Well, usually I use this slot to speak my mind and talk of current events.
Nothing changes here then. :D
Going on holiday the week after next, down to Cornwall with my mate. Don't expect any updates for that week.
Next week is my last writing slot. I am going to brainstorm throughout the week on ideas for what to write, then start a first chapter and upload it before I go.
However, THIS IS NOT A GUARANTEE. I may actually end up with no available writing slot.
Come to think of it, it's not likely. Don't expect updates for two and a half weeks. Sorry all. :/
Wish I could do something, but I don't own a laptop I have access to all the time.
Without no further ado, I'll get on with the finale of Paranoia. :D
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"In other news, Canterlot will be having a wedding binding two prestigious ponies together tomorrow. The orchestral band has been practicing frantically for this event and everything looks to be spectacular." Blared the newspony on the TV.
Just then a dull and hollow thud echoed through the house. It resonated off every wall and reached Octavia's ears: it was time. She was ready for anything. It was her last practice session before the big day; Octavia couldn't be more pumped for anything in her life. Octavia almost fell over at the prospects and possibilities that this event brings to her metaphorical table.
Octavia began to prop herself up from her incredibly comfortable armchair and reached a hoof over to flick the switch on the TV. On her way to the exit, Octavia retrieved all necessary belongings for her day. Bow tie, saddlebags, bits, Cello: the typical things for her sporadic expulsions.
With a quick swish of her mane and brush down of her coat, Octavia was mentally ready. She stretched out her hoof eagerly and flung open the door to be greeted by, as expected, Vinyl Scratch.
Her warm smile was apparent as usual and the casual attitude of Vinyl was being emitted for all of the atmosphere to admire. Well, whether the atmosphere was or wasn't, rest assured Octavia was.
Despite Octavia's severe lack of discretion, Vinyl appeared to not notice. All Vinyl did do was mention her greetings and turn tail to leave.
The whole charade of Vinyl driving Octavia to her rehearsals via a chauffeur driven limo was definitely becoming routine - and it definitely wasn't a routine Octavia wanted to end. Octavia welcomed the fuss made over her because of her general lack of importance on a high class tier.
Although Octavia was known around Canterlot and gained the odd recognition here and there, she was fairly unknown due to the more extravagant choice of music. This caused her to gain little attention and to gain less fame.
Consequently, Octavia relished every lasting moment with a burning passion.
The walk from her door to the stylish limo (which purred at the roadside monotonously) felt like the red carpet to royalty. Cameras flashed blindingly from every direction, but Octavia didn't flinch. Instead, she beamed with pride at the false moment occurring inside her head.
Suddenly, Vinyl flung open the passenger door carelessly; almost recklessly. She jumped in emphatically and peeked out at Octavia, inviting her in with a soft gaze and a waving hoof.
Octavia was quick to pounce to the offer and she immediately bolted for the limo and hurtled into the back with Vinyl, cascading into her and causing all of Octavia's possessions to be deposited onto the floor of the limo.
Octavia felt like a clumsy clown. All she could do was smile sheepishly at Vinyl as she stared disapprovingly with her crimson eyes lighting up her crystal white face.
Just as the awkward moment was about to climax, Vinyl surprised Octavia with a laugh. It wasn't a cold-hearted laugh, no, it was more of a soft, joking laugh. Octavia was stunned at Vinyl's reaction to her stupid shenanigans. Like a good friend would, Vinyl also begun carefully collecting Octavia's items into a neat pile for her to replace into her saddlebag.
Octavia was left unable to notion even a stutter. Her voice had escaped the limo instantly, along with her dignity. The only option available to Octavia was simply to give her gratitude with a warm and friendly smile. Vinyl just nodded her acceptance and gave the signal to the chauffeur for the limo to set off.
The ride was incredibly nostalgic. It differed in no ways and served only as a stimulant for Octavia's mind to wander.
Every journey in the substantially comfortable limousine didn't differ. All of them were flawlessly not interrupted and each remained relaxing. Octavia was always able to lose herself and her train of thought departed the station of her mind shortly after. It was always enjoyable to not worry about anything plausibly negative and be able to enter rehearsals with a clear mind.
Speaking of rehearsals, each one throughout the tiresome week Octavia had experienced had been perfect: in every sense of the word. Everyone on strings knew of their part and Octavia was keeping the brilliant balance between knowing her own piece and maintaining the section as a whole. Nothing could go wrong today; it was their final runthrough before the big thing.
