//------------------------------// // Lost Souls // Story: Harmonic Cognition // by Jymbroni //------------------------------// Octavia backed away from the solid marble she had just appeared from, unexpectedly bumping into a trash bin, causing nearby crows to voice their displeasure. The unexpected sound caused her blood to run cold as the creaking of the metal continued to echo through the waning day. The smell from the garbage wafted over her now tiny nose as she shuffled across the dirty, cracked pavement to distance herself from the putrid smell. It was as familiar as it was alien, seeing the grimy bricks of buildings with doors tall enough for princess Celestia to fit comfortably through without ducking. She watched bipedal creatures meander around their world, transfixed by little boxes of light in their claws. The faint ghostly light casts hard shadows on their expressionless faces, causing her breath to hitch in her throat. Octavia could hear a soft click followed by a slight buzzing as if something electrical was turning on; as she searched for the source of the sound, a familiar shadow caught her attention. She breathed a sigh of relief as an outline of a pony illuminated the ground. Finally, somepony had come to rescue her from this nightmare. Tracing the shadow back to its source, the mounting hope in her chest died as she failed to find her voice. Fixed upon a bronze pony was one of those creatures. Secured in their hand were ropes that fastened around the pony's mouth, binding it like a slave. Pain and terror were etched into the statute's face as it fought to rid itself of its capture. Unable to tear her eyes away, she spotted sharp objects protruding from the creature's back legs that dug into the pony's sides. "No, who could do something so cruel?" Her voice trembled as she brought her forehoof to her mouth while pushing herself away from the horrifying statue. In her attempt to separate herself from the monstrosity, she collided with something that caused her head to slam into the ground. Blinding pain enveloped her as she fought to hold back the tears pooling in her eyes. "What the hell!" A muffled voice cried out. Octavia could not discern the direction of the sound as her head continued to throb. Pressing her forehoof into her temple to ease the pain, the sounds of scraping rocks and the padding of something heading towards her only heightened her alarmed state. "Are you okay?" Octavia shot up to her hooves, scurrying away from the sound until she felt the cold stone upon her back. Spotting a looming silhouette, she slid down to make herself as small as possible while throwing up her forelegs to shield herself. "Go away!" She screamed, coiling her legs for a strike. Octavia did not know what horrific world she had entered, but she was not going down without a fight. "It looks like you're bleeding," the male voice pointed out. "Bleeding?" She whispered to herself, noticing a sharp pain. Timidly she brought her claw up to her forehead, gingerly touching the area and feeling the thick sticky liquid coating the tips of her claws. Trepidation coursed through her as she brought her claw in front of her eyes, revealing the glimmer of the dark red liquid. Octavia's eyes widened as a drop of blood stained her cheek. "It's not as bad as it looks," the voice soothed, attempting to stifle her reaction. "Wait here while I go grab you some napkins." The stranger disappeared behind the abysmal statue as the sounds of shifting rock grew fainter. Silence fell upon the area as Octavia forced herself to release the breath she had been holding. "I need to get out of here," she whispered. Her situation only worsened by the minute as blood trickled down her cheek. As she looked around, the fleeting light of the sun had disappeared, revealing an eerie setting rivaling the edges of the Everfree forest. Shifting her gaze skyward, she watched as clouds moved to belittle what light the moon could offer her. "Here you go." Upon hearing the voice and feeling their proximity, Octavia reflexively bucked her hindlegs connecting with the potential assailant. She thrust the creature away from her using all her earth pony strength, causing a muffled grunt before her ears caught the sound of them hitting the ground. "What the hell!" He shouted, throwing his weird appendages out while they sat up from the ground. "Go away!" She commanded with what little authority her voice could muster. "I'm just trying to help!" He shot back. Octavia trembled as the enraged leviathan returned to his full height. "No, I don't want your help! Please go away," she fired back, trying to mask the fear in her voice. "Whoa, you're British!" "British?" She questioned, coiling her hindlegs for another strike if they got too close again. Turning her head slightly, she peeked through a gap between her legs to gauge their intentions. The unknown creature had moved more into