Octavia could feel each stressed breath push out of her torso as she walked. Her bags felt like nothing to her in light of the weight of her anger at Vinyl. How a pony could do something so foolish was beyond her. She had said that she shouldn’t leave the house open to get humid multiple times. She wanted to scream.
The train station was just on the outside of town. She’d take the first train to Canterlot and stay with some of her friends from the Royal Orchestra and figure things out from there. They would understand her frustration at the whole thing. On second thought, they might try to hunt Vinyl down for damaging something as musically holy as a Stalivarius cello.
“Octavia,” a young voice called after her.
She turned to see that it was none other than Ponyville’s Princess Twilight Sparkle come to call on her.
“Princess,” she greeted with a bow of her head, “I would bow lower, but I’m a bit overburdened.”
Twilight looked at all of the bags on Octavia’s back and frowned. “You must be heading out of Ponyville for a while if you have that much stuff with you.”
“I was thinking of leaving town for good,” she said quietly. Her eyes were fixed on the ground and a betrayed frown scrunched up her muzzle.
As the Princess of Friendship, Twilight could tell there was a rift that needed mending. “I was actually hoping to get to know Ponyville’s renowned cellist a bit better. I hope you aren’t in a rush to leave. Perhaps we could talk over some tea before you go.”
Octavia looked up at the young pony before her, in awe of the offer she had just received. “I could spare some time,” Octavia said. She was never one to turn her nose up at royals.
Twilight lead Octavia through her castle and came to a dining room that had some fashionable Rarity flare. Her tea set sat on the table where she gestured for Octavia to take a load off, literally. “You’re thinking of leaving town for good, so what opportunity brought this about?” Twilight asked as she brewed the tea herself.
Octavia was amazed someone of her standing would brew her own tea, especially for someone as common as she was. “I’m honored to be welcomed into your home like this,” Octavia said as he gently held the cup between her hooves, “I’m afraid it isn’t an opportunity that is taking me away from town, but a bit of strife.”
Twilight’s ears flattened to her head, “Oh dear, what has happened?”
Octavia’s eyes glanced toward her cello, “My housemate, Vinyl, kept the house open when I had asked her numerous times not to and now a precious heirloom has been irreparably damaged.”
Frowning at her tea, Twilight thought.
Octavia saw the gears turning, “She apologized, but there are some things that just can’t be forgiven, at least not this soon.”
Twilight nodded, “Still, it would be a shame for you to leave so quickly in anger. If it won’t put you out, I’d like for you to stay here for a couple weeks and see where you stand after some time has passed.”
Octavia, in the shock of being asked to stay in a castle, nodded in agreement.
“And what has been damaged? Would you mind if I experimented at mending it?” Twilight asked, the sparkle of a challenge in her eye.
A glimmer of hope flitted through Octavia’s pained heart. She downed the remainder of her tea and got up to present Twilight with the warped cello, praying that it could be mended. Mending it would not mend things with Vinyl, but it would put Octavia’s heart at ease for the time being.
A week passed where Octavia lived in luxury in Twilight’s castle. It took the princess about two days to figure out a way to mend the cello and since then Octavia had been locked up in her room composing music. Anger and sadness danced in a passionate wave as she drew the bow across the priceless instrument that she’d gotten a second chance with. Tears streamed down her face as she continued to play refrain after refrain of her emotionally charged piece.
“Octavia,” Twilight greeted upon entering her chambers, “That was beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she bowed, “it’s not quite finished yet.”
“I was wondering if you would like to help run some errands with me since you’ve been held up in the castle all week,” she smiled warmly.
Octavia thought about it for a moment, realizing that all she had exposed herself to in her grief and frustration were the cold crystal walls of Twilight’s castle. As much as her itch to compose tormented her, she agreed to tag along. She knew wallowing in it wouldn’t help and maybe some fresh air and sunlight would lift her spirits.
She was nearly blinded by the sunlight at first. Ducking her head down so her thick hair would block the offending rays, she let out a groan. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” she joked to herself quietly.
Twilight magically levitated a long scroll in front of her, “Okay, so I need to go to…” She chattered on in her typical Twilight fashion. Where should they go first? Which order of stores would be most efficient? Should they take into consideration walking distance or the amount of stuff they’ll have to carry? And on and on she went.
