“Truly, you have a gift with music, Octavia Melody, but you know that is not the true reason why we have asked you here. While my sister and I have not seen nor heard anything specific, with the return of the Empire, we felt it only proper to warn you that threats may return with it.”
—Princess Luna, after Octavia’s private performance
Vinyl’s head began to bob back and forth. She was waking up, but she didn’t want to. She mumbled and adjusted her sleeping position. She smacked her lips together a few times and smiled as something soft brushed her cheek. She leaned into the item and hummed in contentment. Whatever was brushing her cheek smelled nice too.
“Octavia…” the Unicorn said as she recognized the scent. It was the scent of Octavia’s favorite shampoo. She always used it, and her mane always had a faint hint of lavender and lilac. Vinyl loved those scents, and whatever dream she was having that was making her smell them, she didn’t want to wake from it.
Vinyl’s entire body bounced once and she slipped further into consciousness. She was awake now, but she refused to open her eyes. Her mind was still foggy. Perhaps if she kept her eyes closed and pretended to stay asleep, she could trick herself into falling back asleep. She was comfortable, warm, and smelling Octavia. She knew that reality wasn’t like anymore.
Vinyl bounced again and her mind cleared. She was on the train to the Crystal Empire. Apparently, she had fallen asleep in her seat. She sighed and opened her mouth in a yawn.
Something tickled the inside of Vinyl’s mouth. The Unicorn spit it back out and opened her eyes. Whoever was trying to—
“Oh crap,” Vinyl whispered as she looked down. Octavia was asleep on her lap. She had her front hooves tucked under her head for a makeshift pillow, but one of them had wiggled free and was now wrapped about Vinyl’s body. She looked adorable.
The cellist moaned a little and adjusted her head on Vinyl’s lap. The movement caused the Unicorn to stiffen instantly as Octavia’s hair tickled her stomach and between her thighs. Vinyl closed her eyes and tried to remain perfectly still.
It’s fine. I’m not doing anything. I didn’t do anything last night. She’s probably just—Octavia stirred again and Vinyl bit her lower lip to keep from moaning—tired! Yeah, just tired! Oh jeez, this is really bad! If she wakes up and I’m…like this, she’s gonna think I tried something!
Vinyl looked around their small compartment for something to distract her, but panic rose even more when she saw where her left hoof was. It was resting on Octavia’s gloriously soft flank and was dangerously close to sliding under her tail. Celestia, Octavia was going to think she was a perv! She had to get out of this mess before the cellist woke up.
Vinyl slowly began to move her hoof away from Octavia’s tail, trying extra hard not to pay attention to the soft grey fur and the fluttering she was getting as her hoof slide across it, but froze when the cellist groaned.
“Mm…do not stop, Vinyl…” Octavia whispered, half asleep.
Vinyl gulped. Octavia was waking up. Vinyl had to get their positions sorted out now or she was going to be in serious—
“Enjoying yourself?” Octavia asked from Vinyl’s lap.
—trouble.
“Um…no,” Vinyl said, quickly whipping her hoof off of Octavia’s backside and up into the air. It was now clear of Octavia, but she had no place to put it because the cellist was still on her lap.
“Really,” Octavia said, still not moving her head or even looking up. “Because you seem rather…hot. Especially in certain areas.”
“Octy!” Vinyl shouted. She instantly crossed her lower legs and bumped Octavia’s head off of her lap and then crossed her forelegs across her chest. She turned her head to the side and glared out the train window.
“Relax, Vinyl,” Octavia said and Vinyl could hear her adjusting her sitting position. “It is a natural occurrence. I cannot really hold how your body reacts against you, can I?”
“R-Right,” Vinyl stammered. She turned away from the window, expecting to see Octavia sitting on the seat across from Vinyl, but the Earth pony was still sitting next to her, staring at her with those beautiful amethyst eyes. “I…I didn’t do anything, just so you know. Honest.”
Octavia’s eyes looked down for a moment. “I know,” she whispered. Was she sad? No, that was just wishful thinking on Vinyl’s part. As if to prove that point, Octavia’s eyes looked back up and gleamed. “I know you would never do anything like that.”
I would if you didn’t hate me…
“So…let’s just pretend this whole thing never happen, okay?” Vinyl asked, pushing the thought away before it consumed her.
