//------------------------------// // #ONHOLD - On Hold // Story: Scattered Tales - App Stories for Ponyville Ciderfest 2023 // by Sonicsuns //------------------------------// The phone rang, and Octavia answered. “Hey, babe!” came the boisterous voice from the other end of the line. “You up for sushi? Jam Session was telling me about this new place downtown-” Octavia cut in quick. “Vinyl, I…I’m sorry, I can’t.” “Hey, it’s fine! What do you want? Just pizza or something? I can bring something by if you-” “Vinyl,” she whispered urgently, “she’s…she’s coming over.” A mile away, Vinyl Scratch held her phone in silence for a moment. “Your mom?” she asked, suddenly serious.  Octavia nodded even though her girlfriend couldn’t see her. “I…I just got a text a few minutes ago. She wants to inspect the apartment.” “Again?!” “Yes, apparently.” “I can’t believe this! You know she’s just bossing you around, right?” Octavia’s fingers trembled. “I, I know but I-” “I’m coming over.” “What?!” Vinyl glanced around for a taxi. “You heard what I said, I’m coming over! I’ll tell her to buzz off!” “Vinyl, you can’t!” “This crazy lady has been running your life since before you were born, Octy! I’m not gonna just stand here and-” “Vinyl, you’ll only make it worse!” Another silence. Vinyl sighed. Octavia continued. “You know she doesn’t know about us. If she saw you-” “What, she’d figure out that you’re gay?” “Yes, actually! And I can’t face that right now! I just need her to-” The door buzzer suddenly sounded, and a haughty voice came through the speaker. “Octavia! This is your mother.” Octavia whispered into the phone. “Oh god, she’s here! Listen, I- I can’t talk right now. I love you!” “Octy, wait!” Octavia ended the call and rushed over to the door switch on the wall. Eight floors below, another buzzer sounded and Larga Melody entered the building with an air of disdain. The wait was agonizing for the young cellist. Minutes ticked by and she wondered how long it would be, how long it could possibly be. Over and over Octavia looked around frantically, wanting to fix something, wanting to re-prop the pillows on the couch or adjust the curtains, but feeling terrified that her mother might intrude in the middle of it. She knew her place: Standing at attention like a servant, her clothing neatly pressed, waiting just behind the door, listening for the knock. Larga Melody was unaccustomed to delays. The knock came, and Octavia immediately opened the door, trying to be graceful and hasty at the same time. For a moment they merely stared at each other. Octavia’s fingers trembled against the doorknob. “Good afternoon, mother.” “Hardly,” said the newcomer.  She swept into the room and gestured for her daughter to sit on the couch. Octavia closed the door and did as instructed, wordlessly.  After a few moments she could bear the silence no longer. “I-I hope my accommodations are to your liking, mother.” “Your accommodations,” sneered Larga, “are the least of my concerns right now.” Octavia tried to hide her heavy breathing. Larga looked down at her with an unflinching stare. “Do you have any idea how hard I’ve worked to preserve our family’s reputation?” The cellist shook her head. “Your father surely tried his hardest to ruin our good name, wasting money on those scam artists! I’m the one who put it all back together again! Do you realize the fragile state this family is in?” “I-I understand mother.” “Then praytell, dear daughter, why were you seen at a concert last night with some harlot?!” Octavia went rigid. Her thoughts raced. Larga continued. “I’d heard rumors, of course. But I was too generous. Too trusting, apparently. It wasn’t until a few days ago that I finally deigned to hire a private detective.” She reached into her coat and produced a series of photographs. She dropped them on the coffee table, and Octavia looked down in horror. There she was with her girlfriend at the Screaming Riot concert, the both of them dressed in crop tops and dancing shoes. In one picture, Vinyl put an arm around her. In another, they kissed. Larga leaned over. “Do you deny it, dear daughter? Have I confused you with someone else?” Without warning, Octavia’s phone rang. She had forgotten it; it lay next to her on the couch, the screen visible for all to see. “INCOMING CALL…Vinyl Scratch (bae)” A picture of a blue-haired girl accompanied the words. Larga’s face contorted as she stared at it. Her eyes darted back to her daughter. “Disgraceful. Reprehensible. I don’t want you to see that girl ever again. Do you hear me, Octavia?” “But-” “DO YOU HEAR ME?!” [CHOICE] > Octy stands up for herself. (Hero) > Vinyl stands up for Octy. (Chaos) > Octy’s mother wins. (Villain) [ENDING A: HERO] For a moment, there were tears in Octavia’s eyes. She thought of meeting Vinyl. Confessing her feelings, their first date, their first kiss. She thought of concerts and walks and late nights crying in her girlfriend’s arms. She thought of how strange it had been to finally hope for something, and she thought of all