For Seth and Octavia, the following month passed in a blur. They were nearly inseparable the whole time, choosing to do practically everything together. For both ponies, life seemed easy, happier and brighter. It was a worn out truth, the effects of love, but for them, it certainly held true.

While they definitely didn’t always see eye to eye, even in disagreement they still found comfort in the knowledge that the other pony was nearby. They laughed and teased and sat in comfortable silences.

Despite everything though, and despite how much Seth hated to admit it, he still caught himself staring resignedly out of windows when he was alone at night. Something was missing. And that something, was work. He had kept in contact with his colleagues and had often offered advice (mostly to keep some sort of income), but he still had not actually returned to work properly. He still felt sick every time he pictured ponies like Top Hat, and their remorseless bids for power. Yet in the absence of his life’s passion, every time Seth looked into the mirror he stared at his cutie mark, knowing full well that it was essentially meaningless.

“What time is the social?” Seth asked Octavia, looking up from the drink he was staring at intently on his glass coffee table.

Octavia poked her head around the corner of his kitchen and called out into the living room. Whatever it was that she was cooking, it sure smelled great. “I am not actually too sure I feel like going tonight.”

Seth lowered his drink, raising an eyebrow in confusion. “Oh, how come? Is everything ok?”

“Y-yes. Everything is fine. I just don’t feel like going out tonight, if that’s alright.”

The unicorn got up from his couch, walking gradually over to the kitchen. He was concerned now. This was the third time in a week she had blown-off a social event. She still seemed eager to spend time with him, but anything out in public and she instantly became withdrawn and reserved.

He entered the kitchen slowly. Octavia was busy stirring the sizzling contents of a frying pan, seemingly engrossed in her work. He stood there silently for a few moments and she didn’t turn around.

Gently, he cleared his throat. “So then, just a quiet one at home?”

“Yes, that sounds wonderful,” Octavia said, lowering the spoon temporarily, still not looking at him.

“I feel like a broken record these days, but that smells delicious. What is it?”

Seth saw the corners of her mouth raise in a smile. “Well, that is eggplant currently in the frying pan. I plan to do a risotto.”

“Delicious?”

Another smile. “Yes Seth, delicious.”

“Fantastic then.” Seth let the matter drop. There was no point pushing Octavia for information when she was not ready to give it. She knew he was there for her, whenever she needed it.

He retreated to the living room once again, allowing the black leather sofas to greedily warp to his body’s form. Lifting up the glass of scotch he had left earlier, he leisurely took a sip. Octavia would come to him in time. He was sure of it.

Dinner, as Octavia had affirmed, was delicious. Seth even helped himself to a small serving of seconds, just to emphasize the point. He knew Octavia loved to see her creations enjoyed, and he loved to make her happy.

She smiled as he emptied his plate for a second time. “Nice?”

“Exquisite as always. Thank you.”

“It is my pleasure.” She smiled as he served her another small glass of wine. It was another bottle from Golden Meadows, just like their first dinner together.

They sat there for a time, each lost in their own thoughts. It wasn’t awkward. In fact, that was something that Seth truly loved about their relationship: silences were often as enjoyable as their conversations. They were companionable, meaningful moments.

He slipped slowly at his drink, occasionally throwing a glance over to the mare opposite him. She stared down at the table, her eyes occasionally narrowing in thought. The unicorn fought the urge to speak and stayed silent. Any second now-

“Seth,” she said suddenly, interrupting the pony’s thoughts. “I… I’m sorry. You’re right, there is something on my mind and I… I should be honest with you.”

“What’s wrong?” He looked at her, his eyes soft.

“It’s just… My parents Seth. I… I still feel so guilty about what I did to them.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, genuinely inquisitive as the pieces started to come together.

“I-it’s been years, and I almost feel like I should try to make amends. But I-I’m not sure.”

Seth nodded his head slowly, thinking over his response. “Then do it. Meet your parents and tell them how you feel.”

“But that’s just the thing, I don’t think I am ready for that.” She hung her head, staring at her empty plate.

