Appletini sat somberly in front of her family’s piano, bored out of her mind. Her parents had taken her sisters out shopping and her mother had told her to practice her scales while they were gone, but she had no desire to do so. She would rather go outside and play, but it was raining and she knew her mother would be mad if she got dirty. So she simply sighed, forcing herself to go through the dull, robotic motions of the scales.

“That’s some mighty fine music there, Tini!” Her cousin and babysitter, Pristine Melody, poked her head into the room.

“It’s so boring!” Appletini complained. “It’s not even real music! But Mom says I have to learn it…”

“Yeah, the scales ain’t so exciting, are they?” Mel agreed. “But once ya get the beginner stuff out of the way, you can play all kinds o’ tunes!”

She sat down next to Appletini, playing a melody to demonstrate.

“Whoa!” Appletini marveled. “That was cool! Can you teach me to do that?”

“Why sure, it’ll take awhile to learn but we can play it together!” Mel hoisted the pegasus into her lap and held her hooves as she ran them across the piano keys.

And as she did so, Appletini felt something she hadn’t felt before. She couldn’t quite describe it, but with every key and chord she felt a new life inside of her, like she was meant to make music. Like she belonged in front of a piano. As the melody took hold she found herself suddenly laughing and having fun like she never thought she would be that day.

Appletini barely even noticed when the song was over until she heard Mel chuckle. “Was that fun, sugarcube?”

“Yes!” She exclaimed. “I wanna do this all the time!”

“Well maybe you can be a pianist when ya grow up!” Mel suggested.

“Really? I can do that?”

“Sure! Why, we oughta give you a stage name!” Mel pondered for a moment. “Y’know, I always liked Rome as a name, but that seems to be more a colt’s name-“

“No…I like it! Rome…” The pegasus foal smiled, sounding out the name to herself. “Rome…Pomme?”

“Well sure, if ya want!” Mel conceded. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a more boyish name! Why, it kinda suits you!”

“Yeah, it does! I like it! Better than my real name…” She pondered for a moment. “Can I be called Rome Pomme all the time?”

“If yer Ma and Pa say you can! But I’ll call ya Rome anyway. It’ll be our lil’ thing,” Mel winked.

“Oh, thank you, thank you!” Appletini…no, Rome hugged her.

“Of course, lil’ one,” Mel suddenly smirked. “Oh, and there’s somethin’ on your flank.”

Rome turned around and beheld a sight she never expected to see anytime soon. On her flank was a set of piano keys surrounded by notes in blue, white, and pink. Her cutie mark!

“Oh my gosh-“

Ding-dong!

“MOM! DAD!” Rome excitedly bolted towards the door. “YOU GOTTA SEE THIS-“

“Appletini!” Her mother, Primrose, appeared in the door, scooping her up for a kiss on both cheeks. “I have a surprise for you!”

“So do I! Today I got-“

“Ta-da!” Primrose beamed, proudly holding up a frilly blue dress. “Your new pageant gown!”

Rome looked up at the dress, her heart beginning to sink. “P…pageant?”

“Of course, ma fille! We entered you into the Foals and Tiaras pageant just today!”

“Oh…” Rome frowned, all the joy from earlier completely gone.

“Now what was it you wanted to show me?”

“I, uh, got my cutie mark, I guess,” Rome stepped aside to let her mother see it. “Playing scales…”

“Oh, why didn’t you tell me? How magnifiqué! You can play the piano during the pageant’s talent show!”

“Do I have to? I don’t wanna dress up in front of all those ponies and play Ponzart…”

“Nonsense, darling, you’ll do wonderfully!” Primrose beamed. “Just imagine, Appletini, you’ll be the star of the show! The most beautiful and envied filly in Equestria! All eyes will be on you, my daughter!”

My daughter. Rome cringed at those words, a sickening dread sinking in as she heard them. She knew, in one way or another, it was going to end in disaster.

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