Chapter 26: Up to Eleven (Finally Together Pt. 2)
Chapter 26: Up to Eleven
(Finally Together Pt. 2)
Vinyl eventually recovered. They had some more funnel cake at the parade and Vinyl cheered up. Octavia had given up on getting an answer from Vinyl, at least for the moment. How could Vinyl still be keeping something from her? After all this time? It still nagged at her, at both of them, as they tried to forget it and have fun for the rest of the day. But even the fluffy and soft Princess Luna plushy couldn't quite erase the worry in Octavia's heart. But, on the surface, Vinyl was back to her bubbly self at least. After the parade was over, the stalls began closing as ponies filtered out and back to their homes.
"I am looking forward to a nice quiet evening at home," Octavia said, exhausted, as the two of them trotted along. "I believe I have had enough clamor for one day."
"You're not coming to the club? I thought you wanted to go the next time I was working?" Vinyl asked.
"You're playing tonight?" Octavia questioned, excitement building in her tired body. "You never said that!"
"...Didn't I?" Vinyl wondered aloud.
"No!"
"...Oh, well. Yeah. The club owner is decorating the place for a little summer harvest after-parade party. Actually, I got to get going soon to set up," Vinyl explained, looking up at the setting sun.
"Oh...! Oh, I want to rest at home... I'm so tired... but, I want to come with you, too!" Octavia pouted, stamping her hooves in anxiety. "What should I do!?"
"Well, its your call. It's not like I won't be going back."
"I know, I know... Errr... Uh... Oh!!! ... ...That's it! I have decided! I will go!" Octavia stated decisively. "I am so excited! Which way is it!? Is it this way!?" She grabbed Vinyl's hoof and started taking her some random direction.
"Wait, wait!" Vinyl shouted as she pulled back on Octavia to stop her. "I have to go home first!"
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"What should I wear? What should I wear?" Octavia contemplated as she tossed outfit after outfit out of a box. Vinyl's bedroom was now stuffed with several boxes that contained items from Octavia's Canterlot residence. She had taken off her lovely sundress and was trying to come up with something more appropriate. "What does one wear to a club? How does everypony else dress?" As she asked the question, she removed a bonnet from her collection and held it up for a suspiciously long moment or two. "Definitely not." She tossed it aside and, deferring to an expert, cried out, "Vinyl! Come help me, please!"
"What, what, what!?" Vinyl shouted from downstairs. The DJ down below had been picking out records for her job, but stopped at Octavia's behest. She came up and Octavia explained her problem. "Look, nothing in those boxes will make you fit in," Vinyl pointed out when Octavia was finished. "Here, just wear one of my t-shirts." At this, she magically opened her drawer and walked over to it.
"Oh, can I?" Octavia asked, leaping over to Vinyl's attire. She had never worn such a... manestream outfit before. She had seen a few ponies around Ponyville with them, and had been dying to give it a go. She didn't have the nerve to go get one of her own, though.
"I insist, m'lady," Vinyl said with faux grace and a polite bow. "Why don't you pick one out for me too? I gotta finish getting ready."
"Very well!" Octavia replied. With that, Vinyl retreated downstairs and Octavia went to looking through her options. All the t-shirts were each a singular color with only a design on the front or back deviating from that hue. Most were names of bands or musical groups, or even finely printed pictures of them. Some were symbols that meant nothing if you didn't know the artist they represented. The wear and tear on Vinyl's collection was significant, to Octavia's dismay, but she pressed on, regardless. She ended up choosing between a Countess Coloratura shirt or one with a silhouette of Britneigh Polearm with small text reading simply, "Britneigh." She had become a fan of both but she ultimately went with the Countess, and wore the white cotton tee, with a replication of the Countess's cutie mark in the center, proudly. For Vinyl, she thought the contrast of a black t-shirt would look splendid against her lover's white coat. She picked one for a band she didn't know, but looked nice.
Pulling the collar open on her own shirt, Octavia sniffed the fabric. It smelled like detergent, but it also had a hint of Vinyl. She blushed. Octavia felt like this was what a real fillyfriend would do, wear their stallion's-- err... other mare's clothes. She was a real fillyfriend to Vinyl now, but it still felt like a surprise every time she remembered.
After swooning a bit, Octavia called, "Okay, I'm ready!" down. Meeting Vinyl below, she asked "What do you think?"
Vinyl eyed her over, impressed, before commenting, "You're almost there, just one more thing." She went into the bathroom and came out with a brush. "Lemme just fix this," Vinyl mumbled as she took the brush to Octavia's mane. With magic, she forcibly pushed down Octavia's natural pompadour and brushed it to the side.
