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            EWYHP: Even When Years Have Passed             
                    -by BoltStreamZero-                    
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                         Encounter                         
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Encounter
BoltStreamZero Presents
Even When Years Have Passed
/-/-/
It was late morning in Canterlot. A young grey filly was struggling to escape from her brother who was pulling her by her tail, but failed to do so. She was pulled along the cobblestone road of the streets of Canterlot and the filly was not liking it. Tears were forming in her lavender eyes due to her frustration. She tried to kick her brother's face using her hind legs but her short legs couldn't reach him. The filly saw a streetlight pole and an idea popped inside her mind. She wrapped her hooves around the pole, thinking that it would stop her brother, but the filly's strength was no match for the grey stallion, she desperately tried to grab the pole again, but she failed.
She whined, ignoring the look ponies gave them. "Brother, I don't want to go to the park! Please let me go!" she kicked wildly, but her legs still couldn't reach her brother. She knew that she disobeyed the rules of being polite, but she ignored it.
"No, Octavia," Quarter Note stomped his hoof gently to her tail to prevent her from escaping and sighed in frustration. He had pulled Octavia for five minutes, but to him, it felt like five hours. "You need sunlight!"
Octavia gave him an incredulous look, she thought that her brother was crazy. "We have sunlight, why I should go to the park when we have sunlight inside our house?"
Quarter Note rolled his green eyes, he knew that his sister was very stubborn, but he still can't get used to it. "Direct sunlight, Octavia. Goodness! I just can't ignore you staying under the shade all day! Plus, the only room we have that has glass roof is the music room and you need to exercise!" he groaned and continued pulling.
But Octavia continued to throw her hooves around to try to escape, she could feel the friction between the ground and her body but ignored it. She shouted for help to the ponies passing by, but their noses were sniffing the sun, they didn't give a care. She grabbed a stone and threw it backwards, hoping to hit her brother, but she failed. She muttered an apology to her brother for trying to hit him.
Quarter Note sighed, regretting, once again, of being an older brother. The park was a hundred meters away, still a long way to endure. He was running out of patience, but good thing his mother taught him manners and trained him to be a gentlestallion. "Okay, Octavia, choose: Do you want to go to the park or do you want Mother to teach you good manners and proper etiquette for the rest of your life?" he gave her a stern look.
"I—" she paused for a second, she knew that her mother would become a monster when if it came to teaching manners. She gulped hard, neither were favorable, but she decided to pick the one that would not make contact with her mother. "—fine," she uttered then stood up, removing the dirt from her fur and her black mane.
He smiled, knowing that Octavia would fall for that trap. "Come on, let's go. I'll treat you ice cream when we get there -- as a reward."
Octavia's eye twinkled, then she climbed her brother's back and messed Quarter's slick, brown mane, much to Quarter's chagrin. She pulled her brother's mane harshly. "Yeehaw!" she giggled when Quarter Note yelped in pain.
He put his hoof to his face, wincing as the back of his head was abused by Octavia. "Rewards are more effective than punishment," he muttered to himself as he folded the mental note and put it neatly away in his mental pocket then continued walking.
"Brother," Octavia furrowed her eyebrows, her brother's eye twitched, but she didn't notice. Her brother was always an enigma to her, but she couldn't get used to it. "Did you say something?"
Quarter Note turned to his sister, worried that Octavia heard him say something. He searched for an excuse to get away from the topic, but fortunately, he was trained. He put his emotionless face on before opening his mouth to speak. "I was just muttering the flavors you might like, so, do you like cookies and cream?"
Octavia started drooling when she heard her favorite flavor, but she remembered that such an act was improper. She closed her mouth and made sure nopony had seen her besides her snickering brother. Excitement still flowing inside her, she said, "I don't like it, I love it!"
"Blimey, so gullible," Quarter Note turned his head forward and laughed, he admitted to himself that Octavia's love of cookies was so adorable, even though she could be annoying. He remembered that one time when he spied on Octavia because he suspected that it was Octavia who was emptying the cookie jar, and indeed he was right, Octavia begged him not to tell their mother about it, and in exchange, she controlled her inner cookie monster.
The pair talked for a while, mostly about cookies and how Quarter Note got his three quarter notes as a cutie mark until they reached the park. It was a glorious sight, there was an ivory fountain in the middle of the park, surrounded by a group of fillies and colts, playing with the water. Elderly ponies sat down on the white bench provided, watching the sky silently. The park was surrounded by nature, mostly by flowers. There was a cobblestone path provided for the ponies who intended to go to the other side of the park.
Quarter Note closed his sister's mouth for her and laughed. "I told you it was beautiful," he pointed at the mockingbirds, toucans, hummingbirds and other kinds of birds. He watched them in fascination. He watched as a butterfly fluttered to his sister's nose. Octavia giggled scaring the butterfly away.
Octavia's attention was drawn to a group of fillies and colts beside the fountain. She watched them laugh together and splash the water. Sadness filled Octavia's heart, she had no friends. She could never make friends because of her social ineptitude. Octavia looked away slowly and watched the birds once again. She hoped that Quarter Note hadn't see her staring idly at the ponies. If he had, he would force her make friends with them
"Go on, Octavia," Quarter Note smiled warmly at his sister, he knew that Octavia had no friends and always failed when it came to making friends. He didn't understand why fillies and colts in this generation ignored Octavia's intelligent, collected and organized attitude, not to mention she was adorable. "Talk to them."
She sighed and got off from Quarter's back, it was no use confronting him to just move on and forget making friends. She gave Quarter Note the puppy eyes look, begging him to ignore the fillies and colts. Quarter Note shook his head, Octavia sighed as she trudged slowly to the group of ponies. One of them was a cream colored pegasus with wild, orange mane, she stopped playing and looked at Octavia, furrowing her eyebrows.
"Uh, who are you?" The cream filly asked, wiping the water away from her nose.
Octavia gulped hard, she turned to look at Quarter Note, who was nodding excitedly, she looked at the filly pegasus again, who was staring her, she looked bored. "H-hello, my n-name is Octavia," she shyly asked, hoping that she will make a good impression.
