“Octavia… sh-she… she’s beautiful…”

    The sheer wonder and adoration in the DJ mare’s voice soothed all the tension and worry that had built up in Octavia’s body since she stepped off the train from Manehatten to Canterlot. Vinyl Scratch’s ruby eyes, unrestricted from their glass barriers, were wide in delight, staring at every inch of the little filly on the photo. With a relieved sigh, Octavia set a small booklet on their worn coffee table.

    “She made this for us,” she whispered to Vinyl, smiling warmly down at the little gift, “Short stories, drawings, even a musical score… the Manehatten Orphanage had enrolled Firelight in one of their musical programs, even at her young age!”

    Vinyl blinked at her marefriend in surprise, then grinned again at the photo, a gleam of pride lighting her eyes.

    “The creatives will rule all, Tavi!” she cackled out, horn gleaming for a moment before a subtle backbeat began to play from her gear, stashed away in one corner.

    Octavia couldn’t make herself roll her eyes and play the game today. She was too busy wiping at her eyes, relieved to see the familiar energy and zest for life in the mare she loved. The past few months had been difficult on both of them; an attempt to use a spell to have Vinyl conceive between them had ended in a miscarriage, along with a powerfully depressing diagnosis from their attending doctor: Octavia was completely barren, and Vinyl suffered from a genetic disorder that made any pregnancy incredibly risky, and unlikely to end in a healthy birth. The self-loathing and horror in Vinyl’s eyes that day had given Octavia nightmares for weeks after, and both had neglected their music for some time, in their melancholy.

    It had been a simple flier that had changed that. Head bowed and simply trying to gather food from the local market to keep herself and Vinyl going, Octavia had been hit full in the face by a flier on the breeze. Scowling and snarling, she had ripped it off, trying to summon some kind of anger-eye-beam to burn it apart, only to notice the cover.

Support the Orphans of Equestria!

Young ponies looking for pen pals and families.

No cash donation is required.

Give them a chance.

    The flier was simple, made of a soft blue paper with a grey border and stamped with the approval of the Lunar Social Directive, but it had been a life-changer for the two mares. Vinyl had been understandably hesitant to sign up for the program at first, but Octavia had been insistent. She wasn’t sure why, but the flier had infused her with a desire to finally kick the slump they had been in, and perhaps it could even lead to… bigger and better things.

    “Did she like the CD?” Vinyl asked Octavia softly, gazing up at her with a small mix of fear and anticipation.

    “She played it the entire time I was there,” Octavia teased, leaning over to give her ear an affectionate kiss, “The whole building was shaking.”

    Vinyl’s answering grin was blinding. Firelight had been sucking up any amount of music from her pen pals that she possibly could, and when Vinyl and Octavia had read in one of their letters that the young filly had been spending her own money to get the music, they had instantly sent every recorded piece straight to her, free of charge. The answering letter had been stained with many happy tears. Craning her neck a bit, Octavia smiled fondly down at the photo Vinyl was stroking with a hoof.

    The little filly was beautiful. With a slicked and spiky mane of blue undertones and fiery points, and a mane of soft grey, she had a blinding little smile and a pair of bright, eager blue eyes, and her wings were spread wing, revealing grey feathers with the tips edged in blue and fire red. In the picture, she sported a set of blue glasses on her head, and a little blue bowtie, both gifts from her pen pals. Her cutie mark, a sixteenth note spiraling with blue and red, was just visible on her flank. A few tear drops fell on the photo, and Octavia jerked back in surprise, feeling the wetness staining her muzzle. She sheepishly glanced over Vinyl, who sported the same tell-tale marks.

    “We can’t bring her to Canterlot, can we Tavi?”

    A wince ran through Octavia as she stood on her hind legs at the kitchen counter, and Vinyl sighed softly at the nonverbal answer. She had expected it, really. They had known, even during the pregnancy attempt, that coming out as a fillyfooler couple with a family would not be taken well by the more conservative ponies of Canterlot. She had done some research into the Equestrian adoption policies and found that it tended to rely more on city ordinance than royal law. And from what she had found during the trip to the City Hall…

“No, Vinyl, we couldn’t,” Octavia replied quietly, sitting back on her haunches and reaching up to rub her eyes, “I talked to the headmaster while I was there.”

Vinyl was already up and moving while Octavia spoke, wrapping her forelegs around her earth pony lover and nuzzling into the soft mass of her mane. It smelled of vanilla and wood polish, as usual.

“He said we would have to have a residence or plan to have one in a short amount of time before he would allow the transfer and adoption. And the Canterlot City Council had disallowed the transfer to… our kind of couples, several years ago. We would have to move.”

“ ‘kay. Where to?”

