Valeria smiled as she left the apartment, the parchment still in her mouth. She knew exactly what to do and she hoped that she could repay her daughter for some of the pain she had gone through by helping her marefriend. Even if Octavia wouldn't know that she had participated in this, it would be worth every single bit in the end.

Her first stop lead her to the city hall. There was no architect marked in the texts to the theater, but she figured that city hall had kept records of it. Valeria wanted to involve somepony that knew how that architect had worked, and for that she needed a name. Out of experience she knew that if she had the right pony do the renovations, the theater would shine just like it did in the past, maybe even brighter.

Quickly, she reached city hall and walked in, straight to a counter where a bored stallion sat. Valeria dropped the parchment on his desk and smiled as she asked, “Excuse me, sir? My name is Valeria, and I would like to know the name of the architect of this building. There is nothing noted in here.”

The stallion, still with the same expression, took the scroll and looked over it. “Ah, the theater that crazy mare bought. If you ask me, it's a waste of time and bits,” he murmured. “But I'll go to the archives and take a look, see if we have it on file.” With that, he left, slowly walking through a door.

He looks like Legretto's secretary; completely bored after doing the same thing for years, Valeria thought.

She waited patiently for a few minutes before the stallion came back with a pretty old looking folder, thoroughly chewed on by time. He set it down and opened it, making Valeria gasp at the date. The theater was over 800 years old, which made it almost as old as Celestia’s castle.

“Um… Is there a chance that someone is left who knew the architect or part of his design after so many years?” She asked the stallion.

He grunted. “The chances are pretty much nill, Well…” he paused as he examined the records a second time, just to make sure that he had read it right. “Actually there is a pony that knew him. The stallion that built the theater was Quick Nail, his main residence was Canterlot. And he build it on permit of... Princess Celestia herself. But I seriously doubt the princess will have time to help you.”

“Is there any harm in asking?” Valeria cocked her head. “Anyways, thank you very much,” she added before taking the parchment back.

“Hmpf, good luck, you’re gonna need it.”

“You want to go where?!” Vinyl asked, eyes wide.

“I have to go to Canterlot to ask the only pony that knew the architect for advice,” Valeria replied. “You want it to be the best theater in the world for Octavia, don't you?”

“Of course!”

“Then I have to do this. Will you accompany me to the hospital? I have to talk to Legretto and to Octavia, if she is awake.”

“Yeah, just don't expect me to come with you to your husband,” Vinyl said, growling.

Valeria chuckled. “I think we have had enough violence for the time being.”

They silently exited the apartment and started walking, just as Valeria caught up, a random thought occurred to her. “Are you going to marry my daughter someday?”

Vinyl gasped and almost tripped over her own hooves. She blushed and averted her gaze, trying to avoid Valeria’s. “I… umm… what do you ask for?”

“Just being nosey,” Valeria said with a smile at how flustered Vinyl had become to such a simple question. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Gulping, Vinyl said, “I thought about it, yeah.”

“I won’t lie, I always wanted grandfoals, but I guess as long as you make her happy, it's enough for me,” Valeria sighed playfully.

“There would be a way.”

“Pardon me?”

As answer, Vinyl tapped her horn. “Unicorn, remember? There are… certain spells that allow mares to get a foal.”

Valeria smiled knowingly. “You’ve researched the matter?” She pulled upon all her experience not to let her grin give away just what she thought of that little tidbit.

“We discussed it a while ago, together. About… foals I mean,” Vinyl replied and then stood up a little straighter. “I… I like the thought of a little filly that looks like Octavia running through our home. Or maybe a mixture of us both? I couldn’t help but go to the library one day and researched the matter. I just have to learn the spell and we're good.”

“That is extremely interesting. I never knew that was even possible,” Valeria said while humming to herself.

“The spell is pretty new, only a few years old. Before it, the only ones capable to… do such things were alicorns. And I doubt that any of the princesses would cast a spell on me just to have foals with Tavi.”

“Don't underestimate the generosity of our princesses,” Valeria replied. “They are far more like we are than we think. They are ponies, we just tend to forget about that.”

“Well, I still doubt they would've done it with what the spell does...”

“What does it do?”

Vinyl blushed heavily. “You don't want to know, really.”

Valeria winked. “Vinyl, I might be an old mare but I definitely got one or another experience that would do more than just make you blush.”

That in fact made Vinyl's cheeks even more aflame before she sighed. “It gives you a stallionhood for one time use,” she said, barely audible.