The filly sweat cold drops. She wanted to go back to her four friends, who were staring at her as if calling her back, but she needed to get rid of Octavia first. "Oh, okay then. Well, I have to go now. My friends are waiting for me," she took off and flew back to her friends.
"Hey, Spitfire," the light blue coated colt with blue mane asked, walking beside his friends. "Who's that? She looks boring."
The other fillies and colts laughed, as if they agreed to what the light blue pegasus said. Spitfire stopped laughing in order to talk properly. "You're right, Soarin'. Hey guys, who wants to race with me? My wings are itching to fly."
The four friends raised their hooves, smiling widely. Spitfire flew away with her friends hot on her heels. Leaving Octavia shocked and sad. Tears were forming in her eyes as she looked back to Quarter Note, who was frowning and giving her a sympathetic look. She sighed sadly as she went back to her brother, fighting the urge to cry.
Octavia wiped the tears from her eyes. She silently sat down on the chair her brother was sitting on and gave him a pitiful look. Quarter Note caressed her cheeks the brotherly way, hoping that it will comfort Octavia in her distress. Octavia looked at him again. "I told you, it's no use. She didn't even give me her name!"
Quarter Note sighed, ruffling her mane before standing up. "Wait here, I'll go get your ice cream," he walked silently to the ice cream vendor who was happily selling ice cream to various ponies.
She laid back on the back of the bench, crossing her hooves as she looked at the sky, sighing exasperatedly. "Come to the park' he said, 'It will be fun' he said," Octavia mimicked Quarter Note's actions and voice earlier in the morning while forcing her to go to the park. She's used to having no friends, but she just couldn't get used when fillies and colts rejected her. She looked at the bush beside her, as if talking to it. "That's why I hate going out into public!" she shouted at the inanimate object.
Octavia groaned, looking at the birds again, she wondered why birds have no problems making friends with other birds. She thought that it was part of surviving the wild, but what if one of them was a backstabber? She laughed at the thought, then stopped when she thought that birds have little intelligence to do that. She wrinkled her nose when she thought why ponies ignore her despite of her intelligence.
"Why do they ignore me?"
/-/-/
A white filly took her saddlebag and went out from the train. She scanned her surroundings, ivory sky-rise towers and the breathtaking waterfall in the edge of Canterlot. She looked back to the white unicorn mare behind her, carrying a saddlebag similar to hers. She furrowed her eyebrows and yawned, waiting for the mare to get out from the Canterlot Train Station. "I don't get it, why should we visit uncle when he is so busy?"
The black-maned mare ran to the filly, levitating the filly's baggage in order for the filly to relax without her heavy saddlebag and stared at the filly's red eyes. "Because uncle really loves to see us," she said nonchalantly, ruffling the filly's wild, electric blue mane before continuing to walk.
"Well, I don't want to see him, so bye!" before she could trot to a random direction, she was stopped by a white aura surrounding her, lifting her beside the mare. She gave her an annoyed look, ignoring the glare the mare gave her.
"Behave, Vinyl, we will stay here for just two days and then we'll go back to Manehattan, and for your information, uncle is the one who gave you the blue headphones! You should thank him for the birthday gift," she dropped Vinyl on the ground, leaving her rubbing her back.
Vinyl Scratch stood up, rubbing the slight pain in her back. "Snow Beat, you can't be serious," she followed Snow Beat, who was smirking at her, she hates it when she does that. She doesn't understand why her cutie mark is an eighth note surrounded by snowflakes when her talent was picking on her, well, not really, her talent was singing. She wondered why there are snowflakes in her cutie mark. "That blue mustache doesn't have anything to do with my sixth birthday!"
Snow Beat laughed heartily when she heard the term 'blue mustache', her sister really doesn't want to meet their uncle. "Well, he gave you a gift, he just really wants to see you."
She sighed as she followed her sister. The two silently walked in the streets of Canterlot, finding the house of their uncle. Vinyl Scratch's stomach started to rumble while they were walking. Snow Beat flashed her a concerned look, receiving an emotionless stare from Vinyl. "What?"
"Don't fake it Vinyl, I heard you," Snow Beat levitated her sister to her back, making her feel comfortable. They continued walking, but this time, they were going to the candy stand.
Vinyl cocked her head, staring idly at Snow Beat's blue eyes when she turned her head around. "I'm not faking it, I'm hungry, go get me food," she ordered nonchalantly, receiving a smirk from her sister. She widened her eyes, that's the smirk she hated. "But that doesn't mean you have to go to the candy stand! Have pity on your sister! I'm hungry and you're giving me candy?!" she stared at her in disbelief.
Snow Beat giggled, her sister was the only filly in the world who hates candy, well, she doesn't hate candy, but Vinyl hates it when she's having too much. "Weird, you're the only filly in the world who hates candy," she teased before trotting towards the candy vendor, who was surrounded by fillies and colts.
"It's not like I hate candy!" Vinyl blushed in embarrassment, she tried to stop her sister using her magic, but she couldn't even channel the magic into her horn. She gave up and tried to bite Snow Beat's ear, hoping that it will stop her, but she failed. "Argh, this feels so wrong, why are you the one encouraging me to eat candy?" she glared at her when Snow Beat bought candies and gave some to her. She opened one and silently chewed the chewing gum. She admitted that it was good, especially when the flavor was mint.
She chuckled when Vinyl said that she was encouraging her. She continued to walk towards their uncle's house, surveying the beautiful surroundings. As she walked, she heard Vinyl saying hello's and hi's to other fillies and colts. She thought that they were her friends, she remembered that she made a big circle of friends in Canterlot when they visited their uncle last time. In Vinyl's seven years of living, she made numerous friends all over in Equestria. "Seriously, Vinyl, how many friends did you make here?"
Vinyl Scratch shrugged, she spat the chewing gum in the trash bin but it failed to shoot in the bin. She knows what will happen if you spat things on the ground of Canterlot, so she hid herself with her mane. "I don't know," she crossed her hooves and scanned her surroundings, checking if someone saw her spitting on the ground. According to her sister, if she was found out, she will go to jail, and she doesn't want that.
