//------------------------------//
// Chapter one, a new story 
// Story: Con Sordina, an Octavia & Vinyl Story 
// by TheOneAJ 
//------------------------------//

She ran, just to make it to the train on time.

For the most part, everything had worked out as planned. She had her violin, a suitcase packed with what little else she cherished, and even a fair amount of bits she had saved up. Granted, while she had all these things, her ‘plan’ had only had two problems. The first being the nerve to even do this; Hop onto a train, get away from her controlled life, and live the way she wanted to. Which, at one point, she had asked herself if her life really was ‘that bad.’ She knew  a lot of ponies in Trottingham who had it much worse. Poor and rich alike.
 
However, what had proven to finally do her in, was when she suggested to play her violin—the one thing she loved most, what was her ‘worthless’ cutie mark for as her mother put it—at her wedding. She’d done everything she was told to do, and she was no longer a foal, so surely, she had earned that right. Of course, when she suggested this, her mother laughed. No, she roared with laughter, and told her that she had no more need for such ‘foalish’ things. Even her normal threats against her mother that had allowed her to keep her prized instrument did no good this time. Now that the marriage was secured, it no longer mattered. Instead, even as they picked out a dress, her mother talked about smashing it into firewood and focused more on how to please her husband so she could pop out an heir. Thinking that she had won.
 
How wrong her mother had been this time.
 
The second problem, the escape, came much easier. Her family was rich, so she owned a lot of jewelry that could get her by. Affording a train ticket wasn't a problem for her. Hopefully, she also had enough to start over somewhere far from Trottingham. At least until that ran out and she needed to get a job, but that didn’t seem too bad. Anything sounded better than her mother’s laid out plans.
 
The only reasons she was doing this on the day of the wedding, instead of before, was because she was being watched like a hawk. Plus, she didn’t want to leave without her violin.
 
Thankfully, with a little bribing and clever wording, she was able to get her prized instrument transported to the vendor hall where the wedding was set to take place. Saying it needed to get there by order of her mother for the reception along with her suitcase, stuffed with the bits.
 
After that, nopony asked any questions.
 
Once at the wedding hall, she got into her gown, then said she wanted some private time in her changing room. Nopony even gave her a second glance. Nopony thought she would undress, slip into her favorite bowtie she was never allowed to wear, dye her mane a new color, climb out the window, retrieve her belongings, and then trot towards the nearest train station.  
 
That had all been simple. What wasn’t, was realizing she hadn’t figured out the train schedule. And with the next one leaving only minutes once she bought her ticket, and unwilling to risk being caught as she waited for the next one,  she ran. She ran faster than she ever thought she could, violin case and bag of bits. Panting, eyes widened as the train blew its whistle.
 
She almost didn’t make it. The conductor almost didn’t even let her on as it was ‘protocol’ as the train started up.
 
 “Sorry, miss, no—OHP!”
 
Not caring, she slammed into him with full force as the train started to forward.
 
 “Sorry,” she sighed with relief once on board. “I really needed to catch this train.”
 
“No kidding.” The conductor grunted.
 
She gave the stallion a generous tip to let it slide. Then, free at last, she took her seat and relaxed for the first time in her life. This was actually happening, she was actually doing this. She was about to go and live her own life the way she wanted to.
 
She started to think about, some rather nasty thoughts.
 
She hated to stoop to her mother's level and think nasty thoughts about ponies. However, after everything she had been through, it felt earned. So, she began to think about what was likely happening at the wedding now. At best, no one would suspect anything just yet. Perhaps some would think she was in her dressing room, getting ready for the big day. Maybe by now they were thinking about her having cold feet, but that be all for a awhile.  Sooner or later, somepony would knock on the door. When she wouldn’t answer back, her mother would come along and buck the door down, only to find she wasn’t there.
 
Oh, how she would pay to see the look on her mother's’ face as the reality hit her. Though, being far away from what came next made up for it. Ponies being fired left and right as her mother ranted, all while trying to stall the wedding for as long as possible.
 
She started to feel a little bad for the wedding guests. She was sure most of them would begin to suspect what had happened shortly once her mother said the wedding would be in ‘just a bit.’ How long would it take before the first ponies realized there would be no wedding? She was sure most of them would figure it out within an hour, followed by the first few leaving to hit the bars within two.
 
The closer family members of the ex- groom would hold on a little longer. At least she didn’t have to feel bad for that little snob. Unlike other mares, she hung out with him often. Sadly, he was every bit of a snob a high-born noble could be. Not that she couldn’t feel bad for him. If it weren’t for that one time, she’d be no better than all those snooty ponies her mother made her hang out with to gain ‘influence’ from.
 
