Seth lay shuddering in the meadow in the middle of his parent’s garden. He couldn’t believe what had just happened. His father, the one pony from whom he wanted nothing more than respect, now represented everything Seth hated about his life, and, to make matters worse, he had simultaneously broken his promise to Octavia. He hadn’t tried to make things better. He had had just let his emotions run unchecked and uncontrolled. He was no better than them. In fact, he was just like them.

He sucked in a breath in an attempt to scream again, yet couldn’t find the strength. Instead, his head fell meekly onto his legs that were stretched out in front of him, the air exhaling uselessly in a great huff.

Outside, the cool night air was easing the fire of his rage. It was forcing him to think clearly and Seth hated it. He knew he was a foal for yelling, for getting upset like he did, and he was a foal for running like a coward from his problems. He should have been the bigger stallion; he should have just walked away calmly, or even better, he should have stayed. It’s what Octavia would have wanted.

He turned and stared at the pride of the garden, the gigantic stone statue of six mares surrounding the sun, the moonlight casting its shadow over Seth. It was an old family heirloom, something from his mother’s family history. It was meant to represent strength, resilience and harmony. Where were those virtues when a pony needed them most? Where were they when Seth needed them? They had been cast away, thrown to the wind in a temper tantrum, and Seth felt sick because of it.

To make matters worse, the gardens were simply spectacular at night. To his left were the banks of roses where he and Octavia had lost themselves chasing a butterfly that very afternoon. They had been utterly carefree in what was one of the best memories Seth had, and now the moment was gone, replaced instead by an aching loneliness as Seth sat on the grass, the stone statue on his right his only company, staring down at him with all the omniscience of Celestia herself.

Octavia galloped out of the door, still left open where Seth had flung it open with magic. That meant he was out here, which meant he was nearby.

I’m almost there, Seth. I’m almost there.

Octavia was panicked. She was trying desperately to stop herself from freaking out as she ran. It was almost certainly an irrational fear, after all, he was probably (physically at least), absolutely fine. But she cared little for the physical. Her Seth was hurting, and she needed to be there for him. She needed to make things ok, for when he hurt, she hurt with him, and that scream of anger and pain still resonated within every fibre of her being.

She thundered through the gardens as fast as she could. She had a hunch about where he might be and was wasting no time in getting there. The bushes flanking her streaked past as wraiths of the night, their shadows blurring into each other. The moon provided just enough light to see, casting a weak, silver glow onto the land.

She turned hard to the right, entering the rose section. A butterfly, that’s all it had been. She had chased a butterfly like a silly little filly. But Octavia hadn’t cared, for with Seth she had no need to care, because she knew he didn’t care. He liked her for her, and he wanted for her to be nothing but happy. And in that moment, she had been truly happy. Just her and Seth with a butterfly, nothing else, for nothing else mattered.

Gasping for breath, Octavia entered the meadow, the grass cool beneath her hooves. The mare could just make out a pony-shaped shadow by the statue, slumped over, not moving a muscle. She slowly walked over to the statue, her heart racing in her chest.

“Seth?” she asked softly, drawing hesitantly closer.

The shadow by the statue looked up, his features obscured. “Right here, Octavia.”

“What happened, Seth? Are you ok?” Her voice was almost pleading.

The shadow snorted. “Nothing has changed, Octavia, least of all me. That’s what happened.”

“What do you mean, Seth?”

Shadow-Seth sighed, his head hanging slightly. “Greed. Selfishness. Power. It’s a dark enough list, really. In the beginning, I told myself that I would never, ever succumb to those desires. Ponies judged me enough because of my father,” he said, his voice now growing in passion. “I had promised myself! Never for as long as I lived! And then, it happened. I got the Luna job. And do you know what I did? I felt good. Really good. I felt good because I got the job and my rivals didn’t. And that scared me, Octavia. That really scared me. I was watching myself slowly turn into the ponies who I hated the most.

“Don’t get me wrong, I was thrilled to help other ponies as well. I always have been. But I had never felt such vindictive pleasure in beating another pony before. So I distanced myself from work, and lied to myself over and over with bottle after bottle of scotch.”

Seth snorted, an expression laden with disgust. But then, he lifted his head, the whites of his eyes just noticeable in the moonlight. “But then I met you, Octavia. Then I met you. I soon forgot about myself, about my work, about my fears. All I could think about was you. And after that, you made me so happy, and for a time, I just forgot, and was happy. You made me feel like a decent pony again.