"Agh! What are you doing?" Octavia asked, afraid to move.
"Making you look like a bad-flank," Vinyl replied, matter-of-factly. "There! Take a look at that!"
Octavia rushed to the mirror in the bathroom, once Vinyl was finished. Her normally free face was now half-covered in her bangs. Without her bowtie, in a t-shirt, with a different mane style, she definitely didn't quite recognize herself. 'Oh, wow,' she thought upon seeing this version of her.
"Just put some black makeup on, and a spiked collar and you'd pass for a goth!" Vinyl said when she came in and joined her at the mirror.
"I do not know what that is, and I do not think I want to. I think this is plenty," Octavia said.
"Errr... You're right: you don't want to know. Let's go!"
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Octavia was staring. The club wasn't a strange looking building. It would have been largely inconspicuous if it wasn't made from brick unlike the rest of the wooden ponyville houses and shops. It was flat and had a small, magically-lit sign that read: "The Horseshoe." Fuzzy ropes, dangling between smooth metal poles, were placed in front, indicating the location to line up if you sought entry. That line was currently empty, but a buff pony with sunglasses and a black shirt guarded the door regardless. But Octavia wasn't looking at any of that. She was looking at the board with interchangeable letters that read, "Tonite's DJ: DJ-P0N3"
"Vinyl... shouldn't your name be here?" Octavia asked, pointing to the sign. "They also misspelled 'tonight.'"
Vinyl, who had finished convincing the buff stallion at the door to let Octavia come in, spun around and asked, "Whazzat?"
"Shouldn't your name be here? I can't even read this pony's name," Octavia clarified.
Vinyl took a glance at it, grinned widely and answered proudly, "That's me, alright. That's my stage name."
"Your... stage name? Is that anything like a pen name?" Octavia wondered aloud.
"Uh-huh."
"How... How do you pronounce it?"
"DJ-P0N3."
"PFFFTTT!!!" Octavia nearly burst trying to hold her laugh.
"Hey, what was that for?" Vinyl demanded, stamping her hoof.
"Really? That's your stage name? You came up with that? You must be jesting!" Octavia continued with glee.
"...No, I'm not!" Vinyl clarified. "It's a cool name."
"On the contrary, it's... it is... so silly!" Octavia countered.
"What!? Nuh-uh!" Vinyl pouted.
"Did you consult with anypony when you thought of it? Surely they would... hee hee! They would have told you the same!"
"N-no! You're wrong!" Vinyl retorted, becoming upset. She turned to the stallion bouncer standing nearby, who she knew personally, and demanded, "Tell her! DJ-P0N3's not a silly name! Right?"
The bouncer waited a moment and simply replied in a gruff and un-poetic voice, "Kinda."
Octavia couldn't hold her laugh in anymore. "HAHAHAHAHAAA! HEE HEE! Ha!"
"Unbelievable," Vinyl mumbled as she stomped inside, levitating her gear along with her.
"Vinyl! Come back, please!" Octavia called as she chased after her. Inside the club was an open dance floor to one side, and an area with table booths to the other. Near the booths was a fully-stocked bar and a grinning bartender behind it. Mechanical contraptions, painted black, dotted the ceiling. They each housed multi-colored lights and would be working very soon. The walls had some temporary paper harvest festival decorations that didn't really match the atmosphere of the club. Vinyl huffed as she traveled to the dance area and crossed it to the back. The floor there was checkered and looked like it might be able to light up. There, up on a small stage, Vinyl laid down her DJ set and stacks of records as she had done many times before, but, at this moment, an apologetic lover was trailing her.
"Come now, Vinyl. I was merely teasing!" Octavia rationalized to her grumpy friend.
"...I'll show them... it is a cool name... They'll see..." Vinyl mumbled to herself, ignoring Octavia. She began hooking up her DJ set to various cords.
"Do you realize how many times you have teased me? And I had no choice but to shrug it off?" Octavia pointed out, unhindered by the lack of reaction.
Vinyl lurched at those words. She slowly turned her squeaky neck to face Octavia, a look of restraint and anxiety on her face. "Yeah... but... this is my job. My stage name is my legacy..."
"My, my. How important," Octavia sarcastically replied, before quickly being struck by guilt. "Oh, alright. You are correct. I should not tease about something so important to you. I sincerely apologize, Vinyl."
"...Meh..." Vinyl pouted.
"Do you accept my apology?"
"...Okay. Sure."
"You don't sound convinced."
"Eh..." Vinyl shrugged, surely not in the mood anymore.
