Seth’s hoofsteps echoed loudly inside the long hallways of Canterlot Castle, and his heart was racing. He was utterly alone in the dark-blue corridor. The tall windows stared down at him, flanked by small hanging flowers. He had walked these halls literally hundreds of times before, but today was different. Today he was nervous.

A little over a month had passed since the pair had returned from Trottingham, and Seth was vibrant. He had moved into Octavia’s apartment with her, and she had just returned from a tour of Equestria with her band. Personally, Octavia was everything he had ever wanted and more. Every moment with her was a blessing and one that he was not likely to forget. While he had yet to see his parents again, life was essentially back to normal for the unicorn. Well… almost.

“Now relax,” she had said earlier that morning, smiling at him comfortingly. “It’s just a job interview. Something you have done hundreds of times before, I’m sure.”

“But this… but this is special,” he had countered, the butterflies in his stomach twirling. “I mean, organising the entire Summer Sun festival? That’s huge!”

“I know, darling, but do try to relax. You are easily the best applicant for the job. You will be fine.”

“It’s not even like that’s my normal field of work too…”

“Just think of Luna’s Night court. That was all the skills you need and extra. Have some faith in your ability!”

Seth had smiled up at her half-heartedly at that, not sure how to continue. She smiled back and kissed him gently. “You are too talented not to get the job. Now please, go and make me… make yourself proud.”

Seth smiled as he continued to walk down the long hallway. He loved that mare with every fibre of his being. Picking up the pace, Seth reached a door on the right at the end of the corridor. He opened it with magic and made his way through into a smaller corridor with rooms leading off in both directions. Halfway down this hall was a small wooden bench, hardly big enough for three ponies to sit on it at the same time. Seth made his way towards it, surprised there weren’t other applicants here yet.

Reaching the seat, Seth’s ears pricked up when he heard voices coming from the room opposite him. He couldn’t make them out at first but then they began to grow louder, almost as if they were arguing. Curious, Seth slowly creaked the door open a fraction as the louder of the two voices spoke… or yelled as it was at this point.

“I don’t care about ‘due process’, Tenure! Due process is irrelevant in the face of what is an excellent candidate!”

Seth froze in horror as he realised who the voice belonged to. No! he thought, his jaw dropping. He wouldn’t!

“Versaille,” the other voice replied, “please listen-”

“There is nothing left to listen to! My son is the most talented pony at his job and you would be an absolute fool not to hire him!”

“I-”

“He is organised, efficient, fast and hard-working. Not to mention just a better pony in general than those rank-and-file, power-hungry snobs who currently pollute the better part of our government. Not picking him would not only be an absolute loss for you and the Summer Sun festival, but also a victory for the power-vultures who are just waiting for this. And Tenure, you and I both know how much you would hate to give them a victory for anything.”

“Versaille!” the other pony yelled just as his father was finishing. “Oh, um…” He coughed, clearing his throat. “Please relax. We were ecstatic when Seth applied for the position, we could not picture anypony else in the role. After his work for the Princess’ night court, we would be stupid not to pick him. Besides, you are right, I would never give it to one of the ‘Top Hats’ of this castle. Not in a thousand years,” he finished bitterly.

Now it was Versaille’s time to stutter, “I…”

“So please my dear friend, relax. This is just a formality. Your son is an excellent candidate. You should be proud of him.”

Seth’s heart froze as he strained closer to the door, desperately trying to hear his father’s response.

“I am,” came the reply, his voice suddenly a lot softer. “I really am.”

Seth almost yelled in joy and surprise. His father was proud… of him? It was almost too good to be true. Trying to stay quiet, he settled for a small jump in the air to express his happiness. However, the unicorn realised that he had pushed forward too much in his eagerness to eavesdrop and found himself crashing through the partly opened door, ending up in a heap on the floor, stared at by two confused ponies.

“Uh, I!” Seth began, rapidly picking himself up from the ground. “Um, good afternoon, Tenure, Father.”

“Good afternoon, young Mr. Locarno,” the unicorn called Tenure replied, smiling hugely. “So glad you could join us. Right on time, too. Excellent work.”

“I’m terribly sorry for barging in like that,” Seth muttered, trying to hold Tenure’s gaze.

“Think nothing of it. Besides, your father and I were just wrapping up, weren’t we, Versaille?”

“Um… I… yes! Of course! Thank you for the chat, Tenure. Have a good day.” He paused, suddenly unsure of how to continue. “And… you too, Seth.”

“I…” Seth said. His mind was still reeling from his father’s words. Could it be true? Did he dare believe it?

Well… only one way to find out, he thought. “Father… would you like to get a drink after I am finished here?”

Seth watched as Versaille began to smile widely, his posture picking up a fraction. “I would love that.”

“Excellent,” Seth replied, nodding his head. “I shall find you in your office after then?”

“Certainly. Good afternoon, Tenure,” he said, still smiling.

“You too, Versaille,” Tenure replied as the older unicorn left the room.

