“Are you sure you’ve packed everything you’ll need, Vinyl dear?” a woman with a fancy styled blonde-orangish hair asked with worry as she was about check the closed travel bags. Again.

“Aunt Orange, I appreciate that you’ve come to help me get my bags ready. I really do!” her niece, a young woman with a pale skin, short, messy, dark blue hair with cyan streaks in it replied, rolling her ruby red eyes in annoyance. “But, if you dare open that bag one more time, I’m gonna ask you to leave!”

“Do you see how she talks to me?” Aunt Orange asked her husband, a tall man with a short, well groomed, green hair in an incredulous tone. “Granny Smith was right, we should have made her come live with us during her school years instead of letting her stay in that overly expensive and superfluous dorm!”

“Don’t ask me to take sides, honey,” Uncle Orange said casually, raising his hands with a shrug. “I’m fine where I’m standing, and that’s leaning against the wall,” he added while leaning his back against the wall.

“I like your uncle, Vinyl,” Vinyl’s roommate, a girl with long, deep blue hair with a pearl white highlight, commented with a chuckle. “He’s a funny one!”

“Auntie, for the last time, the dorm wasn’t expensive, nor superfluous!” an exasperate Vinyl said, ignoring her roommate’s comment. “You and Uncle live on the other side of town, I wasn’t going to take a two hour carriage ride everyday to get to school, was I? And, the dorm fee was included in my scholarship!”

“Lucky you, because my parents sure complain about the dorm fee!” her roommate muttered sourly.

“Don’t you have your own bags to take care off, Colgate?” Vinyl asked her roommate in annoyance.

“Yes, but watching you doing yours with your aunt is way more fun!” Colgate replied with a small grin. “And, she’s just emptying your bag again!”

“AUNTIE!” Vinyl growled angrily as she faced back her aunt, who had just pulled out everything out of her niece’s travel bag. “I told you to stop checking my bags!”

“We have to make sure you don’t forget anything!” Aunt Orange stated firmly. “You don’t want to miss something important, do you?”

“Yeah, the train that’s supposed to take me back to Ponyville!” Vinyl replied loudly.

“I still have trouble believing that you of all people were a farm-girl from Ponyville,” Colgate commented in a pensive tone. “I’ve known it for three years, and I still don’t believe it!”

“I’m still a farm-girl from Ponyville, you wannabe dentist!” Vinyl jabbed her roommate's shoulder playfully.

“I don’t want to become a dentist!” Colgate shouted angrily. “I didn’t spend three years in magical engineering for that! And dentists scare the shit out of me!”

“Your collection of mouthwashes, toothpastes, and toothbrushes seem to tell otherwise.” Vinyl smirked as she pushed her aunt away from her clothes to put them back in her bag. “And, mind your language in front of my family!”

“I keep my teeth spotless so that I never have to go to the fucking dentist!” Colgate argued firmly, before giving a sheepish glance toward Aunt Orange. “Sorry for my crude vocabulary, madam.”

“It’s nothing, dear,” Aunt Orange assured. “You should hear what my husband says whenever he sees a pidgeon.”

“Birds freak me out!” Uncle Orange explained loudly. “They have no arms for crying out loud!”

The three women in the room looked at him with a raised eyebrow before Vinyl used her light blue magic to pour her remaining clothes in her last bag. When that was done, she closed her travel bag and put her backpack on.

“Okay! Now, I’m ready to go!” Vinyl said happily while picking up her purple shades from her soon-to-be former nightstand.

“Well dear, make yourself useful!” Aunt Orange ordered firmly before her husband sighed and picked up the two largest of Vinyl’s three travel bags. “We’ll wait for you downstairs dear,” she added to her niece before grabbing the smallest bag and leaving the room with her husband.

“So, this is it,” Colgate said slowly, standing up from her bed. “Vinyl Almata Apple is leaving the Royal University of Manehatten!” she added in a pinch of sadness.

“Hey, now don’t get all sappy on me,” Vinyl said softly. “It’s not like we’ll never hear from each other again.”

“Yeah, I know,” Colgate rubbed her arm while looking everywhere but at her roommate. “Still gonna be weird to have another roommate after you,” she said slowly.

“He or she probably won’t wake you up at the crack of dawn. That’s a plus compared to me, don’t you think?” Vinyl asked with a chuckle.

“I guess,” Colgate chuckled back. “I sure hope they’ll cook as good as you,” she added with a wink.

“Who knows, maybe you’ll even forget about me if he’s an awesome roommate,” Vinyl supposed with a shrug.

“I don’t think anyone can forget you, Vinyl,” Colgate affirmed softly. “You’re way too special and memorable for that,” she added with a smile while Vinyl blushed at the compliment.

There was a short silence between the two young women, before Colgate took a few steps forwards to hug her now ex-roommate. Vinyl didn’t stop her, but she had something to say.

