//------------------------------// // The Expectations Game // Story: Precious Memories // by N_Hawke //------------------------------// The Expectations Game In light of the increased interest in her story, there had been a natural inclination to migrate to the sofas. The opportunity to do so came at the end of Vinyl’s latest portion of her story, which after a light chuckle between the three, allowed the earth ponies the chance to refill their drained cups of tea. In short order, contents of the dinner table were transferred over to the coffee table, and the three mares started to settle in for the remainder of the unfinished story. Almost as soon as she found the right comfort level in her seat, Octavia sensed the need to ask an obvious question. “Did you really moon her on purpose?” “Not on purpose,” Vinyl replied “Had they knocked, I might’ve had the sense to lower my tail...but I guess that didn’t occur to them” “Did you get in trouble?” Melody asked next. “Oh yeah, my mother grounded me on the spot...and for mooning her friend. I wasn't allowed ice cream for a month!” the unicorn answered with a chuckle “Though I think it had more to do with me using the piano without permission than mooning that old hag” “What about your father?” “Well…I guess he took it another way,” Vinyl mused, and started to recount what happened next. “Stale, it’s not that funny!” Brighten fumed at her husband. “I know dear...though you have to admit it must have been a little humorous,” Slate Scratch continued to chuckle. His attempts to defuse his wife’s panicky mood went unheard. Despite her good points, Brighten Balance was forever fearful of Lady Grand Salary and her implied powers that could ruin her. Like most members of the Canterlot elite, she was very well aware of the importance of position amongst her peers and as a result, craved every chance to advance in importance and influence through a sterling reputation. However, much to Brighten Balance’s dismay, all her efforts could have easily been wasted as a result of the very immature act her daughter performed this afternoon. She strained with all her good manners not to explode at her daughter in front of the others and held out until she reached the safety of home. There, she bellowed at Vinyl with all the pent up anger and laid out the details of her grounding for her act of lunacy. Deep inside though, she already sensed regret, but it was an unavoidable cost of being a lady to a Lord. Had she not disciplined her daughter, would it get out that Brighten was too soft as a mother? That alone was a fear that almost erased the guilt, but her conscious still sensed it. Stale composed himself and continued on “So is our little Vinyl in her room?” “For the rest of the afternoon,” Brighten replied “and if I see her peep out even an inch, I’m going to double her prohibition on ice cream to two months” “I guess I’ll have a talk with her then...” Despite the way his wife was fretting over the issue affecting her, he was still surprised by her sudden suggestion.” “Please Slate...don’t yell at her.” “I know Brighten, just leave it to me.” With both of them in agreement the two unicorns embraced briefly and parted ways, Bright balance cantering to the sitting room to recover while Slate Scratch proceeded to the bedroom of his daughter. Lord Scratch had hoped to come home to better circumstances. He had just returned from a three day tour of the rail line, only to witness a mudslide claim the track work that had just been laid down west of Dodge Junction. It was a miracle that nobody was hurt, but Slate Scratch was now contemplating explaining it to the railroad directors and the investors, all of whom already considered him something of a barely tolerable eccentric. This rail line was his other foal, and at the moment, this foal needed much more attention than even the fussiest newborn. It had meant constant trips away and all his time at home was spent on attending social parties in order to earn extra investment bits. But Lord Scratch also knew that the railroad – If the Canterlot elite would just trust him – would succeed and a whole new frontier would open up, leading to more farmland and property investment for his clients. His return home today was devoid of any of that enthusiasm, and in light of the accident out in the field, his mood only sunk further upon learning of the apparent chaos that took place this afternoon with her daughter. He had especially looked forward to seeing Vinyl Scratch again, a daughter who evidently shared his eccentric zeal, but after hearing what had happened, he was not looking forward to the talk that was required by him. However, while Slate Scratch was never going to be father of the year, he still cared about his daughter’s feelings and while he could have been angry at her, he suppressed his worries for the moment. With quiet hoofsteps, the stallion made to the top of the staircase and down to the room the end of the hall, the one contrasting with the rest of the rest of the house with a heart-shaped wooden nameplate which hung over the center proclaiming the name of the room’s occupant. “Vinyl, are you in there?” he asked the most redundant of questions. He didn't need to wait long for a response. “Yes...” a sobbing sound came from deep inside. Slate Scratch sighed, feeling the weight of guilt that only a father feels when they hear their daughter whimpering. “Vinyl, I’m coming in.” “Okay...” Slate turned the doorknob with his magic and made his way into the bedroom. At once he found the need to create a glow from his horn to see the way around to the bedside. Vinyl had evidently drawn the curtains to darken her room to suit her present mood. It was a very typical thing for a filly to do, but it did make it a slight hazard for the stallion to tread forward, knowing well the possible hazards that were strewn across the floor. At hearing the door open, Vinyl finally turned her head up to face him as he enter and closed the door. When he had come close enough, the filly got off the bed and stood steady to address him. Her mood however did not reward her with the strength to be able to look at him as she spoke. “Welcome home, father” Slate could have said a dozen things at that, but instead felt the need to say the one thing that he knew would make his daughter feel better. “Now Vinyl, I thought I said you could call me daddy when were in private” The filly unicorn looked up in surprise, and then smiled as she saw her father’s total lack of malice in his expression. “I’m sorry...Daddy.” Vinyl repeated, this time able to face him. “That’s much better,” he smiled. Having restored her confidence, Slate then used his magic to pull a curtain away, letting some light from the afternoon sky back in. It made Vinyl flinch, but she managed to resist pleading for her father to close them again. “Now let’s talk about this afternoon,” Slate said as he lowered himself on the cleanest spot on the floor. “Am I in trouble?” Vinyl asked at once. Slate paused and thought about his answer. “In a way you are...but don’t you think you’ve been yelled at enough as it is?” The filly unicorn nodded. “Then let’s talk about your cutie mark." Until now, Vinyl’s ears had been drooped down, but in a second she had them flicked up and alert. It sounded too good to be true but Vinyl figured that her father was at least trying to listen to her. “My cutie mark?” Vinyl repeated. “Yes, it’s a very important milestone to reach in your life...so how about you tell me about