Seth allowed himself a small smile. This was definitely a great opportunity. A chance to say sorry, build some bridges. And there was no way Seth was going to let it slip through his hooves. A small cough brought his attention back to the present.

“So, Mr. Locarno, shall we proceed through the formalities?” Tenure said with a wink.

“Uh…” Seth chuckled nervously. “Yes. That sounds wonderful.”

Alright, breathe, Seth thought as he slowly inhaled and exhaled deeply trying to slow the butterflies currently waging war inside his stomach. That’s it… breathe.

Seth was standing on a balcony overlooking the dais where the Summer Sun celebration would take place. Beside it were huge banners featuring the Princess’ sun cutie-mark, fluttering gently in the breeze. In front of the stage, illuminated dimly by two rows of street-lamps, a crowd of ponies were gathering with more approaching by the minute. It was almost dawn, after all.

The unicorn was alone on the balcony, Octavia having excused herself a moment before. He stood wearing a smart, black vest with Celestia’s sun stitched on the left breast-pocket. Inside the pocket was the object of his nerves, or at least a symbol for their origins. After weeks of agonizing and doubt, he had decided to finally go for it, and now he was trying desperately to stay in control of his body.

It had taken almost two months of planning, but in front of him Seth’s diligence and hard work was finally paying off. So far everything was going on without a hitch and Seth was secretly thrilled for that. Still, the highlight was yet to come, and in more ways than one. He sent a silent prayer up to the Princesses that somepony would ensure that everything went smoothly and forced himself to take another deep breath.

The soft sound of hoof-steps informed the unicorn that Octavia had returned.

“It’s so peaceful,” Octavia said, moving over to stand by Seth.

“It is,” Seth agreed as Octavia nuzzled him gently.

“Well done on all of this,” the mare said softly. “You should be proud. Everything looks fantastic.”

“Thank you, but you should wait till it’s all over. Celestia knows there’s probably going to be something that goes wrong.”

“Hush now. Don’t talk like that. I saw the effort you put into this, I am not going to believe anything bad will happen.”

“I hope you are right,” Seth said, more to himself than Octavia.

The musician was silent for a moment before speaking up again, “Are we still meeting your parents afterwards for breakfast?”

“Yes we are. I finalised arrangements last night with Father when we were out for drinks. Mother sounds thrilled to see you again.”

“Excellent! I can’t wait!” A soft tinkling bell coming from the courtyard beneath them caused Octavia to perk up a little. “Ooh!” she exclaimed. “It’s almost time!”

Sure enough, the stream of ponies leading to the courtyard was intensifying as ponies of all ages jostled to get optimum positions by the stage to watch the mystical raising of the sun.

They watched, smiling, as they saw parents take their children onto their backs in an attempt to let them see. The couple noticed the foals who were literally bouncing with excitement.

“Do you see what your hard work does? They are so happy,” Octavia murmured softly.

“That’s not my credit to take,” Seth replied before allowing himself a smile. “Still, it’s nice to see. It is what I enjoy.”

“See? Look at you. I am so happy for you, Seth.” She smiled at him warmly. Seth simply kissed her back in reply.

A sudden hush fell over the crowd like a wave. Seth and Octavia looked down to see that the stage had gone dark. It was time.

Everypony assembled watched with baited breath as nothing happened for at least ten seconds. Then suddenly, thin tendrils of light began snaking their way magically through the air toward a central point in the heart of the stage. More and more of these twisting and curling strands of brightness met at the middle and began to shine brighter and brighter as each new stem joined. Over the peaks framing the city, a soft glow began to grow on the horizon, the clouds over the mountains now faintly illuminated by an orange light.

As everypony oohed and ahhed at the spectacle of these vines of light, a vibrating hum began, slowly becoming louder and louder, shaking the ground as it did. As the sound became more prominent with each passing second, the light became brighter and brighter, forming into a great ball as the horizon became more and more awash with sunlight. Then suddenly, with a blinding flash and small shockwave of air, the most royal Princess Celestia materialised onstage, eclipsing the golden ball of light behind her. The Princess’ mighty wings were outstretched, her head lowered in offering, her horn glowing magnificently. Behind her, with another great flash, the sun burst forward from behind the ridge, bathing the land with its warm glow.

Seth could only smile as everypony assembled began to cheer enthusiastically, stamping their hooves upon the ground repeatedly or clapping them together. Slowly, the ball of light behind the Princess began to evaporate, causing the stems of brightness to disappear as well. The Princess bowed her head again and smiled as everypony applauded.

Seth, however, waited patiently for what was about to come next, a small and very, very nervous smile upon his face.

This is it… he thought, his moment drawing closer and closer.

Seth’s musings were rewarded by a sudden roar. The crowd gasped as six trails of smoke raced overhead, looping as they passed the courtyard.

“The Wonderbolts!” somepony screamed as the applause instantly increased in fervour.

The physics-defying show-ponies proceeded to pull off all manner of tricks and stunts, each more incredible than the last. Seth watched on, trying to keep his knees from shaking, a small line of sweat travelling down his forehead.

