The train sped through the open countryside towards their destination. Trottingham was still several hours away, and to Seth, each second seemed to drag on for an eternity. Again with their own private car, they were given total privacy, a fact Seth thanked the Princesses for repeatedly.

Octavia was distraught. She had barely said a word all through the evening as Seth’s mother had organised train tickets to Trottingham that morning. She had sat numbly at the table while Seth spent his time helping his mother, packing, and holding Octavia, gently stroking her mane. Now, finally isolated from other ponies besides Seth, she had begun to cry.

Utterly unsure as to what to do, the unicorn merely held her as close as he could, gently whispering the meaningless cliché ‘it will be ok’ over and over. Truly, Seth had never felt more hopeless, and his stomach turned every time he thought of Octavia’s situation. The letter itself was only barely legible, covered in smudges that Seth was forced to assume were tears. It had seemed that almost every second word was ‘please’, as Octavia’s father had begged with her to come home.

Staring out at the blurry, green vegetation as it flew past the window, Seth felt Octavia grow quiet, her eyes red and raw. He looked down at her as she sniffed softly.

“Hey there,” he said gently. “How are you doing?” It was stupid and redundant, but he felt better after saying it out loud.

“Kind of thirsty,” she admitted, not looking at him.

Seth levitated over a glass of water he had gotten earlier for her. “Here, drink this.”

Slowly at first, but then with more speed, she downed the entire glass. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“Feel better?”

The grey mare gave a bitter laugh that scared Seth, her throat dry and hoarse. “Not really. I guess this is probably what I deserve. A punishment, if you will-”

“Don’t you dare-” Seth started to say before Octavia interrupted him.

“-I finally find the strength and the will to make things right with my parents, and then I get it all taken away.” She sniffed again. Her eyes seemed unable to shed anymore tears for the moment.

“Don’t. Don’t say that. Not now, not ever. You do not deserve this. Nopony deserves this. And remember, hope isn’t lost. She’s still alive so there might be a way out yet.” Seth spoke the last sentence to breathe hope in to himself, just as much as Octavia. In reality, he had no idea.

“I… I am so scared, Seth.” She stopped, looking up at him with pleading eyes. “I am just so terrified. I haven’t seen my parents in almost ten years since I ran away, and now, without warning, here we are. Possibly to see my mother for the l-last time e-ever.” She stopped again, unable to continue.

Seth tightened his grip on her, hoping against hope that by some miracle of diffusion, he could make her right by love and affection alone. “I know, Octavia, I know,” he said slowly. “This is terrible and it’s beyond unfair. And frankly, I have no idea what I can do to make this better for you. I’m not sure if I can. But remember this, for this is all I can do. I am with you, Octavia. For better or worse, I am with you. Never forget that, please, for it’s all I can offer,” his voice sounded weak in his own ears, yet he meant every word.

Octavia smiled. It was an expression that was filled with a heartbreaking sadness, yet it was a smile nonetheless. “I love you,” she said.

“I love you too,” he affirmed. “Never forget that, please.”

“Never,” she repeated, snuggling in closer, yawning as she did.

“Now please, its still several hours before Trottingham. Try to get some rest.”

Octavia didn’t reply and instead let her head fall softly. She was silent for a time before she finally spoke up again.

“Seth?” she said weakly, struggling to keep her eyes open now that he had mentioned rest.

“Right here.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything.”

“Anytime,” he replied. “Anytime.”

Octavia nodded, utterly exhausted from the emotional turmoil that she had endured in the last sixteen or so hours. Seth knew that they hadn’t seen the last of it either, and so held the mare tightly within his embrace as she quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Seth gazed at Octavia for a while longer, running a hoof through her mane as he did. He was so worried about her, for truly, he was scared as well. By saying those three words out loud he knew that he had willingly dedicated himself in sharing her emotions, both good and bad. He had said it before, that he wished the world for her, but now, just when things had started to turn around, it looked like the entire thing was going to slip between their hooves.

It’s not fair, Seth thought. Oh Celestia, it’s just not fair…

Heedless to his thoughts, the countryside continued to fly by, just a blur in his peripherals as they headed ever closer to their destination.