the light revealing a frame of the bipedal beings she had noticed earlier. However, their towering presence easily dwarfed hers, causing her heart to have a death grip on her stomach. "Right… sorry, not the time," he conceded, rubbing the back of his neck. The strange creature shuffled about, deciding what to do next. As he moved, Octavia could see more of the creature's face as the light from the park no longer masked them. Their facial structure resembled the minotaurs back home but lacked their bovine ancestry's defining muzzle and large horns. However, the creature's stature was more akin to the male's. Studying him further, she watched as his brown irises darted around as if they were searching for something. "Oh, right!" The creature's head jutted up, turning her direction. "Here, I got these for you." Octavia's gaze darted between the napkins and his eyes trying to gauge if he was hiding malicious intentions. Feeling her scrutinizing gaze, he averted his eyes to the ground while holding the napkins out to her. Cautiously, she took them from him, trying to clean off the coagulating blood on her. "You should press the napkins on that cut to stop the bleeding," he instructed, focusing his eyes on the ground. "I'm not a foal!" Octavia barked, causing him to wince from the verbal slap. Octavia lingered for a moment waiting for him to move aggressively in her direction. After a minute, he remained steadfast, averting his eyes from hers. "Do you need assistance?" He asked hesitantly. "No," Octavia answered swiftly, pressing the unsoiled portion of the napkin into her open wound. A soft whimper escaped her lips, causing her eyes to dart to him to see if he since her weakness. His head turned slightly in her direction but remained distant. After the initial pain dulled, she removed the napkins to see some traces of bright red blood alongside the strains of thicker dark blood. "Oh, good, it doesn't look that bad," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. Octavia's eyes quickly shifted to see his dark brown eyes staring at her. "How would you know?" "Because I'm looking right at it," he answered in disbelief. "You probably thought it was worse than that?" Octavia said nothing. "It's an honest mistake. It's crazy how even the smallest wound on your head can bleed like that." Octavia maintained her silence praying that he recognized the cue that she no longer wanted to carry this conversation on. "Do you need help standing up?" He offered, taking a step towards her while extending his claw. Octavia's stomach tightened as the being doubled in size, causing her to pull everything tighter to her body. "No, please stay back!" "Sorry, just trying to help," he calmly stated before throwing up his weird appendages and backing away from her. "Here," he muttered. The sounds of shifting rock caught Octavia's attention as the creature sat across from her, lowering his body while hunching to make himself closer to her size. "Better maybe?" The minotaur forced a smile but faltered after a few moments. "Well, hopefully that helps." Giving herself more than a fleeting glance, she studied the creature that sat across from her. No longer was he silhouetted by the faint park lights reducing the behemoth's stature to one of an average stallion. He shifted as he looked down at her with a timid smile, allowing the light to highlight more of his features. Upon his head was a short brown mane that would most likely be seen on young colts and fillies. However, the thing that stood out the most was the complete lack of fur that coated the bodies of most of the residents of Equestria. Quickly her gaze shifted to her foreleg, causing her heart to seize as she noticed it bore the exact resemblance to the furless creature before her. "Interesting," she mused, timidly running the tip of her claw down her foreleg, experiencing an unsettling new sensation. "I'm Jacen, by the way. Thinking about it I probably should've led with that, huh? Sorry," the stranger called out, trying to garner her attention again. Octavia said nothing, unable to decide how she should answer. The thoughts of being subjected to the nightmarish humiliation of being ridden in that manner loomed over her. Given the creature's size, he would need minimal effort to break her. As she continued to ponder the implications, Octavia glanced up to see him shifting about, sensing her uneasiness. She couldn't tell if this creature was something she could trust. "Not helping? Right. There's a hospital nearby over there a couple blocks. Keep the pressure on it I guess, and I'll keep an eye---no wait, that's worse. I'll see you around, I guess." Jacen conceded as he slowly got up. Octavia watched as he started to walk away as a torrent of emotions raged. She needed help, and nopony else had approached her. Looking back over her shoulder, the expression of horror solidified on the pony's face