kitchen, handing her twenty bits in a pouch. Octavia gladly took it and turned to leave. She stopped halfway, and then turned back to the tan colt.
"Can I have your spare key?" Octavia smiled at the thought of exchanging keys with a colt. He nodded and grabbed a silver key and tossed to her. She caught it clumsily and held it in her teeth. She muttered out a muffled "thank you" and headed out the door.
The air was cold as she trotted down the street. She hadn't bothered to ask for a coat at Frederic's, and her other one was probably at that pub.
Crap, she thought, and mentally kicked herself. I left my purse, wallet, and jacket, and money at the bar. Great.
Octavia made it to the store and began to search the isles for coffee. She grabbed a few bags of it and balanced them on her back, along with some concealer. She figured she needed it. As she moved between the isles of merchandise, she remembered last night, going with Frederic to the V.I.P area, then back to his house. His kisses covering every inch of her, her eyes closed, letting him hold her body so delicately in his. Octavia suddenly stopped in the middle of the isle as she remembered one frightening detail.
We didn't use protection.
Octavia began to panic, trotting quickly through the store to the hygiene area. She scanned the tubes of toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, and other products, before her eyes finally rested on the thing she had been looking for. She gently put it on her back with the coffee and makeup, and quietly trotted to the counter. Luckily, it wasn't busy. She was helped right away. She set her items down on the counter in front of the cashier. She eyed each item before scanning them. Octavia watched as the prices added up on the computer screen before her. Finally the lady pulled the last item in front of her. She glanced up at Octavia with a smile.
"Pregnancy test, eh? You plannin' to have a little filly in the house?"
Octavia gulped. "Yeah. I have been trying for uh..quite a while now." She felt guilty for lying.
"Well, good luck to ya."
"Thanks." Octavia handed the lady the twenty Frederic had given her, and watched stiffly as her receipt printed out. She took the slip of paper and plastic bag of her things in her mouth and sped out the door without a second thought. She let out a tense breath once she was outside in the chilled air, and started to make her way back to Frederic's. Octavia flicked her tail up and over her head, flinging the silver apartment key through the air. Octavia caught it smoothly in her hoof and took it in her mouth. She always kept her keys wrapped all the way up to the top of her tail. It was easier that way. She shivered in the cold winter air, causing her increase her speed to a canter, making her way steadily to the apartment building. She clenched the key harder in her teeth, making her way inside. There was a blast of warm air. She made her way through the lobby to the elevator, jumping inside the small space and pressing the button that said "4" with her hoof. She breathed out a relieved breath, glad to be safe inside this building she knew Frederic was in. The movement of the elevator going up calmed her nerves.
The elevator doors opened slowly and mechanically, presenting the long hallways of the fourth floor. Octavia stepped out with her bags, heading towards apartment 4D. She saw it was the last apartment in that hallway, and she eagerly moved towards it. She used her mouth to push the key into the lock and turn it, allowing the door to open once again. As soon as she entered, her nose was met with the salty smell of eggs and veggie bacon. Frederic turned at the sound of the opening door, smiling at her. He was perched on two legs, attending to a pan of sizzling bacon. A bowl of yellow scrambled eggs sat on the counter nearby, cooling. She smiled back and dropped her bag on the kitchen table. She pulled out the coffee bags and her new case of concealer. She stared at the last item in the bag with trembling hooves. She swallowed hard and cleared her throat.
"Frederic?" Octavia's voice shook as she gently removed the pregnancy test from the plastic bag. She looked up at him with fear in her eyes.
"Yeah, Tavi?" He turned to see her distraught face, and quickly took the last strip of veggie bacon from the pan. He left his post at the stove and quickly moved to her side, taking her hoof and gazing into her violet eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Frederic, last night we didn't use protection."
She lifted her hoof to show him the small box. His eyes flickered from the box to her face, and they finally rested on her flat stomach. He let out a distressed sigh.
"I'm taking it now." She put on a brave face and moved towards the bathroom without a moment's hesitation.
"Hey now, slow down. What happens if it's positive? Will we still....?" He gestured between the two of them.
"Of course. I-I love you, and the foal needs a mom and dad. If it's positive." She glanced at the test in her hoof, tears springing to her eyes at the thought of it being positive. But..she also wanted it to be positive. She wanted to be with Frederic for the rest of her life. She knew he wouldn't leave her if she was pregnant with his foal. But the thought of having to take care of a foal was frightening. She didn't know what she was doing...would she still get to travel Equestria, playing at elegant balls and galas? The chances were slim.
"Tavi." Octavia looked up, a single tear running down her cheek. "I hope it's positive."
She couldn't take it any longer. She leaned forward and kissed him, her tears staining his soft fur. She breathed in his scent, the distinct scent she had come to know so well in only two days. She released him after a passionate moment, retracting into the bathroom. She peeked out the door for one last glimpse of him.
"I love you, Octavia. More than you know." She closed her eyes, fighting with her tears.
She followed the directions on the box, going through it's plan as it told her. After she was done, she pulled the small device back up into her vision. She stared it for a long while, no sign appearing to tell her fate. She squeezed her eyes shut in a silent prayer. She imagined herself sitting on Frederic's couch, her belly swollen and stretched. She imagined a little mare; a little mare with a very light grey coat and a creamy mane. She imagined her mane as a mixture of her's and her father's, tousled and spiked like Frederic's, yet defined and long like Octavia's. She even could see herself crouching down beside the filly, tying a ribbon in her mane. She smiled.
"Tavi? You alright?" Frederic's muffled voice sounded concerned.
She opened her eyes and looked down at her test. She saw the tiny little sign. She stared at it blankly for what seemed like eternity. She heard the door slowly open.
"Frederic.." she whispered, unable to find the words to explain.
He moved forward and gently took the test from her hooves. He studied it for a long moment, before he suddenly fell onto his knees. He put his head down and cried softly. But when he looked up, he had a sad smile on his face.
"Octavia, I'm a father. I, Frederic Horseshoepin...am a father."
Octavia looked up slowly. She felt torn. She couldn't decide wether or not she was upset. Her mind flashed back to her imagined little mare, with the bows in her mane. She could imagine the soft downy feel of her baby fur, the smell of polished wood and ivory never leaving her. She opened her eyes. Her mind flashed to her in her old age, with grandchildren. She knew then, that whatever it took, she would keep her baby. She would never let anything hurt her newfound foal.
"Frederic," Octavia spoke up, her voice echoing around the small little room. "We are parents."
"Yes, Tavi. Yes we are. And it feels amazing."
She hugged him then, wrapping her forelegs around his neck as hard as she could. Tears flowed from her eyes, disappearing in her coltfriend's blonde mane. The test clattered to the tile floor, the small pink positive sign holding the future for the two ponies who embraced each other. Two ponies who weren't very insignificant in the large universe that they lived in; but who meant everything to each other.
