“You’re what?”

“I am dating a mare. I realize that this may be… unexpected, but she’s really nice. I think that you would like her. Her name is Beauty Brass, and she’s—”

“Since when did you start dating mares?” Octavia’s mother cut in. “You dated stallions in high school. What has this college done to you?”

“Mother, I simply date any pony I find interesting. Mare or stallion.”

“Then could you please be more discreet about your dalliances? What you do is your business, but I will not let my daughter shame us with her...” Octavia’s mother stopped, stammering her next few words. “Sexual deviance! We’re not paying thousands per year for you to turn into some kind of pervert!”

“How dare you!” Octavia stomped her hooves. “I am a mare, mother, not your little filly at your beck and call. I will not hide myself away just to satisfy you.”

“You will do as your mother says, Octavia,” her father said, stepping into the conversation. “It's not that we don't want you to be happy, but you know we can't be associated with this sort of thing. It tarnishes us all. It's what's best for all of us. Can't you see that?"

"You always have to be the understanding one, don't you Cyan?" Octavia's mother struggled to hold back tears. "You know the reason she's turned out this way is because she's never had a strong male role model."

"Not now, Majesty, not now!"

"Can't you see what you're doing to this family?”

“You can’t be serious!” Octavia yelled.

“I am.” Her father stood next to an old family photo. “You can still attend your school, Octavia, but if you are going to insist upon this selfishness, then you should at least have the courtesy to never bring your ‘marefriends’ here, and we ask you only come here during holidays.”

“You’re disowning me?” Octavia tried her best to hold back her tears, but couldn’t restrain a low whine and shudder.

“You are still a part of this family, but we can’t have you presenting yourself this way.” Cyan placed his hoof over the family photo. “You have a difficult choice to make, Octavia. What’s more important, your family or your… lifestyle?”

Octavia immediately stood up. “Fine! If you don’t want me, then I will be going.”

Her father placed the family photo face down. “So be it.”

Octavia quickly walked out of the family room and went to the stairs of the large home. Walking up a floor, she encountered her parents’ butler.

“Mistress Octavia—”

“I’m sorry, Fare.” She cut past him, heading straight to her room.

She grabbed her school saddlebags and packed them full with what she could take with her. The butler walked in, closing the door behind him.

“Mistress.”

“What, Fare!?” Octavia yelled, turning her head to him, fresh tears still trickling down her face He still held his posture, but shifted his weight from side to side.

“While I honorably serve your parents, I do not approve of their actions. Please do not tell them this, but I myself have a grandson who recently married his longtime boyfriend.”

“Well, congratulations to him. It must be nice having a family that doesn’t hate him.” Octavia wiped the most recent tears from her eyes, then placed the bags on her back.

“Apologies, Mistress. That is not what I meant. I wish I could do more for you, but if you need anything else from this home before you move out...”

“…Anything?”

He nodded.

“The old cello in the library, the one our family have been using as a decoration for the past few generations. I’ve always wanted to play it. It’s one of a kind, but all mother and father do with it is collect dust. Can you get it?”

“Give me a few minutes. I can sneak it out before we leave.”

“You will?” Octavia smiled.

“Yes. Wait in the the private carriage in the garage.”

She threw her hooves around him, holding the old stallion tightly. “Thank you.”

“You were always my favorite in this family. Even with the education they gave you, you deserve better.”

“What if they find out?”

“I was planning to retire sooner than later.” His ears perked up as steps echoed through the hall, approaching Octavia’s room. “Quickly, before anypony finds out.”

“Right!” Octavia opened the door and froze, surprised by a large, muscular stallion in a suit. His coat was white, and he wore a golden ring in each of his ears.

“Everything all right up here?” The security guard said, looking down at Octavia and back up at the butler.

“Yes. I will be taking Mistress Octavia back to her school. Can you be sure she makes it to the private carriage in the garage? I need to grab something before I leave.”

“Sure, no problem.” He looked back down at Octavia. “You, follow me. No loitering, wandering off, or funny business.”

“Fine,” she huffed, following the guard down the hallway to the stairs. The butler soon headed down to take Octavia back to school, but not before giving her one last gift.

