The room was quiet and dark, with a slow chill radiating off the window on the far side of the bed. The winter this year was harsher than the weather pegasus intended, but it was fine if you were a pony who lived in a nice house to hide from the cold. Sure it got annoying sometimes, but that was never really the problem with winter. The real problem was the depression everyone got from it each year, because the sun was usually hidden by gloomy clouds causing a very dark mood to pass over everyone who couldn’t feel the sun. It had something to do with science, but really, no one cared; It was making everyone upset, that’s all we knew.
The digital clock read in blocky blue numbers that it was 3:27 in the morning. Occasional light blinked through the dark blinds covering the window as someone passed by with a lit carriage. Again, it was dark and it was silent; only the breathing of the two ponies in the bed could be heard.
They’ve been together for about three years now, and the blue haired pony had become quite a success alongside her special mare. They finally made it to the big tops, she had made the best DJ since technologic sounds and noises were invented and her partner made the number one Cellist. Her story started so small and ended up being a happy ending as she played for the princesses themselves. Not to mention, the music they both managed to create. The vibrant sounds and echoes they both experimented with became a hit all throughout Equestria. Picking the name together, they called it Dub Orchestra. It taught a lesson to everyone who listened that a Yin and a Yang will always create something beautiful and harmonious in the end.
Sounds, Noises, Acoustics, Electric Beats, they all came together as the two mares joined in music genres. The rise and falls of the intensity as the sound became louder or quieter, finally reaching the climax and the ending. The crowd would cheer, they would scream, they would shout catcalls and whistle.
This was Vinyl’s life, and she was happy to experience it. She would do whatever it takes to keep this up, to keep her life in check. Even if you heard her music, it wasn’t all that crazy to listen to. It still had some harmony in it, just like in her day, every week, every month, of every year, and she preferred to keep it that way.
But it wasn't all it seemed, there was something just a little bit more.
It was plain to see, when Vinyl sat up in the navy blue covers, screaming.
She screamed Octavia’s name, repeating her screams until her eyes adjusted and she realized she was back in her own bed, where nothing could hurt her.
Octavia was already stirring and sitting up; her black mane was tangled and snarled from sleeping. She wiped at her eyes and looked at Vinyl in a sleepy concerned state, yawning, she asked,
“A dream again, Vinyl?”
She sat there, watching Octavia as she breathed heavily. Her eyes darted from here and there, until resting on the window. The fire had long ago gone out and it was very cold in their room, every breath puffed a bit of steam into the air. Vinyl was creating a flurry out of each breath she took.
“Please, please…” Vinyl croaked softly; her voice was on the edge of cracking as tears pooled up in her eyes. Octavia saw this only faintly because of how dark it was in the room, as she wrapped her hooves around Vinyl, slowly tugging her back down into the covers of the bed.
She pulled her mare close to her body and stroked her electric blue mane. It wasn’t full of hair gel tonight, so it felt soft and billowy, as she tried to calm the stricken DJ. While doing this, she felt Vinyl shudder and bury her face in Octavia’s shoulder; to sob and make the Cellist's grey fur wet from the tears.
Octavia held the DJ as she wept, never ceasing to pet her mane.
She sighed as she remembered the day they both committed to each other those 3 years ago. To be there in health or sickness, till the day they would both be gone. She will never forget Vinyl’s vow she made. The beautiful words she spoke as she stood there in a black suit. Even that, the thought of Vinyl in a suit instead of a dress made her smile. She had made such a fuss about wearing a dress because she thought it wouldn’t match her style, she absolutely had to have that black suit and blue cravat.
The only thing Octavia could convince Vinyl to do was to not wear her magenta glasses. She wanted all of Vinyl, to see her eyes, to see what was truly in her heart and soul as they both made vows to each other. Eyes are the mirror of the soul; you look in, and the soul looks back, but only if you understood the person that owned it.
Octavia closed her eyes as she tried to calm Vinyl, bringing back the memory of that beautiful day they both shared.