Snow Beat stopped on her tracks, eyeing the ivory, tall building in front of her. It was a fancy building with the feel of modern Greek in that house. She checked Vinyl on her back, fearing that she might escape. When she saw that Vinyl was behaving perfectly on her back, she turned and pushed the doorbell, making a peaceful sound. She put on her best smile before she heard the sound of the gate opening.
The pure white gate opened. Vinyl gulped hard and hid in her sister's mane. "Don't tell him I'm here!" she whispered quietly to her sister, but she knew that it's not going to happen because Snow Beat rolled her blue eyes. The white stallion with a monocle grinned widely when he saw the two ponies standing in front of him.
"Snow Beat! I'm glad you can make it!" he hugged the mare, and noticed that Vinyl was hiding in her mane, scared what will happen to her. "Where's my favorite nephew?" he laughed and levitated Vinyl out of Snow Beat's mane, he was surprised that she could fit in her sister's mane.
Vinyl put a hoof in her face when she heard the term 'nephew', the correct term was 'niece', but she knows that her uncle was very ridiculous, she really wanted to get out of the scene. The only thing Vinyl liked about her uncle was that he was a retired rockstar, and he was pretty famous back then, even now.
Snow Beat laughed and looked at her uncle, who was busy ruffling Vinyl's mane. She noticed that Fleur de Lis was not with him. "Uncle Fancy Pants, would you mind telling me where did Fleur de Lis go?"
Fancy Pants stopped ruffling the dizzy Vinyl Scratch and adjusted his necktie. He loves wearing tuxedo, whether it was a formal occasion or not, he loves wearing them. He gestured them to follow him inside his house. "I don't mind at all, dear. Come, this is not the best place to talk."
The pair nodded and followed after him. The garden was very breathtaking and there was a fountain in the middle of the garden. They walked on the stone road with Fancy Pants chatting happily with them. They reached the front door and opened it, revealing a very classy interior. He gestured them to sit on the couch while talking to the maids for drinks.
When he was finished talking, he fixed his dark blue mane and went to the luxurious, red couch, sitting on it. "The reason why Fleur de Lis is not here because she's in Fillydelphia to attend on her highschool reunion, she will not be back for a few weeks," he smiled at them and looked at Vinyl Scratch, who sighed in relief. "By the way, Vinyl, belated happy birthday! I'm sorry I couldn't go to your birthday party, I was really busy yesterday."
Vinyl rolled her eyes and received a smack from Snow Beat, wincing at the pain and glared when Fancy Pants laughed. Snow Beat flashed him an apologetic smile and laid back on the couch back. "That's fine with us Uncle, besides, Vinyl really likes the gift you gave to her!"
"Oh really?" Fancy Pants smirked, not noticing Vinyl Scratch who was getting out of the couch. "Well, I'm happy to hear that! I've never thought that Vinyl would like my gift," he thanked the maids when they gave him wine, Jaru wine, so classy. It was one of Fancy Pants' favorites.
"She even said that it was the best gift in the world!" Snow Beat chuckled and looked to her side, only to find out that Vinyl was no longer with them. "Where did she go?! That filly is so fast!" she looked at Fancy Pants who was chuckling at her.
Fancy Pants stood up, placing his wine glass on the table. "Ah, so good to be young, let her be. We will find her later after you unpack your luggage. That's one of the reasons I like Vinyl, she reminds me of my younger self, including the appearance," he laughed heartily.
Snow Beat snickered when Fancy Pants told her that she looked like Fancy Pants in his younger days, she followed Fancy Pants and looked back, she's used of Vinyl escaping from Fancy Pants' house, but she was still worrying that Vinyl might run into weird ponies again. She shrugged and continued following Fancy Pants.
/-/-/
Octavia shifted uncomfortably in her seat, she was not used to be alone, especially when she was in public. She avoided the eyes of random ponies who were staring at her. She tried her best to remain her calm posture, but she waited for her brother to come back for ten minutes. She was counting, but she wondered why it would take ten minutes just to buy ice cream. Maybe because many ponies were buying, or maybe the ice cream flavor was sold out and he was finding another ice cream stand to buy. That stallion will never break a promise.
She couldn't take it anymore. Getting down from her bench, she stretched her back until she heard the satisfying crack. She scanned her surroundings, finding her brother. When she didn't find him, she trotted towards the direction Quarter Note went. She thanked Princess Celestia for giving her good memory, or else, she'll wait for eternity. When she was trotting fast, she bumped into a white filly, sending her flying.
She stopped, completely shocked. She heard that earth ponies are stronger and have a lot of stamina, but she was surprised that a filly like her can send someone flying. She snapped out of her amazement and ran towards the poor filly. Octavia uttered words of apology to her and helped her stand up. "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry I'm not looking where I am going!"
Vinyl shook her head, snapping out of her dizziness. She looked at Octavia, who was apologizing to her. When she let go of Vinyl, she fell back on her haunches, causing a terrified look on Octavia's face. When she was about to say something, Vinyl stopped her and flashed her a big smile. It was only morning but many things happened to her, plus, Octavia was the first filly who apologized for bumping into her, unlike other fillies, saying a bland 'sorry' then continuing their daily lives, they're not even helping her to stand up. "I'm fine and thanks for helping me," she extended her hoof to Octavia, smiling widely. "Name's Vinyl! What's yours?"
Octavia stared at her for a few seconds before cocking her head. "What?" she couldn't believe her ears. Someone just introduced herself to her and she's not even mad for sending her flying. Millions of thoughts rushed into Octavia's mind, she doesn't know what to do, especially when meeting a very friendly pony.
She giggled, then she stood up, brushing the dust away from her coat. "I said, my name's Vinyl, what's your name? I like you! Can we be friends?" Vinyl extended her hoof again to Octavia, hoping that she will shake her hoof. While she was outside, she thought that the best place to go before lunch was the park to kill boredom, or meet her other friends. She didn't expect to bump into someone she didn't know, because almost every fillies and colts in Canterlot were her friend.
Octavia's heart popped. Vinyl just asked her to become her friend and she likes her. She wanted to burst out of happiness and tell the world that she made a friend, only if she approved to be her friend. She remained her calm posture but she couldn't hide her smiling face.  "M-my name's Octavia! Pleasure to meet you!" she extended her hoof and shook Vinyl's hoof, receiving a wide grin from Vinyl.