Octavia opened her eyes, waking up with her head resting on Vinyl’s side. He was snoring like a brass band. Sitting up, she blinked her eyes a few times and looked out the window, where more of the countryside rolled slowly past.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the intercom blared across the car. “Approaching Ponyville Station,” a monotone voice dully declared.

Vinyl awoke at the noise with a groan, and lifted his head. “That damn thing has kept me awake all night.”

“Morning, sleepy-head.” Octavia smiled.

“Morning.” Vinyl stretched his neck and forelegs. “You looked like you had a nice rest.”

“Not exactly. I still wish we had a sleeping car.”

“Well, when I blow it here, I'll make sure we have first class tickets," Vinyl said, sticking out his tongue. Octavia prodded his side.

"That's not funny."

"Mmph." Vinyl rubbed his side. "Come on, it's a little funny."

Octavia shook her head. Vinyl shrugged and stood up, stretching more vigorously once he had some space. As he looked around, he noticed there was hardly anyone in the car. He was distracted by a growl from his stomach. “We didn’t pack any snacks, did we?”

“Maybe they will serve us breakfast?”

“I doubt it. Besides, we’re about to enter town.”

Octavia sighed and checked up on her cello quickly, to make sure there was no damage along the trip.

“It’s fine, though. I know a good place or two in town for breakfast,” Vinyl added.

“Clean places, right?”

“Of course! When have I steered you wrong?”

The intercom rang out across the train again. “Now arriving at Ponyville Station. Please do not forget your personal belongings.”

Octavia looked out the window with Vinyl next to her, surveying the town. Unlike Manehattan with its giant grey buildings and skyscrapers, the town only contained a few tall buildings, with a majority of the businesses having only one or two floors.

“Looks about the same. Happy to see that,” Vinyl said.

“So this is where you used to live?”

“Yup, nothing else like it.”

“It’s beautiful.”

Vinyl looked at Octavia with a smile, and gave her a kiss on the lips; she returned the same.

“Let’s get ready,” Vinyl said, placing his packed bags on his sides. Octavia swung her cello case onto her back. Soon the train stopped and the doors opened.

Vinyl walked out first, taking in his first breath of fresh air. Octavia did the same, but sneezed immediately.

“Not used to country air?”

“I guess not,” she said, blowing and wiping her nose with a handkerchief.

“You should get used to it after a while,” he said, rubbing her back. “Want to get some breakfast?”

“That sounds wonderful.”

Vinyl and Octavia left the station and began walking down a dirt road approaching town. As they arrived, the dirt road transitioned into a wide open road covered in grass, where ponies walked freely.

“They just allow ponies to walk around in the street?” Octavia wondered aloud. “It feels so open here, compared to Manehattan.”

“Yup, quiet and peaceful too.” Vinyl pulled out his pack of cigarettes only to find one left. Groaning, he lit it up and put the empty pack back into his jacket.

“So, where are we going to eat?”

“Just a franchise place called Goldy’s. They normally serve junk food during lunch and dinner hours, but their breakfast is pretty good.”

“Sounds nice,” Octavia said, pausing briefly to rub her rumbling belly.

After a few more minutes of walking and finishing his last cigarette, they arrived at the diner. Most of the establishment could be seen from outside thanks to its large windows. Inside patrons sat in booths, and waitresses walked back and forth past tacky New Art on the walls. A sign on the roof read ‘GOLDY’S’ in bold red print.

As they entered, Vinyl and Octavia were greeted by a mare in an apron.

“Mornin’! Welcome to the Goldy’s! Just the two of y’all?”

Octavia’s eye twitched and she turned and looked to Vinyl, who smiled and answered, “Yup, just the two of us.”

“This way, please.” The mare turned and quickly trotted to a corner in the diner. “M’name’s Goldy and I’ll be your server today,” she said, placing two menus on the table and pouring two cups of coffee.

“As in the Goldy?”

The waitress laughed. “No, silly. What gave you that impression? If y’all need anything, just holler at me,” the waitress said, walking off.

“Thank you.” Vinyl picked up his menu.

“Vinyl, I honestly did not understand half of what that mare said,” Octavia said, placing her cello against the seat next to her.

“You’ll understand after a while. Find something you want to order.” Vinyl closed his menu.

