//------------------------------// // Marooned // Story: I Love You More // by Ave Celestia //------------------------------// It all went wrong it all went wrong how did it all go wrong why why why did it all go wrong? Vinyl's head ached and her eyes ached with the pulse of unshed tears. She muttered to herself as she walked blindly down the sidewalk, legs and chest hurt from her run. It's me of course its me. I'm such a fool, I'm stupid so stupid stupid STUPID! What was I thinking? Such a wonderful, beautiful mare could never be interested in me... no, she never was wonderful, was she? Just the latest wrong mare in the long long line of your romantic failures, just another of your failures. She couldn't have been good. Not with me, I'm a magnet for freaks. I only attract wrong ones, I must be a freak myself. There's something wrong with me. Hot tears ran down Vinyl's face. Why can't I just find some nice, normal... I'm broken, I'm wrong, I'm bad inside and unlovable. I'm not good, why could any of them be good. She's not right, she's all wrong. Neon might have been right, no he was definitely right... Neon said... A chill ran across her body and her skin prickled. Neon said... oh my gosh, NEON! Vinyl's teary eyes went wide and unseeing as the lock turned in her head. Her mane rose to stand on end and she stopped dead in the street, terrifying pieces slipping into place. Realization extended its claws. Her head spun and she felt dizzy and her whole body shook. Neon was rude to her, insulted her. Neon was afraid of... her. Neon said she threatened him. Neon was afraid for his li- Vinyl shook her head in denial. No. No, the idea was too terrible to even think of. Nothing could have happened to him! It couldn't be! Impossible! And yet. Yet. Vinyl felt cold. Yet it was possible. Octavia threw that table like it was nothing! She was violent. She was... unbalanced. Just what is she capable of? If she were that violent with me, me who she's in lo- who she thinks she's in love with, how violent would she be with Neon? Neon, who hated her? Neon, who stood in her way? Neon, who kept me from her? And if she'd do... something to Neon, what could she do to me? Her heart pounded in her aching chest as she tried to straighten out her thoughts. She rocked back and forth on her hooves What can I do? What can I do? Don't just stand there, do something! She blinked as the obvious occurred: I can call him! Call him and hear his voice. Then I'll know it's all right. Vinyl got out her phone and dialed Neon. Ring... Ring... Ring... Ring... "Ey, it's Neon, leave a message-" With a cry of frustration, Vinyl jammed her hoof onto the phone, terminating the call. What now? She pressed her hooves to her forehead and tried to think. A message, I can send a message. She turned her phone sideways and fired off an urgent text with many exclamation points. She stood there on the sidewalk, staring down at her phone, waiting for it to beep or ring or anything with a reply from Neon. She stared at it, heart pounding, hooves shaking. Nothing. She raised her head to look and search the night ponies out on the streets, examining them to see if Neon was somehow among them, standing right next to her this whole time with an irritating smile or stepping out of the shadows with an "I pranked you good, didn't I" look on his face. But he wasn't there. He wasn't anywhere. Of course he wasn't. Why would she think he would be here? She was being silly. Maybe... maybe she was being silly about the whole thing. Maybe. Octavia was unbalanced, maybe even obsessed, that was obvious. And violent, at least towards objects. But would she... do something to somepony? Something drastic? She would never push Neon off a building like he said, would she? But if Neon had been joking, it was a very specific joke. Did he have some reason to say that in particular? Vinyl stared at her phone blindly. Why hadn't Neon sent any more messages? Was something wrong? Was he... no. Maybe? Maybe not. An old memory flashed in Vinyl's head. Once before, about a year ago, Neon had run off with some dumb, too-skinny rich mare who had a credit card with no limit and Vinyl didn't hear from him for a week. And sometimes he wouldn't contact her when he just got in a bad mood or a creative streak or, or, or ahhh! Vinyl shook her head violently in frustration. There were a million good reasons why he might not return her texts. it didn't mean he was