[Dark]
Local Manehatten DJ Found Dead’, the bold newspaper title stated; he read on:
‘Last night a local DJ was found collapsed outside of Vibe, a rave hall situated in Downtown Manehatten, by a mare named Penny Wise. When the ambulance arrived, the DJ was pronounced dead on site. At a glance, it looked as though the poor mare had simply fainted and knocked her head off of the cement, thus leading to her untimely death; however, Penny would tell you otherwise.
“Clearly, this was not your average victim.” Penny told the media as they sat her down for a Q and A session, hoping to figure out more about this peculiar case. “She was a Buck user, an avid one at that; I can vow to Celestia that she had OD’d on Buck.” If this in fact was the case, the ponies of Manehatten would probably believe the story. The prevalence of Buck drug trafficking has been on the rise lately, hitting headlines all over Manehatten. The police are struggling in vain to find the supplier to stem off the flow and prevent the spread of Buck to the furthest reaches of Manehatten and beyond, but little progress has been made so far. Very little is known about the effects the drug has on its users, because the fear of societal taboo keeps them constantly striving to remain under the radar…’
Orrick scanned the rest of the article and then put down the newspaper to take a sip of his coffee. As he turned to me, I looked up from the table to gaze sleepily at him.
“Can you believe that, Vinyl?”
“Believe what?” I replied, forcing back the haze of fatigue to focus my attention on my dazzling Stallion… er, Griffon friend.
“This article; a local mare in the city is rumored to have perished from an overdose of Buck.”
I felt a tremor tingle my body. I think we both knew what I was thinking. As if reading my thoughts, Orrick spoke up:
“How have you been fairing, by the way? I know it’s been a while now, but sometimes at night I hear you… well, you know, dreaming about it.” From the way his voice was clipped I could tell that he was uneasy; but trying hard to hide it. He had already assured me that he fully trusted my ability to repent the temptation and get addicted again.
Rehabilitation had been both the most wonderful, yet at the same time worse, three months of my life. Wonderful, because I got to spend more than enough time with Orrick, and together, he had been the much needed crutch that kept me on my hooves; horrible, because of the withdrawal. I still wonder if I would have been able to survive all those horrifying nights if Orrick hadn’t decided to sleep with me. Those cold nights when withdrawal would seize me in a firm vice, twisting my stomach and veins into a burning mass of need. I’d awaken screaming, or crying, or begging Orrick to get me my fix; and yet every time he would calm me right back down with a tune. Not the kind of singsong tune that a mare might sing to her foal, no, it was whistled, and as delicate as glass. The effects it would have on me were frighteningly potent, and soon, I’d fall back asleep.
“How have I been fairing?” I repeated. “Fine, but this.” I pointed at the newspaper. “This gets under my fur. Sometimes I wish I could just reach out and crush those that oppress –” I caught myself.
Damn, I shouldn’t have said that.
“You know you can, Vinyl.” Folding up the newspaper and then getting up to drop his empty mug in the kitchen, Orrick waited for my response.
“I, I can’t. Forget I even –”
“I still don’t get why you’re so apprehensive to turn Wolf in. You might be the only one in the city who can,” he said, his voice echoing slightly-a clinking of glass on metal.
Making his way back to the table, he walked past me and sat down on a nearby couch. Once comfortable, he beckoned me with a wing to come and sit beside him. With a deep breath, I got up and moved into the living room, sitting down heavily beside my mate and resting my head on his side. He continued:
“What’s so scary about this Wolf guy, anyway?”
I rolled my eyes.
“Everything,” I explained. “The way he can talk so easily; convince you to do anything.” I shuddered. “He ruined me, Orrick... and that’s scary. I don’t think I’ll ever be the same again.”
“Exactly! Don’t you want vengeance for all the times you were abused-taken advantage of?” Orrick question, clicking his beak angrily. “That bastard needs to pay.”
“So what if he does?” I retorted. “He’s crazy, Orrick. I don’t think you understand who we’d be putting ourselves up against.”
“Were not putting him up against anypony, Vinyl; just the cops. All we have to do is call the local police headquarters and tip them off. By Gadanias tail feathers, you have his bloody address posted on the fridge!”
