Chapter 10: by the light of the moon

I sat down in the newly formed back garden of my house.
My guitar rested against my lap, there was a peaceful breeze blowing.
The moonlit pathways of the town seemed to beckon me.
I put the guitar on my back as I stood up.
Humming a tune, I simply took a walk.
Suddenly I was crashed into by a certain bubbly pink pony.

"hey, Robbie! Octavia's coming out of the hospital tomorrow, here's the party invite"
Pinkies words seamlessly linked together. I could understand every word luckily.
"thanks pinks, what time will the party be"
"5:00pm tomorrow" she giggled "see ya there" she shouted as she sped off.
I could only guess as to where she shot off to next.
There was a strange tingle in the air, like uncertain electricity.
The moon itself was caressing the world from afar, like a forlorn lover.
I sighed, smiling at the sight.

Oddly enough, I wasn't the only one enjoying it.
As it turned out, Octavia was free to go a little earlier than expected.
She simply looked up to the moon as she stood next to me.
"Hey," the greyscale beauty smiled. "How are you feeling?"
Without a word, she simply walked back to the house, dragging me along.
We stopped at the front door, she turned to me.
"Long answer, or short answer?" I twiddled my thumbs for a moment.
"erm…depends, what's the difference?" I met her gaze. The glint in her eyes was mischievous.
"this," she gave me a coy, seductive look and a brief kiss on the lips "is the short answer"
the heat on my face could only state that I was blushing again. "and this," she grabbed me by the shirt and dragged me to the bedroom.
"this is the long answer" she completely lost herself to passion and lust, pushing me down onto the bed, tugging at my jeans.
I was certainly getting a rise from it. Oh my gods was the only thought I had.

A/N: Here's where it gets…. complicated

morning had broken.
The sun rose up above the little town of Ponyville.
I had to go to work.
No complaining there.
Luckily for me, my jeans were still on.
I chuckled to my self as I remembered the events of last night.

[line break]

"not today thank you" I stated, but the mare wouldn't give in.
"but, but" Octavia wanted to get off.
"no buts… I just… don't feel ready for this you know?"
"wait, what? You're still a" I interrupted her
"yes, is there a problem with that?"
"well, not really, but aren't you embarrassed?"
I was taken aback by that comment, much so that I was a tad annoyed.
"fuck no, why the hell should I be, its not fucking important is it?" I cursed.
The grey mare looked at me in shock.

"obviously it's a touchy subject," she looked at me with pleading eyes, desperately wanting to have her way with me.
"but I want this, I really do" I could tell, she was wet with anticipation.
"look Tavi, just… not tonight okay? You've only just got out of the hospital" I said with a hint of worry.
"but… Fine" she left the room, went into hers and slammed the door.
I knocked on the door. "remember, I did say, not tonight" I chuckled, waiting for a reply.
The only thing I got was heavy breathing and small moans of enjoyment.

I shrugged my shoulders and went to bed.

I slowly walked down the stairs, taking care not to wake Octavia up.
My towel was draped over my shoulders.
"ugh, oh well" I took a sniff at my arm-pit; I pressed the button on the shower, the shower burst into life.
So glad I didn't do anything stupid I thought to myself.
I grabbed the shampoo, and started to work on my ginger hair.
"fucking hell, sometimes I wish I had that hair cut" I chuckled to myself as I pulled through a couple of knots.
I moved on to the rest of my body, the scar on my side itched.
"I've been meaning to ask about that scar on your side" I heard Octavia,
"you're up early"
"wanted to apologize for my appalling behaviour last night, got a coffee ready for you"
"thanks, Hon" I heard a squeak.

4:35pm.

The thought of the day at that point was a certain hare jumping around in my head screaming "oh no, oh no going to be late, terribly late"
I stood up from my guitar, and walked to the hotel. "oh hey there Ditzy" I grinned.
"save it, where is he?" she was clearly angry about something.
"no idea, have you tried the tardis?" I asked, she face-hoofed
"nope, haven't seen it in a few days…"

I watched as she flew off shouting expletives on my level.
"by the gods ... ditzy, language"
she turned to me and grinned sheepishly.

I shrugged it off, continuing my journey home to pick up my guitar and line six amp.
Upon arriving at the house, I heard talking.
I thought nothing of it as I walked into the living room.
Octavia was sitting on the sofa next to Noteworthy.
They looked as thought they were reconciling.

"you shouldn't really be here Noteworthy, but… no worries"
Octavia looked at me for a moment, speechless that I forgave the blue stallion so quickly.
"Rob are you feeling okay?"
I turned and simply smiled "party at 5pm guys, why wouldn't I be"

I opted not to sing like a ship. Something was off…
I could feel it in my gut.
I walked back to the party to set up my stuff.
I plugged in the amp and guitar. Then played a few riffs as I waited.
I sat on top of the amp, playing a simple blues riff.

