Chapter 8
I don't know, Vinyl. I just don't know.
Octavia shook her head violently, trying to dislodge the endless refrain of her doubt and indecision. The harsh movement put further dents in the soft material of her pillow, robbing it of what little comfort it offered her. She resisted the urge to twist and turn; it wouldn't help her sleep any more than closing her eyes would.
The shadows of her darkened bedroom stifled her; the gentle breeze floating through an open window did nothing to ease the sweat forming along her coat regardless of how many sheets she flung to the floor. The darkness behind closed eyelids heralded only haunting and melancholic visions that made her fear any choice she might make.
Do I stay? An empty stage, a vacant spotlight, an unattended cello.
Do I go? Herself, alone. Vinyl long gone, unwilling to stay with such a selfish mare.
Oh Celestia, what am I to do?
. . .
Horseapples. If I'm going to be awake I may as well be up.
Hauling her restless form from the unwelcoming embrace of her mattress, Octavia plodded silently out into her living room before collapsing abjectly onto the couch. With a soft 'oof' she landed bodily, making the old springs creak and complain.
Excellent. Now perhaps with some blessed silence I'll be able to—
"Tavi? Is that you?"
Of course.
"No, Vinyl. I'm a robber who fancied a sit-down mid-crime," Octavia snarked.
"Looks like the only thing getting stolen around here is your peace of mind," Vinyl said as she emerged from the small extra room that had been outfitted for her use. She settled onto the couch beside her favorite cellist. "Wanna talk about it?" she asked, laying a hoof on Octavia's shoulder, absently running it lightly through the silky black mane.
"Not particularly," Octavia muttered, turning her head away from the softly reflected light that played in Vinyl's eyes.
"C'mon, Tavi. Don't do this. I know this whole thing with Las Pegasus and your agent has been worrying you all week but don't shut me out. Let me help you."
"That's just it, Vinyl; all week. I have to give my answer tomorrow and I still have no idea what I should do,” Octavia said.
"Just do what your heart tells you," Vinyl offered in her best mystical sage imitation.
"Yeah, good try; my heart wants to go so I can get back to playing my cello, my great love in life. But it also wants to stay here with you, my other great love."
"Aw, Tavi, that's so sweet you could bake cupcakes with it,” Vinyl said, though Octavia's glare reminded her that this wasn't really the best time for jokes. "Heh. What I meant to say was that I just want you to be happy, Tavi. If that means you go to Las Pegasus for a month, so be it. I'll be here waiting when you come back."
"But, Vinyl," Octavia objected. "You depend on me here. I can't let you down. And it's hardly fair for me to go off chasing my dreams and leave you behind."
"Tavi, I'm living my dream right now thanks to you. The least I can do is return the favor. It won't be easy or fun without you around, but I'll manage. For you."
"Vinyl . . ."
"C'mere," Vinyl demanded, meeting the earth pony in a loose embrace that ended up with them both lying on the couch, bodies pressed against each other and Vinyl's forelegs wrapped around Octavia's body as the cellist rested against her comforter's stomach.
"Vinyl?"
"Yeah?" the DJ mumbled groggily.
"Just promise me that you'll be here for me when I come back . . ."
Vinyl’s forelegs gripped her tighter. "You'd better believe it, Treble Clef."
Silence fell. The two mares' breaths soon synchronized and, for the first time in days, Octavia rested.
Octavia caught the sound of ringing through the phone receiver pressed against the side of her head. She could only hope there was an answer.
I only just worked up the courage to tell Mr. Bookings I accept. If I wait any longer I might chicken out. Again.
She smiled sheepishly, remembering the half-dozen times she had picked up the phone throughout the day, determined that this time she was really going to do it.
She allowed the phone to ring nearly thirty times before returning it to its cradle.
Naturally. Oh well, perhaps he's only out to lunch. It is still early.
A glance at the clock reminded Octavia that she was supposed to be going to the club early today to help Vinyl set up some new equipment. The electropony herself had left a little earlier.
Oh well. I'll try again later from the phone at the club.
Locking her door behind her, Octavia trotted down the stairs of her apartment complex. Emerging into the fresh air and sunlight, she turned towards the club and began the brisk walk. She moved easily for the first time in days, relatively unburdened with worry. The simple reassurance of a firm decision, and the knowledge that Vinyl didn't hate her for it, made the world a better proposition to her.