Octavia took a look around the empty club. The only other ponies present were the bartender, who had his face down in the cupboards and two others, chatting at the far end, near the "employees only" area. "Perhaps this will cheer you up," Octavia said after checking to make sure the coast was clear. She leaned over and planted a passion-filled kiss on Vinyl's lips. Vinyl, not expecting the sudden affection, was taken aback, but her cheeks blushed up anyway. "How was that?" Octavia asked slyly.
"Gee, well..." Vinyl gushed, embarrassed, but giddy.
"And nopony saw us, either," Octavia assured with a wink.
Vinyl took a quick nervous look at the other ponies, before relaxing. "Yeah, I guess not."
"Since we have limitations here, perhaps we could continue that thought after you are all done and we've returned home?" Octavia suggested with a nudge.
Burning red, Vinyl nervously fiddled with the turntables before her. "It'll be pretty late by then..."
"Oh, I think we'll be able to stay awake..." Octavia mused.
"...Hoooboy!" Vinyl gasped under her breath. Excited now by Octavia's frisky thoughts, she began to address Octavia normally, fully recovering from the name defamation incident. They conversed as Vinyl explained, at Octavia's behest, what all her job as DJ entailed and what all the buttons on her set did. Eventually the club's owner came over and, after meeting with Octavia, uneventfully talked to Vinyl about the evening's playlist. Octavia stood next to Vinyl and watched with interest, absorbing all the details. It wasn't too much longer that the lights in the club went down and Vinyl started up her first record, her horn glowing with power. She played to an empty club for only a few moments as a couple ponies started to wander in.
Octavia stood grinning as the beat of the music filled her. She knew this song. Sapphire Shores. Though she closed her eyes to listen, she eventually peaked out to the dance floor. The dark silhouettes of ponies were illuminated by glows coming from the floor and lines of colored laser lights flashing for an instant.
"OH WOW!!!" Octavia shouted at the display. She had never seen anything like it. It was if she was standing in front of an exploding firework. "Vinyl! Vinyl! What's all this!?" Octavia called over to Vinyl, who turned and replied something that Octavia couldn't make out with all the noise. "What did you say!?" Octavia shouted.
Vinyl was struck with a thought and her horn's glow intensified as she cast a spell. Octavia felt a cool feeling wrap around some inside part of her head, below her ears. At that moment, the music changed for her. It didn't lessen in volume, but it became clear and separate. For whatever magical reason, all noises she heard were now divided into distinct, but equal sections in her mind. She now very clearly heard Vinyl speak as well as the conversations from the ponies on the dance floor.
"How's that?" Vinyl asked. She wasn't shouting, but speaking at a normal volume. The blasting, thunderous music should have drowned her voice out, but Octavia heard it clearly.
"...Much better... What did you do?" Octavia replied, just as normally.
"Just a little spell," Vinyl explained. "It also protects your ears."
"How clever!" Octavia commented, (just a little) envious of Vinyl's free use of magic. She noticed that her eardrums weren't throbbing before she took a leisurely glance down at the ponies dancing. "So... what exactly do ponies do at a club?" Octavia asked, which caused Vinyl to perform a spit-take with a bottled water she had just started to drink.
"You don't know that!?" Vinyl asked, horrified. She multi-tasked, wiping her dripping mouth as she worked her magic on the turntables, effortlessly switching to a new song without dropping the tempo for the partying ponies below her. "They- dance... And drink... And meet other ponies. Mostly."
"Oh, should I be doing those things then?"
"Uh, well..." Vinyl thought for a moment. 'I want Octavia to stay here with me... Just having her near... But I can't make her miss out on the fun...' As she thought, she heard a familiar voice amongst the chorus of noises in her head.
"Aw, yeah! This is my jaaaaam!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew in the club, blazing past other ponies to the dance floor. As Rainbow started headbanging by herself, Vinyl grabbed Octavia's hoof and led her down off the stand.
"Follow me!" Vinyl said to her before Octavia could question. "Hey, RD!" Vinyl called out to the blue pegasus Rainbow.
"'Sup, Vinyl?" Rainbow replied, moving her body to the beat.
"This is Octavia's first time here!" Vinyl shouted.
"Huh?" Rainbow replied, unable to hear correctly.
Vinyl rolled her eyes behind her thick, purple shades and pulled out more magical energy to cast her spell on Rainbow.
"Hey, what's this!?" Rainbow stopped and picked her ear as the magic made a tingly sensation far deeper than she could scratch.
"RD, this is Octy's first time here," Vinyl explained, motioning to Octavia, who flinched at the first use of her nickname in awhile.
"That's cool!" Rainbow shouted, unaware the DJ could hear clearly with the magic. The pegasus started dancing again, despite the conversation.