“Why not?”

“Whenever I start to think about seeing them again, I… I… I just can’t do it, Seth. At least, not yet.”

Seth was quiet, mentally running through plenty of wild schemes to help Octavia face her demons. Yet time and time again, he drew blank after blank. His eyes furrowed in frustration.

“So I guess that leaves us in a pretty useless situation,” she offered weakly.

He laughed, trying to reassure her. “Don’t worry, we will think of something.”

“Will we?”

“We will.”

She looked at him and couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you. For everything.”

“Anytime, you know that.”

Seth swirled his glass around inside a grey aura of magic, deep in thought. He knew that unless he could get the issue of her parents resolved soon, it would continue to eat at her, and that made his coat stand on end.

I have to help her… but how? he mused, taking a drink as he did. Perhaps she needs something before she can face them? But what? Some sort of strength, perhaps? Confidence? Celestia knows even I could use that, especially with my father. My father… my parents… Hang on… my parents!

He jerked up in his chair, his eyes lighting up as he did. “Octavia, I think I have an idea!”

The musician stared at him with her head tilted slightly to one side, not quite understanding his words. “An idea?”

“Yes, an idea!” His excitement was hard to contain.

“…Then what is it?” she asked with an amused kick in the corner of her mouth after Seth said nothing to elaborate.

“Oh, yeah. Well, and bear with me for this one, you said that you can’t face your parents. Understandable. So, why not come with me and we shall go visit my parents?”

“V-visit your parents?”

“Yeah, we can visit my parents and you can build some confidence and we can re-evaluate where you stand afterwards.” Seth was glowing, convinced that his plan was genius.

“Are… are you sure that it will help?”

“Sure I’m sure. It’s about time you met my parents anyway and this could prove to be that spark you need to make things right with your parents. And besides, I think we both deserve a holiday.”

She smiled at that, and looked up at Seth hopefully. “You would really do that, for me?”

“Of course I would.” He smiled back at her.

“Then,” she began, her smile growing larger. “Then I think that sounds fantastic.”

“Wait, you really think it sounds good?”

She nodded. “Yes, I do. You are right, I do need to get away for a time and this could really help. It sounds perfect.”

“Excellent!” Seth was positively over the moon. Octavia liked his plan! He was actually doing something practical to help!

“So where do your parents live? I just realised I’ve never thought to ask,” Octavia asked, interrupting the unicorn’s mental victory dance.

Seth froze. His mind stalled, jarring out of elation into deadlock. Shakily, he attempted to answer, “Uhh, well normally they live in Canterlot.”

“Normally?”

“Yeah, well at the moment they are living at their summer home in… uh, Golden Meadows.”

“Golden Meadows? Oh wow! That is so fantastic! I have always wanted to go to Golden Meadows! They have one of the best-” She stopped suddenly, and Seth watched in silent fear as she recalled a memory. “Wait… so that is why you knew all about Golden Meadows back when you first had dinner at my house.” Her eyes narrowed. “Why didn’t you say that then?”

Seth chuckled nervously, caught red hoofed in the lie. “Well, um, actually… I-I guess I didn’t really want you thinking I was too snobbish or less-deserving if you knew my parents could afford a place at Golden Meadows.”

Octavia’s eyes had softened slightly at his stammering and she had to cover her mouth with a hoof to stifle a giggle. “Is that all? Seth, my darling, there is no way I would have thought less about you in the knowledge that your parents live in Golden Meadows. I think it’s fantastic.”

“I know it’s kinda silly, but you would be surprised at the number of ponies for whom that is an issue. They hear that piece of information and assume I was spoon-fed my entire life.”

“Well,” she said getting up from her chair and walking over to Seth. “I know that’s not true. You don’t have to keep things like that from me, ok?”

He smiled at her. “I know, thank you.”

She kissed him gently and walked back toward the kitchen, presumably to clean up. Seth sat there for a moment, contemplating his plan. He felt uneasy. His own words about being ‘spoon-fed through life’ had triggered something inside of him.

