Octavia's mind was racing. She had gone through the classical concert flawlessly without a hitch. It had been perfect from head to hoof; not a single wrong note hit on her Cello. The crowd had not interrupted her at all and appeared spell-bound by her skills. Octavia was happy.
Just as she stretched her forehoof to the final position to finish her performance, Octavia let out a long but silent sigh of relief. The crowd raised to their hooves and cheered instantaneously at her majestic efforts. With a polite bow and grateful smile, Octavia gracefully led her way off the stage, disappearing into the curtain at the left side of the stage.
She fervently wiped a bead of sweat from her brow and tidied her appearance up. With a flick of her hoof her hair returned to its usual state and she yanked at her bow tie from the awkward and chafing position it was in currently. Octavia hadn't had chance to do so for a few hours, what with her busy performance.
The next act had entered the stage and the crowd applauded her. The next act got into gear and prepared her instrument, a Lyre apparently. Before long, Octavia heard the sweet and melodious tunes wafting through the curtains. They reached her ears and her brain melted at their beauty. Octavia had always had a burning passion for stringed instruments since an early age. The Cello was her favourite since she was a filly though, but she wasn't denying that the Lyre was an instrument with an elegant tone.
Octavia exited backstage and gathered her things. She headed to the door to leave and head home, giving it a generous shove to open it. As the door swung shut behind her, a breezy gust of wind picked up and blew through Octavia's charcoal coloured mane, leaving an eerie effect behind on her pale grey coat. The darkness of the sky and emptiness of the street made Octavia feel extremely uneasy that night. She was entirely thankful that the bus stop was conveniently situated just opposite the theatre for the conveniences of travel to the theatre.
The bus stop was deserted. Shelter was minimal there, and gaps allowed for draughts to pass in and play with Octavia's mane. Octavia disliked this feeling and it left her shifty and uncomfortable on the hard, plastic bench. The wind was menacingly chilly, which Octavia also disliked. She shivered to herself and sighed a deep and cold sigh. If only the bus would hurry up and turn up.
As if on cue, the lights shone into view of the buses strong and powerful headlights. They were conquering all forms of nearby darkness, engulfing the street with light that lamp posts could not supply. Octavia sighed inwardly in relief as the bus parked to a halt infront of her hooves. She picked herself up and began shuffling around in her saddlebags for the cost as the doors to the bus flew open. Octavia stepped onto the bus and was greeted warmly by bright lights and a smiling driver. She smiled her thanks and tossed a few bits into the tray for money.
Octavia looked at the seats. Very few of them were occupied. She picked a seat on the left side which looked fairly inviting and sat herself down. She couldn't stop herself from smiling at her successful escape from the gloominess outside. Closing her eyes and bracing herself for the lengthy journey home, Octavia allowed herself to drift off into an undisturbed and light sleep.
Octavia's eyes flickered open at the perfect time. She had a good sense of direction and her timing had been adequate. She had allowed herself 30 minutes of sleep before she should be at her stop, which had been correct and fine. As the bus pulled to a halt at Octavia's stop, she gathered her possessions together. She stood up precariously and made her way down the middle of the bus. She gave the driver a grateful smile and thanked. He waved it off and blushed a little. "Such a GentleColt." Octavia thought to herself admirably.
Stepping off the bus was the last thing Octavia wanted to do though: it was still a good 10 minute walk to her house. Although it was a brisk journey at a normal time in the day, with the current setting and her current mood, Octavia knew it could feel like much longer.
She had forgotten how the air was so unforgiving and its violent edge was slicing at her flank, leaving metaphoric cuts. It was freezing out. Not only was it late at night, but Winter was looming ahead of everypony in Equestria. It was also being predicted that this one would also be particularly ferocious and the temperatures would be especially low for the time of year.
Octavia fought back the thought sthat began to raise in her mind. An eerie presence was around. Octavia sharply swung her head round to check what was behind her - she could swear she heard the shuffling of hooves on the pavement nearby. She glanced frantically and feverishly about, searching for the source of this noise. It was gaining in amplitude. The volume was slowly being notched up. Octavia quickened her pace and began sweating a little. The cold air was stinging her eyes, causing them to water. Something was there.
Octavia continued her awkward stumble home until she saw her house. At that point, she rushed to the door and retrieved a key from her saddlebag. The noise was still audible to hear and was freaking out more than ever before. She could feel approaching up her path to the door. The hoofsteps grew louder and...
