For the second time that day, Octavia awoke. She still didn't feel well, but there was something nearby that made everything better. Right in front of her eyes was the peaceful expression of Vinyl, her face only inches away. She was snoring, but Octavia couldn't care less. The love of her life was with her, protecting her, and caring for her.

Octavia closed the short gap and laid a small kiss on Vinyl's muzzle, but still enough to wake her up. Blinking her eyes open, Vinyl's sleepy eyes quickly focused on Octavia and she smiled. “Good morning, beautiful.”

“Good morning to you too,” Octavia said, giggling and gently nuzzling her unicorn.

“Valeria still not here?” Vinyl asked, raising her head a bit to look around.

“I don't think so. Maybe she is with father. Why are you asking?”

Vinyl frowned. “Because I don't trust Legretto.”

Octavia blinked. “You really like my mother?” Then she frowned. “It's not because we look like twins, right?”

“No,” Vinyl panicked. “She's just cool! I swear, you’re the only one for me and— Why are you laughing?”

“Because it was a joke!” Octavia snickered.

“Funny,” Vinyl deadpanned before continuing. “I'm concerned because she stuck her muzzle out to help us and Legretto won't like it. And we’ve both seen what he can do when angered.”

“You’re right. Maybe mother can come live with us?”

“I kind of... already asked her that.”

Octavia raised an eyebrow. “And what did she say?”

“That she needs time. That even if I couldn't understand it, she still loves Legretto.”

Octavia snorted. “After everything he did to her? To us? I can't believe it.”

“So... you’re okay with it?”

“Mother still loving him?”

“No, her moving in?”

“Oh. Yes. Why would I not be?”

Vinyl rolled her eyes. “Because of your past? I know I should’ve asked you first, but I just wanted to help her and then-”

Octavia gently nuzzled her before drawing her into a kiss. It was a short one, but it stopped Vinyl's rambling. As they broke, she smiled softly. “Vi, you do not have to defend this decision with me. Everything is fine and if mother decides to stay with us, I can live with it.”

“You say that as if she is a criminal you can only accept.”

“I have not forgiven her yet.”

“I never said you had to, not right away anyway. But, Tavi, she is your mom. You only get one of those. Do you really want to stay mad at her forever?”

Octavia thought about that for a while, long enough for an uncomfortable silence to fall upon the room. At last she asked, “Then what should I do?”

“Well, you could start with simply being nice to her. If she accepts my offer and moves in with us, you two could start to spend some time together. If she won't accept, you could visit her from time to time. I'm sure that in time you two will be good with each other again. It was always Legretto who was the idiot, not your mom.”

“That… that was surprisingly deep coming from you, Vinyl.”

“Glad I can still surprise you from time to time,” Vinyl replied dryly, her tone telling Octavia everything she thought of that comment. .

“I'm sorry,” Octavia quickly replied, followed by a kiss. “You know I don't mean it in a bad way.”

“I'm wondering what the doctors will say if they storm in to check up on you and find me by your side in bed,” Vinyl grinned.

“I don’t really care.”

“What?!”

Octavia smiled. “Having you close by makes me feel better. You make me feel better; and is that not why I am here? So, like I said, I do not care if they see us or not.”

Vinyl smiled as she cuddled up once again. “I love you.”

“And I love you too.”

Valeria lost track of time as she ran to the train station. The princess herself had gone out of her way to make sure she’d get on her train. Here, she should meet Celestia's personal architect. She just hoped he was nice and could help.

Lost in her own mind, she thought back to Octavia and Vinyl, hoping that Legretto wouldn't try anything stupid while she was gone. Yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Legretto would make them pay once he found out she was no longer there.

“Hellooo!”

Valeria jerked up, her mind coming to an abrupt halt. She had expected everything, but not this. A young pegasus mare with blue coat, yellow mane, and fresh cerulean eyes was hopping towards her, six guards in her tow. She stopped in front of Valeria, smiling. “Are you Valeria Melody? The princess asked me to renovate your theater and make it the best in the world!”