Octavia half listened to what Twilight was saying as she pony watched at a distance. Couples and friends milled about the town. Vendors smiled pleasantly at their customers. Everything was right in the world, just not in hers. It felt like a bit of a cruel joke, seeing the world functioning normally even when she was weighed down with so much strife.
“Octavia!” Lyra called to her as she pranced over. Bon Bon was nowhere to be seen, which seemed odd.
“Hello Lyra,” she gave a slight bow of her head.
“I heard you and Vinyl were having a hard time. I’m so happy that the two of you have made up so quickly. Vinyl seems really happy when I see her in town. She’d looked downright soulless for a while there.” Lyra said all of this very quickly.
“Pardon?” Octavia asked. She knew she hadn’t seen Vinyl at all. In fact, for the time being, she was hoping to avoid Vinyl entirely.
“You two were at the market yesterday buying apples,” she nodded, sure of what she was trying to recall, “you can’t play coy with me.”
Octavia was stunned, to say the least. She was sure that Lyra had to be mistaken, but she was also shocked that Vinyl would move on to being that happy with someone else that soon. It wasn’t like Vinyl to be that fickle.
Twilight started to wander toward the vendors, still lost in thought and Octavia followed her. Lost in her own train of thought, she locked eyes with the ground as she walked. Surely, there had to be some kind of mistake. Maybe Lyra was trying to drop a hint of what she should do and just did it in a strange way? She began to mumble to herself when she nearly bumped into Twilight.
“Is everything alright?” Twilight asked with a worried glance.
“Fine,” Octavia countered, “Just a bit out of sorts.”
Catching a glimpse of two-toned blue hair out of the corner of her eye, Octavia cast her glance to see if it was who she thought. Maybe if it was Vinyl she would see whoever Lyra had thought was her. Sure enough, it was Vinyl walking through the market, saddlebags draped over her back, her typical violet tinted glasses nowhere to be seen. She looked like she was doing alright.
Vinyl glanced toward her. It only took her a moment before a scowl spread across her face and she busied herself with the asparagus cart. That was uncharacteristic of her. She typically shies away from people she’s hurt.
Octavia walked up toward her, not entirely sure how to broach conversation. Opening her mouth and closing it on repeat she decided to tap Vinyl on the shoulder. She had scrunched up her face awkwardly, not knowing how this conversation was going to go, or if there even really would be one.
“What do you want?” Vinyl said coldly as she pushed some bits across the counter in payment.
Octavia was a bit taken aback, “I… I’d heard you were doing a bit better, since…”
“Doing a bit better?” Vinyl side-eyed Octavia, venom in every word “Yeah, I’m doing better. I always beat myself up for every little mistake I made around you and you know what? I am sick of it. I’m sick of hating myself for every little inconvenience I’ve caused you. Am I going to beat myself up because you didn’t take me by the shoulders and really express how DIRE it was to keep the house closed up? No. I’m not a mind reader, Octy. So, if you want to be a prissy little princess and pitch a huge fit over your own failings in communication, then go right ahead. I’m happier without you.”
Octavia stood there staring into the glowering pink eyes of her former housemate. She had finally cracked. This had broken her. There wasn’t going to be any fixing this, not that she even thought there was a chance of fixing it, but it certainly was gone now. This was not the Vinyl she knew and loved. This wasn’t the Vinyl that clamored out of the house, begging her to stay. This new Vinyl in front of her had a heart filled with so much resentment that she doubted Princess Cadence could fix it.
Anger started to swell up in Octavia’s heart. She wanted to scream at the pony in front of her. Ruining a family heirloom was not some small failing and it felt like she wasn’t truly understanding what had gone wrong. Sure, she could have been more assertive with her and explained things better, but that didn’t change the fact that she ruined the cello by not heeding instruction. Biting back her words, she turned in place and started walking away.
“And there she goes. Octavia feeling slighted again because poor little Vinyl didn’t grovel at her pretentious feet.,” Vinyl spat, “Don’t try to visit, don’t try to talk to me. I’m done with you.”
The weight of stress in Octavia’s chest made her want to vomit. She could kick Vinyl in the muzzle for what she’d just said, but that would hardly be ladylike. A violent string of notes and chords ran through her mind for a second movement to her piece, which in this moment she guaranteed she would end in a rage-filled tragedy. Tasting bile on the back of her tongue, she returned to Twilight’s side.
