Octavia and Seth burst into the room, her father’s crumpled form on the floor in front of them. Seth’s heart was stuck in his throat, and Octavia’s face was a picture of terror. Her eyes were wide, and her whole body trembled.

“Papa!” she screamed. “Papa!”

She raced over to her father’s body, holding him upright. The medical staff all opened their mouths to speak, but Seth cut them off.

“What happened?! What did you tell him?!”

The staff, looking confused, began to speak again, only this time they were cut off by the sound of laughter. It was a weak, pitiful sound at first, but grew louder as all of the ponies in the room turned to look at the sound emanating from the black earth pony on the ground.

“Oh Celestia. Oh bless her and Luna both,” he whispered in between chuckles of mirth.

“Papa? What’s going on?” Octavia queried tentatively.

Her father hugged her tightly, tears making their way down his face. “Oh thank the stars. Octavia, she’s going to be ok.”

“WHAT?!” both Octavia and Seth yelled.

“She’s going to be ok. The new treatments, they seem to be working.”

“But… how…” Octavia spluttered, not comprehending.

“Well we can’t say for sure,” the doctor interjected. “But yes, since early last night, her condition has started to rapidly improve. A little later than what preliminary tests indicated should have happened, but regardless, it’s positive indeed. The team at Canterlot will be thrilled.”

“So… she really should be ok?”

“Well, if everything goes according to plan, then yes. We expect her to make a full and speedy recovery.”

Octavia’s mouth dropped slightly, staring up at the doctor. Giving her father one last squeeze, she raced over and threw her legs around the doctor.

“Thank you! Oh thank you so much!”

“It’s… nothing,” the doctor wheezed out under Octavia’s crushing embrace.

Seth stood there, relief washing over his body in waves. He could not believe the good news. He smiled at Octavia, who looked to him over the doctor’s shoulder. Suddenly desperate, she released him and ran over to Seth, throwing herself into his embrace, letting him take the full weight of her body as she wrapped both of her front legs around his neck. Reaching with one hoof around to hold her close, Seth nuzzled her gently. As he did, Octavia began to cry, laughing as she did.

“It’s going to be ok,” she whispered. “It’s going to be ok.”

“Yes it is, darling,” he replied. “Yes it is.”

The three ponies entered room five with baited breath, not daring to get their hopes up despite what the doctor had told them. Greeting them, however, was a smiling Orchid, now sitting up against her pillows. Shadows still rested under her eyes, and her mane was still dishevelled, but she raised a hoof in welcome when her family entered, and this time, it didn’t shake.

“Mother!” Octavia cried out, her relief filling up the room.

“Hello, Octavia,” her mother replied, smiling. “I see you have heard the good news.”

Octavia nodded her head, her eyes beginning to mist over again.

“Hello dear,” Grafton said softly, his smile large and overjoyed.

“It’s nice to see you, Grafton,” she replied simply, her expression obviously communicating something profound that only he was meant to understand.

Seth stood nearby, not at all sure what to do or say. He was happy, but this felt private, something for the three of them only. However, he didn’t want to leave Octavia without an explanation. Fortunately, Orchid saved him.

“It’s a pleasure to see you too, Seth,” she said.

“I am so happy to hear about your good news. It’s brilliant.”

“Thank you. It means a lot to me.” She stopped and looked back at Octavia, whose eyes had not yet cleared. Gently, she raised a hoof to stroke her daughters face. “Grafton, would you two please give us a moment?” she asked gently, smiling apologetically at the two stallions.

“Of course,” both Seth and Grafton said simultaneously, leaving the room. They closed the door behind them in an effort to give them some well-deserved privacy.

Out in the corridor, Seth heard the older pony give a sigh of relief. He was surprised by how little he had said to his wife. If it had been Octavia in there, he would have settled for nothing less than hours of conversation.

There were small plastic chairs in the hallway, and Grafton planted himself heavily on one. His eyes were closed, and there was a small smile on his face. Seth began to pace, feeling anxious from being away from Octavia. Her tears still lingered on his shoulder, slowly evaporating into the dry hospital air.

“You can relax, you know,” Grafton’s voice drifted over to Seth. He hadn’t opened his eyes. “Octavia will be fine now.”

“But…”

“I know it’s hard, but she needs this.” He opened his eyes, now smiling at Seth. “And trust me, thanks to you, she will be fine now.”

“I didn’t do much…” Seth muttered, not holding the older pony’s gaze.

