Paranoia

by FluttershyAllTheWay

Chapter 4

Hey there guys! A more regular schedule is falling into place: once a week updates. :D

So yeah, I made a facebook for myself, if you enjoy my stories then a like is always nice, but you don't have to of course. The link is here.

This is the penultimate chapter, so I hope you enjoy!

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A week had passed since Octavia's erratic and eventful day in the bustling high streets of Canterlot. A lot of things had occurred between the present day and then - none of which had been anything like the sort of events from before the day out: meaning they hadn't been eerie, odd, and hadn't caused Octavia to be swimming in paranoia. In short, Octavia felt free ad so much better about herself as well as her life. A burden appeared to have been lifted off Octavia's shoulders: all she had to do now was practice fiercely for the upcoming Canterlot wedding. Octavia had been diligently attempting to impress her coach prior to the selection; it appeared to have paid off too. She was formally invited to lead the strings section of the Canterlot wedding's Classical band. They chose her for this prestigious position over anypony else - something that pleased Octavia infinitely There was no way she would screw up something as insanely important as this now. Practising was her only thought and with nothing to distract her, Octavia felt free and happy.

All that remained for Octavia to do was to meet this "Vinyl Scratch" character and for her to give her sincerest apologies about her incredibly uncouth behaviour that day. She knew an explanation was in order, and Octavia was ready to dish one out.

From the speculation Octavia had heard, this Vinyl Scratch certainly was a 'character'. On the other hand, Vinyl was a musician herself. This elated Octavia: they already had something in common before even properly meeting. Perhaps they could discuss certain symphonies and agree on the best classical instrument...

Octavia snapped back to reality with a bang. She had been carelessly daydreaming and had walked into the doorway - with the door still firmly closed. Suffice to say, it had yanked Octavia out of her almost unconscious state.

It had been a fairly extensive week of exhaustingly scouting around for information on Vinyl. Most of Octavia's frantic attempts had been fruitless. Many ponies around her local area had no clue of this odd mare who went by the name of Vinyl Scratch, but a few had little trinkets of information that Octavia could add to her ever-growing collection. After the full week was up, Octavia felt proud in a smug and silent way. She had balanced out discovering Vinyl and practising her Cello to perfection. All together, Octavia had gained everything she needed to know about Vinyl Scratch prior to them actually meeting, but also received the required amount of practise time with some extra hours thrown in sporadically. Things were looking positive.

Today was Sunday, Octavia free day. It was the day in which she had no set schedule or anything lined up to do. This, of course, was consequently the best day for her to confront Vinyl with an apology and perhaps get to know her a little better.

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With herself mentally prepared and her saddlebag neatly packed with every essential, Octavia was ready to leave the house
and meet Vinyl Scratch properly. With the address to Vinyl's house in hoof and a few bits for a bus ride in the other, the door was the only thing standing between Octavia and Vinyl Scratch. She was ready to set off. With a brave face on and an almost menacing smirk splashed carelessly across her face, Octavia nudged the door open with her muzzle. It was time.

The journey to Vinyl's house couldn't have been any less eventful. Not a single word was uttered by anypony. The driver didn't speak; nopony else spoke. The bus ride was plain at best. The bus was deserted and Octavia had the pick of seats. Nothing happened along the way. Additionally, the journey was fairly short; Vinyl lived closer to Octavia than she knew.

Octavia stood outside Vinyl's house awestruck. It was big and secluded from the busier city streets. no noise could be heard at all. There were large grounds surrounding the house, engulfing it in trees of green and stretches of thick and bushy grass. All plant-life was well accounted for and cared for. Everything was looking sumptuous and plump, as if nutrients were constantly being pumped into them like steroids. A small stream flowed on the far right side of the grounds, but very little audio was emitted from it. The only thing stopping a complete circling of the embrace of nature around this house was a winding and difficult-to-traverse stone path of cobbles and pebbles. This house was perfect. Octavia had never been so jealous of a building in her life.

With cautious steps, Octavia made her way deftly to the front door. The almost impassable path also seemed to take forever to travel along - mostly because it wasn't in a straight and linear line. It curved and twisted, as if it was avoiding something and constantly making detours to avoid it. Eventually, Octavia found herself at the hoof of this towering building. Its presence was numinous. Feeling tense, Octavia attempted to breathe the nerves away. She had to make a good first impression! With determination soaring through Octavia's bloodstream, she reached a hoof up to the fancily decorated doorbell.

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Octavia sat waiting for a minute or two. She was becoming impatient fast and a second ring at the doorbell was incredibly inviting. However, just as she was about to stretch her hoof out again, the big, looming door began slowly creaking open until it hit the catch. Just then, Octavia heard a voice she recognised instantaneously from that day a week ago.

"Hey, who is it and whadda you want?" The mysterious but memorable voice queried into the November afternoon's crisp air. She seemed disinterested in anypony right then, and Octavia hesitated for a moment before speaking. She pondered whether it was worth speaking, but eventually Octavia came to the conclusion that it would be worth it.

"Umm, hey! I'm Octavia. I'm the pony from the Canterlot high street who you tried to help about a week ago. I just wanted to pay you a visit to give my dearest and sincerest apologies for my unprofessional and uncouth behaviour after you tried to help me that day." Octavia clearly and boldly stated. She felt that she had done a splendid job of voicing that, giving herself a metaphorical pat on the back.

Nothing happened at Vinyl's front door for a few seconds. These long and arduous seconds extended on until they felt like minutes; hours even. No reaction or any sign of a reaction. Panic slowly began to rise inside Octavia. Had she done something incorrectly? Was her introducing statement too formal? Or not formal enough? Any minute now panic would overcome Octavia and she would do something stupid in her fear.

