~~~~~Canterlot~~~~~

When was the last time she’d been in Canterlot fer longer than an hour or two?

Oh yeah, the Princess’ wedding. That’d been a killer party. Why hadn’t she tried to go see Mom or Dad? Why hadn’t she tried to take care of this back then? Why hadn’t she… why, why, why. Bloody hell, she was turning into Pinkie. She knew why, and she knew why she hadn’t stuck around for longer than it’d taken to sober up and get paid. She was afraid of this place when it came right down to it. The fight they’d had with the Changelings hadn’t been nearly as bad as the fight she’d been waging with her parents for all these years.

Still, she had to admit it was a heckofa town. Soaring spires, beautiful architecture, killer party scene, great sources of mind-altering substances, good bars, decent restaurants, and plenty of places to get private with a colt or filly that didn’t require renting out a room. Not that she’d know about all of those… well, not that she’d admit to it. Octavia would probably get really scandalized at the idea of sex outside, which was a darn shame.

“Hey Vinyl,” Tavia tugged on her foreleg and she turned to face that pretty young mare. Tavia was smiling. “Good, you look better. I’m going to… the house.” She tripped over the word, since she’d probably wanted to say ‘home’. “If you think you need to come with me, I’ll understand. But…”

Vinyl shook her head. “Mum had her chance with me and she wasted it. I’m here cuz you need it.” She kissed Tavia’s cheek, and her sister giggled a little at it. “I’m gonna grab a drink an’ check in with my manager. Drop in and scare him outta his bowtie.” She waggled her eyebrows and Tavia giggled again. “Meet you at Donut Joe’s? We’ll get a snack before we catch the next train.”

Octavia nodded, and with one last squeeze of Vinyl’s shoulder quickly trotted off through the city. Towards her old house on the western edge of Canterlot. To the street where she’d run around in the warm rain that one day, that corner where she’d skinned her knee and Poppa had kissed it better, that-

Gah! Vinyl facehoofed and pointedly turned around, away from that end of town. She had business on the other end of town, anyway and she might as well get to it.

It took her a few minutes to get her bearings once she was away from the train station. She hadn’t been to Canterlot often enough to know it like she did Manehatten and Baltimare and Los Pegasus. It was always a little jarring to feel like a street punk and still not get called out for striding down the street alongside folks probably worth about fifty times what she was. She wasn’t exactly poor, but it still felt weird.

Still, it was kinda liberating in its own way. She’d come so far from the scared little filly running away from this place. She’d been through Tartarus and back again, and had come out the stronger for it. She had the mare she loved, she had a life she was happy with and a career that would keep her in bits till she keeled over from old age. Even if music tastes changed, she had enough clout and cash now to start her own recording label. Hmm. That was an idea she might wanna look into later.

The streets were gently bustling today, enough that she had to pay attention to where she walked but not so much that she couldn’t have a solid think on the way. Which was good, because she seriously needed a solid think. Her past lay behind her, scattered across the train tracks like leaves in the fall. Her future? What WAS her future, anyway? She couldn’t keep spinning forever, no matter how much she wished she could.

Maybe that whole start-a-label idea had some merit. Or maybe she could just retire and spend the rest of her days raising a pair of fillies while Tavia went off and started her own orchestra. Or maybe she could see if Rarity wanted a business partner, and she could design club-gear. That might be fun, actually.

But why was she thinkin’ about this now? It didn’t make sense. Maybe because the big “M” was now looming on the horizon an’ now she had to think about what she’d do with a real family again. She’d had her hoof up to the wind for so long, she’d forgotten what a family life was like. Would she even be capable of being a good mom? What did Tavia want to do?

Ugh. Vinyl really hated when she had to think about all this hard stuff.

Maybe it wouldn’t matter. Maybe something would come up and it’d all get simple again. Heh. Yeah, and maybe she’d become an Alicorn Princess. Or an Element of Harmony. HA! Right. Fat chance of any of THAT happening.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Octavia found herself staring up at the ancient house with its soaring columns and arches of ancient Unicornia design. At some point in the past few years, they’d had the windows touched up and reglazed, and it looked like mother had hired a new gardener with a talent for lilacs. The place could probably have doubled as a miniature fortress in times of conflict, given that it was almost solid stone construction from bottom to top, the entire thing surrounded with an impressively solid looking wall. One which she had climbed over no few times in her youth.