it.” Vinyl felt the joy in her heart flutter back to life and without hesitation the young filly leapt up and started to talk for five uninterrupted minutes. As Slate had every reason to expect by now, any explanation from a filly like Vinyl was often a muddled affair that most grown-ups would have a hard time keeping up with. However, tasking as it was, the filly’s father managed to keep up with the erratic lecture and understand how she thought she managed to obtain her cutie mark. He could tell Vinyl did her best to explain things, despite the explanation having no chronological order and even going as far as presenting the ‘musical pages’ in her book. But in the end, only after she had caught her breath again, did Slate finally admit that he only understood maybe half of it. However, that was a small price to pay to make Vinyl happy again. “And then when you finished playing, your your flanks felt really hot?” “Yes...I thought I was on fire, but then it got cool again so I wanted to know what it was under my dress...and...” “...and then Lady Grand Scales just happened to catch you mooning the door?” “I guess so,” she replied and started to feel dejected again Much to Vinyl’s surprise, her father started to chuckle. “Oh dear...Vinyl, what we ever will do with you?” Slate responded. The reaction left her daughter more than a little confused. She had expected him to be disappointed, even mad at her, but Vinyl Scratch was unable to understand why he would laugh at something that her mother had shouted at her for. Regardless of her inability to understand, when he stopped chuckling she again made the same plea to him as she had done to her mother. “I’m sorry, Daddy... I didn't mean to cause so much trouble for everyone,” Slate paused at that, but continued on with a question to Vinyl. “I don’t think I need to tell you but do you understand what you did wrong now?” “Yes. That I shouldn't use other pony’s stuff without their permission...” Vinyl recited her mother’s words “...and that I should not show anyone my...'posterior'...on purpose.” Slate managed to only clear his throat this time at mention of the latter lesson. Now he had to hand down the punishment that a father of his rank in society was supposed to give, but in light of what he had learnt, Slate felt no need for it, and instead spoke gently as he gave his amended ruling. “Because of your cutie mark, I will forgive this as an honest mistake on your part, but please be more careful in the future” Slate declared with a more delightful tone than his wife had. “I will Daddy.” Sensing the need to move his legs, Slate returned to a standing position. He took a glance down at the ‘sheet music’ as Vinyl had described it and tried to think about the potential future her daughter had now. Evidently his offspring was destined to be a musician and if that was the case, then he would do everything in his power to help her become the very best performer she could be. That task now hit its first roadblock an entire thought later; how did one even begin to accomplish that? For one, there was the rather vague cutie mark on her daughter’s flanks. Vinyl had played the piano in order to achieve her cutie mark, but did that mean she was destined to play the piano? If so, then why didn’t the cutie mark indicate something closer to that? At asking himself that question, Slate knew at once that he would have to consider this a little more, but in the meantime, there was no harm in asking his daughter what she would like to do now. “So, have you given any thought to what kind of instrument you want to play?” Slate asked. “I’m not sure” Vinyl replied “But I’d really like a chance to play something with strings or something like that...they always sound nice.” “String instruments huh?” Slate pondered “Well, I’ll talk it over with your mother later.” “Is she still mad with me?” “A little bit, but I wouldn’t worry,” Slate assured her “Your mother is just embarrassed at the moment and really didn’t want to yell at you” “But she was so...mad” “Vinyl, sometimes the stupidest things make us grownups mad... but it doesn't mean she was disappointed” “I think I understand,” Vinyl replied, her smile growing stronger. “Then cheer up!” Slate announced “Now I know you can’t have ice cream, but I’m pretty sure I can convince your mother that some cake should be acceptable, given your accomplishments today” The news raised the filly to her feet. “You really mean it?” “I don’t see why not...getting your cutie mark is as good an excuse as any don’t you think?” he gave a knowing wink. “Oh thank you Daddy!” Vinyl jumped up to embrace her father. Upon getting her cutie mark it seemed that a whole new world had opened up and all the old misconceptions she had to put up with had been erased. It started almost at once when she went to school Monday morning and managed to amaze her classmates with not only a cutie mark, but one of the funniest stories to accompany it. As though by magic, all the foals who teased her about being a blank flank had been silenced and for a brief few days Vinyl Scratch felt like the most popular student in the classroom. The novelty of it all had worn off by mid week, but by then it had left the young filly feeling like she had seen the best days of her young life. That could’ve been more than enough to make her week special, but as her father had declared on Wednesday, her parents had decided to proceed with buying their daughter an instrument that they considered would suit Vinyl Scratch this coming weekend. At first it had initially worried her that she had been left out of that decision process, but the promise of her very own instrument had managed to assuage her own fears. Like any foal, this announcement had the effect of testing Vinyl Scratch’s patience for the rest of the week. By Friday, Vinyl could barely concentrate on her lessons as she continued to guess at what kind of instrument her parents had decided on and balanced out the positives and negatives of each possibility. But the end of the day, Vinyl decided that regardless of what she ended up with she was sure to love it. After being picked up by her father from school – a very rare occurrence itself – both father and daughter ventured into the shopping district of Canterlot where throughout the week Lord Scratch had educated himself on a suitable place to buy his daughter an instrument. Their arrival at a music store could not have come soon enough but Vinyl strived mightily to contain her anticipation, which had reached its zenith and made the filly positively glow in excitement. Bounding for the door, Vinyl’s only accommodation to patience now was to not stray far from her father. If the rare chance to spend time with her father wasn’t exciting enough, suddenly being surrounded by all manner of instruments in this quaint sized store gave cause for Vinyl’s fur to bristle. Violas, violins and cellos lined the wall, and in some places, hung from the ceiling, as if it were a lush forest of string instruments. Amongst the collection, a kindly-aged earthy pony sat behind a shop counter, having until moments ago been entranced in the task of replacing the strings on a viola. The stallion was quick to recognize the familiar face amongst the trio who just entered his shop. “Afternoon, Lord Scratch. Come by to pick up the instrument have we?” the gentle-worded storekeeper spoke from the counter then noticed the young filly that resembled the elder gentlecolt “And who might be is this little filly?” “I’m Vinyl