“Very well,” Octavia said, and again Vinyl could have sworn that she saw a flash of sadness in those purple pools. “We have arrived. Best collect our belongings.”
“Yeah…”
The two ponies stood and began to collect their bags. Vinyl tossed her saddlebags on her back and reached up for her sunglasses but she was instantly reminded that they had been smashed in her little brawl.
Octavia had already collected her own saddlebags and she was currently pulling her cloak out of one. Without a word, she slipped it over her body and raised the hood over her head. The shadow hid her face, but her eyes still gleamed through the darkness as she looked at Vinyl.
“Um…Octy, I know the Crystal Empire is up here in the Artic North, but the city itself isn’t cold. The Crystal Heart’s magic keeps the Empire pretty comfortable.”
“I know,” Octavia said as she turned toward the door. The train came to a stop and she walked out of the compartment.
“Oh,” Vinyl said as she followed her out.
The conductor was walking through the train now, calling for all ponies heading for the Crystal Empire to disembark. He nodded to Vinyl and Vinyl smiled back as she and Octavia left the train and stepped out onto the station.
The first thing Vinyl noticed was how bright the sky was, and it made her miss her glasses all the more. It was a stunning blue, with long, curly clouds scattered about. She had never seen them formed that way, and she wondered if the Crystal ponies had ancient weather techniques that the rest of Equestria had forgotten.
The next things she noticed were the buildings at the station. She had heard that the buildings were made out of literal crystal, but she hadn’t understood what that meant until now. The buildings in the rest of Equestria, from Canterlot to Ponyville, looked like they had been built. Their walls were smooth, their edges were sharp, and their angles were crisp. They were ponymade, no doubt about it. But the crystal buildings looked like they had been grown and carved out. They were angular in ways that other buildings simply weren’t, and the way light was reflected off of their uneven surfaces made them sparkle in ways that dazzled the Unicorn’s eyes.
“Wow…” Vinyl whistled as she stepped off of the station platform. She stopped and looked down when her hoof didn’t hit stone, but grass. All the way to the Crystal Empire there was nothing but bright green grass covering small, rolling hills. The place looked like paradise.
The train whistle blew, startling Vinyl out of her admiration. She turned to watch the train leave, and that was when she got the biggest shock of all.
As the train pulled away, it revealed the scenery behind it, and it was nothing like the Crystal Empire. A constant storm raged in the distance, its snow so thick that all Vinyl could see was white and grey. She thought she could make out the darker shapes of mountains, but it was impossible to tell through the maelstrom.
“An eternal storm,” Octavia said as she stood beside Vinyl. “The magic of the Crystal Heart keeps it back.”
“What causes it?” Vinyl asked.
“Magic,” Octavia said. Before Vinyl could ask more, the cellist turned and began walking toward the Crystal Empire.
Vinyl trotted to catch up and the two ponies walked in silence. Vinyl loved feeling the warm sun on her coat and she swore that she could feel the magic of the Crystal Heart in the air, but she kept looking back over her shoulder at the raging blizzard. Why type of magic could keep a storm like that going for so long?
The two ponies finally reached the outskirts of the Crystal Empire and stone streets replaced the rolling hills. Vinyl looked around the city, taking special note of the Crystal ponies and their strange appearance, but she quickly noticed that Octavia was no longer walking beside her. Surprised, she turned around.
Octavia was standing at the edge of the city, perfectly still. Her eyes were the only things that were moving, and they were scanning the city frantically. A few ponies had stopped and were looking at her now with confused or concerned expressions.
“Octy?” Vinyl called as she started to walk back toward the Earth pony.
“Vinyl, I need to go,” Octavia said.
“Go?” Vinyl asked. “But…we just got here.”
“I need to go speak with…someone. It might help us recover the bow.”
“In that case, should I come with you?”
“No!” Octavia said quickly with a quick step back. “I…I need to go alone. You stay here and see if you can dig anything up, in case my contact is not able to help.”
“But Octy…” Vinyl said.
“Trust me, Vinyl,” Octavia said as she turned and began to walk into another section of the city. “I will find you once I am done. Please stay out of trouble.”
Vinyl watched the love of her life walk away. She wanted to run after her, to follow her no matter where she was going, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
I trust you, Tavi. I just wish you trusted me.
Vinyl looked around the city until she spied a familiar sight. Smiling to herself, she trotted over to the building. As she neared it, scents flooded her nostrils. Some she recognized, while others were clearly from drinks she had never heard of. She opened the door and walked inside, remembering her promise to stay out of trouble.