And still, she could not bring herself to move from the front gate. She had a key of course, but it was thrust into the keyhole and sat there silently accusing her of cowardice. Surely she could do this. She’d done much more frightening things in the name of her love this past year, had she not? Surely going on stage with Vinyl into a club where her music was most assuredly not the norm and being driven to a rather appealing orgasm by sheer musical- Ahem. Best not to dwell on such things.

She grabbed the key and glared at her hoof. “Turn it.” She huffed haughtily, and the key continued to stubbornly refuse to respond to her demands of her hoof. She lifted her hoof and smacked her forehead deliberately before reaching down and trying again. It would take her a full twenty seconds to accomplish her goal, but when the lock clicked open and the wrought iron gate swung silently open at her touch she felt a great deal better about these things.

Still, her true trial awaited. Which was to say, she was going to march into that place and give mother a piece of her mind. As soon as she recovered her key. And she took a deep breath. And she- Oh, for pete’s sake, Octavia! Stop stalling! She retrieved her key with one firm tug, tucking it into a saddlebag and then proceeding fearlessly into the gardens.

The strong smell of rich earth and fresh flowers filled the air with a heady perfume that threatened to overwhelm her anger. She loved these gardens. The deep greens, the bright scents… It was the kind of place any earth pony could be comfortable which was probably why Father had spent so much time composing out here. Though mother had all too frequently called it ‘composting’. Had they always been quite so… antagonistic, and had she merely been unable to see it?

Just as she reached the front door though, her thoughts crashed into a wall of high class. “Good afternoon, miss.” The smooth and cultured voice nearly startled her clean out of her coat, though Waddles Worth was as unflappable as ever. Well, for the most part. “Madam Pianissimo has been expecting you.” He spoke with an almost bored inflection, but Octavia knew better. There was a twitch in his eye, a tension in his muscles that would have been imperceptible to anypony who did not know him. He was concerned enough to have completely forgotten to offer her tea. That was the equivalent of a screaming fit in nearly anypony else.

“Thank you, Waddles Worth.” She tried to give him the most confident smile she could. If he was nervous, that probably meant Mother was already in a snit. Well, for once Octavia was not about to spare Mother’s feelings because she was moody. “You ought to probably make certain we’re left alone until I’ve spoken with her. I’d rather nopony else was the subject of her ire but myself.” That might help him be less nervous. Celestia knew he was a fine butler and did not need to be losing his position because of family drama.

He nodded once. “Of course, miss Octavia. Madam Pianissimo is in the upper gallery, and I am afraid she’s had a few glasses of wine already.” Oh, lovely. Not just moody mother, but buzzed moody mother. This was going to be a fabulous discussion, she just knew it. He hesitated, then spoke in a quieter voice. “Miss Octavia, I know you must be upset, but might I urge you to reconsider having this talk today?”

That… That was about as close as Waddles would ever get to questioning the mood of her mother in front of anypony. Realistically, he was probably right. Nothing constructive was going to come out of having this out today, but if she did not have it out today she might very well never do so. The time had come to stand up for Vinyl in way she had never had the courage to do before. “If you wouldn’t mind packing up the few things I’ve left here, Waddles Worth, I would be thankful.” She said more firmly, the unicorn butler swallowing and nodding once. Good. The last thing she needed was an argument.

She pushed the much-filigreed front door open with a shove of her shoulder and into the dark and mostly quiet house beyond it. The entire place reeked of class and style, dripping with the wealth Father and Mother had gathered over their prodigious musical career. It wasn’t quite the opulence of the noble households or the merchant barons which ruled the trade lanes of Equestria, but nopony could say Mother did not keep a house fit for entertaining such ponies.

The problem was it felt… fake, in an odd sort of way. Four years of living in Ponyville as she slowly built her musical career had seen her living in a rather simple little house with a thatch covered wooden roof and the need for a space heater or two in the wintertime. Style and class were lovely, but it didn’t feel very homey to her. Not as the place used to feel, back when they were children. Perhaps that was simply a truth of growing up and growing older… that you made new homes elsewhere in the world and left the old ones behind.