"Could you, maybe, stay with her and keep an eye on her?"
"Huh? Sure! Why not?" Rainbow replied.
"Great!" Vinyl shouted, despite herself. She turned to Octavia. "RD's gonna hang out with you, she can show you the ropes."
"Alright, that should be acceptable," Octavia said, pleased.
"Great! Look, I can't keep this spell up at a distance and I gotta head back up. Have fun! I'll see you later," Vinyl said. She patted Octavia platonically on the shoulder instead of hugging or kissing her (which she should have done). Vinyl disabled the spell on her friends and returned to her job.
As the thundering bass being pumped out the speakers returned to its maximum power for Octavia, she turned to Rainbow Dash, who was bouncing to the beat of what was, apparently, her jaaaaam. "Good evening, Miss Rainbow Dash!" Octavia called out, as loud as she could.
"Hey, Octivale!" Rainbow replied.
"It's Octavia, actually!" she corrected.
"Oh! Sorry! It's hard to hear in here!" Rainbow said.
"I can tell!" Octavia shouted back. The room was beginning to get packed with ponies. Groups of stallions came in waves, looking for mares. And chatty mare groups came in to look for stallions. They all had one thing on their collective minds.
"You wanna dance!?" Rainbow hollered.
"Okay!" Octavia placed one hoof on Rainbow's shoulder and grabbed Rainbow's foreleg with her other. "Should I lead, or should you?"
"Huh!?" Rainbow shouted. "No! Not that kind of dance! Like this!" Rainbow released herself and began to spasm on the dance floor. At least that's kind of what it looked like. "Just do whatever your body feels like!"
"Oh... I will give it my best try, then!" And that she did, at least, she attempted to. Octavia let the music decide how her body swung and wiggled, though she looked to Rainbow for inspiration. She felt silly, making the pointless motions, but not truly embarrassed; the dance floor around them was filling up with cheerful ponies doing the same. She couldn't feel self-conscious when nopony could recognize anypony else in the dark, among the flashing strobe lights.
Before they knew it, the two dancers were totally surrounded by other ponies all bouncing in sync with the music. Rainbow took the queue and joined in and Octavia followed suit. She looked up to Vinyl who was enthusiastically working her DJ board, pumping her hoof up as the crowd hopped. She synced up the next track and the song changed without missing a beat or putting a pause in the dancing. Without realizing it, Octavia's eyes glittered. Vinyl was afire. She practically fell in love all over again.
Octavia laughed and cheered along with the ponies around her. "I think I am getting the hang of it!" Octavia shouted at Rainbow.
"Cool!" Rainbow replied with a smile.
Pressed up against Rainbow on one side and a sea of dancers on the other, Octavia felt a little cramped, but it was still exhilarating. So much so that, after an especially enthusiastic hop, she knocked into the stallion next to her. Before she could respond with an inaudible apology, a wave of ponies to the other side of the stallion reciprocated and pushed her back into Rainbow Dash. "Augh!" she cried out, though nopony could hear in that chaos, except maybe Vinyl with her magic.
"Woah! Watch out!" Rainbow said as Octavia had to instinctively grab hold of her neck to keep from falling over. Octavia was now being shoved into Rainbow and almost couldn't let go.
Regardless, she began to laugh. "It's very crowded in here!"
"You alright!?" Rainbow replied, using her wing to try to wedge between Octavia and the stallion.
"Yeah! I'm fine!" Octavia pulled up to Rainbow's ear so she wouldn't have to shout as loud. (I mean, she was already holding onto her neck, so why not?) "Hee hee!" she began to giggle. "Heeeheee!"
Rainbow smiled, looking back at her. "What's gotten into you?"
"A month ago I wouldn't of dreamed I'd be in a place like this!"
"It's pretty fun, isn't it!" Rainbow replied.
"It is! If it weren't so loud, I'd probably like it more," Octavia laughed, still trying to separate from the pegasus. Taking a look back up to Vinyl, she expected to see the DJ pumping her hoof, or spinning the discs, or messing with whatever doohicky she was supposed to. But Vinyl wasn't doing any of that. She was still, dead still, and staring at Octavia. She wasn't smiling. She was frowning. The sight froze Octavia. If she could have seen through the dark, through the laser lights, through those sunglasses, she would have seen Vinyl's curiously blazing red eyes darting back and forth between Octavia and Rainbow.
Sure, Vinyl had originally been worried about taking Octavia to this club because she was afraid that some stallion might try to pick her up. Or even worse: succeed at it. But things were different now. She let her guard down. She didn't even consider the possibility that the other type of pony might make a move on her lover. The kind of pony that was more like herself and Octavia. The kind of pony that... Rainbow might be.