“But that brings us to the present,” he sighed. “My father. The epitome of all that I had worked for, because he put me on the track to work for it. The epitome of what I was scared of becoming. And then we get here, and I saw that nothing has changed. He’s still selfish, filled with pride, and I’m still too weak to tell him that all I ever really wanted was his approval. That all I-I ever wanted was for h-him to respect me.” Seth stopped, choking on his own words, his head falling down again.

“And then there’s this house,” he continued, taking a breath to compose himself. “This damned house. Look at it, Octavia. Look at it. It’s a home built upon the foundations of everything I swore I wouldn’t be. And do you know what? I like it here. This place feels normal to me, it feels like home. So what have I got left after giving up everything I said I was? After becoming everything I said I wouldn’t be? What have I got?” Seth said, utterly defeated.

Octavia looked down at the pony in front of her, her expression gentle and compassionate. “Oh Seth,” she cooed suddenly, her voice heartbreakingly kind. “Oh Seth,” she repeated, sitting next to stallion and pulling him into an embrace. “How do I have to tell you, Seth? What do I have to say to make you understand?”

“Understand what?”

“To make you understand just how good of a pony you truly are, Seth. That despite all that you have told yourself, you are kind, honest, funny, intelligent, loyal and generous. Everywhere you go, you look at how you can make other ponies happy. You even dedicated your whole life to it!”

“But what does that all count for, Octavia, when I forsake every promise I made to myself? When work, and my cutie mark, becomes meaningless? Where does that leave me?”

Octavia was silent for a time, thinking over her response. Slowly, she lent down and whispered in Seth’s ear, “It leaves you with a new beginning, Seth. It leaves you wherever you want it to take you. Work doesn’t define a pony, we define our work. Just like my music, we change what we love to do. We change it so we love it even more. We make it ours.

“You’re not a bad pony, Seth. You were happy because you succeeded. You were happy because you did well, and you beat ponies who would have been genuinely power-hungry. And that’s something to be proud of.”

“But how do you know? How do you know that? How can you be sure?” Seth’s voice was pleading, trying desperately to find answers.

“I am sure because you are scared, Seth. Because you are terrified of losing who you are. You’re not a bad pony. Trust me.

“And besides,” she added, leaning close to him. “You make my days brighter, you make me smile, and you make life just that bit more beautiful. That counts for something, right?”

Seth suddenly shifted, breaking from Octavia’s embrace. The unicorn pulled himself from the shadows and stood in the soft moonlight. He looked over at the grey mare lying on the grass. She was beautiful; there was no other word for it. Her coat, silky and smooth, and her mane like liquid velvet. And her eyes, those large, purple eyes filled with nothing but concern and love.

Love, Seth thought, the word reverberating softly in his mind. It was a flame, a warmth, a feeling. It had been with him for a long time now, and now, staring at this most perfect mare, after everything she had done for him, and was still doing, he understood what it meant.

“Octavia,” he said, his voice barely louder than a whisper. “That counts for everything. It counts for everything and then some.” He gave a quiet laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Octavia asked, curious.

“Because I just realised something, Octavia. I just realised something and I am happy I did. In fact, I am thrilled.” He smiled.

“What? What was it?” She was curious now, imploring.

He took a step toward her, lowering himself to the ground, his muzzle a few inches from hers. He stared into her eyes, that beautiful purple visible even in the dark. “I love you, Octavia,” he said. “I love you.” He said nothing more, for nothing more needed to be said. He just left the words resonating between them, floating in the air. A little flame inside his heart flickered slightly, growing warmer.

Octavia stared at him, her expression blank. A second passed. Then she smiled; she smiled as a tear made its way down her cheek. Without warning, she threw herself at Seth, knocking him onto his back. Lying on top of him, she kissed him with as much passion and affection as she could. Seth returned the gesture, wrapping his legs around her.

When they finally broke the kiss, Octavia raised her head, smiling down at the unicorn beneath her. “I love you too, Seth. I love you too.”

Beaming, Seth shifted his weight, rolling over and pinning Octavia beneath him. “That’s all I needed to hear,” he said quietly, kissing her again. The little flame was an inferno now, like it had been dreaming of for weeks. Kissing her, the flame flickered happily, breathing joy into the unicorn’s limbs.

They stayed in the meadow for a long time, blissful and elated. They both knew that their problems, fears and trepidations lay just outside the grassy rectangle, waiting for them in the shadows, but they didn’t care. They could wait, and when they did face them, it would be together, not alone.

Seth smiled as he kissed her, and Octavia smiled back at him. Everything that needed to be said had been spoken.

