Daylight broke. Seth groaned despondently as sunlight forcefully invaded his slumber. He blinked several times in an effort to add some clarity to his vision. Not quite succeeding, the unicorn rolled over and stumbled out of his bed, fighting to keep his balance.

His bedroom was a mess. Clothes lay haphazardly on the floor and there was an empty bottle of scotch on his bedside table. He groaned again as the memory of last night slowly clicked into place. He staggered through his apartment, the soft carpet muffling his heavy hoofsteps. Summoning forth his magic, he opened the door to his lounge area. The sharp lines of the furniture jumped out at him. The black leather sofa’s contrasting nicely with the cream coloured carpet. He was somewhat surprised to see that the room was in relatively good condition. The only mess he could see were some empty, heavy bottomed glasses on the glass table in the middle of the room and a half empty bottle of scotch that sat near them.

A bottle and a half, damn… Seth was not impressed. Drinking was something he very rarely indulged himself with. He gazed sadly around the ultra-modern apartment, looking for any more evidence of his… discrepancy. Seeing nothing, the pony was somewhat pleased. However, the guilt of his binge still racked his aching head.

Fighting off the melancholy, Seth made his way to the bathroom. This room, like everything else in his apartment was brand new, shiny and expensive. He walked over to the shower and using his magic adjusted the dials to their optimum temperature. The unicorn revelled in the stream of hot water blasting his body, washing away the grogginess that was plaguing him.

All too soon, Seth stepped out of the shower and hastily dried his silver coat, paying little attention to his dark golden mane, instead letting it lay in whatever position the towel left it in. He paused in the mirror and gave himself a quick look over; his golden eyes stared apathetically back at him. He didn’t look too bad. Continuing his morning ritual, Seth made himself breakfast: oats with milk. It was the same breakfast he had been having for years now. Holding the bowl in front of him inside a silver aura of magic, the pony opened the door to his balcony and stepped out into the embracing warmth of Celestia’s sun.

Seth lived in a sky-rise apartment building in the centre of upper-class Canterlot. The view from his 64th story place was incredible, soaring down the mountain and out onto the plains below. This section of Canterlot was tucked away along the other side of the mountain, hidden behind the royal castle. However, his height meant that while ponies from the ground couldn’t see him, he could see them clearly.

The unicorn gazed down at the bustling metropolis that was Canterlot. Hundreds of ponies were going about their day, caring nothing of Seth and his concerns. The thought made him feel very small indeed. Even in his tower of omniscience, Seth could almost feel their indifference to a pony they knew nothing about.

He hated himself for feeling like this. He was Seth Locarno after all! A pony of power, of prestige, of respect! He almost rolled his eyes at the thought. He knew he was a pony lost in amongst a sea of greed and power-brokering, an individual whose voice could not be heard above a cry of selfishness that offended his very being.

Seth had worked so very hard for many years now, striving to fulfil his desire to help ponies, to make their lives better. He was an official of the Equestrian Royal Office. At least that’s what he was meant to be. He had recently almost single-hoofedly brought back Luna’s Night Court.

After being selected over many impressive candidates for the position, he had attacked the task with fervour. While this was different from his normal work of advisement of treaties and policy, he knew that this was a fantastic opportunity to do some good for the world. Seth worked tirelessly to ensure that the court ran efficiently, so that Luna could help as many subjects as possible in order to bring them happiness.

While the operation could be characterised nothing less than a complete success, Seth felt none of the satisfaction. Layers upon layers of bureaucracy got in the way. He had been attacked viciously by the many power-brokers eyeing the prestigious position the work had placed him in. They undermined his efforts and cut at his reputation. Slowly, they had beaten down Seth’s spirit. He could no longer see the beauty in the world that had inspired him to help lead it.

The silver unicorn walked back inside. Not even the sun could shake him now from his reacquired dark mood. He gazed at his apartment, its size dwarfing the pony. He shook his head, and the silence of solitude echoed back at him.

The day passed slowly for Seth, the sun gradually dragging itself across the sky, exacerbating his boredom and frustration. Despite his best efforts, Luna herself had just about ordered the pony to take a vacation after his hard work. Seth hated it, for it left him nothing to fill the long days with. It was just him alone with his thoughts.

