Vinyl charged out of the bar, knocking over a few other ponies that were standing near the door. She frantically looked around for any sign of Octavia, desperate to rectify the situation. "OCTY!" she yelled, hoping that her calls would be heard. Sadly, no response came. "I have to find her...if I were Octy, where would I go?" she asked herself, wracking her still somewhat-inebriated mind for any possible answer. "Ugh...I can't believe I let myself go like this..." she muttered to herself as she brought a hoof to her head. "No time to gripe. I gotta find her!" Vinyl then raced off into the night, her legs carrying her as fast as they could.
*~*~*
Octavia wandered aimlessly, the scene replaying over and over in her mind. Her stomach turned every time it restarted, her heart breaking at Neon's words. Her eyes stung from crying, her cheeks soaked in tears. Why? Why did this happen? She played the scene over again in her mind. How could I let this happen? Was I not good enough? She could feel a fresh wave of tears beginning to build in her eyes. How could she do this to me...even though she told me she loved me? Octavia continued to walk down the empty street, crying to herself softly.
*~*~*
Vinyl burst into the room of the motel they had rented, and found it empty. She checked behind every door, and came up short. "...Octy...where are you?" Vinyl asked softly to no pony in particular. She then shook her head violently. "No, I have to find her! She's wandering the streets alone at night...I don't even wanna think about something happening to her..." Vinyl said to herself, rushing back outside and slamming the door shut behind her. As she galloped, her vision lead her astray and she slipped, cutting her left foreleg right at the fetlock joint on a broken cobblestone. She shakily raised herself back up, moving as quickly as she could on her injured leg. Don't worry Octy...I'll fix this...
*~*~*
Octavia made her way over to a park bench, climbing onto it and laying down, her head between her forelegs. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to hold back the tears. She tried to erase the image from her mind, but to no avail. No matter how hard she tried, the scene plagued her still. What made her heart ache the most, was the expression on Vinyl's face after she hit her. There were many times where Octavia had hit her over a childish remark or a witty response, but it was never meant with an intention to hurt her. The look in Vinyl's eyes was one she could not bear to see: it was an expression of confusion and pain. Stop looking at me like that...please... No matter what she did, she couldn't shake the image. Vinyl...why did you do this to me?
*~*~*
Vinyl continued her search, checking everywhere she could think of. She ignored the pain of the cut on her foreleg, pushing herself to move faster. She heard thunder rumbling far above, her sense of urgency doubling as tiny droplets of rain began to fall slowly. "I gotta...find her quickly..." Vinyl panted, leaning up against a lamp-post as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm...running out of options..." Vinyl said to herself, fearing that she would not be able to find her. Vinyl slumped down to the base of the lamp-post, feeling tears welling in her eyes when she heard the sound of sobbing in the distance. "I know that voice..." Vinyl said, pushing herself to her hooves and making her way towards the source.
*~*~*
Octavia shook her head, opening her eyes once more as she felt tiny raindrops beginning to fall. She sniffled slightly as she began to trot away from the park bench. She looked up as she heard the sound of racing hooves against the wet cobblestones nearing her. Please, just go away...I just want to be alone...
"Octy..."
Octavia looked up in disbelief, seeing a panting, disheveled and injured Vinyl standing at the entrance to the pathway, staring at her. Octavia narrowed her eyes. "What do you want?"
"Octy, listen to me, please! What you saw wasn't true! I didn't willingly kiss Neon!
"THAT IS A LIE! I KNOW WHAT I SAW!" Octavia yelled. "I am no foal, Vinyl! DO NOT TRY TO CHANGE THE STORY!"
"Octy, please- just listen! Neon forced himself on me! He LIED to you!" Vinyl said, doing whatever she could to try and save herself.
"Oh, is that so? Is that why you looked like you were having the TIME OF YOUR LIFE!?" Octavia shrieked, feeling burning tears beginning to run down her face as the rain slowly got more intense.