*******************
A soft and warm object was prodding Octavia. She was trying to practice! Did this pony not know of what Octavia was entitled to do tomorrow? The performance was staggeringly important!
With an irritated grunt, Octavia began the journey between her current state and consciousness. Just then, realisation kicked in and began prodding Octavia's side in tandem with whatever was doing it prior to now.
Octavia's eyes jolted open instantaneously to find herself slouched along the back seat of the limo. In addition, a vibrant pair of brightly coloured eyes stared at her: half amused. half annoyed. Octavia's blush spread rapidly across her muzzle to a hue similar to that of Vinyl's thought provoking eyes.
"Hey sleepyhead, ain't you got a rehearsal to get to?" Vinyl light-heartedly questioned.
At that statement, Octavia's muzzle exploded. The whole thing was brightly flushed with a deep red colour: Octavia had never felt so embarrassed in the last year.
Vinyl just laughed in a gentle but mocking manner. Before things got worse and escalated out of proportions, Octavia scooped up her belongings and exited the limo.
As her final back hoof touched down on the ground, Octavia looked up at the perilous building that she must intrude. With a slow but sure manner and her expectations high, Octavia entered the theatre proudly and regally. Vinyl just scuffed her hooves on the carpet and followed on from the rear a little awkwardly.
********************
After a few minutes of misdirection and aimless wandering, Octavia stumbled upon the stage they were rehearsing at. The theatre was a ginormous building with a multitude of stages and diverse performing arenas. It really was magnificent and Octavia knew it must have cost a fortune of bits to rent it out.
As soon as Octavia came into sight she was engulfed by the whole strings section's warm welcome. The positive reception stirred good memories into her mind. Without no further interruption, Octavia begun practicing: taking a lead role over the other ponies who followed suit. They did not question her moves and no quarrel was made over anything. The whole session was going swimmingly.
Out of the corner of her eye, Octavia caught sight of Vinyl sitting in the front row of the audience. She was parked on one of the many chairs invading the theatre; part of the rough sea that spanned across the whole room.
Octavia noticed only one thing: Vinyl's complex expression. Across Vinyl's face was a nonchalant stare, one that penetrated right through Octavia's body. It almost made her feel a little uneasy as she sat comfortably in the luscious chair that was thickly and generously laden with padding.
Another thing that peeved Octavia was the lack of a definitive emotion to pin to Vinyl's expression. Octavia's take on it was that Vinyl was admiring the sweet tones that the strings section was creating and combining. The sheet music provided was a wonder made in the heavens and it wouldn't have surprised Octavia that much if this was the case: even if their preferred genre of music differed marginally.
The uncertainty in everything around her was causing Octavia some troubles with her rehearsing. She was slipping up in numerous noticeable areas and her general performance was being hampered by her current mind-set. Within moments Octavia was on the receiving end of countless confused gazes from the ponies around her. It was clear that everypony was noticing her slip-ups so Octavia sighed inwardly and gave up on trying to keep her composure.
With a disgruntled huff, Octavia grabbed her Cello and walked off the stage. "I'm just going to re-tune my Cello and regain my composure. Be back in a bit!" She boldly proclaimed. It was evident that the ponies were confused. In fact, Octavia was sure she could feel the cold and menacing stares burning right through her. All this caused Octavia to do was quicken her pace to something resembling a dash as she shot of the stage.
With frantic glances to either side, Octavia checked every doorway of the corridor for a place to chill out. However, she was sure she could still feel and hear a pony shadowing her, following her every move. It was getting Octavia worked up intensely; so much so she started to hyperventilate. With a gasp for air, Octavia dived for the nearest door to her and exploded into the room. It was a bare, compact room, one with no decoration. It contained a basic swivel chair and nothing more, aside from the mucky window in front of her. The door was directly behind her.
Octavia needed air desperately. With all the strength she could muster, Octavia prised open the grimey window and took in a deep and much-needed breath of fresh air. As soon as she had done so, Octavia lowered the window to a close and sat down gently in the chair in the middle of the room. The chair faced the window so Octavia could immerse herself in the view, but her back was facing the open doorway. She picked up her cello and stood it up correctly so she could begin her favourite calming ritual: checking each string was in tune.
Just as Octavia picked up her neatly crafted bow to begin testing each string, the door behind her begun to swing shut. The sound emitted was of a high pitch and it alarmed Octavia. Her ears pricked up to vertical stance and Octavia started to rotate in the swivel chair to find out the source of the noise.
