"Octavia, what has your father acting so...off key?" Wilfred asked me as we walked down the hallway at a very reluctant pace.
"I don't know, all I told him was the name of some mare I had been housing that now thinks I'm kicking her out." I said, still pondering over my father's reaction to just Vinyl's name. My father was the type of pony that took everything in stride, not worrying over anything. In my life, nothing from taxes, lawsuits, even businesses going under were enough shake him from his seemingly carefree life style.
"What was her name?" He asked, shaking me from my train of thought.
"Oh, It was Vinyl Scratch." I turned and watched Wilfred carefully, waiting to see if it got any reaction out of him, however, all he seemed to do was think on the name for a second and then shrug.
"I don't believe I've heard of her." He said, sounding truthful enough.
"Do you plan on telling your mother the whole story of how you met her?" He said with a growing smile. I sighed, apparently missing the fact he just admitted he had been eavesdropping on my entire conversation with my father.
"I suppose If I didn't, nopony would." I admitted in defeat, he patted me on the back with one of his hooves.
"Hey, don't worry, I'm sure your mother will find the story understandable, maybe even laugh a bit." I looked up to see him with a compassionate smile, one that I returned to him.
"Thanks Wilfred."
"It is no trouble, Miss Melody." He said as we reached the end of the hallway that we had originally taken to get to my father's study. He opened the door for me and I stepped through to see a mare directing a unicorn, dressed fairly similar to Wilfred, on where to put a seemingly constant stream of bags that were flowing through the front door of the waiting room. She took a quick glance over her shoulder and graced herself with a large smile before rushing over, nearly trampling me, in an instant.
"Octavia, darling, how are you!?" She said in a joyous tone as she began wrapping her arms around my neck in a overly tight hug, much to my disapproval.
"I-I'm f-fine M-mom." I stuttered over both shock and my lack of breath from the constant squeezing on my neck. She soon released me and smiled joyously. My mother was nearly an exact replica of me, save for her slightly different hued eyes, different mane style and color, and most importantly, her demeanor. She was far more outgoing and loud than my own reserved and quite self, sometimes I question if she is my actual mother and just decide I take my demeanor mainly from my father's side.
"I would love to chat more, but I must finish getting these bags in." She said, sounding a little too sad over not getting to chat. I quickly nodded and remembered one thing before attempting a get-a-way from my mom.
"Mother, do you know where father went?" I asked as she began redirecting the unicorn butler.
"Hmm...now that you mention it, I think he went upstairs, something about making a phone call to somepony." Seemingly on cue my father entered the room with a jolly smile plastered to his face.
"Octavia, I think that I might have found Miss Scratch for you." My eyes went wide. That quickly?
"She is believed to be on the eastern side of Canterlot in a bar named 'Alpha'. Knowing how the eastern side of Canterlot is, I'm going to be sending somepony with you, a stallion to be exact." He said firmly.
Canterlot was divided vastly when it came to standards of the common pony. I reside in the northern district, the most wealthy resident save for the western side where the castle is located. The other district is the south, this is where most of the middle class ponies of Canterlot lived, the middle class of Canterlot was like the upper class of most other towns. Finally, there is the eastern side, this is where most of the lower class citizens of Canterlot lived, it also just so happens to be where most of the nightlife happens, and the most criminal activities of Canterlot. My dad has always warned me of the eastern side, telling me of all the drug deals that go on, but I always assumed he just exaggerated them.
"Who might this somepony be?" I asked, wondering who in Canterlot would be willing to go to the eastern side with me.
"He will be over within a hour or so, for now I suggest you have dinner with us." As much as I didn't want to have dinner with them, and trust me I really didn't want to, I reluctantly agreed. It is just plain rude to deny an offer to have dinner at somepony's house, especially when they are your parents.
"Of course father, I would be delighted." I said with a well practiced joyous tone. He smiled.
"I will tell the cooks to make a meal for one more then." He said as he trotted off into what I could only assume was the kitchen to alert the chefs. I turned back and began to trot towards the living room door until my mother stopped me with a hoof on my shoulder.
"Octavia, you seem a bit troubled today, is there something bothering you?" She asked with a caring tone that only a mother could give. I sighed and walked over to the couch while she followed behind me with a both curious and caring demeanor, I took my seat with a dropped head and she took one next to me on a chair, still giving me an interested look.
"Octavia...what's wrong?" She asked with an almost pleading voice making me smirk. If there was one thing that I loved about my mother, it was her amazing ability to care for me, she truly wanted the best of me and wasn't afraid to get dirty to give me happiness. I was honestly convinced she would do anything if it would bring me happiness, and I think she was convinced of that too.
