//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: Reverse Psychology // Story: A Vinyl's Last Scratch // by Shadowflash //------------------------------// Chapter 8 Reverse Psychology Never gettin' rid of this psychology, it's all apart of my master plan, ya'see? I ain't done with this little game you call 'pain'. It's a part of me, chaos and anarchy. Thump... Thump... Thump... Vinyl walked around Ponyville, looking at the grand markets. She smiled and waved at everypony she passed by. She was glad to be home, and in the colourful scenery. Her wounds had clotted into scars, now. Many ponies asked about it, and she told them what happened. The natural response was shock, and disgust. But, they felt bad for her. Vinyl has been through a lot of stress in her life. Being able to tell anypony about this was making her feel so much better. She-- Thump... Thump... Thump... Vinyl looked around at the sound. The ponies she was talking to stared at her, with worried expressions. "Is something wrong, dearest?", Octavia, a brownish-grey earth pony looked at her musical partner. Vinyl jumped and stared at her, giving a nervous smile. "S-sorry. Just... Thought I heard something...", Vinyl said, sighing. "Nothing to fear, Vinyl. You're out of that crude, hostile place.", Octavia raised Vinyl's head and looked into her eyes, with a bright smile. "Thanks, Octav--" Thump... Thump... Thump... Thump... Thump... "Are you okay? You're looking skid-dish.", Octavia's eyes started to tinge a gentle red. "Octavia.. Your... Y-your eyes.. They're...", Vinyl backed up, away from Octavia. "My eyes? Vinyl... You know I don't like ponies complimenting my eyes.", Octavia's soft, soothing voice changed a bit deeper, and more toned with a rasp. "Oct-O-Octavia...?!", Vinyl seemed to hit something. The normally bright scenery of Ponyville changed into a deep shade of hell-ish red. The clouds started to move by themselves, covering the entire sky and making a large black swirl in the air. The clouds morphed into the shade of a demon's face: large, black, horns, massive teeth jutting out of his mouth and a black tongue swirling in the air. "What's wrong, Vinyl? I don't know what you're doing, but, you better get up...", Octavia's voice was a cross between a negative-audio rasp, deep and electric, and a mare. Octavia's eyes blackened and only left red dots in the middle. Vinyl was panicking, looking around. She looked what she hit before and found that it was a large, red, wall. Blood was seeping from the top piece of it, and slowly pictures of her and her father rolled down the wall, spreading across the blackened-ash ground. "Vinyyyyyyl.... Don't you wish to play some more?... Hmhmhmm...", Octavia, or the demonic Octavia, chuckled, and looked deep into Vinyl's eyes. "No... Please... Leave me alone!!", Vinyl yelled loudly, at the top of her lungs, hoping she'd leave this horrible, horrible mess. Thump.... Thump... Thump!.. Thump! Thump! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! "Vviiiinyyl...", A voice, beyond Octavia's called out. Vinyl looked around, as well as Octavia, to search for it. "Viiinyll!", it called again. Octavia ignored it, and pursued Vinyl, looking her deep in the eyes, pushing herself against Vinyl's white body. "VINYL!", a loud smacking sound was heard, and Vinyl woke up... ____________________________________________________________ "Vinyl. Ya'll were sleeping fer like, three days. Ya'll alright?", Clarence looked down at Vinyl, staring her in her bright red eyes. Vinyl's eyes went wide as she saw the one she thought she had killed. Clarence was smiling gently, as if nothing had happened. Beads of sweat left Vinyl's mane and she tried to imagine he was gone. "Now, Ah know Ah work ya'll a bit too hard a few days ago, but, Ah want to apologize. Ah didn't mean to.. Hit ya.. 't was an accident.. Ya see...", Clarence sat down, in the pile of hay, next to Vinyl, placing a hand on her back. Vinyl jumped and Clarence stared at her. "Ah... Are ya'll okay...? Ah hope Ah didn't scare you that much... Ah mean... 't was 'n accident.", Clarence brushed Vinyl's coat, speaking apologetically. Vinyl softly started to speak... "I... I had a dream... I...", Vinyl started to tear up, tears dripping onto the hay. "Hey, ya'll betta not cry now. Ah didn't mean t' hit ya'll like that. 't was 'n accident. Ah know 't seems dumb, but, Ah really didn't mean it. Ah--", Clarence tried to explain. "It was... About you... You... Tried to... Tried to...", Vinyl teared even more, sniffling and closing her eyes. "You.. tried to rape me...", Vinyl let out a massive sob, and a gasp of air, crying softly into her hooves. "Wut?!", Clarence looked at her, wide eyed. Vinyl did not respond. She continued to cry, and cry, soaking tears all over her fore legs and hooves. "Why in th' hell would Ah rape ya'll? Yu're a pony, not a human. Ah ain't no freak!", Clarence tried to lighten the mood with a bit of a joke. Why would a woman think he'd rape them? Let alone, a pony think he'd rape them! He was no furry! "You did it! You tried and I killed you! It was horrible!", Vinyl yelled at Clarence, tears streaming out her sockets. "I was tormented by you, beaten by you, and then nearly raped! I had to kill my father's tormented spirit and then head back to Ponyville only to find that it was all a dream! A HORRIBLE DREAAAM!", Vinyl cried even further. Many fluids flowed out of her eyes, and nose, and a terrible headache occurred for her, as well. "Please, Vinyl... Ah.. Ah'm sorry... Ah didn't...", Clarence was at a loss for words. What in the hell was he going to do? Vinyl continued to cry, and Clarence had no choice. He had to do what he knew was the best thing for anyone... Or pony... In a sobbing fit like this. Slowly, Clarence moved Vinyl onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. He flipped Vinyl over so she was on her back and cradled in his arms. Clarence rocked back and forth, holding Vinyl like a baby as she softly sobbed, looking up at his bright green eyes with