'What's wrong with Vinyl?' Octavia thought as she and Rainbow Dash finally let go of each other at an ease in the crowd. After she separated, Vinyl looked back down to her discs and began to bounce to the music again, though it was obviously halfhearted. Octavia tried to get back into the groove, but couldn't find the heart after seeing Vinyl so worried. She wanted to rush up the stage and talk to her, but didn't want to interrupt her work. After all, everypony else was having a good time. After a few more minutes of dancing, Octavia turned to Rainbow and shouted, "I'm gonna get a drink!"
"Aw, come on! I want to keep dancing!" Rainbow pouted.
"...You don't have to follow me!" Octavia responded.
"I'm supposed to keep an eye on you!"
"I'll be alright!" Octavia protested.
"...Okay, if you say so!" Rainbow shouted.
Octavia retreated through the dancing mobs, taking great care not to fall and be trampled. Once she was off the dance floor, she saw that the booths were full of ponies now, drinking drinks and chatting each other up. A couple were making out and Octavia couldn't help but stare. She, of course, bumped into a pony or two while staring. Apologizing profusely, she hurried over to the bar. After taking a seat, the bartender approached her.
"What'll it be?" he said with a smile that was way too friendly. "We got some great summer harvest specials!"
"Um..." Octavia hesitated. She knew that bars were mostly for getting intoxicated. "Do you have anything that does not contain alcohol?"
The bartender quickly frowned, dropping his act. "Yeah, water."
"Could I have some water then please?" Octavia asked sheepishly.
The stallion rolled his eyes and filled a mug with the only free item on the menu for this mare in front of him. Octavia took a sip and turned back to watch the dancers. She couldn't make out any particular pony in the darkness. The laser lights only illuminated their silhouettes. She couldn't see Vinyl either, though she could tell the general direction.
Then Berry Punch walked by.
Berry's plum body passed right through Octavia's sight, like a disaster in slow-motion. The bouncing ponies in the distance were now jumping to silence and their movements were tempered. Octavia felt the world swallow her up and her heart dropped, as an avalanche sunk it lower than the depths of Tartarus. Berry moved by slowly; Octavia could watch each string of hair on Berry's curly mane flow and bob casually as she passed. The slight smirk on that mare's face withheld the terrible thoughts. Her singular visible eye slyly glanced at Octavia, amused by her presence. With a slow-motion blink, Berry returned focus to her course as she left Octavia's field of vision.
Octavia turned, just as slowly, to follow Berry. The purple mare took one last sip of her mug of cider and placed it casually on the bar counter. She trotted off, never looking back. Octavia should have let her go. She should have gone back to dancing. What did it matter that Berry was here? She was just some pony. Some pony who Octavia hated. Her ears were ringing from the hatred, suppressing the sounds of the club around her. She gritted her teeth and hopped off her stool. She would follow Berry.
Octavia slipped through the loitering ponies, following Berry's trail. With a flash of a curly and distinctly colored tail, Octavia caught sight of her. There! Near the little mare's room. Octavia accelerated her pace and came upon the restroom just as the door was swinging back into place. Bracing herself and taking a deep breath, she entered.
It was much brighter in the restroom and the noise from Vinyl's music was dulled behind those walls. Octavia had to shield her eyes from the sudden light before stepping aside to allow another mare to exit. Entering the room, it was deserted. To the left was a mirror wall and sinks for washing hooves. None of the soap dispensers looked like they had been filled in forever. The stalls were all cracked open.
Octavia cautiously stepped forward, keeping her head low like she was expecting some arrow-fire. Staying close to the sinks, she peaked around the corner of each stall. But the attack came from behind!
"Hi, Octavia!" the voice said. Octavia whirled around to behold Berry Punch, smiling lightheartedly as she blocked the door. Eyeing her suspiciously, Octavia raised her defenses. She didn't respond to Berry's greeting. "I said, hello!" Berry insisted. Still nothing from Octavia. Berry's words were harmless, but they felt like daggers. "Hmph. Some ponies. No wonder you and Vinyl get along," Berry said, rolling her eyes.
"Shut up," Octavia demanded, uncharacteristically. "You do not talk about Vinyl." Her heart was racing against her desire to stay in control of the situation. She felt the rush of blood tingling on her neck and head, preparing her body for fight or flight. With luck, she wouldn't have to do either.
"Woah, woah! No need for such attitude," Berry smirked. "Alright, if we're not going to talk about Vinyl, what should we talk about? The weather? The pegasus ponies sure do a good job around here, don'tcha think?"