"Cool! Does that mean we're friends?" Vinyl Scratch's eyes twinkled, making a new friend was always an excitement for her, but then she realized why Octavia was trotting. "Wait, are you in a hurry?" Vinyl frowned when Octavia nodded silently.
"I'm sorry, Vinyl, but I need to find my big brother," Octavia said, feeling a pang of sadness when she remembered her brother. She made a friend but she needed to find Quarter Note. She knew that her brother will be happy if he knew that, but he will be sad if she left him alone lost in Canterlot. That's what she thought.
When she was about to leave, Vinyl trotted beside her and smiled. She had taken an interest on Octavia. "Can I help you find him?" Vinyl grinned again when Octavia stared at her for a few seconds, as if thinking what words she will say.
"Yes," Octavia smiled before continuing to trot towards the direction she chose earlier, with Vinyl Scratch hot on her heels. She was surprised that she wasn't nervous when speaking to Vinyl. She didn't even realize that her brother was back because of her chat with Vinyl while trotting.
"Well, that was new," Quarter Note said, balancing the two ice creams with his hooves.

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                      Canterlot Noons                      
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Canterlot Noons
"Octavia!" Quarter Note shouted. He was having a hard time carrying two ice creams with his two hooves, bad thing he ordered ice cream cones, plus, he was standing on his two hind legs, careful not to fall while walking weirdly. He was surprised that he could make this far. "Why do ice cream vendors need to be that far?" the ice creams were beginning to melt, much to his chagrin. He wasted his thirty-six bits for the melting ice creams. He regretted the fact that he didn't make Octavia come with him.
Quarter Note took a deep breath, then he walked again using his two hind legs. "Octavia! Argh, blasted ice cream cones! They should have cones suitable for earth ponies like me! Not these bloody cones!" he didn't notice the looks ponies around gave him, he was too busy walking with sheer focus. He was sweating, but he would not stop. He would give the ice cream to Octavia, no matter what happens. He was the stallion who never breaks promises.
Such was his dismay when he lost the sight of both fillies. He elicited a loud ground while rolling his eyes. "Screw this," he devoured the two melting ice creams whole in a rather disgusting way. Knowing he committed a deadly crime against the god of table manners, he prayed silently to the god, asking for forgiveness, if there was even a god of table manners. That was the first time he broke a promise from Octavia, but he shrugged it off.
Finally getting back on his hooves, he rushed towards the direction where the fillies went. He needed to keep an eye for them, he didn't want the fillies to get lost. Sure, Octavia could read signs and could get out of the park, but he couldn't help but to be an almost protective brother. When he couldn't find them, he was stunned by their ridiculous speed and their perfect blending-in-the-background skills. His ears drooped, now he had lost them, he was going to take responsibility for not watching his sister. He gulped when he remembered that Octavia had a company with her and how he imagined what the filly's mother's reaction would look like.
Knowing that he must continue searching for the fillies in order to prevent to suffer the consequences, his eyes lit up with new determination. He scanned the crowded area thoroughly, not missing every pony he set his eyes on, he wondered why there were so many ponies in the late morning. When he caught a glimpse of grey and black, he quickly ran to the spot, only to find a trotting colt that resembles Octavia, but had a lighter shade of grey. He decided to take a rest because of the slight leg cramp he suffered earlier by walking in a weird manner. Quarter Note went to the white bench and sat on it, making himself feel comfortable. He sighed and smiled.
"At least she made her first friend."
/-/-/
Vinyl trotted behind Octavia, following her wherever she went. She saw that Octavia was sweating and elicited a small chuckle. She wasn't exactly planning to help Octavia or meet her, but she does these things without a thought, and she was happily helping her.
She remembered that she hadn't asked her about how her brother looked like. How could she help her if she didn't ask about the details about her brother? She smacked herself with her hoof, then she was surprised that she did it roughly. She ignored the pain and trotted close to Octavia, gesturing her to stop. "Hey, Octavia, how does your brother looked like?"
Octavia put her hoof under her chin in a cute manner, then she spoke up. "He looks like me but he has a brown mane and green eyes. He's slightly bigger than that pony," she pointed at the small earth pony mare and continued, "and his mane is combed backwards," Octavia looked up in the sky, watching the birds fly and smiled. Now she had a great fascination for birds.
Vinyl formed a small 'o' in her mouth then she turned her eyes to the grey stallion, who was fifteen meters away from them. The stallion rested on his back before closing his green eyes. Vinyl closed her mouth then pointed at the stallion. "Is that your brother?" she inspected the stallion's features carefully: grey fur, combed, brown mane and eyes that she didn't know what color because the stallion closed it.
Octavia nodded vigorously and drew Vinyl into a quick hug before trotting quickly towards her brother, "Brother!" she cried happily, considering the fact that she found her brother who was fifteen meters away from her, with the help of Vinyl Scratch, of course. "I thought you were lost in this park!" she jumped straight to Quarter Note and hugged him.
Quarter Note's eyes widened, not because of shock, it was because of Octavia's bone-crushing hug that was making him suffocate. He tried to push her away, but he failed. Before he was about to say something to stop her, Octavia stopped hugging him and looked at him happily, like a puppy finally finding his master after a very long time. "Octavia! I told you to wait there!" he said with concern in his eyes.
She bit her bottom lip, fearing that her brother might tell their mother about this. Disobeying the ponies older than her was intolerable in their family. If she disobeyed the rule, she would suffer the consequences made up by their mother. Knowing what his weak spot is, she looked at her brother, putting up the best puppy eyes she could. "Please do not tell mother," she begged.
He smirked and ruffled Octavia's mane, making Vinyl giggle. "Never mind that, Octavia, I promise I'll not tell her," he received a cute smile from Octavia, then he stared at Vinyl's red eyes. "Well, hello there filly, mind telling who you are?" he asked politely while smiling widely, not wanting to scare Octavia's new friend.
Vinyl Scratch greeted him with a big smile before offering him a hoofshake. "Hi! My name's Vinyl and I'm your sister's friend!" she looked at Octavia, who turned slightly pink. She cocked her head, wondering why she was flustered. Her attention to Quarter Note was back when he shook her hoof.
