//------------------------------// // Deafening Silence // Story: Suffering in Silence // by SmokeShadow95 //------------------------------// Silence. It started with a scream, and then nothing. No angered yells and shouts. No pained crying and injured groans. There was nothing. Everypony was there, in stunned silence, too shocked to make even a hint of sound. All eyes turned to face it. The source of that soul wrenching scream. It started with a pain. A pain unlike any other. But there was more. Through gritted teeth and blurred vision she could see her. Little more than a shade of gray against the background, but she knew. It was her. Octavia! She had to move. She had to something. But even the smallest of movements caused her side to burn. That stallion threw her against a chunk of ice outside. She had a large cut down her side, and she was laying in a pool of red she couldn't leave. But she had to. And yet all she could was watch. And listen. ". . .the mare that I love. . ." Love? Did she just say 'love'? She had to get up. She needed to get to Octavia. She pushed herself. Throbbing pain almost sent her back into unconsciousness. She couldn't help it. She wanted to move. She wanted to reach out and touch her. She was barely able to move a hoof at all. She had to keep trying. She took as deep a breath as she could. She could feel her hooves. She could feel the floor underneath her. She could feel the pain, ever present and unyielding. She breathed as deeply as she could. ". . .thinking you should join her. . ." What? No! Octavia, no! Go, run away. Don't stay here. Don't let him do this to you. She really focused. Pain coursed through her but she fought through it. She had to. It wasn't about her anymore. It was more than just her wanting what she wanted. To see Octavia smile so cheerfully, to listen to her talk and laugh. To feel her coat in her arms, the beat of her heart because she's so close. She wanted all those things, but she couldn't get them if Octavia was here with her. "Do it." NO! "HIT ME!" "NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Silence. She heard nothing but silence. With more effort than she knew she had she moved. With more pain than she knew she could even feel she rose. She groaned as she put one hoof under her. She clenched her teeth as she put a second hoof under her. She grunted, nearly collapsing, as she fought through the pain. She could hardly see, her vision blurred by the pain. And yet she stood. She struggled to stand on shaky legs, but she did. She breathed heavy. Her coat stained with red she stood. She lifted her head up as high as she could. She could see them. Octavia and the stallion. Her face twisted with rage. Her mouth peeled back, showing her teeth like some wild animal. Her eyes narrow and focused. Her gaze burned with passion. Her mane hung messy and loose around her face. She looked between several fallen strands out to see her mare. "Vinyl," Octavia gasped. "No,"€ The stallion growled. "You can't be standing. Not after everything I did to you." Her eyes snapped to him and she snarled as her horn began to glow. It was a small light at first but it rapidly grew to an eerie glow. She "Get her!" The stallion shouted at the other ponies in the room, but it was too late. Much too late. Vinyl sent out a pulse from her horn. It hit the ponies even if they didn't feel it right away. The two Pegasus ponies leaped high into the air and attempted to dive at her. Meanwhile, the other three all just charged. "AAAAAAGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Vinyl screamed out a passionate, rage fueled scream. With it came another pulse of magic, this one stronger than the last. Five came at her. Five ponies were violently moved away from her. All them were sent flying by that pulse. One of the Pegasus ponies went careening over the stallion's head. He hit the far wall wailing with pain as his wing snapped. Other ponies were tossed through tables and the air. None of them were in any condition to get back up. Or if they were, they chose not to. There was only one left. Vinyl locked eyes with the stallion. Even he had to admit, he was a little shocked. Five ponies. He had five ponies, and she sent all of them flying across the room with a scream. He felt that first little pulse, but that was little more than a breeze to him. But that second one. He didn't feel it, and he was fairly sure he didn't to. Because she just looked at him. He felt a twinge of fear. She stood on her own hooves. Her chest heaved with every breath. Her mane hung down in loose stands in front of her face. Yet her eyes. All he could see were her eyes. Glowing orbs of red, staring down at him like he was nothing more than small prey. No, he was less than that. Her eyes burned with a passionate rage he had never seen before. He could feel it on him. He could feel the very weight of her emotions as the poured over him. He struggled to keep his composure. He moved his mouth to speak only to find his words hollow and empty and without sound. He lifted a hoof to moved toward her only to find his body rigid and immobile. He lifted his head only to find himself shrinking to the floor. "No," he managed to grunt with all his strength. "How?" Vinyl didn't answer him with words. No, she stepped forward. A single step. He found himself shrinking back. He didn't want to believe it. He couldn't be. Yet his body did not lie. He was afraid. He watched in terror as she took another step towards him. Try as he might, he couldn't move. Her horn flashed and he felt a crushing weight upon him. His legs buckled beneath him and his large body slammed into the floor with enough force to make the cheap wooden floor groan and creak. It took all his strength to look up. All he saw were those eyes. Glowing red orbs of hatred, and love. She pointed her horn at him. It started as a small flicker of light. "Vinyl, stop." Vinyl's head snapped up. Before her stood Octavia. She was there. Her face was marked with the path of tears, and she did not smile. Her own purple eyes, pleading with Vinyl, begging her. "Enough, Vinyl," She pleaded as she walked up to her love. "Please, just stop."