Her hooves were taking her upstairs on autopilot as she tried to prepare herself for the storm. She was not going to yell and she was not going to use profanity. She was going to make her point quite clear and then leave, so that she might sooner get home to spend time with Vinyl and move on from this ridiculous chapter in her life. There were far too many better things to spend time with than worrying about ponies who refused to change.

So why was she here? Why not let mother wallow in her misery and move on? Because she hurt Vinyl, and you want to do something about that. You want to be able to say you finally stood up to the mare for once in your life and told her she was being rude. And most importantly, because this means Vinyl never has to think about her ever again since YOU took care of the problem. For once. That all seemed quite logical in the moment, but Octavia knew at least two-thirds of that was emotional horsepucky and the other third was a gentle shake of logic away from crumbling into nothingness.

And yet she still climbed the spiral staircase, feeling herself get more and more stubborn. Why should she not say something? True, it was perhaps not the most polite thing to be doing right now but… well, she was quite tired of ‘being polite’. She was going to… Hmph. She shook her head, trying to clear it of the cloud that’d settled over her. Now was not the time to lose her cool. She continued briskly walking, keeping her head high.

The servants had cleared out, likely in anticipation of some kind of row between them. She huffed, and tried to focus down to what was important here, though it was possibly the fourth time since she’d entered the house that she’d tried to do that. It just was not done! She at least could have answered Vinyl’s invitation with a note or something. It wouldn’t have taken her very long to put pen to paper and scribble off a note, or perhaps send a telegraph if she could not even bring herself to be that industrious.

Certainly, Vinyl had been the cause of no small consternation amongst the family but that was no excuse to treat her like a pariah. Honestly, she’d expected this to be father’s behavior, not mother’s. She’d always seemed to be the sensible and down-to-earth one of the family, unlike father’s normal ego and arrogance. But this was… UGH! What on earth could she have been thinking?

Surely she hadn’t thought it was some kind of ploy to get money. Vinyl had always been incredibly reticent to ask for money from anypony, even as a child! It simply did not make sense to ascribe any kind of baser motivations to her actions, so what had it been? Had she simply been so utterly irrational at Vinyl’s sudden reappearance that she’d forgotten all semblance of manners?

But ascribing irrationality to her meant that she’d have some sort of excuse for this behavior, and frankly Octavia was not prepared to be quite that charitable with her right now. So what had happened? Bitterness? Time? Grief? Anger? Was there even a reason? Was she simply being petty for what Vinyl had done all those years ago, or was a deeper pain being hidden behind guilt and grief? Had mother, in her own pain and sorrow, unwittingly simply caused further harm to the daughter she could not admit she’d hurt?

She did not know. That was maddening. And then she snapped out of her thoughts to find the door right in front of her nose. She huffed once, then grasped the handle and hauled the thing open. Whatever mother had been thinking was irrelevant. She was here to speak her mind and leave, not get involved in an hours-long argument about intentions. Whatever they had been, she’d hurt Vinyl. And that, she would not longer abide.

Mother was perched in her lounging chair. A half-empty bottle of something expensive, red, and foreign lay on the ground next to an equally half-full glass. She appeared to be staring off into space, uncharacteristically silent for her alone moments. There was no music playing in the background and no sign of mother’s ever-present sheaf of notes for her next performance. She was wearing only the elegant gold and sapphire necklace Father had gotten her for their wedding present and a simple bright red bowtie and collar. It looked lovely against her own bright white coat, and if it wasn’t for her rather severe manestyle, one might’ve been able to mistake her for Vinyl.

Mother did not instantly acknowledge her arrival, nor did she speak… which Octavia was thankful for, since it gave her a moment to collect herself. She would be the bigger mare. She would take the high road. “Mother.” She greeted, and did a smooth little curtsy, as neat as anypony could ask for. Calm. She would be calm. “You know why I’ve come to speak with you?” That seemed a little silly to ask, but she was curious.