Octavia dived indoors and slammed the door shut with such force that it almost flew of its hinges. The noise had gone from her ears and Octavia sighed with great relief. What a relief it was to be in her cosy little house - indoors and safe.
Octavia wiped her eyes and lay her saddlebags down neatly in the hallway. She carried her Cello to the special cabinet it was encased in. The cabinet was positioned in the living room, motionless and precious. Whenever Octavia opened the front of the cabinet, she was flooded with positive emotions and memories from her past. They all involved her extremely cherished Cello.
This time was no exception as Octavia gently placed the Cello down in its correct position. It looked simply divine where it stood. Octavia smiled contently and let out a heavy breath. She closed the door cautiously, doing the latch up with the utmost care.
Octavia flicked on the central heating for the house with one deft and swift motion. She sat down gracefuly and turned on her TV. The picture came into view almost instantly. Octavia relaxed, laying back her head into the comfortable back of the armchair. Her armchair had always been a place to be to if she wanted to escape bad thoughts. "It sure was working." Octavia thought. After a few moments thought, Octavia fell into an entranced state. The background noise of the TV and heating gave a pleasant atmosphere for Octavia to relax in. She sure was relishing it.
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Octavia's eyes jumped open instantaneously. She could swear she had heard a noise; one that was out of place and unnatural. She rapidly fumbled for the switch for the TV - it seemed to take forever to find. As the room fell silent abruptly, Octavia shivered with all the tension being caused by these unexpected happenings. This was the second one she had encountered this night, and her privacy felt intruded by this strange... 'thing' that was stalking her, watching, following and mimicking her every movement. Every hoofstep, every heartbeat, everything.
Then, Octavia heard it again. There was a gentle tapping on the window. With each soft tap there was an audible rattle being emitted by the window. She didn't dare approach the window. She was frozen solid in fear. Beads of sweat trickled down her face and Octavia grew a shade paler as instinct took over.
The noise wouldn't cease. It just continued, but it was beginning to increase in volume, very gradually. Octavia gulped down her fears and tried standing her ground ot whatver it was making the noise. It was no use. Octavia was unable to do so and fear took over a she galloped out of her living room in a wild panic. She leaped the stairs in a few giant bounds and burst into her bedroom.
With a deep breath, Octavia cleared her head of the thoughts which were dashing around her head in an unending roller coaster. After a few brief moments of consideration, Octavia allowed herself to relax. Her nerves were besting her at present and she was shaking uncontrollably. With each deep breath she took, Octavia calmed down.
Octavia gave her mane a quick brush, making sure to perform this action in her special way which caused her mane to have the usual mysterious flick. She removed her bow tie from her neck carefully, setting it down on the bedside cabinet ready to put back on tomorrow. She genlty pulled back her crisp, clean covers to settle herself in for a nights sleep. Octavia had always loved her bed. It was sensually soft and it allowed her to lean back and fall into a soft slumber with ease, even with bad thoughts crossing her head constantly.
As Octavia floated off into a deep and overwhelming sleep, her mind wandered aimlessly. She recalled the events of today. There had been a very successful concert she had practicing for for an eternity. That had gone flawlessly, without question.
Then all those various noises. Octavia shuddered at the thought of this. It plagued her how she had been unable to uncover the source of the sounds at either one of the two events. Octavia knew she had always been a touch on the paranoid side. Was she taking things just a bit too far? She asked herself.
Octavia smiled to herself smugly at the thought. Yes, that was it. She was just being paranoid and hearing things.
With her mind settled and all unanswered questions answered, Octavia relaxed coolly and felt the tension escape her muscles in a quick and subtle motion.
However, Octavia had no proof. For all she knew, dismissing her thoughts now could be vital to the future. She decided to allow the thoughts to pass for now, but made sure to keep them deftly tucked away in her mind for future reference. Although her unconscious state had been peaceful beforehand, after her thought processes it had become broken and restless.
As Octavia tossed and turned in her desperate attempts to find comfort in her sleep, her mind continued to wander: denying her of any chances of a good night's rest. Octavia sighed, breaking the deathly silence in the empty room. She definitely wasn't getting much rest tonight. She could just tell.
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Okay. So I've written chapter 1. My intention was to go into a lot more detail than I did before, which I hope I managed.
I hope you enjoyed! Honest and constructive feedback is warmly welcomed with wide arms.
Please tell me if you like the idea and premise so far. If you don't, I have a back up plan. I just wanted to write about Octavia because she is awesome. ;)
Also, I have computer access for a few days! Expect more chapters over the next few days!
Bye for now!