//------------------------------// // Fortissimo // Story: Of Wubs and Strings // by ThatAwkwardDJ //------------------------------// Chapter 3: Fortissimo Octavia awoke with a jump when she heard a crash coming from the living room. She took a few moments to realize what was happening before a scary thought crossed her mind. She gasped softly, looking around frantically for a weapon of defense on the intruder. Eventually she settled on her cello bow, holding it upright. She closed her eyes and gulped, starting to walk out of the room slowly. Her heart dropped when the floor in the hallway slowly creaked under her weight, ruining her stealth and letting out a long, loud squeak. She saw the shadow approaching around the corner. She clutched the bow tightly and decided to strike first. She swung it as hard as she possibly could in that moment, letting out a frightened squeal as she did so. She heard the figure fall to the ground, and followed by a smaller thump. Taking another opportunity, she began to hit the pony repeatedly while it was down. "Luna's sake, Tavi!" With one swift shove, Octavia was easily tossed back like a ragdoll. With that, her fear was replaced with regret. "Oh, dear! I'm sorry, Vinyl..." She quickly pulled the string on the lamp to see her roommate doubled over on the floor, her eyes closed and rubbing her head. "I-I thought you were a thief..." It took her several seconds for her to realize that she was missing her shades, and they were lying on the floor next to the DJ, one of the lenses broken. "Jeez!" Vinyl sat up before having a mini heart attack when she felt around for her shades and her hoof brushed over the broken lens. "W-Wha?! Oh man...Oh man oh man..." She quickly stood up and swiftly brushed passed Octavia and into the bathroom, closing the door behind her near silently. Octavia bit her lip, now feeling more guilty. She lowered the bow to her side and knocked on the door. "Vinyl! I said I'm sorry!" Part of her wondered why it bothered her so much about why she wasn't getting a response. She recalled how easily she used to be forgiven; ponies blaming the situation on themselves instead. Back in Canterlot, everypony kissed up to her. She was almost angry that Vinyl wasn't saying anything, wanting to demand for her to say it wasn't her fault. She, now mad, banged harder on the door. "Come out here! You're making me feel guilty!" She heard a small sniffle in response, followed by the shower starting to drown out the sound. Octavia's ears folded back, confused about why she was crying over something like this. She eventually decided to leave her be and trotted back into their shared room. She laid down on her bed, setting the cello bow down. She waited for Vinyl to come out in her own time, but fell asleep before she did. Later that morning, at a decent hour, Octavia awoke once again. Vinyl still wasn't in her bed across the room. She quickly stood up with renewed vigor, marching out to the bathroom, only it was empty. She continued past it, peering into the kitchen and saw Vinyl sitting at the table with a bowl of cereal. She was noticeably turned down a notch, not seeming nearly as energetic as usual. She had duct tape messily strewn around her glasses, yet it still was effective at hiding her eyes. Octavia walked closer to her carefully. "I'm really sorry for breaking them..." She said in a soft tone. When there wasn't a response after several seconds, her ears fell back. Finally, Vinyl shook her head, still not looking in her direction. "No, it's fine. 'Not your fault, they're just shades." She said lowly, playing around with her spoon. Those words made Octavia breathe a sigh of relief. "But...why do you seem so down then?" She asked, tilting her head. Vinyl stirred in her seat uncomfortably. "None of your damned business..." She mumbled, using her magic to start the coffee maker that was across the room. Octavia stomped her hoof. "Well, that's rude!" She raised her voice a little, becoming enraged. "I'm only trying to be polite; it's not like I actually care about how you feel anyway!" Vinyl, with a menacing scowl, slowly poured the bowl of untouched cereal onto the ground, followed by dropping the dish before she stormed out, slamming the front door. Still baffled at the act, Octavia slowly realized she'd have to clean up the mess and let out a loud groan, having a small tantrum to herself. As she got a rag, she yelled in the empty house. "Ugh! Vinyl, you're so weird! I wish I'd never agreed to move in!" She found that it was actually making her feel better. "Your grammar is terrible, you ruffian! And your mop of a manestyle...your noise you call music..." She shook her head and sat down, just staring at the half-cleaned up spill. "I just want to go home..." She sunk down more, growing mad again. She'd always had anger issues, it being one of the few emotions she felt. She briefly recalled how when her mother sent her to her room when she was younger, she'd have a fit; screaming into a pillow and knocking things down. She remembered that her room would be in shambles, and how she'd furiously pick everything up before her mother checked on her. She took a few breaths to calm herself. She shouldn't be this angry...it's only Vinyl... They'll eventually get over it. They've had their tiffs, and this was just another one. She finished cleaning up and decided to practice. It had been a few hours of her playing her cello and getting lost in thought. Suddenly, and idea struck her! She knew a way for them to get along; they could have lunch in a diner! There would be ponies around, so an argument couldn't get too heated, and why would they fight with delicious food in their mouths anyway? They could just talk and get to now each other... perfection! Octavia was very happy with her idea, and couldn't wait to tell Vinyl. Where was she anyway?