a saddened expression. "Hush now, quiet now, 't's time to lay ya'll's sleepy head...", Clarence started to sing in his country accent. Although the accent made the song sound weird, it soothed Vinyl, making her start to sniffle, instead of cry. "Hush now, quiet now, 't's time to go to bed...", Clarence gently brushed Vinyl's mane, smiling softly to sooth her. Vinyl started to smile, her eyes glistening still with tears and she started to join in. Although a DJ, she still had a wonderful voice. "Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed. I said hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head.", Vinyl smiled softly, looking up at Clarence. Clarence hushed now, smiling back. "Ah'm really sorry fer hittin' ya... Ah didn't mean to cause dis much trouble.", Clarence looked down into Vinyl's, still glistening, eyes. "It's... It's okay, Clarence... I just... I only ever took abuse from my father... I ... He... Trie--" "Don't. Ah won't make ya'll push yerself to do that.", Clarence interrupted Vinyl with his finger over her lips. Vinyl sighed softly, rolling out of Clarence's arms and onto the hay. "Clarence... I don't feel safe here... Not because of you... Because... This place...", Vinyl looked around the barn. It was dark and creaking lightly as wind blew through it. "Because it reminds me too much of my ... 'Dad'... He was the reason I couldn't handle myself back where I came from-" "Ponyville? Wus dat wut ya'll mentioned before?", Clarence interrupted. "Yeah... Silly town name, I know, but, that's where I live and it's located in a place called 'Equestria'.", Vinyl said softly. "Anyways.. I couldn't handle myself there and wanted to take a break out here... Instead, I found even more stress and I have to stay here for a month.. I have no clue what exactly I'm going to do...", Vinyl sighed, looking at the ground. "Ah know a place where ya'll could stay. Mai friend and Ah are guud buds. He can take care of ya'll, if y'want.", Clarence offered sincerely, wanting to do anything to apologize. "I don't know... Is he nice...?", Vinyl asked softly. "He's th' best darn tootin' guy ya'll will evur meet. He's th' only guy Ah know who'd have mai back through thick 'n thin.", Clarence stated, smiling proudly. Vinyl looked elongated at Clarence, looking into his eyes for truth. She couldn't believe him. She doesn't trust him. What if he's double crossing her? Or maybe he just wants to have two 'humans' for the... No. She had to. She just had to. "Okay... I trust you... Please... Don't hurt me...", Vinyl said softly, looking up at Clarence. Clarence smiled, standing up. Vinyl stood next to him, as he towered over her, and they proceeded out of the barn. They walked to a large metal-like vehicle, and Clarence opened the doors with this set of keys that he whipped out of his pocket. The vehicle was black, and had a large "F" on a front metal grate. The windows on it were tinted a shade of blue, to help remove light and heat from the inside of the vehicle. "Dis right here is mai truck. Nice little Ford, F-150. Packs a punch, Ah tell you wut.", Clarence smiled as he unlocked the left side of the truck, and sitting inside. The right side of the truck opened up and Vinyl plopped herself into the seat, closing the door. "Clarence.. Before we... Set out to your friends...", Vinyl started, softly speaking to Clarence. Her head was aimed low, looking down at a rubber mat on the floor of the truck. It was labelled 'Larry The Cable Guy's 100% fine mat!'. "Ya'll got sumthin' t' say?", Clarence looked over at Vinyl, inserting a different key into a small, metal, slot on the side of a large wheel. "Yeah... How do I... Know I can trust you?... I know I said I did.. But... You don't realise what it's like, Clarence. To be helpless...", tears started to emerge from Vinyl's eyes, and Clarence immediately reacted by lifting her chin up. Slowly. "Listen. Ah may not be th' best kinda guy 'round dese parts. But, Ah sure as hell know Ah can keep mai word.", Clarence said, smiling at Vinyl. Vinyl sniffled gently and tried to speak. Unfortunately, she choked on the words and a large gulp of sadness emerged in her throat. Kind of like if you cried so much that you feel pain inside your larynx opening. "I-I- ...", Vinyl couldn't push anything out. As much as she felt no trust towards Clarence, she had nothing she could do. This was her only hope, and she had to try. She had to try her hardest. Quickly, Vinyl wrapped her forelimbs around Clarence, giving him a hug. Clarence gently wrapped his thick arms around the mares tender body, gently stroking the soft coat. "Vinyl, yu're th' weirdest thing Ah evur met in mai life. But, Ah respect ya'll as much as Ah would a person. Yu're nuthin' different from mai horses. Majestic an' peaceful.", Clarence tried to re-assure Vinyl as much as he could. Vinyl let go and sat down in her seat. Clarence wrapped the seatbelt around her. Although it startled her, Vinyl was okay with it. She managed to figure out that it was a safety feature, after looking up at the ceiling of the truck, and seeing 'Child Safety Procedures approved by the National Car and Truck Association'. Clarence quickly put his on, and twisted the key that was inserted on the side of the wheel. The truck sparked to life, and started to rumble and shake. Clarence revved it, making it create a 'vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrm' noise. Vinyl smiled at this, seeing that he was trying to cheer her up. "I'm ready... Let's go, Clarence.", Vinyl said softly, with a smile. Clarence nodded and picked up a hat that laid on the dashboard. It was a typical black, grey, brown and green camouflage colour and it had the name 'Duck Dynasty Apparel' on the fore-cap of the hat. After a few minutes of adjusting his hat, he quickly sped up the truck and moved up a long road that lead down to the many towers in the distance. It was approximately a 30 or 40 minute drive with this truck, but, it beats walking... Besides. A lot can happen in one drive...