What she saw directly in front of her confused and intrigued Octavia.
A familiar face; one she couldn't quite put a name to. The pony stepped further into the room and locked the door behind her, as well as pulling the curtains to a close precariously. Octavia was desperate to object but curiosity was taking over as she found herself unable to even create meaningless noises from her mouth. All she could was watch intently what this random pony was doing.
"You don't know me, do you." Sneered the pony menacingly. Octavia could only manage to briskly shake her head from side to side.
"Well, I'm Brightshine and I was a violin master a little while back. I lead the string section at the Royal Canterlot Wedding between Shining Armour and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. You, Octavia, played in this string section." Brightshine stated clearly.
"After the wedding, the Canterlot Orchestra decided I was inadequate for them, so they fired me. I tried everything I could to retain my position, but nothing prevailed. Everything changed when I was given a second chance to be in the Orchestra, but you... You beat me to the position of leading the string section, which consequently destroyed my career. Well, I'm not having it - I've been stalking you for weeks now, discovering information about you and uncovering potential weak spots in your metaphoric armour. Now, I must execute my plan and gain my rightful position as leader of the string section tomorrow!" Brightshine boldly proclaimed.
"I've been waiting for this day, Octavia. Many ponies called me crazy through my arduous life, but now is the time for my revenge. You ruined my career, I ruin your life!" Brightshine announced loudly. Her voice raised intensely to an inappropriate level, one which caused Octavia to tremble in horror at this ponies insanity.
Fear rose inside Octavia. Throughout Brightshine's speech, Octavia had analysed Brightshine's appearance. She was a white coated mare, a unicorn to be precise, with a mane of a very light grey hue. Her eyes were tinted dark blue and she wore an expression of pure hatred and disgust. As Brightshine perched herself in a position of a height advantage, a shadow loomed ominously across her face and the sheer insanity of Brightshine shone through.
After all this time, she had been right. Somepony had been following her every movement ever since the first fateful night when Octavia was returning from her performance. Octavia silently cursed to herself in annoyance for letting her guard down over the last week: now she was paying the price.
Finally, Octavia plucked up the courage to speak. "W-what are you going to do to m-me?" She whimpered.
Brightshine wore a grin that showed off her satisfaction; one that proved her hellbent and twisted mindset. Octavia simply cringed at how pathetic she clearly must have sounded then and there.
"Well Octavia, first I will gag you to stop you from whinging and whining for help: nopony will help you!" Brightshine retorted viciously. Octavia recoiled at Brightshine's words and in an attempt at freedom, poised herself to dive for the door.
Brightshine was expecting such a reaction and therefore reacted implausibly quickly. She grabbed Octavia's forehooves and poised herself in a position of advantage before Octavia could react. Her weight was holding Octavia down in her chair and Brightshine took this opportunity to tie a thick cloth tightly around Octavia's muzzle, so much so it began chafing her.
Octavia merely glanced at Brightshine in a plea of mercy, but Brightshine was quick to dismiss it. Octavia's heart simply sunk as she realised there was no way out: she would have to just accept whatever pain or torture was heading her way.
Brightshine seemed to react to Octavia's realisations and she put Octavia out of uncertainty.
"Well, first I'm going to smash your prized cello into fragments so you will never be successful again. Then, to dismiss you once and for all, I will kill you. Slowly is my preferred method; simply because I will cause you so much more pain. Not to mention the extra enjoyment I gain from it." Brightshine voiced.
Octavia could do nothing other than cry. She sat motionless on the chair, gagged and pinned down by the deadweight that was Brightshine.
Brightshine secured some rope around the chair to prevent Octavia from retaliating. Octavia just continued to shed tears, tears that tumbled down her cheeks and dropped onto the ground, forming a shallow pool.
With a deft motion, Brightshine picked up Octavia's cello, the cello that meant the world to Octavia, and threw it to the ground forcefully. As the intricate instrument snapped into two, every memory encased inside it was set free into the room. Octavia merely winced at the sickening crunch the impact made. Her life and her dreams were vaporising rapidly by the minute.
However, Octavia didn't mind so much. Besides, she would be dead soon: her cello was the least of her worries.
Brightshine then pulled a crowbar out from her large saddlebag and flung it above her head. Octavia braced herself for the impact by forcing her eyes shut.