“Welcome to the Crystal Cave,” the bartender said when he spied Vinyl. “What can I get you?”
Vinyl smiled. This bar was nothing like the one she had entered in Hollow Shades. It was full of life and happy ponies, some happier than others. She walked over to the counter and sat down.
“What’s a specialty of the Crystal Empire?”
The bartender grinned. “A brave girl, I see. First one’s on the house.”
* * *
Octavia vainly wished that she was still on the train with Vinyl. She wanted to be back in the Unicorn’s warm lap with nothing to worry about. She wanted to feel Vinyl’s hoof stroking her mane and flank again in the gentle way she did when she was half asleep. She wanted to take the teasing a step further and lock the door to the compartment, but the shadow of doubt in her mind had stopped her. It was stopping her more and more, and if she did not do something about it, she would lose everything. She could see Vinyl’s own doubt growing in her stunning crimson eyes, and the look in them when Octavia had left had almost broken her spirit.
“Please let him know something useful,” the mare pleaded to herself as she trudged through the snow. She had left the protective magic of the Crystal Empire a little while ago and was now struggling to walk through the snowdrifts that surrounded the city. Thankfully the storm wasn’t too strong where she was heading, so she only had to endure nipping cold and bitter wind instead of the freezing torture that no doubt surrounded the rest of the Empire.
Her hooves were starting to go numb by the time she reached the base of the small mountain. She shuddered, not entirely from the cold, and began to make her way up. There was a very poor pathway up the mountain, and while it was covered in snow, it was still easy to follow because it was the only smooth way up.
Eventually she came to the cave she had been looking for. She stopped at its mouth and stared into it. She could turn back. She could go back, find Vinyl in the city, and say that she had not been able to learn anything. But that would mean Vinyl would stay longer in the Crystal Empire, and it would only be a matter of time before she stumbled across things that Octavia would rather keep buried. And so, she had no choice but to go forward.
The first thing she noticed was the smell. It reeked inside the cave and it caused her to gag immediately. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, hoping to make her senses adjust, and then continued forward.
The next thing to hit her was the heat. The cave was warm, much warmer than a mountain cave in the middle of the Artic North should have been. At least that meant he was still alive.
Or it could mean that a new dragon had moved in, and she was walking to her death.
A few more steps and Octavia’s hoof kicked something metal. It skipped across the ground in the darkness, clinking against other pieces of metal. She froze, knowing that she had reached her destination. She took another deep breath.
“Dragon!” she called into the darkness. “I have come to speak with you!”
For a long moment, only silence answered Octavia’s call. But slowly, her ears began to hear the low growl of the dragon breathing. Eventually it was replaced with a deep chuckle.
“Well, well,” came a deep voice from the darkness. “Now here is a scent I have not smelled in ages.” There was a flash of blinding flame and Octavia shielded her eyes. When she opened them again, a dozen torches were burning in the cave and a pair of massive eyes was focused on her from the shadows. “Tell me, pony, what brings you here?”
“My name is Octavia,” Octavia replied shortly. She did not care for the way he said 'pony'.
“I see no reason to call you by your name, seeing as you refer to me as nothing but dragon.”
“I…apologize,” Octavia said, bowing slightly. “What is your name?”
Dozens of teeth shined beneath the two massive eyes as the dragon grinned. Octavia found the sight terrifying, but she dared not allow that fear to show. “You can call me dragon, of course.”
Octavia rolled her eyes. Typical dragon response. “Very well. Dragon it is.”
The sound of falling gold coins and gems filled the cave as the dragon moved, and Octavia saw countless riches spill down into the firelight. “So tell me, what brings you here? Come to reclaim your rightful throne?”
“No,” Octavia said darkly. “And it was never mine to begin with.”
“Hm…I suppose you are right,” the dragon said in a mocking tone. “So, if you did not come back to relive the past, then why did you come?”
Octavia allowed the dragon’s mocking to flow over her like water. She had been raised in Canterlot. She was used to backhoofed insults and she would not rise to the bait. She took a calming breath before she opened her mouth.
“Something was stolen from me. A family heirloom. Where is it?”
“Why would I know?”
“Because of your oath.”