churned her stomach. Unable to fight the urge, Octavia searched for the face of the creature. Ice flowed through her veins as her eyes witnessed the sadistic pleasure illustrated on the rider's face. "No," she whispered; she would not be subjected to that horror even if he was the only creature to offer help. Shaking the dark thoughts from her head, Octavia refocused on Jacen as he walked away in an upright position. Being on her hind legs was not a foreign concept, but she always had her cello as support. "I've done this before," she reassured herself. Placing her claw on the wall, Octavia slowly climbed up onto the weird back legs as her body fought the unnatural change. Despite the feeling, she rose to full height with her back firmly against the wall. Pride swelled in her chest as she let her body adjust to the new position. "See, nothing to it." Even though she was upright, she knew it was only half the battle. Looking down at her back legs, they began to shake uncontrollably, realizing what was coming. Apprehensively she extended her back hoof, placing it on the ground. Octavia began to wobble as her mind refused to let go of the wall. Fighting against her better judgment, she shifted her weight forward, causing her balance to go haywire. "Whoa." She panicked, spotting Jacen quickly moving in her direction while her body shifted erratically. Flinging her appendages out in a last-ditch effort, Octavia desperately searched for something to stop her before Jacen got too close. Closing her eyes, she prayed for a last-second miracle to make this Jacen disappear. A panicked shock ran through her body as she felt Jacen's firm grip encapsulate her waist. Hadn't this thing heard of personal space? She would have struck him if he wasn't the only thing stopping her from hitting the ground. "Thank you, but I do not require your assistance," Octavia stated firmly, hoping that he would let go of her. "Are you sure? Because head injuries—" "Yes, I am sure," she cut him off, reinforcing that she did not need his assistance. "I honestly don't think—" "Jacen, I will not ask a second time; please let go of me!" She commanded, her tone coming off more harshly than intended. "I'm sorry," he apologized, hanging his head in shame. Feeling Jacen's claw leaving her back, her balance began to sway as if she was at sea. Octavia extended her arms to stabilize herself before attempting to lift her back hoof again. As the waver subsided, she felt confident enough to try another step. Her mind began to panic as her back hoof came off the ground, causing her to stagger forward as her weight shifted erratically once again. In a desperate attempt, she tried to move her strange hooves to match the pace of her forward momentum. Still, it ultimately yielded her meeting the ground. "Why is this so difficult?" Frustration coursed through her as she returned to her normal body position. She hated being this vulnerable, especially in front of somepony she had just met. If she were back in Canterlot, they would have sensed her weakness from miles away and exploited it to no end. Adding insult to injury, Octavia still saw him out of the corner of her eye, standing there, staring, fiddling with his digits, trying as he tried not to stare at the weak mare in front of him. Why wouldn't he leave to let her flail miserably on her legs? Was he waiting to make fun of her? To mock and jeer at the bumbling "Brit" that couldn't do anything, right? She felt her claws clenching in frustration at her ineptitude. If her body knew how to express itself, surely it could manage to walk properly! As her heart sank into her stomach in anticipation, something occurred that even she did not expect, silence. Octavia glanced over to see him still standing next to her. Why was he not mocking her? She would have snickered momentarily at the situation if the shoe was on the other hoof, but he didn't, or at least to her knowledge. Her mouth ran dry as her heart continued to pound in her chest. Her mind continued to flip back and forth before she concluded with the ominous solution. "I may require your assistance," Octavia reluctantly stated, digging into the dirt between the cracks in the pavement. "Are you sure? Because you were…" "I am aware of what I said, and now I'm requesting your assistance, please," cutting him off almost pleadingly. Octavia hoped he would move past this change of heart and not further question her. "Okay," Jacen warily agreed. She could hear Jacen rustling about before she felt his claws slip around her waist. As his grip tightened, Octavia forced down the feeling of a predator closing on its prey. Fear paralyzed her as Jacen lifted her rigid body off the ground and into the upright position. "Are you okay? Should I help you walk to the hospital?" He asked, giving her a look of deep concern. "No, I just need a moment." Octavia tried to calm her heart from beating out of