//------------------------------// // Unparalleled Beauty // Story: Paranoia: A Growing Bond // by FluttershyAllTheWay //------------------------------// Octavia snapped her eyes away from the alluring setting for a second. The beautiful sights around her had distracted her severely and she needed to regain her composure. With a brisk glance forwards at their destination, Octavia notified herself of the advancement Vinyl and her had made. Vinyl's mansion was looming ahead, coming closer with every little step. It wouldn't be long before they reached the entrance. The moment of bliss that the two ponies experienced was far too short-lived for both of them. Both of the ponies found it mildly disappointing that their brief but brilliant trot had only lasted about a minute. Nevertheless, it wasn't awful that they had reached Vinyl's front door. The hallowing structure that stood ominously in the middle of Vinyl's private land was intimidating to say the least. Any outsiders were sure to be frightened by the presence of such a large building in the middle of an acre of land. It truly was abnormal. Abnormal maybe, but picturesque was Octavia's preferred way to describe the wonders of Vinyl's abode. The long and twisting gravel driveway leading from the royal gates of cold, black steel gave the whole entrance to Vinyl's land a suspicious and mysterious first impression. Further in, trees erupted from the ground and reached out for the sky, fighting to get the most sunlight. Whatever season it was, the trees always looked astounding. In Winter, snow laced the branches delicately, giving each tree a silver lining where its leaves weren't present. In Autumn, the leaves were in a multitude of bold hues; reds, browns and oranges. When they began to fall, they littered the floor neatly, still possessing their colour scheme. After the bitter coldness of Winter, warmth begins to return in Spring. The trees begin blossoming once more and rain showers allow for growth within the trees. Watching the trees be reborn truly was a sight. Summer offered a lot for the trees: it was the month in which they had the largest opportunity to prosper. Warmth was plentiful and the sun constantly prevalent, giving the trees what they desired. As a result, the trees stood their strongest and displayed the most verdant colours. Many different shades of green could be observed and admired during summer. It was also summer currently: further enhancing the beauty of Vinyl's home at that present moment. Octavia shook her head fiercely: she was getting too distracted. 'We should get inside' Octavia thought as she noticed Vinyl glancing at her in confusion. "After you!" Octavia stated with a polite courtesy. It was Vinyl's home, after all. "Yeah, sure." Vinyl calmly replied. With a hefty push, the front door swung open until it brushed against the door stop inside the house. This feature was implemented on every wall by a door in the house so that damage was prevented; Vinyl was known for liking to give things a good shove to open them. Vinyl stepped into her home and took a deep breath: she could relax now and she was free to do what we she wanted. With a glance backwards to ensure Octavia had made her way inside, Vinyl went back to the door so she could shut it. A final glimpse of the outside revealed the pure beauty of the exterior of her house. One long stare later, Vinyl's mind clicked and an idea popped into her head. 'This was it!' Vinyl thought cheerily as she shut the door. ********************* Octavia looked around her. She had been to Vinyl's house on quite a few occasions now but the sheer size of everything always took her aback. From the looming walls to the large photographs of popular musicians, Vinyl's house had it all. Compared to Octavia's small and homely cottage, Vinyl's house was the complete polar opposite. This "polar opposite" trend between them was further reinforced by their music preference. Octavia, being a cellist, was an enthusiast of an older style, focussing on real instruments and their sounds. In particular, she preferred the orchestral side of the spectrum. It made for some spectacular music. Classical was another genre Octavia enjoyed - there were many symphonies Octavia enjoyed listening to from time to time. Vinyl, however, was much more into the electronic side of music; music that carried a more modern style. Vinyl also produced some of her favourite genres professionally: genres such as Hardstyle and Dubstep. The name she went by within production was "DJ PON-3". 'Wait a minute...' Octavia thought as she shrugged away her train of meaningless thoughts. 'Where has Vinyl gone?' With a swivel, Octavia turned her attention to one of many large framed doors leading out of this room. From previous experiences and visits, Octavia had managed to deduce that the room found through there was in fact the kitchen. The door was ajar and not closed like the other doors which suggested that this was where Vinyl had disappeared too while Octavia was absently wandering her own mind. Octavia knew she was always welcomed anywhere in Vinyl's house. Aware of this freedom, Octavia headed towards a different door; one she was one-hundred percent sure she knew what lurked behind it. With a dainty hoof, Octavia applied enough force to gently get the door open. Even though Octavia had seen what this room had to offer before, it still caused her to gasp in a delighted awe every time. Opening the door revealed a large room with some modern furniture, a fireplace and a large TV. None of the aforementioned items seemed outstanding, true; this room had a secret trick up its sleeve though. The first thing that greeted you when you entered this room was a huge wall which wasn't a wall. In the place of a usual brick wall was a huge, thick glass wall. The glass was tended to regularly so that the beauty was preserved and the exterior could be observed. The furniture arrangement was faultless to say the least. It was organised so that each seater was able to view each other, the TV and the glass wall at all times with a good degree of comfort. It was an intricate layout indeed, but one that was as effective as it was complex. Complex, but definitely worth it. The view that could be acquired from this glass wall was absolutely breath-taking. The sun was just beginning to set and it was a late summer's evening. There was no exception today. Just as Octavia was admiring the view that was starting to form before her, the door behind her opened forcefully and a certain pony entered. Vinyl observed her view. Octavia was stood there, miles away and caught in the complicated infrastructure of her mind. With a quick thought, Vinyl advanced on Octavia tenderly in an attempt to keep her hoofsteps muffled and not audible to Octavia's ears. It seemed to be working efficaciously, Vinyl observed. Octavia couldn't break her eyes away from what she was seeing. The exterior of Vinyl's house always looked nice, yes - but this was so much more than just that. There were encrypted messages and memories intertwined within what Octavia as viewing. Not only that; the positioning of this glass was unparalleled . No other room in Vinyl's huge house would be able to capture such an enticing spectacle. 'Wait... What is that smell?' Octavia thought. She could smell something delightful and distracting. Eventually, Octavia's resilience gave in to curiosity. What was the source of such a magnificent scent? With a brief peek downwards, Octavia saw a plate of appetising food. The plate had been placed perfectly south of her nose in an attempt to distract her. Vinyl, noticing that she had broken Octavia's concentration, took this moment to gain Octavia's attention. In a playful manner, Vinyl poked Octavia in the side lightly, provoking Octavia to turn around. "Hey, Octavia. I noticed that you were super enthralled by the scenery outside. Do you fancy- uhh, sitting together and enjoying the view while we eat the food I prepared?" Vinyl asked, blushing gently and looking at the floor in bashfulness. "Sure! Sounds amazing!" Octavia enthusiastically replied, leaping at the opportunity to spend this pleasant sunset with her best friend; her only friend. "Okay then. Take a seat!" Vinyl offered, glad that his idea was accepted and not rejected. The two ponies settled down on the sofa with their food, coats brushing together. Vinyl's pure white coat was ruffling in Octavia's pale grey coat and their hooves were very close to touching. It was hard for Vinyl to resist the temptation just grab Octavia's hoof but the consequences could be negative. Instead, Vinyl refrained and enjoyed the beauty of the view and their friendship. This truly had been a good day and it was finally complete in Vinyl's eyes. It may have been complete, but the day was far from its end...