chopped into little pieces A terrifying red image burst into her head and she shook with fear. No! No! Neon was fine! He was out there, having fun, being the stupid, disgusting, annoying colt that he was, doing stupid, disgusting, annoying colt things! He was alive and laughing and wasting his life chatting up some bubble-headed filly somewhere, not lying still on a dirty concrete floor in a cold pool of dark Vinyl sat down hard on the sidewalk and clutched at her head. Bad thoughts! Think of unicorns, rainbows, happy smiling flowers! Pretty ponies with pretty pony wings fluttering around in the sunlight! The pretty ponies fluttered happily for a moment before a dark hoof crushed the pretty ponies out of the sky into the earth and the shadow of Octavia's smiling face filled Vinyl's mental landscape, growing closer and closer... Vinyl moaned and stared up with a stricken look. If Octavia could do something like... that to Neon, Octavia could do the same to Vinyl! No, Octavia wouldn't do that! Would she? Would she? No! Maybe? Vinyl's mind whirled. "Excuse me, are you okay there?" Vinyl looked up. A random mare had stopped in the street and was looking at Vinyl with mild concern. Vinyl, broken from her dark reverie, replied "y-yeah, I'm just worried about my friend is all." "Ah. You're sure you're alright then?" Vinyl stood and composed herself. "Yeah. Yeah, sure. I'm good. Thanks." The random mare nodded and walked off. Vinyl felt a little better. What was she even thinking about? She was being silly! This is Equestria! Bad things don't happen here! Things like... that. There was no reason to think that Neon was... there was no reason to jump to conclusions. The ghost-silver moon was high in the sky. A thought occurred to Vinyl. Wait, what even time is it? Many gears shifted in Vinyl's head as she realized holy sweets, I actually got work tonight! I'm playing a late gig! Special guest-star, even! Professionalism stepped in and shouldered away all other concerns. Vinyl's head cleared. Suddenly all those bad thoughts about what may or may not have happened seemed far away and very silly indeed. Forget all that. Forget all everything. I'm DJ-PON3. She's too awesome to have problems like this. I'm too awesome for this. I'm cool, I'm the best! I'm DJ PON-3 and I got a gig and I need my salamandering equipment! Vinyl was all business at once and she started cantering with a purpose, heading back down-mountain. I'll run back to my apartment and get my stuff and rush to the gig. Octavia... she couldn't be back at the apartments so quickly anyway. Would she show up at the gig tonight? Vinyl's brows furrowed. If she does, I'll just have her thrown out on the spot. I'm DJ PON-3 and salamanders yeah, I'll have her salamandering thrown out! Worry disappeared from Vinyl's mind as she stepped to the edge of the sidewalk to hail a fast taxi carriage to hurry her back to her apartment. There's no real reason to be worried, she decided. I'm sure Neon is just fine. * The apartment building's mirrored elevator gave a cheerful little ding! as it opened onto Vinyl's floor. The floor Vinyl shared with Octavia. Vinyl cautiously peered out of the elevator, coincidentally crowding to the side so she wasn't obviously visible to anypony waiting, anypony watching. Vinyl looked down the long hallway. Nopony was in sight. There was nothing to be worried about, of course, but it never hurt to be careful. In general. Because there was no specific reason to be cautious. Because Vinyl was not worried. Yes. The carpeted hallway was one, long straight shot from the elevator to the last room on the floor of the building. Doors lined the walls on both sides of the hall. It was quiet, very quiet. But that was nothing to be worried about, of course. It was getting pretty late for most ponies so it made sense for it to be quiet, but just the same, Vinyl trotted quickly and quietly down the hall. Her door was on the right side of the hallway. Opposite Octavia's door. The door that used to be Blue Sky's! Fear again rose inside Vinyl but she tamped it down. Nothing to be worried about, everything's fine. Blue Sky's dreams came true and that screenplay of hers finally sold and she moved to the coast to make a movie, that's all that happened. She's not divided into segments wrapped in newspapers dripping buried under the floorboards OH MY GOSH WHAT AM I THINKING! Vinyl shivered involuntarily as she put her key into