Mother smiled cynically, lifting the wine glass with her unicorn magic and nodding. “Your father sent quite a colorful telegraph this morning. His language hasn’t been quite that florid since before we were married.” She sipped the vintage - something old, fussy and expensive - before continuing to speak. “I imagine you’re rather sore with me.” She cocked a challenging eyebrow at her.

Octavia took in a deep breath, and found it driven out of her at an unladylike snort from her mother. “Forget it.” She growled over the wine glass, surprising Octavia quite seriously. “You’ve both made your choices. That fool child chose to abandon her future for some temporal fame in the popular arts, and so have you. I’ve no patience left for either of you.” She put the glass down and turned her head away. “Say whatever you have to say and go back to your libertine ways, and leave me in peace with my shattered legacy.”

That. Was. The. Last. Straw.

“You…” Octavia swallowed the profanity once. Twice. It didn’t keep. “BITCH!” The word lashed across the room like a physical blow, and mother’s head whipped around and her jaw dropped in utter shock. “You hag! You bloody toff!” Anger roared through her, overriding every ounce of sense she had and replacing it with the old-fashioned righteous fury she’d all too often seen Aunty Eleonore display to the unworthy. “I ought to slap the bleedin’ shit out of you for that, swear t’ bleedin’ Celestia I should!”

She might very well have, if her sudden and angry advance was not preceded by her mother scrambling over the back of the sofa and trying to back away from her. Octavia shoved the sofa away with a surprising burst of earth pony strength and heard herself snarl quite convincingly. “All Arpeggio wanted was to make amends. She just wanted to talk to you, and you couldn’t even give her the time of day!” She lifted both rear hooves and smashed the sitting sofa right into the wall, glad for the moment of stress relief so she could bring her anger under some kind of control. “She’d been hurt, she’d been lost, she’d been frightened for more than a decade, and you could not even find a shred of kindness in your heart to try and reach back to her!”

Mother’s mouth opened, but Octavia was not going to let her speak. “SHUT UP!” She screeched loud enough to make mother cover her ears with her hooves, staring in fear at her. “I’ve no patience with you anymore, mother.” She spat on the ground with all of the expertise of a Trottingham street punk. “So you are going to keep your fat gob shut and listen to me one last time, and then I am indeed going to leave you here. Alone, as you bloody deserve.”

Octavia stalked across the floor, coming nearly nose to nose with her hyperventilating mother. “I love Arpeggio. With all of my little heart, I do. She means more to me than anypony else in the world, and I shall not tolerate anypony bringing harm to her for any reason. Including YOU.” Octavia really knew she should stop being violent, but she could not help but slap her hoof against the wall next to her mother, looming closer. “She will one day vastly exceed your own fame, mother. She will out-do us all when she realizes what her gift can create. When she understands the joy her work brings to so many, she will change this world. And I will be by her side, as I ought to have been since we were children.”

Then she pulled away, lowering her head. “I was a fool to think you knew what was best for us. To think you were correct in telling me that such things were never meant to be.” Octavia felt her mouth twitch in a smile. “But you are wrong, and have always been wrong. Love is about more than mere blood or bone and it is far stronger than anything you, or anypony else could ever possibly understand.” She paused, taking a deep breath and trying to keep from just slapping the mare. That would certainly help nopony.

So instead, she turned away. “You don’t need to see me out, mother. I more than know the way and I shan’t be returning any time soon.” Then she marched to the door, holding her head high into the thick silence that permeated the room. When she reached the door, she strategically turned back to stare at her shocked mother with as much disdain as she could muster. “If perhaps someday you realize your error, you can find us in Ponyville. But I would recommend you do not come to speak ill of us, else I shall show you some of the other things Auntie Eleonore taught me. Like Hoofboxing.”

With that and a flounce of her tail, she left, slamming the study door behind her with a satisfying kick and a smile. There. That felt quite excellent. Now, she would gather her things, speak to some of the staff, and make haste to find Vinyl. Ponyville, and the life she’d finally won for herself and Vinyl, awaited her.

