The Snow on Her Cheek

Chapter Twenty-Five

Forget to Remember

***

Following the familiar route to Alexandro's house, Vinyl couldn't help but notice that there were a great deal of pegasi around; much more than usual. The pianist had never thought about it before, but now it seemed strange that she didn't use to see much pegasi in Manehattan, especially compared to the number of earth ponies and unicorn that roamed the streets. I wonder...

"Tom?" Vinyl asked, turning towards the brown stallion, who trotted by her side, his gaze adrift, his mind wandering along the road of the recent events.

"Yes, Vinyl?" Tom replied, coming back to reality.

"How come there used to be so few pegasi around, and now there are so many of 'em?" the unicorn wondered.

"Oh, that." Tom shrugged, as if it were the simplest question ever. "Pegasi are a military race. Before the war, they were concealed in their training camps in Cloudsdayle, learning to love Equestria and kill her enemies in as many ways as possible." He chuckled ironically. "Now that the war is here, pegasi are in demand; no wonder they roam the streets with royalty now." His face faded. "Now they are the most important ponies around, with the right to do whatever they see suitable." He shook his head with a sad chuckle. "Anything to help the beautiful and prospering state of Equestria."

Was that... irony? Vinyl mused, looking at Octavia's brother. While she was no patriot herself, such an attitude was new to her. Well, at least what he's saying makes perfect sense, she concluded.

"We're here," Octavia said suddenly, stopping before the Philarmonico mansion. She closed her eyes and gulped. Mother... Here I come... She felt a hoof tap her gently on the shoulder. The cellist turned round to see Vinyl smiling softly at her, her white hoof stroking her shoulder.

"It's all right, Tavi," the pianist whispered, nodding in an encouraging manner. "She's your mother, after all. You must be happy to finally see her again." Unless there's something you're hiding away from me, she added mentally, cringing a little at such a thought.

"I am, Vinyl," Octavia replied, her gaze fixed on the magnificent building. "I love her dearly, and so does she..." The cellist held a pause, prompting Vinyl to come closer.

"But?" the pianist wondered, resting her head atop Octavia's shoulder.

"But I'm really scared to see what her current condition is," the grey mare carried on. "Her son is dead, Vinyl, and Celestia knows what such a tragedy can do to a mother. Besides..." Octavia smiled solemnly, exhanging a look with Tom. "Cornelio has always been her favourite foal. She loves me, and Tom... but my eldest brother has always had a special place in her heart."

Not a hint of jealousy, Vinyl noted in surprise. She's just stating a fact.

Octavia took a deep breath and trotted towards the door, followed by her brother and marefriend. The large doors had never seemed so frightening; the usually welcoming windows looked as glaring guardians of the past, which allowed no vernal breeze to enter the majestic building.

The cellist raised her hoof, but, before she could do anything, Vinyl knocked at the door, smiling at the grey mare encouragingly.

The door swung wide open, revealing an outstanding grey unicorn, her black mane perfectly combed, a single half note resting atop her flank as her cutie mark. Vinyl immediately recongnised Sofia, even though she had never seen her before: she looked exactly like Octavia, save for the horn; or, to be more exact, Octavia was a perfect copy of her mother.

"M-m-mother..." Octavia whispered, her lip trembled, her hooves automatically stretching in her mother's direction to form an embrace; but, suddenly, Alexandro appeared from before Sofia's back and shook his head silently, but firmly, making the grey pony stop abruptly.

"Why, hello, Octavia," Sofia said calmly, as if her daughter had just returned home from a half-an-hour walk. "How has your day been?" she wondered, motioning for the three ponies to come in.

"Um... F-fine?" Octavia blinked, following her companions into the house. She looked at her father in confusion, but the stallion only shook his head witth a sigh and mouthed, "Play along."

"Oh, I take it this beautiful unicorn mare is your marefriend, Vinyl Scratch?" Sofia wondered idly as she closed the door, enveloping the knob in her telekinetic grip.

"Um... yes, ma'am," Vinyl replied, blushing. Something felt strangely off, but at least Octavia's mother seemed all right with her daughter dating a mare.

"Alexandro has told me about you," the grey mare carried on, tossing her mane. "I'm glad my daughter has fallen in love with such a kind and caring mare, if my husband is to be believed."

"Thank you, ma'am..." Vinyl's blush grew even deeper. At least now I know where Octavia has got her manners from... and her good looks as well, the pianist mare concluded, smiling sheepishly.

"Just Sofia," the unicorn mare said, turning to the brown stallion. "Ah, Tom. You're here as well. Good, it is high time for dinner!" she exclaimed, her eye twitching slightly, and headed for the dining room.

"Just follow us," Alexandro whispered to the three dumbfounded ponies. "I'll explain later."

Octavia glanced at Vinyl, who simply shrugged. Seeing that there was nothing she could do, she sighed and followed Tom and Vinyl to the dining room.