Seth tapped his hoof upon the table slowly; the knowledge that this brilliant plan of his involved seeing his father again formed a knot inside his stomach. He gulped. The unicorn wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to meet his father again. He had little doubt as to what kind of condition their relationship was in at the moment.

He downed the rest of his drink in one gulp, trying to shake his head in the process. Seth massaged his temple with a hoof. His once-brilliant plan had all of a sudden lost most of its appeal.

Over the next few days, Seth made plans for the two of them to visit his parents at their summer home in Golden Meadows. Through a series of short, polite letters, he had informed his parents that he and a guest were coming for a few days and that they should be there by the beginning of next week. His mother’s replies seemed happy enough, a fact that eased the knot in his stomach somewhat. He was actually looking forward to seeing his mother.

As the date drew closer, Octavia became more and more nervous. Seth had to admit, he found it very cute, not that he would ever admit it to her face. Even though Seth himself was not completely at ease with seeing his parents again, he found her uncharacteristically flustered behaviour quite amusing. A by-product of this, however, was Octavia’s frantic packing and re-packing for the holiday. Despite Seth stressing that they wouldn’t be away for any longer than a week, she had packed clothes for near on two.

Whatever makes her most at ease, he had thought when he finally let the matter drop.

Eventually though, without fail, the day arrived for them to leave. Seth struggled slightly under the strain of levitating her bags along with his own. Fortunately, the train station was not too far from his apartment and the day was gorgeous. A few pegasi dotted the brilliant blue sky, making the most of the cool summer day.

Seth had decided, despite the fact that the train ride was only a few hours long, that they should travel in a private car. It was a luxury that made the unicorn feel guilty, why he wasn’t sure, but he wanted everything to go as smoothly as possible for Octavia.

“How long till the train arrives?” Octavia asked, craning her neck left and right in an attempt to see it approach.

“It will be here in a few minutes. Relax, we got here early.” He smiled as he saw her take a deep breath.

“I am relaxed,” she answered half-heartedly.

They stood in the middle of the platform for the train out to Golden Meadows. It was a wide open space, a single sign informing them of the platform number. The terminal building lay behind them, a small stone affair with squat, square windows. They were alone on the platform. Most of the ponies who would be out at Golden Meadows had left at the beginning of summer.

Octavia had begun to tap her hoof on the ground, her eyes darting left and right. Occasionally she would glance down at her cello case by her feet, the one possession she chose to carry herself.

Suddenly, with a sharp whistle, the train appeared, its breaks squeaking as it slowed down.

“The train is here. The train is here! Seth, the train!”

He laughed. “I see it, Octavia, I see it.” She really was just adorable. It was a side of her he had never seen before.

After the train had stopped, two white unicorns and a purple earth pony exited. One of the unicorns was gangly and obviously sweated under the gaze of his older companion. He walked toward their bags as the earth pony spoke up.

“Greetings, Mr. Locarno. Your car has been prepared.”

“Wonderful. Thank you.”

The earth pony bowed, and motioned for Seth and Octavia to follow him onto the train. “Mr. Etiquette and his helper will store your luggage safely, so if you would please follow me.”

Seth stepped onto the train and Octavia followed with a fearful glance back at her cello. “It will be fine,” Seth whispered back at her, noticing her apprehension. A loud thud and the sound of the older unicorn yelling did nothing to abate her fear as the door slid shut.

Seth heard Octavia give a small gasp of surprise. The interior of the train could only be described as luxurious. Lush, mahogany-coloured carpets ran along the floors and leather sofas lined the walls, antique tables placed carefully between them. On the walls, ornate lanterns sat in brackets, interspaced between the windows that were now covered in large, purple curtains. The lanterns were dully lit, creating a homely light inside the cabin.

If she thinks this is impressive, wait till she sees home…

“I hope you find everything to your liking, Mr. Locarno. This rope here will alert one of our staff, should you need any sort of refreshments for the journey,” the purple pony said, motioning toward a golden rope near the door at the end of the cabin.