~~~~~~~~~

Vinyl Scratch toyed with the mug on the bar and tried not to think too much. It wasn’t easy, given that she didn’t have a lot else to do while she waited for Octavia to swing by. Her manager was unfortunately out of town and thus unavailable for her to rant at about finding her a nice long tour contract so she could get back to doing what she did best. Making music and doing kinky things to Tavia.

But instead, she was sitting in a bar on the west side of Canterlot, stirring a Trottingham Surprise and glaring into the wood as though it would confess the secrets of the universe to her if only she stared long enough. So far, the bartop wasn’t talking but Vinyl was pretty sure it was gonna crack any moment now. She just had to keep staring broodingly at it until it gave up all the secrets of life, the universe, and everything.

For now though, her drink tasted a little too sweet and her shades felt a little too heavy. She’d made it as a DJ, found the love of her life, dealt with her past problems, and even tied off an old flame. So what the heck was she gonna do now? Like… So I’ve pretty much managed most of my major life goals. I’m famous in my own industry, I got plenty of bits to keep myself afloat an’ a couple of merch contracts so when I gotta retool my music, I’ll have breathing space. So what the heck do I do next?

That was the sticking point. She didn’t know what to do next. Get married, sure, that was… kinda a goal. But it wasn’t really a challenge beyond ‘pick a date that everyone can come to,’ and ‘get a non-shitty caterer and DJ.’ Both of those shouldn’t be THAT hard to figure out, right? So what the heck was she doing with her life now? Having kids was a big one, sure. But… again, not so much a ‘goal’ as a ‘plan.’ She was gonna have kids. Somehow. She vaguely remembered there being some kind of magic for that if she didn’t just outright adopt. But still!

She bonked her head on the bar and wished she could give a good groan, but the barkeep would probably get annoyed if she started pissing and moaning. It was too early in the day for that, even if Vinyl was a well-known good-tipper. Besides, he didn’t care about her existential crisis, he was a bit too busy getting ready for the lunch rush. And that was kind of the clincher there, wasn’t it? She didn’t have any mountains to climb.

Vinyl had to be honest with herself, she’d always done better when she had challenges to face. Stuff to keep her going like making it as a DJ or figuring out how her relationship with Tavia was going to work out. But Red… Red had been an odd reminder of just how far she’d come in all of that. She had her dream, so what was she supposed to do next? Stagnate? Fuck that!

And for fuck’s sake, her thoughts were going in circles. She had to get out of here, so she dropped a few too many bits on the counter and shoved her way towards the door. Oblivious to everything around her, Vinyl began her meander down the not-so-mean streets of Canterlot. The streets that were always unnaturally clean and white, totally devoid of the trash and occasional stink that you’d find anywhere in Manehatten. They were just shy of perfect, only the occasional hoof scuff or bit of worn down paving stone marring its purity.

They were annoying. Not like the rough and tumble dirt-and-stone of Ponyville, which had a character all its own. Funny how a small town spoke to her in a way that a big one like this couldn’t, wasn’t it? And… maybe that was the point she was missing here. Little things, little goals. Life didn’t have to be all big sweeping bullshit. She was happy with what she had, why did she need to worry about having more?