***

Silence hung about the room as the five ponies chewed on their meals, trying not to look at each other, each lost in thought. Octavia and Vinyl were gradually getting more and more worried as they watched Sofia peacefully consume her soup, not a single trace of emotion on her face.

"I don't get it," Vinyl whispered into Octavia's ear. "You're back after such a long time no see, and she just don't care?"

"Doesn't," Octavia corrected her automatically and sighed. "I don't know, honey," she  whispered back. "Something is off here, but I can't get a grip on-"

"Oh, just look at these fillies!" Sofia suddenly exclaimed, laughing. "You two look very cute together, but I'd rather you saved the hush-hush talk for the bedroom~" she said in a sing-song voice, making the two mares blush intensely. "Now... I wonder when Cornelio is coming to dinner?.." Sofia frowned disapprovingly. "That colt, always late for family matters..."

Octavia chocked on her salad, coughing, her eyes wide in shock. Vinyl came to the rescue, patting her mare on the back, despite being utterly confused herself.

"Why don't you bring a plate for Cornelio from the kitchen?" Alexandro addressed his wife calmly, not distracting his attention from the meal.

Sofia nodded and rose from her place, almost automatically, and left the dining room.

Before either Octavia or Vinyl could ask anything, Alexandro landed a pre-emptive strike. "She thinks that Cornelio is alive and well; and that you have never left home. Those pieces of her memory seem to be gone,"  he began, much to the shock of the musical ponies, who gasped in unison, and Tom, who expressed his confusion by raising his brow. "When Sofia came home yesterday, she told me, and Tom, about what had happened to Cornelio and her. Needless to say, we knew it already by that time..."

They have ears in many places, Vinyl mused. I wonder if there are any things that escape their hearing...

"We comforted her, but in the evening she was struck by a terrible fever and lost consciousness. We sent for a doctor, who gave her medicine and said that it was a strange, unknown illness, that probably was an effect of a severe shock," Alexandro explained laconically, mentally estimating time before Sofia's arrival. "I sent Tom to you immediately, to find you... well, before it would be too late..."

Octavia covered her mouth with a hoof, her eyes widening to the size of saucers.

"But today, she's come round, and, what surprised me, carried no signs of the illness. However..." The stallion frowned. "She seemed to have forgotten about all the hardships she'd encountered; like, Cornelio's death; your leave, Octavia... Some other things..." Alexandro looked at the ceiling and rubbed his chin. "I decided to just play along. After all, it isn't that bad... Forget the past, to remember the future..."

The door opened and a very cheerful Sofia entered the room, putting a plate and a fork on the table. She was holding a tray in her telekinetic grip. "I brought tea, everypony!"

Vinyl faked a smile and nudged Octavia, turning to see her face. What she saw shocked her to the bone. Octavia was grinning madly, tears streaming from her face, her whole body shivering. Vinyl looked at Alexandro pleadingly, who quickly nodded, thus allowing them to leave.

"Sorry, too tired, need to go, good-night!" Vinyl stammered as she grabbed Octavia in her telekinetic grip, practically dragging her behind.

As the two mares made their way towards Octavia's room, Sofia's sweet voice resonated across the hall.

"Have fun, you two!~"

***

Octavia woke up in the middle of the weary night, her eyes stinging from dry tears, her limbs aching from the hysteria that had overcome her not long ago. Finally, she'd managed to fall asleep in Vinyl's embrace, but now natural urges led her to the bathroom.

As the cellist trotted along the dark corridor, knowing every square inch of the house by heart, she couldn't help but plunge into the sombre thoughts about her mother slowly losing her sanity. But before she could give in to thinking, she heard some kind of shuffling and muttered curses from the kitchen.

Disregarding any chance of burglary, Octavia entered the kitchen slowly and turned on the light. What she saw was a nightmare; but a real one at it.

Sofia was standing on a stool, a thick loop around her neck. Her eyes were red - she had been crying, Octavia concluded - and her face was twitching uncontrollably.

"Mother!" Octavia yelled, her hooves turning in the unicorn's direction, ready to rush to her aid. However, she stopped dead in her tracks as Sofia levitated a kitchen knife, its blade pointing at her daughter.

"Sorry, Octavia. I... I can't go on any more..." Sofia sobbed, gulping. "Cornelio's dead. I ought to be dead, too. I... Remeber that I've always loved you, Octavia..." The unicorn mare smiled through tears. "My little Tavi~" she sang, her voice cracking.

"Mother, no!" Octavia screamed, hoping that all of this was just a bad dream, a terrible nightmare born by the uneasy night. However, at the same time, she realised that this was all real.

Sofia smiled one last time and kicked the stool from beneath her hooves, her body hanging limp in the air. Octavia just stood in place, shock paralysing her whole body.

The kitchen knife fell to the floor, for the spellcaster was no longer among the living.