Desperate for an activity to keep his mind engaged, Seth skimmed over the Equestria Daily, noting with faint interest a write up on the decision to not increase the guard on the southern border of Equestria. He had almost worked on that policy decision. While absentmindedly turning pages, an ad in the entertainment section caught his eye:

“The Canterlot Music Society is proud to host a new up-and-coming star in the world of classical music: Octavia. This Friday, one night only!”

A black and white photograph of a charcoal-coloured earth pony standing with a cello accompanied the ad. His interest thoroughly piqued, Seth made a note of the time and place.

Something to do! he thought with glee. It had been far too long since he had gone to see any sort of live entertainment.

Besides, he rationalised. Maybe she is as good as they say. That, and there is no denying she is kinda cute…

He smiled at thought.

Suddenly, as if the entire universe was intentionally meddling with him, the sun seemed to double its pace, hurrying along the sky. Seth took it as a sign, of what he was not sure, but a sign nonetheless.

It was not long before dusk fell, and Seth exited his apartment, dressed in a coat and tie. He chose to walk to the Canterlot Centre of Music and Arts; it had been too long since he got to stretch his legs like this. Sure, running for exercise was one thing, but taking the time to walk and appreciate the outdoors was another entirely.

The air was cool, but not uncomfortably so, with a few ponies going by their business, closing up shop or finishing errands before night fell in earnest. A kind of tranquillity fell upon Seth.  He enjoyed watching the world work. It gave him some sort of pleasure to simply witness everything just exist. Outside, he certainly felt a little better.

It was not long before the unicorn reached his destination. The CCMA was a grand structure: A testament to pony architecture with its sweeping roof that formed into several interlocking plates, reminding Seth simultaneously of both scales and water. Casting his eyes around at his environment, the pony walked into the warmly lit foyer and found himself surrounded by many of the best and brightest (not to mention richest), that Canterlot had to offer.

She must really be something, huh? Seth was suddenly very glad he had chosen to dress up for the occasion.

Picking up the ticket he had reserved earlier in the day, Seth bought himself a glass of champagne, more to complete the image than out of any kind of thirst. He sipped at it quietly, watching the crowds in front of him. A cough drew him from his silence.

“Why Seth, it is such a pleasure to see you here!”

Seth looked around to the source of the voice, heavy with forced sophistication. He felt an internal snarl grow at the sight of the brown earth pony, whose top hat and monocle made him look ridiculous.

“Top Hat,” Seth stated bluntly, “I assure you, the pleasure is all mine.”

The rich pony looked him up and down before continuing. “Your presence at work has been sorely missed Seth. The palace just isn’t the same without your liberal…recommendations.”

Seth snorted. “Rest assured, my absence is merely temporary. Princess Luna herself insisted that I indulge in a vacation.”

Top Hat’s brow furrowed at the mention of the Princess. “I see. Well, return swiftly will you?” The snobbish pony stopped briefly, before finishing the thought, “After all, we wouldn’t want your father’s hard work to go to waste now, would we?”

Seth gritted his teeth. “My father has plenty of concerns, my presence at work being the least of them. Enjoy the performance, Top Hat.”

  The brown pony chuckled quietly before leaving. “Oh I dare say I will, dear Seth. I dare say I will.”

Seth fumed quietly as the bureaucrat left and swallowed the rest of his champagne in a single gulp. Stupid, good for nothing conservative…

He knew that he shouldn’t let it get to him. After all, in several short years Seth had done more in his career than Top Hat had in almost thirty. But regardless, the lie about his father’s influence made him furious.

The sound of hoofsteps brought Seth back to reality. He looked up and saw the assembled crowd slowly make their way into the auditorium. Joining them, Seth entered the performance space and took to his seat right at the back of the theatre.

The unicorn closed his eyes and let himself go amongst the sea of murmurs that reached his ears from the crowd around him. A cold sense of apathy was beginning to grip his insides, a reaction to the anger earlier. Seth fought it desperately; he could not allow himself to become indifferent. Empathy was part of who he was.

Locked in the internal struggle, Seth didn’t notice the master of ceremonies walk onstage. However, he did notice the immediate silence that fell over the crowd and opened his eyes.