Octavia had her menu open on the table, marvelling at the pages and pages of pictures in place of descriptions. “What is a ‘hay slam’?”

“See that picture with the plate of eggs, hash browns, grits and a separate plate of pancakes?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a hay slam.”

Octavia stared at the image of a meal the size of a foal. “And this is a single item on the menu?”

“Yep.”

“Are y’all ready to order?” the waitress said as she returned to the table. She held up a notepad in her hoof and a pen in her mouth.

“I’ll have the cheese ‘n’ pepper omelette,” Vinyl said, between sips of coffee.

“I’ll have this one.” Octavia pointed to the picture on her menu.

“I’m surprised you ate all of that. Most ponies that order a slam tend to skip the pancakes,” Vinyl said.

“I told you I was hungry.”

He chuckled, then looked at the town’s clock tower. It was only 9AM.

“One thing before we go to my place.”

“What is it?”

Vinyl pulled out his cigarette pack and showed the empty box to Octavia.

“Need to refill. There should still be a convenience store down the road.”

“All right.” Octavia sighed. “I suppose we could use some groceries and other things as well.”

“Good idea.”

After a few minutes and a brisk trot through the business district, they found the convenience store at the other end of the street and walked inside.

Octavia grabbed a basket and began going around the store picking out various food and items. While she did that, Vinyl walked over to a newspaper dispenser and placed a bit inside the machine; pulling out a paper, he read through the headlines. Most were the usual boring small town news stories, but one caught his eye.

‘FAMOUS DJ CALLS IT QUITS, DISAPPEARS FROM SPOTLIGHT’

The article mentioned DJ PON-3’s recent performance in Canterlot and her sudden, inexplicable departure from the music industry afterwards. The last paragraph also noted the former DJ’s manager, Derpy Hooves, switching over to a new rising DJ by the name of Neon Lights. They were working together on Neon’s first single.

Vinyl shook his head and threw the paper into the trash with a violent burst of telekinesis just as Octavia walked up to him, the full basket in the crook of her foreleg counterbalanced by a shift of her cello’s position on her back.

“What were you reading?” she asked, forcing the startled edge out of her voice.

“Oh, just celebrity gossip. Nothing important. Ready to check out?”

Octavia nodded, and they walked up the register, where a stallion with a blue coat and light blue mane stood behind the counter.

“This it?” he asked, taking items out of the basket and punching them into the register.

“Also two packs of Crystal greens,” Vinyl said. “Hundreds, if you got ‘em.”

“Only got shorts.”

“That’s fine,” Vinyl grumbled.

The stallion turned around and grabbed two packs of cigarettes and rang them up. He handed them to Vinyl, then paused, looking at him curiously.

“Say, do I know you? You look familiar.”

Vinyl was taken by surprise.

“Um, can’t say. I did attend school here, so maybe? Never can tell.”

“Ah well,” the stallion said, packing the items up into a large paper bag. “I guess it doesn’t matter. Your total is sixty bits.”

“Sixty?” Vinyl looked over at Octavia. “What the heck did you grab?”

“A bit of everything,” Octavia said sheepishly.

Vinyl sighed and placed a few bills and bits on the counter.

“Have a good day,” the cashier said.

Vinyl nodded, picking up the brown paper bag with his magic and walking out of the store with Octavia, ready to head home.

The two of them walked along the road through Ponyville’s business district and into a residential area filled with townhouses. Octavia glanced over a few of the houses as they passed, looking at the decorations and small touch-ups residents had done to personalize their homes.

Vinyl stopped in front of one home, staring at it silently. Unlike the others, this one had two large bay windows dominating the front, and looked like it hadn’t been lived in for years. The blinds in the windows were drawn and covered with dust, and the cream paint on the trim was flaking off. Small weeds dotted the path leading to the steps.

“Is this it?” Octavia asked, looking at Vinyl.

“Yeah, this is it.” He dug through his jacket pockets and pulled out a single key. Walking up the steps, he unlocked and opened the door.

The daylight only managed to light the first few feet of the foyer. Dust had settled on every visible surface, rising in small clouds and making Vinyl cough with each hoofstep he took inside. He pulled back the blinds to let more light in, revealing what must have once been a lovely home now littered with boxes and covered furniture.