Grafton chuckled softly. “Yes you did. Don’t sell yourself short. I’ve seen Octavia look at you, how she acts around you. She would do anything for you, and if she says that you got her to come here, then I’d believe it.”

“It… it was the least I could do,” Seth offered half-heartedly.

“Perhaps in your eyes.” He paused, thinking. “But I suppose I should be thankful for that.”

“What do you mean?” Seth inquired.

“It makes me think that you truly did it for her, and not for whatever you could have gained from it. Maybe it’s foolish to think like that, but I am her father, after all.” The black stallion smiled sadly as he spoke.

“Well… if it helps you in any way, then know this - I wanted nothing else but for her to be happy, for her to be happy knowing her family still loved her.” Seth spoke carefully, trying to best explain his feelings to his love’s father without giving away an embarrassing amount of detail. He wasn’t sure he was succeeding.

Grafton nodded slowly, contemplating the unicorn’s words. “I’m glad to hear that. That’s frankly quite mature of you.”

“It’s the truth,” Seth admitted.

Grafton nodded again, seemingly satisfied. A brief silence fell over the pair.

“Seth.” The earth pony's voice indicated a sudden shift in the focus of their conversation. “I have a favour to ask.”

“Of course,” Seth said, confused.

“Look after my daughter, please. She’s come back to me now, but I’m not sure what more I can do. The way she reacted back in the waiting room, it’s clear to me that she relies on you emotionally. So please, don’t let her down. Look after her, keep her happy. For her… for me.”

If it had been anypony else, Seth would have laughed at the absurdity of such a claim. The very thought of treating Octavia badly was as much a fantasy as zombies were. There wasn’t a shadow of doubt within the pony’s mind about what constituted happiness for him, and that was her happiness. Despite this, however, Seth hesitated now. This was different. He was well aware of the gravity of the request coming from her father, and while his answer would not change, he still felt a little daunted by the task the older pony had just set in front of him.

“I promise,” he said, looking Grafton straight in the eyes. “Nothing would make me happier.”

Grafton nodded, seemingly satisfied with his response. Sighing gently, the stallion closed his eyes and rested the back of his head against the wall. Seth breathed a gentle sigh of relief.

Grafton cracked open an eye and smiled mischievously at the relieved pony.

“Don’t worry, you passed,” he said, winking.

Seth laughed and sat down next to the earth pony. He closed his eyes, suddenly realising how tired the last week had left him. He was just falling off to a light sleep when he heard Grafton’s voice drift over to him lazily, “I don’t know about you, but I could use a drink.”

Seth snorted with laughter. “I couldn’t agree more.”

Octavia stood next to her mother’s bedside, basking in her presence. It felt good to be simply near her mother again. It felt even better knowing that she would be ok.

Her mother looked at her kindly. It was a look that made the musician feel terrible, washing away most of the happiness that had grown in the news that she would make a full recovery. She didn’t deserve kindness, not after what she had done. Suddenly fighting back tears again, she looked away.

“You blame yourself so much…” her mother said softly.

“How can I not?” Octavia replied. “Look at what I did to my family. How can anypony be forgiven for that?”

“Because,” her mother began more firmly, “the blame does not lie squarely with yourself.”

“Of course it does!” Octavia exclaimed. “I ran away from you, from Father, from everything you had done for me. And for what? Because I was upset with school? That was selfish and foalish and I know it.”

Orchid didn’t reply at first, and instead propped herself up a little higher on her pillows. It was a slow movement, but Octavia could sense the satisfaction her mother gained from being able to move at all. Slowly, she looked back toward the older mare.

“But you were young, Octavia-”

“How does that excuse anything?” Octavia interrupted. She fell silent when her mother raised a hoof.

“You were young and you were our responsibility. And in that sense, we failed you.”

“No…” Octavia said, horrified by what her mother was implying.

“It’s true, Octavia. And as parents, that’s the way both your Father and I see it. For that, we are both so, so sorry.”

Octavia leaned up against the bed and hugged her mother close, definitely crying now. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

“But that is in the past,” Orchid whispered to her daughter.

Octavia loosened her grip and moved back to look at her mother. “All I care about is that you are home. You are safe, and you are happy. And that makes me happy. Just to see you again, just to lay eyes on your beautiful face makes me the happiest I’ve been in years.”

“I’m so sorry, Mother,” Octavia repeated. “I love you. So much.”

“I know,” Orchid said. “I love you too.”

