//------------------------------// // Opening Scene // Story: The Monster Inside // by Lonepone //------------------------------// Roughly two months later "Wake up Vinyl" I roll over, onto my stomach. I stretch, and then yawn. "Ahm allradee up" My dad laughs. "Sure you are. You know what day it is today?" "The day I finally sleep in?" I reply sarcastically. "The day we check out your dorm" he says. Just like that, I'm up. I flip out of bed, and grab my comb. I run it through my hair, trying to get all the knots out. Dad tosses a can of Red Bull at me with his wing. I catch it in my magic, and crack it open. "So you want me to be an alicorn?" He laughs, and I then hear a muffled thump from the hallway. "Fall down again?" I call out. "Yeah. Don't come rushing to see if I'm okay" I smile, and finish combing my hair. Try him again. Find out the truth. "Hey dad, can I ask you something?" "If your trying to get me to admit I was part of a band once, no" --- My dad and I stand in the dorm, having just finished getting all my stuff in. "So who was your dorm mate? Something Philharmonic, right?" My dad asks. "Yeah, although I can't remember her first name either" I agree. Well, I know who it is. If its not her, what's the point of this story? Oh really? Do tell. Sorry. No more fourth wall breaks for now. I hear some muffled voice outside the main door. A charcoal grey pony and her mother walk in, conversing lightly. The stop dead when they see us. We stare at each other for a while. "Well, if it isn't the skank and her father" Octavia says. "Oh look, its the stuck up brat and her mothership" I return. "Now children..." her mother says. "Well, she's the one who started it" I say. "Oh puh-lease" Octavia whines. "You where asking for it" "How the fuck was I asking for it?" "You inserted yourself needlessly into our conversation" "So that gives you the right to say shit like that?" "I can say whatever I like to a low class person such as yourself" "Listen to yourself! Low class. What is this, the middle ages? And just coz your on a higher social ladder doesn't mean you get to call me a skank and imply I'm dating my dad" "I can do whatever I want. Its a free country" "Alright, that's enough" My dad says. "You two are gonna have to live with each other. And you can't do that if your gonna kill each other. Vinyl, apologize" I gape at him. "Dad, you can't be serious. Are you taking her" -the voice speaks with me for a single word- "side of this?" "I am not. I am reigning in my daughter" "Your father is right. Children, enough" Octavia's mother says. "Octavia, apologize for your words" Me and Octavia stare at each other, waiting for the other to give in first. Your own father takes her side. It means nothing! Your inferior to a complete stranger. I am not. I am more important to him than her. Then why isn't he supporting you, instead of supporting her? He wants the fight to descelate. Then be a good, submissive child, not the bad, disobedient one you are. Descelate it. I take a few steps towards Octavia. Her eyes widen slightly in fear. Her mother closes in, ready to spring into action if I threaten her daughter. "Sorry, Octavia" I say, holding out my hoof. She continues staring at me, her face set in stone. It takes her mother nudging her to prompt her to speak. "I also am sorry" we shake hooves. Our parents look at each other, and nod. "Well, you've got a week until first semester starts. Get used to each other" my dad says. "Octavia, I expect better from you from now on, understand?" Her mother says. She nods. "And you, Vinyl?" My dad looks at me, "you'll be better behaved?" --- Two days later --- “So, did you see that massive factory that was put up near Ponyville?” I ask my confectionary making friend. She sighs. “Lyra, is this another conspiracy theory about your aliens?” “Nonono. Well, yes. But no” I pause, and gather my thoughts. “Conspiracy, yes. Aliens, no. So, the government is trying to genetically breed, or something, parapsrites, so they won’t be so harmful any more. But some mad scientist bent on world destruction has taken over the project, and has changed it so they eat only us. What do you think happened to Applejack?”. My friend shakes her head in disbelief. “Bon Bon...” I whine. She smiles a little. “Lyra, this is worse then your theory that this planet we live on is extremely old, and that-” I blush. “Hold on, that was an old theory of mine. No need to say it out loud” “Well, according to what you said, we weren’t the first sentient species on this planet. They, the ones before us, used to have a massive empire, united as one, across the whole land. They could even travel to other worlds, as if that where possible. But they had no magic, they had this science. Using this science, they made some kind of super virus, that wiped out their kind, but infused our ancestors with magic. Which gave rise to us. And that there are still a few isolated pockets of them out there” “Okay, at the time I had some really good evidence behind that” “Whatever. I don’t think the readers want to read through pages of the countless pages of us going back and forth on your humans” “Whatever” I cave. “So you’re starting second term soon?” She asks. “Yeah! I can’t wait! Oh, on that thought, gotta run!” I take of sprinting. “Wait! Lyra!” That was getting a little embarrassing. Oh well, even though I hate it, I still gotta keep up that facade, to make everything fall into place. Even though I’ve done this time and time before, it never gets easier. As I run, I pull a pair of glasses out of my bag, and put them on. Time to switch facades. I hop on the back of the train right as it leaves the station. “Ma’am!” one of the attendants says in surprise. I quickly flash an official looking badge at him. “Madam