That got a reaction from the dragon. His eyes narrowed and his toothy grin vanished from the firelight. “My oath! HA!” His forced laugh echoed through the cave and Octavia struggled to stay standing. “That oath was not made by choice. It was forced on me, by way of unimaginable pain. I endured torture that would shatter your feeble body and break your soul, and still I resisted. It wasn’t until my wings were taken from me that I finally swore that oath.”
“Then will you honor it?”
The dragon stomped forward, revealing his massive head in the firelight. His scales were bent in many places, and the spikes on the back of his head were broken and cracked. A terrible scar ran down one side of his face and over his right eye.
“You see this wound?” the dragon asked as he turned his face so the scar was right in front of Octavia. Its pale color was sickening to look at, but she did not look away. “This should have blinded me, but he didn’t let it happen. Do you know why? Because he wanted me to see what he was doing to me and not just feel it. That is the type of monster that made me swear that oath.”
“I…” Octavia swallowed, at a loss for words. “I…am sorry.”
“Save your sympathy, pony,” the dragon spat. “I do not want it. And that oath was not sworn to you, so you have no claim to call for it.”
“Please, Dragon,” Octavia said as she bowed. “I…need your help.”
That caused the dragon to pause. He pulled back into the darkness until only his eyes were visible in the light again. “Hm…you are an interesting one, Octavia. I wonder what drives you to seek my help. Most of the others stay far away from me. You are the first in many generations to speak with me. Are you trying to hide your secret from somepony, perhaps?”
“No,” Octavia said quickly. Too quickly, she realized, when the dragon’s eyes narrowed and his teeth appeared in a grin.
“Isn’t it? I recognize the panic in your eyes. I smell the fear radiating off of you. The very air quakes with your terror. What is it, Octavia? It can’t be family, since they no doubt already know. Perhaps…it is somepony you are hoping to add to the family? A strapping young stallion? Why did you choose him? For his looks? Or maybe he was just the first one to get you on your back. Or maybe he’s the only one willing to get you on your back?”
“Be silent,” Octavia whispered as she struggled to remain calm. She could not let the dragon get to her.
“Are you afraid of losing him? You wouldn’t be the first. I’ve seen it happen to your family before. He will abandon you, just like all the others before. Once he finds out, he will look at you in disgust. His voice will fill with nothing but contempt for you and your filthy coat and your cursed mane and traitorous blood. His love for you will burn away, leaving nothing but seething hatred.”
“No!” Octavia shouted, glaring at the dragon’s eyes in the dim torchlight. “Vinyl is not like that! I know it!”
“Do you know that for certain?” Octavia heard a slithering sound in the cave. She tensed as she felt the dragon’s tail slide up behind her and slowly push her forward as he leaned down again. “Have you told him? Have you told him everything?”
“I…” Octavia struggled to look away, but the dragon’s face was so close that she could not.
“You haven’t, because you know I’m right. I can see the doubt in your eyes, and it is delicious. It’s consuming you like a disease. Shall I tell this Vinyl for you? It would be my pleasure, watching the look in his eyes as he—”
“You stay away from her!” Octavia shouted, snapping her eyes up to glare at the massive pupils looking at her.
“Her?” the dragon asked, pulling back in surprise. His massive eyes blinked once, and then he began to laugh. He sniffed Octavia, sucking in the air around her and causing her cloak to almost rip from her body. “Her! Ah, yes, I smell her now. You reek of her scent. Do you think you can break the curse by choosing a mare? Ha! Well, I suppose you can, in a way. It’s not like you can have foals with her.” He sniffed the air again. “Although apparently you certainly try. Do you think this Vinyl will be different? Do you think that, because she’s a mare, she won’t bolt the moment you tell her the truth?”
“Yes,” Octavia said with as much defiance as she could muster.
“Liar,” the dragon replied immediately. “But my offer still stands. I will be more than happy to tell her for you. I do have her scent now, after all. It would be easy. All I need is to—”
“You go anywhere near her, and Celestia help me, I will tear you to—ugh!”
Octavia was cut off as the dragon wrapped his tail around her body. He began to crush her, smashing her legs together and slowly forcing the air from her lungs. He lifted her into the air and glared at her.
“You do not threaten me, pony,” he said in a dark whisper. He squeezed harder as he spoke, and Octavia’s vision began to dim. Her joints popped and her eyes bulged. She opened her mouth, desperate for air, but none came. She tried to keep her eyes focused on the dragon’s face, but they were beginning to roll into the back of her head. The pain was unbearable.