“It looks superb, thank you. We shall be sure to ask if we require anything.”

“Splendid. I shall take my leave now. Enjoy your trip.”

Seth nodded his head in acknowledgement as the pony left through one of the doors. He turned toward Octavia, a smile on his face.

“So, what do you think?” he asked.

“I… wow. This is impressive.”

He chuckled softly. “Yes, but do you like it?”

“Well, it’s certainly a little overwhelming to begin with, but yes, I do suppose I like it.” She smiled at him lightly, regaining enough of her composure to tease him with a sigh as she spoke.

He laughed. “Excellent, I’m glad you think so.”

They heard a whistle and suddenly, the train began to move forward. Steam slowly drifted its way past the windows, visible through the cracks in the curtains.

“I shudder to think about how much it cost, though.”

“Uhh…” Seth began, “well mother insisted she help us find tickets for the journey over, so probably not as much as they should have.”

Octavia raised an eyebrow. “She has some pull then?”

“Well, in Equestria, with money comes power, so yes, she does.”

Octavia thought that over for a moment before continuing, “Yes I suppose it does, doesn’t it.” She paused, thinking. “You know, I just realised, we have known each other for months now and I have never once asked you about your parents!”

Seth chuckled darkly. “Please, that is probably a good thing. I do not often talk about my parents and rarely by choice. But since you have told me about yours, I guess I should tell you about mine.”

Octavia sat on one of the couches, and Seth followed suit. The train was picking up speed now, the turning wheels creating a soothing rhythm.

“Why do you not talk about them? Do you not get along?” Octavia asked, obviously concerned.

“Well, I do actually. Kind of.” Octavia looked confused and so Seth pressed on. “I get along with my mother, always have. My father on the other hand…” his voice petered out into nothing.

“Why not with your father?” Her brow had furrowed slightly, trying to make sense of Seth’s obvious antagonism for his dad.

Seth sighed. “I guess I should start at the beginning, huh?” Octavia smiled at him, encouraging him to continue. “My Father’s name is Versaille Locarno, my Mother’s is Andréa. Mother was born into a family of incredible wealth and respect, one of the original noble families.”

“Which one?” Octavia interrupted.

“The Pacius family,” Seth replied. Octavia’s eyes grew wider by a fraction. “Exactly,” Seth said, noticing her reaction. “While being nowhere near as visible as a pony like Fancy Pants, they have just as much influence on Canterlot society, just in different ways. They are mainly more political while Fancy Pants is much more social. Anyway, she gave up a fair bit of all that by marrying my father but needless to say, she still commands a fair level of respect as well as being unbelievably wealthy.

“Father is ex-military. He rose up through the ranks rapidly, despite the fact there hasn’t been any conflicts of any sort in Equestria for over a thousand years. When I was born though, he became head of Celestia’s royal guard. However, these days he runs a much more administrative role, working mainly behind a desk to make sure the guard runs smoothly and professionally, but that’s not really important.

“Due to Father’s training, he valued excellence and hard work over everything else. As a result, he pushed me to the extreme to succeed as a foal.” Seth snorted, shaking his head. “I guess I should thank him for that. His pressure got me to work into some very prestigious positions, well beyond my age or experience. But therein lies the problem you see, for Father never stopped. Despite the huge amounts of effort I was exerting, and despite the success and the respect I was winning, he was never satisfied. I could always do better; I was never good enough yet. Things often got… tense and we argued a lot. It was petty, but it hurt.”

He stopped and looked down at the table, his forehead knitted together in concentration, almost like he was casting a particularly hard spell. “It’s just… frustrating,” he finally said after a while.

“Why is it frustrating?” Octavia asked gently.

“Oh… just work in general. I… ponies think that all of my success has been because of my Father’s influence. That because he has such close ties with the Princess herself that he can get her to pull strings in my favour. Of course anypony who knew the Princess would know how ridiculous that is, but that doesn’t stop the rumours…” He frowned again. What he had said was only half true. Why he hadn’t told the truth, he wasn’t quite sure and it made him feel guilty. After all, she had been honest with him…

It’s not important… he rationalised. It’s your problem, not hers.