“Then why don’t you tip off the cops then?” I demanded.
“Why do you think, Vinyl.”
I sighed.
“Because this is ‘my battle’; you’ve told me it a thousand times –”
“And I’ll tell you one thousand more.” Orrick replied compassionately; he calmed down and brought his beak to my mane. “You’ve been fighting for too long, and something tells me that if this Wolf individual is locked up, things will start turning around for the better. It’ll be like the last five months never happened.”
His comment made me think back on the time before I went out into the wide open world, before I graduated; I felt a wave of sadness overcome me.
Why couldn’t things just stay the same?
“I, I just don’t know, Orrick.”
“Do it,” he cooed. “I want my Vinyl back... dearly.”
I couldn’t suppress them anymore; tears began to well up in my eyes as my body waged a massive internal war. I felt torn; struggling to decide if I could overcome my greatest fear, and, as Orrick informed: get back to feeling like ‘me’. Happy, crazy, me. After what felt like an eternity of indecision, I finally settled. Brushing the tears away, I turned to look up at Orrick’s predatory, calming, eyes.
“I’ll do it, Orrick.
By the time I'd hung up the phone, I already felt better; still however I was apprehensive. I didn’t know why, but I felt like I hadn’t done enough; that somehow, Wolf would evade the cops and continue doing what he did. To clear my doubts, I shook my head and walked over to the sink to pour myself a glass of water. Mesmerized by how the liquid reflected the kitchen fixture, I didn’t notice that somepony-or some griffon at that-was standing behind me.
Turning with a start, Orrick came into view; he was smiling.
“How did it go?” He asked.
“Fine,” I replied. “But I still feel… off.”
“Yes, that would make sense. You feeling off, I mean,” the griffon pointed out.
“Really?”
“Yes. You’ve just severed a string-a connection with another. Good or bad, your body is trying to figure out if it should feel relieved… or panicked.”
“Do you know when I’ll stabilize then; come to a conclusion?” I questioned.
“By tomorrow morning, I’d imagine. Speaking of tomorrow, I’m going to bed… will you join me?”
I nodded, yawning conclusively.
“Good.” He brought his wings up and pulled me close; together, we walked up the stairs and into our room.
When I woke up, I noticed that it was still night, and that the house seemed oddly still. With a groan, I rolled out of bed and grabbed my water glass, the one I brought up with me last night; it was empty. Looking at my clock, I took note that it was three in the morning. With a sleepy sigh, I crossed my room and opened the door. Before me, the shaded hallway and stairs appeared. Trying not to creek the floorboards, I crept downstairs; drawn like a moth to the one light in the kitchen that I’d usually keep on to make my nightly excursions easier.
At the fridge now, I poured myself some orange juice and sat down at the rounded kitchen table. It was then that I felt as though something was… different. A cold draft was billowing through the house; an open window, perhaps? Getting up, I started making my way around the ground floor, searching for the rouge pane that was letting the house freeze. As I entered the main hall-the one that connected the front entrance to the rest of the house-I noticed with a jolt that the front door was open.
Screwing up my face, I attempted to cast my magic and close it. This failed, however, because my abilities were still in the process of becoming potent again. Frustrated, I cantered over to the entrance and closed the door manually. Hoofsteps behind me, and before I could even turn, a rag was pushed against my muzzle. I blacked out.
As I slowly became conscious, the world swam; closing my eyes tightly shut, I let the feeling of vertigo pass. When I again opened my eyes, I took note that I was still in my house, but not in the place I had left off; I was in the basement. Confused beyond measures, I tried to stand up, finding however that I was bound to a large support beam. Panic began to set in, a bout that only intensified once a familiar earth pony came out of the shadows.
Somehow, Wolf had found me.
My jaw went slack and I began to hyperventilate; an attempt to scream for Orrick only ended up in a mumbled gargle as the bit in my mouth prevented me from vocalizing my fear.
“Have you forgotten your manners, Vinyl? Is that how you greet old friends?”
I growled at him.