It was mid-afternoon when the train finally pulled into Trottingham station. The sunlight outside was brilliant, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. All around Octavia and Seth, ponies exited the train laughing and smiling, all thoroughly enjoying the good day. The buildings surrounding the platform were small and brightly coloured, the hub of pony-life in the smaller sized city.

Seth watched as Octavia took a moment by the door. She sucked in a deep breath, forced a smile onto her face, and then exited the cabin. It was an expression that didn’t reach her eyes, but Seth knew that she wanted to at least try to appear happy for her return to her hometown. As she stepped down onto the platform, Seth approached her, intertwining their tails. Octavia looked at him gratefully, not trusting herself to speak.

On the platform, the two ponies found the wagon driver whom Seth’s mother had arranged the night before. It was almost terrifying, watching his mother pull as many strings as she had to, to get things to go her way, but like all members of the Pacius family, she had succeeded with alarming efficiency. For once though, Seth wasn’t complaining about the abuse of his mother’s position.

The pale-yellow wagon driver greeted them enthusiastically. “Good mornin’, sir!” he said. “Welcome to Trottingham!

Mimicking Octavia’s forced smile, Seth returned the sentiment, “Greetings. I apologise for calling you out at such short notice. It was an emergency.”

“Aww, that’s not a problem at all. I’m happy to help.” Seth was surprised to see that the earth pony driver actually looked like he meant it, a large smile across the yellow pony’s face. “So, do you good folks have bags that I can take care for you?”

Seth motioned over to where the train staff had unloaded the small pile of their belongings. He smirked as he watched the wagon driver’s face whiten at the size of the bags.

He chuckled slightly. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you.”

“I’m mighty appreciative of that, sir,” the wagon driver said, clearly relieved. He made his way over to the bags. “Say, I didn’t catch your names. Mine’s Turnover, pleased to meet you.”

“Seth,” the unicorn responded, levitating a couple of bags over to the wagon. “I’m Seth and this is Octavia.”

Seth watched as Turnover’s face drained of all colour again at the sound of Octavia’s name. “Octavia…?” he breathed. “Grafton and Orchid’s filly?”

“Yes,” said a weak voice coming from Octavia, her first words to the wagon driver. “It’s nice to see you again, Turnover.”

“Well I’ll be! I’m mighty sorry I didn’t recognize you sooner, Miss Octavia. I…” He paused, suddenly very unsure what to say next. “I’m so glad your home. Your papa needs you, Miss. I’m so sorry for everything.”

“Thank you,” Seth covered for Octavia. “That means a lot. But I don’t think we should stay much later.”

“Well, I agree with you, sir. Let’s get those bags lifted up.”

The ride over to Octavia’s childhood home was mercifully short. Seth had little to do other than let the grey musician rest upon him and stare out into the bright and vibrant town. The contrast between their little sphere and the outside world left the unicorn feeling isolated and secluded. Something he was sure Octavia was experiencing as well – he could feel her heart rate refusing to drop down back to normal levels.

“It will be ok,” Seth whispered to her for the thousandth time that day.

Octavia didn’t reply.

The carriage lurched slightly when it pulled up in front of a small, white house on the outskirts of the city. A garden with neatly tended flowers gave the scene a burst of colour and life. A small path led up to the porch, where two rocking chairs looked out onto the foliage. Seth heard Octavia whimper slightly.

“It hasn’t changed in the slightest…”

“Remember, I’m with you.”

“I know.”

As the two ponies stepped down from the carriage, Turnover had already started to unload the bags and ferry them over to the porch. With Seth helping him, it did not take long to have them all stacked up neatly against the house. The yellow earth pony stood around awkwardly for a moment.

“I guess I leave ya here,” he said, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof. “I… Best of luck, I sure hope everythin’ works out ok.”

“Thank you, Turnover,” Seth replied. “You have been most helpful. We appreciate it.”

“Aww, not a problem. If you need me again, send me a letter, kay?”

“Definitely.”

“Well… See you around. It was nice to see you again, Octavia.”

“You too, Turnover,” the mare whispered.

With that, the wagon driver took his leave, soon disappearing around a corner after one final wave goodbye. Seth turned to his marefriend.

“Go ahead. I am right behind you,” he said gently, kissing her lightly.