“Mares and Gentlecolts,” the stallion began, “tonight it is the great pleasure of the Canterlot Musical Society to welcome you here this evening to witness one of the most anticipated artists in recent history.”

Seth was intrigued, high praise indeed.

“She is a mare of grace, of passion and of immense talent. She is by far the best earth pony musician to grace Equestria in many a year!”

Definitely high praise.

“And so, please join me in extending a warm welcome to tonight’s featured musician, Octavia!” The stallion finished with a bow and moved offstage as Seth joined the other ponies in the audience in applauding as the velvet red curtain began to open.

A grey earth pony with a purple treble clef cutie mark walked onstage, illuminated by the stage lights, her instrument locked within her grip. She bowed low and the applause died down. Silence fell over the theatre. Seth let out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding and waited with anticipation.

Slowly, the pony began to play. Seth was impressed, but admittedly, somewhat disappointed. She was good, but not great. He looked around and saw a similar sentiment broadcasted on the faces of the ponies around him. The song was missing something.

Seth looked down at the musician and could swear he could see her trembling. Her face though, was a mask of concentration, hiding the nerves Seth was certain he could almost feel radiating off her, even as far back as he was.

A soft, almost un-noticeable jam in the melody snapped Seth back from his visual observations.

Did she just make a mistake? He wondered. He looked around, the ponies around him showed no sign of witnessing anything out of the ordinary. Huh, must have been deliberate then.

Looking back at Octavia, Seth was surprised to notice that something was changing. The song, it was becoming faster, more aggressive. There was no denying it was the same song, but it felt… angry.

Seth settled back into his chair, pleased at the turn the performance had taken. Once he had found the emotion in the song, he had forgotten it was never there.

Octavia’s epic swept along, now a juggernaut of passion. Seth found himself totally immersed in the musical creation Octavia was painting in front of him. The song flowed, changing pace and mood numerous times, each alteration more engaging than the last.

The musician was swaying now as she played, also lost in her creation. The music now was sad, heartbreakingly so. Seth felt his own heart tear as the music resonated within his very soul. However, just when he was convinced he could not take the mental agony any more, the song shifted again, the melody soaring into an inspiring crescendo, lifting Seth up with it. He felt invincible, like nothing could stand between him and his goals. He was flying.

And then, suddenly, it was over. The last notes fading into oblivion, their creator visibly exhausted, breathing heavily.

Seth was stunned. He felt… different. He felt… alive!

A sharp rapping sound snapped him back to reality, he looked down shocked to see that the sound was emanating from his own hooves, stamping repeatedly on the floor. Before Seth knew it, the ponies near him, and then the ponies near them followed suit. A great roar grew from the crowd. The round of applause attempting to mimic the passion they had just witnessed.

Seth looked around, thrilled. Almost every other pony seemed to share his happiness. It was simply incredible.

Octavia took a bow, her eyes brimming with tears. Seth smiled down fondly at her. She then turned and walked offstage, leaving the audience filled with a tumultuous mixture of emotions.

The unicorn smiled more brightly. He knew he would never forget this night for the rest of his days.

The joy though, was short lived. Ever since Seth was young colt, whenever he enjoyed an emotional high it was immediately followed by a crushing low. To Seth, everything was wrong. The walk home was too short, the streets too quiet and Seth’s mind too active. He scrambled as he tried to stall the post-high crash, and tried to cling to the feelings experienced only a few hours before. However, he could only watch on helplessly as the emotion slowly slipped out of him, replaced by a hollow emptiness.

The pony opened the door silently to his apartment, the transformation to the melancholy fully complete. He walked over to the lounge area as he undid his tie with magic. Sighing, he laid it on the sofa and poured himself a drink, the sharp taste of hard liquor biting his throat. Seth sighed with a contentment he knew he would regret later.

Walking out into the night on his balcony, Seth was despondent. He was jealous of Octavia, jealous of her passion. Try as he might, he could not summon the strength to re-ignite the flame of desire that drove him to such success in his younger years. Octavia’s performance only highlighted this failure.

Angry and absolutely lost, the pony stared forlornly into the inky darkness. The bottle by his side his only companion through the long night.