“Actually, it’s the theater of my daughter's marefriend. I'm just trying to help,” Valeria answered with a smile before raising an eyebrow. “Celestia mentioned you were a stallion, not as a mare.”

“My grandfather is sick, so I’m doing this job,” the mare replied.

“So you know the works of Quick Nail?”

The mare's eyes went wide. “I simply love his work!” She gasped before stopping and holding a foreleg up. “How rude of me, my name is High Build.”

Valeria raised her own hoof and shook it, “It's nice to meet you. But we’ll have to save more formal introductions for later, the train leaves in ten minutes.”

High Build sighed, “The princess couldn't decide how many guards she would need to send, so she sent three unicorn and pegasus guards. I don't know why, but she said you would need them. Oh before I forget, I should give you this!” She quickly added and reached into her saddlebags with a wing, pulling a scroll out that sported the seal of Princess Celestia.

However, Valeria wasn't looking at the scroll. “Your wings are really long, that’s unusual.”

“Oh?” High Build extended her wings, showing them off before folding them again. “They were always bigger than the others, and they’re stronger! You can't imagine how much of a help their size is if I have to carry materials for the construction sites. Also they’re good for what my name implements. I build Canterlot and Cloudsdale towers, the highest buildings in Equestria!”

“That sounds impressive!” Valeria said. “You’ll have to show me some of the buildings you’ve built later.”

High Build blushed. “Well, really, I mostly just planned them.”

Valeria gave her a smile before finally noting the scroll and unrolling it. The content wasn’t much of a surprise.

Miss Melody,

Attached to this scroll is a permit you have to give to your husband. Once he takes it, he will be arrested by my guards and brought to Canterlot. I will send you details for the date of the council for the divorce. I expect it to cause a scandal, but I don’t doubt that you’ll make it through just fine.

Have the strength to stand up and continue your own path.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia

Valeria resisted the urge to open the attached permit. She would simply wait until Legretto opened it, already looking forward to see his face.

“Miss Melody? Is there something funny?” High Build asked as—with its final two passengers onboard—the train started to move.

Valeria wasn’t sure when she started to smile, but as soon as High Build said those words, she realized she was. The earth pony rolled up the letter and stuck it in her pack. “Hours ago I felt like my whole life just came crashing down. Now, with this one letter, I have a feeling that everything is going to be just fine.”

“I’m confused…”

“It’s a long story,” Valeria said with a sigh.

“Well, we got a long train ride. I’d love to hear it.”

Valeria cocked her head ever so slightly as she stared at the mare directly in front of her. There had been something… naive about her from her first impression, like she was trying too hard to be friendly, but with another look, Valeria realized that High Build wasn’t trying at all, she simply was that friendly, that nice. It was… refreshing in a way. “Sure, it’ll pass the time. It all started back when…”

“And that’s the summary of my life, including the last few hours since I arrived in Trottingham,” Valeria said, sighing.

High Build’s ears twitched as she looked down. “You have to be really strong to live through that for all that time. I’d love to get my hooves on that unicorn and teach him a lesson.”

“Why would you do that?” Valeria perked up.

“Love is something you have to earn. You can’t force or demand it. Everypony that can’t see or understand that isn't worthy of the feeling,” High Build said with a growl, something that caused Valeria to jump a bit back, since it was the total opposite to the cheerful mare she just met hours ago.

“You seem so young and yet you understand this better than most others.”

High Build scrunched her muzzle. “I’m twenty-nine, and yes, I do. A few years ago I was almost married myself. My… marefriend was my everything. But then she found out about some weird religious group and did some pretty nasty stuff.” She sighed before continuing. “I tried everything to keep her from doing the wrong thing, but she wouldn’t listen. Seeing her hurt other ponies… my feelings for her faded with time. She wouldn’t accept it.”

Before Valeria could ask, High Build lifted her right foreleg and held it to the side, offering sight of a long scar from the foreleg over her chest. “Oh, my…” Valeria whispered.