Octavia nodded and turned towards the door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked three times. Everything was silent for a moment, neither pony daring to breathe, before the door suddenly flung open, a slightly dishevelled black earth pony stallion standing in its place. He looked at the pair in front of him dumbly, blinking several times.

“Oct… Octavia?” he finally whispered.

“Father!” Octavia cried out, throwing herself at the stallion.

“Octavia! It’s really you! You came back!”

“Of course I did, Father. I’m so sorry, I am just so, so sorry.” Octavia started to tear up again, clinging to her father with both forelegs wrapped around his neck.

“None of that now.” He hushed her gently, lowering her back down to all fours, nuzzling her as he did. “I am just so glad your home. Your mother…” he paused and took a deep breath. “She’s in a bit of a rough patch at the moment.”

“W-where is she?” Octavia asked.

“The hospital. We will go and see her as soon as we can. But first, Octavia, I think you have skipped an introduction.” The stallion chuckled weakly, his attention on Seth now.

“Father…” Octavia began, suddenly seeming very nervous. “T-this is Seth. He’s my coltfriend.” Seth fought back a wince as Octavia’s father raised an eyebrow. “He’s the real reason I’m here,” she continued. “Without him, I don’t think… I don’t…”

Her father silenced her with a soft hush, and then turned to Seth, a sad smile now on his lips. “I guess I should thank you then for bringing my Octavia home.”

“It was nothing at all,” Seth said, not at all sure what more he could say.

“Well I certainly appreciate it. I’m just thrilled she’s here. Please come and sit. We can talk over a drink.” He turned and began to leave the entrance hallway before he stopped looking back at Seth. “I just realised I forgot. I’m Grafton.” He reached out with a hoof and Seth shook it.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

Grafton chuckled at that.

Seth followed the two ponies into the dining area. The house was comfortable, Seth decided. Every inch of wall space was covered in bookshelves, paintings or other pieces of furniture. The wooden floorboards were shiny and worn. There was a small upright piano in the corner of the lounge room. On top of the piano sat several trophies, all clearly musical themed. A photograph of a small, grey filly with a dark mane sat in amongst them. Next to the photo, a huge white rose, set inside a frame and preserved behind glass sat in the centre of the display.

Once they were all seated and Grafton and poured them all drinks, Octavia wasted no time in speaking up.

“Father, please, what is the situation with mother?”

Seth watched as the black stallion sighed slightly before answering his daughter, “Nopony’s completely sure, Octavia. All we know is that it is some kind of disease and it’s essentially wasting her away. The doctors have tried all of the conventional types of medicine and nothing is working… and… and her body is fading quickly.” His voice was sad, yet controlled. Seth marvelled at the pony’s strength.

“But… but where does that leave us, father?” Octavia almost pleaded.

Grafton shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Well, there is one option left that could make her all better,” he said slowly, picking his words carefully. “But nopony is promising that it will work,” he added hastily.

“But what is it?”

“A type of unicorn magic that some doctors in Canterlot are experimenting with for this type of disease. Nopony is sure whether or not it will work yet. So all we can do is hope.”

Octavia nodded her head, trying to stay strong. “W-when can we see her, Father?”

“Soon,” he offered. “She practically kicked me out. Told me I required rest.” He smiled ruefully.

Octavia chuckled. “Oh Mother…”

Grafton took a sip of his drink. “I’m just so glad your home, Octy…”

“Father I’m so-”

Grafton silenced her by raising a hoof. “Again, none of that now. That’s all in the past. I just can’t believe your home. I never thought you would reply or even get my letter. Your mother is going to be thrilled as well. I can’t tell you how good this will be for her.”

“I love you, Father,” Octavia said softly, her eyes misting over again.

“And I love you too.” He smiled at his daughter. “But now,” he continued in a louder voice, looking at Seth. “Tell me about yourself, Seth. I would just love to get to know the stallion who whisked my daughter off her hooves and brought her home.”

Seth took a deep breath as Octavia blushed deeply.

Well, I should’ve guessed this was coming… he thought sullenly. Time for an inspection.

Thankfully, or at least as far as Seth was concerned, the conversation had been brief and relatively painless. Grafton seemed pleased with Seth’s job and complimented the unicorn for his ‘good manners’, causing both Seth and Octavia to blush.