her apartment door's lock. The door opened and she slipped inside and closed the door behind her, locking it. For the sake of general safety, of course. Not because she was afraid. It was a good practice to lock doors even when you didn't expect anything. Everything was quiet so Vinyl tip-hoofed into her music room and picked up the box of records and her customized gear she took to every gig. KNOCK KNOCK! "Eeeeeee!" Vinyl shrieked and lost her magical grip on the box which fell with a heavy thump and crash. She clapped her hooves over her mouth and froze, eyes bugged out. She held her breath and was utterly silent. ... ... Knock knock! She knows I'm in here!! What do I do what do I do what... Wait, how do I know it's Octavia? No, it's not her. Don't jump to conclusions. It's probably... the landlord! Yes! That it. It's the landlord. There's nothing to worry about. Octavia isn't going to push her way in and slip a rope around me and tie me d- No! Bad thoughts! BAD THOUGHTS! Vinyl shuddered. It's definitely the landlord at the door. Don't worry, just go answer it. "C-coming!" Vinyl walked to the door and looked out the peephole. Wow, it actually was the landlord! Vinyl opened the door. "Hi there, little miss." "H-heya, Mr. Garret." Dusty Garret was a thick stallion with a wide smile and a musty-colored coat. He had the outline of an A-frame house for a cutie mark. "Sorry ta bother ya so late but I know you keep odd hours and I got a few questions." "O-oh?" "The new tenant there, across the hall from you? The one with the bow tie and the eyes?" That is an accurate description. "W-what about her?" Vinyl tried to steady her voice. "I've been getting some noise complaints about her. You hear any weird noises coming from inside that room, anything disturbing you?" "Uh, no. No noise." "How 'bout a strange smell?" Vinyl's eyes went wide. "N-no, why? Has somepony smelled something? Like" fresh blood or rotting flesh or "decay...?" It slipped out. Mr. Garret's bushy eyebrow went up. "Would that describe something you smell? Would you be willing to put that in writing?" "Oh! No! No. I was just asking? Why, has somepony smelled something like that from the apartment?" The landlord shrugged. "Maybe. Couldn't say, don't want to bias you. So you're not going to make a complaint against her, huh. Alright. You know I like ta run the best building I can, nice and clean, and if there's a bad tenant, I want them out. Bad apples and the barrel and all. That new pony there's only been here a little while and I already got complaints." Has she been... unstable towards anypony else? She seemed nice until... what happened at the end of dinner. Is she like that with everypony but me? Could nopony have noticed anything wrong? Am I blowing this out of proportion? "I don't know what to say." The landlord sighed. "I 'spect I'll have to evict her but I'll give her 'til the end of the month ta clean up her act. Ah well! That's all I wanted to talk ta ya about. Have a good night now, Miss Scratch, ya hear?" "Yeah. Good night, Mr. Garret." Vinyl stepped back inside her apartment and closed the door and locked it. She sat down on the floor against the door and looked at her hooves. They were shaking. I'm falling apart here! Keep it together, Vinyl! BEEEEP! Vinyl sucked in a frayed breath and jumped in sudden terror, painfully clunking the back of her head against the door, as her phone's calendar alarm went off. She pulled out her phone and swiped away the alarm set for her gig. Now I'm scared of my own phone? If it's not one thing, it's another. Forget it, get on your hooves! Gotta get going or you're late. Vinyl lifted the box with her stuff, unlocked the door, and peered out into the hall. Nopony. She quickly stepped outside, turned, locked the door, and scampered to the elevator. She jumped inside and his the button for the lobby. I'll get a fast carriage and hit the gig and when Octavia shows up there, I'll have her thrown out. No! I'll call the Royal Guard on her! You can't come after DJ PON-3 and get away with it! She gave a confident DJ PON-3 grin to her reflection as the mirrored elevator doors closed with a cheerful ding! * * Vinyl played an amazing set that night. She was the special guest star so she came in at the end and everypony was already wild to see their beloved superstar. And Vinyl delivered, putting her all into it. Her ponies jumped, they shouted, they got down, made it bounce, raised