Scratch, how do you do?” she introduced herself. The storekeeper smiled at the polite foal - a notably rare trait nowadays - and at making the connection between the two ponies, now knew why the Lord had put off picking up the instrument until today. “Is it ready for collection?” Slate asked. “But of course Lord Scratch,” the storekeeper announced “Just a moment while I collect it from the back.” The earth pony rose from his seat and with a lazy haste in his pace, trotted to a side door and disappeared. “Vinyl, why don't you have a quick look around while we wait?” “Of course.” Like any youthful filly in an interest place, Vinyl went off to tour herself around as she slowly examined the many instruments, trying to notice their differences in brand and design. It then dawned on the young unicorn had she never really had a chance to look at an instrument up close, her only encounters before being the ones at the social events and that piano in Lady Grand Salary’s home. It was as good a distraction as any for the filly who ,until moments ago, could barely contain her excitement. By the time she had performed her brief tour of the shop, the storekeeper had returned with a blue instrument case. While its color was strange compared to the dozens of black cases that Vinyl had noticed so far, pretty soon the filly noticed another distinguishing feature; on the handle she found the initials V. S. were engraved into the black handle. Vinyl was momentarily awestruck with silence. “Is this mine?” Vinyl asked in obvious surprise. “From today onwards dear,” the storekeeper announced “I hope you’ll take excellent care of it” “May I...” Vinyl asked the storekeeper. “Of course dear.” Vinyl used her magic to unlatch the case locks and with her hoof, she raised the lid to look inside. She was not disappointed one by what she found inside. No comprehensible words could describe the joy that the young unicorn felt at that moment. She turned to face her father; Slate took that as the cue to make his next announcement. “We’ll be starting lessons next week, so be ready to make good use of that instrument, Vinyl,” Slate said calmly. At feeling that she had reached the zenith of her happiness, Vinyl Scratch leapt at her parents for a second time this week to thank them repeatedly. By common agreement, the three ponies decided to take a break to stretch, and in Melody’s case, to allow herself to make room for more tea. Octavia also took the opportunity to restock both the biscuit tray and to boil the kettle again. She was up to seven cups now and if this story got any more interesting, she sensed she might break her record for consumption in a single day. Vinyl on the other hand did nothing more than lounge around await the two listeners to return; she had gone to too much effort to make herself comfortable on one of Octavia’s Sofas to feel like getting up. “You know, you never cease to amaze me” Octavia started to speak upon her return. “Here I am thinking you have never played an actual instrument in all your life and then...you well... surprise me” “Well, I guess it’s because you never thought to ask,” Vinyl Scratch replied with a grin “Then what about that time I caught you trying to play with my instrument and you admitted that you ‘don’t know how to play this,” Octavia asked wryly. “Tavi,” Vinyl chuckled “I never said I didn't know how to play any instruments, just that I didn't know how to play cello” Octavia fumed at being called out on Vinyl’s wordplay, but didn't let the cunning retort ruin her mood. “Vinyl, You really are an enigma sometimes...” Octavia muttered to herself as she returned to tend to her teapot. In a matter of minutes, both Melody and Octavia had returned to their seats. Both were now feeling refreshed and ready with refilled cups to hear more of their friend’s story. Once again discussion started with a word from Melody. “You were so lucky Miss Vinyl,” Melody started “It would’ve taken my parents years to save up for a violin...and that’s if we got good money for the crops.” That Tidbit of information caught Vinyl’s interest for a moment. “What did you parents grow?” “Sugar cane, they grow it on land to the south of Baltimare.” “I see…” Vinyl replied cautiously. Octavia took note of the careful way Vinyl answered that and again sensed the unicorn was hiding her thoughts again. For the moment though, her interest was focused on the question Melody asked. “I don’t for a moment doubt how blessed I am to have parents like mine...they are cool in their own way,” Vinyl said in a matter of fact voice “But there were some downsides to them when I was a filly” “What do you mean?” Octavia asked. “Well, let’s just say that in hindsight, I guess I didn't know what I was getting myself into at the time...Sure I loved to play music, but that apparently wasn't enough for some ponies.” If there is one important lesson any pony learns throughout their lifetime, it is the importance of understanding the difference between their personal expectations and the expectations of others. From the day one is born, whether it relates to how one does their studies or socializes, opinions are formed and from that, expectations are created. This solicitation of expectations from others stems from the natural fact that no matter the pony, one inevitably seeks the approval of their peers regardless of their potential. Under normal circumstances, adopting these expectations help form realistic and feasible goals for one to accomplish over a lifetime. However, when the expectations of others become greater than what is reasonable, often the only protection one can find from this despair is perhaps the most magical protection in the world: the foalhood’s blissful obliviousness. But from the day Vinyl Scratch first picked up her violin to play, her days of protection were numbered. At first it had not been noticeable due to the fortune that initially bequeathed the young unicorn. As her parents had hoped, Vinyl Scratch had taken to the instrument like a duck to water and it was soon reported that she was displaying an above average performance. Despite its obvious boost to her morale, those early successes would set in motion an expectation that would come to dominate the young unicorn. Vinyl Scratch’s first encounter with those expectations around her came when some of the first misimpressions she had formed about being a musician were corrected. Despite her own enthusiasm, Vinyl was told that she would not be taught how to write her own music. Her teacher had tried to alleviate her dismay by explaining that she would simply be too busy with practice, but Vinyl remained adamant that she could compose her own music. Starting on her own, Vinyl Scratch started to divide her practice time into a part-rehearsal and part-experimenting routine. Despite her best of intentions though, this routine did not hide her slackening in practice as the months wore on and the above average performance started to wane. At first it had not been a problem, but as Vinyl’s abilities with the violin started to exceed her ability to recite the compositions she was made to practice, her teacher became suspicious. It did not take long however to discover the source of the inconsistency. After another confounding afternoon of lessons with mixed results, Vinyl had made the unexpected error of leaving her bag in his studio. Whilst respecting her privacy as much as possible, in looking for what might’ve stunted the unicorn’s progress, the teacher did discover the young