Valeria grinned, much to Vinyl's surprise. “Now that is interesting. I don't need Legretto, you say?”

“Uh...” Vinyl said, seemingly not knowing what to say.

Valeria just replied smugly. “I do play for both sides.”

Vinyl just stared at her before her eyes went wide. “Oh. OH! Did you ever… you know?”

“Being ravaged to an inch of my life by another mare?” Valeria asked softly and Vinyl nodded. “Plenty of times, my dear Vinyl,” Valeria said before smiling again. “And you?”

“I’ve made many mistakes in my life,” Vinyl winced. “The biggest, however, was to sleep with my best friends and others on various occasions. Only mares, never stallions. Still, before I met Tavi it was the only life I knew and it nearly destroyed me. Your daughter… she is the most wonderful mare I’ve ever met. Yes, sometimes she is a stick in her flank, but I guess she got that from her father, since you seem nice.” Vinyl stopped herself. “Even if she said you forced her to learn all those languages and proper behaviour.

“Yes, I did to protect her from my husband.” Valeria cut in. “Legretto always told her that her first impression counts, nothing else.”

“Not really true, but anyways. She gave me a new life, and love. For the first time since I could remember, I was head over in love. And then...” Vinyl blushed before coughing. “Our first night was like it was also the first time ever for me. Your daughter made me a better mare.”

“Sounds like you two really found each other,” Valeria winked. “I know that Octavia is likewise fascinated by you, I can see it in her eyes. You make my little girl happy, very happy indeed.”

“I'm glad that I can make a mare like her happy,” Vinyl chuckled.

“If I were just twenty years younger,” Valeria sighed playfully with a wink towards Vinyl, making the unicorn blush.

“Valeria, if you don't mind, why the change now? After what I've heard from Tavi, you’ve been under Legretto’s hooves for years. Now… I don’t know, I can’t picture a pony like you letting anypony step over her.”

Valeria's smile vanished in a sly second. “I had to hide myself, Vinyl. When I was at Legretto's side, that wasn't me. My cutie mark isn't a pen or something that says my destany is to be my husband's secretary. No, Vinyl. My destiny is to write and create music, something Legretto never allowed me to do, but it’s something I plan on taking back, to relive my passion, from now on.”

“Why don't you stay here?” Vinyl blurted out.

“Pardon me?” Valeria blinked.

“Stay here. We’ve got a spare bedroom, Octavia is near you and...” Vinyl stopped, blushing a bit. “You could work for me, in the theater. You could do what you’re meant to do, what your destiny is. Given, I can't offer you a fortune like Legretto, but you would,” she stocked again before smiling. “You would be here with your family.”

Valeria opened her muzzle to say something, but quickly shut it again. She had no idea what to say. This mare had only known her for a day, less than a day, and she’s already welcomed her into her home, her family. A family she wanted to have with Octavia, and she… she invited her in. “Do… do you mean it?”

“Of course, I'm sure Tavi would agree.”

“I don't know if I can simply go. Legretto will be furious,” Valeria tried to avoid Vinyl's gaze, sighing, but the unicorn didn't let go.

“I thought you decided to finally do what you're meant to do? I doubt that he will allow this, so why not leave him?”

Valeria hesitated, tears slowly forming in her eye as she tried to explain it. “Vinyl, even after everything he’s done… I don’t chose to, but I do still love him. It sounds irrational and totally stupid, but I still love Legretto, even if it is more his past self I love, a self where he was caring, loving, and kind. A stallion that any mare would be lucky to have...”

“I… I think I know what you mean. My friend,” Vinyl stocked, coughing. “My former friend, Sassaflash. I hurt her, used her, everything. Yet, she still loves me. So I guess I know what you mean.”

“I will think about it, but please give me some time. It's not an easy decision to make,” Valeria whispered before sighing. “But it sounds like a lovely idea.”

The rest of the way walked in silence and they quickly reached the hospital. Casting only a sideway glance, the nurse at the desk nodded to them and they moved onwards to Octavia’s room.

“She’s still asleep,” Valeria smiled as they opened the door. “There is no need to wake her, would you stay here while I talk with Legretto?”

“Good luck with that,” Vinyl snorted silently before sitting down the chair next to Octavia.

Valeria smiled as she left the room. Her departure was noticed, but not observed as Vinyl only had eyes for Octavia anymore. It was a smile that soon vanished as the door was shut and she walked towards her husband’s room. The way seemed to her like a thousand miles, her hooves simply carrying her without her notice until she stood in front of the room. Already, she could hear Legretto’s voice.