All of a sudden, Vinyl's door violently flung open - almost blowing Octavia off her very own hooves. "Well, why didn't you say so sooner? Come on in!" Vinyl stated with a newly found excitement and intensity that didn't match Octavia's personality. With a silent sigh of relief, Octavia brought her head from facing her hooves up to meet the eyes of Vinyl Scratch.

Eyes. Her eyes were luscious. They were a vibrant red colour, the sort of colour that nopony else could have. She was unique, one of a kind in this sense.

Octavia shook her head and tried to claw back focus on reality. She was acting plain silly, getting side-tracked by a pony's magnificent eyes.

After taking a personal moment to retain her smartness by adjusting her bow tie and mane, Octavia breathed a deep but silent breath. With cautious steps, Octavia entered Vinyl's astonishing abode. Everything was smart and tidy. It was clear that every little trinket in this home was cared for and maintained on a consistent basis.

The lobby was gigantic. The ceiling was miles away, almost touching the outer limits of the sky. The walls were huge and painted in clear and bright colours, bringing out Vinyl's cheerful and colourful personality into the house. Vinyl must feel at home here, Octavia thought.

Taking a moment to be a dignified guest, Octavia politely wiped her hooves daintily on the welcome mat. She had to respect this astounding house. It really was breath-taking.

Vinyl lead Octavia into the living room. If Octavia had found the house breath-taking already, then who knew what she would think of what was hidden away in the living room?

As Octavia entered Vinyl's living room, she nodded her thanks to Vinyl for holding the door open for her. However, as she rotated her head to a more usual position, her jaw dropped instantly. It came into contact with the floor instantly. Octavia had stopped in her tracks as she gawped at the pure brilliance of what was in front of her.

The whole wall was just thick glass. It enabled full view of the beauty and serenity of the exterior part of the house, as well as allowing natural light to pour in generously. It really was a beautiful sight indeed for Octavia. Vinyl ushered Octavia to sit down with her on one of her luxury leather sofas.

"So. What did you want to tell me then, Octavia?" Vinyl asked suggestively, expecting the apologies to come thick and fast - she was relishing the moment.

Octavia noticed Vinyl's cheeky line instantaneously and frowned upon it to start with. However, she knew Vinyl was joking and had good intentions. Octavia just laughed Vinyl's behaviour off and began her explanation.

"Well, recently, I had been experiencing unexplained events. They were scaring me into paranoia. When unconscious in the street, you can imagine that being awoken by a randomer would scare you out of your coat. It sure did for me!" Octavia chuckled midway through her explanation, before continuing on: "Well, you scared me so much, I ran away and rudely interrupted your introduction. Well, I'm sorry." Octavia made sure her apology was said with the utmost amount of conviction as was possible.

Vinyl just smiled and retorted calmly, "It's cool. Hey, you want to go get a drink?"

Octavia smiled. The friendship was blossoming; it was evident. Although their personalities were pretty much polar opposites, they both could take a joke. With a grin brewing across her muzzle, Octavia replied, "Yeah, sure!"

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Nothing significant happened on Octavia's and Vinyl's trip out together. Octavia and Vinyl chatted for a while and had a few drinks. The bill was equally divided between them for equality purposes. Differences were found, and similarities discovered.

But one thing Vinyl said stood out to Octavia.

*Flashback*

Octavia: "So yeah, I'm doing a performance next week... Leading the string section of a wedding band."

Vinyl: "Wow, sweet. Hey, do you mind if I attend? Hey, I could also have my chauffeur drive you to band practices throughout the week. How's that sound, huh?"

*Flashback over*

Octavia had accepted the offer: she was glad she did too. It would be good to have some company at practices for motivational purposes. Plus, she enjoyed Vinyl's company. Vinyl was a great mare once you got to know her: unique but herself.

As Octavia began her journey home, she reflected upon today's events. Not a single negative thing stood out on the detailed timeline of events for the today. As equivalent to the journey there, the way back to her own house was uneventful. Nothing of significance occurred.

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Octavia yanked open her door handle with minimal effort. Her hooves were tired, her body was tired, she was tired. However the day had been brilliant. A new friend found, travel to practices arranged, her apology for her unacceptably rude behaviour given and she had been forgiven. With the last of the strength Octavia could muster, she dragged her way up her stairs to her bedroom. She dumped her saddlebags down on the floor with a thud and practically collapsed into bed. The day had taken everything out of Octavia. All she craved was a good night's rest to rejuvenate herself. Within a few minutes Octavia was sound asleep. She had forgotten to remove her bow tie - something routine to her normally. She was that knackered.

All that remained was to ace this wedding. Canterlot weddings were prestigious events and being on lead strings was an honour for anypony. Success meant more advancement in her musical career. Octavia smiled happily in her sleep as her face lay engulfed in a big, white marshmallow of a pillow.

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Well, another chapter done. Only the finale remains now! :D

I hope you enjoyed reading this, I enjoyed writing it.

The finale shall be available on Saturday night. I will write it then. Look forward to that. :)

Oh, and fimfiction, please stop being "under maintenance" when I need to write. My schedule was almost delayed a week by that; just found enough time to write though.

Bye all!

Comments

[Silver-Brony]

Hey, a fic about the favorite mental problem I have!
Oh well, catch 22 basically says if you think your crazy then your actually sane.

Regardless, on my read later list for when i find time in the space between the writing of my own Octavia story.

[Church]

This is written quite beautifully. I look forward to the ending, whatever chaos or non-chaos will ensue.

Huzzah.

[FluttershyAllTheWay]

1091856
Well, I've got my ending planned. Writing shall commence soon, this weekend is likely. Thanks for the compliment!