filly’s special book mixed along with her sheet music that had been issued. Inside, the music teacher was appalled to find an extensive – but messily organized – collection of squiggling lines, of which over half of it appeared to have been rudimentarily translated into sheet music. If it weren't for the above average handling Vinyl Scratch still displayed, the teacher would’ve been infuriated by the discovery. However, the teacher had to recognize that whilst full of good intentions, Vinyl Scratch was not doing herself any favors by distracting herself with these scribbles. Keeping the book separate from the rest of the bag, the teacher had awaited for her punctual arrival at four in the afternoon. As usual, the young unicorn entered his studio at a few minutes to four, which given the distance from her school, was a rather remarkably feat to accomplish whilst carrying an instrument on one’s back. But just as expected this afternoon, a worried look accompanied the filly as she entered, evidently aware by now of her folly. “Good afternoon sir,” Vinyl carefully spoke as she cautiously walked inside. “Good afternoon my dear,” he evenly replied “come on in, we have a lot to cover today.” The teacher did not say another word and instead waited for the unicorn to close the door and settle down in her usual spot for practice. After extracting her violin and miniature stand, Vinyl Scratch stopped and waited for her teacher to speak, knowing full well that she didn’t have her music books to read from. “Vinyl, you left your books here yesterday...I’m very disappointed in you, a musician should not be tardy or forgetful...or distracted,” he added, prompting him to pick up Vinyl’s notebook off his desk “Does this look familiar?” “Yes Sir.” “Then would you like to explain to me what this is?” “It’s what I put all my own ideas and stuff in...” While admittedly proud that she had a seemingly naïve courage to be honest, he was still not impressed and Vinyl knew it. “Vinyl dear, how many times must I tell you? You don't have the time for this horseplay...” the teacher explained “You’re here to practice every moment you can...your string work is excellent but your recitals are getting worse!” Vinyl took offense to that, more so than with the idea that her teacher had read through her personal stuff to find this secret of hers. However, there wasn't anything she could do about that and all she could do now was justify it as best as she could. “But I’m practicing every day and-” “Vinyl dear, I know you are, but it’s not enough to just practice a few times...” the teacher cut her off “you must practice, and practice, and practice some more...and then practice until you don't need the sheet music anymore, and then you practice again!” “I’m doing that...” “You are,” he paused to regain his composure “But Vinyl dear...you can’t go off and do your own thing as well” He picked up the book again as a gesture “A musician’s life is all about discipline...and neglecting in your practice is very undisciplined of you” Vinyl felt hurt at that declaration. Wasn’t going off and doing her own thing what got her a cutie mark in the first place? If not, then why was she being punished for the very thing she was good at? It made her feel low, but Vinyl stubbornly held onto her resolve, still sensing a need to fight. “So I can’t create my own music?” Vinyl asked. At that moment the teacher felt a pang of guilt for the necessary evil that was needed for correcting this filly’s behavior. In light of his regretful tone, the teacher tried a new tact; one that he hoped would resolve this problem and explain to her why she couldn’t go on with this idea of composing her own music. “Not for a very long time Vinyl...and judging by your works, you’re nowhere near mature enough to understand.” “Understand what?” Vinyl asked. “I read your notes,” the teacher explained and went on “you have no discipline even in your own ideas. you're ignoring a lot of the rules of music, now as you start to play more complex pieces, you might understand what I mean.” “What rules?” Vinyl asked. “You might not understand...but how do I put it...” the teacher pretended to be searching for the right words and then continued “Music is supposed to tell a story...and your music doesn't do that. Right now it looks like a collection of noises.” What he said had started to sound like an insult, but the filly remained calm and tried to reason with him. “Then what am I supposed to do?” Vinyl snapped in frustration “I love creating my own music...and I don't care if it’s just a collection of noises!” “Vinyl! Stop that once!” the teacher sternly warned “What you're supposed to do is learn to play...and up until now you’ve shown me a lot of potential, but the more time you waste on these...scribbles, the more harm you will do to yourself in the long run! As I said before, a musician's life is all about discipline, not playing around with sounds and pretending to be a composer!” “But I want to compose music!” Vinyl whined. The teacher frowned again drew on his deep vat of patience to ignore the filly’s singular act of immaturity. After composing his own thoughts, he started to speak. “Then you must learn how to play the music first…and when you’ve grown up and learnt how to compose music within the rules, then I promise you I’ll be the first in line to hear what you have created,” he then went on to warn her “but until then, you must work hard at improving your recital abilities...” Vinyl looked down in silence after being lectured and wondered about what she had just been told. Was she really not allowed to do what she wanted? Was the sole motivation that inadvertently led to how she had gained her cutie mark – as she had previously assumed – something she was actually not allowed to do at all? It was a depressing surprise to the filly. When Vinyl looked up again though, she was surprised to see the teacher pick up the book and hoof it towards her. “For now, I’ll let this slide since your music has managed to improve your string skills beyond my initial expectations, but please,” the teacher breathed “I would like you to leave that book at home from now on.” “Thank you.” Vinyl simply replied and quickly took custody of her book and hid it deep inside her saddlebag. The teacher sighed as he made his final comment on the subject “In the future, please keep in mind...your cutie mark has told you that your destiny is to be a musician, what would your father and mother think of you if they were to learn that you're wasting their money by playing around instead of fulfilling your destiny?” That line scored for points and he could tell by Vinyl’s reaction that it had the desired effect on her resistance. From what the young unicorn had said about her family, letting her parents down sounded like it was the real crime she feared to commit. Despite the painful look on her face at realizing what she had done, Vinyl started to comply finally. “I understand sir,” Vinyl replied with a defeated tone. “Then please open up your workbook to page 34 at once...we've wasted enough time on this subject as it is..” “Yes sir” Despite her compliance, all of a sudden she didn't feel like playing like she had only ten minutes ago. It was as if in a single moment, all the fun in playing music had been sucked out of her soul. Regardless, without resistance Vinyl collected her workbook and opened it to the appropriate page. After setting up the book on the stand, the filly finally picked up her violin and prepared