their hooves in a manner that indicated indifference, and requested no water to extinguish any fires. Vinyl talked to security and convinced them to station one of their biggest stallions- one with a big, steel sledgehammer for a cutie mark- just off-stage, ready to pounce on any earth ponies mares who tried to charge the DJ booth. But nopony came. Nopony tried to charge the booth, nopony prowled within the jumping crowd of dancers, and nopony hid in the shadows and laserlight to watch Vinyl. Was that a reason to worry? Or perhaps she, Octavia, had given up? Vinyl didn't know. And, for those few hours she, Vinyl let go. She DJed, Vinyl was free to simply play. All her cares melted away, washed and worn clean by the wubbly waves rolling forth from her brain, though her horn, out her speakers, and directly into her ponies' legs. Everything was back to the way things were supposed to be: her stage, her audience, and their praise and adultation. She felt good again, like everything was back to normal. Ponies were wild to see DJ PON-3, and it really made her feel better, bolstered her and she felt stronger now, strong enough to face the challenges with which life was now facing her. Vinyl rocked the place until long after she was scheduled to leave, and not a single fan left before she did. It was magnificent. She spent time chatting with the club owner before fatigue started creeping in. It was only then, when the club owner asked where her signature DJ PON-3 glasses were that Vinyl realized she wasn't actually wearing them! But Vinyl had grown strong, and learned how to get along, and she just shrugged and said that she had lost them earlier that night, no big deal. She was still DJ PON-3 without the glasses, right? They all vigorously agreed with her. She grinned an insouciant DJ PON-3 grin. Vinyl waved good-bye, took a few more grinning selfies with her most hardcore fans, then hit the road, levitating her travel box behind her, feeling good. Tired, but good. Vinyl was, at all other times, a rather chill pony. She liked things easy, she liked things simple. It kept her able to focus on her music and personal life, the two things most important to her. Being stalked and having chase scenes were definitely not on her list of "Things I am Used to Doing," and the stress of the last few days and putting in another blockbuster performance left her drained. Drained in body but fearless in mind. DJ PON-3, superstar triumphant! It was five in the morning when Vinyl got back to the apartments. She was tired and sweaty and just wanted a shower and a lay down. She wanted to collapse and let it all go. The mirrored elevator gave a cheerful little ding! as it opened onto her floor. Vinyl only gave the hall a quick look before stepping off the elevator. But she spotted something. Laying against the base of her door was a white envelope. Vinyl stopped in her tracks on wobbly hooves, box of gear levitating next to her. She looked up the empty hall and perked up her ears. It was dead silent. But that was normal for this extremely early time of day, few other residents here kept hours like she did. Totally normal. Vinyl slowly approached her door and looked down at the envelope. The envelope was actually a single sheet of cream paper folded in a clever way to form an envelope. Vinyl lifted it and gasped in surprise. Underneath the envelope were her shades! Vinyl stared at them in disbelief. She gave me back my glasses! Vinyl grinned, holding the glasses up in her magical aura and took a close look at the envelope. On closer examination, the paper itself was some kind of rich stock, not cheap paper like you'd put in a printer, but something expensive and fancy that probably cost a whole bit a sheet. Vinyl held the envelope and glasses at her side while she unlocked her apartment door. She hustled inside and locked the door behind her. Vinyl set down her box of gear and looked at the cream sheet of paper. She undid the sheet. On it was a letter written in black ink with beautiful hoofwriting: Dear Vinyl, My behavior today was reprehensible and completely unacceptable. I want to apologize and mend things between us; the very last thing I want is for a misunderstanding to harm our relationship. To this end, I propose a meeting tomorrow afternoon. There is a small cafe across the street from Moosebuck Coffee. As you know, the intersection there is well-traveled and the cafe has outdoor