“I don’t care what you have to do! I want you to make sure that her life is destroyed. I don’t care, just do it!,” Legretto’s muffled voice growled before going silent again.

An emotion she hadn’t known in quite some time overcame Valeria: burning anger. She couldn’t describe it as anything else. Knowing that he had talked about Vinyl, she opened the door and stomped to her husband. “And just what are you planning to do to her!?” She demanded furiously.

Legretto blinked before his expression hardened. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Don’t give me that! You are trying to hurt Vinyl, I heard it!”

“Don’t be silly, Valeria,” Legretto snorted, waving his hoof.

The daggers Valeria shot out through her eyes would have killed most stallions thrice over. Legretto wasn’t most stallion though, he took it as a personal attack. “Don’t you dare look at me like that.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, maybe I should just copy the look you’ve given me for the past ten years,” Valeria said as she turned up her nose at him, as if to say he was a pile of excrement that should best be avoided.

“Valeria!”

She lowered her nose and glared at him. He was angry, very angry, and it was no directed right at her. Somehow, Valeria didn’t care. At this time, at this moment, he wasn’t a multimillionaire stallion with the power to destroy anypony he wished, he was but a broken pony laying in bed, trying desperately to cling onto the last shred of dignity he had.

“You know what? I’m done with this. Do what you want, send your dumb employees after me, I don’t care! Just so you know, I’m moving out and don’t even think that I’m coming to work in the future;” Valeria spat and turned.

“You wrenched mare! I will destroy you and everypony you have ever loved! No matter where you go, you can’t hide! I will find you, and that dumb unicorn; I will destroy you!” Legretto shouted after her before the door muffled his screams.

Valeria leaned against the door and dropped to her haunches, breathing hard. That was not how she had imagined it. Hard and loud, yes, but not like this. She had acted without thinking, but somehow, she knew it was the right decision.

She just hoped she could live with it.

The train ride to Canterlot was quiet, but not for Valeria. Her mind screamed, questioning her sanity about what she had done. Valeria had to admit that she acted in anger, not thinking what consequences it might hold.

Legretto haunted her in her thoughts, along with his stallions that would no doubt trying to destroy her life now. Not only that, she had placed Vinyl and Octavia in even more danger. Something that would increase tenfold if she moved in to them.

But isn’t that what you want? To live with Octavia, bury old times and start new with your daughter?

Yeah, but you just painted an even bigger target on your daughter’s back you dummy. You’ve seen what he does to ponies he hates, and you just made yourself into one, and then made it it easy for him to strike at everypony all at once.

Oh sweet Celestia, what have I done?

You stood up for yourself, that’s what you did! He’s an awful stallion, husband, and a bad fuck.

Despite herself, Valeria couldn’t help but smile at that.

But I… I…

You you what?

I still love him!

You don’t, and you know it. You just use it as an excuse to justify being with someone that bad for you for this long.

But, he gave me Octavia…

Diamonds are found in the dirt, but you shouldn’t wallow in the mud after picking them up.

He’s going to hurt her…

He always did. Now you can change it. You can help your daughter and your marefriend. You can repay Octavia for years of pain and loneliness.

“Excuse me, Miss, we’re in Canterlot.”

Valeria looked up in shock at what the pony said. She looked around, seeing an empty cabin and a train worker standing over here. Somehow, she had gotten so lost in thought she hadn’t even known they had arrived. “Umm, yes, thank you. Sorry…”

“No problem miss. But if I may ask, is everything okay?”

“Fine, I’m just here to see the princesses.”

“Oh, well you better hurry then. They end the day court in ten minutes, after that you’ll have to wait to get an audience with them until tomorrow.”

“Oh no!” Valeria said as she got up and started to gallop out of the train.

“It’s right up main street, Miss!”

The grey mare took off at a full gallop as soon as she was able, running right past a group of ponies. Her actions startled a yellow pegasus so badly she jumped to the side and hid in some nearby bushes.

“Oh, wow! Did you see that? That mare was all like whoosh, and ‘Shy was all like eep! And she was all like—”

“Yes, Pinkie, we saw.”

Valeria kept running, she felt bad about startling them so, but simply didn’t have time to apologize at the moment. If she saw them again she promised herself she’d go out of her way to make it up to them. But not right now.