Twilight looked at Octavia and regardless of her position as a Princess of Friendship, she knew she shouldn’t say anything at that moment. “I still have a couple of shops to stop at. I hope that’s alright?” she offered gently.
“It’s fine,” Octavia said through grit teeth.
She followed the princess through each shop, completely numb to what she was seeing. Normally, she could take a bit of joy in browsing in shops. She particularly enjoyed Rarity’s lines because she could always wear those fabulous dresses for a performance, but even that left a bitter taste in her mouth. One of the dresses had even been in Vinyl’s colors. She couldn’t even look at it.
Twilight snuck worried glances her way, unsure of what to say. The cutie map wasn’t calling her and as far as she could tell, it wasn’t calling any of her friends either. Maybe this was a problem that couldn’t be mended, at least not with outside intervention.
“That’s all for today,” Twilight said nervously, “Thank you for coming along, Octavia.”
“Thank you for having me, Princess Twilight, but I’m afraid that my time in Ponyville has come to a close.” Her eyes were locked on the ground and the anger in her heart was eating a hole in her chest.
They weren’t even a five-minute walk to the castle when the buzzing sound of wings drew Twilight’s attention.
The two of them looked up to see Thorax descending upon them from on high. He was a pretty majestic sight to behold, that was until he opened his mouth and the sweetheart of a changeling he was spilled out in droves. “Twilight, I have a bit of a problem and I can understand if you’re busy, but it’s really important.”
Twilight nodded, “Let’s head to the castle.”
Once they arrived Octavia took her leave to head to her room and gather her things while Twilight entertained Thorax. Troublesome as it was, Octavia had gotten a bit hungry from all of the walking and the thought of moving all of her belongings on an empty stomach made her knees wobble. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t create energy out of rage.
She trod quietly through the halls, happening to pass the door to Twilight’s study.
“You’re saying that a rogue changeling could be creating havoc in Ponyville?” Twilight asked.
“I think so,” Thorax said in his meek tone, “This is the last place I’m looking. I’ve been trying to get them all to share love instead of eating it, but that hasn’t been going smoothly. Even with Ember’s tips for being more authoritative, I still haven’t convinced all of them to change.”
Octavia’s frown softened. A changeling in Ponyville? She mulled it over. Vinyl looked happy. Lyra being happy they were talking again. Vinyl acting out of character. Could it be?
She darted out the doors of the castle and took the scenic route to the cottage. Hopefully, if it was a changeling Vinyl, she was still at the market. Galloping through meadows and vaulting bushes lead her to a perfect view of the path to the cottage. With the utmost perfect timing, she saw Vinyl coming over the final hill. Just a couple more bends in the road and she’d be at the cottage. Octavia watched, curious.
Vinyl looped around one of the twists in the road, just catching a glimpse of her home before the trail led her out of sight once more. A flash of green fire engulfed the Vinyl copy and revealed an Octavia copy in its place. Trotting its way up to the cottage, it hummed in her voice and walked right inside.
Octavia felt a wave of relief wash over her. It hadn’t been Vinyl saying those things to her. A new worry began to sprout. What was that changeling doing with Vinyl? Should she go tell Princess Twilight and Thorax? Could Vinyl be in danger? How many days had this been going on? Lyra didn’t make it sound like it was that new of a development. She clicked her tongue in frustration.
Sneaking down to the cottage, she found a place in the bushes to hide. If she saw Vinyl was okay, then she could run back and tell Twilight. Peering in the window she saw Vinyl splayed out on the couch, the Fake-tavia’s tail swishing about in the kitchen as the goods were put away. That wasn’t right. Vinyl was usually the one always up and about doing something.
“Vinyl, dear,” Fake-tavia called from the kitchen, “It appears I’ve forgotten to get more tea. I’ll be back in just a bit.” The copy walked up to Vinyl on her way out, nuzzling up to her before drinking more of Vinyl’s love, leaving her looking ill.
With the slam of the door and a trot up the road, Fake-tavia was gone.
Octavia took her chance and rushed into the cottage. If she could get Vinyl out and hide her somewhere safe then she could rush back to Twilight and tell them about the changeling. She put a hoof on Vinyl’s cheek, “Vinyl?”