to play. In her final moments of independent thought before playing, Vinyl tried to assure herself that if she started to work hard now, she just might one day get to make her own music....that is if the teacher was right about the story he just told her. It was a goal she could aim for one day at least and so with the bow in hoof and her breathing under control, the young unicorn prepared to play. “From the top!” the teacher ordered. Despite her efforts, what original enjoyment Vinyl had in playing music left her during that unfortunate afternoon. But even with the blow to her morale, she did not allow it to hamper her performance. If anything, Vinyl Scratch had become more focused on playing the violin. With every new piece, the unicorn had strained even harder to perform better than she had before and showed no sign of slowing down in her efforts. All of this renewed vigor however could be traced back to Vinyl’s mixture of new motivations and fears. On the one hoof, she had done her own research and discovered – to her hidden relief – that if she waited long enough, she had a slight chance to create her own music. That discovery went a long way in restoring Vinyl’s motivation to continue playing her violin. But on the other other hoof, in discovering what she needed to do in order to compose her own music, Vinyl was slowly starting to notice the expectations that came between her and that new goal. It had started when her mother started discussing her music lessons with her friends, emphasizing the advanced skill that Vinyl evidently rated for a filly her age. At first, that sort of boasting from her own mother bolstered Vinyl’s confidence in a new way, especially considering how guarded her parents had been in ever mentioning their daughter in discussion before. That positive feeling however became marred when those discussions had then prompted the young unicorn to demonstrate her abilities for her parent's guests, as a sort of test and confirm the validity of her mother’s claims about her talent. This particular act soon became a commonplace requirement of the young Vinyl and in a matter of weeks, the act of reciting music she had recently learnt had become a nagging errand. Vinyl soon started to compare the treatment she got as being no different from before, when her sole task accompanying her mother was to be seen and not heard. In her limited way of seeing things, all that had changed was that Vinyl had to play a song before being dismissed to the back room, where her awaiting foal-age peers would scold her hogging the attention of the grownups. Despite the negatives though, Vinyl continued to practice, perfect and perform her way along, trying mightily to keep up with those expectations along with her own self-imposed goals. She never thought of the task as easy, but even with the pseudo-mature way Vinyl attempted to deal with it, she still felt an unwelcome sort of pressure from everypony. For every achievement she reached, it seemed that she had to try even harder for the next time she was asked to impress the same ponies she performed recitals for, as she was once again doing this afternoon. Even though it no longer had the novelty as it did in the beginning, Vinyl was still expected to play, and so like many previous occasions, she stood before her mother’s friends and played. Performing a relatively short piece, she played every note well, and on the final sound, Vinyl lifted her bow and awaited the silent judges arrayed around her to pass their verdict on her performance. “Very good Vinyl, as always your music is...palpable to the ears,” Lady Grand Salary spoke in her usual dry tone, with the immediate agreement of the rest of the assembled social circle shortly following her statement. “Thank you, Lady Salary.” Vinyl bowed and lowered her instrument, knowing already her services were no longer required. “You may go now.” “Yes, Madam.” Without another word in response, the unicorn returned her instrument to its case and made her hasty departure, feeling grateful again that she had finished the one annoying errand that her mother insisted on. These performances had in fact become so tedious that she had stopped using a stand for sheet music, not because it was a sign of her talent, rather because it could let her leave the room sooner. In Vinyl’s mind, the faster she could pack up, the sooner she could leave these ungrateful listeners for the relative safety of the library. Despite the hostility she would meet there, it was more manageable than dealing with the grownup ponies she now despised. Upon reaching the library, Vinyl was greeted by her fellow regular tag-a-long whom ,as always, tried his best to put her down whenever she was required to play. Even with her cutie mark, he still felt obligated to find flaws in her character. “I Thought I heard the sound of a broken violin screeching...so another stupid performance for Ms.Vinyl Scratch the perfect?” “Oh, shove it Feather!” Vinyl replied with an annoyed frown, continuing to walk by the foal and found her own corner of the library to occupy. By common consent between the two foals, Vinyl did not take out her violin to practice and instead looked for a book to read. As she scanned the shelves, Feather Script took his chance to annoy her again. “So, how did they react? Was it so bad they all threw up and stuff?” Vinyl sighed and responded in kind. “Shouldn’t you be more concerned with your remedial magic textbook right about now?” “It’s not remedial!” Feather Script protested “It’s advanced levitation for weak magic users!” “Remedial...gotcha” Vinyl smirked as she looked for something of interest “And I honestly keep telling you, I’d rather not be playing for them.” The colt snorted at the remark. “Whatever...I don’t get why they even care to listen to you every week anyway; my mother says everyone thinks your music sucks.” That caught Vinyl’s attention. For all of Feather Script’s flaws and in spite of all the lies he told, whenever he mentioned his mother or someone else, it usually had some substance to it. She didn't like the idea of asking for clarification, especially with this spoiled brat, but the accusation piqued her concerns. Knowing that she would soon regret asking, Vinyl nonetheless wanted to know the truth. “What do you mean?” Feather Script smirked. He knew such a remark would bring out the vanity in Vinyl and it was enjoyable to watch the filly fret. “Well, I’m not sure what it is they said, but mother suggests that your performances have been worse as of late...or so I’ve been told. You could ask them, but I guess they might not tell you the truth. you know how it is...they don't want to make a baby like you cry!” Vinyl frowned at the mockery. She never had been afraid of criticism before, but as her doubts surfaced, the filly started feel both unsure and curious as to what her mother and her friends really thought of her music. Had there been the chance to, Vinyl would simply walk downstairs and demand an answer, but the unicorn knew that Grand Salary would refuse to even let her even talk. On the other hoof, Vinyl did not like the idea of letting her colt associate continue to haunt her with this accusation. So without another useless thought, the filly abandoned her quest for a book to read and went for the door. “Where are you going?” Feather asked in surprise. “I’m going to find out if that’s true. If its not, I'm going to buck your face off!” Feather Script’s worried look gave Vinyl some satisfaction, but her