//------------------------------// // Prelude - Faceless // Story: Natural Selection // by Kickback //------------------------------// Natural Selection By Scarlet Brony I'm not, I'm not myself Feel like I'm someone else Fallen and faceless So hollow, hollow inside A part of me is dead Need you to live again Can you replace this I'm hollow, hollow and faceless It was just like any other day, one might have thought. The traffic in Canterlot was usually fairly low but today seemed to be an exception. The stream-line of cars down the narrow strip of road in the distance could be seen ever-rolling closer. By the intersection, stood a young girl of very pale complexion. She fastened the thick white jacket flush against her body as she glanced up. The clouds in the sky ever-slowly began growing larger and darker with each moment that passed, the few sprinkles of water that descended from the fluffy mixes of vapour found the ends of their journey splashed out along the magenta-lensed glasses that she wore over her eyes. The pale woman couldn't contain a grin at the sudden impact, it was relaxing, in a sense. By now, the traffic was all around her, passing by her as she began to saunter off in the other direction. Initially, she had just planned to cross the street but today, however, she figured she could use a detour. No one seemed to want to walk today. She chalked it up to the weather but couldn't help but shake her head because of it. It was nice to just walk in a downpour of rain, she had learnt that from a...friend. With a quick motion, she reached behind her head, taking hold of the loose fabric that hung around her neck and flipped on her blankly-coloured hood. It felt soft and warm, pressed down against her vibrant, spiky cerulean hair, the very tips of what was her fringe peaked out from under it, further concealing her face. She always did like this hoodie, it was a gift, after all. She even remembered what was written on the card, lazily taped on the parcel she found it inside. In a hand writing that she could never mistake read simply; "Hope you like it, Vinyl" As she continued to walk, her smile thinned a little at the memory. At the thought of...him. No, this wasn't the time. She glanced down and caught glimpse of the beamed note proudly stitched into the cotton on the right side of her chest. Vinyl knew why he had picked this out as soon as she saw it that day when it came in the mail. He could never deliver it himself. In a way, she knew why but...she just knew why. She could never think of a "but". The rain was beginning to really start up. Reaching down into the tight pocket nestled just on the side of her hip, she managed to weasel out her phone. The earphones that were safely plugged in snaked through her jacket as she jarred it out, reaching with her other hand to place the buds that dangled out the top in the open, patiently. Placing them both securely in her ears, she quickly swiped her thumb along her screen, silently browsing her list of tracks. Vinyl chuckled a little, seeing the music on her phone. People all knew her for her love of all things techno and dubstep. They weren't wrong to see her like that, she did indeed have a fair infatuation with the genre. She knew better, however. Her taste wasn't just comprised of a single type of music, it really never was. When she really thought about it...she almost hated that he had influenced her life so much. She felt like he practically made her who she now was and who she'd always be. Vinyl could only hope that that wasn't the truth. With a sigh, she just tapped the latest song on her list. A think smile found it's way onto her face at the over-powering blast of sound echoed from the small speakers and into her head. Her strides took on a rhythmic bounce as the rain began to come to steady downpour of cool droplets that she could feel through her clothes, ever-growing damper. Vinyl Scratch could hardly care. She felt a little alone, seeing no one else on the path she walked. In a way, that made her feel free. There was nothing anymore. Just her music, the concrete path, the rain and steady lights of the cars that passed her by, leaving her in their wake. She felt free. She always did at times like this. Entranced by her bliss, she closed her eyes behind her shades and a closed-mouth widened on her face. She threw her head back, promptly causing her hood to limply slide off her head, her hair whipping back with it and with a quick motion, she removed her magenta-lensed glasses from her eyes. Vinyl blinked a few times as she stared up at the dark grey sky. Her irises, much like her shades were a brilliant hue of magenta, they sparkled lightly. She wanted to feel the rain on her face, feel it dampen her hair, to just feel free, like nothing was wrong with the world and that she had all the time in the universe to just walk in the rain. Vinyl knew she couldn't but it was a dream she felt was worthy of dreaming. Vinyl didn't even notice that she had suddenly stopped walking, choosing to instead just stand firmly on the ground, held tilted high, eyes wide open and her mouth agape, catching whatever stray drops of water found it's way onto her tongue. She wasn't there long, however, something brought her out of her little self-induced trance. Someone walked past her. She barely paid the new person any attention when they passed her, she almost thought it was odd how she didn't notice them. They were clad in a straight black leather jacket, two white stripes elapsed around the sleeves, she figured he might have been a biker. She figured it was a "He", his shoulders were broad and his figure was straight, the way he walked also gave it away. He was tall, head hunched low as he seemed to stop just a fair distance away from her, not facing her. Vinyl couldn't make anything out, his hands were buried deep in the pockets of his jeans and the dark grey hood pulled tightly over his head didn't help either. Something about him was...familiar, somehow Then it hit her. It hit her hard, square in the gut as she finally noticed the bright red pattern, running across his shoulder blades. It nearly defined a skull with a pair of wings if she stared at it long enough. She might have been insane but she could swear she saw the insignia spontaneously...glow. Vinyl took a