The moon had reached its apex when Octavia finally spoke up.

“Seth, we should go inside. Your mother is worried about you.” She spoke languidly at first, but her voice became more serious as she realised the truth of her words.

“I know,” he replied. “And I should face my father, apologise to him, set things right.”

She smiled at him. “See? We can fix this. Everything is going to be ok.”

He smiled back at her as they got up, and slowly began to make their way back to the house, tails entwined, heart beats thudding harmoniously in their chests.

“Did you ever think,” Seth said after a while, “that when you first saw me that you would end up here?”

“I don’t think anypony does, Seth,” she replied. “But after our first conversation, I wouldn’t have been surprised.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You are something special, Seth.”

Seth was silent, choosing not to say anything. Instead, he leaned up against the mare, the physical contact more than enough.

They picked their way through the garden slowly, not at all in a rush to return to the real world.

A soft glow caused Octavia to start with excitement. Seth paused, looking at the mare hesitantly.

“Look, Seth, fireflies!”

Sure enough, a few of the golden insects could be seen dancing lightly through the foliage surrounding them. The pair paused for a moment, watching the creatures float leisurely through the air.

“They’re beautiful,” Octavia breathed, her eyes wide with wonder.

Seth and Octavia watched the fireflies dance in the moonlight, both of them lost in the moment. They leaned against each other, sharing one another’s presence.

A sudden light flickering on inside the mansion brought the pair back to reality.

“Well, are you ready?” Seth asked, focusing himself.

Octavia tightened her grip on his tail. “Yes,” she said simply.

Walking over to the house, both ponies took a deep breath. The door to the foyer was still open so they entered quietly, their hoof-steps creating soft echoes as Seth closed the door behind them.

Seth could hear voices murmuring from the entrance hall in the room opposite the one they were in now. There were definitely three speakers, his mother and father and another whom he did not recognize. He walked over to the door as the voices became clearer.

“…from Canterlot at this hour?” his mother asked.

“It was top priority, ma’am. The customer paid a ridiculous amount for one day shipping,” said the third, unknown voice. It sounded male.

“But why are you here?” That was definitely his father.

“Because the pony to whom this letter is for wasn’t there,” the voice replied. “I had to fulfil the contract, you see, so I got in contact with her employer at the CCMA and then they put me on to one of her band members, who sent me here,” the voice sounded weary, but Seth was more concerned that they seemed to be talking about Octavia.

“Well we will be sure to look after the letter for her until she gets back,” Andréa said.

Seth felt a shape brush past him. He looked up to see Octavia open the door and walk into the room. She had been listening in as well.

“That won’t be necessary,” she said. “I can take it right now.”

“Octavia, you’re back! Where’s Seth?”

“I’m right here, Mother,” Seth said, following his marefriend into the room.

Octavia was staring expectantly at the pegasus mail-pony in front of her. He fumbled a bit with his bag before withdrawing a single, small letter. “For you, miss. It’s from Trottingham.”

Seth watched Octavia freeze in horror as the pegasus spoke. He felt his own blood run cold. It… couldn’t be…

“T-trottingham?”

“Yeah. Well, I have to be off. Have a good night.” Andréa showed him to the door and Seth moved over to stand by the mare, the letter resting on a hoof.

“S-seth, I…”

He shh’d her gently. “I’m sure it’s fine. Do you want me to read it?”

She nodded weakly at him, leaning against the unicorn for support. Seth’s parents didn’t say a word, staring intently at the scene in front of them.

Slowly and carefully, Seth levitated the letter over, opening it as he did. Inside was a single sheet of paper, the black scrawl of somepony’s mouth-writing clearly visible. Taking a deep breath, Seth began to read.

Octavia couldn’t help but notice as Seth’s body began to tense up, and she saw with frightening clarity when his breath caught itself inside his throat. She looked up at him, pleading with him that it be good news. She had not received any correspondence from Trottingham since the she had run away. Seth’s eyes were locked, re-reading the last sentence over and over, an expression of horror on his face. Octavia began to cry.

“W-what is it, Seth? What do they want?”

Octavia watched as Seth took a deep breath, preparing himself. Her knees began to tremble, tears streaming down her face.

“It… It’s your father, Octavia. He… needs you to come home. Your mother, she’s… sick. Really sick. He needs you to come home before…” his voice shook as he spoke.

“B-before what?” she whispered, shaking as she did.

“Before… before it’s too late.”

A/N: And now things start to get interesting! And just when everything was looking up too... :D

As always, 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!