worries continued to fester as she left the library. Cantering along, the filly soon returned to the hallway leading to the sitting room, but just as it entered her sight, Vinyl Scratch quickly brought her pace down to an almost silent trot. After finding a place to hide behind, the filly set herself down and strained her ears to listen in. As Vinyl leaned in, she caught the discussion ensuing. “Well Brighten, it certainly looks like a hopeless cause now...she is becoming such a disappointment...and to think she had started out so well.” Grand Salary stated. The group of grownups had already dispersed with their initial exchange of pleasantries, something that Vinyl knew in society circles could take some time to finish. Now that they had settled in for their discussions, their host did not hesitate to voice the opinion she apparently struggled to hold back for quite awhile now. “I just can’t believe how painful that was to listen to! That was an absolutely atrocious performance Brighten...won’t you please get your daughter to try harder?” “Lady Grand Salary, I don't know what to say. I’ve been making her practice and I don’t understand what the problem is,” Vinyl’s mother defended herself before adding, “She is supposedly doing well according to her teacher, but I just can’t understand why she is performing so badly for you.” Grand Salary let the dire excuse hang in the air for a minute as she sipped her tea. When she felt her guest had finished explaining, the host started to rebut. “Then my dear, I think its time to look for a better teacher. This colt is too soft on your daughter and she is letting her potential slip away with these mistakes,” Grand Salary continued to explain “I warned you about this. You aren’t disciplining her enough, Brighten...and this is why she’s failing now. You let her do her own thing and this is what happens.” “But surely she will improve...it’s not that hopeless is it?” Brighten Balance pleaded. Grand Salary almost laughed at the suggestion. “Surely you cannot be that naive Brighten. A pony her age should be able to rear up on her back legs as she performs, and her performances are no better than that of a daft earth pony who decided to make noises with an instrument! Open your eyes Brighten, your daughter is showing incompetence!” Grand salary then smirked as she was about to sink the proverbial knife in further. “Though from what I’ve heard, this daughter of yours has been doing more than failing to keep up with practice...” From behind the corner, Vinyl froze in fear at what Grand Salary could possibly know about her previous problems, or what she could possibly tell her mother that she had kept a secret thus far. Curious and now festering more fear along with her already heightened anxiety, Vinyl Scratch edged closer to the corner, hoping to see as well as hear what was being said about her. “How do you mean? Vinyl practices every day, I make sure of that!” Brighten weakly argued. Grand Salary smiled wryly as her friend exposed herself to her social circle even more. Brighten was never good at controlling her emotions under stress and for as long this problem existed, Grand Salary would enjoy every minute of exploiting her. “A reliable associate told me that a friend of the mare-friend of your daughter’s teacher said that your daughter was caught attempting to compose her own music not so long ago...” Grand Salary announced to the social group. Brighten Balance froze, knowing that saying anything more would only solidify her association to her daughter’s social crimes. She had been informed of the music book not long after the discovery, but Brighten had not gone to punish Vinyl Scratch, under the pretense that her daughter had already learnt her lesson. Grand Salary however didn’t see it that way and was now punishing her for it. Grand Salary watched the fur on Brighten lose its complexion and felt a little disappointed in how strict she had to be. However, she felt that by sinking in the guilt now, it was the only way that Bright Balance could learn from her mistakes. After sipping her tea again, Grand Salary continued to lecture. “I was wondering how long you had planned on keeping that to yourself. Now if it were not affecting her talents, I would not bring this up,” she lied “but your daughter really is one of those ponies these days who lack the discipline we expect from our young. Such a shame really...if it gets out it, it could ruin your reputation!” Brighten remained silent, already thinking of a way out of her social dilemma. Would be it better to simply withdraw Vinyl from lessons? No, that would be a sign of defeat and she would be considered a quitter and a lesser pony by her peers. That meant the other alternative, something that could overcome this blight on her and her daughter’s record. Already, Brighten knew that Grand Salary would not let this disgrace go for as long as it suited her, but that in itself was an advantage. If Vinyl improved dramatically, and even got appointed to an academy or won a scholarship, then the whole mar on Brighten’s record as a mother would be erased, and her social standing could even be improved. It was something to think about as she composed her reply. However, before her words were fully formed, Grand Salary attacked again. “It’s an awful shame, I know...if your child wasn’t already cursed with such a useless profession, this would be easier to correct. I would have even settled on her becoming more like her father in that damnable rail business he runs...” At hearing that subtle insult, Brighten instantly took to the defense of her husband and daughter. “Surely you jest...she still has a future if she works hard enough” “But she isn't working hard at all. Composing her own music? How is that a sign of dedication?” Grand Salary asked. Brighten paused to think, but Grand Salary continued to speak. “Brighten, it is not enough to just perform well. For her to even have a place in the Royal Academy, she must be excellent…and even then? What sort of career will she have? She will become a noble who plays at the whim of commoners! That is not the destiny for a daughter of a Lord and a banker. If it weren’t for your dedicated support in the past to us, Brighten Balance, your reputation could not possibly survive the disgracefulness of your daughter’s destiny!” “I see...” Brighten cringed as her confidence from a few moments ago vanished. “It’s a sad state...foals like Vinyl are just typical of the youth,” Grand Salary’s diatribe to the others continued “These stupid fillies who get these useless ideas about their futures." “Foals today really aren’t like us.” another mother added. “Oh they aren't my dear...back in our day we knew our place! Be silent, be unseen and do what your mother and father tell you to do! That was how I was brought up.” Grand Salary declared. “So what is your advice Lady Salary?” Brighten finally asked. “If there is to be a future with your daughter, then it’s time you stopped treating her like a child.” Vinyl Scratch didn’t hear that last part. Her emotions had already started to breakdown and she had decided to retreat to the safety of the library before she was detected by the ladies in the room. Even though she was bound to be teased and mocked by Feather Script, at least she would be further away from these horrible ponies. Making her way back the Library, Vinyl let herself whimper as much as possible before she had to compose some restraint. It was hard to. Normally it was easy for her to shrug off