The sun seemed to be shining extra bright, the birds singing extra sweetly, all for her. Nothing could intrude on the small bubble of happiness that surrounded the trotting pony. The hurried passing of a group of weather pegasi wearing the uniform of the fire response team barely warranted a passing glance.
As her hoofsteps brought her nearer the club her nose began to detect the acrid presence of smoke. Octavia tried to put it out of mind as she kept walking, but the smell grew stronger with every stride.
I hope I don't have to take a detour or something.
With relief she turned the final corner, expecting to see the familiar front of Club P0n-3, its brilliant neon sign deactivated during daylight hours.
Instead, the sign lay on the ground, cracked and darkened. The building it should be attached to was in flames; brilliant hues of yellow and orange swirled and devoured, reflecting hell in horror-struck amethyst eyes. Dozens of pegasi filled the sky, coaxing water from clouds to battle and contain the inferno.
Rooted in place, Octavia wasn't even sure her heart was beating. Certainly her breath felt like it was being ripped away by the towering walls of flame before her.
Pegasi floated and hovered above the ravaged structure, struggling valiantly with wings and weather magic to defy elemental fury. Held aloft by superheated updrafts they flitted and moved like leaves in autumn, their movements at once chaotic and orchestrated.
Octavia finally noticed the crowd that had gathered to watch the spectacle, held back by a number of armor-clad guards. She made her way to the front, heedless of anypony she shoved from her path and not caring for the tears that coursed down her face, a pathetic offering of water that had no power to quench the flames.
Behind the guard lines, unicorns with horns alight carved paths through the flames, making way for more of their number to dash inside surrounded by protective shields.
The grey mare gasped, heart clenched in the icy grip of a helplessness and fear more vast and consuming than she believed possible.
Oh Celestia, Luna, I don't care who, just let her be safe.
She stood there for what seemed like an eternity; it felt to her that time had ceased to move. It was like time had stopped after she stepped off a cliff and before she began to fall; the short moment of mind-numbing terror never subsided into mere fear.
A glimmer of hope presented itself among despair: the rescuers stumbled wearily forth, disheveled and damaged. Between them, held aloft by magic, was the unmoving form of a white unicorn supported by a stretcher. "Vinyl! Hold on!" Octavia yelled, beginning to run forward only to be stopped by the one of the guards corralling the crowds stepping into her path.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but this is a restricted—"
"That is my marefriend over there and I don't even bucking know if she's alive!" the Octavia screamed, primal emotion ripping its way from her throat and forcing the guard back an involuntary step.
"I really can’t allow anypony—"
Octavia was gone before he could finish, dashing past him and pointedly ignoring his shouted commands to stop. She reached Vinyl as the attending unicorn medics were preparing to load her onto a pegasi-pulled chariot, its sides adorned with a red equal-armed cross. They were silent, focused on pouring magic into sustaining Vinyl.
Octavia knelt beside her precious DJ, tears falling unheeded as she struggled to find a way to touch Vinyl without brushing her hooves against the huge, ugly swathes of charred skin showing through glaring spots where her coat had fallen victim to the heat and flames. Finally she settled on running her hooves through Vinyl's bright hair, singed in places and in others simply burned away.
Her rapt attention was only broken by the efficient medics picking up the stretcher and moving it onto the waiting chariot. She tried to open her mouth, to plead to be allowed aboard, but her throat felt like it was constricted in a vice grip. Tears streaked down from her eyes as she reached out a trembling hoof as if to try and grasp something just out of reach as the chariot ascended on powerful bursts of the pegasi’s wings. The downdraft sent dust and dirt swirling everywhere below them, forcing Octavia’s already watery eyes to screw shut. When she was able to open them again she could see no sign of the medical chariot anywhere in the sky and the gawking crowd was already beginning to disperse.
Please please please be ok, Vinyl. Please. You promised you'd be here for me. You promised . . .
Stats
Page generated in 0.036 seconds
Total duration
1,093 users online
2,174,323 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
So many feels. Please...make more
Aha! Authorial inspiration and fate have aligned to chain Octavia to Canterlot for now. Well played errant... well played.
My heart.. Just dropped after reading that...
Do not do this to me..
I love where you are taking all of this.
Thank you.
Bad...Cliffhangers are not magic
after reading the description i think this sounds a lot like From scratch...
Geez. You do not do drama by half measures, do you?