tables. I believe it satisfies the requirements for a "neutral location" if you should feel the need to meet at such. I shall be there at 3 PM tomorrow. I sincerely hope I will see you then. I promise I will behave. Love, Octavia Vinyl frowned, her headache returning. She looked away from the letter, her attention turning back to her glasses. Some part of Vinyl somehow still couldn't believe Octavia had given them back. She remembered them. Octavia must have returned to the restaurant, dug through the debris, and got away from the police investigating the scene. And then she gave them back! She didn't keep them like some creepy pony and wear them around her apartment pretending to be me wait don't think weird thoughts. She gave them back to me. That's what's important. But what does it mean? And this letter... she sounds sincerely sorry. Maybe she's not so bad? I don't know. But she called flipping a table a 'misunderstanding?' No. Vinyl tossed the letter aside and shook her head, too tired to deal with it. She went into the bathroom and ran the shower, getting it nice and hot and relaxing. In the shower, Vinyl mentally turned over what she had read. 'Misunderstanding?' Is that what Octavia thought it all was? Yeah, that mare misunderstood alright. She misunderstood that there was anything between the two of them. Part of Vinyl, an angry part, said aw HAY no to the idea of a meeting. But another part of her, perhaps a kinder part, wanted to set things straight with Octavia, to give Octavia one chance to explain herself and show a shred of reasonability. Maybe they could come to some sort of resolution and part as... well, not friends, certainly. Momentary acquaintances who would try to avoid each other forever and try not to think they had ever met in the first place? And maybe Vinyl could even get some facts out of Octavia in the process. The alternative was- worst case- to wait around until Octavia did something, something bad enough to have her arrested or jailed or whatever... and Vinyl didn't really want to wait until Octavia did something bad enough to be thrown into jail! Octavia sure didn't seem like the kind of problem which was going to go away on its own, after all. You had to be active and solve this kind of problem. I have to do something. Vinyl turned off the water, dried herself off in a big, fluffy towel, and wrapped her short wet mane up in a quick spell. She went and sat on the edge of her bed and worried. Neon, Neon... where are you? Vinyl still didn't know what was up with her friend. If she met with Octavia, maybe she could learn if Octavia knew anything about Neon. Or just confirm she had nothing to do with it? Maybe he had really just been out partying and coming home at this early morning hour, like Vinyl was? He could be awake. Vinyl was tired to her bones but, hey, why not? Vinyl got out her phone, flipped through her list, and dialed Neon. Ring... Ring... Ring... Rin- The call connected. Vinyl held the phone away from her ear, gaping at it, barely believing it had actually happened, before pressing it back against her head and shouting into it, letting him have it. "NEON! Where the FEATHERING HAY have you been? I've been worried like... why the HAY haven't you replied to my texts? I thought we were besties and now I really need your help! I'm in..." Vinyl trailed off. She paused. He wasn't saying anything. "...Neon, are you there?" Silence. Vinyl's voice got small. "...Neon?" Vinyl pressed the phone to her ear hard, trying to hear anything coming through. She listened, waiting. Seconds ticked by like hours. Vinyl's phone beeped into her ear as the call disconnected. Vinyl held the phone away from her face, shocked. What the hay is wrong with him? Why would he do that to me?! Aren't we friends...? Or was it something else? Something... no! No! It was just him being... rude... and... ugh. Vinyl suddenly had a massive headache and unexpected tears prickled in her eyes. All this business with the letter, her glasses, the meeting and going or not, Neon being a mule... It was all too much. Just... too much. Vinyl's body ached all over and she couldn't focus. Her eyelids drooped and her head started to bob. She pressed a hoof to her forehead, too tired to even groan. Still wrapped in the fluffy, semi-damp towel, Vinyl reached out with her magic and flipped the lights out. She fell back against the bed and didn't notice sleep when it came for her.