“Can we even spend the night here?” Octavia asked as she walked in after him.

“Of course. Just prop the door open. I’m going to crack open all the windows. We just need get rid of this dust and get this furniture uncovered.” He placed his bags next to the large window.

“Feel free to look around. I’m going to go downstairs and turn the power back on at the breaker,” he said, throwing the front windows open. “After that, I’m going to do a quick sweep around to make sure nothing got damaged over time.”

“Okay.” Octavia took the cello case off her back, placing it next to Vinyl’s bags, and walked over to the kitchen, while Vinyl disappeared through a door into the darkened basement. Inside, she found nicely tiled floors, an old stove, and a fridge with a small freezer on top. She also took notice of the wooden cabinets, and opened them up to find neatly organized dishware.

Her gaze turned again, lingering on the refrigerator. Images of curdled milk, expired fried rice, and black bananas flashed through her mind. "Oh, please don't tell me..." She groaned and placed a quivering hoof on the fridge door, and yanked it open. Though dark inside, the fridge was mercifully devoid of food. Octavia released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

Returning to the living room, she went over the other large window, where a massive object rested against the interior wall, dominating the room even from under the heavy sheet that covered it. She placed her hooves over the cover and pulled it away, revealing a grand piano underneath. The branding on the front was the first thing to catch her eye.

‘Phemius and Sons’

“Wow.” Octavia lightly traced the inlaid gold script with her hoof. These were the best pianos money could buy, engineered by Gryphons and famed for their build quality. What was Vinyl doing with such a top of the line instrument? Looking to the top of the piano, she found a photo frame lying face down. Picking it up, she saw the face of a young mare. “No way…”

Vinyl stepped in from upstairs. “So, what do you think of—” He stopped mid sentence on seeing Octavia with the photo.

“Is… Is this your mother?” she asked, turning the photo around. It showed a smiling unicorn mare with the same off-white coat as Vinyl, a long wine-red mane, and bright red eyes.

“Y-yeah.” Vinyl sat down on the covered sofa in front of Octavia, and she joined him. “That was my mother. You know, before she passed away.” Vinyl took the frame.

“I know you didn’t tell me much about your mother, other than that she passed away early and that you loved her. Still, you never told me your mother was a pianist—much less Claret Rondeau.”

“How do you know her name?”

“I bought some of her records when I was young. I even went to see her perform live.”

“Yeah, I guess she was talented.”

“Why didn’t you tell me more about her?”

“Like I said, bad memories.” Vinyl stroked the photograph before gently placing it back on the piano. “She was diagnosed with magic degeneration when I was sixteen. Just a stupid kid, y’know? I was still crying over school crushes and breakups, and she had to figure out how to tell me she was dying.” Vinyl began to breathe heavily, his memories coming back.

“Magic degeneration?” Octavia said, tilting her head curiously.

“It’s a rare cancer that only affects unicorns. It’s not hereditary,” he said, laughing joylessly. “Of course I read everything I could about it as soon as I found out, but to make it simple, whenever my mother used magic, it slowly killed her brain over time. It attacks the area of the brain reserved for magic use and its growth is spurred on by heavy usage.” Vinyl had to stop and breathe rapidly before he could continue, and Octavia rubbed his back gently. “It forms early on, giving unicorns occasional headaches, so her doctor thought it was just stress. It’s a pretty common mistake, apparently.”

Octavia wrapped her foreleg around Vinyl bringing him closer to her.

“Once she was diagnosed, it was too late. Doctors told her if she underwent treatment she could live for another few years, so she went the local hospital here for treatments every few weeks.” He began to cry, but forced himself to keep talking.

“She stopped playing piano when she was diagnosed; she did her best to stop using magic entirely. I decided to dedicate most of my time with her rather than school, helping her any way I could.”

“If this is too much, you can stop.” Octavia rubbed Vinyl’s back again.

“It’s fine,” Vinyl sniffled. “After my eighteenth birthday, her health was quickly deteriorating. She... died a few weeks later. After her passing I was given everything in her will, including this house.” He looked over at the piano.

“After she died, I went back into high school and started experimenting with music. I didn't graduate until I was twenty, and I couldn’t play that piano when she was gone. It wasn’t the same, playing it without her here to listen.” Vinyl stopped, letting more tears find their way down his cheeks. “It’s been nearly ten years, and I still miss her.”