Ow! My feels!
A fire, a badly-burned Vinyl, a distraught Octavia... the next chapter will be amazing.
Damn, why so serious??
So I check my email one last time before bed, and find this. As I read it I went from yay, to yay, to 'Oh dear lord no not Vinyl!!!
' What a way to end the day. Great chapter, though.
Why you?
another cliffhanger.
...Well f***.
How did the fire start? Why did it only start now instead of in the future/past? Will Vinyl survive? How will this impact Octavia? what about the other staff members of Club Pon-3? Will the club itself survive? Will Vinyl need a new club? Will Vinyl ever get another club? How many of these questions will be answered in the next chapter?
HURRY UP AND UPDATE AGAIN SO I CAN FIND OUT!!!
...Please?
I was just about to go to asleep when I saw this update. Why would you leave me with this? So good.
Sigh... I guess my unread chapter count never stays under 150 for too long...
AHHHHH its short with a cliff.....damn
Feels... Why so many feels today.
Didn't see that coming! Great job, as usual!
Yep. She's dead
I'm right there with you Octavia. I hope Vinyl's ok too. Cliffhangers are evil, this one especially.
956777 You wanna know how I got these scars?
You may call this a hunch but I got a feeling she'll decline the job now.
I don't know why, just a naggin feeling.
FFFFFFFFF-
Come on!
I buckin' HATE cliffhangers!
Please, please update!
Ah buck man! You better not kill off Vinyl!
give me 20,000 more words and i'll be good. Great story btw.
you make me happy that I get to read an update, only to cry and have a cliff like that. I don't know if I should be angry or happy
whoa... i...its...you.......
(no words can discribe this)
"Random fire is random."
My heart it Burns!!!
I am sitting here with wide eyes loving every moment of this fanfic but heed my warning, if you kill vinyl my fiery hatred will only be rivaled by the tortures of the most horiable depths of hell. javascript:smilie('
');
Great work, but damn that sucks. Poor Vinyl.
Beginning of the chapter:
End of the chapter:
I hope Vinyl's gonna be alright. . .and had insurance.
I... That was... You... I just want to cry now, that ending was just horrible, a great ending to be sure, but just horrible. Looking forward to more, and I do hope Vinyl is all right.
A few errors I found
...whole thing with Los Pegasus and your agent has been...
Las Pegasus
...the birds signing extra sweetly...
singing
I have this bad feeling that some angry stallion is behind this, one who had be ejected after an incident.
I just hope Vinyl will be okay, please Errant let her be alright 
Oh no...not Vinyl! Curse the use of a-
i.imgur.com/q0RPH.jpg
And that's why he's called Cliffhanger
956880
People complain about cliffhangers like this, it's very likely she'll live. She's already out of the fire, only has 3rd degree burns in patches, not over her whole body, and has magic doctors. I left my story a month and a half ago with Spike falling from the upper atmosphere and catching fire.
Okay, did not see that twist coming... well played and I must say... damn you if you kill her off!
Seriously though, keep up the good work, can't wait for the next installment!
I want to take a moment to thank my generous readers who have been pointing out my mistakes in spelling, punctuation, grammar and so forth. I believe I have now fixed all of them that have been pointed out to me so far. So thanks
and pony on!
Manly tears...
I kid, I kid. I like where this is going, despite random fire being random. To be honest, I wish there was at least another chapter between 6 and 7 to flush out the romance better. Seriously, they are a couple right out of the blue? Not even a date or a kiss to lead into it? Well that was a big disappointment; five chapters of buildup and no money shot. It's like I'm watching Prometheus all over again.
Despite that complaint, I still like your fic and am waiting for more, but just be careful with your pacing form now on.
That is where you leave a cliffhanger!?
I will eat your face if you do not update by tomorrow. ._. Will be all Miami up in this.
My heart...Oh god, what have you done.
I can only assume that what caused the fire was some of the wiring Vinyl was trying to hook up?
And please let her be okay ;v;
957779love that show.
please make longer chapters this stuff is GOLDEN.
well, tears are a thing, i suppose...
dl.dropbox.com/u/12875849/reactions/nooo.png
Also, why do I have this nagging feeling that Vinyl did it because she thought Treble's leaving because of the club or to make her stay or something
I demand moar!
my reaction to the whole chapter in order
This cliffhanger makes em want to hurt you.
Carry on.