Pinkie stood there and watched.
I simply smiled knowing somepony was watching me work my magic.
"hey, Pinks, is everyone ready?" she nodded with glee.
"let em in" Frederic and the other musical ponies were waiting on me.
they played all sorts of stuff, even the pony polka recommended by pinkie.
I was still sober at the time of playing the grand finale.
"okay, this ones a big one from my land, it's called One Sacred Hour"

You might want to listen to this .com/watch?v=2XLDsYMEj0M during the next part

I stood there watching all the ponies hush up. they then stood to watch the performance.
I began the guitar solo.
They continued to watch as my musical note on my neck began to glow once more.
It then started to spread across my body, finding its way down my arm.
I felt a slight tingle In my fingers as I played.
I let the music flow through me.

I watched as Octavia and blues began to dance.
Then so did the others.
I broke out into the power chords.
I was pissed. I stood up to the microphone.
I started to sing the song with more emotion.
The ponies watching began to clap. They jumped up and down.

All of my dreams that fell through and had tasted so sour
Take second place in my mind for this one sacred hour
Still I've been moved for so long by this strange fascination
Here as I stand all alone in complete concentration
Face through the clouds in the Gods
shine with awe and splendour

I ignored the grey and blue dancers and continued on.
A few tears began to form in the corner of my eyes.

Rise up and roar they approve will they always remember
I hear the voice of the crowd, it will last forever
Locked in my heart kept away like a stolen treasure

I changed the chord progression.

I can hear them calling
Hear the crowd applauding
If it's real I like the feeling
If I'm wrong who am I deceiving?

I started to head-bang along with the other cellists.
My hair flopped over my face as I played.

Night after night it repeats an exciting romance
Shared by us all though we met by a fleeting half-chance
Caught, trapped in time no escape from this powerful dream-world
Pleased though I am to be here
I am lost in the real world

The solo began once again. My fingers had earnt the right to bleed, more so than they did on the acoustic.
I winced in pain but plodded on. The blood from my fingers made it easier to glide along the fret board.

"in this one sacred hour!" I sang the last lyric. Holding the last note.

The party was over. I watched as the blue and grey dancers left together.
Looking over I saw Nurse redheart trot over to me. "oh my, you're …. What were they called again?"
"fingers" I sighed with a slight wince.
The pain had begun to settle in.
"you got anything to patch me up?" I asked.
"of course, let's go to the hospital" I picked up the guitar and placed it on my back,
unplugged the amp, and then picked it up with my good hand.
"ugh, what the hell, my mark's changed"
"it did that during the performance, but I think its receding"
I watched as the musical notes pulled themselves back to the base of my neck.

This was going to be a long night.

She patched me up, and sent me off home.
I walked through the front door, and heard it.
The sounds of sex, the sounds of reconciliation.
The sound of my heart breaking.
"well…. Fuck it" I placed my guitar and amp back into the living room.
then I grabbed three bottles of wine.

I left a note.

If you need me, I'll be helping Pinkie...

Robert

I took a bottle opener with me.
I started to take my stroll.
I slammed the door behind me and heard a quiet "oh shit"
I got back to the party place.

"oh hey Rob, what are you doing here?"
I looked down for a moment, and then looked up to them with a fake smile.
"well, thought I could help you guys tidy up"
Applejack gave me a stern look. "well fer one, that's not the only thing yer here fer"
I nodded glumly. "s'bout right" I sniffed.
"thought we could share a drink too, considering what's just happened" I continued.
"what happened, darling?" Rarity asked.
"I… I just don't feel like talking about it right now" I sighed.
"come on, dude, tell us" I shook my head.
I walked over to the piano, and played the 4 chords song.
And even sung it.

"that's better… time to tidy" I grinned, pushing the recent memory
into the back of my head. but that's when they noticed the tears.
"Rob" I felt a pair of hooves on my shoulders.
"Fred, your still here?" he nodded.
"you look like you just seen something you didn't want to"
"no, but I heard it, crystal clear," my voice wavered.
"well buck me sideways" Rainbow dash uttered as I put up metaphoric walls once more.
I was in emotional pain once again.
"c-can I stay with one of y-you guys tonight?" I whimpered "I-I have an f-feeling I may do something stupid".
"you can stay with me" Twilight offered as she pulled me into a hug.

Needless to say…

I felt like shit, but I helped tidy up the place to the best of my abilities.
After awhile I found my voice again. "thanks twilight" I mumbled.
My eyes were bloodshot red. My voice was raspy.
"that's okay, the others are coming too"
my ears pricked up.
"we're going to have a sleep over anyway"I smiled.
"least I brought some wine" I chuckled.
The healing process had begun.
Slowly but surely… it had begun.
"I'm starting to feel a bit better, but I'll have to speak to them tomorrow" I looked down.
"Chin up sugarcube, just have some fun and forget about it fer now"
I couldn't agree more.

"Love hurts, love scars,
love wounds and marks any heart
not tough or strong enough
to take a lot of pain, take a lot of pain"
I sang to myself under my breath as I watched the moon rise.

"what was that sugarcube?" applejack looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
"eh, just a song to remind me about stuff"
"oh, okay then"

I didn't want to go any further.

30 internets for whoever guesses the last song.

This was a painful chapter to write. Especially at 3:23 am…when its 14 degrees…

Im cold, there's no heating in the house… I feel like shit.

But I suppose I should be grateful that I have people reading this…

Kind of makes me feel appreciated.

Thank you.