“Always?”

“Always,” her mother replied, kissing her forehead gently.

They fell into a comfortable silence. There was an impasse of blame, hurt and frustration, and while Octavia knew it would linger, it would certainly only get better from here. She smiled, taking a deep breath, letting the air fill her lungs.

“You know, I always kept that white rose,” Orchid said after a while.

“You did?” Octavia replied. She had seen the rose, but to hear her mother acknowledge it made her heart skip a beat.

“I did,” she affirmed, a smile on her face. “It still is the most beautiful flower I have seen in my life. And it always will be. After all, it’s yours.”

Octavia hugged her mother tightly, not trusting herself to speak. Yes, things would definitely get better.

Over the course of the following week, and true to the doctor's words, Orchid's health improved rapidly. Three days after the good news, she could walk again, albeit only within her own room. Regardless, Seth was stunned; the incredible healing powers that the unicorns had used were almost frightening in the speed of their effectiveness.

After five days, Orchid could walk down the hospital corridors, her strength swiftly returning. She would wander down into the hospital gardens and sit in the courtyard. There weren’t many flowers in the garden, but for Orchid, even the simple daises were enough, as she sat and drank in the suns light.

After eight days, she was finally allowed to go home under strict orders to get plenty of rest with a check up every day. She couldn’t have been happier.

That day, Seth, Octavia, Orchid and Grafton all sat on the back porch, looking out over the small but brightly-coloured garden, celebrating the older mare’s return. Of course, Orchid wanted nothing other than to ask Octavia questions.

“My dear, when can I expect to hear you perform? Everything I have read speaks very highly of your talent.”

Octavia blushed, smiling from ear to ear. “Hopefully soon. I have been in contact with the rest of the band, and apparently they have been able to do some good work with the set. They just need me to help finalise things.”

“I cannot wait! Your bandmates, are they good friends of yours?”

“The best,” Octavia replied simply. “They have been so very good to me. I do not want to think what I would do without them.” She smiled softly into her glass of iced water.

“Good. I am so very glad to hear that.” Her mother smiled at her. “Good friends make life worth living, don’t they Grafton?”

“Yes dear,” the black stallion replied, his eyes lost in space as he relaxed.

Orchid winked at Octavia, and she stifled a giggle. Smiling knowingly, the older mare addressed Seth now.

“Now Seth, we haven’t really had a good opportunity to talk. You mentioned you were an advisor to the Princesses. What does that actually mean?”

Seth thought for a moment before replying, “To me it means judging the best way to help other ponies in their lives and working to make sure that it happens. The Princesses, especially Celestia, like to leave as much responsibility on ponies themselves to rule as they can. As a result, we have to work hard to make sure that everypony gets heard and everypony can be helped. I guess to make the world a better place,” he finished lamely, shrugging as he did.

Orchid nodded slowly, smiling at the unicorn. “Sounds like quite the role.”

“It’s hard work,” Seth admitted, “but it’s satisfying.” He smiled. “I like to know I’ve made a difference.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Orchid replied. “Celestia knows it’s satisfying when we find that special talent and embrace it.”

“Yeah…” Seth answered, not quite looking at her, a knot now suddenly in his stomach.

“Tell me, what are you working on now?”

Seth paused. He… he wasn’t quite sure. “Nothing in particular at the moment… well, apart from some advisement for some colleagues.”

“How come?” Orchid replied, her expression concerned.

“I’ve… been busy, I guess. Taking a bit of a vacation,” Seth replied with a half-hearted laugh.

Orchid smiled. However, there was still a quizzical look still in her eyes. “Looking forward to returning then?”

Seth paused for half a second before replying. Octavia looked at him concernedly. “Yes, of course.”

“That’s good to hear,” Orchid said, smiling. “I am actually so happy for the both of you. It sounds like things are all going really well. Bright futures indeed,” she added.

Orchid sighed, content with what she had learned. A silence fell upon the group of ponies. They stared out over the garden, the multitudes of neatly ordered flowers flowing gently in the breeze. In the sky above them, small, fluffy clouds meandered their way through the sky leaving wispy tails behind them.

“I cannot begin to describe how much I have missed the sun,” Orchid said with a sigh.

“Welcome home, darling,” Grafton replied softly.

Octavia and Seth smiled, got up, and went inside. They knew better than to linger.