“And now you're half dog! Well, we do have some catching up to do.” He replied, amused at his own sick humor. “Why, was the griffon not good enough for you, bitch? Did you find a stray… a diamond dog, perhaps, to get it on with one lonely night? That’s kinda sexy.”
I slit my eyes and clenched down on the bit, attempting to relay my feeling of disgust.
“I wouldn’t be surprised, Miss DJ Pon3-if I can even call you a DJ anymore. I think that dream of yours has been effectively deflated. Woops,” He added for good measure. “I’m so sorry for wrecking that little love of yours, but business is business, you know.” He drawled off, only to return again on a more sinister note. “Oh, and guess what? Some cops showed up at my hangout yesterday. Arrested my ponies-attempted-to arrest me. Did you know that when a pony’s cutie mark is cut, they feel as though their very identity is being severed?”
Pulling off one of his hoof socks, Wolf revealed two items: A knife, and a shot of Buck. My eyes widened in horror; finding myself more afraid of the syringe, then the blade. To my twisted relief, he pulled out the hoofblade. Cantering over to my bound figure, he pressed his body against mine and kissed me on the cheek.
“When a pony’s cutie mark is being threatened, they will go to the extents of ratting out one of their own, or perhaps a client of theirs. A client that tipped them off over a phone call; a once-upon-a-time DJ, perchance, that thought that it was safe to spill her guts.” I began to sweat. “Oh, I forgot how appealing you were, Vinyl.” Wolf jumped topic, grinding up against my chest. He licked my sweaty face. “I can taste you fear.”
Bringing the knife up, he severed the rope that was holding me to the beam. With a muffled shout, I fell muzzle first onto the cold cement floor, bashing my snout off the ground; the blood that spilled forth dripped down my face, staining my creamy white fur red. Wolf descended on me again, mounting me with a satisfied grunt; my hooves were still tied, so there was no way I could defend myself for what was to come. As he shifted his weight on my rear, he brought the hoofblade to my neck.
“Vinyl, you could never stop me-you were always too weak; too controlled by your feminine instinct. The only reason I’m not going to kill you is because you’re a customer; I respect my customers.”
I shook my head, expressing that I was no customer of his; he seemed to pick up on my defiance.
“You think you’re not a customer anymore? You think you’ve escaped from Buck? You haven’t, it’s impossible. Don’t you want to feel it again; the adrenalin, the freedom… the elation.” He nibbled my ear seductively.
I closed my eyes, feeling my body relax as I recalled the wondrously freeing, rainbow colored elixir of…
No.
I would never take that poison again. I shook my head for a second time; it was the only dignifying thing I could do. Above, I felt Wolf tense angrily.
“And who ever said that you had a choice?” I felt a prick on my flank, and I immediately realized what he was attempting. There was no way I’d let him apprehend me, not this time. Tensing with all my might, I prevented the entrance of the syringe into my hide, effectively bending the needle.
“Luna dammit!” I heard Wolf hiss.
Though I didn’t see him throw the syringe away-with my head cocked to the side-I caught sight of its path. It sailed through the air before crashing against the far wall; I smiled triumphantly. My victory was short lived, however, as I felt Wolf grab my mane in his jaw, and yank me up. Dragging me across the room, he propped me against the wall, holding me there with a hoof.
“Looks like somepony is all grown up! Rehab must have done wonders. Normally, I would congratulate you; for you, my dear Vinyl, are the first pony to ever get off my drug. However, with your recent inclination here to not co-operate, I have to treat you a little differently.” He brought the blade to my cutie mark. “Did you know they say that losing your cutie mark is the worst thing a pony can experience; they say it’s worse than rape, or torture… you should have picked the other option; I was going to rape you.”
I felt another shiver riddle my body.
“Now however-only because I’m generous-I suppose I'll just resort to torture.”
His blade left my flank, creeping up to my front hooves. Though my snout had stopped bleeding, the aftermath was still present; aside from my bloody face, a few drips of the red liquid were splattered cross my body as well. Jamming his blade between my hoof, he twisted viciously, reviling the nerves beneath and electing a scream of surprise as my body registered the immense amount of pain that came with the action. I struggled violently, but that only made his assault more aggressive. From the way his musk began to assault my nostrils, I could tell that my struggling was only encouraging him to continue. I stopped, and he brought the blade down on my hoof again, this time, completely slicing a section of my nerves beneath the hardened shell. I screamed again, and hot tears began to fall down my cheeks.