insults and the like, but when it came from adults instead of ponies her age, it seemed to have a greater impact on her. Nonetheless, by the time Vinyl had returned the library, her sobbing had been reduced to a handful of sniffs. At hearing the door open, Feather Script spoke his prepared remark without looking up “Welcome back, did they admit to it?” he asked wryly. It was only when she didn’t reply that he decided to look up and saw the look on her face. Only then did he come to regret what he had said. He hadn’t lied, but he hadn’t expected her mother or her friends to actually tell Vinyl that she wasn’t good enough. By the look of Vinyl’s expression staring back at him, it had been more than just mere confirmation. She continued to say nothing and like a lifeless doll, she merely continued on in silence, trotting to the back corner where she had left her saddlebag and instrument. Feather Script traced her moved, slowly feeling worse for what he had said until he reached a breaking point. “I’m sorry...” Vinyl turned in surprise and for the first time in years saw Feather Script show genuine concern for her. Still, it just wasn’t enough to make her feel better and considering what he had said just before, somehow his apology felt like mockery. “Just leave me alone, okay?!” Vinyl hissed. With that, Feather Script made no further attempt to communicate, feeling both stupid for what he said and just a little concerned for his own well-being if Vinyl was to snap at him again. Vinyl crawled up onto a couch in the corner of the library and just sunk her head into a pillow. She didn’t say another word for the rest of the day. Whatever enjoyment Vinyl Scratch had in playing the violin left her that sordid afternoon. Even if she still found some enjoyment from playing, that would have soon been erased by the changes in her life. Following the advice of her society senior, Vinyl’s mother had gone to great lengths to overcome the supposed flaws that her daughter had. First to change was her teacher, who through some secret prodding from Grand Salary, had been encouraged to recommend Vinyl Scratch for a more advanced teacher. This new teacher, as promised, had made the old one look soft on her in comparison and through a five day a week lesson regimen, pushed the young unicorn even harder than before. On top of all that, Vinyl Scratch was still expected to attend school and get good grades. Now her days consisted purely of violin practice and homework, with little room for any sort of fun. Vinyl Scratch had tried to protest, but after the lecturing Brighten Balance had received from Grand Salary, she refused to hear her daughter’s pleas. Normally Vinyl would then defer to her father for support, but he was seldom at home now due to his work commitments. What he was doing now required him to be away for weeks at a time, with only enough time at home so he could attend the really important social functions and give updates to his clients on progress. The rail line was starting to show interest to potential investors and many who had previously mocked him were starting to buy shares in the venture. That ,however, only forced more pressure on him to complete the project sooner. Over the course of a month since that afternoon, Vinyl felt her foalhood being drained out of her as the new commitments to practice started to overtake time previously spent at play. It had started to turn her interest into music into an unending chore, and now as she was to soon discover, it was starting to have an unforeseen effect at school. For just over three weeks now, she had been attending classes with a brand new music teacher, and it showed. Vinyl Scratch, who had previously been known for boundless amounts of energy, now found herself exhausted by the time school would end for the day. It had caused her to become reluctant in playing with the other fillies and colts who had had nothing like the routine she had to keep up with. Once again, school had already ended for the day, but unlike other foals, this daily milestone was no longer one of elation for Vinyl Scratch. All it meant was that it was time to go to her next violin lesson. After putting her pencils and books away, the alabaster unicorn used a brief moment of respite to look at the piece of paper on her desk. It was her end of term report card; something that Vinyl had been dreading before, but to her fortune had seen no reason to fret. With the exception of her math class – a subject she only got a B+ in – Vinyl Scratch was still at the top of her game academically, but now at the cost of many recent late nights studying. What respite she was having ended when another off-white unicorn approached her desk. “Hey Vinyl!” Vanilla Blossom asked “Do you want to go to the park today?” The unicorn stopped cradling the piece of paper she had been looking at and turned to see her long-time friend and fellow classmate. “Sorry?” Vinyl answered in surprise before she returned her gaze to the paper she had been reading. “I said do you want come play with us at the park?” “Oh,” Vinyl replied before giving an answer “I’m sorry, Vanilla. I have practice in half an hour.” The fellow filly frowned, but ignored that rejection. With her still weak magic, Vanilla levitated out an envelope in front of Vinyl. “What’s this?” “You promised you would come to my party remember,” Vanilla continued to refresh her friend’s memory “So here is your invite!” Vinyl was still at ‘She promised’. “I did?” “Yes you did!” After putting away the report card, Vinyl Scratch blinked her eyes as if to test if she could still see and tried to recall when or where she might’ve agreed to something like that. Her memory was foggy and what came to mind right away was something else entirely. Taking a look at the letter, she opened it to take a look at the date. To her dismay it was for a Saturday a week from now. “So can you come?” “I’m not sure” Vinyl replied. Vanilla Blossom fumed at her friend’s uneasy response. “Oh, come on Vinyl! Why can’t you? You’re starting to worry everyone about why you have been avoiding us lately…and now this?” “Wait…I’m avoiding you?” Vinyl asked. “Yeah!” Vanilla replied furiously “You won't play with us anymore. You always act so tired but then you say you have lessons everyday!” Vinyl sighed as she used her forehooves to massage around the horn; she could already feel a headache coming on. Is this what her friends really thought? It was true she had not hung out with them lately but Vinyl didn’t suspect this sort of reaction from her friends. The filly sighed and tried to consider her options, and decided to try to make an effort of assuring her friend and classmate. “Vanilla, I’ll try my best…I’ll ask my mother tonight if I can go to your birthday party.” Vanilla Blossom looked at her friend with a careful eye. This had not been the first time Vinyl Scratch had lied to her or her friends in recent weeks. There were the countless games of hoofball she passed up, the broken promises about coming over to visit and the lunchtimes where Vinyl Scratch simply refused to do anything exciting with her friends. However, Vanilla also acknowledged that her friend wasn’t looking her best, the harsh brown bags under Vinyl’s eyes spoke volumes that the youthful filly was going through a tough period. She didn’t understand why that was the case, but had felt that inviting her dear friend out might give the young unicorn some respite from what troubles she was going through. “Okay Vinyl,” Vanilla Blossom