Late that night, Seth awoke. His eyes flickered open as he listened out for Octavia’s easy breathing next to him. Upon finding it, a smile slid across his face. He sighed contently. Things… were ok, better than ok, actually. Finally, after everything, there was a light on the horizon.

Almost.

Getting up, the unicorn padded as quietly as he could over toward the mirror on top of the dresser. On it were several keepsakes of Octavia’s youth. A music box, a ticket to some orchestra and a feather all sat on the old wooden furniture, each a memory onto itself, unknown to him.

Seth stared at himself in the mirror, his eyes probing, yet unassuming. His silver coat appeared dull in the darkness. The object of his attention, however, was a colourless outline, its detail lost in the night: his cutie mark.

The unicorn sighed and forced his eyes elsewhere. There was a photo taped to the edge of the mirror. It was Octavia and her parents. She was clearly young; her bright, wide eyes stared at him in joy, and a cello rested in her grip. She was positioned to show-off a cutie mark that Seth could only assume was brand new. There was still a bright red bow on the instrument, and behind the ponies Seth could see birthday decorations. Her parents stood beaming next to her, obviously very proud of their daughter and filled with love. The unicorn smiled. With her parents, she was happy, and a part of him felt good for his role. She was happy. He was happy…

Behind him, Octavia continued to breathe easily, sleeping serenely.

Or so he thought.

“Seth?” a quiet voiced asked.

“I’m right here, Octavia,” he replied.

“Are you ok?”

He smiled. “Actually, I’m better than ok.”

“Good… good. Come back to bed,” was the sleepy reply. “It’s cold.”

“Of course,” Seth whispered. He gave one last look at his cutie mark, smiled, and went back to bed.

With a hiss, the train pulled into Trottingham station. It was awaited by four ponies with mixed emotions, all standing in the sun in silence. It was time to go home and nopony wanted to say goodbye just yet. Seth directed the train staff with the bags while Octavia faced her parents.

“Mother, Father… I just wanted to say…” she began, her eyes shifting back and forward from the ground to her parents.

Orchid interrupted her gently, “Hush now.” She smiled. “Just know that we love you, and we shall be over to see you very soon, ok?”

Octavia nodded, a smile creeping across her face. Her mother reached out and Octavia nuzzled her affectionately as Orchid wrapped a leg around, holding her close. Seth watched her whisper something in her ear but he couldn’t make out the words. Octavia nodded, blushing slightly. She smiled and stepped back from her mother.

Slowly, Grafton stepped up, a smile on his face despite the sadness in his eyes. “Stay safe, you hear me?” he said softly.

“Of course, Papa,” Octavia replied just as quietly, and then he too, embraced his daughter.

“I love you,” she whispered.

Grafton held her tightly before releasing her, his eyes misty. “I love you too.”

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Seth,” Orchid said, smiling at the unicorn.

“And you too, Orchid,” Seth replied. “You as well, Grafton. Thank you for your hospitality.”

“It was nothing,” Grafton said. “But… just remember what I asked, ok?”

“Of course I will.”

“Good. Thank you.” Grafton nodded his head in appreciation.

A sharp whistle caused Seth and Octavia to move. Around them, other ponies finished their goodbyes, all smiling and laughing. Inside their cabin, both Seth and Octavia waved out of one of the open windows. Octavia’s parents smiled at the pair, the older mare leaning against the earth pony stallion for support.

“We will see you soon, ok?” Orchid cried out.

“I look forward to it,” Octavia called back as the train began to move.

“Stay safe and we love you!” Orchid’s voice carried over to them as the train began to pick up speed, soon disappearing around a corner.

Smiling, both ponies retreated into the cabin. Octavia nuzzled up against the unicorn, exhaling deeply.

“I love you,” she said simply.

“I love you too,” Seth replied, returning the gesture. He let a moment of silence pass comfortably before speaking up again, “So, what are we going to do? It’s an overnight trip back to Canterlot from here.”

Octavia smiled at him, walking over to one of the sofas. “I’m sure we will think of something,” she said, her large purple eyes looking up at him mischievously.

Oh Celestia… He blushed as Octavia burst into peals of laughter, a sound Seth hadn’t heard since before arriving at Trottingham.

It was a peaceful slumber that Seth woke from in the early hours of the morning. Outside, the world rushed past, a blur of ill-defined shadows. On the horizon, a faint glow was beginning to appear. Dawn was approaching.