shuddering breath and took a single step backwards. Her mouth stuttered, searching desperately for coherent words. All she could manage, however, was a single sentence. Just a name. "Ki...K-Kick..?" As soon as the breathless tone of her voice, her raspy yet tantalizing voice. His head ducked further, his gaze seeing nothing but the pointed toes of his black shoes and the water cascading onto the concrete path, washing away into the drains beneath them. His shoulders slumped and his hands limply retreated from his pockets, finding refuge at his sides. If it weren't for the rain pattering against her head and ground, Vinyl might have heard the deep intake of breath that he took before sighing exasperatedly...almost, depressingly. Vinyl took a less-than-confident step forward, ever-edging closer to the man that walked along her path. This time, she managed to speak a bit more clearly. "Kick?" She prompted. He didn't answer. "It really is you, isn't it?" She walked closer to him, hesitantly. He just lowered his head again. She stopped, Coming up at the half-way line of where they once stood. "...Can you look at me when I talk to you?" The ghost of a smile cracked on her face at that and she let out an inaudible chuckle. He turned his head slightly to the side, while keeping his body remaining still. He swivelled his head just enough so that Vinyl could spot the briefest image of a scarlet-hued face concealed by his hood and shadowed by his ebony and ivory striped-hair that cascaded down his features in a web-like tangle of smooth strands. What caught her attention most of all was that one eye. She stared hard into it, the luscious jade and piercing black held more than she could've imagined behind it. Vinyl stared into that singular eye. The eye of what was her friend's. The eye of what would turn out to be a killer's. The eye of a monster. And she felt lost in it. Dazed as she was, she barely registered him turning back around. Vinyl shook her head, placing her palm over her temple, suddenly feeling very light. In her confusion, the black clad man darted off, leaving her in his wake as he ran swiftly into the nearby sliver of darkness that cracked itself between the buildings. Vinyl stared in the direction he went in shock. He was fast. "Kick! Wait!" Into the shadows, she gave chase. In her mind, she knew it was futile but if she managed to get him to stop once, whose to say she couldn't this time? Besides, she wanted to talk to him. She needed to talk to him. It'd been far too long since he left her...since he left them. Vinyl could hear the pattering of his footsteps echo down the alley, it was raining heavier now but she could still make out the sound. Her eyes adjusted to the dim light but much to her chagrin, she spotted no sign of him. She grunted, finding a corner at the end of the way and turning it. When she did, however, she was greeted with nothing but he open expanse of the next street. She heaved a bit, her eyes darting around frantically as her head spun from side to side. Desperately searching for any sign of the hooded man. There was none. He was gone...again. The rain didn't seem to make her feel free anymore, instead, all it did was make her feel alone. Alone, cold and helpless. For a moment, she thought that maybe, just maybe, he'd jump down from somewhere and land right in front of her. He wouldn't be wearing that damn hood of his and she'd see his face. He'd spread his arms out wide and he embrace her, wrap her in her arms, hold her and just stand there with her in the rain. It was a dream...but she figured it was a dream worth dreaming. Vinyl slowly placed her shades back on her eyes and flipped her hood back over her head. She didn't feel like feeling the rain anymore. Vinyl wasn't even sure if it was raining anymore but what did it matter? It didn't matter to her, not now, it didn't even matter that she threw both her glasses and hood back on. Her tears still dampened her face. He watched her leave. He always watched her leave. Had she looked up, she might have seen him there. Perched up, standing tall above the shallow rooftops, the leather of his jacket blowing in the stormy wind. His eyes followed her every move, she had lost that bounce in her stride, there was no rhythm, no beat, just slow, solemn, sombre walking. It reminded him of himself. He was greatly disturbed by that prospect. Vinyl was nothing like him...and he was grateful for that fact every waking moment of his life. His new life, at least. It brought some sense of meaning, something he rarely felt in this world anymore. He watched her. He watched her until she faded from his sight, he hoped that wherever she was going, she was going to be out of this rain. He liked the rain, it was the only company he could rely on these days but he wanted to know that she'd be warm and safe and not see her getting sick. Her well-being meant everything to him. He tilted his head back, the water splashed his face in torrents but he could hardly care. The grey sky was almost reflective, he saw himself in those bleak tones and shaded masses of vapour. What struck him was that he could see Vinyl standing there beside him. He shook his head. He lowered himself, throwing his legs over the side of the rooftop, carelessly they dangled limply. He stared hard at the street below, not really seeing it as his eyes glazed over. Slowly, he reached up and pulled the limp hood of his vest over the back of his head, he found it's end heaped up at the base of his neck. His lengthy black and white strands of hair fell smoothly against his skull, no longer hidden from the world, the scarlet hue of his skin stood in contrast to the lack of colour of it. His bright green eyes darted slowly back over to where he had last saw her, lonely walking the street before disappearing. By then, he hardly noticed the rain anymore and it didn't matter to him, what if it was raining or not? It didn't matter. The tears still dampened his face. "Vinyl..." In his right hand was nothing but a simple photograph. A captured moment in time that he held close to his blackened heart. It depicted that of a happier time, there, smiling next to eachother was her and him. In simple faded black marker read; "Kickback and Vinyl - Best Friends". The picture crumpled as his fist clenched against it.