“Since she couldn’t get my love for free anymore, she tried to force it. This is the result of that,” High’s voice was low and full of venom. “I had enough. Finally, I took my stand against her and went to the guards. I’ve never seen her since then. So I know pretty much what you’ve been through.”

“How can you still be so happy with that?”

“Because it’s the past and I learned that not everypony is like her,” High Build smiled. “Sure, it hurt, it hurt worse than any pain I’ve ever known before or since, but…”

“But?” Valeria asked when the silence grew unbarable.

“But it was worth it. Don’t look at me like that, I loved her, and she me. For a time anyway. I still remember the good memories, the good times with her. How we’d lay in bed for hours when we didn’t have to work, just holding each other. I can still feel her heart beating against my fur. I still remember the butterflies I used to get when she’d kiss me, or whisper sweet nothings in my ear.”

“But… doesn’t that make it worse? Make the hurt worse I mean?”

“It did, for a time. But I stopped looking at it like that. It’s like Princess Celestia told me. She said that the reason the hurt was so painful was because our love was so strong. And that I shouldn’t look at love as the price of hurt, but at hurt as the price of love.”

“I… Um… what does that mean?” Valeria asked, she wasn’t used to being confused like that, but that statement confused her beyond belief.

The smile on High Build’s muzzle was back, it was the smile of a mare whose wisdom defined her age. “It means that such pain only comes from such love. That we risk our hearts because the joy is worth it. Not the other way around.”

“I… I don’t understand.”

“You will, one day you will,” High Build said with a smile as the train started to come to a stop.

“You are wise beyond your tears. I could be your mother and I still understand barely any of that,” Valeria mumbled.

“Time will teach you, more than you could ever want to know,” High Build said back as she got up to collect her belongings. “You already experienced the pain of such love. The wisdom will follow soon.”

Valeria shook her head. There was no time to think about it. She had something to deliver and then work to do. “I first have to go to my husband and… give him the letter. Afterwards you will meet Vinyl, the marefriend of my daughter who bought the theater.”

The train came to a stop and the two mares stepped onto the platform, followed by their silent company of guards.

“Lead the way,” High Build said with a smile.

“It’s not far,” Valeria replied as she moved on. “Sadly I don’t have wings to make this faster.”

“Don’t worry! I may be a pegasus, but I kinda like to walk a bit. Especially with company this nice..”

Valeria blushed a bit, but quickly walked forward, trying to keep her gaze from the young mare.

Stop reading into it. You are just nice company, she scolded herself silently.

The truth was, Valeria had loved talking with the young pegasus. She was quite intelligent and wise for her age, not to mention very pretty. Her personality was interesting and Valeria found herself getting slightly attached to the pegasus.

However when her gaze lingered a little longer than she meant, Valeria was busted as High Build’s eyes locked upon her own. The older mare blushed and faced forward, her pace noticeably increased as she lead the way to the hospital for the eight ponies.

Keep it together, you could be her mother! Valeria sighed innerly.

They walked in silence, only the noise of the street and city keeping it from being awkward.

As they ascended the stairs of the hospital, for the first time one of the guards spoke up. “Miss? I think it is better if we go first. Which room is your husband in?”

“Room eighty-nine,” Valeria replied as the stallions hurried past her. “I can't wait to see what will happen,” she added, smiling.

“Doesn't it hurt?” High Build asked.

“Why should it? I'm free, and more importantly, so is Octavia.”

“Think about what I said. Maybe you'll see very soon,” High Build said before growing silent again.

They entered the hospital a few seconds after the guards, Valeria was not surprised to already hear some muffled screaming waving down the stairs.

“Let's get this over with,” she said, sighing. Talking about it had been one thing, now that she could hear him, that was something else.

Truth to be told, the closer they came to Legretto's room, the louder the voices became. To a point the crashing was loud and clear.

“What are you doing? Keep your hooves of me, filthy military pack!” Legretto screamed.