"Octy, you have to believe me! I wouldn't do this to you!" Vinyl said, limping her way over to Octavia. She closed the distance, and reached out to place a hoof on her shoulder, and winced in pain when Octavia smacked it away.
"DO NOT TOUCH ME!" Octavia yelled, recoiling away from Vinyl. "Let me ask you this, Vinyl- what would possess you to ask me if I enjoyed it?"
"Enjoyed what?" Vinyl said, confused.
"Quit playing dumb, Vinyl!" Octavia accused. "You know FULL WELL what you said to me!" she yelled, turning away from Vinyl. "How could you asked me if I enjoyed watching you kiss Neon?"
Vinyl looked at her like she had been hit with a bat. "WHAT!? Octy, I would NEVER ask you that! I HATE Neon!"
"Well you have a very unique way of showing it!" Octavia said, narrowing her eyes. "Why would you let this happen?"
"Octy, I was drunk- I still kind of am!" Vinyl said. It was then that she realized that she probably should not have mentioned that.
"Oh, is that so?! So how do I know that this ENTIRE 'apology' is not a farce just like the rest?" Octavia accused.
"Octy, please...I didn't mean for this to happen..." Vinyl said, feeling her own heart breaking.
"Vinyl, enough...I have heard enough...I need time alone..." Octavia said, turning to leave.
"Please, Octy...don't do this..." Vinyl begged. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." Although it pained her greatly, Octavia remained silent for a few moments.
"...Try talking to me again tomorrow...I cannot get a hold of myself right now...if what you say is the truth, I want to hear it when I am more calm...and you are not drunk..." Octavia said softly as she turned to leave. "Be sure to get your hoof looked at...you are hurt..."
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT, OCTY!" Vinyl yelled, causing Octavia to stop dead in her tracks. "What I care about is YOU! I made a mistake...I get that! I just want you to see that. I didn't do this because I wanted to or because I figured it'd be fun! Neon FORCED himself on me, and he told me so! He told me the whole thing!" Vinyl said. Octavia merely stood in place, listening silently to Vinyl's words as the rain fell around them. "He hated the fact that I broke up with him all those years ago, and he used you against me! He let me buy all those drinks so I'd be too drunk to fight back when he forced himself on me..." Vinyl said, pleading her case. "He used you against me, Octy. He knew that this would happen!"
Octavia stared at Vinyl, her heart wanting to believe every word that came out of Vinyl's mouth, but something kept nagging at her in the back of her mind. "...Then why did you ask me if I enjoyed it?"
"I asked you if you enjoyed it because I thought I was kissing YOU!" Vinyl said, to which Octavia scowled.
"You mistook me for your ex...and you thought that I would be OKAY WITH THAT?!" Octavia yelled, her eyes burning with pain and anger. "Why in Equestria would I be okay with that!? Why would ANYPONY be okay with that!?"
"I...I'm sorry, Octy...you have to believe me when I tell you I didn't mean it..." Vinyl pleaded.
"...It is like I said...I am far too upset with you and myself to accept your apology right now..." Octavia sighed bitterly.
"...Why are you upset at yourself?" Vinyl asked, raising her head slightly.
"I am upset at myself because...I allowed it to happen. If I had been there or maybe done something to prevent it, we would not be in this situation as it is right now..." Octavia sighed. "Please, Vinyl...come apologize to me again tomorrow..." It was at this point that Vinyl realized she was not going anywhere. She simply got up, looked at Octavia, and trotted away, the rain continuing to fall as they separated. When Vinyl arrived back at the motel, she felt her heart ache when Octavia was not there waiting for her. She climbed into bed, and began to cry, wishing that Octavia were there with her.
Octavia had instead chosen to stay at their old apartment, retrieving the mattress for their bed and throwing a pillow and cushion on it and laid down. It was then that the profound sadness and loneliness hit her all at once, and she buried her face in her hooves, sobbing loudly.
That night, neither one of them slept soundly.