However, Grafton could not keep Octavia from visiting her mother for long. She constantly glanced at the clock, anxious for a time that she had never been told when she could finally see her mother.

Finally, Grafton relented and ushered them out of the homely kitchen. It was time to go to the hospital. Seth watched with interest as the black stallion’s voice increased in speed ever so slightly as he spoke, betraying the emotion Seth was sure was raging inside of him.

His façade is good, but not everypony can keep this inside of him forever, Seth thought. At least Octavia’s father’s apparent ease was keeping her calm.

The journey to the hospital was short, barely a five minute walk. The day outside was beautiful, a fact that none of them commented on. In fact, nopony really said anything. Seth smiled at Octavia, however, when he felt her wrap her tail around his as she gently leant up against his body. Seth could swear he saw Grafton smile as well.

Ugh… I hate hospitals. It wasn’t an uncommon sentiment, the unicorn knew, but he couldn’t think of anything else as he stared around at the sanitized plastic benches arranged into rows of chairs bolted together. The waiting room was fairly crowded, with a few ponies sitting anxiously or bored around them. Octavia sat next to Seth, staring at the floor.

“Does… is she angry at me, Father?” Octavia asked softly after a time.

Grafton looked at his daughter for a long time before answering, “No. Neither of us were, Octavia. We were devastated that we had done wrong by you. Honestly, we wanted nothing more than to have you come home to us.”

Octavia stared at him, her mouth opened in horror. Before she could speak though, Grafton continued, “But I’ve said it before, Octy. That’s in the past. We love you and you’re here now. That’s the important thing.” He smiled at her kindly. “And if you don’t believe me, just ask your Mother.”

Octavia and Seth both looked up as a nurse approached, obviously seen by the older stallion.

“You can go in now. Down in room five,” she said gently before moving off.

“After you,” Grafton said to Octavia, gesturing down the correct hallway.

Seth followed the two ponies as they walked down the linoleum floors toward the sick pony in question. He watched as Octavia’s pace varied haphazardly, a clear sign that she was nervous. His stomach turned.

Please, please let this go well, he thought, sending a silent prayer to anypony who wanted to listen.

The unicorn looked up as their small party stopped. The metal number on the closed door informed them that this was their destination. Octavia looked at her father for instructions and he just merely intoned his head toward the door, gesturing she continue.

Slowly, hesitantly, she pushed open the door and entered the small room quietly. A single bed lay in the middle of the room, it and the machines on either side, taking up most of the space. A single window let the afternoon sunlight stream in, illuminating an earth pony lying in amongst the sheets.

“Mother!” Octavia gasped, rushing to her side.

The ash-coloured mare stared at the pony beside her, blinking slowly, unable to comprehend what she was seeing.

“Octavia… can it be? Is… that really you?”

“Yes, Mother! It’s me! I’m here and I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Please forgive me, I never meant to hurt you! I will never leave again I promise!” Octavia was crying now, unable to keep back the emotion.

Her mother looked at her daughter with an expression that blew Seth away. It was devotion, absolute pure adoration. Smiling, she slowly reached up a hoof to stroke Octavia’s face, quietening her.

“Hush little one. There is nothing to forgive.” Her voice was weak and raspy, and she moved her hoof with obvious difficulty. “You’re back to me. That’s all that matters. Nothing more.”

With great speed, but also care, Octavia wrapped her hooves around her mother’s frail body. “I love you, Mama, I love you so much. I am so, so sorry.”

“I love you too, Octavia. I love you too.” The mare looked beyond her daughter and towards the other two ponies who stood in the room with her. “My, my, Octavia,” she said weakly, attempting to tease. “Who is this dashing young stallion you’ve brought along?”

“That’s Seth, mama. He’s my coltfriend and he brought me home.” Seth’s heart skipped a beat at the love and confidence that Octavia now spoke with.

“It’s lovely to finally meet you. Octavia has told me so much about you.”

“Has she now? I am Orchid, as you probably know.” Orchid coughed, her breath coming in short wheezes. “Well, thank you for bringing her home. It means a lot to us.”

“It was the least I could do.”