The ballroom was beautiful, supplied by Vinyl’s savings she was able to rent the Castle Ballroom for a day. You know the one for Grand Galloping Gala? It was gorgeous as it was all done up in blue and pink ribbons, intertwining with each other. The tables were clothed in fine white material, that Octavia thought could have been silk even. On the tables sat blue vases filled with Honeysuckles, Baby’s Breath, and beautiful white roses. Strewn around the vases were little pink crystals, Octavia’s choice. The carpet was a deep navy color, along with recently polished windows with blue and pink drapes hanging from the railings. The base of the walls were completely covered in little white flowers, she wasn’t sure what they were; some were dyed pink, some blue, and some weren’t dyed at all.
Her orchestra band played in the corner as the ceremony started. It was a beautiful dusk and the sky was a bright shade of pink mixed with blue. The clouds looked dyed just as the flowers were; everything Octavia remembered was just perfect. She secretly hoped that Vinyl felt the same way about their wedding, how beautiful and how special it was. That’s what she felt was so wrong with them, is that Vinyl was vague about these things. Octavia thought it was just a strong sense of pride that existed in her mare.
The orchestra began playing in a soft melody and it stayed within rhythm and within the set tone of the event, a slow and sweet sounding noise. To match the aroma of the grand ballroom that smelled like the elegant flowers in their vases.
Speaking barely audible to Octavia went on for a while before there was a pause; then a familiar voice spoke up.
“Octavia,” Vinyl began.
“You are an amazing mare, full of talent and elegance. Me, I’m just a DJ, but you, you’re something truly special to me. I don’t know how we came to be, but you know? I am more than happy to begin my life with you. This, is not the end for me like I thought when I was younger, this is actually the beginning.”
She coughed as fixed her cravat, looking away.
“I know that was very cheesy, but I really want this new life to be long and that it will last with everything we both have to offer. I promise that if anything happens to you, I will do anything to make it right, even if it costs me my pride or anything else; I will give it for you. Because Octy,”
She looked back.
“I lov-”
The grey mare was shot out of her reverie as Vinyl stirred, moaning slightly as she pushed up against her chest even more. She had stopped crying and she fell asleep, her hooves clinging to Octavia’s own, grasping, determined to never let go. Something about a child falling asleep to escape fear and sadness is what depicted Vinyl at that moment. Her tear streaked face was finally relaxed along with her breathing; she was having good dreams now, Octavia was sure of that.
In about 3 hours Octavia would have to wake up to go to a very important orchestra for an important party for royals. She’d have to practice with her band and set up costumes, along with perfecting the music sheets and tuning the instruments.
She kissed Vinyl and hugged her, bringing her closer. Vinyl’s lulling heat and rhythmic breathing slowly pulled Octavia under, drifting off to sleep; she had a last thought of a song that matched exactly how their breathing sounded, peaceful, in-tune, together…
That’s when the room became quiet, with the occasional flash outside, and the cold window chilling the room. Only sound to be heard was the breathing of the two ponies, sleeping together in their bed.
* * *
Vinyl’s eyes opened to soft rays of sunlight drifting in through the blinds of the window. Little dust specks spun in the air as they reflected in the light. The room was quiet except for the occasional bird singing in the barren trees outside. The room was cold and Vinyl’s breath was visible every time she breathed out, typical for a winter in Manehatten.
The room was big, with the walls painted a dark gray. A dresser sat near the closet and an open door leading to the bathroom was across from the door to the hall. There was a single window that looked over a small DJ board with speakers, subwoofers, and a volume system to go along with the high pitch vocals and musical screeches as records scratched or when a climax spike ended a song.
In the very middle of the room a white, furry rug laid there to lead up to the massive king sized bed. The bed was raised up by about two stairs and a platform. The bed was round, and it was really soft. For right now, a sleepy Vinyl Scratch lay in the mussed sheets and yawned.
She groaned and ran a hoof through her straight mane, making it even messier than before. Stretching as she got up to get ready and eventually eat something (anything really); the clock that rested on a table by the bed read 3:19 pm, in about three hours Vinyl would have to go to a nightclub called the Steel Reign to create mixes and scream them out to the audience there. It was about twenty minutes away, pretty much in the heart of Manehatten.