replied cautiously “I really hope you can make it to this party…it’s been so long since we’ve had time to play together.” “I know” Vinyl answered. It wasn’t a reply so much as it breathe of air. The time had already come for the filly to start making her way to her music lesson. Enough time had been wasted in the brief few minutes between the end of her school day and now, any further waste of time would only cause Vinyl Scratch to be late for her class. Putting both the report card and the birthday invitation away, Vinyl rose from her haunches and started to pack away the last of her stationery. “Vanilla, I hope I can make it to the party,” Vinyl continued as she lugged her Violin case onto her back “I’ll see you tomorrow.” “Take care, Vinyl!” “See you later” Vinyl almost whispered. She simply didn’t have the energy to put into a more cheerful response. Vanilla Blossom went her own way, leaving Vinyl Scratch to walk out to the school gates alone and off to her lesson. It seemed rather metaphorical of the situation Vinyl suddenly realized she had created. She had thought her friends would understand what she was going through, and that practice sessions were important for her future. But even the young the filly had to admit that her patience might’ve been worn down by the constant excuses that she herself had given in recent weeks. With that in mind, Vinyl Scratch decided it was time for some personal intervention on her part. Her answer was predictable. “For the last time,” Brighten Balance explained “You cannot go!” “Why can’t I go?” Vinyl Scratch pleaded. Brighten groaned. Vinyl Scratch could be a very stubborn filly sometimes, even when it was a situation where should know better. The mother had already given a logical reason to her choice, but upon rejecting that, there was really no other option but to repeat in clearer terms her decision. “Because I said so, Vinyl,” Brighten repeated, before adding on, “These grades are appalling! I won’t reward you for this sort of performance!” As if to punctuate her point, Brighten levitated the report card up to show her daughter, even though she was on the other side of the dinner table. “But they aren’t bad…the teacher says I did very well in everything!” “Except math,” Bright promptly responded “And is this an A- in magic studies? Would you care to explain yourself?” Vinyl frowned. Wasn’t an A- good enough anymore? It was actually the best grade she had ever gotten for magic studies and considering that Vinyl was a B average student, she had expected her mother to be pleased with the results in this report card. But that previous expectation didn’t seem to matter right now, what with the overall change in her mother’s attitude as of late. Ever since that afternoon, Vinyl’s mother had become rather hard to please and the filly couldn’t understand why. Almost overnight, Vinyl’s mother had gone from a passive interest in her academics and violin practice, to an almost fanatical level of obsession. That had not made it easy for Vinyl, who was not used to overworking herself, yet in a short span of time, the expectations she had to deal with had vastly increased. In addition to her regular school studies, Vinyl was now attending violin lessons six days a week and practicing an additional three hours a night. This regimen was compounded by more traditional studies in all her school subjects; something that was using up all her free time. Finally – and rather insultingly to the above average student – for the first time in ages, all of this was done under the supervision of a housemaid to ensure no distractions. Yet for all of her reluctant grumbles and all of the hard work that Vinyl had struggled to accomplish in recent weeks, it was all for nothing. Even if it was her best result to date, her mother had coldly dismissed the filly’s hard work as not ‘good enough’. Now starved of approval after all her hard work, Vinyl continued to complain. “But mother! I did far better in my magic exam! I was fourth best in my class!” “That’s not good enough Vinyl…not for your age!” Brighten lashed out “Vinyl, I’ve given too much slack to you in the past, but I’m not giving you anymore!” Brighten fumed at Vinyl and remembered to send a strongly worded letter of reprimand to the mother of Vanilla Blossom. Brighten could no longer afford to see her daughter distracted by trivial things, and worse, allow her classmates to prevent her from achieving well. Grand Salary had warned her about the latter, at how it was just possible that her friends at school were conspiring to ensure that Vinyl would continue to fail. The possible ramifications of that alone made Brighten feel justified; no matter how cruel it seemed to Vinyl, it was for the best. But Vinyl stubbornly refused to quit and in desperation tried again to justify her simple request. “But mother, that’s not fair,” Vinyl complained loudly “You get to go to parties all the time! Why can’t I go to one?” That statement set Brighten off. Her shouting could have been heard outside on the street. “Because I earned that privilege Vinyl!” Brighten exploded “I worked every day of my life to be able to attend those parties! To have this house! To have my Job! And most important of all; to make sure you would be provided for! So I won’t let you, or your immature antics reflect poorly on the reputation I made and all the hard work I did to get here!” Vinyl cringed and almost hid under the table after being shouted at like that. Her mother had been angry with her before, but never this angry. Even with all her resilience in fighting with her mother, Vinyl felt broken from hearing that. “But what about my friends?” “Your friends do not matter anymore, only your future does” Brighten announced in a chilling tone “Everything you do now that you have your cutie mark reflects upon how I’ve brought you up, and I will no longer allow you to make me look like a fool!” Vinyl crumpled to her haunches. She simply couldn't stand and fight anymore. “Do you understand Vinyl?” Brighten asked in a calmer voice. The filly didn’t reply at first, instead mumbling out something that resembled a reply. “I said do you understand Vinyl?!” Brighten raised her voice again. “Yes,” Vinyl weakly sniffed out. “Good,” Brighten sighed then continued. Her argument had been won, but she had been forced to shout. Brighten regretted the harsh tone but it was unavoidable; If Grand Salary's implied threat was genuine, then she could not risk further potential embarrassments, like allowing trivial events like foals birthday parties to impact on Vinyl's potential. It was a necessary evil, but even with her justifications, it still felt unfair. “Now go to your room and finish your reading” Brighten started to speak. “But what about dessert...” Vinyl weakly asked. “Not after that outburst young lady,” Brighten continued to discipline “No ice cream for a week, understood?” This time, Vinyl simply sobbed silently as she nodded her acceptance. Silently, she vacated her seat at the dinner table and trotted back to her room. Vinyl tried her best to not cry. She felt too old to express that emotion in public, yet it took all her restraint to hold it back as she retreated up the stairs to the privacy of her room. Upon returning to her room however, Vinyl Scratch only needed to look at her favorite doll on the bed to be drawn towards it for the comfort she now desperately sought. Once the doll was firmly in her grasp and she hidden under a blanket, Vinyl finally allowed herself to cry.