“Regardless, thank you,” she offered him a weak smile. “Now my dear,” she said to Octavia. “We keep hearing impressive things about you and your music. Your father and I are so proud…”

Seth watched as Orchid spent as much time as she could talking with her daughter. Octavia put on a brave face, Seth could tell, but every time her mother coughed or lost the strength to hold up her hoof, he watched the grey musician wince in pain.

They talked for over half an hour about anything they could. However, when one of the machines started to beep, a nurse entered and asked that they all leave for the night. The patient needed her rest. Heartbroken, Octavia bid her mother farewell as the older mare held her daughter close.

“I will see you tomorrow, Mama. I promise.”

“I know you will, my dear. Have a good night, and remember, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Octavia walked back over to stand by Seth, who offered Orchid a tentative smile as the two of them walked out, leaving husband and wife to talk briefly.

“And Seth,” Orchid called out to the pair, “once again, thank you.”

“It was my pleasure,” Seth replied, looking at Octavia as he did, her purple eyes misting over in equal parts joy and sadness.

Seth and Octavia left the hospital, the mare leaning against the unicorn for support, holding back the floodwaters of emotion. He kept her close though, fulfilling a promise to her that he wanted to keep with every fibre of his being.

As the sun slipped below the horizon, the two ponies walked the now-emptying streets together.

Back inside her parents’ home, Octavia finally let the stress and pain of the day get to her. She had stumbled into her old bedroom, and upon finding it almost completely unchanged since the day she had left, burst into tears on the bed.

Thankful that Octavia’s father had given them privacy for the night, Seth held her close, stroking her mane. He felt utterly helpless again. Seeing Octavia in this much pain was torture and there was nothing more he could do to make things right.

She clung to him desperately, letting all the emotion she had built up inside the hospital out.

“I love you,” Seth whispered in her ear.

Octavia didn’t reply, yet tightened her embrace on the unicorn, her body shaking with pain.

Hurting, frustrated and exhausted, Seth held Octavia while she wept as the sun disappeared, heralding the beginning of a long, long night.

Over the following week, they slipped into some sort of a routine. Each day they would go over to the hospital and Octavia and her mother would talk for as long as she could. Occasionally, Orchid would ask Seth questions, and he would answer them with as much detail as he could. She seemed to appreciate that.

She asked him about his job and about what kind of ponies he encountered in Canterlot. She asked him about Octavia and what he thought of her music and her friends. She even briefly enquired about Seth’s own family.

“Pacius?” she had said, her eyebrow raised.

“Yes,” he had replied.

“That’s interesting.”

“How come?”

“You don’t seem like a Pacius,” she answered simply. Seth had looked at her quizzically at that, but she didn’t elaborate any further.

They had begun the experimental treatments, and while her condition wasn’t getting worse, there hadn’t been any noticeable improvement. The fact that there was no change pleased the couple at first, but as the week wore on, Octavia became more and more withdrawn.

Some nights she would cry in Seth’s embrace and others she would simply lie awake, up as close to the unicorn as possible. Either way, she spoke little and while she seemed to live off constant physical contact with him, he was achingly worried about her.

Six days after arriving, the two ponies sat on the grass in the middle of Octavia’s backyard. Around them were multitudes of flowers, all different colours and size. Seth had taken her outside to enjoy some sunshine and she was lying on her fore-hooves, her eyes closed, drinking in the sun’s warmth.

“The garden here is magnificent,” Seth said to her, attempting to prompt some conversation.

To his surprise, she smiled. “Yes it is. It’s my mother’s pride and joy. She’s a floral designer, you see.”

“Is that why you loved the gardens back at Locarno Mansion?”

“Yes,” she replied. “Because of my mother, I learned to adore flowers.”

“I can see why.”

“I remember one time when she took me out the meadows outside Trottingham as a filly. She said she needed my help to collect enough daises for an order. Of course, nopony needs daisies for decoration, but I didn’t know that, nor needed to know that. I was spending time with my mother and that’s what was important. We spent hours out there, filling up our baskets with flowers. We would chase butterflies, and lie in the grass, watching the clouds move across the sky.”

She paused, smiling as she remembered the memories. “That’s why it was so important to me to help her look after her roses. Roses have always been her favourite, you see, and for her to help me take care of her pride and joy… it was special.

