//------------------------------// // O-Octavia? // Story: I'll be One Beat Away // by wizard32363 //------------------------------// At that moment, all of Vinyl’s tension floated away from her body, leaving her laughing on the ground. “T-that’s the best thing” -She wheezed, her breaths catching short in her mouth- “that I’ve ever heard!” Vinyl’s laughing was quickly cut short by a loud booming, thunder echoing and fading into the distance. “This is no game, Vinyl Scratch! You think this is funny!? I will show you funny.” The world began to spin, Vinyl clumsily standing up and trying to keep her focus in one direction. All of the late-night parties had helped her learn to keep a keen focus in one area rather than letting herself succumb to dizziness and passing out drunk. Vinyl stared into the darkness, now quickly turning into light as the faint shape of Canterlot Castle came into view. “Oh, so first you tell me I’m not back, and then you take me to my best mare, eh? You must be pretty dumb!” A small chuckle rang in the air, one that only Vinyl heard amongst the large crowds of bustling ponies. Vinyl turned left and right, hoping that at least one of the other ponies had noticed something amiss in the air. “I am not bringing you to see your friend. I have already stated that you are not in Equestria. I am going to show you how I play the game.” Vinyl rolled her eyes. She was already done with this stupid suspenseful stuff. It sounded idiotic to her, and even if all of this wasn’t real, Vinyl knew it had to be a dream, which would explain Nightmare Moon’s presence. After a quick second of thought, Vinyl smirked and looked up at the dark cloud shadowing her. “Fine, Nightmare Moon, I’ll play your silly game. What could possibly go wrong if I don’t ‘play by the rules?” The low grumble of anger above gave Vinyl a grim yet bubbly feeling in her heart. The more she pushed with the buttons of her captor, the more fun she would have trapped alone in the forests back on Earth. Vinyl stepped forward, the forceful push from nowhere edging her towards the doors of the large abode. Vinyl held out a hoof to open the door with, but found herself falling onto the floor as she passed directly through the thick wood. Quickly positioning herself back up into place, Vinyl stared forward, keeping the bright red flushing into her cheeks hidden from all, though she knew they couldn’t see her. “Let us go, Vinyl Scratch. I do not have time for incompetence on your part.” Vinyl’s thoughts quickly turned ugly, her mind forming devilish schemes to rid herself of the cloud that was starting to torment her with its loud voice and constant shadowing. Vinyl grunted, her eyes dropping towards the ground as she walked forward. “When are we going to see Octavia? I’m starting to miss her, and she’s the only one that you can possibly bring me to see, right?” “Right.” “And what? Are you just suddenly back from nowhere to watch me suffer?” “No.” The short answers were beginning to get quite annoying, but Vinyl kept trying to make small talk. It wasn’t as if she was going to get back to Mike by running off. If she did that, she would be forced to live an eternity among the rest of Equestria, unknown and unseen by all. Looking up, a large force knocked Vinyl back, another pony in front of her giggling as she fell to the ground. Groaning, Vinyl nudged herself up, a hoof lifting her into the air as she flew back onto the ground. “You should watch yourself, Vinyl; it’s dangerous to walk with your eyes low! Keep that smile going, amiright?” Once her eyes stopped shaking and the world stopped spinning, Vinyl looked towards the voice, her eyes resting on the soft pink color of Pinkie Pie. “Wait, you can see me?” Vinyl was almost as confused as Nightmare Moon, or the cloud version of her, was. Neither had expected a soul to see them, but it seemed Pinkie was only focused on Vinyl, not the large overcast fluff ball hanging above her. “Of course I can see you! Though, you might want to check in with Princess Celestia. I just brought her some delicious cakes, and I couldn’t help myself when I heard her talking with that lovable friend of yours. Apparently, they both think you’re missing, but that’s impossible, because you’re right here! Silly, huh? Anywho, I should be heading off. These sprinkles aren’t going to sprink themselves!” A jar of rainbow sprinkles popped out of her mane, landing in the curl at the end. As she trotted off, neither of the two were inclined to move. They were both stunned. How could there be any pony like that in all of Equestria? Vinyl wouldn’t be surprised if she wasn’t able to open a cherry jar, let alone a tub of sprinkles! “Let us move along now, Vinyl. We don’t want her to return!” For once, Vinyl could laugh at the scared voice of what was once Nightmare Moon. Not once had she ever heard Nightmare Moon terrified of another living pony. Releasing a slight chuckle, Vinyl continued on until the large doors of the Princess’ Throne Room came charging at her. It was an odd feeling, to say the least. The whole world felt as if it was slipping the cold grasps of reality and flowing freely in its own directions. Everything either moved faster or slower, and sometimes things appeared where they shouldn’t, like the door to the throne room, for example. “Why not go inside, Vinyl Scratch? I promise you that you’re friend is in there right now.” Vinyl took no hesitation in slamming into the door, her body transcending straight through and into the room, the only occupants being Princess Celestia and Octavia. As soon as Vinyl entered the room, a new aura filled the air. Princess Celestia turned her head up to the door, the conversation halting to a silence. “What is it, Princess? I understand this issue might seem a bit troubling to you, but you must listen to me. If we are to find my friend, immediate action must first be taken.” For a second, Celestia seemed frozen, her eyes fixed on those of Vinyl. It was as if she knew Vinyl was standing there, but she couldn’t see it. Just as suddenly, a smile fixed itself on Princess Celestia’s face as she looked back down. “I understand your concern, Octavia. I don’t think we’ve ever had a pony go missing for this long before, and I can’t say that it will be easy to find your friend, but I have