When I returned home the next day Rose was waiting for me. She didn’t say anything like always and just gave me a hug.

“Hi Rose. Do we need to do anything?” I took a seat on the floor.

Rose nodded and produced a note. “Nothing super important. I’ve been meeting with a caravan so we didn’t have to go exploring to find food but they are late.”

“What do you thinks keeping them?” I thought of many ways they might have met their doom.

Rose shrugged and trotted towards the door. She gave me a look as she reached the door.

I hopped onto my hooves and trotted over to her. “I’m ready.”

Rose gave me the warm smile she always had. She pushed the door open.

On all of our trips when we were walking I justed followed Rose as we went. Most of the time I was left to my own thoughts. I always had something on my mind. Raiders was the big one today.

The last time I had dealt with raiders I lost control. They died by my hooves. Reliving what I remembered was terrible. That sight of their corpses burning was seared into my mind as a constant reminder I was capable of killing. Capable of losing who I was to this world.

Rose shook her head at me. She stopped and put a hoof on my shoulder.

I looked away. “I’m fine.”

Rose shook me. She wrote ‘No’ in the dirt.

A few tears burned my eyes. “I was just remembering killing those raiders. I’m not over it yet.”

Rose nodded and put me on her back. She started humming to me.

It was a calming noise. The one noise I had ever heard Rose make. And it was always used to make me feel better about life.

I curled up on Rose’s back. “Thanks Rose. I feel a bit better.”

Rose continued humming. The tune sounded like it was a song whose lyrics had been lost to time. Nothing remained of those who made that song except Rose’s rendition of it.

Of course what really did remain of life before the war? What was life like before shit hit the fan? I put the thoughts aside and pursued a different train of thought.
I turned my head to look at the sky. Today the sky was cloudy. We never got rain around here, but these clouds looked a bit different than usual. “Hey Rose. Do you think we might get some rain?”

Rose took a look to the sky. She took half a second before galloping back to the house.

We were in the door before I could even ask what was going on. “Is something wrong?”

Rose nodded and wrote on a piece of paper. “Acid rain.”

“What’s acid rain?” We rarely had rain, so what was acid rain?

Rose went back to writing. “It’s rain that is corrosive and hurts to be out in. It’d be best if we just stayed inside today.”

“Oh. How long do you think it’ll last?” I sat down on the floor.

Rose shrugged. Best I could tell she thought it might last all day.

I levitated over the radio. “Want to listen for a while?”

Rose nodded and smiled.

I turned the second dial until the static gave way to music. I’m not sure why we even tried to find a different station ever.

The only station we got was the one DJ-PON3 broadcasted with. “Hello wastelanders. Today we’ve got an acid rainstorm overhead. Seek shelter and don’t leave it. I’ve also gotten word of some bad things going on somewhere near here. If anypony’s looking for work bring a gun and let’s talk. That is all for the news.”

“Well I guess we’re just staying in today.” I pouted.

Rose patted my head and hugged me. One of the many things she did to make me happy.

“Thanks. Can we do something else?” I loved listening to music but not much played on the radio. Nothing extremely good anyway.

Rose trotted over to a filing cabinet and looked around before pulling out a small board and a bag of pieces.

“Oh I love checkers.” This was the one game I could actually have a chance at beating Rose at.

Rose laid the board down and then set up the pieces. She got first move.

I focused on the game entirely letting nothing else into my mind as Rose and I had a fierce battle to see who would be the victor.

When it came down to the final pieces I was outnumbered four to one with almost no conceivable way to win.

Rose moved her piece. I took a look at that move and realized I could end this swiftly.

“Well Rose it was a well played game but.” I jumped all four of her pieces placing mine on the last line of squares on her side. “I win.”

Rose looked astonished at the little board between us. She looked so confused yet so proud that I had figured that out.

“I did learn to play from somepony who is really good.” I smiled and laid a wing over Rose.

She started to hum again. Except this time a different tune. It sounded glorious. Like something you would play after winning a major victory against an enemy far superior to yourself.

I felt proud of that accomplishment. I had only beaten Rose a time or two before. And I think she let me win those. But to beat her with only one piece was incredible.

“Hi Silver. How are you and Rose on this fine day.” Derpy was perched atop our couch.

“Hi Derpy. We’re doing just fine minus the acid rain outside.” I smiled at Derpy before going back to enjoying Rose’s humming.

“Amethyst would like to come see you and Rose.” Derpy waved a hoof to somepony around the corner.

Rose continued humming her beautiful song and nodded as she did.

“That’s fine by us. We’ve got plenty of time to sit and talk.” I retracted my wing.

Amethyst wasn’t wearing a dress today. Instead she carried with her a pistol in a holster on her front right leg.

“Hello Amethyst. How are you doing today?” I got to my hooves to go hug Amethyst.

She wrapped a hoof around me as soon as I was close enough. “I was bored and had nothing to do in the other world. I figured if you were here I could come see you.”

“Why are you carrying a gun today?” I kept her in my embrace.

“A little accessory they’ve given me for coming here. Protection from whatever might try and attack.” Amethyst pulled me over to the couch.

“Well you won’t have to worry about anything attacking us today. We’ve got an acid rainstorm passing over. Nopony is going to be risking their lives out in weather like that.” I sat down on the couch next to her.

Rose gave us a cute look. She apparently thought we looked adorable together like this.

I levitated the radio over. “I’m hoping PON3 isn’t on the air right now. Maybe we can catch some music.”

Rose trotted off into another room. I could hear a object being lifted off a shelf.

I turned on the radio to see what was playing.

“In other news this acid rain should be clearing up here in the next day or so. Until then stay inside and listen to some sweet music. That’s all for now.”

The music kicked in. It was one of the softer wordless songs that played every now and again.

Rose and Amethyst both loved this song. We listened to the music together until it finally ended a few minutes later.

Rose trotted over and set a device down on the floor. It looked similar to the radio but also quite different. Rose deposited a little disk into an open tray before closing the top and pushing one of the buttons.

There it was. That sweet melody Rose always hummed for me when I was feeling blue. She began to hum along.

I had to resist crying. I had only ever heard Rose’s rendition of this. But now I was hearing the full piece. It was beautiful. And Rose had always hummed it spot on to how the song actually went.

Amethyst laid my head down so I could look into her eyes. “It’s a beautiful song. I think I’d like to listen to it with you more often.”

I smiled happily and just lovingly stared into Amethyst’s eyes. Such a lovely shade of blue. Enchanting one might say. I kissed her.

She kissed me back dragging the kiss out until the song slowed to it’s conclusion.

“That was an amazing song Rose. Do you have anymore like it?” Amethyst moved me just a little bit.

Rose trotted off into the other room. After a minute or so she returned with a little box full of the disks.

We spent the rest of the day listening to the music of the time only Rose remembered and the time I dreamt about.