“One time, we were having a picnic in the Trottingham gardens. I would have been young, probably before I joined the Academy. Being the little filly I was, I wandered off, searching for butterflies. However, I stumbled across this one, lone rose bush, hidden amongst some other plants. On the bush was a gigantic white rose, its petals the cleanest and most gorgeous I had ever seen. I was overjoyed! I could not believe it. So as carefully as I could, I picked the flower and rushed back to my mother to show her my discovery. When she saw it, she told me it was the most beautiful flower she had ever seen and that she would treasure it always. So she had it framed and told me every night before I went to bed that the rose was our love for each other…

“…That was one of the best days of my life,” she finished, a single tear making its way down her face.

Seth reached down and gently kissed the tear away. She opened her eyes, and despite the tears in them, smiled.

“I love you,” she said gently.

“I love you too,” he affirmed, smiling back at her.

Neither of them said another word, the simplicity of the moment sending out ripples of beauty. Even in the depths of despair, they had each other. And that counted for a whole lot.

“Octavia!” Grafton’s voice suddenly rang out over the garden, causing both ponies to jump. “Octavia! Seth! Come quickly, we have to get over to the hospital!”

Before Seth could react, Octavia was already racing across to the house. Not wanting to miss anything, Seth took off after her. Grafton stood on the porch, his posture slumped forward, his eyes pleading.

“W-why?” Octavia demanded, her voice shaking.

“They wouldn’t say,” Grafton replied. Seth felt his stomach turn when he clearly heard the panic within the pony’s voice. Grafton didn’t panic, he had never panicked… unless…

“What do you mean, ‘they wouldn’t say?’” Octavia asked, coming to the same conclusion as Seth. “That sounds like… oh no… Oh Celestia no…”

“I don’t know, I just don’t know,” Grafton whispered. “We have to go, I… we have to find out.”

“Alright then,” Seth said firmly, watching as Octavia started to freeze up, her breaths coming in faster and faster. “Everypony listen, we are going to get over to the hospital, ok? Nopony panic. We do not know what this is yet.” Taking charge felt good. Taking charge meant that he couldn’t panic himself.

His newfound charges nodded numbly as Seth led them to the door.

Please, if there is any justice in the world, show mercy… please.

The hospital staff looked up expectantly when the trio cantered into the reception area. It was quieter today with significantly fewer ponies about. Seth supposed that this was a good thing.

“My… my wife…” Grafton gasped, trying to suck in air.

“Yes. Orchid,” one of the nurses said, reading off a sheet of paper. “Sir, we have something to tell you. If you would please follow us,” the nurse continued, her face devoid of all expression.

“Is… she alright?”

“Sir, that’s a conversation we would rather have someplace private. The doctor is waiting for you in the other room, so if you would please follow us.”

Reluctantly, Grafton followed the nurse, his brow covered in sweat. Octavia started to follow but the nurse turned to her.

“I’m sorry, but we have to tell her husband first.”

“But I’m her daughter!” Octavia cried out in disbelief.

“I’m sorry,” was all the nurse offered in reply before taking Grafton into a room just beyond the reception desk. There was a window facing out into the corridor and so Seth and Octavia rushed over to peer in.

They watched Grafton walk up to what they both assumed to be the doctor, a brown unicorn dressed in a lab coat and wearing a stethoscope. They couldn’t see his face clearly due to the angle he was standing, but they could see Grafton’s, his eyes scared and confused.

“Please…” Seth heard Octavia whisper as they looked on, unable to hear a word.

The doctor began speaking to Grafton, his lips moving too fast to make out words. They watched the black stallion’s eyes grew wide and he began to shake.

“No…” both ponies whispered, horrified. “Oh please no…”

And then, just as the doctor appeared to be finishing, Grafton collapsed heavily to the floor, causing the medical stuff to jump in surprise.

“No!” Octavia screamed, rushing to the door. “PAPA!

Celestia no…

A/N: Another cliff-hanger! I am a terrible person, I know. :D Thank you everyone for reading! We're almost at the end of this little story of ours, and things are pretty exciting.

A big thank you to Dacaz5 for putting up with me and keeping me going, another big thank you to HeWhoErasesMost for the cover image and a huge thank you to Sessalisk for editing! Also, thank you everybody for reading this! It really means a lot! :) Don't forget to leave a comment or a star rating! See you next chapter!