Her hooves carried her down the street and straight to the castle gates. Her momentum enough to made her speed through the gates and past a few surprised guards, that didn’t even had the chance to ask her what she wanted. All she cared about was to reach the court in time.

Several guards eyed her suspiciously but none bared path, though they were tempted. Princess Celestia long ago handed sticked orders down how they were to behave and that a desperate pony was not an enemy. However, whereas the guards didn’t stop her, as an earth pony running for her life was hardly a threat, the large set of double doors to the throne room did.

Valeria paused, panting and sweating at the entrance to this. She was tired, exhausted, her mane was a mess, and her lungs were desperate for air. In a word, she was everything that Legretto despised, everything he had insisted that she not be. If she went in now, her first impression on the Princesses of Equestria would be of a middle age mare that didn’t care about her looks, that didn’t worry about the impression she left upon the most important ponies in all the land.

Somehow, that felt right. She smiled and pushed the door open with a hoof.

Inside the throne room two royal guards posted on either side of the door stood up a little straighter, one of them called out, “Princess Celestia, it seems you have one more visitor.”

When Valeria looked at the other end of the room, she cringed a little. Celestia appeared to be on the way out the door. She looked tired, but happy. Conveying the presence of a ruler that had exhausted herself after a long day’s work, but in a good way, in a way that all but said she took pride in what she did, even if it was time for a nice deserving break.

“Oh?” Celestia said as she looked back behind her. She saw who the guard was talking about, the grey earth pony that looked like she’d fit in with the high-class nobles if only she hadn’t just ran all the way from who knows where.

To top it all off, it was a pony she recognized too.

“Miss Philharmonica, I didn’t expected you in Canterlot before the next Gala,” Princess Celestia said in surprise. What do I honor your visit?”

“Princess, I’m not my daughter, but I thank you for mistaken this old mare for a youngling,” Valeria bowed.

Celestia chuckled a little as she walked back to her throne while waving Valeria closer with a wing. “I know who you are, Valeria Melody. Forgive this old mare her joke.”

“Wait, you… you know me?”

“Of course. You’re daughter is my future go-to for any event I hold,” Celestia said teasingly. “And you two look so much alike that I couldn’t help but remember form the first time I laid eyes on you together. What was it… fifteen years ago? She was just a filly at the time.”

Valeria was speechless. “You… you honor me, Princess.”

“Nonsense, the honor is mine. But my dear, what brings you to me in such a state? Did something happen?”

Valeria had to draw upon all the experience she had over the years not to gasp in shock. She had seen Celestia before, even talked to her, but she had never expected this sort of greeting, never expected to be remembered. Even as the wife of a noble, she wasn’t that important. Their conversations had been nothing but platitudes.

It took everything she had not to break down in tears. Something she couldn’t stop in the end.

“Did I say something wrong?” Celestia asked, but Valeria shook her head.

“It’s all because of me. I try to help my family, but I doomed them. My husband is not… he is not my husband anymore. Too much has happened,” Valeria sobbed.

Celestia walked forward and wrapped the crying mare in her hooves. She held her tightly, as a mother would hold her foal. “Shhh, it’ll be okay, tell me everything.”

Valeria found herself incapable of talking, she just cried into Celestia’s chest. For the first time since her own mother had held her she felt safe, warm, and loved. It was as if she were reliving her foal hood all over again.

White wings wrapped around her and in a flash of magic, they were someplace entirely different. The shock of being teleported caused her to look around. The room they were in was smaller, but no less grand for being so. It was a room designed for comfort, the comfort of the most important pony in Equestria, Celestia herself.

“We’re… we’re in your room?” Valeria asked.

“I figured you might be more comfortable here.” Celestia said as Valeria pulled away.

“This isn’t right, I shouldn’t have bothered you with—”

“Nonsense. You’re one of my subjects and I want you to tell me everything.”

“Princess, I…”

“Don’t make me make it an order.” Celestia said with a sly smile.

Valeria looked at her in shock, and then smiled when she realized it was just a joke. “Princess…”

“Please, let me know how I can help.”

“But don’t you… I mean, I’m just…”

“Just one of my subjects, and I care for all my little ponies equally. That includes you, Valeria,” the princess said as she wiped away a tear from the grey mare’s eyes.