her hope being taken away, forever. Her hand closed tightly around the phone. And she found a wall of steel in her heart. The words came through gritted teeth. “No, mother. I won’t leave her.” “You think this is a negotiation? You understand who pays for this apartment?!” Octavia jumped to her feet, the phone in one hand “YOU CAN HAVE IT FOR ALL I CARE!” She found herself grinning madly, her face filled with rage and grief and a strange new sense of invincibility. She took the call, staring at her mother all the while. “Vinyl, I’m living with you now!” “YES!” came the beautiful, shocked voice from inside the speaker. “Holy crap! Meet me downstairs!” Octavia didn’t hesitate. She took her cello from the corner of the room, still in its case, and rushed out the door. Larga cried after her, but Octavia didn’t care. She rushed down the stairs, not wanting to wait for the elevator. She was weeping when she found Vinyl, and the two of them embraced with an intensity she’d never known before. “You good?” said Vinyl. “You need anything?” “No,” she replied. “Let’s go.” She wanted to move, to shake off the dust of this place and all it represented.  There was nothing behind her but a lifetime of regret, and nothing ahead of her but a world of possibilities.  (+1 page for Heroes) [ENDING B: CHAOS] Octavia began to cry. She silenced the phone. “I-I hear you, mother. I understand.” She thought of meeting Vinyl. Confessing her feelings, their first date, their first kiss. She thought of concerts and walks and late nights crying in her girlfriend’s arms. She thought of how strange it had been to finally hope for something, but now reality had returned at last.  There was nothing she could do. Larga spoke in a near-whisper. “I wonder if you do. Do you understand what sort of person that girl is? I knew it from the first moment I saw her. Apart from being a delinquent lesbian, she’s obviously a flake! She doesn’t care about you. She doesn’t care about anyone. She’s a disreputable party girl who never once bothered to-” WUB! The noise pounded through the side of the building, shocking them both. WUB! WUB! WUB! WUB! WUBWUBWUBWUB! Octavia rushed to the window, opening it as fast as she could and looking down. Eight floors below, on the street, blocking traffic, stood a blue-haired girl on what appeared to be some sort of mobile soundstage, hitched to the back of a truck. Vinyl Scratch looked back up at her and screamed into the microphone. “OCTY! YOUR MOM SUCKS!” Octavia screamed back at her, caught between confusion and delight. “What are you doing?!” “I CALLED IN SOME FAVORS!” A van pulled up alongside the truck and a group of musicians jumped out, instruments in tow. They jumped onto the soundstage with Vinyl and quickly began plugging in their instruments. Octavia stared. “Is that…Screaming Riot?!” “YEAH! NOW GET DOWN HERE. WE NEED YOU TOO!” The lead guitarist hit an intense chord, and Octavia found herself grabbing her encased cello from the corner. Larga yelled something, but somehow Octavia couldn’t hear. She ran through the doorway, never looking back. Vinyl began to sing as her girlfriend raced down the stairs. “There’s a girl you need to know! She’s the star of every show! With a heart so awesomely true! And a radical kisser, too! She’s the raddest coolest babe that I ever have seen! She’s the one I wanna be with if you know what I mean! YEAH! OCTAVIA! YOU’RE THE ONE I REALLY LOVE! OH, YEAH! OCTAVIA! LIKE AN ANGEL FROM ABOVE! YEAH! OCTAVIA! SO LEAVE THE PAST BEHIND! OH YEAH! OCTAVIA! COME SEE WHAT YOU CAN FIND!” Octavia burst through the front door, barely breathing. Vinyl leapt off the stage and held her tight. She shouted above the din. “I love you, babe! I love you!” Octavia cried with joy. “Vinyl! My Vinyl!” Vinyl pulled her to the soundstage. “Let’s get going before she follows us!” They clambered onto the trailer and Vinyl signaled to the driver. Octavia took her cello out of its case and looked around at the band members. She laughed at the absurdity of it all. “Vinyl, I don’t know how to play this song!” “It’s cool, babe! Just make it up!” The truck pulled away, taking the radical lovers into a new life. Together. (+1 page for Chaos) [ENDING C: VILLAIN] Octavia began to cry. She silenced the phone. “I-I hear you, mother. I understand.” She thought of meeting Vinyl. Confessing her feelings, their first date, their first kiss. She thought of concerts and walks and late nights crying in her girlfriend’s arms. She thought of how strange it had been to finally hope for something, but now reality had come at last.  There was nothing she could do. A mile away, Vinyl looked at her phone. She wanted to do something, anything, but…Octy had said that she’d only make it worse. Maybe Octy knew what she was talking about. She mussed up her own hair in frustration. “Arrgh!” She sighed. Maybe she’ll call later, she thought. Maybe…maybe I should just wait. The silence continued. The silence continued. The silence continued. The silence didn’t end. (+1 page for Villains)