She lightly stirred on the couch, muttering to herself as if dreaming. “Sor- -via. -Ry.”
Octavia didn’t need to know Vinyl’s sleepy muttering to know exactly what those meant. This was the Vinyl she knew. The one that let the wounds cut deeply. “We’ll talk about all that later. I need you to get up for me.”
Vinyl’s eyes fluttered before returning to a sleepily closed position.
Octavia groaned, she could carry Vinyl if she needed to, but she didn’t have good leverage to get her off of the couch. She tried pushing and pulling at her body, but she was a sack of dead weight right now. Maybe a rope to pull her with? It wouldn’t be pretty, or ideal, but the end justified the means.
“Rope, rope,” Octavia muttered to herself as she shuffled through their home. One track mind in full effect, she failed to pay attention to her surroundings. Warm goo pooled on her hooves on her hind legs, quickly followed by more of the green viscous substance being smeared on her forelegs.
The changeling clicked its tongue, now in its black chitinous form bared for the world to see. “I knew ponies were foolish, but I didn’t really believe you’d walk headlong into that trap.”
“I suppose it’s good for me that you did. It’ll buy me some time to finish draining poor Vinyl of the love she has for you before I take off to another town.”
Octavia opened her mouth to protest when more of the goo hit her in the face.
“We can’t have you talking. It could throw off the entire illusion. Not that poor Vinyl has enough strength left to do anything about it,” it giggled to itself.
Green flame engulfed the changeling so that a faux Vinyl stood in front of her. “You still care, somewhere deep in that heart of yours, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. Too bad you knowing about me taints the love I’d drain from you. I dislike bitter things.”
Vinyl thrashed and screamed. This can’t be how this ends for them. Tears pricked at her eyes and her legs shook. She wanted to tell Vinyl that it would be okay. The cello was fixed. The stuff the changeling had said to her was true. She should have been more direct in her communication. Now she was going to lose her before she could fix anything.
It took the form of Fake-tavia before walking back out to the living room. “Sorry that trip took longer than expected, Vinyl dear.”
Octavia watched the green glow of magic illuminate the walls. Tears streamed down her face, sobs wracking her body as much as they could in her immobilized state.
The crash of furniture being knocked around drew Octavia’s attention. Had it changed into a beast to try to cover its tracks? Was it going to tear her apart so there wasn’t a witness?
“You will stop this, this instant,” a stronger and more confident Thorax voice echoed through the cottage.
The changeling groaned and struggled, making a fuss of the situation.
Twilight turned the corner and freed Octavia with her magic. She opened her mouth to speak, but Octavia rushed past her around the corner. Vinyl wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Where had she gone?
“She’s outside, but she’s in bad shape,” Twilight said just over the sound of the changeling tussle across the room.
Out the door, she went.
Her beloved unicorn was laying in the warm sunlight she enjoyed so much. The warm sunlight that had inspired her to create that song. She looked so peaceful as if she had fallen asleep for a mid-afternoon nap in the field. Her breathing was shallow.
“Vinyl,” she sat on the ground by her, taking her head into her lap as she gently brushed her mane, “I’m sorry, Vinyl. Everything is okay now. Princess Twilight fixed the cello and…”
The pony in her arms fell limp, her breathing getting weaker and weaker. She was like a candle at the end of its wick. The flame flickering weakly as it fought the inevitable.
Tears dropped from the cellist onto the DJ. “No, no, no, no, no,” she whispered quietly, “You have to come back. Everything is fine, Vinyl. Everything is fixed. You have to know that everything is okay. I need you to know I’m not mad. I don’t hate you. Please Vinyl, please.”
The breathing slowed with each breath. The realization hitting her like a sack of bricks. This might not be able to be fixed. The last time Vinyl had really seen her, she had turned her back and walked away after cutting at the heart of her beloved pony. The last true look she had seen on Vinyl’s face was one of heartbreak. The last thing she had done to Vinyl was leave her alone, shaking, and in pain.
Octavia drew in the deepest breath she could, praying to Celestia for a better end. “Princess Twilight!” she screamed in such desperation her voice cracked numerous times. She wasn’t gone yet. She couldn’t be gone yet. Pressing her muzzle into Vinyl’s mane, she breathed in the scent of the pony she couldn’t imagine being without.