Octavia didn't have an answer to that, it was all so irrelevant, so instead she demanded, "You are going to leave us alone." She didn't know what exactly she hoped to accomplish in confronting Berry, but, with adrenaline pumping, she began to say all the things she kept locked in her head. All the things she wanted to say to this nasty mare.
"Leave you alone?" Berry repeated. "Silly! I don't know what you're talking about." She walked over to Octavia and started to circle her. Octavia stood her ground, and kept her guard up. Berry's voice was casual, calm, kind, but Octavia wasn't fooled. Not anymore. Her breath smelled of cider, but she didn't have the demeanor of a drunk pony. "We haven't spoken in, what is it? Over a week?" Berry asked, as she stopped her shark-like circling. She pondered for a moment. With a smile and a voice like burning venom, she continued, "I mean, I'm not the one who followed somepony to the bathroom..."
"Do not pretend to feign ignorance!" Octavia shouted at the snarky quip. "You are not to approach me ever again. I do not want to hear you tell any more horrible lies about Vinyl!"
"Oh, sweetie... Is that what you think? Oh dear..." Berry sighed. "Well then, maybe I should stop beating around the bush. Maybe you and me should have a real talk about Vinyl," Berry said, with a coy little grin. She strolled back to the restroom entrance and effortlessly clicked the lock on the door. "...For privacy," she mentioned when Octavia eyed the lock. "Wouldn't want anypony to come in on us, would we?" Octavia just growled at this. Smirking, Berry swaggered up to Octavia until they were nearly muzzle to muzzle. Berry stood with shrewdness and confidence as Octavia trembled with anger. They stared for a few moments before Berry spoke, "My, my. You are gorgeous. I love what you've done with your hair." She reached up and touched Octavia's cheek. Octavia backed up at that. A mistake. Berry laughed at having thrown her off. "You seem afraid of me! But... you must understand, I'm not the pony you should be afraid of."
Octavia straightened herself out and retorted, "Vinyl, you mean? She is going to ruin me, is she? Whatever you mean by that is preposterous. Vinyl and I are in love. Did you hear that? WE. ARE. IN. LOVE. We are happy, despite every detestable thing you say about her."
"...I'd say 'congratulations,' but mostly I'm just surprised," Berry replied after a moment. "Falling in love with that... dangerous thing," Berry huffed in both amusement and contempt.
"She's not dangerous!" Octavia cried out re-actively.
"Oh, honey... If only you knew about the deadly secret she's hiding..."
"What, her eyes? I know about that. I know they hurt. I know they hurt you," Octavia defended, thinking she had the upper hoof now. "But they don't hurt me anymore. I didn't run away from them. Not like you! I stared straight at them through the pain. And Vinyl loves me for it."
"Oh-! You think-? Ha! Hahaha!" Berry started to chuckle. "Oh, dear. You know: I already told you this has nothing to do with her eyes. ...Though, I can't blame you for thinking that. They are a... how should I put this? ...A sickening deformity, after all." Berry's own eyes turned hollow as she muttered, "I'd stab them out if I could..."
"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!" Octavia exclaimed in disgust upon hearing the subtle threat.
"Just musing to myself, sweetie," Berry gracefully smiled, returning to a more charming, yet threatening disposition. "I would never..." she trailed off.
"Her eyes are beautiful," Octavia explained, no longer shouting, but still seething with rage. "She is beautiful. Unlike you. Who is ugly to your core."
"Oh, was that really necessary?" Berry replied at the burn. "You seem to be a little misguided; you know I am trying to help you here."
"Help me?" Octavia mimicked, un-amused. "All you do is spout ridiculous lies. You're crazy. I shouldn't even be talking to you."
"I'm not as crazy as you think!" Berry said aggressively, closing the distance between them. She leaned in close to Octavia, who stayed guarded and didn't give an inch. Berry breathed deeply for moments and lowered her voice to a near whisper. Turning her head downward she gazed at the nothingness above the tiles below her and softly spoke, "But, maybe I am. You know, I don't even know myself anymore... Vinyl ruined me, and I've never been the same. ...It's only a matter of time until it happens to you."
Octavia flinched and gritted her teeth. "You are lying. I don't care what you think she did to you," Octavia retorted, with a soft, but stern, voice. "She is valiant and kind-hearted. Resolute and giving. You're speaking in nonsense and fabrications."
"Oh, come on, girl!" Berry exclaimed raising her hooves up in disbelief as she took a step back. A different approach to her normally sly demeanor. "Look, I know you think she's all coolness and sunshine, but her true nature is... SO much worse than you can imagine!"