"Well, isn't that a nice nam—"
Suddenly, a bright flash of white light appeared in front of them, causing the two siblings to squint and flinch slightly. After the bright light was gone, a white unicorn mare with long, black mane appeared. Her face was in complete shock when she saw that her sister was with a stallion. Moving quickly, she snatched her sister away from him with her magic, causing puzzled looks from Vinyl and the siblings.
"How did you find me here?" A defeated look painted Vinyl's face, making her cross her hooves while being levitated by Snow Beat. She placed Vinyl on her back before she could say another word.
Snow Beat ignored the filly and glared at Quarter Note, who was staring at her with confusion. Before she could utter words at him, Quarter Note quickly started.
"Who might you be?" he drew the also confused Octavia close to him while talking to her, making her feel comfortable and less confused when she climbed her brother's back.
Realizing that he was not a bad pony because of Quarter Note's tone and voice, she looked at him with a neutral expression, allowing Vinyl to move freely by releasing her from her magic. In fact, she was surprised that she claimed that Quarter Note was a bad pony, she thought that was because she lived in Manehattan that it made her to become aware of strangers. "I'm this filly's sister," Octavia caught her attention when she elicited a cute squeak when she said that she was her sister, causing her to stare at the grey filly for a few seconds. "Are you Vinyl's friend, dear?"
Octavia nodded silently, looking at Vinyl who was staring at her. Snow Beat couldn't help but to smile at the cute filly. "Aren't you cute?" she giggled, making Vinyl groan because she was ignoring her. "I'm sorry, Vinyl, but uncle invited us to eat lunch with him. You'll be able to play with your cute friend over there," when Vinyl's and Octavia's eyes lit up, Snow Beat held her hoof up. "As long you as you behave, Vinyl."
Vinyl turned to Octavia, "So, meet me here at, uhh... hmm..." she put her hoof under her chin, she remembered that she couldn't read the time, so Snow Beat scoffed at her, making her glare at her.
Smiling, Octavia placed her head on top of Quarter Note's head. "Two o'clock will do."
"Uh, yeah! Right! I was thinking of that too!" she rubbed her back while chuckling, then she saw that Snow Beat rolled her eyes, she smirked at her. "What?" Vinyl asked, causing Snow Beat to groan.
"Nothing."
Quarter Note coughed, not because he was sick or whatsoever, he did it with politeness. "Okay, I guess we'll see each other later, then," he nudged Octavia, ordering her to say goodbye to the siblings.
"Bye Vinyl and thanks for your help! And bye... um..." the filly's voice trailed off, looking at her brother, asking for help, but he shrugged at her. Octavia gulped nervously, she didn't want to ask for ponies' names, but she was going to do it now. "M-miss?"
"Snow Beat," she smiled at the filly, making Octavia feel less nervous.
She picked up her confidence, then she smiled with great enthusiasm, a little surprised that she can do that without hesitation. "Bye Miss Snow Beat!"
Snow Beat turned around, smiling to herself while Vinyl was waving back at Octavia, who waved back as well. The other siblings turned around, going in the complete opposite direction of hers. Snow Beat glanced at Vinyl and was surprised when she found that she was also smiling to herself. She shrugged it off and continued walking.
Quarter Note smiled at his sister when she let out a high-pitched cheer. "I did it! I did it! I did it!" she squealed, unable to control her happiness as she sat on her brother's back. "Brother, I finally made a friend!"
"Yes, yes you have," Quarter Note rolled his green eyes nonchalantly as he surveyed the ground, careful not to trip over mischievous rocks. Then he stared at the birds again, ignoring Octavia while she discover the world of happiness.
After moments of high-pitched squeals and giggling, Octavia remembered something. She looked at her brother in complete horror, causing Quarter Note to cock his head. Then he realized what Octavia had remembered. His blood went cold, he was going to suffer high-pitched cries.
"Brother, where's my ice cream?"
He groaned in defeat.
/-/-/
"Sis," Vinyl Scratch said, stretching her back while crossing her hooves. She noticed that Snow Beat was smiling to herself when they left the park, even now. She found that creepy, especially when Snow Beat elicited small giggles after every ten seconds. It was a rare sight for her to see that Snow Beat was smiling to herself and giggling uncontrollably. There was that one time she saw Snow Beat doing the same thing when she received her first fan letter, but Vinyl was so young back then she couldn't even remember what happened after that. But even if it was rare, it was still creepy, for her, of course.
"Hmm?" she replied, not looking back. She surveyed her surroundings with great enthusiasm, she didn't know why, though. Canterlot was indeed a beautiful place, but she saw more beautiful places than Canterlot, one of the places was Baltimare, the place where she and her family decided to travel there. It was a beautiful sight; sky-rise buildings and such.
Vinyl hesitated to ask, but she continued, furrowing her eyebrows. "Why are you gigglin' like a crazy pony?" she asked with concern, getting down from her sister's back. She looked up, noticing that it was noon, her belly rumbled. Vinyl walked faster in order to eat her lunch.
"I'm not giggling."
"You are!"
"Am not!"
Vinyl narrowed her eyes, it wasn't the first time Snow Beat lied, but she hated it whenever she lied. "You ARE gigglin'!" she held her nose up, mimicking the ponies in Canterlot. She was annoyed, she couldn't get used to it, she just couldn't.
Sighing exasperatedly, Snow Beat massaged her temples slowly, inhaling and exhaling. She hated fillies and colts sometimes, especially when they were annoying her. She looked at Vinyl Scratch, giving her a fierce glare. "Fine! I was giggling and I don't know why!" her voice cracked, then she harrumphed. She found herself being immature because of her conversation with Vinyl Scratch. She continued walking towards her destination, with Vinyl hot on her heels.
She raised her eyebrows, walking beside Snow Beat, who stopped giggling and smiling. "Oh?" then she realized something and stared at her in amusement. "Could it be, you fell in love with Octavia's brother?" it was now Vinyl's turn to giggle, making Snow Beat stare at her incredulously.