Any second now…

The Wonderbolts had now broken into two teams of two and were darting backwards and forwards, creating images within their smoke trails.

Seth gulped. This is it… this is it!

The crowd roared appreciatively as the famous sports ponies contorted their bodies in the air, twisting themselves to create an image of the sun as the second team flew straight through the middle, arching off into three different directions.

Now!

The team that had just flown through the sun rearranged themselves and began to create a vague S shape, their trails lingering in the air. A sudden twist by an orange-maned Wonderbolt cut a smoke line straight through the S, finishing the move with a small kick at the end. The end result was simple, just as Seth had planned: it was a treble clef.

Seth heard Octavia gasp next to him as she realised what the image was.

“Did… you… was that…” she breathed, unable to speak properly.

“I was actually surprised how quickly Spitfire said yes,” Seth replied softly, not quite looking at the mare.

“You did that… for me…?” Octavia said, dumbfounded.

Finally, with a deep breath, Seth turned to face her. It was now or never.

“Yes, that was for you.”

“But why?” she asked, overwhelmed.

Seth took a moment to reply. Down in the courtyard, the Wonderbolt’s show had finished and the Princess had taken to the stage to speak, “My dearest subjects…”

“Because…” Seth began, drowning out the Princess’ words. “Because we have been together for months now Octavia and I love you. I love you with every fibre of my being. We have been through so much. Through good times and bad, and yet I love you all the more because of it. You have been there for me whenever I have needed it, supporting me and helping me. For that I am so very, very lucky.

“And so I realised that there was something that I wanted to do with all my heart, Octavia, to show you just how much I love you.” As Seth spoke, he gently opened his vest pocket and levitated a small black box out of it. He watched as Octavia’s eyes grew wide at the sight and she raised a hoof to her mouth in shock.

“Octavia,” he said, opening the box, revealing a single diamond encrusted bracelet, the jewels shining in the sunlight. “I love you more than anything in this world. You are the most beautiful, kind and perfect individual I have ever met. And nothing, absolutely nothing, would make me happier than making you mine for the rest of our lives. Octavia, I love you. Will you marry me?”

Seth watched as Octavia’s eyes seemed to double in size, her mouth opened in an adorable ‘o’. She opened and closed her mouth several times yet no words came out. Seth stood awkwardly, the strength rushing out of his legs as the adrenalin started to leave.

“Seth…” she finally managed to say, looking at him in shock. “I… Of course I will! It is about time you asked!” And with that, she threw herself at the unicorn, wrapping both of her forelegs around his neck as she kissed him deeply and passionately.

Seth smiled as he returned the kiss, lifted upon waves of joy. Their lips moved together fiercely, locked in a moment of passion that left Seth feeling happier than he had ever felt in his entire life.

Down in the courtyard, the Princess was finishing her speech, “…And so go in harmony, my dearest subjects, for our futures are bright indeed.”

“I love you,” Seth whispered into Octavia’s ear after breaking the kiss. She stared at him, smiling, with her large, purple eyes. Her expression of utter bliss left Seth’s heart fluttering.

“I love you too.”

“Forever,” he said.

“And ever,” she replied.

Seth smiled and kissed her again, and Octavia melted into his embrace, the couple illuminated by the newly raised sun.

-The End.

Authors notes/After word:

Wow. There it is. After a month and a half of solid writing in amongst Christmas, new year/my birthday and a two week holiday, comes the culmination of about 50k words and over 120 pages. This was my first long or multi-chaptered story and my third narrative piece ever. Overall, I think I can safely say I have learned a lot throughout this entire experience! Looking back there are things that I would do differently, and some things that I wouldn’t change for the world, but I have to say, this was a lot of fun.

But there are some thanks that must be delivered, for without these people, this story might never have come about.

First, a big thank you to my best friend in the whole world, Dacaz5, for always reading through first drafts and keeping me motivated. It’s so much more fun to be a brony and be a part of this fantastic community when you have good friends to do it with.

Next, a thank you to HeWhoErasesMost for generously allowing me to use of his artwork for my cover art. Be sure to check out his DA profile, some of his comics are amazing!

And finally, a HUGE thank you to my editor and friend, Sessalisk. Without her help, I would still be writing crap with punctuation lying outside of quotation marks. Yes, that’s how bad I was grammatically before she started setting me straight. Her help is slowly turning me into a semi-respectable author! I am forever in her debt because of it. Be sure to check out her story Darkest Before Dawn on fimfiction or on EqD.

As for the future, I am already hard at work on another fic. While it’s not romance, I am very, very excited for this one and it’s looking pretty epic. (Rest assured, as soon as I’m done with that I have an idea or two for some more shipping!) In short, I am very excited for my future works!

And then, finally, a massive thank you to everyone who took the time to read this little story of mine, comment or rate it. Your support made it all worth while and helped keep me properly obsessed! I cannot begin to describe just how much every view, comment or rating meant to me. It literally makes my day. (Just ask Dacaz5 how excited I get!)

So again, thank you, thank you all so much and I sincerely hope you enjoyed A Chance Encounter.

Till next time!

-Mystic