The week passed slowly for Seth. Numerous times he tried to summon the will to fulfil the Princess’ desire and actually go on a holiday. Go to some place tropical and far away. However, he could not find it within himself to leave. He just couldn’t find the energy.

After several days though, it was not long before the unicorn had had enough with his own behaviour. Seth deliberately hit his head against the table in frustration, accidentally knocking his horn.

“Ow...” Seth said out loud to nopony in particular. He stood up and using his magic, flung on a jacket. It was a little formal, but he didn’t really have much else.

“That’s it,” he growled. “I have had enough of this. I am going out tonight. I am going to a bar!”

Only slightly concerned with the fact that he was talking to himself, the pony left the apartment hurriedly, making sure to grab his wallet as he closed the door behind him.

Seth wandered around several of the more ‘hip’ places of Canterlot for over an hour before finally setting on his mark, a classy affair called ‘The Golden Glow’. Seth stepped inside and exhaled a sigh of relief. The mahogany surfaces and leather seating fit his tastes perfectly. The bar was filled with ponies, talking quietly in small groups or drinking alone. All were dressed up.

The unicorn slowly made his way to the bar, eyeing the haze hovering around one corner of the room with apprehension. He never did understand why some ponies smoked. An impeccably groomed stallion approached him from behind the bar.

“Good evening sir. What shall it be?”

Seth nodded his head in acknowledgement. “I actually do not care. Just please, some sort of scotch on the rocks and make it expensive.”

The bartender nodded his head in understanding and proceeded to pour Seth his drink. “That will be forty bits, sir.”

While goggling at the price, Seth silently handed over the money with a nod of his head. It was what he asked for after all.

Hovering the drink in front of him, Seth took a sip. Sweet Celestia! That is damn good scotch!

His mood definitely improved, Seth settled into his chair and got comfortable, surveying his surroundings. Glancing around at his fellow ponies, Seth couldn’t help but notice one particular mare sitting alone in one of the corners of the bar, a half empty glass of wine in front of her. Seth stared intently at her; something about the pony was famil- That was it! He gasped. It was that musician, Octavia!

Seth felt bad but he couldn’t help but stare. The charcoal pony stared glumly into her glass. Her eyes, while too far away to make out the colour, appeared sad. Seth was torn; he wanted nothing other than to go over and introduce himself to this most outstanding of musicians, but at the same time he couldn’t quite bring up the courage to go and talk to her. Especially if he would be interrupting some sort of monumentally important self-actualisation, as would be just his luck.

Almost as if she was aware she was being watched, Octavia suddenly looked up, straight into Seth’s eyes. He blushed and made to look away, yet Octavia raised an eyebrow, a faint smile on the edge of her lips. Knowing he was trapped, Seth smiled awkwardly and walked over to her. The amusement on her face was very off-putting.

“I, uh, I am terribly sorry about that. I just had realised I had remembered you from somewhere.” Seth rubbed the back of his head with a hoof, and laughed nervously.

“Oh?” the musician asked, her voice smooth like velvet. “And where might that have been?”

“Your performance last week at the CCMA, I was fortunate enough to witness it.”

Octavia’s amusement faded slightly and a shadow crossed her face. She suppressed it quickly with a classy smile. “Is that so? Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

Seth took another sip of scotch and allowed the liquor to restore some confidence. “I more than enjoyed it. It was… a masterpiece,” he finished lamely.

Octavia giggled softly. “Oh dear me, such high praise indeed! I am Octavia, as I assume you know. What is your name?”

“Seth. Seth Locarno.”

“Seth,” Octavia rolled the word around her mouth. “Well it’s definitely smooth, that’s for sure.”

The unicorn rolled his eyes but laughed at the same time. “Yeah, that is one way of putting it.”

“So Seth, tell me. What do you do for a living then? I mean, your cutie mark doesn’t seem to give much away.”

Seth was stunned. He didn’t know what was more frightening, the actual question or the realistic look of interest upon her face.

“I’m not actually too sure anymore,” he said softly, taking another sip. He threw a quick glance down to his cutie mark: two golden olive branches intertwined in a circle. He looked up hurriedly after realising the annoying ambiguity of his words. “I work for the Princesses. I do policy work and what-not. The cutie mark is meant to represent peace and harmony, I guess.”