"Vinyl! I don't remember having a talk with you about 'love'! Where did you—" Snow Beat stared at her for a few seconds, "—wait, what do you know about 'love'?" she asked, walking slowly. She was certain that Vinyl was innocent and doesn't know what love is, because she was only six years old. If she was no longer innocent, she swore to herself that she would find the pony that took her innocence away.
She smiled widely, "Love is friendship! Did you fall in 'friendship' with Octavia's brother?"
Snow Beat sighed in relief, looks like her innocence was still with her. She smiled weakly and gently patted Vinyl's head, making her yelp in surprise. "Nope, Vinyl, I don't," she chuckled, reaching the front gate of her uncle's residence. She looked at her sister and ruffled her mane again, Vinyl was getting annoyed by it, but she shrugged it off.
She just stared at her with a puzzled expression painted on her face, following her inside her uncle's house.
/-/-/
Octavia ate her lunch like a hungry dog, receiving a horrified look from her brother. She finished her food quickly without dabbing her mouth with a napkin. She asked for seconds and the maids in the Philharmonica residence gave her food without complaints. Melody Heart, a light brown coated mare with a black mane and a quarter note inside a heart as her cutie mark, smiled while dabbing her mouth with a napkin. She looked at Quarter Note's shocked expression and chuckled at him. She neatly placed the silver fork on the alabaster plate and patted Octavia's head.
"Dear, you still have much to learn," she said in a motherly tone, causing Octavia to stare at her for a few seconds then grin happily. Melody Heart smiled back, wondering what Octavia got her so happy. Probably because she decided to take a break teaching her good manners for a month, but her happiness was more than that. She decided to ask her own daughter, while she was eating. "Octavia, dear, why do you look so happy today?"
She stopped eating for a moment, drinking the juice provided for her in case she was choking, then she smiled again. "I made a friend, mother!" she squealed in happiness when she said that, making Melody Heart to laugh heartily. "Her name is Vinyl and she is friendly! She didn't get mad when I accidentally bumped into her, instead, she introduced herself to me and asked me if she can become my friend!" she proudly talked about Vinyl, receiving a proud smile from her brother, who taught her how to make friends.
Melody Heart felt proud. Her five year old daughter finally made a friend. She couldn't help but to let out a small tear of happiness because her daughter was growing up, she noticed that she was overreacting but she didn't care, she wiped the tear with her hoof. "Congratulations, dear! I feel so proud. Did you apologize when you bumped into her?" she asked, placing her hooves on the table.
Octavia nodded before devouring the whole dish, she saw Quarter Note fighting the urge to cry because of disgust, she couldn't help but to laugh. "Of course! I couldn't just leave her there, plus, she helped me find brother in the park!" Octavia pointed her hoof at Quarter Note, who was finishing his food quickly to get out of the disgusting scene.
Melody Heart formed a small 'o' in her mouth before saying something. She would never imagine Quarter Note getting lost, but here, Octavia said that he was lost. This tickled her fancy and wanted to know more. "Oh? Is that true, Quarter?" she said before eating her peas one-by-one.
Quarter Note waved his hoof dismissively and shook his head. "No, I will never get lost, mother," his reply was flat-toned, he continued eating his food quickly, in a polite manner, of course. His mother's teaching caused him to become proper and gentle and he was half-dismayed by that. He actually wanted to become stallioner, the secret he only shared with Octavia.
"Oh? I doubt that," Melody Heart chuckled and continued talking with Octavia.
He swung his head around and almost choked. Staring at her golden eyes, he asked her. "What do you mean by that?!"
She just stuck her tongue out, teasing him.
He groaned when his mother and sibling laughed at him. However, Octavia didn't know why she was laughing, because she didn't know the word 'doubt'. She tried to ask her mother about it, but she was distracted when the desserts came, devouring the three cupcakes whole without chewing them, making her eyes widen.
Screams filled the room when Octavia choked.

//-------------------------------------------------------//
                    To The Park Again!                     
//-------------------------------------------------------//
To The Park Again!
"I'm sorry, mother," Octavia looked down, holding back her tears as she recalled the incident. She just wanted to eat cupcakes, that was all, but she forgot to chew and then she choked. She was surprised when she swallowed the three cupcakes, they can fit in her small throat at the same time. She regretted what she did after her brother stopped her from choking, displaying a revolting sight when she vomited all over her brother's face; a mix of chocolate cupcakes and vegetables. She looked at her mother, who sighed in disappointment and worry. She bit her bottom lip as she traced circles on the floor, hearing cries of disgust from the bathroom.
Melody Heart looked at her daughter's big, lavender eyes, rubbing Octavia's furry back to give her comfort, perhaps she would continue teaching Octavia proper manners and forget about giving her a break. It was a rule in the Philharmonica family, the parents should teach their children proper etiquette and behavior, if the parents disobeyed the rule, they have lost the right to call themselves a 'Philharmonica'. Melody Heart loved fun and partying, but she must obey the rule, no matter how hard it was.
"Oh dear, you almost died! I'm afraid that I should continue teaching—" she paused for two seconds when she saw a small tear from Octavia's eye trickle down to her cheeks. Her heart softened, she remembered when she heard Octavia and Quarter Note having a discussion about how she turns into a monster when it comes to teaching manners. She gulped that time, wanting to retrieve the lost love by giving her a break for one month. "—fine, I'll give you one last chance, besides," she took Octavia with her hooves and lifted her up in the air, giggling, "everypony needs second chances, right?"
Octavia nodded happily while smiling, giving her mother a big hug. "Thank you, mother," she whispered, not breaking the hug. She remembered something important and broke the hug, her eyes twinkling. "I almost forgot, I need to go to the park later this two o'clock!"
"Why is that?" she asked her in a soft voice and tilted her head to the side. It was her first time hearing Octavia needing to go to the park and that intrigued her to know more. First, she thought that was because of her daughter's friend and her second thought was the new fountain in the park that intrigued Octavia to see it, but she already visited the park and probably has no interest on it.
Her tail wagged, smiling widely when she rubbed her left foreleg. "I will play with Vinyl today!" she squealed due to her happiness and resisted the urge to bounce around the living room. She stopped squealing, wondering if ponies could even bounce with their hard hooves. She shrugged nonchalantly, it didn't matter to her since it was unlikely for her to do that.