“You are not Celestia, or her little sister Luna. You are not even that little princess living down in that Empire right now.” The dragon pulled Octavia closer and squeezed even harder, causing a new definition of pain to flash through her body. “And you are certainly not him. You are just a pathetic little…what do they call your kind? Earth pony? You have no power over me. You don’t even have the ability to fly. You are nothing but a little ant scurrying about on the ground where you belong.”
“V…V…Vinyl…” Octavia gasped as blackness began to drown her.
“I could kill you now if I wished. It would be easy. I could squeeze the air from your lungs, like I’m doing. Or I could crush you with such force that your eyes pop out of your head. Or I could simply bite your head off and use your bones to pick my teeth.” Air rushed back into Octavia’s lungs as the dragon’s tail loosened and she fell to the cave floor. “But I won’t.”
Octavia stayed on the ground, struggling to breathe. She curled up into a ball and tried to ignore the pain she felt everywhere. It wasn’t possible and tears came to her eyes as she cowered on the ground. Thoughts of Vinyl rushed into her mind. She grabbed them with everything she could and tried to use them as a shield against her pain and fear.
“I won’t, because I know what is coming for you,” the dragon continued. “And it is far worse than anything I could do to you.”
“Wh…What…are you…talking about…?” Octavia struggled to stand, but her legs refused to support her.
“Forces are arrayed against you, Octavia. Ancient forces, and they are patient. But their patience is not eternal. They will move soon, and when they do, your world will come crashing down. And when it does, I will finally have my revenge for what was done to me so many lifetimes ago.”
“What…forces?” Octavia asked, finally managing to summon to strength to stand. Her legs felt soft and her joints still screamed, but at least the darkness was finally fading from her vision.
“They don’t have to be against you,” the dragon said with contempt. “They could very easily be persuaded to join with you. But you won’t allow that, because it would mean betraying everything you are. And what would your precious Vinyl think of you then?”
“Stay away from her,” Octavia whispered. “Please…”
The dragon’s laughter roared through the cave, so loud that Octavia’s ears hurt. “I almost feel sorry for you, pony. I think it would be a kindness for me to tell her the truth, because it would stop it from eating at you.”
“Please, do not…” Tears were once again in Octavia’s eyes, but they weren’t from pain.
“Oh, you do not need to worry about that. I said it would be a kindness, and I owe you no kindness. No, my tongue shall stay behind my teeth, little pony. Your suffering amuses me. By not telling Vinyl, you are doing more damage than I could ever hope to. Tell me, can you see the hurt in her eyes when you look at her?”
Octavia’s heart jumped into her throat. She tried to speak, but it was worse now than when the dragon had been crushing her. Her eyes began to sting as the dragon’s truth tore into her. She wanted to rush back to Vinyl and tell her everything, not only to get rid of her guilt, but to show the dragon that he was wrong. Wrong about her, and Vinyl, and everything else that he spouted from his mouth.
But the same terror stayed her hooves. What if Vinyl did react the way that Octavia dreaded? What if the Unicorn, like so many before her, turned on her and shut her away? The worst possible thing that Vinyl could ever say was that she never wanted to see Octavia again.
No, she could not tell Vinyl.
Defeated, the cellist hung her head and turned to leave. She began walking toward the exit, when the dragon’s voice echoed through the dark cave once again.
“Leaving so soon?” he asked in a mocking voice. “A shame. I haven’t had enjoyable company in…many years. Why not stay and talk some more?”
“No thank you,” Octavia said as she continued to walk away. “You have made your position clear. I will not impose longer.”
For a long moment, the only sound in the cave was Octavia’s hoofsteps, but then a new sound flooded the room. It didn’t make sense at first. It was like a breeze, but its force was too strong for actual wind. It took the pony a moment to realize that it was the dragon letting out a heavy sigh.
“What was taken from you, Octavia?” he asked from the darkness.
Octavia paused. What game was this beast playing with her now? “I thought—”
“Speak quickly, before I find good nature diminished!” the dragon growled.
“A bow. It was given to my ancestor long ago,” the pony said quickly, turning around and trying hard not to get her hopes up.
“Was your family’s blood used in its making?”
“No,” Octavia said. “It was made from Princess Ce—”
“Then I cannot help you retrieve it,” the dragon said darkly. “The oath forced on me only allows me to sense your blood.”