The bathroom was clean and organized, thanks to Octavia’s OCD. It smelled like it was either just cleaned or there was a scented candle thing she always had on hoof. Anyway you want to perceive it; the bathroom was sure as hell spotless. When Vinyl lived by herself before a mare stepped into her life there was no need for tidiness, she lived everyday like there was no tomorrow. Cleaning was just for wimps that couldn’t see life was for parties or drinking. Or at least, that’s what she had once thought.
Trotting to the sink and opening drawers, she rumaged through them in search of their best brush. Once she found it, she began scraping it through the blue mess that drifted around her face, until she looked in the mirror.
Something hit Vinyl suddenly; as she brushed out her mane she felt a sudden sadness and a dark feeling enter her. She dropping the brush, her stomach lurched and her body began to convulse under her. Slamming her hooves down on the sink, she coughed as she vomited into the sink. Her blood red eyes stared back at her in the mirror as she did so. A song played in her head for no reason at that moment, a song she and Octavia performed only a while ago.
Octavia’s grandmother had died in her sleep about four months ago, and from what Vinyl understood, was the only family member that really understood her mare. They would visit with each other about once a month, a lot more than Octavia had ever visited her own parents. When she was gone Octavia was ruined, so they made a song for her at the funeral. Interesting enough, Vinyl was invited to be in the song. Being a DJ pony, she never knew she was capable of anything other than dubstep at the time. It was interesting when they both found out they could create something other than meaningless noise with both orchestra and electric. Strange as it is, that it had to be at that particular occasion.
The song they made consisted of a sad slow beat and cello strings; the song itself would wrench the soul even though it had a kick in it. Now that Vinyl thought of it, it sounded more like the beat of a grieving heart, a broken one. Not to be weird or anything, but that’s what it truly sounded like at the time.
Vinyl provided the ambience music to the song that shifted the mood and the tone. The beat of a broken heart, it was enough to truly make somepony feel sorrowful during a time of mourn. She never thought that she was capable of making techno music feel so brooding and dark, but I guess we all surprise ourselves sometimes. Not saying that having this music be sad was a good thing, because the DJ personally liked energetic and happy music. She was so good at making something so horrible sounding, it just wasn’t a good experience for her, and she just didn’t know why.
Gagging, her breath shuddering as her stomach emptied. Pain shot up her throat as bile poured into the sink from her mouth. Vinyl groaned as her throat burned and her body shook, thoughts buzzing through her mind mixing with the horrible feelings of sickness.
The round, scratched mirror that hung above the sink stared back at her still, but the image housed a smiling reflection. The DJ held herself, stopping the ongoing flow from her mouth as she watched the mirror. The reflection watched back, smiling and tilting its head; that’s when the background inside slowly darkened.
Vinyl’s heart beat quicker as she spit into the sink, still observing the mirror, the last of the bile exiting her stomach; the image began to laugh, rising in pitch as the background grew darker. Then, when only the image of Vinyl was visible, the teeth grew fanged, the hair turned white and straight, and the red eyes glowed. With one last high pitched cackle, the copy brought its head level with Vinyl and snapped its fangs together to only let streams of blood dribble from in between the teeth. The eyes glowed as the image turned pitch black, leaving only the red aura of Vinyl’s irises.
The real pony stumbled back from the sink and fell on her back, hitting her head on the cold tile as she watched the mirror shatter and the light bulb above her break. The shards rained on Vinyl as she was plunged into darkness, her body began to convulse again as terror gripped her heart. Shuttering and quivering, she watched in horror as the white Vinyl climbed out of the mirror. The albino copy shivered in anticipation as it hit the ground with a soft thud, only to get up and approach the DJ.
The fur on the white muzzle had streaks of red as the blood slowly poured still from the image’s mouth. The fanged teeth still smiling as it approached, it trotted across the broken glass, not even noticing that it was there. When it came to Vinyl, it stooped down to her ear as it whispered softly, pausing in-between each word,
“You. Will. Break.”