Heartstrings” I say, laying a heavy parisian accent on. “Yes ma’am” He says. I walk next to him to an empty seat, and sit down. I pull an white folder out of my bag, with many important looking papers in them. I’m about to open them, when I glare at the two sitting next to me. They look spooked, and look away. I put the folder away, having intimidated them. --- Later --- The train pulls start to pulls into the station at Canterlot. I jump out the back, before anyone notices. I take the glasses off, and stow them in my bag. One of the universities massive dorm rooms looms before me. I ruffle through my bag, and pull out an official looking transcript. It states all my necessary information to gain a room. I walk in the main door, and strut in like I own the place. “Excuse me, miss?” the receptionist says, waving me over. I walk over to her, making sure to keep a dazed look on my face. “Miss, do you live here? You missed registration” “Oh! Sorry, I was out of town. Here!” I pull the papers out of my bag, and hand them to her. She looks through them, a serious look on her face. “Alright” she eventually says. “Room 28, fully furnished. Third floor, you got a suite to yourself” I smile, and let myself in. Despite being called a suite, its only the size of a modest apartment. The door opens up into the main living room. A couch sits by the opposite wall, a window above it. Across from it, a large flat screen is screwed to the wall. To the left wall is a plush lay-z-boy recliner, and a coffee table sits in the middle of it all. To the right is a small island, which seperates the kitchen from the living room. Stove, fridge, freezer, toaster oven, all in stainless steel. A dishwasher sits underneath on of the counters, next to the sink, waiting to be used. It looks like everything I need is here. I walk into the bedroom, pleased with what I find. A comfy looking bed, and a desk against the wall. I take a look at the bathroom, and find everything in order. "Nice place" I comment. "Of course. We take care of those with noble blood" I try not to look surprised. It is my fault, since I didn't read through my forged papers. "What do you play?" The assistant asks me. I turn around, and look at her. Mild interest, not suspicion. "A plethora of things. You play?" "A little bit. You must be good, considering your cutie mark and you name" "Yeah, I got mad skills with the harp. I'm also a pretty good bassist" 'Wow' I think to myself. 'Half of that was true. Way more then what normally comes out of my mouth' "Oh, interesting" We both turn as we hear muffled yelling. I can make out a feminine voice, which sounds Italian and prissy, and a slightly lower, and also feminine, voice, which is mess of conflicting accents. I can make out German and Bostonian, although there's something terribly familiar and sinister in it that I can't place "Who's that?" I ask. "Oh, just your neighbors across the hall. Its impressive that we can hear them through both room's soundproofing. They can't be any more different" she says. "I'll have to stop by and say hi" "I'd wait till they're done. Give it a few hours" "Hours? Hot dayum" I say surprised. "Well, you might as well see for yourself" she tells me. Across the hall... Summer Overture - Kronos Quartet "For the last time, Vinyl, stop leaving things scattered all around the room!" Octavia shouts at me. "And for the last time to you, miss cleansiness, chill!" I look at the latest offender. A can of pop on my bedside table. "Its just a can of pop" "THERE'S SUGAR IN THERE! Do you want ants in here?" She screams. "We're on the third fucking floor. We won't get ants!" "BECAUSE YOU'RE THE EXPERT ON ANTS?" "MAYBE I AM! BUT I KNOW YOU AREN'T" "I'VE HAD MORE EXPERIENCE THEN YOU HAVE KEEPING A HOUSE CLEAN!" "BASED ON WHAT?" "CONTADINI IGNORANTI!" Octavia screams. "Excuse you?" I ask confused. "Ignorant peasant" she says. "Did you just insult me in another language?" "Yes, I did! Which shows I'm multilingual, which proves I'm more intelligent, which makes me the authority here!" "Hochnäsig göre" (stuck up brat) I say to her. "German?" "Knock knock" a new voice says. The two of us turn to the new arrival. A lime green mare, with white and green hair and golden eyes. "Lyra Heartstrings. You two?" She says. "Who gave you permission to barge in here?" Octavia shouts at her. "Sorry?" the newcomer offers. "SORRY?? I'LL SHOW YOU SORRY YOU-" "Now, Tavi, calm down. She probably wanted to see you, the source of the commotion" I interject before things get ugly. "Do not refer to me as such! And it twas not me, but you, who are to blame for this here fiasco!" As she says this, whatever accent she has becomes more prominent. "Should I call you Oktettea then?" "No! You shall refer to me as Octavia, and Octavia alone! And you!" She turns to Lyra "Leave at once!" "I want her to stay, and she's my guest. But you know what? I'm hungry. Are you Lyra? Let's go out and see what resteraunts are within walking distance" I turn and leave, and thankfully Lyra does too. Elsewhere An unlikely duo sits together at a restuarant. One is unhappily married for twenty years, one has sworn to abstinence after his last girl. The married one has a grey coat, with black hair combed around her horn. Her eyes are a dull green, worn down after a full life. Her cutie mark is a treble clef. The abstinent one is a pegasi, with a coat as white as pure snow. His eyes are a light steel blue, and his hair a bright neon blue. His cutie mark is a bolt of green magic. He takes a sip of his glass of vodka and lemonade, and she from her glass of wine. His name is Bass Chaser, and hers is Melody Philharmonic. As you have most likely already guessed, the pegasi is Vinyl's father, and the unicorn is Octavia's mother. "How can you stand that garish