her chest. "Take your time," Jacen soothed, removing one of his claws from her waist and placing it on her shoulder to steady her. Octavia slightly nodded in affirmation as she felt her heart slow. However, she still could not push away the uneasiness from his touch. She was barely even with his shoulders; feeling the heaviness of one of his arms across her back, she could not help but feel like a foal next to him. "Whenever you're ready, we'll try walking again. Just try putting one foot in front of the other," he instructed, removing his other claw from her waist while illustrating the movement to her. Octavia took a deep breath and lifted her back hoof off the ground. Her body began to sway aggressively as her hoof continued to move forward. Panic and anger at his betrayal roared to life as Octavia slipped out of his grip. Her arms shot up instantly as she braced for the following fall. "Whoa," Jacen muttered as his hands gripped her firmly, halting her forward momentum. "Don't worry, I got you," he affirmed, giving her a slight squeeze on her shoulder. "Why can't I do this?" Octavia fumed through gritted teeth, unable to conceal her frustration. She could feel the blood rushing to her face at the embarrassment of almost falling again. Her mind refused to move out of fear of subjecting herself to further awkwardness. Why was he being so patient with her? He could easily fling her over his shoulder and carry her wherever he wanted without breaking a sweat. "It's okay," he reassured, breaking her thought with a gentle shake. Feeling his hand urging her to move again, she cautiously extended her back hoof, feeling the unsettling sensation again. Before she could react, Jacen's grip became tighter as her hip pressed up against his. Feeling her stability returning, Octavia placed her back hoof down before repeating the process with the other. "See, you got this," Jacen praised, watching her confidently take another step. Octavia couldn't help but gush over the compliment. She could feel herself becoming more steady thanks to Jacen's efforts. As he led her towards a paved path, she could feel his grip beginning to relax. Despite the slight misstep here and there, Octavia felt like she was starting to get the hang of it. "I think I forgot to ask you… your name," Jacen awkwardly stated as they walked alongside the waterfront. She silently chastised herself for forgetting her manners in her anger. "Octavia," she answered with a meek voice. "That's a nice name. Well, Octavia, it's nice to meet you." He glanced down with a reassuring smile. Octavia could feel her face flush as she tried to suppress a self-satisfied smile. "I still feel that you should go see a doctor because you might've hit your head harder than you think," he stated, looking down at her with growing concern. "No, I'm good," Octavia replied, taking one of her claws and grazing the crusted blood that naturally sealed the wound. "I appreciate your concern. I was just traveling all day, and I am still recovering from that, plus this," "I'm sorry about that," he apologized before clasping his claws together. "So, where do you need to go?" Octavia chewed on her lip as she tried to respond appropriately rather than saying, 'I don't know where I am.' The palms of her claws became slick as her mind fumbled to find an answer. "Like, do you have a place I can drop you off at? Or there's a bus stop nearby," he offered, noticing her eyes shifting as if she were thinking. "No, it's not that, it's just…" she trailed off, shifting her gaze to the ground. "It's okay; you don't have to tell me," Jacen assured, slightly nudging her to get her attention. "I just want to help and make sure you're okay." Octavia could tell that he was saying what he could help build trust, but it was still a massive leap of faith for her. "Thank you, but…." She noticed Jacen digging for something in his pocket, retrieving a little black box. Pulling the strange item closer, he squeezed it, causing the black mirror to light up with that creepy white light that Octavia had seen earlier. Instantly she slapped the object out of his hand as they watched it clatter to the ground. Jacen shot her a dirty look. "What the hell was that for!" Octavia started to tremble at the thought of being possessed by that egregious device. "Hey, it's okay," Jacen soothed. "I wanted to make sure I was taking you in the right direction." Quickly Jacen left her side and retrieved the device, placing it back in his pocket. Octavia couldn't stop herself from shaking, causing a growing look of distress from Jacen. "Hey, are you okay? Did I do something wrong? What's going on?" Despite how hard she tried to suppress it, everything was boiling to the surface; she was so scared, wrapping her forelegs around her chest as Jacen rubbed her shoulders. Glancing up, Octavia saw desperation and panic in his eyes. Why the hell was he so scared? He