The unicorn stretched, feeling well rested. Next to him, Octavia shifted slightly, her body rising and falling with each easy breath. Gently, he kissed her forehead, brushing aside her mane with a hoof. It felt good, lying next to her, and it felt good going home. A sentiment Seth was surprised he felt, but now, going home felt right. He had matters he had to attend to.

A small yawn broke the unicorn from his thoughts. Looking across at the mare beside him, he watched as she blinked sleepily, her purple eyes unfocused. Reaching out, Seth wrapped her body within his legs, holding her close.

“Good morning,” he whispered into her ear.

“G-good morning,” Octavia replied, yawning again as she moved deeper into Seth’s embrace.

“Sleep well?”

“Mmhm”

“Good.” Seth fell silent again, focusing on holding her close.

It was yet to grow old, moments like these, for the unicorn. The mere act of holding her fanned the flames that now constantly flickered inside his chest. He listened out for her heartbeat, its gentle rhythm forming the bass-line for a song that Seth enjoyed every moment of the day. He smiled as he kissed the top of her head; her mane was soft and sweet. The unicorn closed his eyes, feeling sleep gradually overtake his body again.

“Seth?” came a soft voice, easing him back into reality.

“Yes?”

“I… never got a chance to thank you.”

“For what?”

“For… everything you have done for me. You took me to your parents, despite your own animosity with your father. You took me to your own home, despite all of your problems there. And then, you stayed with me. When everything came crashing down around me, you never left my side. You gave me support, somepony to cry on, even in my darkest hours. And for that… I… Thank you.”

“If it makes you feel better, then you’re welcome,” Seth replied gently, “but… it’s nothing at all really. I did everything gladly… I wanted to help, I wanted to see you happy.”

“But why?” came the whispered reply, suddenly fearful.

Seth squeezed her gently, and whispered into her ear, “Because I love you, Octavia. It’s as simple and as complicated as that. I love you and would give up anything, do anything, for you. Just to see you smile.”

“I… thank you,” Octavia said, overwhelmed by his response.

“You’re welcome,” Seth said, kissing her head again. “It’s funny,” he continued. “But I think I’m ready to return to work.”

“Really?” Octavia said, her voice picking up in excitement. “How come?”

“Because I realised something quite important,” Seth replied, smiling as he did.

“What is it?”

“Helping ponies, that’s my special talent,” Seth began. “To work towards achieving peace and harmony for all ponies. But I realised that I was looking in the wrong places before. I realised that I was blind to everything else other than what I had been taught that my cutie mark meant. It doesn’t just mean from a career pathway. It can also mean on a personal level too. And that’s what you helped me realise, Octavia. I finally found somepony who I wanted nothing more than to see them happy. So much so that I would do anything to make that happen.

“That’s why I can return to work. Because I realised that with you, my priorities will always be… me. I will always be myself and do what I am good at. With you beside me, I know that greed and power are ignorable vices. I know that I can be a good pony.” Seth finished with a thoughtful look on his face. What he had just said had been floating around his head for days. To finally say it out loud felt good. Almost as if the very act of vocalising his thoughts made them real.

Octavia shifted around to face Seth, still in his embrace, their muzzles almost touching.

“I love you, you know,” she said simply, staring into his eyes.

“I love you too. More than anything,” he replied.

Slowly, gently, and with as much affection as Seth could muster, he reached forward and kissed her softly, feeling her lips mould themselves to his. She moved in a little closer and intertwined their tails, returning the sentiment.

Breaking the kiss, Octavia moved back to look at him again. She smiled, as he gazed at her, her purple eyes twinkling slightly despite the dim light.

“Stay with me?” she whispered, her eyes filled with hope.

“Forever and always,” Seth whispered in reply, “forever and always.”

Outside, the sun suddenly burst forward from the horizon, its golden glow sweeping over the land, illuminating everything in a warm light. The hills became awash with their rich colours now revealed by the sunlight. Still kissing the mare of his dreams, illuminated by the soft glow of the sun, Seth couldn’t help but smile.

Life is beautiful, he thought with a smile. Life is beautiful.

A/N: Goodness, only one chapter left now! I really hoped everyone enjoyed this chapter, as it was a lot of fun to write. Everything is being wrapped up now... just one last big loose end. :D

A big thank you to Dacaz5 for putting up with me and keeping me going, another big thank you to HeWhoErasesMost for the cover image and a huge thank you to Sessalisk for editing! Also, thank you everybody for reading this! It really means a lot! :) Don't forget to leave a comment or a star rating! See you next chapter for our big finale!