Vinyl whimpered in the dark, as the white Vinyl brought her mouth down to the pony’s neck. The white horn glowed, but instead of a blue aura, it was a dark red. She began to panic and tried to get the monster off of her, but the thing was too strong and she was too weak. She was worthless, she couldn’t do anything, just please Celestia don’t let it end like this she thought, her words in her head never voiced or answered. Vinyl remembered hearing Octavia scream as the fangs clamped down into her neck artery.
Then all was darkness and screaming.
A few hours later, she came to. She was on the bathroom floor and there was blood smeared on the tile around her. Raising her head, she saw the mirror was cracked but not shattered; the light bulb was not broken and it was still on. Vinyl winced as she brought her hoof to her chin; there was blood and vomit caked on it. Her tongue felt swollen and it hurt very badly when she moved it, when she touched it she brought her hoof away with a new layer of fresh blood.
The white sink she was recently at had red stains trailing from the edge of the bowl, snaking down the front of the sink barely touching the tile floor. Vinyl put her hooves under her and pushed up until she was in a sitting position. Lightheaded, she stumbled out of the bathroom only to fall onto the white, fluffy rug laid out before the bed. Not even trying to get up anymore, she sighed and remembered everything that happened.
The face, the fangs, everything, it’s what she fears each night. Why did it come out during the day, she didn’t know. The darkness brings the white Vinyl to her thoughts and dreams, but never the daylight. She knew that it wasn’t just some phobia of vamponies, that damn thing never “sucked” Vinyl’s blood, it just usually did that to get a grip on something, only to throw her against the wall and make her die.
It wasn’t just Vinyl it was after, night after night it would be Vinyl, with a small chance it could be someone new. She would see the copy pursue Neon, or even Lyra and Bon Bon, but it was almost always Octavia if it wasn’t herself. Those were the worst for her, she got used to the pain, but then her other dream self got too smart. The pain she felt as she heard those she loved scream in terror and agony, all of them. Anyone she ever loved, anyone who ever died that had a special place in her heart still.
Alabastar, Vinyl’s father, was in one once. He’s been gone for about five years, but he still manages to talk to his little Vie in her dreams. The last one she had of him, it was back in the hospital room; her tears as his heart gave its final beat. However, the room grew dark instead of the doctors coming in to record time of her father’s death. And a pale figure sat across from Vinyl, her father in-between, the pale figure cried no tears but, only smiled. White hair draped over white shoulder, she sat, and just smiled over Alabastar’s deceased body at Vinyl. Only to open the fanged mouth as Alabastar and the hospital room faded away, leaving a black space they both sat in. The words, after nights of silence from her mouth, White Vinyl finally spoke to her host; her words paused and breathy, almost raspy.
“Become. Both.”
Followed by the horrible laughing and the black space spinning, as pain shot up Vinyl’s body, the feeling of being so cold, being so alone. The feeling of all the darkness and grief within her, all the memories twisted until it became fear itself. That’s when everything had changed for Vinyl, nothing ever felt safe anymore. She couldn’t tell Octavia because she needed to protect her, if she told her, she wouldn’t be able to help her. The darkness would invade the one pony she loved to, there would be no happiness left to salvage. The only happiness Vinyl could be a part of, to fill the gap in her own empty heart.
Vinyl sat up and looked at the now blood stained rug. Sighing, she got up and slowly made way down the stairs to the kitchen. Reaching the black granite counter, panting, she turned the facet on with her magic. The water poured downward as Vinyl put her head under the sink, drenching her tongue. She groaned loudly as the pain spiked through her nerves, only to numb from the cold, everything was numb now; all the pain was masked by the body’s way of healing. Her own thoughts clouded from what she could tell was blood loss, the emotions were just not there anymore; just emptiness.