Celestia save me! Please, please make it stop!
It was then that I saw it-something that rekindled my hope. Orrick stood at the entrance of the basement with a lead pipe clenched in his talons. He saw me staring and he nodded reassuringly. As he slipped away, I returned my gaze to Wolf.
“How does that feel?” Wolf asked. “I don’t know about you, but I’m having a great time!” He smiled in a most predatory manner, and his eyes glinted sickly. “Shall we move on to the other hooves?”
I viciously shook my head, begging him with my eyes to stop. He nodded.
“Alright then, I respect that; how about we move onto the, uh, lower areas.” My heart skipped a beat, and my body went clammy.
He wouldn’t dare…
“Yes?” In response, I shook my head viciously. “Yes! Oh, aren’t you adventurous.”
“I’ll take it slow don’t –” when the pipe came down on Wolf’s head, his voice caught and he turned around. His blade detached from his hoof and slid out of reach. Blood started to spill from the gash. “And who do we have here?” His voice was garbled, woozy, and I was amazed that he hasn't collapsed yet.
“Orrick; and you?” Orrick whispered darkly.
To this date, I never heard him speak so coldly before. I found myself forcing down the fear, keeping in mind that he was still the friendly griffon I knew; just a little angry.
“Wolf. Come to join the–” The bludgeon came down again, smashing Wolf’s muzzle and making him fall to the floor.
Ok, very angry.
“Oh, you hit hard!” Wolf chided, attempting to laugh, but gagging on his own blood instead as it welled up in his throat. The earth pony attempted to get up again, but wobbled and fell, coughing some more.
Shaking his head in disgust, Orrick sidestepped around the bloody pony and made his way towards me. When our gazes met, my griffon-friend’s eyes softened; I could see the tears beginning to form in the corners of them. Brining his beak down, he severed the rope that bound me, and yanked out the bit. As I collapsed, too weak to move on my own, he caught me, slowly easing me down onto the ground. Taking a step back, he looked at my abused body.
“What in the name of Gadania did he do to you?” he asked.
“Too much.” I replied; Orrick deflated.
“I’m so, so sorry I brought this on you, Vinyl. I don’t know, I didn’t think…” I brought my good hoof up to rest on his beak.
“You did the right thing, Orrick. I’m still alive, right? As for Wolf, well… what are you going to do to him?”
“Finish me off.” We both turned to look at Wolf, who had propped himself on his hind hooves. “Get it over with!” he hissed.
I felt Orrick swell hatefully beside me. Puffing out his chest, he picked up the lead pip and advanced aggressively on the downed earth pony,
“Oh, I’d love to, scum.” Raising his weapon high, Orrick went to bring it down on the dying stallion’s head.
“No!” I exclaimed, stopping Orrick in his tracks; he turned and looked questioningly at me. “I won’t let you stoop down to his level.”
Orrick lowered his claws.
“Vinyl?” he pleaded. “This has to be done! Don’t you think that if I or you were in that position, lying on the floor like that, he wouldn’t do the same thing?
“Oh, he would; but we aren’t him.” I exclaimed. “How about this: we keep him locked down here, call the cops, and have him arrested. Besides, if we kill him, we could be put under the spotlight for murder!” From the way Orrick hesitated, I knew my sense was getting to him.
“Ya, well, nopony will miss him. We’d probably be doing the cops a favor by killing this monster.” Contradicting his words, however, Orrick tossed the pipe out of the way. “But this is your fight, and if that’s what you want to do... I’ll agree to it.”
I felt my heart lighten gratefully. Suddenly, I could breathe again.
“Thank you, Orrick. Thank you so much.”
With a hesitant nod, Orrick put me onto his back, and together, we made it up the stairs, locking the basement door firmly shut behind us. As the door closed, Wolfs begging to kill him was cut short.