easily was twice her size; she was basically at his mercy. Jacen held her gently by the shoulders. "Is there something you need me to do?" Octavia shook her head but try as she might, she couldn't help but meet his eyes. His deep brown eyes fixed upon her, begging her to answer him. She shrank under the uncomfortable gaze. How could this giant look at her the way that Vinyl does? She loved how her eyes always gave away her true feelings in any situation when they were not covered with those damn glasses. Still, this Jacen echoed the same eyes that she did. "I-… I… don't have a place to stay tonight." Octavia rubbed her claw along her foreleg. "You see, I'm not from here," Octavia stammered, hoping that he didn't have any more follow on questions. "Oh... that's okay; here, let me think." Returning to his full height, Octavia watched him mull over ideas in his head. Jacen scanned the horizon as he muttered something under his breath. "What?" Octavia wondered. Jacen tapped the tip of his claw on his chin. "There is a cheap hotel close to me, but it's kind of shady." Octavia chewed on her lip. "Or, if you want, I can split the tab with you at a better one, so you don't have to stay there," Jacen offered, counting on his digits. "Umm, Jacen, I don't have any money," she admitted. "Oh really?" Jacen looked at her with renewed concern. "Did you lose it, or did someone take it from you?" "Oh, no, it's nothing like that." Octavia waved dismissively. "I just didn't get a chance to grab some." It was the truth, sort of. "If that's the case..." he trailed off, returning to his inner dialogue as he contemplated solutions. "I'm not sure I have enough for a hotel until next payday. Let me check my bank account real quick." Octavia sighed to herself. She would hate this, but she couldn't let a stranger bankrupt themselves on her behalf. "You said you lived close by, right?" "Umm, yeah. I did." Jacen glanced over as his brow creased. "Is that a problem?" "If it's not too much of an imposition, perhaps I could stay with you?" "An imposition? Nah, you're good." Jacen let out a nervous chuckle. "But are you sure? I mean, my place is kind of small." "Just lead the way before I start second-guessing myself." As the pair started to walk, Octavia noticed Jacen's lips moving while periodically shaking his head as if he was talking to himself. "So, where are you from, Octavia?" He asked as they started to head in a different direction. Octavia knew this question would come up. She wrestled with telling him the truth or fabricating a facade. Still, she knew very little about this place to produce a convincing story. She pondered telling him the truth briefly, but the ominous statue flashed to life in her mind. She would not be the cause of her kinds of enslavement because one of them was nice to her. "It's complicated," she conceded, letting her shoulders sag. It was the best answer she could come up with on short notice. "Okay, what about friends? Do you know anyone around here or why you were outside alone?" "I've had a rough day," Octavia groaned as the hopelessness of her situation returned to the surface. "I'm sorry, I'm just..." "I know," Octavia cut in. "Can we talk about some thing else?" Jacen's brow creased as he looked down at her. "Like what?" "So, where are you from, Jacen?" She interjected, trying to shift the attention onto him. "Well, I was born and raised in Texas until I enlisted in the Navy and got stationed up here." "The navy?" Octavia didn't know what Texas was, but the word navy sounded somewhat familiar. She tried to recall if Canterlot had something similar or if she had heard the term from her history books. "Yeah, I was one of the dumb ones who joined because my friends enlisted in the Navy before me and told me how much fun they were having. At least I get some sea stories to tell like my grandpa." He gave her a wry smile. "Sea stories?" Octavia cocked her head. "So you're an ocean-dwelling soldier?" "Yup! Oh, there was one time we were pulling into port, and I was on the line handling detail," breaking away from her gaze Jacen started to scan the horizon across the waterfront. "Actually, you can see the ship I'm stationed on over there." He pointed to a distant object resembling a dark grey blur against the night sky. "Can you see the green and red lights?" Octavia craned her neck around Jacen as she searched for the green and red lights. She spotted the barely visible lights levitating on top of the gray blur a few moments later. Concentrating on the object, two ice cream cone-like structures became more visible. They formed a line on top of what looked like an ordinary ship found in Equestria. However, from what she could tell, it looked like the ship was made entirely of metal. "How do your ships not sink if they're completely incased in metal?" The question caught Jacen slightly off guard. "Oh, umm, I think it has to deal with