“Colgate, careful with…” Vinyl demanded softly as Colgate’s arms passed around her.

“I know,” Colgate interrupted her before passing her arms around Vinyl’s neck to rest her hands on friend’s shoulders.

The hug was definitely weird in appearance, and a tad uncomfortable for her, but Colgate knew that Vinyl didn’t let anyone touch her back. Colgate didn’t know the reason, but the way Vinyl had snapped violently at her when she had once tapped her back during one of their many night outs was more than enough to prevent her from doing it again. It was something that clearly made Vinyl uneasy, and she’ll probably never know about it precisely, but Colgate wouldn’t change that for every bit in the world. Vinyl was an amazing friend nevertheless.

“I’ll miss you, Magic Musician,” Colgate said in a soft whisper, using the title Vinyl had earned after her first month in University.

“Miss you too, Minuette,” Vinyl whispered back with a caring tone before breaking the hug. “We’ll keep in touch, right?”

“Of course!” Colgate nodded eagerly. “I still have to visit that farm of yours after I graduate next year!”

“If you graduate that is,” Vinyl stuck her tongue out playfully. “Which will be hard without me around to help you.”

“Blablablabla!” Colgate replied, rolling her eyes in annoyance. “Just because you helped me a couple of times in magical theory…… Okay, fine! A lot more than a couple of times! Stop giving me that look already!” she shouted when Vinyl tilted her head to the right with a small smile and a cocked eyebrow. “I don’t need you to graduate!”

“I know you don’t,” Vinyl said with a nod. “You’re just too easy to play with, Colgate!” she pulled Colgate into a short embrace. “If you need anything from me, write! Heck, even if you just want to say hi, write! I don’t get that many letters,” she added with a short laugh.

“I can do that,” Colgate replied cheerfully. “But, you better write as well!”

“I will!” Vinyl assured before heading out of the room.

“Oh! And, blow them away at the big event!” Colgate cheered excitedly.

“Damn straight, I will! Goodbye, Colgate!” Vinyl nodded with a wave as she passed the threshold of the door.

“Seeya, Vinyl!” Colgate vigorously waved back. “Take care!”

“You too!” Vinyl closed the door, leaving Colgate alone in their dorm.

“Well, I just need to pack my stuff then!” Colgate said, while examining her side of the room, which was a lot more messy than Vinyl’s, even when her roommate’s stuff was still in the room. “This may take a while.”

“Thanks for the ride, Caramel,” Vinyl said as she hopped down her friend’s carriage.

Vinyl had left her dorm in Manehatten about five or six hours ago. After short, teary goodbye on the platform with her aunt and uncle, especially with her aunt, Vinyl had taken the train in direction of Ponyville. Once she was back in her hometown, Vinyl had met with Caramel, an old friend from highschool, who generously offered to give her a ride to Sweet Apple Acres.

“We’re still a bit far from the house, you know?” Caramel asked as he narrowed his eyes to the small dot in the horizon that was in fact the farmhouse.

“I may have been gone for a year, but I still know where my home is, Caramel,” Vinyl replied with a chuckle. “Besides, I asked you for a ride to Sweet Apple Acres, so you just did as I asked,” she added with a wink.

“Are you going to be okay with all your….” Vinyl’s bags flew out of the carriage, englobed in a light blue aura. “I forgot you could do that!” Caramel said sheepishly. “It’s still quite a walk though.”

“Walking never scared an Apple, Caramel!” Vinyl commented happily.

“I guess you’re right,” Caramel admitted before pulling the reins to make his carriage turn around. “It’s great to have you back, Vinyl!” he smiled at his friend who smiled back. “See you around!”

“See you, Caramel,” Vinyl said with a wave. “Oh, and if you see Cloud in town, could you tell her I just came back?”

“You just missed her!” Caramel replied. “She left yesterday for Canterlot and after she’ll be sent to Cloudsdale for a week or so,” he explained. “Blossomforth and Swiftwing think she’s going to be promoted.”

“Ain’t that somethin’!” Vinyl whistled. “Thanks for letting me know! Bye!”

As the carriage went further away from the farm, Vinyl inhaled deeply, taking a deep breath of the smell of apples carried by the summer winds. When she heard the same winds getting caught in the large branches of the apple trees around her, Vinyl felt she was nearly home.

“Well, something’s still missing,” she whispered before walking calmly toward her house, her bags floating behind her.

It took Vinyl a good half-hour on foot to pass the threshold of her house. She looked around the living room, smiling at how it hadn’t changed since the last time she was there: the same worn out but comfortable couches and chairs; the same coffee table; the same rocking chair with the same old woman wearing one of her light green dresses and her apple-themed shawl, and enjoying her daily nap.