It was an oddly cheering thought, that one. She was doing better than a lotta ponies, so why complain? Maybe… Maybe because she was doing so much better and she wasn’t doing anything with it. Maybe it was time to start thinking about that for a change, to walk in Mama Charity’s hoofsteps a bit. Sure, she didn’t have the bits right now to open her own club, but… But she could look into something like it. She could ask other smart ponies about that sort of thing, heck she knew plenty of ponies who might have ideas. Maybe even do some good for the world that went beyond good music.

Maybe she could make sure the next Arpeggio never had to be afraid.

“There you are, Vinyl!”

Octavia’s bright, happy voice cut through her thoughts, making her turn with a grin. “I swear,” Octavia said with an exasperated sigh, “you really do wander all over the place, don’t you?”

Vinyl couldn’t help but laugh at that. Boy, if only she knew how right she was. “Yeah, I do that. C’mon. Let’s go catch a train home. I’m tired of the road life for now.” She wrapped a hoof around Octavia’s shoulder and squeezed her close. She was sure things were going to be okay.

~~~~~The Friendship Express~~~~~~

“Did you say you just came from The Crystal Empire?”

Vinyl was speaking with remarkable cheer given the ridiculousness they’d been through this week, but Octavia was not terribly surprised. Vinyl always did overcompensate with being social and happy when she’d been in a mood for a while. And the delighted shock in her voice was enough to make her smile behind her hoof. Vinyl was still the adventurous little filly at heart.

Her conversational partner, a dark and handsome unicorn stallion wearing a pair of glasses was smiling tolerantly at her. He gave Octavia the willies, but she supposed it might just be his faintly aristocratic air tweaking her after the argument with mother. “Why yes. I was doing some research for my book on pony tribal magics.” The stallion mused, his voice thick with an accent Octavia couldn’t identify. His smile was also just a shade… too sincere. “Oh bless me, where are my manners? Professor Somber Gaze, at your service.” He offered a hoof, which Vinyl shook firmly and with a grin of her own.

“Nifty. I’ve wanted to visit ever since things settled down up there, but the train tickets are still super tough to get.” Vinyl’s voice soured to a grouse, and the Professor chuckled faintly. “They’re ponies ain’t they? They probably love music same as the rest of us do.”

The Professor nodded. “You’d be quite right, though they’ve expressed some astonishment as to what passes for music in the modern age.” He sighed faintly. “Not that I blame them, mind. I find such music a touch baffling myself.”

Vinyl’s grin got a little vicious. “Oldest saying in the book, gramps. If it’s too loud, yer too old.” She slapped her thigh and laughed brightly, which was just enough rudeness for Octavia to reach over and smack her across the back of the head. Dominant in the relationship or not, she would not tolerate Vinyl being rude to a stranger. Vinyl winced and rubbed her head, half glaring at her. “Ech. Sorry, pops. I’m a little protective of my art.”

But the older stallion waved his hoof. “No harm done. I’m quite passionate about my own art, so I understand.” He glanced out the window, then hummed. “We’re about to arrive it seems. I need to collect my wife.” He stood up and brushed his suit coat out with a thin smile. “Have a pleasant day, miss Scratch.” And then he was gone, bustling off into town.

Vinyl shook her head and stood up, stretching out with a yawn. “So. What do ya want to do when we get back? Aside from grabbing groceries and going crazy over all the mail we’ve missed?”

There was something about the way she spoke which struck Octavia as odd, but… “Well, I was hoping for a little quiet time.” She smiled faintly at Vinyl, who smiled back at her in the same way. “Well, perhaps not quiet.” She admitted, blushing at her own mild innuendo. Gracious, was she ever going to be able to talk about sex like an adult?

Vinyl just chuckled and hooked a hoof around her shoulder as the train cars slowly pulled to a stop in front of Ponyville station. “I think I’d like that.” She spoke gently, turning towards the exit doors and tapping her hoof impatiently. “Tavi…” She said slowly, biting at her lip. “Thanks for putting up with me through all this.”

Octavia just smiled. “That’s what wives do for their bumbling husbands.” She teased, gently nuzzling under Vinyl’s chin. “Now, let’s go home and plan the wedding. I’ve got so many ideas for the decor.” She felt her lips twist into an evil grin. “And we’ll need to get you a nice suit, and trim your mane a bit. I’m thinking pink. Lace. A proper cravat ruff.” She reached up and mussed Vinyl’s mane. “And we’ll need to have a proper full course meal for the reception of course.”

Vinyl facehoofed, and groaned softly. “We are NOT having a fancy nobles wedding!” she growled, pointing her hoof into Octavia’s chest. Octavia couldn’t help herself - she just laughed.

