Friendship Was Magic
Chapter III
Lessons for life: Cellists are Scary
Two months later,
“Hey, this is Pon-3!"
“Hey Vinyl. It’s Octavia.”
“Oh hey Octy! What’s up?”
“I’m just wondering if your still coming to my... concert tonight. I got a seat saved up for you!”
“Awww no... thats... thats tonight? Aww gee, Aww, I'm so sorry--I totally blanked on this one. I’m actually working on a huge project with me and Neon Lights right now, and we just hit a breakthrough with the... *sigh* I don’t think I can make it tonight.”
“Alright.”
“I swear I’ll make the next one! Like I promised, okay?”
“It’s fine.”
“Awesome! Now I really need to get back to--”
“Actually, No. No, It’s not fine, Vinyl. You’ve done this to me before-- and this is a really big thing for me; you're not there to support me.”
“Yeah, I know, it’s just--”
“I don't think I can believe you.”
“Aww, Octy. You know how my schedule can get! Look, after tonight, I swear things will be different okay? We can go that restaurant that you--”
“I don’t want to. Sorry Vinyl.”
“Wh-what?”
“Consider this friendship over.”
“Octavia, come on--you don’t mean that.”
“You’ve let me down too many times.”
“Wait, No! Please, Octavia--”
*beep*
“Octavia,” said a tan mare with a microphone around her neck, “you're on in five minutes.”
Tear drops fell from the gray maned earth pony. She quickly wiped her face to avoid arousing attention for her producer.
“Oh, okay!" ,she said in a faux chipper voice.
“Good luck.”, she said before walking off stage. Octavia sat silently with her cello; her cell phone dropped to the ground beside her. Behind her sat the silent, deaf pianist. Of course he was deaf; no such thing as a good pianist, unless he/she was deaf and mute. He always seemed to know too. Even now, he flashed Octavia a small, sympathetic smile. But she didn’t want it. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry her eyes out. Especially when it was this song. She clenched her eyes shut, trying to stem the tears decorating her cello. She swallowed as the announcer prepared the crowd. There was the sound of clopping hooves, then the red curtains rose before her. She drew her bow across the strings, and began to sing.
I comb the crowd, but I can't see your face out there
I'm playing now, won't wait on love
I'm paralyzed, from all these whispers in my brain
I'm focused now, I won't give up
I'm resonant, won't stop for you
playing away, playing away
you play your games, you bring me pain
playing away, playing away
you hurt me now, but I won't cry
I am Octavia
you hurt me now, but I won't cry
I am Octavia...
Vinyl stood up, knocking over the table that she and a neon maned pegasus beside her were working at. She sighed in distress, “Sorry Neon, I can’t concentrate I just... I just gotta go.”
Ditch me now, but it's you who'll have lost it all
Lost now and bleeding love
Rain it pours, but I won't let it bring me down
I'm playing now, won't wait on love
I'm resonant, won't stop for you
Playing away, playing away...
“Hey come on! My friend is playing right now, so let me in!”, demanded Vinyl.
“I said this to you already,” said a rather gruff looking brown security guard. I can’t let you in! But I can let you in during the interval!"
You play your games, you bring me pain
Playing away, playing away
You hurt me now, but I won't cry
I am Octavia
You hurt me now, but I won't cry
I am Octavia
I am Octavia...
“I don’t want to go in at the interval; I want to go in now! I need to be in there right now! I... I gotta see her!”, pleated the white unicorn, looking desperately into the guard’s sharp green ones.
The guard sighed, looking down at her. “I’m sorry, I can’t allow it.”
“Alright, fine!” Vinyl’s horn began to glow softly in the night’s air. You want to do this the hard way!? We can do this the hard way!” She tackled the stallion, hooves flying, horn glowing as she tried to pin down the buck and move around him.
He grunted. “Oh no you don’t!” he said, shoving her away. Vinyl wasn't to be deterred. She leapt at him again, but this time, he met her flying hooves with his own, smashing her into the ground so hard she bounced. He leapt on top of her, pinning her down.
“Merph! Get off of me! I need to see her! Ach, OCTAVIA!”
Born strong, believe none
Dying over broken dreams
Born strong, and raised with class
You hurt me now, but I won't cry
I am Octavia
You hurt me now, but I won't cry
I am Octavia
You hurt me now, but I won't cry
I am Octavia
You hurt me now, but I won't cry
I am Octavia
I am Octavia.
Octavia drew the final bow stroke across her cello. Her tears stained the bow as the last note echoed about the quiet room, right before it erupted into applause. Good; applause was good. They hid the sounds of her sobs. The silent pianist behind her looked at her in a sad manner. She shot him an angry look, but he turned his dark purple eyes away. She wanted to curl up and fade away from the noise of thousands of adoring fans, calling her name in repetition. Octavia, Octavia, Octavia--
“OCTAVIA!” ,a single voice carried over all the others, piercing her ears like a sharp knife. She looked up abruptly, eyes scanning about, searching for the source of the noise. Her eyes immediately fell on a white coated unicorn with an electrifying blue mane, which was frizzled around the edges. She noted various bruises on her body, but it was all overshadowed by the huge smile on her face. The tears began to obstruct Octavia’s vision as she leapt to her hooves, and sprang through the audience. There were gasps of surprise from the audience, but the joy of seeing her only friend pushed her onward.