    The suddenness of the reply seemed to surprise both of them, but Vinyl quickly squelched her own, steeling herself. Navigating the tricky club scene all her life, Vinyl Scratch had long since learned to trust her instincts, and at that moment, every point of her heart, soul, and mind were practically screaming at her to push forward at this with all her might. Firelight called to her. That little filly needed a family. She was a happy-go-lucky little mare, but even notoriously “overlook everything” Vinyl Scratch could see the want, the desperate need for love she exuded in every letter and phone call. And if she couldn’t have her own child naturally, well…

“A-are you sure, Vinyl?” Octavia asked her slowly, biting her lip, “You’ll be giving up the Canterlot club-”

A marshmellowy hoof gently settled over Octavia’s lips, and Vinyl smiled softly as tears rose to her ruby eyes.

“I’d give up everything to make our family whole, Tavs.”

**********************

Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Philharmonica both smiled sunnily as they stepped off the train from Ponyville; Vinyl had a stuffed backpack on her withers, while Octavia had a briefcase tied amongst her saddlebags. She wore a soft grey dress and a grey-pink scarf, while Vinyl had taken the opportunity at Ponyville to get a new black-blue suit from Rarity’s boutique. The trip to the little town had gone very well. Ponyville had struck down any anti-fillyfooler laws it had in place decades ago, and Mayor Mare and Princess Twilight had been more than welcoming when the two mares had asked about quickly moving to the small village. They had arranged to buy a cottage by Sweet Apple Acres, and a group of delivery ponies from the Royal Equestrian Mail Service would be picking up their belongings from Canterlot. All they had to do now… was get Firelight.

The Manehatten train station was packed, but Celestia help you if you stood in the way of the two well-dressed mares. Vinyl’s magic, more than a few times, yanked too-slow ponies out of the way as they cantered through the mess briskly. The streets were no less congested, but they would not be slowed. This meant too much to both mares, and Firelight… Firelight was waiting. The orphanage was a massive brick building, towering over the apartments on either side. It was made in the old Celestial style, and was certainly inspiring… sadness-inspiring. To Vinyl, it looked far too much like a prison, not a place for children.

The nervous mares exchanged glances. Octavia’s eyes were filled with anticipation and nervousness, and a shaky smile split her muzzle. Vinyl’s eyes held more in the line of self-deprecation, but Octavia’s smile banished the melancholy thoughts, and the bright, playful eyes of her DJ side began to show. With a set of dual nods, they trotted inside.

Firelight was curled tightly in her little bunk near the back of the sleeping dorm, her face buried in the grey scarf Miss Octavia had left for her. It was soft, and had just the faintest scent of vanilla to it. She had scented the same when Octavia had given her a hug, and now… she just wanted her back. Her smile had lit up Firelight’s soul, and she could already feel the beginnings of a song forming in the back of her mind. Maybe a violin piece, or something with some ponies singing in the background…

She winced as she heard the door to the dorm-barracks opened, and she curled further into herself, wings wrapping tightly until she was just a ball of fur and feathers around a strip of cotton and silk. Just go away, she prayed. She wanted to be alone, and try not to think of how lonely this all was. Firelight held no major hopes that this would lead to anything. Twister and Fast Flight had both been in contact with possible families for months, until the letters had stopped coming, and they never visited… As amazing as the gifts were, and the visit, Firelight knew that Miss Octavia and the awesome DJ probably would find a better foal in one of the other orphanages around Equestria. There had to-

“Firelight?”

The world stopped.

“M… m-miss Octavia?” Firelight breathed, uncurling and kicking her legs frantically, whining as her wings refused to get around in place.

No, no, she was looking like an idiot! Quickly tearing eyes turned to look down from her perch on the bunk. It WAS Miss Octavia, /and/ Vinyl Scratch. They were both dressed in their Sunday best, and were smirking up at her. Her eyes closed quickly, emotions rolling around in her little heart. Why did they have to come then? Yes, she had wanted them to, but she was about to burst into tears, and that was just foalish not-

A warm, gentle grip lifted Firelight from the bed, and her eyes opened in surprise. The aura, a mix of blue and grey, hung around her body like a warm mist, and drew her down into the waiting arms of both mares. Up close, the little pegasus could see that the smirks were more like adoring smiles, and neither of the older mares had a dry eye. Vinyl embraced her tightly, and Firelight’s muzzle pressed against her mane. It was sharper, with a soft chemical scent that was surprisingly reassuring; strength, maybe.

Glancing around after a moment, Firelight noted with some surprise that all of her things had been settled into a set of saddlebags and suitcases at the foot of the beds. Then it hit her with all the strength and subtlety of a speeding freight train. She peered at first Vinyl, then Octavia, hope growing with each reassuring smile that was given to her. The tearful cheer and sobs could be heard all the way outside, and all those outside could smile. A new family had been made.

Next Chapter: Chapter 3- New Beginnings Estimated time remaining: 6 Minutes