Unfortunately, Octavia lacked the ability to block out sound effectively. The countless and reckless smashes that ensued meant only one thing: her cello was in tatters. Octavia silently voice her farewells to the cello she had always owned and loved, but she wished to see how it had fared after being massacred.
Towering above her was Brightshine. A dastardly grin was plastered wide across her face as she loomed over Octavia, both hooves above her head holding the crowbar that was ready to come thundering down upon Octavia imminently. The blow would not be fatal, but she would probably be left unconscious. Octavia held her gaze on Brightshine as the last thought of her life entered her mind: 'I hope you go to prison for your crimes you crazy mare!'
Suddenly, the window in front of Octavia shattered as another white pony careered through it. Octavia stifled a gasp under the gag as Vinyl Scratch herself came crashing into Brightshine, sending the two of them tumbling forward into Octavia. The resulting pile up had knocked Brightshine unconscious: additionally, her own crowbar had come careering down onto her head as she had lost grip of it whilst interrupted by Vinyl.
Vinyl got up and shook her head. She untied Octavia and removed the gag from her muzzle: Octavia remained stunned after her near death experience. With a clumsy but urgent manner, Vinyl fumbled through Brightshine's bag for a mobile phone, and it was only a brief period time before she uncovered one. One quick ring to the police later, Vinyl returned to her post of restraining Brightshine as she awaited the police's presence on the scene.
**********************
The next day, everything was sorted. Brightshine was locked up in prison, Octavia was on the mend mentally from her scarring experience, and Vinyl had been searching for a new cello to replicate Octavia's old one.
Of course, Octavia's position in the string section had to be revoked. It was given to another pony, one who was confident of all her roles and knew her way expertly around a Viola. Contrary to what you may think though, Octavia's career in the Canterlot Orchestra was not over: she was merely taking a few months for a break.
Only one question remained, one that was irritating Octavia with its unanswered state.
As she sat there in the back of Vinyl's limo, returning from today's eventful day out, Octavia found herself unable to not ask Vinyl this question.
"Vinyl?"
"Yeah?"
"How did you know I was in drastic need of help when you rescued me?" Octavia queried wonderingly.
"Well, when you stormed off, I felt compelled to follow: to check if you were okay. When I saw you enter that room and pull out your cello, I assumed you were well enough and therefore set off to wait patiently for your return. However, a peculiar pony passed me on my return. She seemed in a rush, so I took note. I also watched her enter your room. Something was wrong, so I exited the building and ran around the perimeter until I found the window corresponding to the room you were in. After listening to the conversation from outside for a while, I decided now would be a good time to intervene on Brightshine's dastardly plans." Vinyl answered plainly.
Octavia's eyes began to mist with tears as she stared at Vinyl. With no notification, Octavia flung her arms around Vinyl in a passionate embrace between two good friends: Vinyl Scratch was her hero!
Vinyl did not reject the offer and gladly joined in with the hugs. They were both ok, and every single piece of damage caused would easily be mended by time.
Octavia continued to hold Vinyl gently as she reflected on her last few weeks. She had gained a new friend, but lost her precious cello. Her life had been on the line, but it was saved by her new friend: and she would remain eternally grateful towards Vinyl.
One lesson had been learnt: believe in yourself. If Octavia had investigated her suspicions when they aroused, she could have prevented everything from happening the way it did. She would employ this into her life in the future.
A few questions and suspicions remained, but these were sure to unfold in the near future. Octavia knew it.
Paranoia: Paranoia is a symptom in which an individual feels as if the world is "out to get" him or her. When people are paranoid, they feel as if others are always talking about them behind their backs. Paranoia causes intense feelings of distrust, and can sometimes lead to overt or covert hostility.
THE END
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Well, it's done. Paranoia is finished. I wonder who expected that ending.
If you disliked the ending, tell me why and how I can improve so I can rewrite it soon.
If a few questions remain unanswered or your suspicions are not yet confirmed, this is because I plan to write a sequel which will follow on from the events of this story but contain a new storyline and perhaps some new characters. All remaining questions will be answered then, don't worry.
Well, I hope you like this story! I put a lot of effort into it to make of a decent standard and size.
I will see you in two weeks then, when I will begin brainstorming new ideas for a new fic. Writing will commence soon after.
I just want to thank Church here too for being awesome in general. He has been incredibly inspirational and constantly active with this story, and the reason it is completed today is as much due to him as it is due to me.
Thank you everypony once again for supporting me!
-FluttershyAllTheWay