//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: I'm coming home // by Saph //------------------------------// Octavia leaned on the wall of her apartment’s balcony overlooking the rest of Canterlot. A light breeze blew over the city, shifting her mane. To Octavia, the sky seemed to be covered in black. The glittering light of the stars had no comforting effect on her. The only comfort was from the bottle in her hooves. Most ponies that knew her, would’ve considered Octavia a strong pony. Before the Gala, she was under constant scrutiny (like most musicians in Canterlot), whether it was from her orientation or her most recent performance. Every time the occasional scathing article came around, Octavia had been able to brush it off rather easily. This was different however, she felt like she was being assaulted from all four sides of her brain. There was only one way to put it, Octavia felt trapped; there was no escape from this pain she was feeling in society. Her bandmates, they had abandoned her and took away the only pleasure she had left after the Gala, her cello. The tabloids, they bashed her, constantly ranting about the Gala with only one person to blame; her. She had practically been evicted from the Canterlot Music Assosiation, like a plague that was bound to destroy everypony around it. Her bandmates were what really hurt the most. They had supported her throughout her breakup with Vinyl. Now because of them, she was her drained and unable to do anything. If somepony had asked what she thought of her quartet a month ago, Tavi’s response would’ve been weaved with nothing but praise. Those days were most certainly gone. What had I expected, really? Society was cruel. Ponies in Canterlot seemed only to latch on to others to gain connections, or to reap profits. Stop it Octavia, you know all the ponies here aren’t like that. She thought, mentally criticizing herself. She gulped more of the intoxicating substance in her hooves and set it down on the balcony’s edge. True, she thought, there was Vinyl… Vinyl had once represented all of the good of Canterlot in Octavia’s mind. Her parents hadn’t even surmounted to the pedestal that Vinyl had held in her mind at the time. My parents… weren’t they the cause of all of this in the first place? ~-~ “Tavi why didn’t you come to my concert? You said you would this time!” “Vinyl, please I-“ “What, did your parents stop you again?” “They died Vinyl. The building they preformed in was unstable. I was at their funeral, and you should’ve been there with me. Perhaps I was a bit slow in notifying you but-” “Tavi, your parents hated me. If they were alive they would’ve evicted me from their funeral. They never even did anything for you. Especially your conceited-” “Even if they didn't care for me, what was I supposed to do Vinyl, pretend like they were dead to me since birth like your parents?” ~-~ Octavia seemed to diminish in size, at the thought of those memories. The way it escalated to each of them breaking things around the apartment they had once shared. I can’t believe I was so childish, she thought, now sobbing deeply. What had her parents really meant to her anyway? Rarely, had they ever shown some show of affection. They only cared about my place in society… The thing that stuck with her the most of that day however, was what Vinyl had said in the end. ~-~ “Vinyl I… I think that you should go…” “Fine Tavi, I can’t see this working out right now either. Just promise me one thing will you?” “That would be?” “Promise me, one day I can come home, back here, and everything can be okay again… Please…?” “… I promise.” ~-~ Vinyl’s words had kept her going before the Gala incident, day in and day out. Now though, Vinyl’s words didn’t seem to bring the same motivation they once had. She was broken. Besides, with out her cello or anypony to turn to, she couldn’t do anything anymore. Octavia did the only thing she could do, she drained the bottle. She felt the drink go down, warming her. “Maybe, *hic* I shouldn’t have drunk this much…” she murmured as her peripherals turned black. She fell to the floor, and passed out, her empty bottle sitting on the edge of the balcony. ~-~ Vinyl strolled down street that contained Octavia’s apartment building. She had gotten somewhat lost on the way there, causing her to take more time finding the street than she would’ve liked. Now, the building was in sight. Every step closer she felt something welling up within her. She said she would have me back. She said she would have me back. Vinyl repeated the mantra in her head. She said it, but did she mean it? Vinyl shuddered. What if this was too soon? What if she found somepony already? The endless questions streamed on in her head as she trekked onwards. Minutes later, Vinyl stood under the overhang of the balconies above. All I have to do is walk in… “Hey! You!” Vinyl spun on her heels to see the same brown unicorn from the bar. “Did you follow me or something Frederick? I figured you’d be that kind of scumbag.” Frederick