“Oh Seth, don’t let the lies get to you. Your hard work speaks for itself. You are smart, talented and you have a heart of gold. You know the real you, and don’t let anypony tell you differently.” She spoke with a fire that made Seth smile.

He looked up at the mare in front of him. “I know the real me?”

“Yes. You do. And that’s what’s important, not what others think.”

He thought her words over, looking down at his cutie mark, the golden olive branches looping into a perfect circle. I thought I knew who I was… he thought, holding back the actual words themselves. Not her problem after all.

“Your probably right,” he said after awhile, smiling at her. “Thank you.”

“Of course I am,” she replied with grin. “And you’re welcome.” She reached out a hoof over the table to gently touch his. “Things with your Father will be fine, just wait till he hears about your work with Luna’s Night Court!”

He smiled at her attempt to cheer him up; he smiled as it was working. It was impossible to stay melancholy around her. With a warm glow inside his chest, the unicorn dove into the conversation as the country side continued to roll by.

It was just past noon when the train rolled gently into Golden Meadows. Seth and Octavia, their conversation having long since moved from such deep and meaningful things like their families, exited the luxury car with moods that were very similar to the gorgeous sun that was streaming down upon the town.

“Well, this is Golden Meadows.” Seth said, stating the obvious. Octavia, however, didn’t seem to care at all as she looked around at the buildings around her.

“It’s so… pretty…”

The streets around them were in fact, stunning. Shops lined most of the roads, their ornate windows displaying wares that only the richest suburbs of Canterlot possessed. The buildings were all large, with fronts made entirely of glass. Many had golden lettering detailing the shops names. There were jewellers, cafés, tailers, and upmarket food stores. Walking the streets were ponies, all impeccably dressed, and all with their noses in the air.

What Octavia was referring to though, were the immaculately kept, granite cobblestone roads, and the lush, leafy trees that lined every road, illuminating everything in a cool, green light. It really was beautiful.

“Wait till you see the houses. Canterlot is a place of class, but also function. Here, aesthetics and social statements rule supreme.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Locarno, sir,” said a cultured voice, drawing the two ponies’ attention. The speaker was a light-brown unicorn, dressed impeccably in a purple vest with golden buttons. His moustache, mane and tail were all groomed to perfection.

“Ah, it’s nice to see you again, Francis,” Seth said, smiling slightly. “I trust you are well?”

“As always, sir. I am here to take yourself and your companion to Locarno mansion.” He gestured toward an expensive wooden carriage, pulled by two earth ponies, also dressed in purple vests.

Seth nodded, and turned to Octavia. “I guess I should do some introductions. Octavia, this is Francis. He is the head assistant of my parent’s mansion. Francis, this is Octavia, my marefriend.” Octavia smiled and offered a ‘hello’ while Seth couldn’t help but notice a small twitch in Francis’ professional façade.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Octavia. Now, if you would please come this way.” Without another word, he turned and walked over to the carriage, his tail giving a gentle flick. He said something to the train staff and they began to load their luggage onto the back of the carriage.

Seth looked to Octavia, an amused look in his eye. “After you,” he said, bowing as he spoke. Octavia rolled her eyes but walked ahead anyway.

Seth followed her up the steps of the fully enclosed carriage. The interior was almost entirely purple, the sofas and carpets the same colour as Francis’ and the earth pony’s vests. All of the trimmings, however, were golden, giving the space a feeling of prestige. Using magic, Seth lowered the glass windows, allowing the cool summer breeze entrance.

“The entire thing is designed with its unicorn owners in mind,” he offered in explanation for the unique concept of retractable windows, which only a unicorn could operate.

“Oh… That makes sense. Quite impressive, actually.” She paused as Francis gave a brief word to the earth pony drivers and the carriage began to move. “Your parents really are rather wealthy, aren’t they?”

“Just a bit,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Then again, so are most of the ponies who live here.”