sent all of my guards out for a detailed search of my land. That is the best I can do. I’m sorry, Octavia, but Vinyl Scratch may never be found. If that is true, I will make sure you get full compensation for her loss, and we will find the bandit who committed this crime.” Octavia looked down, the slightest bit of regret in her voice. “This is my fault, Princess. I blew Vinyl off for trying to have fun, and I guess my boring personality drove her away. Wherever she is, I want her to know I am sorry.” Tears welled in Vinyl’s eyes, her mind bringing her to run over to Octavia and wrap her hooves around the soft, gray fur she remembered. As her hooves came around Octavia, Vinyl found that Octavia couldn’t be touched. All of her attempts at grabbing Octavia only resulted in Vinyl’s hooves coming together. “Octavia! I’m right here! Can’t you see me!? OCTAVIA!!!” Vinyl began to cry, something that she had become accustomed to. She never realized how much Octavia was affected by her, and now it was too late to tell her goodbye. “Octavia, I have no doubt that Vinyl will turn up eventually, but do you not have a cello concert tonight at the Manehattan Theater? I would advise you to get prepared. I can’t wait to see another one of your brilliant performances.” Princess Celestia closed her eyes, a teleportation spell flashing over the room until they were both gone. “Vinyl, she does miss you, but you are gone now. I cannot bring you back until you learn.” Anger went straight from Vinyl’s mind to her heart. “What do you want me to learn!? Not to party so much!? Octavia is more important than anything!? I just want to go back! I’ll change! I mean it! Just bring me back. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t stare Mike in the face. The farm is too hard to work on…” She couldn’t yell at the air any longer. Her throat was becoming sore again and she was tired of looking crazy, although no other pony could hear her nor see her. “It delves much deeper than that, Vinyl Scratch. Why not check on Octavia at the concert? I am sure you would love to hear her once more before you’re sent back, would you not?” Vinyl solemnly nodded her head, the air whooshing around her until she could feel the cool breeze of the air. Looking around, she immediately noticed that this wasn’t a crowded theater. It wasn’t even Manehattan. She stood outside Fluttershy’s cottage, the cold snow covering everything, from the ground to the trees. “I thought you said we were going to see Octavia!” Vinyl’s confusion mixed with the anger from previously was only making the situation worse. “You foolish mare! Do you think I would lie to you!?” That was a question Vinyl would rather not answer. “We are here to check up on your friend before her big performance. Though I highly doubt she’ll make it once I’m done with her.” Right then, all of Vinyl’s fury, rage, and even a little bit of passion leapt out above her. She reached up, desperately trying to harm the black smoke that hovered around her. “If you lay one finger on her, I promise you that I will find and destroy you! Don’t ever touch my Octavia!” “Who said anything about touching her? A simple spell, maybe a little power, and I can harm your friend without ever laying a hoof on her.” The voice chuckled, Vinyl running through the walls of the cottage and into Fluttershy’s home. The first thing she noticed was the distinct smell of animals. It was as if the bunnies, bears, and birds had all teamed up together in a marathon. Vinyl tried to breathe through her mouth, but that only made it worse. “Why would Octavia come to a place like this?” Vinyl couldn’t remember Octavia ever visiting Fluttershy. Stepping through the halls, a song could be heard, and Vinyl knew the voice almost instantly. Having to constantly listen to Octavia singing in the showers wasn’t such a bad thing now that Vinyl craved to hear just one word from her mouth. “...It never was easy To give you away And now my chances are gone.” Her song ended the instant Vinyl touched the top step of the flight of stairs. She had almost turned around, ready to go back to Mike, when she heard Octavia begin to talk. “Thank you so much for letting me stay here, Fluttershy. I can’t seem to be able to step hoof into that house since Vinyl went missing. I feel like I made her leave. She’s never disappeared on me like this before…” Stepping past all of the sleeping animals on the floor, Vinyl stepped into a room on the left, almost running straight into Fluttershy. “It’s fine with me, Octavia. I’m glad to provide homes to any pony in need! I never knew Vinyl, but years of talking with you gives me a great vision of your friend.” Vinyl smiled, turning to Octavia for a good response. Any good words with the ponies around could mean extra credit for Vinyl. “She’s...not what you’d expect. I think she’s quite full of herself, to be honest. In my opinion, though, she’s much more than a friend. She’s been there for me when I needed her most, whether she was drunk or not. She tried to attend my concerts all of the time, and even though she’s mostly selfish, she acts different towards me, and I seem to find some connection between us that I can’t seem to explain. She’s a wonderful pony, yes, but she’s definitely not for everypony.” At first, Vinyl was almost dismayed to hear those words come from Octavia’s lips, but then she felt a sense of peace. Octavia was much more than a friend to Vinyl, and both could sense the bond they had. Vinyl never seemed to find the courage to talk straight to Octavia, though. That might be why she got drunk off cider so often; maybe Vinyl wanted to tell Octavia things without worrying about her fears. “Nightmare Moon, I think I’m ready to serve the rest of my sentence, if you will. I have faith that Octavia will break your spell.” A dark blue pony poked Vinyl from behind, softly whispering into her ears. “You’re doing swell, Vinyl. You’ve come a long way in the past few days. Now, I think there’s a special human waiting for you back in Baltimore, don’t you think?” Vinyl closed her eyes, the tranquility of it all settling over her. She felt her head getting heavy, her mind going to worlds unknown. As she nestled herself on the ground, she could hear the last words from Octavia. “...And to be honest, I love Vinyl Scratch.”