/-/-/
"I told you she would go there," Fancy Pants grinned smugly, levitating the fork into his mouth. He enjoyed lettuces, especially fresh ones, so he thanked the maid who bought the lettuces. The teal-coated mare gave a smile and nodded, receiving a smile from Fancy Pants.
Snow Beat groaned in defeat. "I hate losing..." she stared at Fancy Pants angrily when he chuckled.
Vinyl tried her best to ignore the two ponies and continued eating her vegetable. Her red eyes suddenly widened when she tasted the carrot. She wondered why it tasted good than the carrots back in Manehattan, because she knew that Manehattan had good quality products than Canterlot. She turned to Fancy Pants. "Blue mustache, why these carrots are more delicious than the carrots back home?" she asked in her squeaky voice.
Fancy Pants chewed for a second and swallowed, wiping his mouth with the napkin provided. "Oh, it's because that carrots are from Sweet Apple Acres. Their crops are always delicious and fresh."
Swallowing slowly, Snow Beat placed her fork down. "I thought they only sell apples?"
Fancy Pants gave a fatherly smile, putting down the napkin. "That's what you thought, filly, how can the farm survive when they only sell apples to the customers? Apples are not the only food ponies need, we need other foods too. If they sell apples to the customer who is interested buying carrots rather than apples, the customer will not buy them. They will get insufficient funds if they sell the same product twice, so they need to harvest other crops that other ponies need," he put on his best business-stuff look to Snow Beat, receiving an understanding look from her.
Vinyl formed a big 'o' in her mouth. "Oooohh," then she turned to Snow Beat who was staring at her oddly. "What is he talking about?" she whispered very quietly that only Snow Beat can hear, then she furrowed her eyebrows when Snow Beat facehoofed really hard. "Why you're hitting yourself? You're crazy."
Fancy Pants chuckled lightly, finishing his food quickly. "Vinyl, you're going to understand the stuff I'm talking about someday," he wiggled his eyebrows at Vinyl, receiving an aghast look from her. Fancy Pants laughed softly at his niece's behavior. With his food finished, he wiped his mouth with a napkin and put down his fork. "Sorry to say, but I must go."
Snow Beat glared at Vinyl when she was eating messily. She harrumphed and turned to Fancy Pants. "We understand, uncle, will you be back this afternoon?"
He nodded and stood up, putting down the napkin. He glanced on his watch and widened his eyes. "Well, goodbye Snow Beat and Vinyl, I promise I'll take you two to the Canterlot Movie Theaters this night," then he left the room.
Vinyl happily ate her cucumbers, ignoring the look Snow Beat gave her. With Fancy Pants gone, she would rule the entire mansion -- if Snow Beat was not beside her. Sighing, she politely asked the maids for an apple juice. "Remember, Vinyl, you need to earn these uniform ponies' respect before ruling this mansion! Better get rid of Sis first," she thought maliciously while staring at Snow Beat, who continued eating her lunch.
When the apple juice came, she thanked the maid and sipped the juice, then sunk deeper in her thoughts. When she swallowed, her eyes twitched and her body suddenly twisted -- throwing her apple juice to Snow Beat. Vinyl and the maids gasped in horror when the glass of apple juice slowly went towards Snow Beat who was completely unaware what was happening. Thinking quickly, Vinyl tried to levitate the glass away from Snow Beat, but realized that she couldn't even channel her magic.
And then a second later, Snow Beat's mane was dripping wet, completely shocked at the shattered glass on her mane.
Vinyl grinned sheepishly, mixed with fear and worry. "Uh, the... erm... too sour? I... guess?"
/-/-/
"Don't get too far!" Quarter Note shouted as Vinyl and Octavia ran away from him while they were laughing. He furrowed his eyebrows in worry, he was not sure if the fillies heard him or not, because if they didn't, he was completely sure that something bad was going to happen to them, especially to Octavia. He winced when he remembered Octavia puking on him, the scent still lingered inside his nose. He scratched the back of his head and sat beside Snow Beat who was reading a book on the bench. "Hello, Miss Snow Beat, right?"
Snow Beat stopped reading and looked at him. "Yup. What's your name?"
"Quarter Note," he smiled and yawned as the cool breeze touched his face. "They get along surprisingly fast," he commented at the two fillies splashing water at each other.
Snow Beat smiled at him and continued reading her book. She heard Quarter Note sigh and gave him a questioning look. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just... had a disgusting time with my sister," Quarter Note touched his mane, looking for puke even when he cleaned it thoroughly. He grimaced when he kept recalling the incident.
Interested, Snow Beat closed her book and sat properly and stared at his green eyes. "Tell me about it," she sipped the chocolate drink she bought earlier while they were going to the park. She raised her eyebrows when Quarter Note kept silent.
"You'll be disgusted, I'm sorry," Quarter Note crossed his hooves and looked up. He wondered why the birds were gone and why the sky was cloudy. "It's not supposed to be cloudy today," he clicked his tongue before turning his attention to Snow Beat. "I've never seen you two before."
"We've barely met each other," Snow Beat rolled her eyes, throwing her chocolate drink into the trash bin nearby.
Quarter Note chuckled, then cleared his throat. "No, I've never seen you two here in Canterlot before."
"That's because we're here to visit our uncle," Snow Beat replied flatly, looking up wistfully.
"Oh," Quarter Note stared at her for a moment and looked at the two fillies again. Seeing that they were fine, he thought angrily to himself. He cursed himself for killing the conversation with his 'oh' and not being able to put up a good conversation with mares. "Pardon me but, who's your uncle?"
Snow Beat hesitated a little but then decided to tell him. "Fancy Pants," she smiled at him.
Quarter Note put up a sad smile and looked away. Muttering to himself, he slightly frowned. "A friend of father..."
"Did you say something?"
His eyes suddenly widened and jumped slightly. He mentally smacked himself for being so jumpy -- only to hear a giggle from Snow Beat. "Um, I... er, sorry, and no, I didn't say anything," he stuttered, his dark brown mane dangling in between his eyes. He gasped in horror, receiving a look from Snow Beat. "It's not slicked back!"
"Um, we've just met and I think you're already having issues with me, I guess?" she raised her eyebrows at Quarter Note's messy tail, then looked at his mane.