Her thoughts were interrupted by the conductor.
 
“I presume you do have a ticket at least, miss?”
 
She smirked, then presented her ticket. As the conductor glanced it over, Octavia held her breath. What if she got the wrong ticket? What if they had to send her back? She couldn’t, she wouldn’t! She’d rather—
 
The conductor punched a hole into her ticket and tipped his hat upon giving it back to her. “Have a nice day.”
 
With that, it was over. She wasn’t sure where she was going, as long as it was far from Trottingham. Now being a good time to find out, she looked at her ticket and noticed, ‘Manehattan,’ was written in bold lettering on the ticket. Wherever that was, it didn’t matter. .She knew it was across the way in Equestria, but  she had other things to think about
 
She wouldn’t settle in Manehattan. No. Her mother would pay for private investigators to track her down. The first thing they do would be to consult with trains to narrow down where she had went. Ask anyone who worked there if they recognized her. And while she had been smart in dyeing her mane. Which had taken some time to dry, but the risk was worth the reward now that she was safe. But they could also ask if they had seen a mare in a hurry with a violin case. Then it would be only a matter of time before they found her.
 
The safest bet she had would be to board a different train once she reached Manehattan. From there, while she knew it wouldn’t be impossible, it would be much harder for them to track her. Not that she would let them find her that easily. Because even if they did, she was never going back.
 
Looking out the window, she happened to see her family manor pass by in the distance. The tall walls, the spikey gates, the cold silver paint, and those horrible tulips in the gardens. If things went as they should, she would never see any of those flowers again.
 
She grinned, as her hoof made circles on her violin case.
 
***** 
 
“Are you alone?” A voice jolted her out of her trance.
 
She had been staring at the countryside. Each passing second taking her further and further away from her old life to a better one. Having been still a bit on guard, she jumped and glanced at the pony who had spoken to her, and tensed up.
 
“Um… Yes. I mean, sorry.

It was a cream colored earth pony with a pink and purple mane along with three candies for a cutie mark, staring right at her, tilting her head at the response.
 
Talking and interacting with ponies had never been her strong area. Part of which came from her fear of saying the wrong things and hearing about it later. The other part, was just a part of who she was that her mother tried to change.
 
“No problem. This spot free then?”
 
She took in a deep breath. She had gotten plenty of lectures from her mother not to talk to strangers, among other things. Which was one of the few things she had happily agreed with. What’s more, she had known her mother to spy on her with servants who said they were her friends, and just wanted to get along.  Only to turn on her whenever she spoke of plans to escape in her pre-teen years. 
 
On the other hoof,  it didn’t matter. This mare had seen her, so if she was in allegiance with her mother, there was no point in avoiding her. Besides, she knew she had to get over some of her insecurity fears if she was going to survive. This seemed like a good place to get some practice in.
 
“Yes. You…” she motioned to the seat adjacent to herself. “Would you like to have a seat?”
 
“Yes, I would. Thank you.” With that, the earth pony moved into the compartment. “So, where are you heading?”
 
 “Um… Nowhere special.  Where are you going?”
 
The mare chuckled. “What? You just hopped on a train not knowing where you were going?”
 
 “You could say that. I… I’d rather not talk about it.” She looked away.
 
The mare titled her head. “Oh dear. I mean…. You know, it’s not my business. My name is Bon Bon.”
  
She blinked "Oh, um… Octavia.”
 
The ponies remained silent for a moment, not sure of what to say. Until Octavia boldly spoke, “You think it’s that strange? I mean, starting over? Hopping on a train, getting away from the life you’ve known, hoping for a better tomorrow?”
 
Bon Bon bit her lip. “ Well, was your life, or whatever you’re trying to run from, that—”
 
“Yes!”
 
Bon Bon flinched.
 
Octavia sighed. “Sorry… I know ponies on your end would say ‘I’m sure it wasn’t that bad’ or maybe, ‘I’m sure your mother had her reasons…” A tear ran down Octavia’s chin. “But… But it was. Dear Celestia it was!” She then threw her hooves onto her face and cried. At long last, she could let loose her tears. Maybe it would cost her this friend opportunity, but if—
 
She stiffened as Bon Bon took a seat next to her, wrapping a hoof around her back. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry.”
 
Octavia wiped a tear. “It’s… It’s fine.” Normally, she didn’t like ponies touching her. However, as she continued to cry, the hug allowed her to feel much better far sooner.
 
“Do you want to talk about it?”
 