"Enough!" Octavia stomped. "I have said my peace. I am so DONE with this. Goodbye, Berry Punch. I hope the rest of your evening is pleasant." Attempting to rid herself of this confrontation, Octavia pushed past Berry. She tried to stomp off angrily, but a hoof from her opponent whisked her back around.
"YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND!!!" Berry hissed. Her hooves were latched onto Octavia's shoulders, causing a jolt through the gray pony's spine.
"What are you-!?" Octavia almost exclaimed, but was cut short by the horrid look in Berry Punch's eyes. They were empty. Hollow. Dead. All the words you could think of to describe a broken soul could describe those eyes. Only a pony who lost everything could have those eyes. Octavia didn't understand. Berry was the antagonist, right? She was the problem, right? She was the one in the wrong, right?
Berry spoke hastily. No longer was she sly and coy. She was desperate. "Listen to me: Vinyl and cancer are the same. She will hurt you. She will break you. ...And you will be ruined."
"You stop right-!" Octavia tried to interrupt, but Berry just clutched on tighter and grew more aggressive.
"THAT'S just the beginning... Octavia, do you even know what pain is? What REAL betrayal feels like?" Berry didn't wait for an answer. She simply grew more aggressive. "No. No, you don't. I doubt your pretty little Canterlot heart could ever prepare you for what's going to happen. I truly envy your naiveté, doomed though you are. And I will tell you this: cherish your own heart, for you will miss it after that freak's done with you. And 'freak' isn't enough. I can't think of enough words to describe her! Fiend! Degenerate! Scoundrel! Monster! Criminal!" She spat in rage at every word she spoke.
"CRIMINAL? HOW DARE YOU!" Octavia shouted, finally having enough. She slapped one hoof off her shoulder, stopping Berry's tirade. "You're the one who broke into Vinyl's house! You destroyed everything she had out of spite! You're the criminal! I should have you arrested!" Octavia had her suspicions. Vinyl had put aside thoughts about the incident, that mess of a house they both discovered, but Octavia did not. Who would have reason to trash Vinyl's home? Berry would. This angry, desperate ex-fillyfriend. Despite how wrong she was, Octavia was sure of it, now more than ever.
"Really!? You got some wild imagination there, pretty filly," Berry huffed, disgusted, and turned away. "I honestly didn't even know that happened."
"Liar!"
"LIAR!? ME!? HA! Have you met Vinyl!? That's another good word for her." Berry shook her head. "I only WISH I could have been there! I would have loved to see Vinyl lose everything! It's a shame that whoever it was didn't set fire to the place on their way out. What I'd give to see that wretch's house burn to the ground!"
At that, Octavia shoved Berry. An understandable first act of aggression. She'd nearly had enough of this Berry Punch pony. "Don't you dare say horrible things like that!" She didn't understand. How could this pony hate Vinyl so much? How could anypony hate the pony she fell in love with. The kind and boisterous Vinyl. The one who brought life and energy into her lonely world. Her lover, and the holder of that wonderful smile.
Berry whirled around and shouted, "I'll say what I want! About you, about Vinyl! That miserable little beast-!" Berry shoved Octavia, the lid on her inhibitions blowing off as well.
"WHY!?" Octavia shrieked, pushing Berry back. "Why do you hate her so much!?!?!?"
"You wanna know why? Oh, maybe I should tell you. Tell you all the juicy details. Tell you what you've gotten yourself into. Oh, but I shouldn't, I did make a promise after all." Berry shoved Octavia again. Her temper was beyond helping now. Both were. Things were about to get violent.
"Celestia help you if you don't tell me-!" Octavia cried at one last shove.
"Fine!" Berry stated, hooves up in acceptance. "Fine! If you're SO desperate to know, maybe I'll REWARD you! I'll tell you why! Why I despise everything about her! Why I so love to see her suffer! It's because she bucking deserves it! It's her punishment! What she did to me was UNFORGIVEABLE!!!"
"WHAT DID SHE DO!?"
"SHE RAPED ME!!!" Berry screamed.
"LIES!!!" Octavia tackled Berry Punch. They traveled back with fervor and collided with the door; Octavia felt her shoulders hit Berry's rib-cage. She wanted to snap those bones. If only she could tear Berry apart and rip them out. She pressed as hard as she could, grunting and forcing Berry into the wood door, but felt resistance. Berry pushed back from above and they fell. After Octavia hit her head on the floor, she didn't look at Berry's furious face, but threw a wild punch at her anyway. Her hoof hit Berry's cheek with force.