"Sorry about that, Miss Snow Beat, but I'm just having problems with my mane -- I can't see properly," he tried to put the mane backwards, but it returned in between his eyes. Sighing in defeat, he stopped. "I need a manecut."
Snow Beat rolled her eyes, smiling. "Please drop the 'miss'. Oh, by the way, why your mane is not messy while your tail is?"
His face slightly flustered and hid his tail behind him. "It's hard to comb your tail when you're an earth pony, you know," Quarter Note's green eyes fixed on Snow Beat's cutie mark and wondered why cutie marks match the owner's name -- including his. He thought that maybe it wasn't the cutie mark that tells what the pony's talent was -- it was the name.
"Wait," Snow Beat blinked slowly, staring at Quarter Note's grey face. "You comb?" then she gradually snickered, receiving a look from Quarter Note.
"Yes, what's wrong with that?"
Snow Beat tried to control her snickering, but failed. "I thought stallions don't comb their mane? Only mares do that!" that received a hurt and offended look from Quarter Note.
"How are we supposed to keep our manes tame when we don't use a comb?" he narrowed his eyes and crossed his hooves, receiving a somewhat apologetic look from Snow Beat who stopped snickering.
"Sorry about that, I remembered that this is Canterlot," Snow Beat waved her hoof dismissively and gave him a sardonic smile, but Quarter Note raised his eyebrows at her. "How do earth ponies comb with one hoof?" she changed the topic quickly before Quarter Note could object something.
Quarter Note looked up wistfully and looked at Snow Beat again. He wasn't sure if a unicorn like Snow Beat would understand how they did it. "You grab it with your hoof and comb your mane, done."
Snow Beat furrowed her eyebrows, skeptical about what he just said. She tapped her hoof repeatedly on the bench to collect her thoughts. "But it will fall off."
He expected Snow Beat to question their logic, so he cleared his throat. "You need to grab it properly in order for it not to fall off," he looked around for an object that would demonstrate how earth ponies did it, then he found a rock under his bench. Grabbing it with his one hoof, he showed it to Snow Beat.
Looking more skeptical than before, she took the rock from his hoof by her magic, then she put it down. Remembering how Quarter Note did it, she held her hoof out. "Lemme try," Snow Beat grabbed the rock and tried lift it, instead, she pushed it to the ground. She thinned her lips, wondering how earth ponies did that. "It fell."
Quarter Note nodded in agreement, looking at the poor rock that was pushed by the white mare. He pitied the rock, but he didn't know why he should do that. "Indeed."
Awkward silence ruled over them -- both pitying the rock. They didn't dare to look at each other -- such an act would offend the grey rock. They both gulped, one was wondering whether he would continue teaching his or not, and one was wondering if she could change the topic.
Snow Beat broke the silence by giggling, ignoring the confused look from Quarter Note. "I feel bad for the rock," a pause, "Anyways, why don't you—"
Suddenly, they were both tackled by a screaming grey blur, followed by a laughing white blur. Quarter Note let out a yelp of pain as Snow Beat successfully protected herself with her magic. Quarter Note groaned and opened his eyes—only to be greeted by a white filly with a wild blue mane stepping over him. He grunted each step the filly made, making him almost vomit.
"You're it!" Vinyl screamed loudly, drawing in attention from the ponies around them.
Octavia gasped in shock. "That's not—" her voice cracked, "—fair!"
"It is!"
"No! It is—"
"Graaaahh! Why I am always tackled by you?" Quarter Note grunted as he recovered, receiving aid from Snow Beat. He looked at his black wristwatch and widened his eyes. "It's past four o'clock! Octavia, let's go home," he thanked Snow Beat while getting down from the bench.
Octavia stared at him with her mouth wide open—so was Vinyl. "But we just got here!" she looked at Vinyl for support, who nodded vigorously in return.
"That's right! Right Snow Beat?" Vinyl looked at Snow Beat who glared at her and shrugged. Vinyl winced, remembering that Snow Beat didn't forgive her yet for what she had done.
"Time flies quick, fillies, time flies," Quarter Note caught Snow Beat rolling her eyes, then he stared at her. "What?"
"Nothing," came the flat-toned reply from Snow Beat.
"Aww..." the fillies said in unison, giving each other sad looks.
Snow Beat patted Octavia's head. "I know, it's surprising how quickly time flies, but you need to go home with your brother," she turned to Vinyl, who was grimacing. She glared daggers at her that made Vinyl hide behind Octavia. "And you, don't you forget your punishment, you're lucky I let you play with her."
Vinyl and Octavia groaned.
"Well," Quarter Note took Octavia and placed her on his back and started to fear if Octavia might puke on him again. "Goodbye, Snow Beat, it was 'nice' meeting you."
"Yeah, goodbye," Snow Beat levitated Vinyl upside-down and ignored Vinyl's pleas. With that, she started to walk away.
Quarter Note walked away as the two ponies left his field of vision. His stomach started to grumble and furrowed his eyebrows, he just ate snacks on his way to the park and he was hungry again. He walked faster, making Octavia bounce slightly on his back, he saw her putting a hoof on her chin. He saw a hayburger stand and made his way there.
Suddenly, Octavia's hoof stomped hard on his back, making him yelp. "Brother, why you didn't act like a gentlestallion earlier?" she tried to find a comfortable spot for her to sit comfortably, but stopped when Quarter Note slowed down.
"I'm a gentlestallion in formal events, but I'm just a normal citizen today."
Octavia's nose wrinkled when he finished talking in a serious voice. "You're weird. Are you friends with Miss Snow Beat now?" she asked as Quarter Note bought two hayburgers from the stand—one for him and one for her. She happily took the hayburger he offered and began munching down.
Quarter Note started to walk again, eating his hayburger. "I don't know, I think she thinks that I'm weird or awkward."
"What makes you think that?" she stopped eating for a moment to hear her brother—the sound of munching was distracting her.
"Well, I started teaching her how to lift an object the earth pony way," he stopped chewing for a moment and continued. "She was the one who asked you about it, Quarter," he mentally facehoofed because he would fall if he had two hooves working.
Silence.
"You're really weird."
"I know."