“I can see that.” Octavia laughed.

“Excuse Francis,” Seth said. “He really is a great pony, he just takes his job very seriously. I have known him for most of my life.”

“I can understand that,” Octavia offered in reply.

The carriage was beginning to leave the shopping district of the hamlet, and was now passing houses - houses of course, being a very conservative term for the architectural marvels that were each larger and more brilliant than the last.

Seth looked over at the grey mare beside him, and noticed her troubled expression as she stared out of the window.

“Are you alright?” he asked, moving closer to her.

She smiled and leant against him, thankful for the support. “Just a little nervous,” she admitted.

“Please, don’t be nervous. It will be fine, trust me. My parents will love you. After all, you are sophisticated, talented and accomplished.”

“I know. Thank you.” She leant her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Seth smiled and returned his gaze to the open window as the carriage rolled along.

Soon, they began to leave the township itself behind them, moving into more open country, dotted by regal looking manors. It was not long, however, before they drew close to their destination.

Seth softly nudged Octavia and pointed out the window. “And there it is: Locarno mansion, in all of its glory.”

Up the gentle hill they were currently travelling, lay a manor of epic proportions. It was separated into three, even sections, each about 100 metres long, joined into a square with the front missing, thus forming a natural courtyard in-between. The entire thing had at least five levels, each floor with a balcony that stretched the entire length of the building. A wide, sweeping, cobble path led up to the courtyard, where a fountain featuring a gigantic unicorn mare, reared up onto his hind legs, water gushing forward from its horn, commanded the attention of all near it.

In the distance behind the mansion, Octavia could just make out the green blur of a forest and the twinkling blue of what she assumed was a lake. Gigantic, wrought-iron gates that she hadn’t even noticed were there closed behind them with a clang.

“Home, sweet home,” Seth muttered.

Octavia silently closed her open mouth.

The carriage rolled up into the courtyard, the fountain making the only sound beside the earth ponies’ hooves against the cobbles. They came to a halt in front of the middle of the centre section, to which Octavia assumed to be the main one. Before either of them could react, Francis had hopped down from his seat on the outside of the carriage and opened the door.

“Welcome home, Mr. Locarno.”

“Thank you, Francis.”

Seth turned and offered a hoof to Octavia, who was right behind him. Grateful, she accepted it, walking down the carriage steps.

“Somepony will be with your bags momentarily. I bid you go ahead, your parents are waiting for you,” Francis said with a bow.

“Again, thank you, Francis. You have been most helpful.”

The butler-pony bowed again in reply.

“Alright, are you ready?” Seth asked Octavia. She gave a small nod in reply. “Excellent, let’s go then.” He gave her a quick peck on the lips before walking up to the main entrance, huge double doors with golden carvings laid out in a very organic pattern - almost like the shoots of a new plant.

Using magic, Seth pulled on a rope next to the door and a faint ringing could be heard inside the house. Seth noticed Octavia take a deep breath. He gave a small smile to which she weakly replied with one her own.

Suddenly, both doors swung inwards, revealing two unicorns, standing regally side-by-side inside a huge, wide open foyer space. The stallion to the left was large and muscular, and despite his age, his white coat still possessed a brilliant sheen. The mare next to him was much more slender and soft, her golden coat and silver mane and tail giving her a very royal appearance. She smiled at the pair in front of her. The stallion, who Octavia could only assume was Seth’s father, appeared significantly less pleased.

“Hello mother, hello father,” Seth said, wasting no time. “This is Octavia, she is my marefriend.”

“Your what?!” The unicorn stallion exploded, his eyes bulging. His wife’s eyes too had widened, her mouth opened in a small ‘o’.

Oh Celestia… Seth gulped, his brilliant plan seemingly crashing and burning around him in a shower of surprise.

A/N: And the story gets moving again! I hope you all liked this chapter. I am really excited for the next few chapters! :D

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 everypony for reading this! It really means a lot! :) Don't forget to leave a comment or a star rating! See you next chapter!