"Gaagh!" Berry recoiled, but quickly recovered. She started beating on Octavia's face, screaming as she did. Octavia tried to hold her hooves up to defend, but Berry was flailing too wildly. She felt her face getting pummeled again and again. She had never experienced such pain before. Reaching up, she managed to grab hold of one of Berry's forelegs. Before Berry could beat her loose, she bit into the leg with all the force her jaw could muster. "AAAAGHH! LET GO!!!" Berry shrieked at the shock.
Berry stood up and dragged Octavia as she still held on, now drawing blood as she broke the skin. Taking her other hoof to grab hold of Octavia's body, she slammed the pony against the pipes below the faucet as hard as she could. The collision hit Octavia's skull and she released the leg. But without missing a beat, she furiously scrambled to her hooves and tackled Berry again, this time at her hind legs. The attack caused Berry to buckle backwards and fall on Octavia. She rolled down Octavia's back and hit the wall, nearly missing the pipes. Trying to get up, Berry hit her head painfully on the porcelain sink above her.
Octavia scrambled to turn around and face her nemesis. She charged without sympathy as Berry clamored out from under the sink. Hurling herself against her, Octavia knocked Berry's side into the porcelain. Berry cried out as pain filled her sides. Octavia wrapped one hoof quickly around her neck and pulled her down. Rage filling her, Octavia started punching rapidly into Berry's stomach and ribs.
"HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE HER OF THAT!!!" Octavia screamed. The pounding music outside muffled their conflict from the rest of the ponies in the club. It didn't matter. It didn't matter. It didn't matter anymore. She needed to hurt Berry. She needed to damage Berry. She needed to ki-
...
...
...kill...
But she couldn't: Octavia felt her legs grow weak as she continued to beat Berry Punch. She wasn't used to this. She had hit her head. She was fuzzy. Berry took advantage of her fading strength and pushed Octavia away. With speed, she kicked Octavia's hind legs, causing her to trip.
As Octavia fell to the dirty floor, Berry shouted, "IT'S TRUE, YOU BUCKING IDIOT!!!" Octavia tried to get up, but Berry pushed her face back down into a puddle. "She RAPED me! And I WARNED you about her!" Berry got on Octavia's back and squeezed her skull, causing pressure to build in the cellist's already aching head. She started to slam it against the tiled floor, breaking skin and drawing blood. "Don't you get it!? You're WRONG! She's THE VILLAIN!!! I'M the GOOD GUY here!!!"
The pain was unbearable as Octavia received Berry's beating. Her head couldn't fathom what was happening. Berry released her and stood up, but it was no time for relief. Crying now, Octavia started to crawl to the toilet stall. She needed to get behind that door. To somehow shield herself. She was so tired. She couldn't win. Berry grabbed Octavia's mane and dragged her into the stall. "If you don't believe me..." Berry said through gasps. She was tired as well, but still strong enough to finish this. "You can ask her yourself..." She held Octavia's head above the toilet and plunged her face into the water. She held down for several moments as Octavia flailed in panic, then let her up to breathe. Octavia tried to get away, but Berry held her steady so her face was just above the water. Gasping and panting, Octavia couldn't push herself away any further than that. The rippling waves below her distorted the reflection of her attacker.
Though her breath was stifled, Berry leaned in and whispered, her voice frigid, callous and poisonous, "Take a good look... you whore... ...This is where Vinyl belongs... And you do too if you stay with her..." With that, Berry pulled Octavia back and threw her against the stall wall. It was finally enough: Octavia blacked out.
...Oh.
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......... o_0;
I have to ask... WHY 3 CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY?!
Holy FUCK! I thought we were done with this dark insanity T_________________T
Damn, love this story and your art!
rape huh?
well that escalated quickly xd
Oh shit, I have a feeling that there will soon be a very pissed off Vinyl Scratch
Oh shit, I have a feeling that there will soon be a very pissed off Vinyl Scratch
Whelp...you just went past my notoriously low threshold for unpleasantness in pony fiction.
Be seeing you.
start of chapter: hay their going to the club
middle of the chapter: INCOMING RAPE DETECTED
end of chapter: 0-o...
8435825
i dont believe her for a second i think she got really drunk and made moves on vinyl then waking up the next day couldnt handle the fact that she did that so she calls out rape plus vinyl herself said it didnt go that far
"Oh yeah, I'll read the new chapter, it'll lighten my mood for today!" I was saying to myself! XD
I hope the next chapter(s) will be fabuleux and adorable, because I very miss that right now! XD
What the... actual buck?
is this still alive?
When do you think you'll get the next chapter out
This story is awesome
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9492789
Now I want to read a fanfiction where Octavia obtain a stand, and that stand is Vinyl.
Someone, write that for me, quick!
See reading all that defo dark subject matter but my minds also going. What would have happened if Octavia did snap and choke berry out