Vinyl chuckled silently, before delicately put her bags in a corner of the living room, before going out of the house. She was happy to see the old woman again, but she knew better than waking her up from her nap.

“Now, at this hour, Lil’ Bloom is still at school and Mac & AJ are most likely in one of the orchards,” Vinyl supposed before heading toward the west orchard.

After a short walk, Vinyl heard multiple, rapid stomping sounds followed by the characteristic noise of dozens of apples falling into wooden baskets. Vinyl smiled and quickened her pace. Only one person could make those sounds so quickly.

As she finally saw above the horizon line of the hill she was climbing, Vinyl saw her. 6 feet tall, a well endowed musculature -among other well endowed parts-, clearly visible under her clothes due to her kicking spree among the trees, a long blond ponytail that reached for the middle of back, a dark brown and worn out stetson, very visible freckles on her slightly tanned skin. Vinyl only knew one woman who had those features: Jacquelyn “Applejack” Apple.

Vinyl was about to call her name as she saw Applejack stopping in front of the tree line to let out a low angry growl.

“Stupid Big Mac!” Applejack muttered angrily. “Leavin’ all the harvest to me! Vinyl’s comin’ back this afternoon, and he just goes flirtin’ with Ms. Cheerilee!” she ranted in frustration. “Stupid brother!” she kicked a tree so hard its bark cracked up the whole height of the trunk.

Vinyl just smirked before focussing her light blue magic in her right hand. A sphere made of vibrating, ethereal blue strings appeared in front of her glowing hand. Vinyl pointed at the tree line, causing her magic sphere to fly toward it while passing next to a surprised Applejack.

“Let me help you with that, AJ!” Vinyl called with a chuckle before snapping her glowing fingers.

The sphere exploded in a loud and bright blue flash, shaking all the nearby trees for a few seconds before said trees delivered a rain of ripe apples which all fell into the baskets Applejack had probably placed earlier.

“Oh, Nelly!” Applejack whistled. “Yer fancy magic sure is a might stronger than last year, Vinyl!” she turned around to face the blue haired woman. “That ain’t how we do things down here at the farm though,” she added playfully.

“Well, I’ve got to justify my absence, don’t I?” Vinyl asked with a smile.

“Kinda,” Applejack replied casually.

The two women stared each other for a split of a second before they both rushed toward one and another. As they met halfway, the two women embraced each other strongly.

“Ah missed ya, lil’ sis!” Applejack whispered softly in Vinyl’s ear.

“Missed you too, big sis’!” Vinyl replied in a slightly shaking whisper.

“Welcome home, Sugarcube.”

“Ain’t no place like home!” Vinyl said happily.

Despite having entered the property easily half an hour ago, Vinyl finally completely felt home only at the moment Applejack had passed her arms around her. She had learned many years ago from her father that home would always be by her family’s side. Vinyl couldn’t help but to think he was still right about that.

“Now, will ya tell me about that letter from the dean of your school concerning you running away from University?” Applejack asked with curiosity as the two sisters, having just finished the harvest of the west orchard together, were heading back to the farmhouse.

“That was just Dean Serious Scrib wishing his dreams to come true!” Vinyl snorted angrily. “I never ran away in the first place! I just went to Canterlot for a big audition! Had filled many demands for authorization for all my teachers, which they all gave me by the way, to skip a week of lectures!” she explained in a sour tone. “Yet, he dared feign ignorance and sent Granny a letter about me abandoning my studies!”

“That’s what happened?” Applejack asked with a pinch of disbelief.

“You think I’m lying?” Vinyl asked back with a cocked eyebrow.

“Of course not, Sugar! We Apples have no lying bones in our bodies!” Applejack retorted with honesty. “Ah’m just surprised he did that. That fella must hate yer guts.”

“Don’t tell me,” Vinyl rolled her eyes in annoyance. “He never got over the fact one of my spells went south and destroyed his collections of boats in bottles,” Vinyl scratched her chin in remembrance. “....Thrice…”

“He sounds less like a jerk now,” Applejack commented with a knowing grin.

“They were accidents!” Vinyl argued defensively.

“Accidents that gave me a panic attack, Vinyl,” an old, but firm feminine voice said in a reproaching tone as the two young women entered the living room.

Vinyl and Applejack snapped their heads in direction of the voice, finding that their grandmother, Arabella Smith, had woken up from her nap while they were outside the house.

“Granny, that letter was just….”

“Ah reckon ya must have somethin’ for me, Vinyl!” Granny Smith interrupted her firmly.

Vinyl blinked in confusion a couple of times before realizing what her grandmother was talking about. She picked her backpack up before pulling a rolled parchment closed by a crimson ribbon out of it.

“There you go, Granny!” Vinyl said as she extended the parchment to her grandmother. “Just like I promised in the letter after my “runaway”!”

Granny put her reading glasses on before unrolling the scroll. She cleared her throat before reading out loud what was written on it.