the water displacement of the ship equaling the water tension or something like that. Honestly, I really don't know," he answered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Anyways, back to the story. So, the line handling detail are the people who help pull the ship moored to the pier. Unlike the olden times, we use tugs and machines to assist us with the evolution." Octavia nodded that she was following along, even though some of the words had lost their meaning with her. "My buddy and I were the only ones on line five, and at the time, there were only two lines attached to the pier. To make it more fun, the time we were pulling in was early in the morning, which means that the sea was still surging." He made an up-and-down waving motion with his claws. "Surging?" Octavia questioned. "Yeah, the sea rises and lowers at certain times of the day because of the moon's gravitational pull on the earth. We were the dumb ones who decided to do it when the water levels rise and retreat quicker than you would like, but don't quote me on that," he replied, pointing at her jokingly. "They take the other line to power, which means they put it around this machine called a wildcat, and it just spins around pulling the slack out of the line." He started making circular motions with the tip of one claw as the other wrapped around it. "Everything was going good until I heard this loud pop." He opened his claw wide to mimic an explosion. "My buddy and I look at each other as we watch the other line start to separate, causing everyone on deck to step away. The chief boatswain looked over at us and told us, in more colorful language, to not let go of the line." "We watched as the last piece of line separated, causing us to get ripped forward," Octavia watched as Jacen staggered forward as if he was holding on to the line. "We did our best to not let go of the line as it continued to drag us forward. Eventually, people jumped on the line to help us as we fought to not let go. After a couple of profanity-laced minutes, they were able to secure another line to the pier, and we were able to tie the ship off." Octavia let out a sigh of relief. "I look down at my hands to see them just raw from the line going through them," Jacen turned his hands up to show her where it was the worst. "Wow," Octavia breathed out. "Yeah, fun times," He flashed a faint smile before it was washed away by something darker. "That sounded stressful," she observed, reflecting on what she would have done if she had been in that position. "At the time, it was but looking back on it, I'm grateful that I have stories like these to share." "You have more?" She glanced up at him with renewed interest. "Oh yeah! I have a whole bunch of sea stories like this." "I would like to hear them." "Really? Well, I enjoy telling them," he said. His face flushed, and he diverted his gaze from hers. They continued to walk down the pathway as momentary silence fell over them. Octavia noticed his posture had become more relaxed as a slight smile held firm on his lips. She even noticed that she had calmed down, barely acknowledging their proximity. It was the same feeling that Twilight made her feel right before she had left, and she felt fortunate that he was the one to find her. "Here we are." The pair stopped before a tall glass building that looked like a hotel, like the ones in Manehatten. "Just to give you a heads up, it's a one-bedroom apartment. The Navy only pays us so much," Jacen said, softly chuckling. Before she could respond, he had already pressed on and waited for her at the entrance. He held the door open as she entered the lackluster lobby with six silver doors, beige walls, and bland hotel paintings of landscapes. "I'll get it," he declared, moving past her to hit one of the buttons next to the silver door. "I live on the 5th floor, so I think you would prefer the elevator unless you enjoy cardio, because I sure don't." Octavia was the first to enter the small space as the elevator doors slid open. As Jacen followed her in, the elevator dipped slightly under his weight. She could feel herself pressed into the wall as Jacen moved about to give her more room. "Sorry, they thought small elevators were a good idea for whatever reason. It made moving in a headache and a half." Octavia could hear the metal groaning under their combined weight as it struggled to lift off the ground, causing her to grip the rail behind them. "Is it supposed to make that noise?" "It's made that noise since I've lived here." In hindsight, cardio didn't sound so bad. She could've used the practice. The elevator doors opened into a wide hallway painted with the same monotone beige paint found in the lobby. "Welcome to 501, my little corner of Norfolk," Jacen proclaimed, unlocking the door and holding it open for her. Octavia hesitantly stepped inside the small apartment, immediately noticing the