“Princess…” Valeria started before sighing. “Twenty-six years ago, my daughter Octavia was born. Everything was fine, but it was only the beginning of something bad. My hus- Legretto, told me she would have to quickly learn to be a good mare and worth his name. We sent her to an residential school and we… we teached her to be a noble, to always be better. That was our first mistake. We pushed her, and Legretto… he made my live horrible. My destiny is to create music, but Legretto held me as his secretary, his personal slave. I feared for my daughter, so I made Legretto abandon her, leaving her behind in Trottingham. She found a nice mare to live with but… but Legretto found out and he tried to force her to come back. Now I did something terrible and put my daughter and her Marefriend as a high target,” Valeria rambled until she had to breath. “Oh, what have I done?” she cried out at last.

As Valeria had told her story, Celestia listening intently and took in every word. She was tired, that much was obvious, but that didn’t stop her from taking in every single nuance, from picturing it in her mind. “Your husband, Legretto, he’s done this sort of thing before?”

“Ex, but… yes. I’ve seen it first hand.”

“Ex husband?” Celestia asked, more for clarification than anything else.

“Um, yes, princess. I’m done, i don’t care what happens, I can’t go back to that… stallion, I can’t sacrifice myself to protect my daughter from him, I did that for years and it failed, he still finds ways to hurt her.”

“He’s… hurt her?”

“Not physically, not before he threw the cup at her marefriend and hit her on accident anyway. He’s more… subtle than that.”

“I see,” Celestia said as she looked down at the bed for a moment, as though lost in thought. Then, suddenly, she levitated over a book from the wall and started to open it, as though looking for something in particular.

“Princess?” Valeria asked after a long moment of silence filled only by the flipping of pages.

When Celestia spoke again, there was a small change in her tone. It was noticeable in only that it was different. What it meant was anybody's guess. “Valeria, it seems to me your husband has really good advisers working for him, well, good in the sense that they know how to let him do what he wants.”

“Princess?” Valeria asked, confused.

Celestia placed the book down, spun it around in front of her, and grinned a little. “He used his daughter against you, so that you’d stay with him. Because if you left, he’d lose half of everything. His company, his fortune, and his employees. But it seems like this event caused him to make a small mistake, he let his anger overpower his reason.”

Valeria’s eyes went wide as she read the page over and over again. Celestia was right, the law was clear on that subject. As his wife, she was entitled to half of everything he had, half of what they had. To top it off, divorces in Equestria were rare, very rare, as such they—especially noble divorces—were overseen by the princesses themselves. Celestia would be acting moderator for it.

“I… this… I…”

“Excellent!” Celestia said and clapped her hooves. “I have the needed paper sent to you by the end of tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” Valeria bowed deeply “Thank you sooo much.”

“It’s my pleasure, Valeria,” Celestia said with a smile. “I’m just sorry you didn’t come to me sooner. I put these laws in place for this very reason, and while they prevent most cases, nothing will prevent everything.”

“Thank you, thank you.” Valeria started to cry again. Save this time, it wasn’t because her world was crashing down, but because it finally stopped. And to top it all off, this was a game changer. She knew that Legetto wouldn’t be able to intimidate Celestia, that his money couldn’t buy this pony off, no matter how much he might wish it. He had truly dug his own grave.

“Anytime,” Celestia’s words were like a boon that healed her heart. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Valeria paused, she had been so caught up in her issues she had almost forgot the other reason she had come here. Pulling out a scroll out of her saddlebags, holding it to Celestia who took it in her magical grip. “But I was usually coming here for this. You know the stallion who built it, I think.”

Celestia opened it and examined the plans. What she did next surprised Valeria, which was saying something in a day full of surprises, she chuckled. “I do indeed, he was an old friend of mine. Are you planning on restoring it?”

“Not me, your highness.”

“Please, call me Celestia.”

“Celestia,” Valeria said with a blush. “My daughter’s friend. Well, her marefriend. She wants to fix it up so that Octavia can play there.”

Celestia’s smile grew ten fold. “I think that’s a marvelous idea. In fact, I know just the pony that might be able to help. My own personal architect, and Quick Nail’s great-great-great-great grandfoal, though he doesn’t know it. ”

“Princess?” Valeria asked, confused.

“I do expect two tickets to their first showing though. If that’s not to much to ask,” Celestia replied with a wink.

“Of course not, princess. She’d… we’d be honored to have you.”

Tears fell freely from Valeria’s face, and she couldn’t bring herself to care if they ever stopped. Today had officially gone better than she could have ever dreamed, and she knew that it was just the start of something amazing.

Author's Notes:

There it is!
Surprising for most of you, I'm sure about that.
I don't know quite yet if there will be any update next week.
As always, I keep you up to date!