chuckled, “Why, I thought you knew I lived here? Our *ahem* former association members live here as well. Which I would assume is why you’re here, yes?” “That's none of your business. You can go inside and take the elevator up. I’m not staying in an enclosed space with you; I would die of air poisoning.” Frederick glared at Vinyl, “Careful peasant or we may press charges for the incident at the bar.” “Whatever…” Vinyl grumbled, her previously planned retort having fizzled out. Fredrick his confidence regained was once again smiling. “I’ll be in my apartment. Maybe if I get interested enough i'll go down to Octavia and get you and Octavia to yell at each other again.” “You-“but Frederick was already through the lobby door. Vinyl had been serious when she said she wasn’t going in the same elevator as him. She sat down on the curb, moonlight silhouetted around her. I wasn’t ready yet anyway. Vinyl now, was unsure of herself now more than ever. She needs me NOW though, I know those snobs hurt her. Vinyl looked up to the sky, the moon still shining on her. Luna, Celestia, please give me the strength I need to do this. She gazed back to the ground nothing having changed, Great. That was her last thought, as something smashed into the back of her head, and everything went black. ~-~ Octavia was jolted awake by the sound of shattering glass. What…? She sat up rubbing her forehead. What was that…? She walked cautiously into her apartment. Light from the kitchen illuminated the rest of her apartment. Nothing appeared to be broken that she hadn’t broken herself. The apartment was dilapidated, to say the least. She had given up caring for it in the past week and had thrown of a lot of her furniture around that first night. The couch was still overturned in the center of the room, the coffee table smashed beneath it. She walked through the mayhem and into her bedroom. Her bed was still next to the wall, a nightstand sitting neatly next to it. Octavia was almost forced by her habits to clean her room up daily still, as she couldn’t possibly sleep with such clutter surrounding her. Not that I’ve been sleeping well anyway. Finally, Octavia checked the window. It was still locked and intact. What WAS that noise then? She walked back through the room and out to the balcony, looking for anything out of place. That's when she realized it, the bottle! It must have fallen over the edge. Octavia leaned over the edge of the balcony, and nearly had a heart attack. V-Vinyl? The white unicorn was splayed over the curb of the street, the bottles fragments scattered around her head. No... NO. thoughts began to race through her mind as she dashed into her apartment and out her door. How could this have happened? Why her? A voice in her head seemed to answer her, This was your fault Octavia, and no pony else did this but you. Her eyes scanned the hallway for the fastest way down. The stairs had been under construction for weeks now, that left the elevator. She pressed the call button and waited. ~-~ Frederick Horseshoepin walked into the elevator, and just stood there. Did Octavia really deserve all that we’ve done to her? It was easy for him to be sentimental like this, when there was no pony else around. It was much easier to stay mad at Octavia then to be sorry for what he had done. In regular society he had an image to maintain, and he always needed to look confident in himself. It seems everything I do these days is in the sake of my image. Frederick once again was lost in thought. He didn’t even notice when the elevator began to move. Thus, he was rather surprised when the elevator opened to reveal Octavia. She walked in without saying a word and pushed the button for the first floor. Octavia was visibly shaking, the cause of which Frederick had no idea. He did notice however, she was continuously starting at the clock in the elevator. The doors of the elevator closed. “So, Octavia you appear to be in a rush. May I inquire why?” Asked Frederick, glancing at her. Octavia remained silent. “Lighten up a little, there’s nothing I can do to hurt you now. You’ve already lost everything haven’t you?” Octavia seemed to shrink in size. “Its Vinyl I, I...” The feelings of hatred from earlier flowed back into Frederick at the mention of that name. Frederick would never know what made him do what he did next. He ran his hooves down the buttons of the elevator for each floor. Octavia exploded, “WHAT THE BUCK DID YOU DO THAT FOR?” The elevator dinged open. Frederick stepped outside the elevator;out of Octavia’s reach. “I see no need for rush here. She was fine when she punched out Beauty.” Frederic said, as if that justified it all. Octavia’s eyes burned with rage as the doors closed, “FREDERICK HORSESHOEPIN, I WILL FLAY YOU!” Frederick stood watching the closed elevator doors, as if Octavia might rip through them at any second. She had no reason to get so angry. What’s a few minutes time anyway? Frederick had no way of knowing, those few minutes might be the difference in Vinyl’s life or death.