“You… married him?” High Build asked.

“He was sweet… once anyway,” Valeria replied as she walked closer to the room. The two saw the door suddenly flung open and two pegasus mares come running out. They were both ducking several instruments that were being tossed at them.

“Really?” High asked in disbelief.

“Maybe not…” Valeria said.

“You might want to give him a minute,” One of the nurses said as she saw the two approach.

Valeria paused, a grin upon her muzzle. “I don’t think so, I’ve waited my whole life to see this, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

High smiled at her as the mare’s demeanor changed. As if somepony flipped a switch, Valeria put on the persona she had worn her whole adult life, the persona thrust upon her by Legretto. She leisurely strolled into her ex-husband’s room.

Inside she saw the unicorn being pinned to the bed by the guards, a restraining ring placed upon his horn.

“What is the meaning of this! I’ll have your flanks for this!” Legretto screamed.

“The meaning of this, dear husband, is that you’re going to jail,” Valeria said in a high-class tone that was normally reserved for dealing with the ‘help’ when they got out of line.

Legretto paused in his struggles as he turned to look up at his wife. “Valeria?”

Valeria stared down her nose at him. She looked at him like he was dirt, extriment that needed to be wiped off her hooves. “And, my dear husband, I don’t believe Princess Celestia will look kindly upon you for threatening her personal guards.”

She could literally see his eyes growing wide as they darted to the royal guard’s crests. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the first time he really took them in. They may have been from the princess herself, but they weren’t noble, so he wouldn’t have noticed until they put him in their custody.

With a smile earned from years of abuse, Valeria reached back into her pack and pulled out the princess’s letter. One of the unicorn guards used his magic to open the letter and present it to Legretto. “By order of Princess Celestia, you’re being taken into custody and brought to Canterlot immediately, preceding our divorce, of course.”

If there was a better sentence ever spoken, Valeria couldn’t say, but that one qualified in her book. “And per divorce law, I’ll be taking half of everything, including our company, and money.”

“Y-y-y-you….”

“I can, and I did. And don’t think you can buy your way out of this one, dear. Celestia herself will oversee the divorce proceedings. You’ll be lucky to get half, and I promise you this, you’ll never lay a hoof on our daughter again. Not a hoof or a bit of your filthy money.”

On the list of things Legretto had expected, that never even crossed his mind. The stallion was left so stunned that he didn’t even register the unicorns lifting him up and taking him out of the room. It wasn’t until Valeria was almost out of sight that his mind finally clicked on what had happened. “No, you can’t do this to me! Valeria! Don’t you love me?!”

“You don’t know the meaning of the word,” Valeria spit as he was dragged out of her sight. She watched, her nose up and disgust plain until she could no longer hear his screaming and cursing. When it was gone, she added, “And neither did I… Thank you, Vinyl, thank you for showing me what I’ve been missing all this time. What love really means.”

“You seemed to enjoy that,” High Build said from behind Valeria.

The sound was so unexpected that the old mare almost jumped out of her fur. She quickly spun around and blushed. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Sure,” High said, teasingly. “For what it’s worth, I think you always did know love.”

Valeria didn’t reply, she simply looked at her questioningly.

“Yeah, I’d say you did, you loved Octavia.”

Valeria blushed, not due to any embarrassment, but due to her missing something so obvious. “Yeah, I think you’re right.”

“Shall we go see her?”

“There’s nothing else in the world I’d rather do right now,” Valeria said, smiling as she led the way to her daughter’s room.

“She sounds like a great mare.”

“One of the best. But do remember, she is taken,” Valeria replied with a playful chuckle.

“Oh, I have my eyes set on someone a little older anyway,” High Build said in all seriousness.

Valeria stopped chuckling, and the blush came back, albit for an entirely different reason.

That was a tad soon, but I really don’t have the right to say anything, do I? Valeria chuckled silently.

Author's Notes:

Another one done!
I decided to split the big last chapter into two smaller parts.
So one chapter to go and then the epilogue