~~~~~~Some Hours Later~~~~~~

Night laid over the sleepy town of Ponyville like a thick blanket as the midnight train pulled silently into the station. A small knot of earth pony laborers picked themselves up from their card game and stretched out their muscles as the stationmaster flicked through the pages of his checklist. “Aright boys,” he said softly. “Cargo in cars six, seven and ten are first up for Mister Rich’s place. Let’s get ‘em movin.”

The earth ponies moved to the cars, slamming open the wide doors and beginning the long and laborious task of hauling the crates and boxes down onto carts. Far down at the other end of the train, the Station Master cocked an eyebrow as a lone figure stepped out of the foremost passenger car. She was wrapped in a very pretty looking red cloak and hood, and looked more than a little bit lost.

Passengers at this time of night were almost unheard of, especially given that most of Ponyville proper was all buttoned up for the night. Still, sometimes an emergency brought a messenger or visitor down from Canterlot to visit Miss Sparkle. “Evenin’ Miss!” He called out, raising his hoof. The figure turned, revealing a very pretty mare under the hood looking rather uncertain. “You lost?” He asked, tilting his head as he trotted up to her.

She hesitated, then sighed. “Maybe. Is this Ponyville?” her voice was as sweet as the morning dew, and twice as hot as his coffee. Yowza. She was quite the looker. Maybe she was running from something… or someone. In which case, he was duty bound to make sure she was taken care of. The Rail Crews made sure poor ponies like this one didn’t end up in bad hooves.

“Yes Ma’am,” he replied sharply, drawing himself up a little taller and trying to project confidence. Her hesitance and obvious worry reminded him a lot of another pony he’d seen once, a long time ago. He had always wondered what’d happened to that little filly… he hoped she’d gotten to Miss Charity’s place safely. “But I’m afraid all the inn’s and the like are closed up for the night. I can give you a soft bench to stretch out on in the station till mornin’ though.” It was the least he could do. As safe as Ponyville usually was, a stranger who didn’t know the place might end up wandering into serious trouble if they weren’t careful.

She paused briefly as if considering his offer, then nodded. “Thank you,” She swallowed a little, digging into her cloak before he waved her off. He wasn’t going to take her coin to make sure she had somewhere safe to stay for the night. She smiled prettily at him, in a smoky and almost inviting way. “I won’t impose too much, I hope. I don’t wish to wear out my welcome so quickly.”

At that, he just laughed. “Ma’am, this is Ponyville. We take care o’ one another round’ these parts, so it’s no imposition a’tall.” He stuck out his hoof, and grinned. “An’ yer as welcome here as any o’ the other wayward souls that’ve settled down here. Celestia knows ya wouldn’t be the strangest.” He tipped his cap, grinning. “I’m Stationmaster Steam Stack. Pleasure t’ meetcha, miss…?”

She took his hoof and shook it firmly. There was a strength there, and a fierce determination. If she’d come here to stay, she’d fit in just fine. She was a pegasus too, if he wasn’t mistaking himself. Always more room for another one of those. “Red Velvet,” she replied, her eyes sparkling and a lock of snow-white mane falling cutely over her face, “and the pleasure is all mine.”

The End….

......?

Author's Note

And so, at long last, it bloody ends. FINALLY.

Will there be another?

I dunno yet. But this is not the last we've heard of them....