Octavia wrapped both her hooves around Vinyl and rested his head against her chest. “Thank you. I’m sorry you had to go through that, and that you went through it again in telling me.”

“I would have to tell you sooner or later, just seeing that piano and her face. It all came back.”

“If it means anything, Vinyl, she raised a great child.”

“...Thanks.”

An hour later, Vinyl settled down and the two began dusting out the home and uncovering furniture. By the mid afternoon they took a break, sitting in the kitchen eating with what they grabbed from the convenience store.

“So, now I am curious. Were you friends with Derpy during all of that?”

“Yeah, I met her when I was in high school. She helped us both when mom was diagnosed. The usual household stuff I didn’t have time for anymore, you know? She truly was a great friend.”

“Do you think we’ll see her again?”

“I told her where I would be if I left Manehattan,” Vinyl said, taking a sip of his water. “She’ll come around one day, I’m sure.”

“I hope so.”

The two finished lunch and went back to cleaning and straightening up the home. It would take at least a week to finish up entirely, but at the end of the afternoon, most of the dust was gone and the furniture was uncovered.

“Phew, I think we got enough done today.” Vinyl took some deep breaths between his words, exhausted from working.

“I agree.” Octavia wiped her forehead with a towel.

“Want to head out for some food?”

“That sounds lovely.”

Vinyl and Octavia cleaned themselves up and closed the windows before leaving. Side by side, they walked back through the business district. Vinyl pointed at various businesses, telling Octavia how the pet spa used to be a toy store his mother would take him to or how he and Cutie used to play in that fountain. Suddenly, he stopped in the middle of the road.

"Sorry, I got so caught up that I forgot we're supposed to be looking for a place to eat," Vinyl said with a laugh. "Anything happen to catch your eye?"

"I'll leave the choice to you. It's your hometown, after all. Besides," Octavia said with a smile, "it's nice hearing about your childhood."

"Just don't tell me you want another hay slam." Vinyl stuck out his tongue.

"I think one was enough."

"We're actually pretty close to a pizzeria I liked—if it's still there."

"Pizza would be nice."

“I know Manehattan is known for its pizza, but I think that was the best pizza I had in a while,” Octavia said, walking next to Vinyl.

“Glad you liked it. Can we do one more thing before we head back?” Vinyl stopped.

“What do you want to do this late?”

Vinyl looked down, shuffling his hooves. “Do you... want to see my mother?”

Octavia tilted her head in confusion, but then it clicked. “Oh! Yes, we can do that.”

“All right. It’s a bit of a walk.”

Vinyl and Octavia left the business district and followed a side street out of town, then climbed a walkway up a hill that was lit by night-time lamps.

At the top they came upon a cemetery, dimly lit by some lamps and candles sitting on some of the graves.

“Where is she?”

“Not here, exactly. Over there.” Vinyl pointed to a tree at the other end of the cemetery, sitting at the highest point of the hill. Walking across the graveyard and up a few steps, they reached the tree. Beneath it was a large, lonely tombstone.

Claret Rondeau Loving Mother Talented Musician Born 954 CE · Died 993 CE · Age 39

Vinyl sat in front of it, placing his hoof tenderly on the name.

“Hey, mom. Sorry I was gone for a long while. I managed to make it big, like I said I would, but I think I’d rather have done it more like you did. The high life isn’t as fun as it looked from the outside. Lots of stress, trying to figure out who you can trust. It’s been really rough, and sometimes I wish you were here to tell me how you managed it, but somepony very close to me has helped me all throughout it.” Vinyl began to weep as Octavia sat down quietly next to him.

“Her name is Octavia, and she is my fiancée.” Vinyl removed his hoof from the tombstone, placing it over Octavia’s.

“She’s a great mare, mom. You would like her.” Octavia found herself tearing up as well.

Vinyl paused, and the two sat next to each other quietly for several minutes, looking at the tombstone.

“I’m sure my mother would like to hear from you,” Vinyl finally said, breaking the silence.

Octavia smiled, and shifted closer to the tombstone.

“Hello, Ms. Rondeau. I’m glad to have met you. You raised a great son.”