The clear water became tainted with a pink as it ran down Vinyl’s tongue. She didn’t do anything about it because she didn’t know how to help stop the blood. She wasn’t skilled in healing magic and she didn’t think she could just bandage it. Hopefully it would just scab over and be done with. Turning the water off, she wiped her face off, cleaning it somewhat of the blood. When she was done, she rummaged through the fridge and took out some leftover pudding they happened to have, thank Celestia they had something she could eat.
Sitting on a pillow, she ate out of the cup, being mindful of her swollen tongue, she just scooped it into her cheeks and swallowed. It wasn’t anything special; it was just vanilla, honestly though Vinyl would’ve eaten anything if it weren’t for her injuries.
Vanilla, Octavia talked about that name a lot, usually when she talked about adopting a little filly. She wanted to name the filly Vanilla, and she would tell Vinyl that she could pick the second name for the ending. Vinyl never really thought of having a mischievous little pony running around their house and breaking things, but the thought was nice. She just wasn’t sure she was ready; she wasn’t sure if she was going to ever be a good mother.
Lost in thought of second names, she listed all the possibilities in her mind of what could possibly fit in with the first name Octavia loved so much. She wanted to choose the right name, a name that will help with what the pony’s destiny will be.
Octavia Philharmonica, something with music. Surprised it didn’t involve a harmonica but Vinyl guessed that it could just have been a close enough name to match with music.
Vinyl Record Scratch, something with music as well. It made sense, even though most ponies didn’t know her full name because of her DJ name, she scratches records all day. Some of them are even made out of a material called vinyl. She was very lucky to have a name that could fit so perfectly with her destiny, the thing she will be doing till the day she lies on her deathbed in a hospital somewhere.
Her thoughts being derailed, Vinyl heard a carriage pull up to the front door outside and a click as the door opened.
“Ah, shit.” She muttered. She remembered that she still left a horrible mess upstairs, and she probably didn’t look too attractive herself. Now Octavia was home, and there would be more than an argument to be had. This is how all these silly little things play out, Vinyl doing something wrong and Octavia coming to fix it.
That doesn’t mean Octavia will be happy about the mess however.
She heard something being laid down on the floor in the hall, betting it was Octavia’s cello case; she still ate her pudding, being wary of the sounds in the hall. It was almost as if she was anticipating Octavia to come in and start saying something rash and stupid.
Someone sighed in the hall and trotting could be heard towards the closet area, to confirm Vinyl’s guess, a door opened.
Wincing, Vinyl opened her mouth and called out, “Where did you go?” Her voice was deep as she tried to maneuver words around her enlarged tongue.
“I had to play at a party for a few clients,” Octavia’s accented voice replied from the hall. Shuffling could be heard as things were moved in the closet. “It was a Duchess’ birthday and they asked me to play a few songs with my orchestra. It was quite good, how about you?”
There was a pause as Octavia shut the closet door and came into the kitchen. Vinyl expertly turned away from her wife while she was busy to make sure she didn’t see the horrible accident that is now her face. Vinyl was pretty sure there was still blood on her and could almost swear that she was puffed up from abusing herself in the bathroom.
“I could have been better, but that’s okay.” She looked out the window as she heard Octavia rummaging through the pantry for something to eat. “Just, ah- a rough day is all.”
Vinyl waited for Octavia to leave the room but was met with no mercy. Life just decided to damn her then and there as Octavia came over to Vinyl to sit with her. Just, please don’t, - please.
“I’m so sorry Vinyl,” Octavia bit into something and talked through the food in her mouth. “Something I can help with?”
The white mare however wasn’t paying attention to this. The window she was staring out of became her own bane. The setting sun hit the window perfectly, making Vinyl able to see her own reflection. As she observed, her face was wrecked. Blood stains lined her mouth and out the corners down toward her neck. Her glasses were upstairs, so this pony staring back wasn’t the famous DJPon3. This was somepony who was scared of her own reflection.
Her true fear came from the face that stared back at her; the image of the soul that was reflected back. Everything she has done in her life, being a crazy, horrible DJ, right this moment she felt that everything was wrong; she was never meant to be who she was. To have this recognition and popularity, to have all this money; it was all made in selfish ambition.