Vinyl Scratch rushed towards her, tears of happiness streaking down her face. Then, she glanced to her left. Time seemed to slow down as Octavia noticed a sudden change in her features. Her beaming face melted into a mask of horror. Her hooves sped up, until she was at a full gallop.
“Vinyl, what are you--”, Octavia's sentence ended in a screech as her friend crashed into her, knocking the wind from her lungs. Her eyes were suddenly filled with green light. The world spun at Vinyl’s scream of terror and agony.
Octavia crashed to the ground; breath knocked out of her; vision swimming. She dragged her body to her legs; ears were ringing. She could just barely make out the screams of terror; ponies running around her. But when her eyes fell on her beloved Vinyl, everything around her seemed to melt away.
She was missing some important body parts; a foreleg specifically; Her chest was missing. There was just a red mass of obscene gore, cascading over her body like a waterfall. Octavia choked, holding back bile building up in her throat as she gazed at her long time friend. To her utter horror and surprise, Vinyl gave a weak cough, spitting blood from her bloodstained muzzle.
The gray mare stumbled towards her friend; eyes only for her. Her mind struggled to conceive what had happened in the last few moments. Happiness: Vinyl had come to her. Surprise: Vinyl had rushed at her. A green flash: Vinyl had intercepted a blast aimed for her. She sat next to her, eyes wide with horror. Vinyl looked up with her, a painful, cocky grin.
“I look like a zombie, don’t I?” she rasped, looking down to check herself. Her eyes widened, “Oh yeah, not good.” She made a little smile appear on Octavia's face. “Guess it’s what I deserve.”, she gave a heavy cough, which caused the gray mare to wince.
“Do--don’t talk like that ,Vinyl.” Octavia whispered, “You’ll b--be fine! You’ll see!”
Vinyl gave her a snort. “And you’ll grow a horn.” ,she coughed again, sprinkling blood over the Cellist. Octavia shrunk back, then something black caught her eye.
She turned in time to duck a green bolt of energy. A jet black, smooth, and lithe creature, with insectoid wings, sharp teeth, and a smoldering horn, advanced on her; a changeling. A burning fire lit in Octavia’s chest as Vinyl gave another, weaker, cough. This was the second time a changeling had decided to ruin something for her. First time, a wedding. That was slightly more okay. But this-- attacking Vinyl!? Words could not express her anger as she rose to her hooves. The changeling paused, seemingly amused. As Octavia rushed at it, it’s horn glowed as it charged a spell.
It never released it.
Before it could aim, there was something long and sharp shoved through it’s mouth, and out it's throat; a cello bow. Octavia pulled it out, splattering more blood over her coat as the changeling fell with a surprised look on it’s face. Another changeling rushed at her, and Octavia was ready. As it flew at her, she dove beneath it, swinging her bow up. Somehow, the piece of wood and tail hairs had become wicked sharp. The easily cut through the changeling, creating a small trail of blood, and a heap of blood, and internal organs.
Octavia trembled, wiping the bow before her, ready for another attack. Stop it! She told herself. Just... stop! She wasn’t in control anymore. Something else was causing her to lash out; to hold the bow expertly; to know what she was doing; to fight without mercy.
Pain lanced through her back legs as she was flipped onto her back. She stared into the eyes of a third changeling, whose horn was casting a green glow on her body. Octavia trembled even more. Never mind, MOVE! She attempted to swing the bow at the changeling, but the black creature was faster. It brought a hoof down on her foreleg, causing it to emit a sharp *snap*. She couldn't tell if she screamed; she couldn't tell if she was crying, she just stared into the eyes of that changeling, who was reflecting her pure hatred... and her terror. It was terrified. She could tell now, by the way it trembled, the way it hesitated to deliver the final blow.
Then, much to her surprise, the creatures horn stopped glowing. She watched in shock as it moved off of her. Then It looked down at her in desperation. “I-” Whatever it was going to say was cut off by a screech. In a blur, a purple cerise colored mare slashed out the eye of the changeling before her. It toppled to the ground, clutching it’s eye withering in pain. The mare inched closer, hoof raised. Octavia’s eyes were drawn first to the odd blades on her forehooves, then to her flank, where the familiar mark of three smiling flowers grinned back at her.
“M--Ms. Cheerilee!”, Octavia exclaimed, naming her old teacher. She caught the mare's little jolt of surprise, and glanced in her direction, but she continued her advance on the changeling. “Wait!" she called, taking a step towards Cheerilee. Suddenly, her legs gave out. A wave of exhaustion washed over her as she toppled to the ground. Cheerilee paused for a moment, then turned to Octavia.
“Don’t... Don't kill him.”, She rasped, trying to get back to her hooves. Every bone in her body ached, “Just.. wait!” Cheerilee eyed her for a moment, saying nothing. The changelings screams of pain had died to wimpers. Explosions echoed in the background, displaying an ongoing body. Octavia began to feel faint. The world began to tilt from her. “Don’t... Save Vinyl... help...”, darkness consumed her vision, and the world tilted away from her.