Octavia thought for a moment. Then remembered that she hadn’t known this mare for that long. “No. I could just… Just use a friend if that’s alright.”
 
Sighing, Bon Bon nodded, “Of course.”
 
For a minute, there was just silence. Which was fine with Octavia. Until Bon Bon said, “Ponyville.”
 
Octavia looked up. “Huh?”
 
“That’s um, where I’m from.” Bon Bon bit her lip. “I, er, took this train because… The next train to Ponyville wasn’t going to run till tomorrow, and I wanted to get home sooner. So I figured, Manehattan's station would be… sooner.” She then looked around nervously. “If you don’t know where to go, that might be a good place to start out. Good community, countryside setting, it’s everything you could want.”
 
Chuckling, Octavia sat herself back up. “Well, I suppose I could hear my mother now going, ‘Octavia, don’t trust strangers.’”
 
Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like a smart mother.”
 
“And of course,” Octavia continued, not having heard Bon Bon’s remark, “‘Because they are the scum of the earth. If you don’t treat the peasants like the garbage they are, you’ll look weak and pathetic and I’ll serve you tulips for dinner again.’”
 
Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. “Tulips?”
 
Octavia frowned. “Yes. I’m… horribly allergic… Mother would find serving them for my supper a fitting punishment if I stepped out of line.” Her head shrank. “Or she would just sneak in enough to cause me headaches at night.”
 
Bon Bon’s eyes widened. “Oh my…”
 
Sighing, Octavia leaned back into her seat. “But that’s all behind me now. I got my violin, a new friend, and some idea of where I’m going. What more could a runaway rich girl want?”
 
Bon Bon didn’t respond, supposedly deep in thought, which Octavia didn’t mind as the train continued onward towards her new home.
 
******
 
They arrived at Manehattan station around seven o’clock that night. While most of the ride had been in silence—which was fine with Octavia—the two had gotten to know each other a little more. Octavia would rant about her love of music, while Bon Bon explained that she ran a candy store. There wasn’t much more to it than that, but despite the two having different interests, Octavia slowly worked up the nerve to speak more clearly. Which seemed to make Bon Bon happier the closer they got to Manehattan station.
 
After ensuring all their luggage was accounted for, the two mares went to see when the next train to Ponyville would be departing.
 
“Looks like we have to wait for an hour,” Bon Bon noted after they bought their tickets. “Not enough time for sightseeing, but we could get some dinner if you want.”
 
Octavia’s stomach rumbled. “Sure thing. Anything you’re in the mood for?”
 
“I’d say some hayburgers would be a good, quick, cheap choice.”
 
Octavia raised a hoof forward. “Then lead the way, your grace.”
 
 They laughed as Bon Bon lead the way to the nearest burger stand. Octavia saved them a table while Bon Bon ordered. When the food was brought forward, Octavia’s jaw dropped when Bon Bon lugged their meal forward. “All… all of this?”
 
Bon Bon backup. “Yeah…”
 
Octavia blinked. “I hope this didn’t cost too much.”
 
Bon Bon tilted her head. “Not really. Only about five bits.”
 
“Each?”
 
“No, the whole…” Her eyes widened as Octavia dove into her meal.
 
Hunger driving her primal, she gorged herself. Never having tasted something so greasy, she gulped down most of the food in seconds. She was so lost in the meal, she paused only once when she was halfway through her fries to look up at the dumbstruck mare.
 
“Hungry?” Bon Bon chuckled.
 
“Sorry.” Octavia wiped her chin. “I’ve always been on a diet.” A starving one, recently. She thought to herself. “In any case,” Octavia pulled out her bit bag.
 
Bon Bon waved a hoof. “Nah, it’s on me.”
 
Octavia looked up from her bag. “Are you sure? I’d hate to intrude.”
 
Bon Bon chuckled nervously. “Just think of it as a gift from a new friend.”
 
The word made Octavia feel warm inside. “Thank you.” She then noticed the ketchup on her chin. “Though, I guess I better clean myself up. Excuse me.” She then carried her violin case to the restroom, leaving Bon Bon to her thoughts.
 
Looking back and forth throughout the station, Bon Bon pulled out a piece of parchment, reading the orders if she was to find the mare in question. Bon Bon had known who Octavia was. Not right away, but her training told her that she was the one. However, after everything she had heard from ‘her’, she boldly crumpled up the parchment and threw it into the nearest trash can.
 
“Hey,” Octavia said upon her return. Going back to her meal, this time eating much slower. “Is something wrong?”
 
Bon Bon slowly chewed on her burger. “Absolutely nothing. Don’t you worry about a thing, Octavia.”