concoction you call a drink?" Melody asks him. "Its kinda sweet because of the lemonade. Try some" he pushes the glass towards his companion. She picks it up, and takes a small sip. "Not as terrible as I expected it to be. Now, try a real liquor" she slides her drink towards Chaser. He takes a good sized gulp of it. "Not so fast! You have to savor the taste". He takes another, smaller drink, and waits a moment before swollowing. "Not bad. But not my thing" They return each other's drinks, smiling. "So what do you think they'll do?" He asks her. "Oh, they'll argue for a long time. But then they'll start to learn how to deal with each other, I hope" she says. "Well, they'll have to. Ain't got no other choice. After all, with the bribe we gave the headmaster, he'll have make sure they stay with each other!" They both laugh at that. The conversation drifts into more interesting topics, namely music. "So do ya play anything?" He asks her. "Some. Violin, mostly. But I'm competent with many instruments, namely the flute and the piccolo. Do you?" "Just the bass guitar. I'm alright with it. I think me playing for my Vinyl is what made her want to be a musician" "Interesting. From a young age we instructed Octavia in music. It's in our family, we have a long line of musicians" "Yeah, I'm the opposite. My family is a long line of scientists. They shunned, and eventually disowned me. I decided to move away, change my name, the whole kit and kaboodle” “Oh my. Were you that against your family?” “We never got along. We haven’t talked since a year before I got my little Vinyl” “You mean she hasn’t met her grandparents?” She asks with concern. “No. It’s a bad idea to also. They, uh, didn’t like her mother” “I can tell this is a tough subject for you. Shall we move on?” He’s relieved. “Yeah, definitely. What about your family?” “Nothing special. Just musicians for many generations, and way back a little noble blood" "Oh. I see. One of those families?" He says darkly. "Oh please. Do I seem like the stuck up snob type to you?" He hesitates. "Which noble blood?" "Some Duke. The familial lines have unfortunatly faded over time" The bartender comes by, and refills both their glasses. "Well, I can tell family is touchy for the both of us. And music leads back to family. So what do you think our daughters will end up being?" Chaser asks. "How so?" "Well, will they eventually get over each other? Be friends, or something more? After all, opposites attract" "Excuse me? Are you suggesting what I think your suggesting?" She says, appalled. "My bad. I assumed your stance on this touchy subject, and I guessed wrong" "No, I'm okay with it. It's just my Octavia is not. She inherited more from her father then is healthy" "Her father" he pauses "your husband. What is he like?" She's silent. He returns the silence for a while, then speaks. "Another bad subject, I assume. Well, if not that type of politics, how about The War?" "The Changelings?" She asks. "I am for the war. Do you know how much our repairs cost? I say we settle the score" "Hey, they're not all bad. I say make those who did the damage pay" "Are you implying there's a good changeling?" "Possibly. You know, I use to travel a lot, to many countries. Along the rode one time, I met a Changeling. She had a disguise on at the time..." he starts his story. It all plays over again in his head. Walking along the high road, on the way to the Griffon capitol. An attractive mare entered from a side road, and the two walked shoulder to shoulder for a long time. Even after all the years, he still remembers how she looked. A light blue, almost white. Steel blue, almost. She had a long, flowing blue main, with a matching tail. There was a slight wind that day, making her hair ripple, and reflect the sunlight. Slowly a conversation started between the two. This conversation meandered among many subjects. Eventually, he asks if she has a place to stay. She says no, and he offers to share a room with her. She can take the bed. She hesitated. "I would accept, if I could, but you would shun me" "How so?" "This is a disguise. I'm a changeling" with that, she was engulfed in green flames. When they subsided, a black chitin with green eyes and wings stood in her place. He said he didn't mind, and that she seemed like a nice person. She thanked him, and accepted the offer. After that, they continued their travels together. And that's where the truth and the story change. The story goes on to say that they said good bye after their travels, and he hasn't seen her since. Melody sits in silence. She looks at the clock overhanging the bar. "I must get going. My husband will be waiting for me. How much do I owe you?" "Not a bit. The pleasure was all mine. Wait for me to pay, I'll walk you to a cab" She nods. He waves the bartender over, and pays his bill. The two walk out into the night, laughing and talking. He waves a cab down for her, and the two part. Him walking, her riding. Porclian - Helen Jane Long They both travel in silence, wrapped in their own respective thoughts. Her, of what might be, and what isn't; him, of what has been, and what is. He ignores the stab of melancholy from the thought of going home to an empty house, and she fears going to a house and its one other sole occupant. She arrives, and let's herself in the front door. She looks down the hallway, hoping he's asleep. A light is on, and his dark menacing shadow is cast down the hallway. She can already feel the bruises. She walks towards it. He fights back the pain of loneliness. He makes it home, and slams the door shut. He drags himself to his in home bar. He pours a triple shot of whiskey, and downs it. He pours another. And another, trying to drink away the pain. He can already feel the sickness. He embraces it.