“A noble mark,” Octavia laughed. “So you’re a politician then?”

Seth cringed at the term. He had always hated that word, it insinuated a desire for power he didn’t really have. Mostly. “Celestia no!” he said. “I am more of a… adviser, if you will.”

“An adviser? Sounds prestigious.”

“Hardly.” Seth grunted at the thought. “It’s a lot dirtier than that.”

Octavia looked concerned at the darkness that had suddenly gripped her companion. “Are you ok?” She inquired.

“Hmm? Oh, of course!” He cleared his throat. “Excuse me, I forget my self. What brings you to such a sombre location?”

“Me? I would fathom a guess that it would be a similar reason to yours.” She smiled at him. “No matter, such glum thoughts are for another time. Tell me, what’s it like working inside the royal palace?”

And so they spent the night deep in conversation. Seth was filled with wonder by the mare in front of him; she was incredible! And those eyes, those mesmerising purple eyes! More than once he found himself lost in her gaze. They talked about everything: music, politics, their friends, their educations, even the weather got a mention. Seth felt more like himself than he had in weeks.

“My, my,” Octavia said with yet another dazzling smile, to what Seth deemed to be her thousandth for the evening. Not that he was complaining. “You certainly do appear to like that scotch.”

Seth smiled languidly back at her. “Of course, this stuff is the only thing that keeps me going.” He paused. “In moderation of course.”

She giggled again.

Sweet Celestia how I love that sound! Seth thought.

“Indeed. I have to say, I do prefer wine myself. You can enjoy so much more.”

Seth shook his head. “Quality over quantity any day.”

She nodded her head in defeat. “Perhaps you are right, dear Seth.” Seth’s heart skipped a beat, even if it was just a harmless expression. “But regardless, nothing beats a good red wine.”

“To each their own,” Seth teased.

Octavia smiled back at him. She looked up at the antique clock resting on top of the bar. “Oh Celestia, is that the time? I should have been in bed hours ago!”

Seth’s heart sank at the thought of ending their conversation. He really didn’t want her to go just yet. “Oh wow,” he began half-heartedly, “it really is late!”

“I really hope you don’t mind me running out on you like this. It’s just I have practice tomorrow.” She looked at Seth, with what he could only describe as genuine concern in her eyes.

“Of course not.” He smiled at her. “I tell you what, what say we catch up here again soon? I don’t know about you, but I thoroughly enjoyed this.”

“That sounds wonderful!” She beamed at him. “Saturday, 8 o’clock?”

“Perfect.”

Octavia stood up. She smiled up at him and began to head over to the door. Seth was momentarily frozen by the expression on her face when she had smiled, and blinked several times in an attempt to regain normal thought patterns.

She paused at the exit and turned to flash Seth one last grin. “It really was a pleasure meeting you. I look forward to Saturday.” And with that, she disappeared out the door.

Seth sighed contentedly. That had gone well. Really well, some would say too well, but not Seth. Not tonight. He finished the last of his drink and followed the path Octavia had taken to the door, a huge smile on his face.

As he exited the bar he looked up into Luna’s twinkling night and began to laugh.

Maybe, just maybe…

Saturday couldn’t come soon enough.

Authors notes:

Thank you so much everypony for taking the time to read this fic, I really do appreciate every view I get! I am really excited for where this fic is heading and I hope you liked chapter 1! Remember to give a star rating or a comment if you liked it as they really make my day!

A big thank you to Dcaz5 for sticking with me through this whole process, he really is a super brony and friend. And a huge thank you to Sessalisk who once again gave up a crazy amount of time to edit this for me. She’s so awesome. Also, another huge thank you to HeWhoErasesMost for the cover image! Be sure to check out his DA profile here: http://hewhoerasesmost.deviantart.com/

Once again, thank you for reading this and I hope to see you again with chapter 2! :)

(As an interesting side note, my other fic ‘Octavia’s Performance’, details the concert Seth attended but from Octavia’s perspective. While not necessary at all in the understanding of this fic, be sure to check it out on my profile if interested!)