“I see,” Octavia said, feeling her hopes fall despite her best efforts. She did not understand what game the dragon was playing with her—perhaps he just wanted to make her suffer more—but she bowed in gratitude. “Thank you for trying.”
“There is something else though,” the dragon continued before the cellist had a chance to turn again. “I am not sure if it relates to your missing heirloom, but…”
“Yes?” Octavia asked, unconsciously stepping forward.
“Two days ago, a band of ponies set out from the Crystal Empire, and their direction was...unusual.”
“How so?”
“They went north. Very rarely do ponies go further north than the Crystal Empire.”
Octavia raised an eyebrow. “Forgive me, Dragon. I do not wish to sound ungrateful, but…I fail to see why you are telling me this.”
“I just thought the timing seemed convenient, seeing as you are chasing a thief.”
“Why would a thief head north, beyond the Crystal Empire?” Octavia asked. “The only thing out there is—” She stopped as she remembered how ponies had first come to Equestria.
“Ah, you remember your history,” the dragon said.
“So…what?” Octavia asked, truly perplexed. “The thief is taking my family’s bow up to the old settlements for a show? That makes no sense. Surely they have craftsponies up there capable of making bows.”
“As I said, it may not be related to your missing heirloom at all. After all, what could the thief possibly want with a bow that he knew you would chase him all across Equestria for?”
Octavia’s purples eyes widened in the dark cave. “You…know something.”
“I suspect something,” the dragon clarified in a smug tone. “No doubt you do as well. You are, after all, Octavia Melody. I doubt you were raised as a fool.”
“Please, Dragon,” Octavia pleaded. “If you know something else, anything else, please tell me.”
“I have told you all I wish,” the dragon said and the cave filled with sound as he withdrew into the cave until only the faintest hint of light from his eyes remained. “I fine my goodwill has come to an end. Be gone.”
The tone in the dragon’s voice booked no argument. Octavia lowered her head in gratitude. “Thank you, Dragon. Truly, I mean it.” She turned to leave again, but stopped before she completely left the dragon’s inner cave. “Might I ask one last question?”
“I grow tired of your company, Octavia,” the dragon growled from the shadows. “Do not try my patience.”
“Why did you tell me all of that?”
“I have lived in this mountain for a long time. It was rather amusing to have someone else to talk to for a change.”
Octavia could not help but smile in the darkness. “I could come back another time, if you wish.”
The dragon let out a low laugh. “You mean, if you survive.”
* * *
“But don’t you ever, I don’t know…wonder about it?” Vinyl cocked her head to the side and put her cheek on the counter as she stared at the bartender through her glass.
“Nah, not really,” the stallion said as he poured a bit more into Vinyl’s glass. “We’ve been like this forever, so it’s nothing special to us. Although, it is a good point.”
“I know, right?” Vinyl said as she stuck her tongue out and tried to pull her glass closer with it. She wasn’t drunk, not even tipsy, because whatever the stallion was serving her didn’t have any alcohol, but boy did it taste good. “I mean, I can see through you. That shouldn’t be possible, right?”
The bartender shrugged. “I guess not.”
“I mean, you guys have hearts, right? Lungs, organs, and all that other stuff. But I can see through you. Shouldn’t I be able to see them if I can see through you?”
The bartender chuckled again. “I don’t know, kid. That sort of thought is way out of my field. Try asking somepony who studies this stuff. Like a doctor.”
“I will!” Vinyl said as she finally managed to move her cheek far enough for her tongue to hook the rim of the glass. She pulled it closer and then carefully titled the cup until the liquid flowed into her mouth. She couldn’t think of any other way to describe it except for sharp. It felt like she was swallowing tiny rocks as it flowed down her throat, but instead of being painful, it felt like a massage. She licked her lips and finally picked her head up off of the counter.
“What is this stuff? she asked. She guessed it was made from some sort of crystal food, but she wanted to know what it was, and more importantly, if she could find a way to make it herself.
The bartender ignored her. He was glaring over Vinyl’s shoulder at the entrance, and his eyes were slowly narrowing. He had stopped polishing the glass and was slowly setting it, and the rag, on the counter.
Remembering what had happened the last time she had entered a bar, Vinyl tried to make herself very small. She hunched her shoulders and scooted further on the seat, hoping that whoever had just entered wanted nothing to do with her.