minimalist decor. She noticed that the kitchen and a seating area occupied the same space, moving into the main living area. However, upon further inspection, she saw similarities between some of the furniture she had at her house. At the center of the room was a dark grey couch with a thin black rectangular box on top of a wooden stand. "It's not much to look at, I know. I mostly just crash here when I'm not out and about," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck as she examined his apartment. "We go underway, which basically means we go out on the ship for periods of time. Like, we will be out for two weeks to a month then be back in port for a week or two before heading out again for the same amount of time." "That doesn't sound very pleasant." "It has its ups and downs, like most things." Octavia glanced at him and saw the distraught expression she had seen earlier, but it disappeared when he realized she had noticed. "Still," he said, clearing his throat. "I got the basics covered." "It's okay; it's very nice and clean," she remarked, finding comfort in spotting things she recognized. "Thanks for noticing! But," he paused as he gritted his teeth, looking between her hooves and the floor. "Could you do me a quick favor, though, before you go in?" "A favor?" She asked, eying him suspiciously. "Could you take off your shoes, please," he said, clasping his hands together. "My shoes?" "Yes. The ones you're wearing. I mean, they're great, don't get me wrong, but you noticed how nice it is in here, and I wanna keep it that way if you don't mind," he repeated as he began taking his shoes off. "Oh, those shoes! Of course," Octavia laughed as she looked at the black material at the end of her legs. She'd seen the princesses wearing fetlock boots before. These must've been something like that. "Yeah, so if you would…." Octavia tittered nervously as she gazed down at the shoes. She'd already made too much of a fool of herself; she didn't want to admit being confused by clothing, of all things! Looking at Jacen's hooves, he had unfortunately already taken his shoes off, so she had no example to copy. "Octavia?" "I'm thinking!" "About what?" "How to remove them, obviously!" "Oh..okay? Umm, I can help if you need me to," Jacen offered, motioning for her to sit on the couch. "Just… just make it quick. I feel like an utter foal!" Jacen gave her a quizzical look before she rushed over to sit on the couch, feeling her cheeks flush with embarrassment as she watched Jacen kneel before her. Taking one of her back hooves in his hand, she could help but feel like a dwarf as her hoof was the size of his hand. Undoing the buckle, he slid the shoe off and followed the same process with the other before taking them back to the front of the apartment. Octavia took in this new sensation as the cool air touched her exposed hooves. Looking down, she noticed stubbier versions of her digits on her hands through the white stockings. Standing up, she took a few steps feeling the difference of having her shoes off. "Let me grab the first aid stuff so I can properly clean up that cut for you." She watched him move into the kitchen and rifle through his cabinets and drawers. After a few moments, he produced a white box with a big red cross on it; flipping it open, he retrieved a small brown bottle, a couple of gauzes, and a small white tube. Jacen opened the brown bottle and dumped its contents onto the pads before handing it to her. "Use this to clean your cut." Taking the saturated pad, she couldn't help but notice the powerful chemical odor wafting toward her nose. "It's okay; it's meant to clean your wound," he informed, noticing her uneasiness. Cautiously she took the pad and placed it on her forehead, instantly feeling the burning sensation. Octavia couldn't help but shoot him a look of betrayal, eliciting a chuckle from him. Pushing through the pain, she wiped the area until all the pads had stopped turning red. "Let me put this on, so it closes the cut." Jacen took the small tube in his hand, taking a confident step toward her. Octavia reflectively took a step back as he approached. "I promise it won't hurt this time," he eased, holding the tube to her forehead. Reluctantly she nodded, allowing him to complete the care. She looked up as he positioned himself over her to give himself a better angle and gently squeezed the contents out. Feeling the cold paste touch her skin, Octavia couldn't help but shake as he looked down upon her. "There, that should help. Just don't touch it as it dries." Jacen capped the tube, returned all the contents to the box, and disposed of the used materials. "Thank you," she replied, taking a few quick steps back so he wouldn't notice her trembling. Turning the corner, Octavia came face to face with a white being with dark reflective eyes, causing her to let out a muffled scream as she staggered backward. Jacen bounded