"Mom...what do you expect of me as your daughter?" I asked with my head still hanging, but I could tell that took her off guard.
"W-what do you mean Octavia?" My mother asked with a more surprised tone than curious.
"What do you expect from me, as your daughter, to grow up to be?" I re-asked her.
"Octavia, you can grow up to be what you want, as long as your happy, I'm happy" she said with a motherly tone as she placed a hoof in my mane and began to stroke it in a reassuring manner from her seat. I wasn't surprised at this answer, but I wanted to test its durability.
"So if I wanted to become a drunkard and was happy with it, you would be happy?" Her hoof stopped abruptly and she removed it from my mane. I could hear her get up from her seat and take the few steps from her seat towards me, I didn't look up to see her gaze, that is, until she lifted my head and forced her gaze into my eyes.
"Octavia, what makes you happy is what makes you happy. You could become a drunkard , and if you were truly happy, I would make no move to stop you. I might shout at you, I might scold you, I might not like it, but I won't stop you." She said with a blaze of determination in her eyes. I smiled, now I was sure of that answers durability, and it was next to unbreakable.
"Thanks...Mom..." I said as she released her grip and re-took her seat across from me.
"Now that that is out of the way, do you want to tell me what was actually bothering you?" I smiled at her question and I was sure she did to, If anyone could read me, It was my mother. Nopony, other than Wilfred, my father, and a few other family members could read my normally stoic expressions. I had a real troubles expressing emotions, for example, when most ponies would laugh hysterically, I would only smile and when most ponies would cry in sorrow, I would only frown. I let out a loose chuckle before facing my mother.
"Well, before I tell you the problem, I should probably tell you the story." I said and then began to tell her the entire tale of how my one problem started, the one problem that made my panic-less dad, panic.
I have to hand it to Wilfred and his foreshadowing, my mother was actually quite understanding and, yes, she actually laughed at some of it too, however, she just nodded sagely to most of it. The entire telling of the story lasted until we were called for dinner, me and my mother agreed to finish our talk after we finished dinner. Dinner passed in an awkward haze of silence between my family, usually my father keeps the conversation going at the table, however, tonight he appeared to be deep in thought. The silence was broken by the sound of a doorbell ringing and Wilfred making a motion to get the door, that is, until my father stopped him with the raise of a hoof and turned to face my mother.
"Honey, If you would be so kind as to make our guest feel at home." My father's tone was relatively dry, another rare sight for him, he then turned his attention towards me.
"Octavia, please join me in my study once you've finished dinner." He arose from his seat and trotted back to, what I assumed, the study, I was quick to follow, and closed the door behind us quietly before taking a seat in front of his desk.
"Octavia...the mare you're perusing, she's...different to say at least." Thoughts began to race as he finished the sentence. Does he know?Is this why he reacted like he did? and a variety of other thoughts that revolved around Vamponies, that is until he continued his statement.
"She isn't like the upper crust ponies from around here...but I'm sure you already knew that, she sticks out like a sore thumb. The reason I wanted to talk to you is about where she is located and the ponies that reside there." Well, maybe him not knowing is a good thing.
"Father, I've already heard the stories of wh-" My protest didn't last long.
"They are far from stories Octavia, I've kept most of the details from you because I wish they didn't exist." His tone was unusually cold, dark even.
"You may wonder from time to time why I spend all of the money that I do." It is true, I have wondered that, many times actually.
"Well the answer is that I spend it trying to improve the side of town you are about to enter. I spend my money trying to...'fix' the eastern side. I do this not only out of the kindness of my heart, but out of pity for those who have suffered from its horrible ways. Octavia, mares such as yourself, are drugged and molested on a daily basis there, murders happen nearly just as often." I was chilled by the information he gave me, I knew most of it already, but hearing it from him in his stony dark tone was different than thinking of them.
"This is why I'm sending you with somepony, not only for the much needed protection, but for the fact that you are my daughter and I won't allow those things to happen to you." He got up from his chair, walked over to me and looked me in the eye with an unusual pleading gaze.
"Promise me, you will take care, my daughter." I had never seen him practically begging for something before.
"I will father, because I am your daughter." I said with a growing smile to which he returned with a smirk.
"Well, let us go meet your escort then shall we?" He said with a new found brighter tone as he trotted back to the living room with me right behind him. I walked into the living room to see my mother chatting happily with...
"Fredric?"