It hurt so much to be the thing you fear, to be the thing that makes you cower and cry in the dark. Vinyl didn’t have a shoulder to cry on, feeling distant from the one pony that loves her; she could never describe it to the grey mare that sat next to her. The feelings and fears that visit her each night, the things that rip her apart and drag her away from all the ponies she held dear.
The face that stared back through the window showed pain and despair, to make things worse, Vinyl couldn’t see her electric blue hair color. The mane she saw was flat, and the bright winter sun made it look white inside the reflection. The blood circling her mouth completed it, nothing could prove it wrong. She was both Vinyls, she was the white and the blue.
The real and the fake.
Vinyl turned her face away and hid herself under her hair, putting her head in her hoofs and she wailed in horror and grief. Octavia dropped her cup of whatever she was eating in alarm, Vinyl never acted like this. What happened while she was gone?
“Vinyl, what’s wrong?” She pleaded. Vinyl started breathing heavier, quicker; she was hyperventilating. “Vinyl Stop! Answer me!”
Octavia tried to lift her mare’s head but the DJ refused to have her look.
“Please Vinyl!”
She brought her hoof away from her mare’s head and saw red on it. Octavia froze as she stared at her hoof. Processing this, she thought of why this could be happening, what happened?!
“Vinyl, just- just calm down okay?” She said shakily. She stumbled and she sprinted out of the kitchen up the stairs. She heard Vinyl crying even from up here, she needed to hurry, and something didn’t feel right about all of this, why now, why today?
Running into the room, she yelped in surprise as she saw the blood stained rug still drying in the rays of sun from the cracks in the blinds. She looked to the bathroom and saw even more horror waiting. Slowly she entered the doorway and saw a pool of blood below the sink with trails of red from the brim of the bowl. The mirror had large spidery cracks running through the distorted image, pieces of white fur and red clung to the very edges of the cracks. A horrified grey pony stared back through the broken mirror as Octavia surveyed the mirror in shock and disbelief.
Where is the damn medicine?!
Her mind went completely blank as she saw the results of what transpired in this room. Looking around frantically, she saw the cupboard by the shower that held medical supplies and started towards that until she slipped in the puddle of blood.
There was a crunch and Octavia screamed in pain as she landed on the slick floor. She was now covered in red and her right hoof lied beneath her body. She breathed heavily as she pulled out the hoof from under her and yelled out as it finally came free. Moving it hurt horribly and everything was moving too fast, she still needed to get to Vinyl.
Struggling, she got up from the floor and stood to get the medicine cupboard open. Bandages and pain killers spilled out everywhere as she jerked open the doors.
Exasperated, Octavia scrambled around picking up the cupboard’s contents with her mouth. Her hoof still spiked in pain whenever she put weight or stress on it. She hastily wrapped up her hoof tightly with a cloth and limped out of the room, struggling to not fall down the stairs.
Arriving in the kitchen, she gasped and all the medicine fell to the floor as she beheld a scene from her nightmares.
Vinyl laid there on her back with blood trickling out of her mouth. She fell backwards from the pillow seat she was just sitting on three minutes ago. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was ragged, a serene smile was on her lips as the blood still slowly came out from between her teeth. Octavia began to cry as she rushed over and lifted her mare’s head.
“Please” She sobbed out to no one. “Please, please…”
She wasn’t answered as the mangled DJ rested on the Cellist’s arms. They were both covered in red, Vinyl’s red, the same red that trickled out of the white mare’s mouth. All because of a mirror that was once theirs and Octavia knew nothing about what Vinyl saw in the reflection. Now, the old and scratched mirror was cracked.
Octavia gave one more cry for help before leaving Vinyl with four words she thought she would never have said in all her life.
“Please keep your vow…”
“The things we truly are afraid of are created by us. We create the fears we hide from in the dark each night. Sometimes, even the image that smiles back in the mirror terrifies us, the image that reflects the solid past, the liquid present, and the ever changeable future. Don’t let the image be your end.” -Vinyl
(Continued in Part II: The Crack)