“Princess Celestia's Royal University of Manehatten is proud to confer to Ms. Vinyl Almata Apple Scratch her degree in Musical and Magical Arts summa cum laude.”

“Huh, what does “summer come load” means?” Applejack asked, scratching her forehead with a puzzled frown.

“It means I aced in University, AJ,” Vinyl explained happily.

“Really?” Applejack asked. “That’s amazin’!” she pulled Vinyl into a strong hug. “Ma lil’ sister’s a genius!” she said proudly.

“Well, Ah guess that calls for a celebration!” Granny chuckled with pride as Vinyl was struggling to get her head out of Applejack’s embrace. “Better get on it then!” she added to herself before heading to the kitchen.

“AJ, AIR! AIR!” Vinyl let out a few choked shouts before Applejack let her go. “Phew,” she said with a relieved sigh. “Try to not take my head off next time,”

“You just grew softer in that fancy boardin’ school!” Applejack jabbed her sister’s shoulder softly.

“I’ll show you if I got softer!” Vinyl growled playfully, before her stomach growled louder than she did. “After dinner,” she added before she and Applejack laughed cheerfully.

“Anyway, ya had that week long audition thingy,” Applejack said with curiosity. “What was it for?”

“Hang on to your hat, AJ,” Vinyl warned excited. “It was an audition to play for a big event in Canterlot!”

“Considerin’ yer all hyped, Ah’ll say ya got selected.” Vinyl nodded eagerly. “What big event yer talkin’ about?”

“Well, your sister is the musician selected to play for the upcoming wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and the Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armour!” Vinyl revealed with excitement.

“Sweet Epona! That sure as sugar is something!” Applejack shouted, quickly joining Vinyl’s excitement. “Congratulations!”

“It gets better!” Vinyl smiled. “You get to be my plus-one!”

“WHAT?!” Applejack’s excitement dropped dead. “NO! NO! NO!” she shook her head rapidly. “Ah ain’t going!”

“Oh, come on!” Vinyl shouted with a frown. “It’s the big event of the year! You’re going with me!”

“Naha! Ah ain’t going in that snobbish city of Canterlot!” Applejack said firmly. “Ya know what happens when Ah get too close with one of them high-nosed nobles!”

“Well, you could try to make an effort in restraining yourself a little,” Vinyl suggested uneasily.

“Not gonna happen!”

“Pretty please?” Vinyl begged with big, shiny, pleading red eyes.

“N-n-... AH SAID NO!” Applejack almost gave in in front of her sister’s puppy eyes.

“Well,” Vinyl muttered with a frown. “Since you’re taking that way..” she took a deep breath.

“Hang on a cotton picking…”

Vinyl interrupted her sister by wailing as loud as possible with big crocodile tears before laying on the nearest couch, punching and kicking it in frustration.

“Vinyl, stop!” Applejack said sternly. “It’s getting ridiculous.”

Vinyl’s reply was to cry louder, and to kick the couch more strongly.

“Vinyl!” Applejack shouted. “Ah ain’t budgin’, so stop!”

At that moment, a tall, muscular man with reddish blond hair walked inside with a very young girl with red hair and a large pink bow in it. Their eyes wandered from the wailing form of their blue haired sister to their exasperated blonde sister.

“Vinyl’s throwing a tantrum,” the man, Big Macintosh, commented calmly.

“Really, Big Mac?” Applejack asked with venomous sarcasm. “Ah didn’t notice!”

“Did she find out we don’ have bacon for tomorrow’s breakfast?” their younger sister, Apple Bloom, asked casually.

“No! She just wants to force me into doing somethin’ Ah don’ wanna do!” Applejack explained.

“Applejack, just say yes!” Granny Smith said as she came out of the kitchen. “Ah can’t hear maself thinkin’ with all that noise, and we all know ya’ll cave in shortly!”

“Not this time, Granny!”

The three Apples stared at eldest of the young girls for a few seconds.

“In three…” Big Macintosh called with a knowing smile.

“...two..” Apple Bloom said, slightly chuckling.

“...one,” Granny Smith pointed at Applejack.

“FINE! Ah’ll come with ya to Canterlot!” Applejack nearly shouted. “Just stop doing that!”

“WOHOOO!” Vinyl shouted excitedly as she jumped from the couch her two arms raised in victory before turning dead serious. “Now, what’s that story about no bacon for tomorrow's breakfast?” she asked sternly.

“Uh oh,” the four remaining Apples let out in a slightly fearful tone.

Author's Notes:

Here's the first chapter of the rewrite.

What do you think? Better than before?
I hope so!

I'm nearly done with next chapter's rewrite. (I think you'll like it ^^)

Stay tuned for what's next.

Mariacheat-Brony

PS: Huge thank you to G3k0771 for editing this despite his busy schedule