The Unicorn suddenly became aware of the fact that all noise had stopped. There was no music, no clinking of glasses, or even hushed whispers. She shifted her eyes to either side and saw that not a single pony was sitting at the bar with her anymore. Panic began to rise in her, and she quickly moved her hooves. Good, she wasn’t drugged. Whatever was going on, she’d be able to get away quick if it came to it.
The sound of hooves began to echo through the silent building, and a chill ran down Vinyl’s spine with every step. They were getting louder, and worse, closer. She began to shudder with each one, until she was visibly shaking when the hooves came to a stop directly behind her.
Vinyl swallowed and stayed still.
“Ain’t I seen you before?” the bartender asked darkly. “I think I remember those eyes.”
“I do not think so. This is my first time in the Crystal Empire.”
“Octy!” Vinyl spun around as she instantly recognized the voice and relief flooded her body. Before she realized what she was doing, she threw her front legs around the Earth pony and gave her a big hug. Octavia tensed immediately and Vinyl quickly pulled away in embarrassment. “Er…sorry. I, uh, didn’t mean…”
“Hello, Vinyl,” Octavia said from under her hood. Her head was bowed slightly, and in the dim lighting of the bar, it gave her an unsettling appearance. All Vinyl could see were the hints of her face, a few strands of black hair, and two strikingly purple eyes. She knew that something was troubling the cellist the second she looked at the eyes, but she didn’t want to pry so she didn’t say anything.
“Did you finish…uh, whatever it was you needed to do?”
“Yes,” Octavia said, her eyes shifting under the hood’s shadow for a second. “Why am I not surprised to find you in a tavern? I hope you were staying out of trouble.”
“Of course I was!” Vinyl protested. “Tell her!”
“She’s been a bit of a chatter, but no harm done,” the bartender said, his friendly nature back in full swing. “Although I’m probably going to be up all night thinking about what she said.”
“Vinyl, what did you do?” Octavia asked. Vinyl wasn’t sure, but she thought she saw a smile flash across her face in the shadow.
“What? It’s a legetament question!”
“Legitimate, Vinyl.”
“Yeah, that!” Vinyl briefly wondered what exactly was in the drink she had spent the past hour or two drinking, but she brushed it away. “I just wanted to know why I can’t see a Crystal pony’s insides. I mean, look at him! I can see through him!”
“It is the light,” Octavia said matter-of-factly. “A Crystal pony’s coat is different from ours. The way it reflects, refracts, and absorbs light gives them that translucent look.”
“Aw…” Vinyl’s ears drooped. “You explaining it sucks all the fun out of it, you know?”
The purple eyes rolled under the hood. “Come on. We still have to find that thief.”
“Oh yeah! Him!” Vinyl jumped off her stool and, much to her surprise, realized that she was able to remain standing with no effort. “I’m glad you brought that up! He was here!”
“And you let him leave?” Octavia asked, shocked.
“No, not here-here. I mean he was in the Crystal Empire, but he left.” Vinyl looked back over her shoulder at the bartender. “Joined some sort of expedition heading—”
“North…” Octavia whispered.
Vinyl blinked and cocked her head to the side. “Yeah. How’d you know?”
“I—”
“It doesn’t matter.” Vinyl reached out and grabbed Octavia’s foreleg and began pulling her toward the door. She was so close to getting her life back on track that every second they delayed now was torture. “We need to hurry. They left two days ago, but there were a lot of them. They couldn’t have gotten far.”
“Vinyl, please, stop and—”
“There’s no time, Octy!” Vinyl looked back and nodded her thanks to the bartender, also making sure she had left the proper amount on the counter for the drinks. She dragged Octavia out of the tavern and kept talking. “We need to catch up before the storm covers all of the...uh…”
Vinyl stopped talking as she looked around. There wasn’t a single normal pony, Crystal or otherwise, in sight. All the shops were deserted, all the blinds were pulled, and all the doors were closed. The place would have been a ghost town, if not for the fact that dozens of fully armored Crystal pony guards filled the streets and the skies. Bows were pulled tight, swords were drawn, and spear tips were pointed toward the two ponies.
“Uh…hi, everypony,” Vinyl said sheepishly as she raised her front hoof to wave.
“Don’t move!” one of the guards shouted and Vinyl froze.
“Uh, Octy?” she whispered. “Whatever this is about, I swear I didn’t do it.”