over to see what was happening before giving her a soft chuckle. "It's okay! It's just a costume, see?" He tapped the white being with the back of his hand. "It's made of plastic." Taking a piece off it, he handed it over to her. She retracted from the part as if he held a coiled snake in his hand, ready to strike. After a moment of trying to convince her that it was not going to harm her, he finally gave up. "This is a stormtrooper. It's from one of my favorite movies," He retrieved the piece from Octavia and put it back on the mannequin. "Oh, it's getting late." he said, looking down at something on his wrist. "I was going to grab you some blankets and a pillow, but seeing how you reacted to that, I think you might want to stay in my room," He motioned toward the looming suit of armor in the corner. "Lucky for you, I just washed the sheets today.," Jacen stated as he returned, pointing to another room with a bed. "I have to go to work tomorrow, and I don't want to wake you up while I'm getting ready," "You don't have to do this for me; I am perfectly capable of sleeping on the couch," she murmured, eyeing the suit that seemed to follow her with its dead eyes. "It's okay, you will be more comfortable there, and when I come back from work tomorrow, we can figure out what our next step will be." "Wait, you're just going to leave me here? A complete stranger in your house with all your things?" "Well, if you wanted to steal something, you picked a bad target. Not much here to take unless you want a sweaty stormtrooper costume." "Okay, if you insist." She still didn't feel one hundred percent about sleeping in his bed, but at least she would have some privacy. "Cool, well then, good night Octavia," Jacen gave her a slightly awkward bow before walking away. "Thank you," she replied as she began closing the bedroom door. "Oh! If you need anything, feel free to ask. The fridge is a little low, but you can help yourself to whatever's in there." "Okay," she said, closing the door all the way. Octavia released a breath she did not know she was holding as the door clicked in place. With an experimental tug, it didn't budge. She was safe. Or at least as safe as she could be in the lair of a massive, unknown creature. A creature she now shared similar features with. She felt utterly exhausted by the day's events collapsing onto the bed. She took stock of herself, catching her darkened reflection in a nearby mirror, not unlike the one she had stumbled through back at the castle. That wasn't Octavia Melody looking back at her. That was some strange, pale minotaur thing staring back at the wrongness of its form. It bore her carefully styled mane, though it was a tousled mess, but everything else was terribly, terribly wrong. "What are you?" She whispered, hoping against reality that her reflection wouldn't mouth her question back to her. She pulled her hind legs closer, burying her face in her newfound flexibility. Feeling wetness running down the side of her flat face, she took what little comfort she could, knowing she could still cry. "I don't know what to do, Vinyl." Her head continued to pound from the impact or the emotions she was bottling up. Feeling more tears escape from the corners of her eyes, she quickly whipped them away, hoping that no more would follow. Scooting up to the head of the bed, she slipped under the sheets hoping that she would wake up in her bed and that all of this was just an uncanny, lucid dream.released a breath she did not know she was holding as the door clicked in place. With an experimental tug, it didn't budge. She was safe. Or at least as safe as she could be in the lair of a massive, unknown creature. A creature she now shared similar features with. She felt utterly exhausted by the day's events collapsing onto the bed. She took stock of herself, catching her darkened reflection in a nearby mirror, not unlike the one she had stumbled through back at the castle. That wasn't Octavia Melody looking back at her. That was some strange, pale minotaur thing staring back at the wrongness of its form. It bore her carefully styled mane, though it was a tousled mess, but everything else was terribly, terribly wrong. "What are you?" She whispered, hoping against reality that her reflection wouldn't mouth her question back to her. She pulled her hind legs closer, burying her face in her newfound flexibility. Feeling wetness running down the side of her flat face, she took what little comfort she could, knowing she could still cry. "I don't know what to do, Vinyl." Her head continued to pound from the impact or the emotions she was bottling up. Feeling more tears escape from the corners of her eyes, she quickly whipped them away, hoping that no more would follow. Scooting up to the head of the bed, she slipped under the sheets hoping that she would wake up in her bed and that all of this was just an uncanny, lucid dream.