The crow landed atop the balcony ledge. In the grip of his dark claw was a scroll, tainted with scratches from the restless bird. The ghastly deep purple that was the curtains was soon set in motion, a wave of terror upon the night. A grey hoof extended out, grasping the parchment within her elegant hoof.
"WHAT INSOLENCE IS THIS?" The once beautiful mare cried, her face imbued with a scar she had obtained rather recently. Taking up her family business was a messy job. "HOW DARE SHE DO THIS TO ME?"
Octavia Ravenclaw was her name. She was once the most elegant of all ponies, playing music many would give their left hoof just to attend, and their right one to hear the sweet music. She was a star in the making... Until that fateful day.
It is said that the Ravenclaw family is cursed with misfortune, indeed it was. She was once playing at the Royal Canterlot Hall, playing for the princess herself. It was a momentous occasion, one she had prepared her whole life for.
She had already bought the ring. She had made up her mind that as part of the finale, she would marry her marefriend... Vinyl Scratch. One of the most talented DJs ever, famous for working with Mic the Microphone and The Living Tombstone to make a track downloaded by all in mere hours.
Ah, the day seemed to be perfect, but she was unknowingly bound to the curse. A clumsy student's pet was invited along. The young dragon had burnt down the closing curtain, which had paralysed her.
Sure, she had told Vinyl to move on, Octavia had been told she could never play again... No matter how much she wanted to. But, on one fateful night... Her mother told the truth behind the family legacy.
And so here stood her now, dark and twisted by the power she was allowed. The only thing that gave the remotest shine in her life was the diamond that had been embedded into her left hoof, the diamond from the ring she thought would bring her closer to love and yet served only as an instrument against it.
"Raven!" she cried out to the crow, her blackened hair flowing behind her, retaining some of the grace from her earlier years. "I have a job for you."
She crumpled up the parchment and cast it into the flames. The first sentence illuminated in the golden glow of the fire's warm embrace, the words fading into ash as she spoke them aloud to the dark bird.
"You are cordially invited to the wedding of Spike Sparkle and Vinyl Scratch."
Finally, the moment had arrived.
Everything was in place. As the crowd mingled, she gave an evil smile to herself. Her scar was more than enough to hide who she was. Even if it wasn't, she should not have been there anyway.
Just before she was discharged, she was told of her legacy. To be the master of the night, queen of the ravens. To cover up her tracks, the doctors had announced her dead. Nopony would ever know she was missing.
The crowd began filling out into the hall, while she hated the diamond that reminded her of a life unfulfilled, in this case it helped her look the part. As the ponies found their places, the mare in the gown of her ancestor, Rowena Ravenclaw, watched as her minion landed atop the perch outside.
The wedding was to be held inside the great hall, the same great hall that had suffered her the accident from her life now forgotten. The irony that the spot where she will crush the dreams of the traitor being the same spot where she had her own crushed.
She happened a glance towards the groom, the same dragon that had been responsible for the accident! She smiled at this twist. She was glad she could do to Spike what he had done to her oh so long ago.
The crowd hushed, the friendly voices around her silenced. The organ began to play, three fillies bouncing around down the aisle, all of different races. Equality was not her strong point. She knew that Earth Ponies were superior to the Unicorns.
The music changed from the slow tone to an upbeat, pounding of bass that was emanating from where the bride should have been. Instead of wearing a dress like a normal filly, Vinyl was riding atop a massive bass speaker, rocking out. Miss Ravenclaw got a chuckle out of this, it was one of the reasons she loved her.
As the vows were being spoken, Octavia gave a vicious smile. Her plan was almost complete. This day was going to be perfect.
Her plan was not complicated. The groom made fake, plastic rings instead of gem encrusted ones so he would not eat any. She had her minion swap out the plastic for plastic explosive. Powerful enough to blast the groom to the moon.
She pressed the button hidden inside her robes, the point of no return. As soon as Celestia's golden orb reached the highest point in the sky, the bride would be sent to join it.
But, something happened she wasn't planning. Ten minutes to detonation, the bride looked towards the audience with a serious look, taking off her iconic glasses to reveal the magenta eyes Octavia loved so dearly.
"Yoh, awesome dudes!" she began, grabbing a mike from Mic. "I want to tell y'all a story, so listen up!"
Octavia was intrigued. This was the most important moment in Vinyl's life, she was choosing to tell a story at this time? So be it. She just hoped for a good tale.
"Not long ago, I loved a mare named 'Tavi! She was beautiful, with a capital 'beau'! But, she was taken from us... But not before she told me to find happiness with another." Vinyl's voice was on the verge of tears, something Octavia had never witnessed before. "Losing 'Tavi was the hardest thing that had ever happened to me, but thanks to Spike here, I was able to move on and dare love again. This day is yours 'Tavi! Peace out!" She held her hoof to the sky, mike rising with it.
The crowd burst into a cheer as Vinyl cried, she was not the only one, it seemed, as Miss Ravenclaw's tears ran a trail of black down her face. She knew why she loved Vinyl.
She was so caught up in the moment that she forgot the plan. Only when the first toll of the bell occurred did she realise what she had done. She sprinted down the aisle, caring not about the shooting pain from the diamond.
She looked for the ring and saw it wrapped around her ex-lover's horn. The fourth toll had rung before anypony noticed her. She kept going, intent on stopping her dark self from destroying the happiness.
"'Tavi?" Vinyl looked surprised at the dark mare she could recognise in a heartbeat. Octavia heard her name and went faster, now that the sixth toll had arrived. "But how ar..."
Vinyl was stopped before she could do anything. Octavia's hoof sliding off the ring and sliding it across the floor, towards the groom. Number eight had arrived, not much time remained.
Octavia turned to the unicorn now below her, her tear-strewn face a mess of black. She looked deep into the magenta eyes she loved and gave a smile.
"I love you." She said, pushing off the mare and sliding across to the ring. Octavia heard the tenth chime and knew that it was going to be chaos if she didn't act.
She swallowed the ring, the gasps of shock reverberating in the hall around her. She then dashed to the window, looking at her once faithful servant eye her and fly away. The eleventh bell rang as the glass smashed.
Nopony heard the last toll. The explosion was too loud for anypony to care. At first the hall was confused, but then reality dawned on them all when Vinyl dropped to her knees and cried for her friend no longer with them.
Years passed, ponies forgot the tragedy of the day, but there were two that could never forget. As the two walked along a park in Ponyville, happiness always by their side, the wife called out.
"Octavia, you're going to be left behind!"
The half-dragon chased after her parents, her diamond necklace smiling from the warmth of the great Equestrian sun.